Question The Bear, the Bitch, and Everything

The redhead's hand went out and took the blonde by the chin and forced her to look her in the eye. "Ah don't think you really know what that word means, because if you did you would never use it to describe yourself. Ah might be called loose, 'cause Ah sure didn't wait for marriage. Ah might be called a slut and, being honest with myself, Ah've been a bit casual and fast, maybe more than a lady should be. But a whore? Tansy, a whore only cares about money, or status, or things; she trades her body for what she wants because she can't trade her love. A whore can't love, she's forgotten how; don't ever, ever call yourself that."

"… Yes," she replied. "She made it out like this was a big secret, but here's the thing. Being an engineer, if the faculty doesn't know about this place, Ah wonder who is balancing the chlorine levels in this water? Or keeping the heater working? Or washing and refolding those towels? All Ah can tell you is I've never been in here and seen anyone from the faculty or the staff working on it. There’s always towels, the water is always hot and clean and Ah don't really look into it much beyond that to be honest."

Sir Lee wrote: Sometimes I'm just too obsessive for words...

I didn't even start reading the story yet (I was converting it for my ePub reader) when I noticed this tiny issue: some question marks in the middle of the Hawaiian song at the end.
"Aha!" I thought, "this smells like diacritic conversion failure! No problem, I'll just google for a correct version of the lyrics and paste it in place, and that will satisfy my obsessiveness."

Turns out that it's not so easy. Roughly speaking, I found two different versions of the song:
- one that is widely tagged as coming from the Disney movie "Lilo & Stitch", and which I was able to find what appear to be, to my non-Hawaiian-reading eyes, fairly good copies and translations -- but which has MAJOR differences from the one E.E. used;
- And one that seems very similar to the one in the story (even to the unnecessary, hyphenated line-break) -- but without all the diacritics.

Now, in the interest of having the best possible story... can somebody point me to a version of the song which IS nearly the same as the one in the story, but WITH the diacritics? If you do so, I will figure out all the encoding things and make it available here as an in-place replacement.

I might attempt to figure it out line-by-line, but not understanding more than two or three words of Hawaiian (and those would be "aloha", "wahine" and maybe "kapu"), it will be a lot of work.

Sir Lee wrote: (3) There's no "Walcutt", but there's an "Oliver Wolcott," which is pretty close. The written form of the name changed at some point.

“Oh if only you knew…” Having to keep a secret about Poe was fine. She’d not cooperated with Horton trying to guide her through a promise that could be sealed with a Sorcerer’s Contract. Every instinct she had shrieked at her to never, ever make any promise, ever. Hanging out with Diamond and Caitlin told her the score.

“And Horton says you have to put up with the spell.”

“No, I don’t.” Monica shook her head. “I haven’t even told my twin sister about Poe’s secret.”

“I’m just the messenger, not the one messaging.” She looked thoughtful. “I’m Lanie, by the way.”

Wrayth wrote: I might be remembering this from a non cannon source, but I thought the "no talking about Poe" spell was not incapacitating... It just prevents a person from talking or writing the secret. And it wears off after the student is done with the school.

"Don't you see?" she wailed. "They hate us! They killed Jamie because he didn't fit in their little gender boxes and now they're going to kill us all! Every...!" her mouth snapped shut as she jerked trying to speak and unable.

"Marty?" he asked, startled. "Marty!"

She couldn't speak for the sobs and hiccups that wracked her. Finally, Mrs. Horton got up and pronounced a heavy sounding word while she touched Marty's forehead. The young blonde sagged as she lost consciousness so completely that her shell dissipated and the young, thin, mostly-androgynous boy underneath was exposed.

null0trooper wrote: . What happens if a student does refuse to be the target of a mind-altering spell that could incapacitate them at any time with no consequences for the caster?

E. E. Nalley wrote: As an interesting side note, it never ceases to amaze me as an author the things that I put into a story that I think will get lots of comments and laughs about that are frequently overlooked, or is things that I didn't pay that much attention to become matters of debate and great concern among the fans. Quite interesting of phenomena.

One of the matters in which specific I am talking about, there's an Easter egg in the spell the Picts mother uses to heal Domnall. If you're not getting the gag try reading it out loud.

E. E. Nalley wrote:

null0trooper wrote: . What happens if a student does refuse to be the target of a mind-altering spell that could incapacitate them at any time with no consequences for the caster?

