carriagelamp:

dearnonacepeople:

So let me get this straight, in Monopoly if you give one player more money to start out it’s “unfair” but if you do it in real life it’s “capitalism”? 

You know what, I’m going to tell you guys a story.

In my Sociology class a few semesters ago, our prof had us break off into groups and, much to our naive joy, began distributing Monopoly boards! We had no idea what was going on but yay! Games! Of course, once our group, and a number of others, got the board we began to work at setting up and distributing the money…

until suddenly our prof told us to put the money down and pick up the dice.

“Roll the dice and sort yourselves from highest to lowest,” our teacher commanded.  "Now, the highest number is the upper class. The next one is upper middle class.  The next two or three are middle class. The last person is in poverty.“

Well, as the person who rolled a two this was startling and not wholly welcome news.

From that point the game changed entirely. We had to hand out the money so that the “upper class” had this fucking mountain, and then less for upper middle, even less for middle, and I didn’t get any triple digit bills. We would all collect different amounts from passing go as well.

The biggest change though? Going to jail. Upper class didn’t. Period. Upper middle class could go but they only had to stay for one turn or they could immediately pay their way out. Middle class had some pretty easy guidelines for when they could pay to get out. As lower class, it was really easy for me to wind up in jail and REALLY hard to get out. But since I was working with so little money when everyone else had so much I was in jail all the time because there was no “game over”.  If I couldn’t pay I had to go to jail for a certain period of time. I had to take out loans with interest I could never pay back just to get out only to wind up back in it again, rolling dice turn after turn hoping to be able to get out.

It was simultaneously the most enlightening and most awful game I had ever played. I was bored and frustrated and a little terrified about it all. And it wasn’t only me. I would never win, I sort of accepted this, but it was amazing how the middle classes reacted as well.  They were stressed. Because they were always that close to either being able to one-up the upper class or from crashing into poverty with me. They had to fight constantly just to stay in the middle.

(I should also mention that the upper class player in one group felt so bad for the lower income players that they ended up overhauling their entire game and creating a “socialist” society instead. I’m not sure how our teacher felt about that one.)

(erfenirから)

“Remember when being a legendary Pokemon meant something?”

greninja-sex-party:

XERNEAS, YVELTAL AND ZYGARDE FROM GENERATION 6

Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde are based around Yggdrasil of Norse mythology. Xerneas is Eikþyrnir who lives under the life tree, Yveltal is Hraesvelgr who represents death, and Zygarde is the underground Nidhogg. Xerneas shares its life, Yveltal takes the lives of others to replenish its own, and Zygarde works to maintain the natural balance of the life-death cycle.

 RESHIRAM, ZEKROM, AND KYUREM FROM GENERATION 5 

Reshiram and Zekrom represent Truth vs Ideals, and the Tao philosophy of Yin/Yang. While Kyurem is the grey area in morality, a hollow shell left behind by the singular Dragon these three once used to be before humans tried using it for what they perceived to be “right”, when in reality it was just differing perspectives. 

 PALKIA, DIALGA, GIRATINA, AND ARCEUS FROM GENERATION 4 

Dialga and Palkia are the Shinto legend inspired, godlike entities responsible for guarding and creating space and time. They come from a more scientific approach to how the universe works/was created, whereas Arceus and Giratina are more spiritual as they are designed with inspirations from various versions of “God” and “Satan” in dozens of different religions around the world.  

GROUDON, KYOGRE, AND RAYQUAZA FROM GENERATION 3 

Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza are modelled after the biblical beasts; The Behemoth, Leviathan, and Ziz. Groudon created the land, Kyogre rules the seas, and Rayquaza guards the skies. Groudon and Kyogre helped shape the world (Alpha) and often nearly end the world in conflict with each other (Omega). Rayquaza acts as a neutralizing force to aid the world and its people. 

 HO-OH AND LUGIA FROM GENERATION 2 

Ho-Oh has clear inspirations from various fire-birds in different legends from various cultures like the Phoenix, Fenghuang, and the Huma Bird, as it is associated with the power to revive itself and others from ashes, bring eternal happiness, and rainbow iconography. Lugia could be considered similar to the sea-dwelling dragon, Ryujin of Shinto myth, and he has subtle elements that seem similar to a beluga whale. 

 MOLTRES, ARTICUNO, AND ZAPDOS FROM GENERATION 1 

Hot bird, cold bird, and zappy bird.

(uradekuから)