#unified fool theory!!!!!!!!!!

[vickyvicarious]

RIGHT away, this is devastating. The vain determination to hold on to something in "I know there is sunrise because I am a sailor," - oof. Also, the fact that the fog is so thick he can't see the sunrise at all is awful.

Then, when he says "I dared not go below, I dared not leave the helm," all his uncertainty and just how lost and afraid he is truly comes out. I love how soft his voice gets.

"so here all night I stayed, and in" he's so good at using this little half chuckle to make me very distressed for him. Here he's laughing at himself once again, what a fool he was for not understanding, once again he was a fool to have any hope that he would be alone now and no more deaths would follow...

"in the dimness of the night I... saw... Him." CHILLS. soooooo creepy, sooooo well done.

The way he says "no man can object" just hits so hard, it feels somehow like an apology to the mate in a way even more than the line saying he was right did.

"But I am captain, and I must not leave my ship." ABSOLUTE BANGER OF A LINE. GOD. I knew it would be, but. Oh my god. He's choking up, how he almost fades away on captain, how his voice shakes somewhere between helpless laughter or tears but helpless either way. I love the long shaky breath before this line, building up his resolve. And then how he just sits with it for a couple seconds afterward, quiet, as the music grows stronger (I love the music)

And he comes back determined. He can do so little, but he will do it. He will baffle this monster in whatever way he can, he will protect his own soul though he couldn't protect any others, and he will keep his honor as well. He won't let this monster take what little he has left.

(I think part of the next line is missing, since it goes right to "-ight is coming on")

His determination holds strong, but his final lines show that this isn't a dramatic last stand, full of heroic vim and vigor. It's a long, aching, terrifying standoff, trapped alone with a monster who has killed everyone else, who has taken away the very sun, alone with only the God that the Captain already feared had abandoned him as any sort of comfort at all. He's scared and worn and he doesn't have any real hope left but he will cling to his role as captain, when nothing else is left. Dracula's laugh coming right after "God and the Blessed Virgin and the saints" and then echoing over "help a poor ignorant soul trying to do his duty...." makes it all even worse, because even as they are invoked the Count laughs about it, seemingly proves that they aren't here, they can't stop him. No one is going to help this poor, ignorant soul; and Dracula finds the idea of him trying to still do his duty hilarious.

(For now at least. If the Captain's theory on "what he may not touch" is correct then I'm sure that will annoy Dracula plenty when it stops him getting to the helm/his last victim.)

SEA SHANTY!!!!!!!! I knew it would come but!!!! So exciting. And the lyrics are so morbid. Here's a trick to catch a ___. Adding in the soft waves in the background, the way the "oo-ooh" gets more uneasy as it goes along, how they get less unified, how they start to fade away, individual voices become more distinct. And that ending is so good.

DRACULA SINGING AT THE END OMG, I HATE YOU SO MUCH SIRRRR (delighted)

#dracula daily #re: dracula #captain of the demeter

[ghostfilecabinet]

November’s is Ryan’s birthday month, so our theme is: BOTTOM BERGARA! Because loving someone in fandom means wanting to see them fucked silly. Without further ado -

Onwards.

let us touch so much of ourselves together by uneventfulhouses | E, 4K | He’s soft, but Ryan knows a huge dick when he sees one. “Jesus.” Ryan blinks and. Well, he blinks again, because what else can he do. He realizes he’s staring at it, but—

Once Upon a Porno by GomorrahHillsides (Within_N_Without) | E, 15K | How one awkward moment can change your future. Or, the story of how two grown men end up forging a deeper, more intimate relationship by way of dubbing a period piece porno together.

The Thermostat by GomorrahHillsides (Within_N_Without) | ft. D/s | E, 12K | When arguing over the thermostat blatantly means 'I love you'.

The Wall Between Us by buzzfeedunwritten (loudmouthraccoon) | E, 29K | In order to get over his hopeless crush on Shane, Ryan finds himself at an establishment specifically designed for the purpose of safe anonymous sex. It goes about as well as you would imagine.

A Grand Unified Theory for Dummies by Siria | E, 5K | Shane had something of a grand unified theory of dating one Ryan Bergara brewing which—and bear with him here—used Pokemon as its central metaphor.

kiss today goodbye (point me towards tomorrow) by idkspookystuff | E, 4k | Suddenly, there’s a loud crack from behind them. Shane and Ryan go still, and from this close, Ryan can see the hair stand up on Shane's arms. “Do you think there’s any chance that’s Taylor Lautner?” Ryan jokes feebly. He’s gonna be really mad if those are his last words.

leave me high and dry by bodhirookes | E, 11k | He can’t believe he’s hearing this come out of Shane’s mouth. He says as much out loud. “I can’t believe this. You think I’m a wimp? Even throughout all of the demon encounters and my rippling muscles?”

this rainstorm (it smells like home) by popkin16 | ft. a/b/o | E, 28k | Ryan’s heats were always regular, like clockwork. [...]  His next heat wasn’t due for another two months, but it was hard to deny how empty his nest looked and how much it bothered him.

Baby, Be Mine by petitfangs | ft. D/s | E, 7K | “Hey,” Ryan greeted him, eyes big and warm like the curl of his lips, the bright shine of his teeth, white and perfect. Something tightens, low and hot, in Shane’s stomach. He tampers down the sudden urge to kiss him. 

Want You In My Court by Ourladyofresurrection | ft. D/s | E, 51k | How do you gracefully say: ‘Hey, I know we’re in a group project now, but I think I came to the sound of your voice the other night and I can’t stop thinking about it and frankly, it’s driving me a little crazy‘

Can't We Just Roll for the Moment by punk_rock_yuppie | E, 2.8k | “This doesn’t count as proof,” Shane says.

Wind Me Tighter Than a Wire by sequence_fairy, uneventfulhouses | E, 5k | Ryan’s like, “I’m just aesthetically attracted to some men in particular,” and “I don’t want to do anything about it,” and “alright, maybe, sometimes, I think about getting lovingly railed by Henry Cavill while I jerk off but who doesn’t?” and Shane is maybe losing his mind about it.

be so sweet by sarcasticfishes | ft. D/s | E, 3k | “I feel like you’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Shane says, keeps stroking through Ryan’s hair, again and again, soothing, “I think you already know what you want from me.”

Teacher's Pet by chapscher | E, 24k | “You aren’t describing a teacher’s pet! You’re describing… I don't know the name for it. Someone who tries to seduce their teacher so they can get a better grade.” “Isn’t that a teacher’s pet?”

Oh, Ho, The Mistletoe by Bottomryanbitch | E, 7k | Mistletoe made them do it: sex pollen edition.

Lovesick fool by petitfangs | E, 7k | “If I make you come, will you get off my lap and stop trying to kiss me?” Shane asks gruffly. 

stay the night with the sinners by bodhirookes | E, 85k | Steven Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj flee Heaven and Hell to be together, and Ryan Bergara is forced to serve on the jury for their trial. Shane Madej is constantly there to remind him why Heaven and Hell should never be allowed to fraternize.

Shut Me Up by Fraudgara | ft. D/s | E, 6k | "You never seem to shut up when I'm touching you." Shane and Ryan play a very very terribly executed rendition of the quiet game.

Read To Me by ouijaboy (nbfutureboy) | E, 18k | When acclaimed children’s author Shane Madej meets a long-suffering parent at one of his signings, he decides on a whim that he’d like to torture this man some more. As it turns out, both Ryan Bergara and his son are two infinitely entertaining human beings.

Something Old, Something New by ChimChimCherrie | E, 8k | Thrifting wasn't Ryan's favorite way to spend an afternoon, but he had to admit the boutique that Mari found was pretty cool.

#[] #[fic rec]

[flyin-shark]

hi, about antitheism. (i am not going to be able to put that much effort into proofreading, i have an assignment due tonight and i have dyslexia.)i grew up in an antitheist cult, so i know what i'm talking about (yes antitheist cults are a thing and antitheism/atheism can be missionary, controlling, fundamentalist, etc, just like any religion, no i am no longer in the cult, no i am not an antitheist any more nor am i an atheist). first off, there is no ethical way to control people's belief systems. this goes just as much for antitheism as for religion. forcing people to believe in "truth" is impossible, because "truth" is almost impossible to achieve. the scientific method never reaches a point of truth. is the Newtonian model of physics truth or is Einstein's theory of relativity true instead? is Bohr's atom model truth, or do we need everyone to know about and always use the model believed to be most accurate at any time, even when it's less convenient for the calculations made? are we ever going to reach the full truth, or are we constantly going to discover new scientific theories? where should we stop looking? and any system for determining this truth would be corruptable, and whoopsie-daisy, now we've got fascists again. there's no system for deciding objective truth that cannot be corrupted (even science, take racial biology for example). and how would things like ideology work if everyone follows one truth, without resorting to fascism? also, the question of "is there a God" is beyond the scope of science. it's equally impossible to prove that there is no God, as it is to prove the existence of one. as such, the scientific model cannot determine either of them, and as such there is no way to say either is true (assuming we're attempting to use science as our model for truth here). belief in God should be a personal choice, not forced upon you, but neither should atheism. i also appreciate the disclaimer that you were speaking from a Christian perspective, although i wouldn't have needed it, because your ignorance of other religions was very clear. Disclaimer, I am not Jewish, but I have done a lot of research on the topic. Judaism is not missionary, and converting to Judaism is actively discouraged and takes over a year at minimum, doesn't force non-Jewish people to follow more than 7 basic rules (things like don't murder people), says that Jewish people may not obey the rules if doing so would endanger a life (theirs or another's), barely believes in an afterlife, and there's no unified picture of the afterlife but the consensus is that all good people go to Heaven, and either bad people don't get an afterlife, or their stay in Hell is temporary. doubting God and having a personal interpretation/opinion of the scriptures are seen as good things. Judaism is also used to abuse people, of course, but many of your specific complaints are extremely Christian-centric and it shows. antitheism scares me more than religion does though, because it presents itself as scientific and reasonable. religion presents itself as faith, and can be used to lure in vulnerable people that way, but something that presents itself as being based on truth, difficult to achieve at best and actively harmful at worst, based on (a misunderstanding of) science, that's scary, and can be used to fool people into a fascist mindset whilst presenting itself as otherwise. people should ALWAYS be allowed to believe whatever they want, and the trick to not end up with flat-earthers and conspiracy theorists is to have source criticism and thinking for yourself taught in good schools from a young age. with good education, people can think freely and still follow science. compassion and human rights can also be taught in schools. in my country, all these things are taught at schools, the curriculum is good, but the education system is bad, so it doesn't sink in properly. also, are you by any chance from the usa?