As a practical matter, the students don't have a choice. The school does have the power of loco parentis to act in the best interests of the child, which the spell meets the criteria of. This is Spelled out (no pun intended) in the contract the parents sign giving the school permission to treat them medically as needed which may or may not include the use of magic.

E. E. Nalley wrote: One of the matters in which specific I am talking about, there's an Easter egg in the spell the Picts mother uses to heal Domnall. If you're not getting the gag try reading it out loud.

E. E. Nalley wrote:

null0trooper wrote: . What happens if a student does refuse to be the target of a mind-altering spell that could incapacitate them at any time with no consequences for the caster?

As a practical matter, the students don't have a choice. The school does have the power of loco parentis to act in the best interests of the child, which the spell meets the criteria of. This is Spelled out (no pun intended) in the contract the parents sign giving the school permission to treat them medically as needed which may or may not include the use of magic.

As an interesting side note, it never ceases to amaze me as an author the things that I put into a story that I think will get lots of comments and laughs about that are frequently overlooked, or is things that I didn't pay that much attention to become matters of debate and great concern among the fans. Quite interesting of phenomena.

One of the matters in which specific I am talking about, there's an Easter egg in the spell the Picts mother uses to heal Domnall. If you're not getting the gag try reading it out loud.

amratner wrote: Where was this spell first mentioned? I do not recall it from any of the Kimba stories.
And Sandra knows the secret, she learned it in Ill Winds.

Sir Lee wrote: Basically, the school has to figure out a way to impose the restrictions on her without her agreement, so they don't imprint on her soul.

Malady wrote: Hmm... Coyotes are wolves... No, wait, can't be the bitch 'cause Coyote's male... But, Lupine's related... And there might be a fem!Wolf spirit somewhere else??

annachie wrote: Fair old chance Diamond figgured it out by now anyway.

She lied about being trans, got a gen female roomie.

Nikki and Toni trans roomies.
Same cottage as ayla.

Now same cottage as her sister who she knows, or can know, admitted to being herm.
Soon as she finds out that Murphy may be going herm, twigs that it's because Ayla's room mate is herm.

Diamond will twig soon, like late 2007 at the latest.

Still.

Valentine wrote:

annachie wrote: Fair old chance Diamond figgured it out by now anyway.

She lied about being trans, got a gen female roomie.

Nikki and Toni trans roomies.
Same cottage as ayla.

Now same cottage as her sister who she knows, or can know, admitted to being herm.
Soon as she finds out that Murphy may be going herm, twigs that it's because Ayla's room mate is herm.

Diamond will twig soon, like late 2007 at the latest.

Still.

We don't know if she lied about being trans, we don't know if Razor lied either. Considering the Outcast stories, it's fairly obvious that someone on campus knows, because they are together with 4 freshman GSD TGs.

slapshots wrote: when razor and diamond came to whateley there wasn't tunnel access from poe so the severe gsd kids would not of been put there but I don't see anything really stopping them or caitlen there now lol

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

slapshots wrote: when razor and diamond came to whateley there wasn't tunnel access from poe so the severe gsd kids would not of been put there but I don't see anything really stopping them or caitlen there now lol

Well, Caitlyn is a Thornie, and as such more important rooming considerations than her gender. But yes, I expect that Poe could open to more GSD students now. But Razor won't move, because it would mean splitting with Joe. Sandra could make a case for it, considering the fiasco that was her last roommate situation. But she doesn't really need to - the Outcasts provide her with the support she needs, and she's friends with a fair number of Posies already. So there's no point to moving her, and she does have friends in her cottage that she'd want to stick with.

I'm still wondering how the dragon guy from Small Mercies was a Poesie considering I didn't see any indication that he could pass as a regular human.

Poe contains GSD students. The only ones who have to go in Hawthorn despite sexuality issues are ones who are unsafe.

The Wiki wrote: Originally, only the three farthest cottages, Hawthorne, Twain and Whitman, were accessible by tunnel. The reason is that those are the cottages that house students unable to pass for baselines, who therefore need the tunnels to avoid being seen on red flag days. In November 2006, a spur was built from the Hawthorne tunnel to Poe, which means Poe might receive GSD students in the future.

amratner wrote: Sorry, but the last few posts have confused me. Who are you talking about?

