#essaying

[sharkuteries]

unfortunately i am very endeared by will smith prankfailure. he’s spamming 🤣 in the empty netters comments section because he “tricked” them into eating a meal with mustard on it. on april fools he told every one of his teammates that mike grier wanted to see them in his office and absolutely no one fell for it. they told him that carey price was coming out of retirement to play for the sharks and he believed them. like what am i supposed to do with that.

[samueldays]

Abstract meta level take on the latest scissor statement headline event in Leftpondia: looks like it's God-damned human shield politics again.

Not literal human shields in the legal sense, but this general sort of thing keeps happening, vaguely human-shield-shaped tactics of "Let's send sympathetic unarmed people in harm's way" which civilization seemingly hasn't settled on a good response to yet.

Agitator groups like the misleadingly-named National Lawyers Guild incite sympathetic-looking unarmed people to obstruct law enforcement, resist arrest, commit low-grade assault, and/or generally Pick Fights with cops (whether ICE, National Guard, or other kind), and then cops face the human-shield-like dilemma of:

yield to avoid hurting unarmed person

use violence against unarmed person

In normal circumstances, cops can use a mixed strategy and personal judgment. Sometimes #1 only has to be done once and the person calms down or leaves with a warning. Sometimes #2 resolves the situation nonlethally and nothing further comes of it.

But when organized agitators keep inciting people and repeat the dilemma at scale, escalating on one specific matter so the choice plays out again and again, where mixed strategy looks like inconsistency and the worst of both worlds, the options "evolve" into something worse:

Yield repeatedly. Eventually this forfeits the rule of law because demagogues can cheaply keep sending mediagenic pawns to veto law enforcement.

Use violence repeatedly. Eventually a sympathetic-looking unarmed person dies of law enforcement violence. Demagogues claim that this is murderous oppression.

In theory it's simple to say that #2 is the better response, violence against unarmed people is not inherently wrong and in a country of over three hundred million people there will inevitably be some casualties from law enforcement violence, this is statistics not malice, like how someone in America dies from falling out of bed every day (on average).

In practice, good luck explaining that to the people wailing that ICE murdered an unarmed mother of small children.

And calling "better response" still doesn't mean it's good. This is a dilemma, both options are bad!

[thoughtseeker-the-dragon]

Swimming as a trans(fem) individual sucks ass if you don't pass.

I know this says nothing new, but I want to talk about it anyway, fuck you.

We used to love swimming. It was all but a staple of our everyday routine during summer vacation when we were younger. Our grandma would show up around 12pm or so, bringing our cousin with her. We'd spend a bit playing video games in the basement, and then we'd go to the pool in our backyard for a bit, and we invariably had a good time doing it.

Then we hit our adolescent years. Our pool had fallen into disuse, so we got rid of it. We had a falling out with the family members that had the pool we used, so that was off the table shortly afterward as well. Our only real contact with a body of water was a lake cottage that was an hour from home (public pools were kinda icky to us, too many people). On top of this, we're realizing our gender might be a little different than we anticipated.

At first, it was the temperature of the water. We didn't like being cold. This allowed us to adapt an enjoyment out of watching other people do stuff on the water, which was mostly stuff that was a bit too high-octane for our taste in the first place.

Now, that doesn't really cut it. At this point, it's more about masculine-presenting swimsuits that fuck with us more than the temperature of the water ever did. Being shirtless is an absolute killer. We're hairy on our chest, and we have yet to find a good way to shave. There's also a subconscious dissonance that tells me that I shouldn't expose my chest like that, even though that's a privilege I have as a male-appearing creature. It started as something of a protest in the vein of "free the nipple" (which we still support btw), but it's become more than that.

We have a one-piece that we personally think I look fantastic in, but we're terrified that we're doing something wrong and it'll end in a...wardrobe malfunction...for lack of a better word. This isn't to mention the absolute barrage of questions we're going to get from even the most well-meaning of people, which we do answer, but it's tiring, and I don't even KNOW the answers to some of them.

