Daniela > Recent Status Updates

》Swearing is an emotive language《
to illustrate anything from enthusiasm to emotion to dominance.

Yet people's adherence to the social rules around swearing... appeared to focus disproportionately on women being protected from at all costs. The mechanics in dad's garage would swear, then turn to me & apologize that I had to hear it.

》Let emotionally volatile ppl use emotive language when they need it. 《

Audiobook as preparation for Brimstone.

"It's hard to be culturally effective without feeling. ... In fact, real progress usually begins when we develop emotional, social, & spiritual intelligence - when we humble ourselves to learn what we don't know. " (pg 116)

Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, David Bowie, Shirley clark, & The Rolling Stones - such stars witnessed the magic. Performers who also would just *get it.* As if they weren't already fortunate, add seeing Marsha perform on top.

Every convo takes place on 2 lvls: the official & the actual.

The official convo is represented by the words we say about w/e topic we are discussing.

The actual convo occurs in the ebb & flow of underlying emotions transmitted as we talk. At every comment, you're making me feel a lil more safe or a lil more threatened. W/ every comment, I'm showing respect or disrespect. W/ every comment we reveal intentions.

"If I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell."
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.
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An uncompromising literary agency:
Strong main character’s profiles acts as a mirror, revealing the integrity in my partner. This appreciation isn't just about the present; it's recognizing when the desirable character which literature idealizes is real to me. A storm of gratitude that this fictional standard is embodied & not everyone can witness such reality.

"Sloppy sentimentalism"... it's the way people in the one-up group treat those from the one-down group because they think the 1-down group isn't capable of performing at the required standard.

It's sloppy sentimentalism when, for example, a man at work decides on his own that a woman with children shouldn't be on a project that involves travel or shouldn't be on a project involving a difficult, demanding...client.

"How the world worshiped the cruel man... was beyond my comprehension.
Sure... interesting to look at,
but SO WAS MAGMA before it burned you alive."

"The grasses had been laid flat by more than one game played there, but in the center of it all, a single wildflower caught my attention. It was bright purple and stood erect, where a hundred others around it had been smashed. I wonder if it had somehow escaped harm, or if it had been stepped on before it refused to lie down." Pgs.149-50

Love this story of organic morality & the simplicity of difficult...TBC

"Do you know what the difference is between bravery and courage? ... Bravery is being unafraid of something other people are afraid of. Courage is being afraid, but strong enough to do it anyway."

" What a daft little bitch!"

"Greedy men collect what they cannot understand
& weak men destroy what they cannot control.

A man who is both will attempt to recreate that which is beyond his comprehension, obliterating the original in the process."

Oh, Deonn- you just scored brownie points with me for using BCE (before common era) instead of BC (before Christ.) Mad respect🙏🏼

"What did it mean to be a *good person* in a system built on such a fundamental *bad?* Could the best intentions & noble ends ever justify reprehensible means?" (Pg. 656)

[We] "created a culture all our own - a vibrant one, full of music & art & rich storytelling, a close-knit community that loved & lost together, fought & died together. We found pockets of beauty & humor in our suffering, & when we couldn't find them, we *created* them as both an act of defiance & an act of survival." (Pg. 638-9)

WOW, this saga is GOOD !!

"Let us seek virtue in all things." (pg. 586)

"A culture of their own - a vibrant one, full of music, & art & rich storytelling, a close-knit community that loved & lost together, fought & died together. We found pockets of beauty & humor in our suffering, & when we couldn't find them, we *created* them both an act of defiance & an act of survival." (Pg 638-9)

"Being with ♡ never felt like a sacrifice. He'd go to hell & back to help me achieve my dreams - & not just because he loved me, but because they were his dreams, too. Because we were the same in deeply fundamental ways that were etched in our bones & dyed in our blood." (Pg. 565)

IDK how to describe what it's like to read one's own love/partner/dedication story within an epic fantasy saga. Magic = too on the nose

"Do you think they'll stop there? They wish death on anyone they deem *different.* What happens when they find you different because of your gender, your skin color, or your realm? Or the gods you worship or the people you love?....

ISN'T INJUSTICE OUR **REAL** ENEMY - IN WHATEVER FORM IT TAKES & WHOEVER IT COMES FROM?" (pg 532-3)

"An ember given is a flame received." (Pg 129)

"I'm not leaving the fate of the country in the hands of someone who thinks shrimp heads are romantic."

I can tell this book will send me into a frenzy for the next one!

"Don't you dare mistake compassion for lack of courage. Anyone can slaughter their enemies. Hate is easy - it's mercy that requires the greater strength." Pg.105

*Moment of appreciation*
"Even in the midst of his own inner unrest, he was always protecting me, always thinking of me, even in the smallest of ways."

Surveillance Capitalism! Term for the epidemic the world is suffering from.

Some fear AI & robots taking over the world. What everyone ignores is the very true fact that they're already wreaking havoc: algorithms. They're woven through every app we use, including browsers. The business model to collect people's data, track what takes their attention to exploit for ads is disrupting natural flow. /end soapbox

Coincidence that I report on love for this book on page 143.

"Men are especially prone to quitting as a matter of pride; to them, asking for help is the same as begging. That's why it takes 500,000 sperm cells to fertilize one egg: men are too proud to ask for directions." - pg. 136

Couldn't wait for the re-release in Nov. Folks, get your to-read list in order because this series is timely, empowering, entertaining, & a true page turner. While the theme is very literally fire/flame, it is appropriately mild in the spicy dept. if you're like me & prefer more overall action, adventure, plot/story than explicit details.

"Don't provoke a fight unless you intend to see ot through."

"This crisis is human made and it can be unmade by us too"

Verna has a great way of introducing interactions every person has faced. Reading this could help people develop social skills or insights to be a stronger supporter of openness & morality without polarization.

Hail the nonbinary representation! I appreciate the diversity. Another quote that stood out to me:

"But remember you are a phoenix, too. We do not fear the flames, for the hotter we burn, the higher we fly. " -pg. 540