DanZilla wrote:

amratner wrote: Sorry, but the last few posts have confused me. Who are you talking about?

They're talking about Daryl, they dragon avatar, introduced in Small Mercies .

Now, as to GSD mutants in Poe, colored-flag days and GSD mutants needing to use the tunnels... everybody ASSUMES this is an original feature of the school. What if they just didn't let outsiders into the campus in the past?

In addition, There's a GSD mutant in the Kimba stories pretty much from Day-one (at least in Diane's later written stories) and they didn't have the tunnel then.

annachie wrote: Fair old chance Diamond figgured it out by now anyway.

She lied about being trans, got a gen female roomie.

Nikki and Toni trans roomies.
Same cottage as ayla.

Now same cottage as her sister who she knows, or can know, admitted to being herm.
Soon as she finds out that Murphy may be going herm, twigs that it's because Ayla's room mate is herm.

Diamond will twig soon, like late 2007 at the latest.

Still.

Valentine wrote: While not letting outsiders on campus, except at certain times, may have been possible when the school had a very small student population. They would need so much food delivered now, that they would likely require deliveries many times a week. Plus deliveries to the campus bookstore/notWalmart, Mail, stuff being sent via all the shipping services. . It would be really hard to close the school to outsiders.

Kettlekorn wrote: I don't think think the presence of just six people makes it that obvious, actually. Everybody already knows that Poe is the cottage for people who need support for their psychological issues. LGBT folks are more likely than average to have psychological issues, and people who've had an unconsensual sex change are very likely to have psychological issues. Poe is the obvious place to put them. That's the beauty of Poe's cover story. And don't forget that to believe that Poe is secretly the LGBT+changeling cottage also means believing that the administration and dozens of new high school students per year have been successfully maintaining a long-running conspiracy .

What would be really hilarious would be to find out that Poe really is the nuthouse, and they just tell the residents that it's the alternative sexuality cottage to put them at ease.

Katssun wrote:

Kettlekorn wrote: I don't think think the presence of just six people makes it that obvious, actually. Everybody already knows that Poe is the cottage for people who need support for their psychological issues. LGBT folks are more likely than average to have psychological issues, and people who've had an unconsensual sex change are very likely to have psychological issues. Poe is the obvious place to put them. That's the beauty of Poe's cover story. And don't forget that to believe that Poe is secretly the LGBT+changeling cottage also means believing that the administration and dozens of new high school students per year have been successfully maintaining a long-running conspiracy .

What would be really hilarious would be to find out that Poe really is the nuthouse, and they just tell the residents that it's the alternative sexuality cottage to put them at ease.

In Gen1, there's no question that Poe is both the secret LGBT dorm and legitimately the crazy house. The majority of the POV characters anyways, "split personality" before and presently-depressed Nikki Riley, Wondercute's leader, redeemed villainess Vamp, Hippolyta now that Sara is missing, Spectacle of the Spring Kayda, but now perhaps most importantly, Downpour.

There just really aren't that many "crazy" students elsewhere, unless you count the other Wondercute members, the ultraviolents, Jobe at her worst, Joe's taste in clothing, and Sandra and the rest of the Outcasts having PTSD.

Gen 2, 'the crazy' is much more evenly distributed among the POV characters. The PTSD girls are in Poe, International TMZ celebrity Tia is in Melville, and Tanya's dorm is full of girls in most desperate need of acceptance, reassurance, and a firm hug.

Given the other events that started in Gen2, there is much higher risk of the secret getting blown in 2016/2017 than back during Gen1.

Valentine wrote: Bwahahahaha, how about OC Dee, Olympia, Mega Death, Compiler, Montana, Frank, Nacht, Bomber, Geomancer, Peril, Psydoe, Reach, Skybolt, Cavalier, Stalwart, and none of those are on your list. That doesn't include the 7 other known Diedrick's sufferers on campus either. Or any of the 4 or 5 other known psychological afflictions that occur in mutants.

null0trooper wrote:

Valentine wrote: Bwahahahaha, how about OC Dee, Olympia, Mega Death, Compiler, Montana, Frank, Nacht, Bomber, Geomancer, Peril, Psydoe, Reach, Skybolt, Cavalier, Stalwart, and none of those are on your list. That doesn't include the 7 other known Diedrick's sufferers on campus either. Or any of the 4 or 5 other known psychological afflictions that occur in mutants.