I just wanna live, dammit. Why must this world be against trans people on a fundamental level like this

[seventhdoctor]

A Trapezoid of Foils: Judai/Yubel and Amon/Echo

I'm back on my bullshit, and my bullshit is yelling about the trashfire that is Judai Yuki and Yubel. This post is a collection of thoughts on how Amon and Echo were clearly meant to reflect Judai and Yubel in some way or other, and how it feels like it should be neater than it is. The parallels are there, but it's not fully symmetrical and some of the angles are kind of weird...so yeah, kind of like a (non-isosceles) trapezoid!

(Geometry Tumblr do not @ me, I'm doing my best with this metaphor)

Spoilers for GX season 3, naturally. I haven't said it before, but for this post as well as previous ones I'm basing all information and characterization on the sub version of GX rather than the dub (which drastically changes Yubel's backstory and motives).

Yubel and Amon

This is the most obvious one, because Yubel spends two whole episodes and honestly some of their most iconic monologues trying to tear Amon down after building him up the whole season.

They're both antagonists willing to cause harm to the one they love for their goals. For Amon, that goal is the power to build a utopia. For Yubel, the harm is the goal - or at least, the metric by which they will have achieved their goal (showing their love for Judai).

Yubel, of course, claims that Amon is more selfish in his use of harm. Pain is love in their philosophy, but it's mutual pain - dishing out the pain without taking any back would only be mere cruelty. This of course misses the nuance that Echo wanted Amon to use her as a sacrifice, while Judai didn't welcome any of Yubel's twisted affections.

Still, from what I've seen most people agree that Yubel comes across as more "honest" one way or another. And to understand why things feel that way, it's important to look at their backstory and motivations, as well as how their motivations change.

Yubel dedicated themself to Judai's past life, tying themself to him through lifetimes, and in the present remained true to that devotion in unwanted ways. When Judai sent them to space and it ended up being Oops! All Torture, Yubel developed their sadomasochistic philosophy as a coping mechanism and an attempt to reconcile Judai's past promises and present actions.

Upon their return to Earth, they planned to return the "favor": by sending Yubel to the pain and isolation of outer space Judai made them stronger (i.e., infected by the Light of Destruction, with all that entails), so they'll give him his own painful experience (all of season 3) to make him stronger (awaken his power as Supreme King). Then they'll reunite, having both demonstrated their love for each other, and [this part is where the Light of Destruction really twists up their thinking]. Everything they do is in the name of this motive*, whether Judai really likes it or not.

Amon dedicated himself to the Garam conglomerate with Echo by his side before being replaced by his younger brother Sid, the sole blood Garam sibling. He nearly murdered Sid before changing his mind and dedicating himself wholly to his brother instead, a decision Echo and Yubel both describe as willingly chaining himself to their service. Even when given an opportunity to become the heir (all it'd take is watching his brother die to illness, not even murder) he rejects it, and begs for a way to save him.

And yet, when when given the opportunity he made a deal with the devil to break the chains he put on himself and abandon that same family. Then when he gets the chance to obtain power by sacrificing someone he loves, he does exactly that. Then he plans to become king of a utopia free of suffering, and always remember Echo.

So then, what are Amon's motives? Is he somebody who got tired of being abandoned or unappreciated? An ends-justify-the-means idealist? Just a power-hungry hypocrite? It's hard to tease out a consistent character and ideology from him. And in a show where people wear their hearts in their decks, I think this part of why people hate him - and so does Yubel.

Yubel hates Johan because he's terrifyingly like Yubel in some ways, focused and protective and dear to Judai.** Yubel hates Amon because he can't be like Yubel at all, resenting the brother he dedicated himself to and sacrificing the person he loved for power in an empty world forever devoid of that same person.

No way Yubel can be that kind of person, right? Otherwise, what was it all for?

* To be fair, you don't know all of Yubel's backstory by the time of their final duel with Amon. However, even removing the context of their past life that duel together with Yubel!Johan vs. Hell Kaiser establishes Yubel's central motivations more coherently than they do Amon's.

** Help, I know there's been other essay segments on this topic, text and video alike. But I saw a lot of them back in early 2023 when I was mindlessly going through GX material in a haze of hyperfixation and now I've forgotten all the other good sources.

Yubel and Echo

If Yubel's parallels with Amon are about their dedication, Yubel's parallels with Echo are about who they're dedicated to. Both believe in their loved one's destiny to become a king, and take actions to make them that king.

