katmiscellanious

[katmiscellanious]

dear americans,

as a polish queer woman and human rights activist, i know exactly how you're feeling right now and what to expect from these elections. i lived through the 2015-2023 regime of pis, a right-wing populist party that divided families in the same way trump did. i’ve experienced the rise of fascism in poland, the influence of far-right parties like konfederacja, and their “santa’s little helpers”—ordo iuris, an ultra-conservative catholic organization (banned in many countries, mind you) that helped enforce a near-total abortion ban and runs anti-queer campaigns in public spaces. i supported the black protests in 2016 as a middle schooler when they first tried to ban abortion. as an adult, i actively participated in the 2020 women’s strike, running from police tear gas daily after they finally passed the ban. i supported friends who faced charges.

i’ve lived through intense homophobia in poland as a queer teen and adult. i survived the first pride march in my hometown, where far-right extremists threw stones and glass at us. i endured the anti-queer propaganda spread by the ruling party in state-owned media. i survived the “rainbow night,” poland’s own stonewall moment in summer 2020, when police arrested around 50 queer activists following the arrest of margo, a nonbinary activist. i survived the "lgbt-free zones," the targeted violence, the slurs from strangers on the street, and the protests i held against queerphobia. it was hard as fuck, but i survived.

but just because i survived, it doesn’t mean others did. many women died because of the abortion ban—marta, justyna, izabela, dorota, joanna, maria, and many others who didn’t survive pis’s draconian anti-abortion laws. milo, kacper, michał, zuzia (she was 12), wiktor, and other queer and trans kids and young adults took their own lives because of the relentless queerphobia.

despite all of this, our experience in poland can serve as a guide now. here are some tips for staying safe and how we, polish queers and women, organized under the regime:

safety first, always. if you know someone who’s had an abortion, no you don’t. if you know someone is trans, no you don’t. if you know people who help with safe abortions, no you don’t—at least not until you know it’s 100% safe to share. if you are queer or have had an abortion, only share this with people you trust fully. most importantly, not everyone has to be an activist just because they’re part of a minority. if it feels unsafe to share that you're queer, trans, etc., then don’t. it doesn’t make you any less queer.

use secure, encrypted messaging like signal for conversations on potentially risky topics, such as queerness, abortion, organizing counter-actions, protests—anything that might be used against you.

stay anonymous online. if you want to research or report something without surveillance, do not use regular internet. get a vpn (mullvad is affordable and reliable), download the tor browser (for both onion and standard links), and if you plan to whistleblow, consider using a riseup email account.

organize and build networks. community is everything now. support each other, foster independence, because your government won’t have your back. set up collectives, grassroots movements. create lists of trusted professionals—lawyers, doctors, etc.—who can offer support.

to lawyers and doctors: please consider pro-bono work. this is what got us through poland’s hardest times. your work will be needed now more than ever.

for protests or risky actions: always write a pro-bono lawyer’s number on your arm with a permanent marker.

get to know the anarchist black cross federation and other resources on safety culture: "Starting an anarchist black cross group: A guide"; Still We Rise - A resource pack for transgender and non-gender conforming people in prison; Safe OUTside the system by the Audre Lorde Project;

for safe abortion info or involvement: get familiar with womenhelpwomen.

stay radical, stay strong, stay informed: The Anarchist Library

if i forgot to (or didn't) include something, don't hesitate to reblog this post with other resources.

[katmiscellanious]

So my problem with most ‘get to know your character’ questioneers is that they’re full of questions that just aren’t that important (what color eyes do they have) too hard to answer right away (what is their greatest fear) or are just impossible to answer (what is their favorite movie.)  Like no one has one single favorite movie. And even if they do the answer changes.