More than half of these kids are either no more mentally ill than the average teenager, or they weren't when they originally showed up at Whateley.

Not that Slapdash is anything close to being as disabled as Mega-Death, but putting all the Diedrick's cases in the same building? Yeah ... Let's move all the odds manglers and ragers in with them, and see how long before it ends up either vaporized or in orbit.

peter wrote: There is one thing I've always wondered about the whole "Poe is for the Crazy" coverup/excuse.

What happens when you have clearly crazy students, with no sexual issues, in the other dorms? What is the excuse for them not being in Poe?

Arcanist Lupus wrote: That said, I went looking for where the cover was explained, and I can't find it. I searched the original introductory stories for the words "mental", "head case", and "craz" (for both 'crazy' and 'crazies'), and wasn't able to find any mention of the cover story. Does anybody know where it was first mentioned?

Billie was just sitting down, and...

OH MY GOD! She was deliberately sitting next to the werewolf! Was she nuts?

Oh, wait. We were in Poe. We were supposed to be nuts.

Kismet immediately started in French, “Is it true that you are in the Lunatic House? Poe Cottage?”
. . .
Cytherea said, “Not all of the students in Poe are crazy. I hear that some are there merely for easier observation in case they need counseling, and some are there because they are natural helpers who would be good roommates with a lunatic.” Hmm, did she know some people in Poe?

“Well, let me be the first to reassure you that Whately has a strict non-discrimination policy, which is why we have Poe cottage. Everyone here knows what they are, so there are no misunderstandings, just keep it quiet from the other cottages.

“No Miss Kumler, Sawyer has already suffered enough, and will suffer even more before the dust settles. I have no intention of dropping him into the middle of Dickinson that way.” Carson paused … “So, where DO we put you two?”

“Poe?” Hartford asked, over-casually.

“No… I don’t think so… After all, it’s supposed to be a temporary measure… Hawthorne would be both embarrassing and too expensive. Melville.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

peter wrote: There is one thing I've always wondered about the whole "Poe is for the Crazy" coverup/excuse.

What happens when you have clearly crazy students, with no sexual issues, in the other dorms? What is the excuse for them not being in Poe?

Huh. I think that the "Poe is for crazies" cover is spread as a rumor, rather than an official policy. If they're not publicly admitting that such a policy exists, it makes it difficult for anybody to questions the ins and outs of exactly how the policy works.

That said, I went looking for where the cover was explained, and I can't find it. I searched the original introductory stories for the words "mental", "head case", and "craz" (for both 'crazy' and 'crazies'), and wasn't able to find any mention of the cover story. Does anybody know where it was first mentioned?

Another Day, We Were Going Where? wrote: “Don’t worry guys. I understand. We have rules over at Poe too.” That last statement seemed to make Blot and Link a little nervous for some reason. Harry just looked relieved. I wondered what the other two had heard about Poe.

Toni and the Tiger wrote: The kids at the tables near us took notice of this, and I heard someone mutter, “Yep, a Poe girl. Figgers.” Hey, screw ‘em.

JG wrote: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

peter wrote: There is one thing I've always wondered about the whole "Poe is for the Crazy" coverup/excuse.

What happens when you have clearly crazy students, with no sexual issues, in the other dorms? What is the excuse for them not being in Poe?

Huh. I think that the "Poe is for crazies" cover is spread as a rumor, rather than an official policy. If they're not publicly admitting that such a policy exists, it makes it difficult for anybody to questions the ins and outs of exactly how the policy works.

That said, I went looking for where the cover was explained, and I can't find it. I searched the original introductory stories for the words "mental", "head case", and "craz" (for both 'crazy' and 'crazies'), and wasn't able to find any mention of the cover story. Does anybody know where it was first mentioned?

Katssun wrote: Good to know they weren't totally clueless about Kayda's growing weirdness and apprehension, they were just very distracted by the excitement of getting the sailing club going. Lanie and Tansy kept trying to let her know too, but she kept running off. I love the dual perspectives and almost 'unreliable narrator' aspect of it. Kayda glossing over all the times they were trying to include her, and Tansy and Lanie missing the really overt signs of her growing distress. Tansy's mistake was not being persistent and grabbing Kayda in the garage to find Lanie together.

But Tansy toying with Danny, whether she realizes she's doing it or not, is a bit concerning.

