#PennedPossibilities 974 — Does your MC become jealous? If so, to what degree? How does their jealousy manifest?

Jealousy is something taught in our society.

Read that again.

Nobody ever teaches that jealousy is in any wise good in Bolt's society. It's mentioned as a pathology in Men's Studies, and men taught to recognize that pathology will send people to Health Services if they recognize it.

Bolt has felt envy, when she's seen a woman get a man she was eying.

She's not entirely happy in one scene in Reluctant Courier (for the Mob) when she finds her friend Blue entertaining a pair of women. It's too hard to explain the nuances here, but it's a normal occurrence related to what people in their world call a "man's duty." Calling Blue a part-time geisha hints at the situation, but is not really close. He, however, recognizes that's Bolt has had a bad day (she has them fairly often, working for the mob) and really needs friendly (and also intimate) consoling. She's not up to sharing right then. Blue pawns off the two women on another guy in the association he lives at.

Bolt isn't jealous. That's not the emotion. There is no anger, simply disappointment. Bolt and Blue are completely human, but the society is subtly, but sometimes in your face, alien in ways we can't grasp thanks to our enculturation and gender roles.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
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#jealous #jealousy #envy

I knew I was as alone as Calvin Harris on this one. I've had a couple of goes at Parseword as well - it's pretty decent, though I'm often flummoxed by it due to my lack of cryptic crossword experience.

https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/mar/25/wordle-inventor-gets-ahead-of-the-game
https://www.parseword.com/

#Parseword #CrypticCrossword #envy

Wordle inventor gets ahead of the game

Letters: Julius Pursaill, Andy Roberts and Jane Oberman respond to Polly Hudson’s article that decried Josh Wardle for creating a new game

The Guardian
Some U.S. car buyers envy what they cannot have — affordable Chinese EVs
Survey shows 40 per cent of U.S. consumers ​support Chinese auto imports, while political opposition in U.S. remains strong
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/some-u-s-car-buyers-envy-what-they-cannot-have-affordable-chinese-evs-9.7139717?cmp=rss
Some U.S. car buyers envy what they cannot have — affordable Chinese EVs
Survey shows 40 per cent of U.S. consumers ​support Chinese auto imports, while political opposition in U.S. remains strong
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/some-u-s-car-buyers-envy-what-they-cannot-have-affordable-chinese-evs-9.7139717?cmp=rss
I am now listening to Color of Fetters by Envy #Envy
https://www.last.fm/music/Envy/_/Color+of+Fetters
I am now listening to A Faint New World by Envy #Envy
https://www.last.fm/music/Envy/_/A+Faint+New+World
The difference between envy and jealousy and what we can learn from them. #OriginAgency Principle #LanceThomas explores this and other things on episode four of #YoureOnMuteThePodcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TYokSdQGh7MTmpftGH8J1?si=c2f0b862b325445e #envy #jealousy #art #podcast
The difference between envy and jealousy and what we can learn from them. #OriginAgency Principle #LanceThomas explores this and other things on episode four of #YoureOnMuteThePodcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TYokSdQGh7MTmpftGH8J1?si=c2f0b862b325445e #envy #jealousy #art #podcast

And the first shall be last
Cause: Whithin as outside,
When parallels cross in infinity,
So that the stingiest people
Give you the richest gifts.

#envy #jealousy #fear #transgression #sacrifice #superficialty #carefulnesslessness