If I’m doing this exercise, I want 7-10 questions to get the character feeling real in my head. So I thought I’d share the ones that get me (and my students) good results: 

What is the character’s go-to drink order? (this one gets into how do they like to be publicly perceived, because there is always some level of theatricality to ordering drinks at a bar/resturant)

What is their grooming routine? (how do they treat themselves in private)

What was their most expensive purchase/where does their disposable income go? (Gets you thinking about socio-economic class, values, and how they spend their leisure time)

Do they have any scars or tattoos? (good way to get into literal backstory) 

What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances? (Good way to get some *emotional* backstory in.) 

Are they an oldest, middle, youngest or only child? (This one might be a me thing, because I LOVE writing/reading about family dynamics, but knowing what kinds of things were ‘normal’ for them growing up is important.)

Describe the shoes they’re wearing. (This is a big catch all, gets into money, taste, practicality, level of wear, level of repair, literally what kind of shoes they require to live their life.)

Describe the place where they sleep. (ie what does their safe space look like. How much (or how little) care / decoration / personal touch goes into it.)

What is their favorite holiday? (How do they relate to their culture/outside world. Also fun is least favorite holiday.) 

What objects do they always carry around with them? (What do they need for their normal, day-to-day routine? What does ‘normal’ even look like for them.) 

[katmiscellanious]

OMG, you RIGHT. Edwin would 100% be a Tolkien fan.

And he WAS on earth when the movies came out. And canonically he and Charles love to go to the movies together. I can see them going to see the first movie together in 2001 and becoming big fans.

Charles I think would stay primarily a fan of the movie. But I think Edwin would get INTO the books and the lore. (And possibly read them to Charles). That nerd definitely knows elvish.

The Tolkienverse is RIGHT up Edwin’s alley.

okay, I may be biased, but I think Edwin would be fascinated by lotr... let's put the world building aside, and the fact that Tolkien created his own languages. The very real portrayal of how war is something you never truly heal from. Plus, it's in reference to wwi, which Edwin could've been drafted into (he would've turned 18 early in the year the war ended), and Frodo would've been incredibly relatable! He could easily put himself in Frodo's place, given his experiences in Hell! (frodo had it easy comparatively, but I'm talking about the trauma and scars that never heal, etc)

The bonds and relationships forged with fellow soldiers are shown through Frodo and Sam. (I think most of us also read their relationship as romantic, and we aren't necessarily wrong for it), but it is primarily from the perspective of war. Again, a war Edwin barely avoided. I think Edwin would be able to envision himself in that war, perhaps even finding a companion amongst the soldiers as it was more accepted. Maybe he gets some comfort from Frodo's ending, staying with his best friend until the end of his days on middle earth.

[katmiscellanious]

yeah the world can be a terrible but place. but. listen. someone recorded a video of a squeaking frog, posted it online, it was so cute it went viral, then others decided to explain why it was squeaking so much in the first place. someone saw their cat do something every cat does, but decided it was special enough to post (because it is) and others watched. some people made video remixes and songs and video essays and documentaries and movies and books on why animals do what they do and why we think they are adorable and it turns out humans are programmed to see patterns and try to connect with everything around them and to communicate why we like what we like. we were build to love. it’s how we survived. it’s how we evolve

[katmiscellanious]

Halloween Dead Boy Detectives is going to be SUCH a vibe

OH MY GOD I CANNOT WAUT TO WATCH DBD IN THE FALL

[katmiscellanious]

Memory loss Crystal isn’t mean. She had a bit of an edge to her, but she softens out by episode two and mostly just has a bit of an attitude throughout the rest of the show. Honestly, Edwin’s meaner at the beginning of the season than she is. Being around the boys and Niko softened her up. Her friends make her a better person.

PRE-memory loss crystal IS mean though. Like, canonically she was a mean girl. She pushed people into traffic.

I wonder which one anon was referring too.

Gonna be honest Crystal's not that mean (past Crystal aside ofc) and I think she's been characterized by fans as especially mean because they looked at her raising her voice in ep 1 and put on their "angry black woman" lenses whenever she was on screen after that. Most of the time her being mean is snapping because she's scared or just keeping pace with Edwin

.