I went through this in detail so hopefully I answered all of your questions and concerns.

tldr: I don't think it's ok to force anyone to believe or not believe anything. Fascists can get fucked.

"i grew up in an antitheist cult, so i know what i'm talking about (yes antitheist cults are a thing and antitheism/atheism can be missionary, controlling, fundamentalist, etc, just like any religion"

"there is no ethical way to control people's belief systems"

I’m against cults and forcing people to do or believe anything. I’m sorry you were in a cult and I don’t support them. I never said that anyone should be controlling anyone else’s belief systems. Antitheism and atheism aren't religions but sure people can value them and be assholes.

"forcing people to believe in "truth" is impossible, because "truth" is almost impossible to achieve"

I agree that you can’t force anyone to believe in truth nor should you force them. I am explicitly antifascist and I do not support anyone trying to force beliefs onto others. I don't think anyone can reach absolute truth about anything since we all perceive reality through our subjective experiences. However, we appear to share the same reality and so if you care about believing in true things then we should find the best way to figure out what's true.

"the scientific method never reaches a point of truth"

I’m not a scientist but my understanding is that the scientific method isn’t a way of finding out what’s true. Science develops reliable models that are most consistent with reality. Science never proves anything to be true. The process starts with an observation about reality, forming a testable hypothesis to explain a phenomenon, testing the hypothesis, running more experiments and peer review, trying to disprove the hypothesis, and after failing to reject the hypothesis we go with that tentatively until we find something better. This is the best method we currently have of finding out what things are consistent with reality.

So when you ask if Newton’s model or Einstein’s model is “true” you’re missing the point of those models. They’re just trying to put facts in order and explain the phenomena we see as accurately as possible. They aren't making truth claims. For example, a map from the 1600s is wrong but more useful than having no map at all. A modern day map is more accurate but still doesn't show all of the details of the real locations. Maps using data from satellites and other advanced technology is even more accurate but still don't show the world exactly how it is. Each model is more accurate than the last but they're all wrong because they're just maps and not the actual place.

"Do we need everyone to know about and always use the model believed to be most accurate at any time, even when it's less convenient?"

No. Take gravity for example. If someone's idea of gravity is "when you drop something, it falls" that's perfectly fine for the average person just living their life. It's not perfectly accurate but it's enough for the average person. Anyone dealing with planes or spacecraft or physics will probably want a more advanced understanding of gravity.

"are we ever going to reach the full truth, or are we constantly going to discover new scientific theories? where should we stop looking?"

I don't think we will ever reach absolute truth or absolute certainty about anything. Still, we should continue to study and learn more about reality. I'm curious why you ask where we should stop looking as opposed to when. Are there certain subjects that we shouldn't try to learn more about?

"any system for determining this truth would be corruptable, and whoopsie-daisy, now we've got fascists again. there's no system for deciding objective truth that cannot be corrupted (even science, take racial biology for example)"

The thing I like about science is that it checks itself. We found out racial biology was bullshit by using science. We found out you can't measure someone's skull and determine their intelligence by using science. We found out that there's no causal link between vaccines and autism by using science. If we're wrong about something the way we figure that out is almost always if not always through science.

"how would things like ideology work if everyone follows one truth, without resorting to fascism?"

I don't know how people believing the same things about reality would result in fascism but also I'm not saying that everyone should believe the same things or have the same ideology. Truth is that which aligns with reality. I think everyone should believe in true things and not believe untrue things. But I'm not forcing anyone to believe or not believe in anything. It's just my opinion.

"the question of "is there a God" is beyond the scope of science. it's equally impossible to prove that there is no God, as it is to prove the existence of one. as such, the scientific model cannot determine either of them, and as such there is no way to say either is true (assuming we're attempting to use science as our model for truth here)."

It depends on which god you're talking about. If someone believes in a god that doesn't interact with reality, just started the universe and left, then yes that god is outside the scope of science because we have no way of investigating outside of reality. However most theists believe in a god or gods that interact with reality in some detectable way. Those gods do fall within the scope of science.

"belief in God should be a personal choice, not forced upon you, but neither should atheism."

I agree but I'm going to be a bit pedantic here. I don't think people choose their beliefs. People are either convinced or unconvinced of something based on some evidence or reasoning. Regardless of whether it's good evidence or not they are either convinced or unconvinced by it. Anyway it shouldn't be forced on anyone.

"i also appreciate the disclaimer that you were speaking from a Christian perspective, although i wouldn't have needed it, because your ignorance of other religions was very clear."

I made that disclaimer specifically because I don't know almost anything about other religions and wasn't talking about them. I specified that I'm an antitheist broadly because there isn't enough evidence to believe in a god. And then I went into the specifics of the religion I'm most familiar with and the harm it can cause.

On your points about Judaism. Ok? They can believe in whatever. I'm saying that you shouldn't believe in things without good evidence. They can listen to my opinion or not care about it. I don't really care either way. I have no problem with them practicing their traditions and maintaining their heritage.

"many of your specific complaints are extremely Christian-centric and it shows"

Yes because I was specifically talking about Christianity as that's the only religion I have some familiarity with. I wasn't talking about all religions broadly. If anyone from another religion wants to talk to me about what they believe and why then I would love to have that conversation. Maybe they'd even convert me.

"antitheism scares me more than religion does though, because it presents itself as scientific and reasonable. religion presents itself as faith, and can be used to lure in vulnerable people that way, but something that presents itself as being based on truth, difficult to achieve at best and actively harmful at worst, based on (a misunderstanding of) science, that's scary, and can be used to fool people into a fascist mindset whilst presenting itself as otherwise."

Antitheism is just an opposition to theism. It doesn't say that we should force theists to convert to atheists. I'm an antitheist because I don't think people should be theists. The main reason is the lack of sufficient evidence. The other reason is the harm that believing in a god can cause. But also this is just my opinion. I am in no way forcing others to change their beliefs. Fascists can come from any religious or nonreligious background. So can antifascists. Here in the US we're dealing with Christian fascists at the moment but I don't doubt that there are fascists that don't believe in god.

Religion does not present itself as faith. Faith is the method through which people believe in the religion. Religions claim certain things to be true. Again using Christianity as an example, it claims that it is true that there is a god and that Jesus died for our sins. People believe that on faith but they also claim it to be true.

"people should ALWAYS be allowed to believe whatever they want, and the trick to not end up with flat-earthers and conspiracy theorists is to have source criticism and thinking for yourself taught in good schools from a young age. with good education, people can think freely and still follow science. compassion and human rights can also be taught in schools."

I agree with all of this. I object to the wording of "follow science" since it makes science sound like a religion rather than a methodology. But besides that I agree with all of this. Unfortunately whether any of this is taught in school varies depending on where you live. In many places in the southern US especially, there's still a fight to separate religion and government. I think Texas passed a law requiring schools to have "In God we Trust" posters up on the walls.

"in my country, all these things are taught at schools, the curriculum is good, but the education system is bad, so it doesn't sink in properly. also, are you by any chance from the usa?"

Source criticism, thinking for yourself, thinking freely, compassion, and human rights are taught in your schools? That's great! Yes I am in the US. I thought that would be obvious from the Christian-centric antitheist perspective lol.

Anyway I hope I answered all of your questions and concerns. If you have anymore feel free to send another ask or dm me.

#anti theism #shark sayin stuff #long post

[monstersdownthepath]

So what are the Velstrac?

Before we get into our impromptu Theme Month, how about we take a look at its subject?

The Velstrac, also known as the Kyton to most mortals, are the debased and detached rulers of the Plane of Shadow. As many know them, they are kidnappers, torturers, sadists, and madmen. In reality... this is almost entirely correct, though not without a sufficiently twisted reason.

The first of the velstrac were born from the debased and selfish thoughts of mortalkind, their appearance and mannerisms so disgusting and vile that the gods collectively agreed to chain them as deeply in Hell as they possibly could in a manner similar to how they handled their wayward Titans. Like all things shunned, imprisoned, and abandoned by the gods, though, they eventually broke free... or, depending on what accounts you believe, were freed by Doloras, Our Lady in Pain, or followed in the footsteps of Aroggus, one of their own, as he fled (though the current “accepted” theory combines both). They took up residence in the Plane of Shadow, called to it by the darkness... and, perhaps, the echoes of madness emanating from the prison of Zon-Kuthon, the god of pain, envy, and loss.

The velstrac’s presence in the Plane of Shadow does not predate Zon-Kuthon’s imprisonment, but they do predate his release quite considerably. Having been freed a mere 10,000 years ago, Zon-Kuthon has nonetheless quickly made a name for himself among the like-minded fans of torture and sadomasochism, establishing him as their greatest visionary in the arts of drawing screams from hapless victims.

But what are they?

