The Middle Rankers Aren't Reigned In. They've Just Been Redirected. By Drawing Everyone's Attention To

The middle rankers aren't reigned in. They've just been redirected. By drawing everyone's attention to their rank within the school they keep everyone anxious about their own position and prevent them from banding together to take out stronger foes with greater numbers. Middle rankers are taught to fret over their own rank. Piss on everyone below, challenge only the person one spot above you in the ladder. Bullying still happens but the privileged few who sit at the top of the pile don't need to worry about being challenged by numbers since everyone below is too busy fighting amongst themselves. We see time and time again that the system as it stands is how it was designed to function. Everyone outside Wellston is dumbfounded by the idea that the strong might protect the weak, that a low-ranker might aspire to anything besides the next meal. The authorities run the same system as the school on a larger scale. Concentrate the ruling class and use their strength to keep the middle and low rankers fighting amongst themselves too long to realize who the real enemy is. It's why they hand out ability enhancers to people who use them to terrorize poorer communities.

Your current mindset is that of Arlo at the beginning. The system is oppressive, but at least it's orderly. At least no one makes a fuss about trying to ask for more than they "deserve". The system is good because it means that everyone is told their place and made to stay in it. Yes, it is terrible for nearly everyone in it but at least it isn't chaos, right?

That might be an unpopular opinion (idk) because of the narrative framing but frankly in UnOrdinary, the school hierarchy actually makes a lot of sense.

You're in a world where, at the minimum, 99% of the people have a power of some sort. While most of them have mundane powers (see Evie's flashlight, Isen's tracking ability, or what's-her-name from the beginning who could grow her hair at will and make it take shapes) or powers that are not too dangerous for their peers (Arlo's barrier, that girl who could see a few seconds into the future, Darren's "shadow" or the security guard who could sense people walking into his area), there are also extremely destructive powers.

There are kids who can become invisible (with all the abuse it can generate), there are kids who can shoot energy beams that can break walls, there are kids who can generate enough electricity to kill someone, there are kids who can freeze time and do whatever they want... there are also kids who are just stronger than everyone else or faster (Heinz, Zeke...) and there's a lot of potential for bullies to misuse their powers.

Heck, even for non bullies, a kid who has anger issues and the "right" powers could easily destroy a room or injure other kids. Sure, the answer to anger issues isn't to beat the guy into compliance to the rules.

But the hierarchy's goal, at the beginning, isn't to beat the weaker people. The hierarchy (the school one, with it's King Queen Jack system)'s goal is to have three kids, the most powerful of the school, make sure that the weaker (but still powerful) kids will stay in line and reduce bullying.

I wrote another essay about it for a video game which wasn't the point but basically in a school were the pupils might be more powerful than the teachers, be it because it's an "elite" school with middle class teachers for royalty and billionaire kids, or a "magic" school in which the teachers' magical level might be inferior to that of the kids (as in, not a school where you learn magic, but one where magical beings go) it makes sense that the kids would be supposed to regulate themselves without needing an adult to step in, since adults wouldn't be able to do much, particularly in case of fight.

So put kids in charge of it. Why?

Because telling the three most powerful kids "if you keep the rest in check, you'll get an extra credit" (or something) means also neutralizing said three kids, with promises and threats, so they are not going to be the ones wrecking havoc.

Because it teaches responsabilities to the most powerful kids. They're the ones most likely to get in trouble later for their powers, or to have great responsabilities, for example in politics, the army, or jobs where their powers might be the reason they stay alive. If they learn as soon as middle school to be the voice of reason, it might create a better society, with elite kids being taught to be aware of bullying and avoid it, future soldiers and cops taught not to abuse their power, etc

Because telling the middle level kids "hey, the faculty won't do anything for you if the higher levels decide to beat you up as punishment for bullying weaker kids" might actually work (in a fucked up way) in making them stay in line and not bully the weakest.

Basically, if the hierarchy worked the way it was supposed to be (aka not the way Arlo made it work because he tried to over-correct what Rei had messed up when he had been king) it would be the most efficient way to teach kids responsabilities, to keep the would-be bullies in line, and to protect the teachers since physical fights would be left to break to powerful kids instead of weak teachers.

The only reason it doesn't work is because UnOrdinary's society is decadent and slowly crumbling down, the hierarchy is seen as a tool of oppression even by the people who participate in it (although they see that as "yes! we can oppress people!") instead of regulation, and the government is corrupt, as well as basically every authority figure.

Is it a well known fact in the discworld Fandom that The Truth and Going Postal are basically the same book? They feel so similar in their plots and characters, going postal is just better because the Moist is cool.

What's the right thing to do here? Just... never improve as a country? A nation must be born fully formed and unproblematic like Athena. Any effort to improve by a country with a dark past is vain posing? Virtue signaling? Fuck off. Lots of people immigrate to canada and find better lives for themselves. There are always going to be regressive, racist people and areas in any country. Canada has them, and these places will elect shitty people to power who do shitty things to minorities, but things are better in other places. Why rage against good because it isn't perfect. Why rage against improvement because it doesn't come from purity.

thinking about how insane it is that australia and canada were able to rebrand from being literal white ethnostates to saying that "diversity" and "multiculturalism" is an important part of national "culture"

After months of pestering I got my friend to watch Arcane. His favorite character was Jace. He could not remember Vi's name, even though it is literally tattooed on her face.

i hate the way that “female characters are just not as well written as male characters” persists even after years and years of people pointing out that is simply a bad excuse, that people will rehabilitate a poorly written man and flatten a well written woman time and time again. i hate the way that no one can take this criticism, this simple truth that they are biased against women, and work to slowly dismantle this part of themselves. instead it’s just, there are no good women

Big fan of characters realizing they don't get to die. They have to live. And grow. And be a person. And deal with shit they thought they'd never have to. And be fucked up about it. I would like more of this. Enough dying for honor or as redemption. It ain't. You're just a corpse. There is no moral value in dirt time.

was gazpachoing in the tub earlier this evening and i was like oh my god....... i need to draw dalinar in lingerie....... including a slutty safehand glove.......... but then i got out of the shower and forgot. until now. but i dont feel like it anymore