Yubel has historical basis in that Judai is quite literally the Supreme King, bearer of the gentle darkness. To help him achieve that role, Yubel enacts a plot to break Judai until he awakens his Supreme King side. It fits neatly into their schema of things: this is how they make the person they love stronger, so that they will thrive and survive. Make Judai stronger and awaken his old power, and all will be as it was meant to be.

Echo just believes that Amon is amazing enough that he would make a better king than anyone. When the chances arises to help break his chains and give him a world to rule, Echo takes it.

...And boy does she.

Both Yubel and Echo believe their loved ones are meant to be a king. Both give their lives in support of their loved one, and become weapons wielded in their service.

No wonder Yubel was shaken by Echo's devotion remaining within Exodia for just a moment - it's not all that far from their own.

Unfortunately Yubel's only direct interaction with Echo is goading her attack on field-Yubel during the final Amon duel. Otherwise they only speak of Echo as someone used and abandoned by Amon - which in itself has potential, given Yubel's own feelings about Judai sending them away.

I think GX could definitely have explored this connection a bit more. There's space to fill here.

Judai and Amon

As noted above, Judai and Amon both have roles as kings - at least, in the eyes of their single most loyal people. Judai holds the title of Supreme King as the wielder of gentle darkness, and while not confirmed his past life sure looked like a prince. Amon simply has ambition, talent, and an ideal world in his mind.

And in operating with the ambition of kings, they both do terrible things to achieve power. Judai lays this out explicitly in the Edo vs. Amon duel:

Amon lets his need for power get in the way of his other relationships and priorities, and sacrifices the ones he loves to obtain Exodia similarly to how Judai sacrificed his friends and eventually uncountable innocents for his own goals - finding Johan, and then ruling as Supreme King. Straightforward, right?

But I think there's another parallel between the two that's a lot more interesting. Or...most of a parallel. Namely, their relationship with their other halves and the responsibility of a loyal follower who would give up anything for you, be it their life or their humanity.

What do you do when the person you love most dedicates their existence to you - to the point of throwing everything else away, even their very life?

Of course, the Judai-Yubel and Amon-Echo situations aren't exactly the same even putting aside the issue of reincarnation. (For the purposes of this essay I'm not making huge distinctions between Judai and his past life, but if you want to get into the details I've written about that previously.)

Yubel went ahead and made their sacrifice without Judai's input, and all he could do was decide how to respond. He chose to dedicate himself back to them so hard it crossed lifetimes, so hard he chose to risk his own existence for them as well in his next life.

Amon, on the other hand, is the one who proposed Echo sacrifice herself for him. Echo agreed to it, and even by the end she stood by her decision. But Amon loaded the gun and pulled the trigger.

He tries to honor her sacrifice, of course. He's always mindful of Echo's sacrifice and what it means. But in the end, he did choose to sacrifice her, ultimately using her as a pawn. Their love never trumped his own objectives.

And I think the example of Amon and Echo leads to the question: if Judai had the choice of letting Yubel become a dragon or stopping them, what would he do? When it was explicitly their will?

This is another missed opportunity, one that could have solidified the parallels neatly. But GX never asks that question, so the answer is unclear. What could have been a parallel is just kind of...askew.

Judai and Echo

Okay, I admit there isn't a lot here off the top of my head. Probably the best parallels between them are in relation to their other halves, as the people "harmed" by their villainous partners, and how they respond to that harm.

Judai rejects Yubel's torments as unwanted attention, until he remembers the past and flips to understanding why Yubel did they did and makes moves to unite the two of them forever. Echo, meanwhile, understands Amon's motives from start to end and...lets herself be sacrificed, the end.

I don't know about this one. Really, ultimately Echo is supposed to be a willing participant in her own sacrifice but in the end I still don't feel like the narrative gave her a strong sense of agency in the matter and it really weakens my attempt to write this section.

In Conclusion

Some of these connections are stronger than others for sure, but I argue that they're all there in some way or another. They're very uneven and overall I'm not entirely sure what you're meant to take from the parallels, and I wish I could give something neat and concise for this section. Instead, it's a bit messy and misshapen - hence, the trapezoid metaphor.

Still, I think there's interesting room for thought in this awkward space. I was certainly thinking about these parallels while working on the latest chapter of Need (accidental last-minute plug?) and trying to figure out exactly what the prince felt while Yubel was in the middle of dragon surgery. What must it be like, to be in these relationships of sacrificial devotion?