Is Kayda going to be the one who helps Tansy get over her guilt? Mustang is right. She can't ever tell Lanie she helped push Lifeline over the edge, going further than she intended.

Edit: I wonder which picture of the Space Expansion members surprised her the most, Dr. Dad? Someone else we don't know? Somebody with business dealings or rivalry with her father?

E. E. Nalley wrote: Not to worry Esar, you get a bit of your wish too! Carry on.

Phoenix Spiritus wrote: None of them strikes me as particularly 'nautical'.

I mean nautical books you have:

Jules Verne (20,000 leagues under the sea), French
Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey/Maturin series), UK ('Master and Commander' for those who only know books by movies)
C.S. Forester (Horatio Hornblower series), UK
Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island), UK
Herman Melville (Moby Dick), American, but name already in use.
Ernest Hemingway (The old man and the sea), American

There is a list of the most popular nautically themed books , but these ones seem to be the most 'Named recognised' nautical stories to me.

Valentine wrote: I noticed something else with that list. Do you really want to name your boat after the author of The Caine Mutiny, or Robinson Crusoe, or Mutiny on the Bounty, or any of the other 'disaster' on a boat books?

E. E. Nalley wrote:

Valentine wrote: I noticed something else with that list. Do you really want to name your boat after the author of The Caine Mutiny, or Robinson Crusoe, or Mutiny on the Bounty, or any of the other 'disaster' on a boat books?

A lot of people don't realize that mutiny on the bounty was the first book of a trilogy, the other 2 books are Men Against the Sea and The Pitcairn Islanders.

While The Pitcairn Islanders deals with Fletcher Christian and the other mutineers settling on Pitcairn Island, Men Against the Sea details one of the greatest feats of seamanship ever recorded in human history. After Lieut. Bligh and his loyalists are put into the open boat a few hundred miles from Fiji Lieut. Bligh with only a compass and his memory of his charts performed a feat of dead reckoning navigation taking the men to the only friendly port in the hemisphere the island of Timor, a journey of 3,618 nautical miles (6,701 km; 4,164 mi).

Phoenix Spiritus wrote: None of them strikes me as particularly 'nautical'.

I mean nautical books you have:

Jules Verne (20,000 leagues under the sea), French
Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey/Maturin series), UK ('Master and Commander' for those who only know books by movies)
C.S. Forester (Horatio Hornblower series), UK
Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island), UK
Herman Melville (Moby Dick), American, but name already in use.
Ernest Hemingway (The old man and the sea), American

There is a list of the most popular nautically themed books , but these ones seem to be the most 'Named recognised' nautical stories to me.

Malady wrote: So... someone on TVTropes just criticized the "the secret to good riding is gripping with your knees", and is saying that it's " exactly what you're not supposed to do "

... But, that's Tansy, and maybe she learned differently or something??

... Most horse forums seem to agree with the other Troper...

Also some claim about AutomatonHorses, but I have only vague guesses where to find that.

Malady wrote: So... someone on TVTropes just criticized the "the secret to good riding is gripping with your knees", and is saying that it's "exactly what you're not supposed to do"

... But, that's Tansy, and maybe she learned differently or something?? ... Actually since its just Tansy, I'm removing it 'cause its supposed to be for authors' mistakes, and there's nothing indicating author error.

E. E. Nalley wrote: Tho I am curious, where is this taking place on TVTropes?

Katssun wrote: Edit: I wonder which picture of the Space Expansion members surprised her the most, Dr. Dad? Someone else we don't know? Somebody with business dealings or rivalry with her father?

Kristin Darken wrote: And in fiction, especially fantasy, where riding horses is a fairly common mode of distance travel... basic care for both animal and tack/saddle or such things are going to be fairly common knowledge except among those too poor to have the experience.

The Bear, the Bitch, and Everything (Part 3) wrote: a 12 place keypad with hundreds of millions of possible lock combinations

The Bear, the Bitch, and Everything (Part 3) wrote: an electronic lock with a thumbprint reader for quick access

If he took Exemplar Grace, Mrs. Dennon would probably make him take the final once for each of his forms.

Ametros wrote: What's this - Bella's not able to summon Laneth back to the physical plane? I guess you could say that Coyote's exploiting a Loophole.

Ahimsa wrote: An interesting story, with a huge number of ideas. Thank you for all your hard work.