Velstrac are artists

To know what they are, one must understand their drive: Unlike other Lawful Evil fiends (like the devils they share borders and towns with), the primary motivation for the velstrac as a whole isn’t conquest. Instead, they embody the Law in Lawful Evil via the enforcement of their will on the universe... their aesthetic will. In their own twisted ways, each velstrac wishes to create, but their chosen medium is living flesh, and they often create by destroying. As it goes, they quickly hit walls when it comes to butchering themselves into new and novel shapes, and turn their knives outwards in search of others to practice on. Whether it’s searching for a specific type of pain, finding the perfect pitch in their screaming, reshaping their mind with prolonged mental torture, or the reshaping of the victim’s flesh altogether, each velstrac wishes to bring terrible harm upon others until the others are transformed into something more befitting of the shadowy fiend’s tastes.

Velstrac are scattered

On an individual scale, velstrac rarely make long-term plans, preferring instead to chase their inspiration and hone their skills on whatever fools manage to catch their attention. They are largely isolated creatures, like daemons, each working on their own personal projects and collaborating only if their ideas cross over with one another. They possess a very loose hierarchy and no true government, though the highest echelons of this hierarchy is occupied by the Demagogues, whose works are entirely comprised of new and esoteric forms of suffering. They do not lead so much as hold sway over a large collection of fanatic fans, many of which hoping to impress their favorite artist, or play some part in their next project, one way or another. If anyone among this fiendish race is going to be concocting a century-spanning plot with world-shaking implications, it’s going to be a Demagogue hoping to unveil their new magnum opus or chase an avant-garde idea to its most destructive conclusion.

The most unified group of velstrac are the ones who serve Zon-Kuthon, working to increase their fel god’s power and influence in the worlds beyond their darkened plane and bring him souls to enact his depredations upon.

Velstrac are devilish

In many senses, the velstrac share more than hellish origins with the devils. They, too, transform mortal souls into more of their own through prolonged and excruciating torture, though they do so on a 1:1 basis, one of the few fiendish races to be able to do so besides the demons... were it not for the acceptable losses during the transformation process, assuring they don’t become as numerous as the demons have. Lacking the mechanisms of Hell to harvest souls for them, velstrac must seek out like-minded souls to undergo the hideous process of transforming them, and will go to any length to get such souls into the Plane of Shadow so no other afterlife can claim them... but because the depraved and masochistic are slated to become new members of their kind, that means they must go elsewhere to find materials to actually work with and hone their crafts.

Enter the shadowy bargains and mercenary work.

Like all Outsiders, velstrac can be called via magic or by frantic prayer. However, they can--and do--offer their services to sadists and monsters who can assure them a steady supply of flesh and blood to work upon, entering unofficial contracts they respect to the letter due to their Lawful nature (an especially enterprising velstrac may get a devil to pen the contract for them, enforcing it with Hell’s power). Poor and unfortunate captured souls are tormented in life and, if the velstrac has its way, long after their death, the horrors arranging for the gutted but still-living carcass to be transported to the Plane of Shadow so their brethren can pounce upon their soul the instant they finally die to continue their work, no longer constrained by the limits of flesh. This assures at least two souls: the victim, stolen from the cycle of souls, and the one who signed the pact, condemned to the Plane of Shadow to be transformed.

They possess physical similarities as well; like devils, silver is the most effective weapon against the velstrac. Silver weapons bypass their Damage Reduction, and the Regeneration possessed even by the least of their kind (necessary to survive the wounds they often and eagerly inflict on themselves) is suppressed primarily by damage from silver weapons, though most of them can also be harmed by Good-aligned spells and weapons.

#Pathfinder #Scourge Season Month

[fateinthestars]

Right then, let's continue what I started yesterday (Yes Leon I know I need to write your other advent calendar story. Be patient. Hue, pointing out that I only have tomorrow's written up in advance right now is not helping!) and look at another Christmas special story set.

This time it's '12 Loves Light Up a Holy Night: Wishes' and '12 Loves Light Up a Holy Night: Punishments'

All twelve Gods have a story in this set. Spoilers under cut. Though I will say something in advance this time: '12 Loves Light Up a Holy Night: Punishments' may well be my all time favourite story set. I adore all six stories in the Punishments set.

The Wishes one on the other hand... well let's get into it shall we?

12 Loves Light Up a Holy Night: Wishes

The start premise of this one is due to dark energy around, the King wants the Wishes department to spread some happiness around the Earth. Right, fine so far. The issue however is the timelines in these two sets because of the Wishes one baffles me: The Wishes set starts with MC watching a TV news story about all the odd goings on this Christmas time (which happen to be the problems that occur in the different punishments stories). Now in theory that could work, except this is to do with dark energy and for some reason Tauxolouve's story is set before he and MC are dating. It's not the case with the other second prologue Gods and considering who causes the events in the Punishments set the absolute earliest it can be is during the second prologue paths, it doesn't quite seem to line up right. Especially as with the others, as I say, MC is already dating them so then it has to be at the end of those routes.

Might need to think a bit more on that, but on the whole I suppose it doesn't matter. What might matter more is how poorly some of the Wishes Gods carry out the King's demands here...

Leon: Joyful - Intoxicating Christmas

Oh Leon... you aren't fooling me. You claim you did that just to grant MC's wish but you could have taken it somewhere more private. You didn't accidentally carry out the King's orders at all, you did that display in public to make everyone around happy.

And if I'm somehow wrong, and you did it accidentally, then you were still far better at this task than Karno and Teorus, and you made a crowd of people happy rather than just one like Tauxolouve.

The rest of the story is pretty sweet, though I feel like that perfume is actually rather dangerous!

Teorus: Unifying - Santa's Milk Moustache

Oh Teo... NO.

Oddly enough Teorus is the one who took the King's warning completely seriously and wanted to do whatever he could to weaken the forces of darkness.

So you would think I'd be getting the version of Teo that I actually like. His more determined side, his sweeter side, his protective side... but no...

Because some male children talk to MC for too long in a toy store, Teo decides to tell them that Santa doesn't exist.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

Teorus, reign in that overzealous over-possessiveness this instant!

He and MC fix what he caused later, but I don't think fixing a problem he caused can really count as spreading happiness!

Huedhaut: Exclusive - This Night is About You

Oh, Hue... Hue love, you claim what you planned going wrong was your punishment for selfishly wanting to only make MC happy but the fact is your plan was working until your usual luck meant that MC drunk something she shouldn't have done. It wasn't anyone's fault and you are NOT a failure as a Wishes God.

Seriously, what is with Huedhaut's luck? It's like if he was an RPG character most of his points went into the intelligence field.

Unfortunately because he did call their plan short, despite it originally working well, I think there are two Wishes God's that were more successful with carrying out the King's command. One is Leon, the other... well the other is Aigonorus. Seriously.

Up next is probably who you'd have expected me to say but no not at all, in fact I'd argue he was the worst at this:

Karno: Ravenous - Man Can't Live on Cake Alone

Okay above we have Hue beating himself up for even just wanting to make MC happy and forget about everyone else, but still doing an event that was making everyone happy until a mistake cut it short...

Meanwhile here Karno has decided that he and MC already had plans, he's going to stick to those plans, and when MC brings up the King's orders, he logics out that because she is a human and the rules were to bring happiness to humans, he is actually fulfilling what he was asked to do.

And now I'm beginning to see why Karno mentioned in his path that he'd got lectured by Leon!

It's not even that I can say his logic is entirely wrong, but the combination of going into this one after Hue's makes me feel rather disappointed in Karno, especially when usually he's the other sensible one of Wishes.

If we ignore the King's task? This story is actually really sweet.

(Side note: Karno, put your cardigan back on, this outfit is hideous).

Aigonorus: Restorative - Goats Bring Tidings of Love

Okay so Aigo wasn't even damn well listening properly in the throne room and originally wanted to continue their own plans, but after MC persuades him that they should do something, he really throws himself into this...

We even get a sleigh pulled by his Heralds. 🤣

He might have wanted to wrap things up quickly so he could get back to his plans with MC but I feel like what they did here will have really helped, plus due to a problem caused by a goat, Aigo was able to help reassure someone as well in a way which he wouldn't have been able to do before he and MC were together.

Tauxolouve: Indulgent - A Little Girl's Big Wish

It's nice to see even before his main path that Lou is an utter gentlemen.

However, the story itself? Like Karno he technically only concentrates on one person, though in this case it isn't MC... it's a ghost.

It does spread happiness and helps the spirit to move on which I guess is important (and it also fits with the Decadent Kisses on a Devilish Night's lore of what Halloween night is like in the heavens) but as it was just this one thing, I can't rank his attempt as high as Leon's or Aigo's or even Hue's. I will at least rank him above Teorus (cos the happiness you spread was fixing the upset you caused when not thinking your actions through and getting insanely jealous and petty) and Karno who didn't even try to bring happiness to anyone other than MC.

Yeesh, sorry, I really have problems with this Wishes set don't I? Perhaps I'm unfairly comparing it to...

12 Loves Light Up a Holy Night: Punishments

In this one, the prologue is two suspicious figures dressed as Santa, giving out candy.

What I really like about this one is not only does the candy act differently in each story but they didn't go the route of MC always being the one to eat it: Sometimes it is the God she's with who is foolish enough to do it, other times it's actually both of them that eat it, and in one instance it's accidentally swallowed by MC...

Scorpio: Transparent - True Love Can't Be Seen

Oh Scorpio. Ignoring your unease with crowds to do what MC really wanted to do, the gift you give her, and the way you reassure her when the candy causes the issue it does here... this is just so sweet.

Also, when he comes across the culprits behind the candy, their reaction to him is really interesting. They seem far more scared of him than some of the others.

Dui: Fractured - Trapped Between Two Loves

Dui, one of these days your love of cherries is gonna somehow get you into trouble. You weren't going to touch the candy until you realised what it smelt of.