[katmiscellanious]

I know a lot of people are shipping Jenny and the Night Nurse and like, YEAH I see it! But I'd also like to propose a crackship that takes up a good chunk of my brain: Jenny and Death of the Endless!!

Idk man I know it's highly unlikely lol I just think they'd be sooooo good together and I want more Death of the Endless in Dead Boy Detectives because I love her. But Imagine the possibilities!!!!

[katmiscellanious]

Dead boy detectives is trending again but STILL no renewal. can it be trending for a renewal JUST ONCE!!?!?!?!?!!!!! PLZ?!?!?!?

[katmiscellanious]

there's a game which automatically conscripts you into play when you create a tumblr account, and its scoring rubric looks like this

and if too many of the things you want to have sex with are in the pink zone of this triangle you score low.

you have probably seen this game played without realizing it. whenever somebody says "hear me out" they are looking to score more points.

[katmiscellanious]

And I could be wrong, but I remember that bisexual men were especially demonized in the AIDS crisis by both sides because they could spread to men and women. And they were demonized by everyone. I think it’s theorized by LGBT historians to have been the origin of a lot of lasting biphobia that we are still dealing with today.

I think the term bisexual was a very new concept in 1989 as well, and I’m not sure how common knowledge it was as a sexuality.

A few sources:

we all know edwin is repressed as hell (pun intended) because being gay just was not an acceptable thing to be in 1916, but charles was a (living) teenager just as the aids crisis was getting going, he has just as many issues with himself as edwin

[katmiscellanious]

I mean, he WAS the one to paint the demon circle in the first episode. It’s not great evidence, but it’s still evidence.

we don't have any indication that charles likes art, and edwin's hell sketches are very exact but not necessarily artistic, but i think charles likes to draw. i think he's artsy. i have decided this.

[katmiscellanious]

Genuinely find it fascinating from a writing perspective that Edwin’s propensity for playing trauma olympics is a well established trait of his that plays so interestingly into his relationships with Crystal and Charles and Simon especially, and how it works in his character arc and how it both plays into and CONTRASTS his incredible capacity for forgiveness. How it’s a flaw that makes so much sense with how much he’s suffered that it’s hard not to be sympathetic towards it or even agree with him sometimes, but that it IS a flaw and comes up at times that are less fair as well. Im not sure I have a real point to this yet, it’s just something I want to chew on for a while.

for one: Edwin’s tendency to put his trauma as more than others (no matter how literally correct he might be) is set up directly to parallel Crystal’s own self centered tendencies and her character arc. They BOTH have a tendency to not consider other people’s feelings and pain until someone points out to them that they are being dismissive. They are mirrors of each other and I love them so much. I also wanted to push back a bit on some things I’ve seen about how Edwin’s reaction to her yelling at him in episode one was completely justified (“what she’s been through? I spent 70 years in hell!”) because of how their traumas interact and how she let David in the first time that feel too dismissive of Crystal’s trauma. Yes, their trauma’s with demons interact in ways that it makes PERFECT SENSE that Edwin reacted the way he did, and I even sympathize with him, but something being sympathetic does not mean it’s justified. Taking away the metaphor of the Demonic nature of it all, Crystal was just cornered and threatened by her abusive ex boyfriend who has succeeded in isolating her from her entire social circle/any safety net she might have had before the boys. And uh. We don’t say about people getting out of abusive relationships that it’s justified that people were mad at them for getting into the relationship willingly. So.

Also. While Edwin’s measuring of their traumas is more sympathetic in the first episode, the moment in a later episode where Edwin (nearly lightheartedly) dismisses Crystal’s nightmare about her abusive demon ex because “the living know nothing about true nightmares” is less so, and I think is there to confirm that this is a genuine, deliberately written character flaw that he needs to grow out of, just like Crystal needs to grow.