One thing that does irritate me though, is the idea of "tantric sex" and energy transfer.

For one of the first times in its long and storied broadcast history, the Whateley Academy Radio Station was silent in frank, unadulterated amazement. Finally, Greasy's voice said, “You know, I don't know who does the danger rankings at this school, but they're wrong. A lot.”

null0trooper wrote: The phrase you are objecting to does not have the same meaning in Western esoteric traditions as it does in Eastern traditions. "Tantric" was adopted in lieu of there being a better word in English, and at least conveys the notion that the physical practices and terminology are adopted from an outside tradition. Regardless, ekstasis does indeed have a valid existence as a spiritual experience and ritual tool.

tl,dr: Whether the Tao or the Christ is your helper, the motorcycle still gets fixed.

Ahimsa wrote: Also, with regards to the reason for "tantric" being adopted, it was used without any idea of its true meaning, kind of how the Nazis adopted the swastika. If one would like to use a better term, I would suggest the rather more straightforward and meaningful (and rather more steeped in the actual tradition) "sex magic".

Katssun wrote: But then there's the line about Tansy hitting her harder than she intended because of confusion and the increasing fury of the fight. Tansy is holding back, a lot. That slip was enough to give Murphy flail-chest? I had to look that one up the first time through. 76% of them are from car crashes. True, Murphy isn't a brick, or have Kayda's running gag ribs, but if Tansy is holding back most of the time and can still produce that kind of injury with her bare hands?

E. E. Nalley wrote: Unfortunately, about 90% of Anglo/European English speakers will understand the use of the phrase as intended. As it may grate on purists, such as your self, this is a fact of the English language, word meanings shift. This was not intended as a class on Indo-Spirituality or belief systems and by far most readers took the correct meaning as intended, rather than as should be used as you point out.

While I understand how you feel (I get upset when people use the phrase 'Pointe Blank' to mean extreme close range) this was not intended as a lesson, but rather entertainment. I hope this did not interfere with your enjoyment of the story, but you have my condolences if it did.

Ahimsa wrote: The word used is wrong in the first place.

Tantric sex is an ancient Hindu practice that has been going for over 5,000 years, and means 'the weaving and expansion of energy'. It's a slow form of sex that's said to increase intimacy and create a mind-body connection that can lead to powerful orgasms.

E. E. Nalley wrote: Now, I have already offered my apologies if this interfered with your enjoyment of the story and I have to say I DO NOT TAKE KINDLY to being compared to NAZIs. If this is the language hill you want to die on, take it up with them. I've said all I intend to on this topic, please let the matter drop.

E. E. Nalley wrote: Pointe Blank is a ballistic term meaning the point distance from the muzzle the shooter does not have to adjust his point of aim up or down to counteract the affect of gravity over distance, nor the ballistic tendency of a bullet to rise when leaving the barrel due to the effects of rifling on it. While this point will change based on factors such as bullet weight and powder load, on average it will remain close enough of a constant to only matter to long distance precision shooters. For example the Pointe Blank range of the M-16/AR-15 is 150 meters.

That is the 'correct' definition of the phrase Pointe Blank. For context, that distance is one and a half US Football fields. No one outside the shooter community knows that. Everyone understands Pointe Blank to mean 'extreme close range.' Now, I can be pedantic and insist on educating everyone of their mistake or I can shrug it off as 'language shift' and not get bent out of shape over it.

E. E. Nalley wrote: If you google Tantric Sex Defination this is what pops up:

Tantric sex is an ancient Hindu practice that has been going for over 5,000 years, and means 'the weaving and expansion of energy'. It's a slow form of sex that's said to increase intimacy and create a mind-body connection that can lead to powerful orgasms.

Along with About 392,000 results (0.97 seconds) website links that for the first 10 or so pages I saw link to websites that support that position.

Language shift happens. It's unfortunate, but it does. If you have an issue with this, kindly take it up with the folks at Merrian-Webster because as far as they are concerned YOU are wrong.

Definition of swastika

1 : a symbol or ornament in the form of a Greek cross with the ends of the arms extended at right angles all in the same rotary direction

2 : a swastika used as a symbol of anti-Semitism or of Nazism

elrodw wrote: Ahimsa,
In the past, there have been readers who have taken it upon themselves to be extremely persistent in correcting stories about details which are largely irrelevant to the vast majority of readers. The Cabal does NOT take kindly to this behavior, and the "ban hammer" has been levied upon some. The reason is that the authors contribute out of their generosity and a sense of appreciation by the readers, but pedantic critics take away that enjoyment, to the point that in the past, authors have quit because of the level of petty criticism. As a result, the cabal is very, very protective of our authors' feelings.