I don't like to go too spoiler filled in these rambles but on this one I'm gonna have to: Any of you Dui fans out there wanted both his halves at the same time? Well this is the story you want.

Yup, that's what the title refers to, the candy splits Dui into two people.

I'm not gonna go too far in depth with talking about this one as I don't want to have to switch the mature filter on but this is quite the ride.

As an aside: I feel like I can tell the difference between which Dui is in charge at what time by his facial expressions, even before reading the text, most of the time. 😅

Ichthys: Cursed - Words I Can't Say

Of course Ichthys eats the candy. He's Ichthys.

I adore this Ikky story though. Not only do he and MC both work out what is going on, and he manages to change how he's speaking to get around it, but they also realise that it's too public for Ichthys to fix it with powers...

So Ichthys finds a different way to make sure everyone is aware of what is going on so that they can solve it themselves.

And you know what Ichthys? I know MC was embarrassed and got you to erase that declaration of love when you had to erase other memories the public here had but... I don't think I would have minded you keeping that declaration in tact. It was just so genuine and heartfelt.

Zyglavis: Possessive - Jealousy, Jealousy, Jealousy

You want to see Zig when he's really really furious? Well then, this is the story!

He's actually the only one who persuades MC to leave the candy the hell alone and also doesn't eat it himself... but circumstances lead to MC ending up eating it anyway.

To see the others genuinely trying to get at MC is rather terrifying when I think about it actually, but Zyglavis is a safe pair of hands as per usual.

Also I can't get out of my mind his comment about sneaking away without the others noticing to get MC her Christmas Present. Zyglavis you are really an utter softy under that hardened shell.

*looks at the story title* This isn't possessiveness. Jealousy? Maybe... but considering the others were actually coming onto MC because of the candy, Zyglavis had a reason to feel the way he did in this story.

Look, if you're looking for a comforting time, I'm not sure Zig is ever gonna be the best choice, but if something is going on and you need to feel safe, then yeah he is one of the ones that makes the most sense.

Krioff: Magnetic - An Untouchable Pair

I've struggled to comment on Krioff in the past (as I've said before that's not that I don't like him, it's just I haven't had anything specific to say at times) but this one? This might be one of my favourite stories of his.

Even though what the candy causes here is apparent before they even leave the mansion, Krioff wants to continue their original plans and not let this issue get in the way at all.

And after the issue is supposedly solved, he offers to start Christmas again.

It is just an utterly heart-warming story.

Partheno: Changeable - Intersecting Hearts

Like Dui's I'm gonna have to spoil what the candy did here: I didn't know I needed a MC & Partheno body-swap story but... man did I need a MC & Partheno body-swap story.

This is a great one to see the reactions of all of punishments throughout all this.

Actually now I re-read this, it seems like he and MC aren't together yet and considering the candy origin...

Partheno did you do this on purpose?!

(Though if that's the case maybe it means that the different dark effects could have happened on a couple of different Christmases and there's been more than once that the King had to ask wishes to spread happiness? That could put Tauxolouve's story in the same path as Partheno's...)

Okay, I could probably ramble about these ones for days, so let's not make this too long, and get to a ranking attempt:

Ichthys

Zyglavis

Scorpio

Aigonorus

Partheno

Huedhaut

Krioff

Dui

Leon

Tauxolouve

Karno

Teorus

Although honestly aside from Teo's these are all pretty amazing, I just feel story-wise the Punishments stuff was more rewarding.

Oh and as another aside, this set has given me some more outfits to try and give to my Sims 3 versions of the Gods.

#star crossed myth #scm #star crossed myth spoilers #star-crossed myth character review/rambling #scm ramble

[olddustorange]

By 1990 the physicist Petr Beckmann of the University of Colorado had already begun going after Einstein. He greatly admired Einstein for his famous equation of matter and energy, E=mc2, but called his theory of relativity mostly absurd and grotesquely untestable. Beckmann died in 1993. His Fool Killer's cudgel has been taken up by Howard Hayden of the University of Connecticut, who has many admirers among the upcoming generation of Ultimately Skeptical young physicists. The scorn the new breed heaps upon quantum mechanics ("has no real-world applications"..."depends entirely on fairies sprinkling goofball equations in your eyes"), Unified Field Theory ("Nobel worm bait"), and the Big Bang Theory ("creationism for nerds") has become withering. If only Nietzsche were alive! He would have relished every minute of it!

Recently I happened to be talking to a prominent California geologist, and she told me: "When I first went into geology, we all thought that in science you create a solid layer of findings, through experiment and careful investigation, and then you add a second layer, like a second layer of bricks, all very carefully, and so on. Occasionally some adventurous scientist stacks the bricks up in towers, and these towers turn out to be insubstantial and they get torn down, and you proceed again with the careful layers. But we now realize that the very first layers aren't even resting on solid ground. They are balanced on bubbles, on concepts that are full of air, and those bubbles are being burst today, one after the other."

I suddenly had a picture of the entire astonishing edifice collapsing and modern man plunging headlong back into the primordial ooze. He's floundering, sloshing about, gulping for air, frantically treading ooze, when he feels something huge and smooth swim beneath him and boost him up, like some almighty dolphin. He can't see it, but he's much impressed. He names it God.

From "SORRY, BUT YOUR SOUL JUST DIED."

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

tell me a story about truth lies and the United states

00043: GRIMES [A00005806] — STANAG 2500/213/00001/0001218/ENC, AFOUR, SIGNAL FUL-INTEROPERABILITY-TERR (INTEG)

TRANSMISSION FOLLOWS.

SSO: "Grimes"/"TARGET" "Grimes" VT. [Unclassified]

Thank you for the note, friend.

I am not sure what you think it means, that we did not "make a fuss" over the intrusion. Perhaps you expect us to react to the cease-and-desist the way the Department reacts to events. Do you? Can you imagine this?

The Department reacts to events the way a dam reacts to water. Sometimes there are protests, or breakdowns. Water does not stay back because we ask it to. A dam's protests and breakdowns are known as "leaks," and are not good. They are resolved when the Department gets its shit together.

And look, this is coming from me. How the Department actually works is a pile of dirty secrets. There are cables and cables, compartmented compartments, especially in the Research Wing. I can hardly believe you are still even in the Research Wing.

This has been interesting, talking to you. But also a bit silly. What we do here is, let me stress, not.

The Research Wing is just a government service. It is the pump of the dam. We make calculations, we record history, we observe, we get excited when someone in the Logical Subcommittee makes a breakthrough in the search for the falsifiable laws of reality. In exchange for which we are rewarded with a place to do the work we like, and someone else's money.

The Research Wing is a giant storage closet for . . . well, you have no idea what goes on around here. Let's just say there are some filing cabinets which contain things you would wish on your worst enemy.

We are a dull place, with a dull mission. People come and go here without any sense of purpose. They stay or leave for reasons no one can explain, or predict. There is no sense of foresight. It is as if time for us runs parallel with time for you. We were here before you and we will be here after you are gone.

They say there is no time here. I disagree. There is an ordinary kind of time which passes for all of us, and a different kind of time which passes for you, and you live on the other side, and are doing all this to us.

And yet.

You are in the Research Wing now. The dam is leaking again. So we leak. We leak, and the water pours forth, overflowing, and we leak, and the dam is overflowing, and this is the world you have made.

It is all here, laid out before you, in a long trail of evidence. We speak in many tongues, my friend, and yet our tongues all say the same thing.

Jenny, Jenny, what have you done? My fellow student, my friend, my rival, my sister.

You are the one who always asked questions, and we did not always like that. When we were in school, you tended to take our various experiments and treat them as lines of inquiry, and for once the baffled stares and sighs were in your direction, and we all held back our pride and said, "Let's try again. What are you really asking, Jenny?"

But now, now we are all asking the questions you asked, and we are screaming with rage at the things you said, and the things we knew, all the time. You, our friend, our sister, our prince and prince's wife, you who said that our science was, at best, looking for a needle in a haystack and at worst, a form of magic, you, who said, "No, I don't want to hide in the safety of my obscure little theorems while this fools' gold passes for real gold,"

EXPUNGED: friend/target

REDACTED: (in/from) the Events

you, you, you and your cocktail-party stories, your one unifying theory, the one idea that explained everything, you goddess of the arrogant and the pretentious, you Mary "Chicago" Sun-Lintner, you

You say, look at the facts. Well, here is the biggest fact of all: I know you. You are the kind of person who, when things go wrong, asks the questions that are right to ask. And you are the kind of person who asks all the right questions first. You are famous for doing this. So, yes, yes, OK, go ahead, ask your questions.

And then you go around to all the different thinkers in all the different academic disciplines who have something to say about your question, and you find out if they have their own answers already, and you find out their reasons for their answers, and you find out what assumptions they are based on, and you find out if any of them know what the others are saying, and whether they care, and then, when you have all that information, and your friends and colleagues are saying "OK, we really should probably start thinking about this, at some point"

And then you tell the world that you have an answer to the whole damn mess. And you will tell us how the Chicago police departments, and the Houston schools, and the mob families, and all the other hundreds of things we have been recording for you, are all interwoven in one big network of fact.

And you say you can do this on the basis of what, Jenny?

Your Chicago detectives, and your Chicago housewives, your Houston kids with their guns, and your Russian war criminals with their plans to make the New City a place of everlasting peace and prosperity? And your eyes, and the things you saw, and the way your heart went out to them?

Jenny, Jenny, shiny prince and princess, so many questions, you ask me questions now, so many questions, and you ask me if I believe this thing, this thing you heard. And I say no, Jenny, I don't believe it. But I don't know it isn't true. One of the many things I know is that you don't believe anything unless you have proved it.

Jenny, I don't know. I don't know what to do without you, Jenny. Let's find out.