And that brings us to Simon. The character who Edwin is THE MOST justified to be angry at, to blame and to compare their punishments. When he rages that Simon damned him to decades of being ripped apart while Simon sits quietly crying in a room, getting paper cuts from tearing pages out of books, it’s honestly difficult not to agree with him, to not feel that same righteous indignation. But then despair lays it out for him: he was about to gloat over another’s torture. And even without yet knowing more about Simon, Edwin is horrified by the idea. I think it says so much about Edwin’s GOODNESS that the time this character flaw of his feels the most justified and right is also the time he works through and past it to empathize with the pain of the real person on the other side of that. It is after he comes back, needing Simon to know that he didn’t mean to gloat, that he is then able to see Simon as a real person, as someone he shares pain with, the pain of being closeted and terrified in the 1910s. Simon was a kid, same as Edwin, who was terrified of his own nature and let that fear and humiliation lead him to cruelty that ended in consequences that he never intended. And it says so, so much about Edwin’s goodness that once he is able to see past his own pain and empathize with someone else’s, he feels for and maybe even forgives the one person that he would be must justified in NOT forgiving. That connecting with him is literally what saved Simon’s soul in the end.

(It’s also worth noting- Simon thinks that Edwin is “another trick” when he first sees him. He says that “the headmaster will be angry”. In keeping with the theme that we shouldn’t compare traumas or decide what we know what other people are going through, it seems clear to me that what we saw- sitting alone and getting paper cuts- was NOT the entirety of Simon’s hell.)

And then there’s Charles. Now. Edwin has a lot of 1910s sensibilities that make him connecting the dots on what Charles went through a bit difficult for him. But Edwin never, ever suggests that his trauma is less or isn’t worth getting upset about. Because it’s Charles, and Charles deserves no amount of pain ever, in the world. I don’t think it would ever occur to Edwin if I’m honest. Of course it’s because he loves him and Charles is his favourite person in the universe, but also I wonder at the fact that their very first meeting, so soon after Edwin had escaped hell, was one of complete empathy and compassion. Maybe seeing the bullies made him see himself in Charles but it sort of circles the point I think I’m making- Edwin’s very real flaws contrast against and thus highlight his INCREDIBLE kindness and goodness.

[katmiscellanious]

Your kidding. Crystal would be the one to CALL them ghost twinks. If anyone else did it she’d die laughing.

can i have a character call edwin and charles twinks to their faces or will that break edwin and also potentially charles (and definitely crystal if she ever hears of it)

[katmiscellanious]

Monty is going to show up at the agency like “my mom killed me, and I’m reaaaaaallly sorry about betraying you all, but I have no where to go! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺” with those massive sad brown eyes of his, and every single person will fail miserably at trying to stay mad the second they look Into them.

It’s going to be like:

Person A: why would you let him in!!

Person B, who opened the door: idk he looked so sad

Person A: well there is no way we can let him stay, he betrayed us. We can’t possibly trust him to—

Monty: 🥺

Person A: okay fine. He can stay

Person C: i can’t believed you caved that fast. Seriously? He’s just a crow! He betrayed us to his witch bitch mom. There is no way I can trust a—

Monty: 🥺🥺🥺👁️👁️

Person C: sweet boy like that, awe you poor thing, stay as long as you like

Every time I try to write someone being mad at Redemption!Monty, I can’t, because they simply look at him with the big eyes and every emotion visible and go ‘no, fucking hell, it would be like kicking a puppy, he’s doing his best it’s okay’

And honestly that feels valid because look at that goddamn crow 🤣 I can’t hurt him! (I’m GONNA)

[katmiscellanious]

This HAD to be on my blog.

Credit: theemidknight on TikTok

[katmiscellanious]

I wish lesbians were as easy to find in real life as they are on tumblr

[katmiscellanious]

Edwin has attack dog privilege

Absolutely love the way Edwin never bothers to move an inch when someone threatens him.

100% damsel in distress waiting for her knight vibe.

How does it feel, having such faith in someone, I wonder?