[books]

“Writing nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing. Novels are like paintings, specifically watercolors. Every stroke you put down you have to go with. Of course you can rewrite, but the original strokes are still therein the texture of the thing.”

—The Paris Review Interviews, vol. I (New York: Picador, 2006), 476. Joan Didion

[teestudiesbooks]

I have an essay due on the 19th that I completely forgot about until the other day - send help

[starlightjimin]

What advice can you give on improving handwriting and essay writing? Love your posts btw!!!💓

Lemme focus on essay writing, because essaying is sth I do all the time :’)))))))))

FIRST OF ALL, understand that writing an essay is a process. Don’t just open a word processor and start writing the essay. Doing that will make u suffer. As a process, essay writing has 3 parts: before writing, during writing, and after writing. Imma discuss each

BEFORE writing the essay

These are things u need to do prior to writing. My dudes, the key to writing an A+ essay is planning, bcoz a good essay is structured and organized.

If this is for class, go over your teacher’s instructions. These usually include the purpose of the essay, the page/word count, style guides, and, if you’re lucky, the rubrics (aka the breakdown of how your paper will be graded). Follow these instructions to the letter.

PLANNING TIME! Brainstorm, make mind maps/semantic maps, freewrite etc. Just write everything you can think of that’s related to the topic of your essay.

If you did #2 correctly then by now you should have A LOT of ideas. Time 2 narrow them down. How narrow? One sentence narrow. As in, in one sentence, what do you wanna say? Even the longest essay in history can be condensed in one sentence. This one sentence is your thesis statement. (You don’t have to get it right the first time. Try writing three statements, and choose what you like best.) See: How to write a thesis statement

DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT START THE ESSAY WITHOUT A THESIS STATEMENT

Based on your thesis, outline the heck out of that essay. Personally, I prefer 3 level outlines. See: Thesis Statement Guide Development Tool

Don’t worry if you can’t the outline outright. That’s what research is for. Research, annotate, complete your outline.

WHILE writing the essay

BE COMFY. Find a spot where you can concentrate, grab an ergonomic chair, have some snacks and water ready.

Keep your outline on hand, but allow for strokes of genius. If you suddenly think of better arguments or examples, go ahead and use them.

Input your sources as you cite them. There is no greater suffering than looking for ur source 1 hour before the essay is due.

Think in paragraphs. Not in sentences. Paragraphs. As in, “My three main arguments can be discussed in three paragraphs, with one paragraph dedicated to each argument.” This way, the structure of your essay will be made obvious to you (super important when you’re weeding out unnecessary information).

Make sure that your paragraphs are connected to one another. Use transitional devices to smoothen the flow.

Take frequent breaks. If you have time—and you should always have time for essays—write the essay in the span of days.

AUTOSAVE

AFTER writing the essay

Don’t submit that shit the moment you type the final period. Here are things you should do instead:

GET SOME REST.

Give it a day or two before u look at ur essay again. You have to sort of distance yourself from the material to examine it objectively (although there is, of course, no such thing as complete objectivity). It’s like when you were young and you thought you wrote the BEST POEM only to read it at an older age and realize u were THE WORST. .

Check the flow of ur essay. Does one sentence follow the previous sentence logically? Do your arguments/examples/description make sense? Maybe get a friend to read the essay you wrote just to check if what you’ve written can be understood. See: Flow and Cohesion / Does my paragraph flow?

Take out irrelevant details and words. Yes, even if you wrote that sentence beautifully. Tighten your sentences. Understandability over aesthetics.

Check if you (accidentally) plagiarized. Did you cite all smart quotations? Did you forget someone in your biblio? Did you perhaps copied+pasted a block of text and forget to paraphrase? CHECK & CHECK AGAIN

Grammar check, spell check, format check.

Save.

Rename that file. If you’re like me, it would have been named sth like draftsuperfinalfinalnatalaga.docx

Submit within the deadline. Better done than perfect. :)

But wait there’s more

Tips for in class essays

How to do the essay (or how to bullshit it really well)

Paper writing 101 (writing resources)

Avoiding the laundry list literature review

Hope that helped! :)