Grimes

SSO: "Grimes" ["TARGET" Grimes] VT. // UNCLASSIFIED//

YOU: grimes (TARGET)

And, OK, but here I am. In the Research Wing, with a leak in the dam. Wave after wave of lies, coming to me from people who live in houses with tall windows and tall walls and tall gates, and outside them, oceans of lies, seas of lies, lakes of lies, rivers of lies.

And where are the water and the noise? Well, they are here. Here I am, listening to them. There is water here, and noise.

There is water everywhere, isn't there. It does not have to come in waves. It can pour forth uncontrolled, in a steady torrent, and in that way it is as if nothing is wrong. But something is very wrong, and there is no way I can forget it, or put it out of my mind, or suppress it.

And so here I am, with your information, at the Research Wing dam. And there is a leak. Here I am. We are in the space between the worlds, and there is a leak, and the water is rising.

So I will say a few things.

That is all it will take. People always ask me what I believe about your "theories." It is not a question I ever expected to get.

I never expected to have to answer. I never expected to get such a question, and it is a very good question. It is not one I ever thought I would need to answer, and yet, here I am.

I don't remember why it began. I just remember the words, and then the whole thing was there. And now there are thousands of pages of words, a lot of them mine.

What do I believe?

Well, I will say a few things.

* * *

The times are not synchronous, but people often use the word "time" to refer to the notion of an interval between two moments.

There is a moment which is not a moment, because it contains nothing.

In the thing

#something-soup-something

[shark-myths]

1/2 Hi hello I have a...Headcanon? Fic prompt? Grand unifying Mania to smfs tryst theory theory? Anyway it's this: There was some sort of 'fuck it lets just try again' decision around mania era and it was good! It was working out! And then there was covid and lockdowns and everyone had to make some really tough choices re: who we say irl and when and how often and that led to some real 'well maybe were fooling ourselves when we thought we could have it all this can't really work we did miss our-

2/2 -shot' ergo the smfs lyrical lean of 'I love you so much but this maybe really isn't our time'/ mixed in with all the other very project-written-during-covid ~vibes~ (which I love). But anyway there's a lot of time that can and did (if they started in 2021?) pass between writing lyrics and releasing music and working on the album after all that isolating introspection led right back to 'fuck it lets just be together life is short' hence The Way They're Acting now. *shrugs* idk

*

Love this, love you, thanks for the conspiracy ask!

we know from this kerrang interview and a few other casual mentions, like in patrick's album commentary from the release parties (still haven't listened to that myself but @leyley09 is an excellent on-the-scene reporter) that some of the writing for SMFS actually started before the pandemic, with Patrick dreaming up the music for What a Time to Be Alive right after the release of MANIA and Pete writing the lyrics that paired with it before the pandemic. so if the writing process went dormant in lockdown, we know many of the threads were connected before covid hit the US. (i'm also remembering the cute zoom sing-a-long pete & patrick did at the beginning of the pandemic where they were clearly in the same room but on separate video feeds so that we, viewing, could feel like we were all alone together)

I stand by my thought that MANIA's ask symbolizes open doors that are open-ended--the queer poly happily ever after is floated, and maybe it's answered and maybe it's not but i don't think any of those doors were closed, even by lockdown. i take the backwards-looking in SMFS as a way of acknowledging what's gone past and is no longer possible: having their whole lives being entwined together, maybe even raising a family together instead of with the lovely women they've chosen and built something beautiful with, not letting the fear of being found out determine the unhealthy shape their relationship took for the first 15-odd years of its course. i find this deeply relatable as a mid-30s bisexual, honestly, whose life could have looked really different in some really joyful ways if the culture had been more hospitable and open to queerness when i was growing up, but who also doesn't regret or want to change what i have now.

SMFS doesn't feel like a frantic too-lateness to me, it doesn't feel young; it feels plain and true, like, well, it is too late for some things, but that might not have worked out anyway, and as it stands we're everything to each other--patrick can't write songs without pete and pete feels like he's a painter who can't paint without fall out boy (the kerrang interview is giving me life, truly)--and it isn't so bad, having a soulmate, whether that manifestation is currently romantic or not. it's too late to change what's gone past but it's not too late for the entire future.

i've just never seen them so comfortable together and so matter-of-fact! like their closeness hasn't looked this easy since pete was making patrick squirm on vh1 by describing them as husbands nearly 20 years ago. i love the way no one's rushing to disguise or define or defend anything, they're just sitting there plainly like, this dude is everything to me, and it frankly is so beautiful and refreshing after the no-homo panic that characterized the early aughts.

i love your headcanon and it gave me all these lovely chewy thoughts! god i can't wait to see the fic that comes out of this. thank you darling!

#smfs #fob #asks #peterick #tryst theory #thanks anon

[yuriko-mukami]

"Umh... I wrote some notes for the history class. I hope I got everything correctly but, of course, it can be I memorized something in a wrong way..."

"If someone wants to check it out, here are my sheets. Feel free to add more notes and corrections to it."

Yuriko’s History Notes

~The Sengoku Period~

The Onin War

The Onin War was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477 and initiated the Sengoku period. Onin refers to the era when the war started while it ended during the Bunmei era. It was a dispute between a high official Hosokawa Katsumoto and a regional lord Yamana Sozen but it escalated into a nationwide civil war that collapsed the feudal system of Japan.

Daimyo to know

Oda Nobunaga - the first of the three great unifiers

Toyotomi Hideyoshi - the second of the three great unifiers and the man who ended the Sengoku period

Tokugawa Ieyasu - the third of the three great unifiers, the only one out of the three who managed to receive the title of shogun and created Tokugawa shogunate which ushered in the Edo period. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan for 260 years.

Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Oda Nobunaga was one of the great three unifiers of Japan, the other two being Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide and was born on 23 June 1534 in Owari Province. In his youth, he was known as the Fool of Owari.

Tanegashima, the matchlock guns, arrived in Japan by the Portuguese Empire and were used by the samurai class and their footsoldiers. The guns changed the way of the war in Japan forever. Oda Nobunaga ordered 500 of these guns to his army which gave him a huge advantage in the war. He was also interested in trading with the Europeans. He collected pieces of Western art but also arms and armor and was probably one of the very first Japanese who wear European clothes. He was also a patron of Jesuit missionaries in Japan and supported the rise of the first Christian church in Kyoto.

Before his death, Oda Nobunaga was the most powerful warlord (daimyo) in Japan. He died at Honno-ji when Akeshi Mitsuhide surrounded the temple with his army. Oda Nobunaga committed seppuku (suicide) and told his page, Mori Ranmaru to run. Mori set the temple on fire so that no one could decapitate Oda. After that Akeshi also attacked Oda Nobutada, the eldest son and heir of Nobunaga. Also, Nobutada committed suicide.

Akeshi Mitsuhide didn’t manage to hold the power after his deeds because Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s army defeated him, and he was murdered by bandits when he was fleeing. That made Toyotomi as Oda’s successor.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi started his life on 17 March 1537 as a peasant. He became Oda Nobunaga’s retainer and sandal bearer but continued unifying Japan after his lord had died, finally ending the Sengoku period by thwarting the Kunohe Rebelion launched by Kunohe Masazane against his rival Nanbu Nobunao. The rebellion spread across Mutsu Province. Toyotomi Hideyoshi backed Nobunao along with Tokugawa Ieyasu, sending a large army to defeat the rebels. Kunohe Masazane was outnumbered, and he surrendered Kunohe castle. That was the final battle of the Sengoku period and completed the unification of Japan.

About Sengoku Period’s Meaning for Japan’s future

After the Onin war, the feudal system collapsed, and the Sengoku period was constantly warring over the power in the country. The unification returned the piece and the Tokugawa shogunate ruled for over 200 years but was overthrown in the mid-19th century. The resignation of the 15th Tokugawa shogun led to the restoration of imperial rule. Japan has already started to modernize during that time and the less feudal form of governance was formed in Meiji Restoration.

~Other Notable People~

The Theory of Uesugi Kenshin

There is a theory about a great warlord Uesugi Kenshin that he was actually a woman. The theory is based on a report from the 16th century and is written by a Spanish person to King Philip II. In the report, Uesugi is referred to as an aunt of Uesugi Kagekatsu. The other evidence supporting the theory is that Uesugi Kenshin had stomach cramps monthly and his military campaigns were planned around these cramps. The cause of Uesugi’s death is recorded in Todaiki as uterus cancer.

Other than that, Uesugi Kenshin had interested in historical novels, poetry, and calligraphy aimed at the female audience. His appearance is rather feminine if you look at his portraits from the Sengoku period. He was also allowed freely enter women’s quarters in the Kyoto Imperial Palace. He had no children, wife, or concubine. 

Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi was born in 1548 and was a swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer, and ronin who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels. He was known as a sword-saint of Japan. He was the founder of the Niten Ichi-ryuu style of swordsmanship and also wrote books called The Book of Five Rings and The Path of Aloneness.

Izumo no Okuni

Izumo no Okuni was born in 1578 and was a shrine maiden in the Grand Shrine of Izumo. She is believed of inventing kabuki theater. She started to perform her new art style of kabuki (the art of singing and dancing) in the theater on the riverbed of the Kamo River in Kyoto. Her kabuki became popular and was known for performers who were often lower-class women.

While this was the start of the kabuki theater, female actors were later banned, and it became an all-male form of theater which it still is in these days.

#yuriko tsukino #diabolik oc #(( never i thought that it would bite me in the ass to make yuriko interested in sengoku period )) #(( yet here we are )) #(( sorry if it's not completely correct )) #(( it has been ages since i read this stuff )) #(( yet this was a short version of yuriko's thoughts )) #(( she was about write a long essay about the topic ))

[selflessanatta]

The Traumatic Stress of American Capitalism, https://selflessanatta.com/the-traumatic-stress-of-american-capitalism/

New Post has been published on https://selflessanatta.com/the-traumatic-stress-of-american-capitalism/

The Traumatic Stress of American Capitalism

We all pay a steep emotional price for the benefits we obtain from our capitalist system.