Give it a rest. You made your point, and you are only going to invoke the wrath of the powers-that-be. Invoking Nazis is way beyond reasonable in this context. If you want to troll the authors, you WILL be banned. If you want to continue to make petty arguments over small details, you WILL be banned. If you wanted to make a point, that's accomplished, and now you have to accept the response from the cabal as to reasoning.

Sir Lee wrote: I just want to point out that neither the Nazis nor the Hindus "own" the swastika. It's a pretty common symbol in many cultures, including Native American ones that can't possibly have "appropriated" it from Hinduism.

Sir Lee wrote: In the same vein... while "tantric" has a precise meaning for circa 1 billion Hindus... that still does not mean that you "own" the word. Usage defines its meaning, and outside the Hindu community (large as it is) usage gave it a different meaning.

JG wrote: Finally, since you insist upon berating everyone: Drop it. One more post in the accusative manner of provocation, and I'm terminating your posting privs. This is not the place where you get to badger and berate to get your way.

"This word does not mean what you think it means" is fine. leave it at that. But if you want to be offended and loud about it, take it somewhere else. And by invoking nazi germany, intended or not, in the manner of your bitch yes you did compare Nalley to Hitler. So right now, accept the fact that 99% of Americans are ignorant of certain things (this does, in fact include our characters, who are deliberately made imperfect and prone to the wrong conclusion like everyone else) and either let it go, or encourage steps to EDUCATE the majority.

And no, the people on the Whateley site do not qualify as "The majority."

DanZilla wrote: Ahimsa... it's not that we don't appreciate that you want us to know that the word was misappropriated and doesn't mean what it was used for... and we DO appreciate the discussion that can arise from these distinctions...

It's that you KEEP telling us that AFTER we've acknowledged that you have a fair point and THIS THREAD isn't the place to have further discussions about it.

DanZilla wrote: To you the comparison between the Nazi appropriation of the swastika and our current culture's appropriation of the phrase "tantric" may seem a valid equivocation... BUT to a lot of the people you're talking to it's a horrible insult to be compared to a Nazi. However innocently that comparison is made it will still really upset people.

If you'd like to start a discussion of Tantric PLEASE start a new thread for it and people can choose to participate or not... but, while you may educate our authors in the proper usage, they're not going to retroactively go back in and fix where they've used it before and may not change how they use it in the future... since the "pop culture" version of it is what they are using and not the "actual" definition.

elrodw wrote: Now let's get back to talking about Tansy

When I attended this school, my reign as the Alpha Bitch Queen would put your exploits to shame.

Katssun wrote: Would Murphy have survived the fall before she went through the BIT Mangler?

Ebola wrote:

Katssun wrote: Would Murphy have survived the fall before she went through the BIT Mangler?

Is the BIT mangler the machine built by Thuban in the fall ?06? Or did I miss something big in Murphy's Law has Loopholes?

Katssun wrote:

Ebola wrote:

Katssun wrote: Would Murphy have survived the fall before she went through the BIT Mangler?

Is the BIT mangler the machine built by Thuban in the fall ?06? Or did I miss something big in Murphy's Law has Loopholes?

The "BIT Mangler" is the contraption developed by persons unknown referenced in JG's "Murphy's Laws of Whateley" that is essentially the same as the BIT Slicer, operated by individuals currently unknown, without a single thread of ethics.

The BIT Slicer Team at least has the best interests of their subjects in mind.

annachie wrote:

elrodw wrote: Now let's get back to talking about Tansy

Well Tansy would have been extremely new to the Picts, if it was there at all, and isn't recorded for abortion use until a few hundred years later .....

Katssun wrote: Laneth is a Pict, circa 784. Tansy is descendant from a Norman Princess, circa...1066. There is a possibility that Laneth is the ancestor of Tansy's ancestor...

E. E. Nalley wrote: Yes! I'm found out! Awe, spolier alert! Laneth's descendant is Rey from Star Wars the Force Awakens !

JG wrote: Given attention spans nowadays, "A long time ago" starts at the 23-minute mark.