A dog-eat-dog world

Modern economic theory tells us that each person acting through their own selfish desire animates the “invisible hand” of the market. Apparently, this is considered a good thing.

Economists would have us believe that nobody acts out of kindness or the desire to help others, or their actions are so small and insignificant that their activities can be ignored.

All goodness occurs either by chance or because collective selfish behavior somehow produces a desirable end state—at least for the most greedy and powerful.

Whenever anyone challenges these assumptions, they are roundly criticized as foolish idealists, ignorant fools, or losers who can’t compete. Capitalism is portrayed as the only alternative, an attitude eagerly embraced by those who believe they benefit from the system more than others.

The Decline of Organized Labor Power

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto that outlined the goals of organized labor in its fight against the interests of exploitative capitalists. Even now, almost two centuries later, the interests of those who provide money are still at odds with those who provide labor.

Up through the 1970s in many parts of the world, organized labor was a dominant political force, and increases in productivity were more evenly distributed between labor and capital. Labor won many political battles, and most of the laws that still exist to protect labor came from this era.

As organized labor’s power declined, the interests of capital gained the upper hand, and over the last 40 years or more, workers have endured the slow erosion of rights and privileges gained in the previous era.

The result of this decline in labor power has been an increased stress endured by labor at all levels.

The Stress of Capitalism on Labor

Capitalists want a desperate workforce willing to provide labor at subsistence levels. Further, capitalists want laborers to feel a sense of gratitude toward the capitalists who exploit them, as if any job is better than no job.

If a potential worker believes they must take a job at whatever pay is available or face starvation and homelessness, they will feel a sense of desperation—and the stress that goes along with it.

A desperate labor pool benefits the capitalist in two ways. First, capitalists obtain labor at the lowest possible cost. Second, capitalists won’t be required to pay for social safety nets through taxation or inflation (diminishment of the value of their wealth).

Therefore, social safety nets that would alleviate the stress of workers by removing their fears of starvation or homelessness are universally opposed by capitalists, irrespective of the emotional price paid by workers.

Capitalism and compassion are completely incompatible.

Ordinarily, our political system would provide a check and balance on the interests of capitalists, and their cold-hearted compassionless avarice would be offset by a unified labor vote opposing them. That system no longer functions in the United States as the working class now tends to vote with capitalists.

High Wages Don’t Relieve Stress

Many studies have shown that working for less than a subsistence wage causes significant stress, which shouldn’t be surprising. Who would feel peaceful about working long hours and failing to make enough money to provide adequate food or shelter?

Historically, these studies showed that happiness increases up to the point of subsistence, but then flatlines after that. Higher income doesn’t tend to make people any happier. Why is that?

It’s basic human nature to chase after scarce resources. When pursuing basic needs which are lacked, that pursuit is life-and-death, so the stress is a necessary motivator. But as soon as someone obtains the resources they need for survival, or luxury for that matter, they immediately begin to worry about losing them.

In a capitalist system, nothing is assured. There is no entitlement. Whatever someone has they only get to keep as long as they keep working. The fear of losing what they have is palpable because it’s real.

The Least Stressed and Happiest Societies

As one might expect, the societies that consistently rank the best for low stress and higher levels of happiness are those with robust social safety nets. When a job loss will lead to starvation, homelessness and a lack of healthcare, workers are stressed; however, when adequate food, shelter, and healthcare is assured, stress levels decline.

It’s not complicated. Of course, capitalists don’t want to pay for social safety nets, and they want a desperate workforce, so every effort is made to resist them, most notably a nonstop propaganda campaign on right-wind media that demonizes all social safety nets.

The World Happiness Report evaluates societal happiness. The countries that consistently rank high in happiness and presumably lower in stress levels include:

Finland – Often ranked at the top due to its high levels of social support, trust in government, and personal freedom.

Denmark – Known for its strong sense of community, low levels of corruption, and high standard of living.

Switzerland – Scores high in health, economic stability, and community support.

Iceland – Has a strong social network and a high sense of community, even in remote areas.

Netherlands – Features a good balance between work and life, high levels of personal freedom, and supportive social networks.

Norway – Known for its high income levels, social security, and environmental quality.

Sweden – Scores well in terms of public services, environmental quality, and social support.

Luxembourg – Offers a high standard of living, strong social security, and a stable economy.

New Zealand – Praised for its sense of community, environmental beauty, and relatively low levels of stress.

Austria – Features high levels of well-being, good healthcare, and environmental quality.

These rankings can vary slightly depending on the source and the specific criteria used for measurement. The one common denominator in the last above is the strength of their social safety nets.

A Personal Journey

When I was just starting out in my career, I eagerly embraced right-wing rhetoric on personal responsibility and the virtue of hard work and competition. As I encountered situations where I needed to make decisions and undertake actions that benefitted the organization and its capitalist backers at the expense of others, I became disenchanted.

The first time I was called upon to fire someone, I knew the hardship it was going to cause them. It was emotionally difficult. I rationalized to myself that they will be better off in the long run, but given the lack of social safety nets, the short term was going to be brutal.

When faced with ethical dilemmas I was forced to choose between doing what I believed was right and feeding my family. Over the years, making difficult management decisions took its toll.

When my son was diagnosed with autism, my wife needed to stay at home to care for him, and for many years, we obtained no State aid. The responsibility for my family rested solely with me, and I had had lost employment for any extended period of time, my family would have become homeless and destitute in short order.

During the 2008 financial crisis, my industry was hit particularly hard. From 2007 to 2010, I had three jobs that were eliminated. Nobody was hired to replace me. Each time, I faced an existential threat to my family with no social safety net to provide any assistance or comfort. It was very stressful.

I managed to start an entrepreneurial enterprise that enabled me to make some fortuitous investments. In some regard, I lived the capitalist dream, pulling myself up by my own bootstraps. However, the emotional price I paid was enormous. If I hadn’t gotten lucky, I might not have survived.

What I Felt When I Won the Lottery

I won the lottery… sort of. I unexpectedly received a large monthly annuity that will comfortably support my family for life.

Read full story

A Post Capitalist Perspective

On an individual basis, I no longer feel the stress of our capitalist system. Between my investments and State aid, I now have the same financial security that every citizen of the European Socialist countries outlined above enjoys from birth.

Now that I no longer face the fear of destitution for myself and my family, I can attest to the fact that alleviating that stress is life changing.

One of the justifications that capitalists rely on to oppose social safety nets is that workers won’t have an incentive to work. That’s not the case.

It is true that social safety nets remove the incentive to work for less, which is what capitalists really want. I still work, and I enjoy it much more now that I don’t have the stress associated with it.

Prior to labor unions, the nineteenth century capitalists made workers put in 60+ hours per week. Labor unions reduced the work week to 40 hours by the 1970s, but in the years since, many have opted to work many more hours just to get by.

Without the need to work, I do work fewer hours, spending more time with my family. When work is purely by choice, a four-day workweek provides a live-work balance that is far less stressful. The benefits of personal satisfaction, societal contribution, and having extra spending money is plenty of incentive to work.

I don’t believe our current capitalist system or ruthless labor exploitation is a good one. Perhaps it delivers goods and services more efficiently, but even that is debatable. It certainly does not deliver peace of mind or happiness that justifies a few more consumer goods or enriching a few billionaires.

I hope the next generation finds better alternatives. Right now, they face low wages, high prices for basic goods, extractive monopolies, and the likelihood that they will be worse off than their parents. It’s a recipe for dramatic change.

~~wink~~

Anatta

[positivelybeastly]

🎶🎶🎶 :3

Touch-Tone Telephone by Lemon Demon is very much a classic/feline Hank song - it has high energy, intensely nerdy lyrics, and it's just got that manic tone to the vocals that feels like Hank. This is a song that bounces off the walls, doesn't shut the fuck up, saves the world from killer viruses and 100 foot tall robots, and truly does believe that if he can just find a unified theory, then finally everyone will just hear him out.

"Don't hang up yet, I'm not done I'm an expert, I'm the one The one who was right all along Better to be laughed at than wrong

I'm an expert in my field UFOlogy, yes, it's all real Ancient aliens, it's all true I'm an expert just like you

And like you, I'm a genius before my time Disbelieving, that's the real crime."

3 Nights by Dominic Fike is a pre-Krakoa Hank song, I feel. Morose, isolated, uprooted from the places he'd called home, wishing someone would just call him and want him, willing to let them call him names if it just means they'll talk to him. Desperately lonely, missing touch, missing sex, missing connection, missing the way it used to be, wondering where he went wrong.

"Call me what you want, when you want, if you want And you can call me names if you call me up

I can't fix each and all your problems I'm no good with names and faces Just sent me naked pictures From her neck down to the waist Stuck in my feelings and vows She stopped returning my calls Flaws turn into walls and barricades And I'm too fucked on and over both ways And now every long day is a bad one I can't make you call or make you stay Or take you off the pedestal

So I get lost in modern music watching movies Talking to the walls in my room Walking through the halls in my head Just tryna make sure it all makes sense."

Social by Squirtgun for Dark Beast! Honestly, this feels so completely on brand for him - it's a mid 90s, viciously cynical, misanthropic, constantly critical pop-punk song, and I don't know if I can think of many lyrics that can be twisted to fit his outlook on life quite like, "Well, let's be ourselves, and never be social."

"If you win the game, some have to lose The fun part is that you can't choose You're born into a social class, You're stuck there, it's hard to pass

Their social norms and social rules We're social scum and they're social fools They tell us all their social lies Ignoring all our social cries We'll lose the game before we start They watch us dance, we fall apart Well let's be ourselves and never be social."

#Anonymous #song association meme #outofmuffins #Oh twist my arm why don't you?

[lesewut]

Parzival - A fool becomes the Grail's King I/III

The Three Magi: “We soon realized that everything in the world is changing and unstable. And so our eyes turned up to the stars (…) But the more things we knew, the more clearly we felt that none of this was wisdom.”

Path to the Grail Castle: “(…) because God’s love speaks to you from every animal’s eye, and the flowers too are all eyes from which only love speaks to you again and again. And everything, everything around you knows the path you are looking for - everything shows it to you too, but you can only understand this through love."

The most difficult appointment: “That love and wisdom should be preserved in our daily dealings with people.”

Hope as a prayer: “The hope of the mature man, yes, even that of the old man, is just as delusional as that of the young man. Hope is a prayer, it rises to heaven as long as the flower is fragrant.”

“Let go of imagination and desire and learn to believe in a childlike way.”

The eternal question if it is possible to separte the artist from his art? Can a reader imagine, which unhealthy and controversial ideologies are behind the writer of this Parzival version? Here is the "Tale of Parzival" presented by Houston Stewart Chamberlain, a very controversal figure. At first a disclaimer for sympathy towards his fascistic thoughts and publications, which became highly influential in the pan-Germanic movements in the early 20th century. Born and raised in the Victorian atmosphere of optimisticly celebratrating the ‘Age of Progress‘, Chamberlain shared the general values of British liberalism and the greatness of Britian as a democratic and capitalist society. In the military school he felt out of place and his interest was more towards mystics and nature, which led to his studies of botany and the theory of vital force. The parts, where the nature is vividly described as living and dying at the same time, a work of Hinmordung (~ extermination) the ears are not able to hear, was horrifying and fascinating in both. It is a good sign, when the compulsive dreamer caughts himself in idealizing the past, like in the good old days were true heroes, the brave one’s who were not afraid to die (interjection of Bertolt Brecht taken from his play ‘Life of Galileo’:“Unhappy is the country that has no heroes!” […] “No. “Unhappy is the country that needs heroes.”). Chamberlain was highly submissive towards his life, all he was fascinated of, he was obsessed with, ardent Francophile in his youth, later Germanophile and Francophobe. Germany was regarded as the ‘Land of Love’, he settled in Dresden, where "he plunged heart and soul into the mysterious depths of Wagnerian music and philosophy (…) ". Like other völkisch activists he became fascinated with Hindu mythology, especially because of the thought that the text is ‘pure Aryan’ and that it is about the ‘light ones’ to provide harmony of humanity and nature, to find true happiness in a world ‘being destroyed by soulless materialism’. It is kind of not worth, to write down all those seditious views, as it is a shame, that Vaterlandsliebe or in general the love for the ‘own roots’ and the dream of an unified folk is hard to distinguish from right-wing populist ideas. The problem also lays in the over-idealizing the nation and nationality, very often picking a kind of Golden Age, with the claim that this epoch is exemplary for the nation and nationality. It is harmful to uncritically listen to Wagner and read his works as authentic: Simplifications and dramatization, next to context, which is omitted, because of personal neglect. Since Wagnerian stage set, Vikings are imagined with horned helmets... It seems also forgotten in this euphoria, that the Germanic tribes moved and Slavic tribes arrived later on… There is and can't be a pure folk, without any influence from another cultures and folks. The Wagnerian version of Parzival lacks so many cathartic moments, it has no aim for unity, no hints of Oriental origin, no deepness therefore and just a propagandistic work for the world, some people want to form with their ideas. It is not my aim to find an ethical solution of the question, if art should be seen separated from its artist, as art itself is often the product of many influences and flows resting and dwelling in the soul. It is not the Parzival I learned to love in the version of Eschenbach, but it was a sentimental interpretation of the path Parzival has to undergo.

#Parzival #The Holy Grail #literature #antiquarian book

[inthezoyne]

Journal 3 entries and captions part one:

Captions begin, page one:

June 18th, it’s hard to believe it’s been six years since I began researching the strange and wondrous secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon.

in all my travels, never have I observed so many curious things! Gravity Falls is indeed a geographical oddity

Captions:

But the strangest things about this town is the question “WHY?!” Why is that this one remote location houses more paranormal, alter-average, and super-usual phenomena than any other location on Earth? There must be a hidden law of nature,

a “Grand Unified Theory Of Weirdness,” which explains how everything in Gravity Falls is connected.

My benefactors trust that I will use their grant money to discover something incredible, and I believe this Theory could be it.

MY CONTINUING MISSION:

investigate the Oddities of Gravity Falls

(note: why did he captalize oddities?)

Discover GRAND UNIFIED THEORY OF WEIRDNESS

(Grammar related note: Stanford writes in all caps a lot it’s very confusing I take like half the time he writes in caps out because it’s just very unneeded… )

Publish theory and join the ranks of Newton, Tesla, and Einstein in the pantheon of science!

Some of my investigations include:

Captions begin:

FLOATING EYEBALLS

ARE THEY WATCHING ME?

do they need glasses ? ?

yes. what else would floating eyeballs be watching?

[the rest is obstructed from view and scratched out on the right side]

Hard to catch.

They either have the power to see the future or have annoying peripheral vision!

Visible only at night

No retinal cord

No response to contact (scratched out)

Spooky (scratched out)

Were they ever part of some more complex magical creature at some point? or have they always been disembodied eyes?

Either way they’re deeply unsettling! They will just hover there staring you down. Like one of those portraits whose eyes follow you.

The rest is obstructed from view.

Captions begin:

Desmodus Rotundus

is a small, short haired, and even-tempered. Nothing like Gravity Falls’

GIANT VAMPIRE BATS !!

[Picture of a sketched out bat] 10 FEET

Never slumber when they’re near.

Do not sleep with your windows open.

Mutated by waste dump?

The summer heat seems to draw them from their caves. The locals pretend it’s “mosquito season,” but then why not use bug spray instead of garlic necklaces?

Who do they think they’re fooling? The bats will settle for cows or sheep but would much rather feed off some feeble human.

Human blood tastes better

I can only ASSUME human blood tastes better.

(I have not sampled human blood)

end of caption

End Notes:

Ford, my mate, my bro did you drink human blood? Was it yours at least? Mate???

I’m still figuring out how to add commentary onto this while still having the captions readable please lemme know what you think.

#journal 3 #captioned journal 3 #<— that’s the tag this will all be under #Stanford pines #Ford Pines #Gravity Falls

[sindri42]

What do you think the Reapers were supposed to be all about before the writer got replaced and the ending of ME3 threw out the lore?

There's not a lot that we have that's solid, just a lot of hints and suppositions. So there's no way to really conclusively determine what was supposed to be going on, but we can definitely come up with theories that match the evidence, which the "canon" absolutely does not. So here's what we know:

Harbinger refers to themself as our "salvation through destruction" and the "Harbinger of your perfection". "We will bring your species into harmony with our own" they say, and "Your species will be raised to a new existence. We are the beginning, you will be the end," but also "You will surrender your potential against the growing void."

Sovereign claims they are each a nation unto themselves, that they are the pinnacle of evolution, and when asked who created them or for what purpose insists that they have no beginning nor end

Mass Effect technology plays upon dark energy in a way that is poorly understood by the young races despite their reliance on it for almost every aspect of life

A small but significant number of stars are destabilizing for unknown reasons, aging at a massively accelerated rate.

The mass relays were built for the young races, partly so civilized planets would be laid out upon predictable paths and easily accessible via the "back door" in the Citadel, but also so that the new civilizations would develop along the lines the Reapers had planned for them

it's very rare to have more than a single major race in each cycle; most often the other spacefaring civilizations are either wiped out or made subservient to the rulers of the galaxy

The greatest race of each cycle is used in the creation of a single new Reaper, while lesser races or those with major flaws are discarded or turned into servitors like the Keepers (per the end of ME2; obviously this got retconned in 3).

Between "harvests" the Reapers retreat beyond the galactic rim, sitting quietly in the dark using as little energy as possible for tens of thousands of years at a time.

So, first and simplest assumption, the Cycle is effectively the Reapers' reproductive system. Like all life forms, they have a drive to produce more of themselves, but for some reason they can't or won't simply make a new chassis out of raw metal, and they're unwilling to use "flawed" people as components, which means the people put into it are extremely important. If the larval reaper that Shepherd killed had been allowed to grow up, it would not simply have been a machine with some random DNA inside, it would have been humanity, an entire nation and species flying through space for eternity.

Second assumption, slightly stretchy but with several weak points of support? Mass Effect technology is slowly killing the galaxy. As more people use it in more ways every year, more stars start to die. This isn't an issue that would affect any normal person alive today, the changes are observed over the course of millennia rather than even centuries, but unless something big changes everyone is eventually doomed. And sure, any given individual or small group could simply refuse to use the mass effect, but it's so easy to figure out that you could never suppress the knowledge of how to use it in any meaningful way, and it's so useful and people are so greedy and short-sighted that you could never persuade everybody to stop. And if you tried to do it by force, well, a nation making free use of eezo in their engines and their guns and their shields would wipe the floor with a nation determined to stick to mundane technology.

So, my theory of how things went down? The first race to figure out the mass effect knew they had a problem. Maybe they had already made themselves immortal, so they were more concerned with the long term than most people. Maybe they just had more foresight than most. Either way, they put themselves into a form where they could still think and communicate, likely on a deeper and more intimate level than ever before, but they would use as little energy as possible to preserve their billions of lives. The "pinnacle of evolution" if you will, a machine which had no creator besides itself, a life form which could last forever with minimal resource consumption. And they sat quietly Thinking about how to fix this, for tens of thousands of years.

But while they researched and experimented and contemplated, other life forms kept evolving. And eventually they also figured out the secret to using the mass effect, but either didn't know about the dangers or chose to ignore them. So the ancient... okay let's just call them Harbinger for convenience, had to do something to stop this. Maybe they were too soft-hearted to wipe out an entire species for an honest mistake. Or maybe their research had hit a dead end, and they needed an outside perspective to apply new ideas to the problem. Or maybe they were simply lonely, or the instinctual drive to be fruitful and multiply reared up after being suppressed for so long. Either way, they converted the young fools into another nation-ship hive-mind like themself, convinced them of the seriousness of the situation (to "surrender your potential against the growing void" as it were), and resumed Thinking out in the black.

And when it happened again, and again, they refined their approach over time. The eezo drives on the individual ships of the young races are not only slower, but also massively less efficient than the technology the Reapers have developed, so they gave the Relays away as a gift to minimize the damage each new race would do. They couldn't allow young races to become too powerful to stop, but they wanted to allow them as much opportunity to develop scientific research and understanding as possible in order to be more useful to the ongoing project to save the galaxy, so they learned how to insert observers and infiltrators throughout alien societies to observe things and ensure the Harvest was delayed for as long as it was safe to do so but no longer (and I think you can agree that they were cutting their deadlines really close given how an extra three years brought the council races from 'utterly unprepared, basically a walkover' to 'giving you a serious fight').

So, how would the game end, after you learned all of this? Maybe Shepherd simply accepts the inevitable fate of the young races, like Saren once did, and helps the Reapers to end the Cycle with a minimum of suffering so that they can join the endless search for a real solution. The ultimate 'sacrifice for the greater good', killing thousands of entire species of people in order to preserve life in the galaxy as a whole. Maybe Shepherd rejects the idea that it's worth killing billions of innocents now in order to head off some distant nebulous threat later, and fights back with everything they have... and if you managed to unify everybody you possibly could, this would certainly be more power than the Reapers ever had to deal with before in any past cycle. Or maybe you use a display of that power to force the Reapers to the negotiating table, and then use all the "impossible" things you've achieved and all the scientific progress made over the past few short years, plus a heavy dose of raw charisma and Paragon ideology, to persuade them that if everybody works together they can finally solve the impossible problem, the one that has been stumping every Reaper for millions of years, within the time span of this one final Cycle if they just share the data they have so far and allow the young races to work freely.

#mass effect

[uesp]

Got any idea why the Dunmer would worship evil Daedra?

While there are many that would dispute the "evil", I'm not going to. If you want to judge Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala as evil I'm not going to argue with you there as there are perfectly reasonable arguments for that position. Instead I'm going to explore your question from two angles, the religious one, and social one.

The religious one is one of the more well known stories in the lore of this setting. While there are multiple versions, this is the schism between the Aldmer, Chimer, and Orsimer, as according to The Changed Ones:

Of all the et'Ada who wandered Nirn, Trinimac was the strongest. He, for a very long time, fooled the Aldmeri into thinking that tears were the best response to the Sundering. They cried and shamed our ancestors, especially the feminine Altmer. They even took the Missing God's name in vain, calling His narratives into question. So one day Boethiah, Prince of Plots, precocious youth, tricked Trinimac to go into his mouth. Boethiah talked like Trinimac for awhile then, and gathered enough people to listen to him. Boethiah showed them the lies of the et'Ada, the Aedra, and told them Trinimac was the biggest liar of all, saying all this with Trinimac's voice! Boethiah told the mass before him the Tri-Angled Truth. He showed them, with Mephala, the rules of Psijic Endeavor. He taught them how to build Houses, and what items they needed to bury in the Corners. He demonstrated the right way to wear their skin. He performed the way to walk to achieve an Exodus. Then Boethiah relieved himself of Trinimac right there on the ground before them to prove all the things he said were the truth. It was easy then for his new people to become the Changed Ones.

To greatly simplify things, the ones that kept the memory of who Trinimac was before his defeat eventually became the Altmer, the ones who accepted Boethiah's teachings became the Chimer (who later became the Dunmer), and the ones who accepted this happened and continued to follow this new Trinimac (Malacath) became the Orsimer (although they generally prefer to just be called Orcs). So the religious side of this is surprisingly easy to explain. One unified people split into three ways over their particular devotion to conflicting ideologies.

The social side of things is surprisingly even easier to sum up. Veloth despised Aldmer society. Exodus from Summerset explains it:

Veloth the Prophet was scorned by those who were blind to the corruption and spiritual bankruptcy at the heart of their society. Veloth was cast out, cast off, by those with no interest in truth and even less interest in the betterment of all, who sought only to preserve their pride and place by keeping others in poverty, ignorance, and slavery. Veloth was highborn, but he dared to cast off the decadent chains of Aldmeri society.

Veloth the Mystic called out to those whose souls were weary, whose lives were ground out with no hope of improvement in a society founded on ambition, greed, and decadence. To those who hoped for a society that preserved traditions, praised honesty, and rewarded the just, Veloth's voice was as a golden note among a cacophony.

Veloth the Pilgrim led his followers across the seas and away from the lands they had known with the promise of a new land and a better future.

So why Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala? Two of them are easy to explain. Boethiah was at the center of this schism, so Boethiah being at the center of things makes sense. Mephala is credited with helping the early Chimer by giving them knowledge, and in some versions of the story about the fall of Trinimac is credited with helping Boethiah defeat Trinimac. Azura is the difficult one to place, she just sort of shows up. One note in The Anticipations briefly mentions what her role was supposed to be, but also mentions that it is often credited to Boethiah instead. I might just be missing something since I only did a light review of sources for this, and there isn't a source to back this theory up, but I would personally guess that Azura worship was picked up during Veloth's exodus. They might have had an encounter with the Khajiit, and added Azura to their burgeoning faith.

So to summarize, a greatly dissatisfied faction of Aldmer split off from Aldmeri society due to the teachings of Boethiah and Mephala (and possibly Azura) in search for better lives and to explore their new philosophy.

[bcrispin]

Trains of Consciousness, Confluence, Symbology

I will Babel, Babel On, Babel Fish, Babel.

I imagine this as a collection of subconsciousness collected into a boxcar as a list of words. There is a thought process behind each sentence, it is impossible to try and understand it without also having an understanding of the author. I could be anyone, anything, the author is as important as the words.

I've been thinking a lot about blockchains, meaning, consciousness, and knowledge representations (symbols, trees, graphs, webs, deltas, integrals, stories, T, t, C, G without a t, R, bC, aD, 4, 0, 1, L, o...o). As time progresses we have accumulated a better understanding of the world. I've learned some computer theory although it's a little rusty, e.g. what is computable, Turing Tests, Imitation game... sorry I don't have any good references rn.

A computer is an invention that will eventually, and probably already, has the power to fool us into thinking we are interacting with another consciousness. We should be suspicious of them. Not like how cats get scared of their reflections, they are more dangerous than that... It is not only the case that we create robots that can fool us. Any text, video, or image we see on a screen was generated either by another human or a computer. How easy is it to understand humans? Computers are developed by groups of humans...

Trusting trust, who to trust? I guess people you know in person. Computers should be used as tools to make the world a better place. A better place? Religion? Who wrote the Bible? What does a kid think when they look at an I-Pad, a God talking? a Devil? Parents? Who to trust? Locality? Nationality? Race? Sex? Gender? As an American and reading history it seems democracy is a good idea. Who to lead this train? (this is my boxcar, I hope it gets picked up) Who to lead the train? The majority. Block chain, this may be a link in the chain. Where is the head of the train? Present moment I guess, once I touch a key it's gone.

The cold war, never ends, as long as human nature, never changes. East and West, I believe Language is one front of the war, symbolic vs phonetic. From JP lectures and experience I get the sense symbols are more powerful than words. We have the bible (I'm not religious) but I think a lot of it can be summed up by the cross.

I think there are 8 major symbols, 7 for the days of the week.

Mon, Moon, not sure about this one but I think of it as religion, or a sense of meaning

Tue, I for illumination, knowledge, lightbulbs and ideas

Wed, >< Family

Thur, Music, beats, dance, martial arts, competition

Fri, t, T, trial, torture, freedom

Sat, Language (Babel, Hebrew, Latin, ect...)

Sun, Son, nationality, daughter, mother, we are all children, Earth

O for Privacy, anonymity, editing, obsession, orgasm, infinity, (Edit 1/1/22: addiction)

I think there should be 7 supreme court justices based on these 7 symbols... Unify the world under this, every justice has its day.

Idea 2

Super programmers. Don't let computers destroy us, our sense of meaning. We can't stop progress, we can't stop things like robots, sex robots, porn, weapons, bio-weapons... What to do, what to do? Symbols. Blockchains. Streams. Turn Twitter/Facebook/Social media into a public service, don't allow things into the public sphere without some sense of who found it meaningful (only humans should have the right to vote on that). How to do that? Assign key's to people at birth and use some kind of SSH? Twitter as a block chain of Knowledge... In addition to followers have a set of approvers that will be attached to every post before it's made public. Program symbolically instead of using English?... Program people like we program programs, people programs like we people peoples. I will die one day. The programs I write, I hope, will not.

eM

ily. I would get to class before you, I guess I had a shorter walk. I remember the anticipation as I sat, and joy I would feel when I saw you walk through the door, you didn't have to say anything. Over the year I watched you... you became a symbol I used. Fear. Pain. Hair. Shame. Love, it's all the same. You knew more about me then than I. I eye'd you for too long, you stopped coming, my fault I think. I'm sorry, and I guess thank you.

Why would someone have a child? Life. Let's meet? Talk? My memory will die otherwise.

This is my first time using this, sorry for making this public lmk and I'll change. Sweet dreams,

C

:) I think there should be 2 supreme courts, b/c we have 2 eyes

#hand #palm #journaling #religion