#I do however wanna travel back to the 1800s so so bad so I can meet her

[nsfwitchy2]

I appreciate the reblog spam of anne lister it is leading to a stoned rewatch and i love it!!

Y E S S S S S ANNE LISTER MY FUCKING B E L O V E D 😩😩

I just finished a rewatch/catch up last week, I watched the first season when it came out but then forgot entirely about it and never watched the second season - so of course I HAD to go back, rewatch the first season and then watch the second season 👀👀

Now I have an audiobook downloaded called The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister: I Know My Own Heart that I listen to when I shower uwu

[writingwithcolor]

Fairy Tale Retellings with POC

@anjareedd asked:

Hello, Writing with Color! First of all, thank you for all you do. Second, do you have any advice for a white person retelling fairy tales, both European fairy tale and non-European fairy tales? Is it okay to retell non-European fairy tales? I would feel bad if all fairy tales I retold were European as those are over represented, but given how much white people have erased and whitewashed other culture's fairy tales I understand if that were off-limits for a white person. Thank you!

Fairy tale retellings are my favorite thing. I love reading, rewriting and creating new fairy tale-style stories with People of Color!

As you write, keep in mind:

European does not mean white. 

The possibility of PoC in European or Western historical settings tends to throw off so many. There are plenty of European People of Color, then and today. You can have an Indian British little red riding hood and it isn’t “unrealistic.” And we wanna read about them!

Still, research the history of your settings and time period. Use multiple credible sources, as even the most well-known ones may exclude the history of People of Color or skim over it. The stories might be shoved into a corner, but we live and have lived everywhere. The specific groups (and numbers of) in a certain region may vary, though. 

How and when did they or their family get there, and why?

Has it been centuries, decades, longer than one can remember?

Who are the indigenous people of the region? (Because hey, places like America and Australia would love to have you believe its earliest people were white...)

Is there a connection with the Moors, trade, political marriage; was it simply immigration?

No need to elaborate all too much. A sentence or more woven into the story in passing may do the trick to establish context, depending on your story and circumstance. 

Or if you want to ignore all of that, because this is fantasy-London or whatever, by all means do. POC really don’t need a explanation to exist, but I simply like to briefly establish context for those who may struggle to “get it”, personally. This is a side effect of POC being seen as the Other and white as the default.

Although, if PoC existing in a fairy tale is the reader’s biggest stumbling block in a world of magic, speculation, or fantasy, that’s none of your concern.

Can you picture any of the people below, or someone with these backgrounds, the protagonist of their own fairytale? I hope so!

Above: Painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle (1760s - 1800s), British Heiress with her cousin. Check out her history as well as the movie, Belle (2013).

Source: English Heritage: Women in History - Dido Belle

 Above: Abraham Janssens - The Agrippine Sibyl - Netherlands (c. 1575)

“Since ancient times Sybils were considered seers sent by god, priestesses foretelling the coming of great events. This model serves to depict the Sybil of Agrippina, one of the 12 that foretold the coming of Christ. Notice the flagellum and crown of thrones which are symbolic objects reminding the viewer of Christs suffering.”  X

Above: “Major Musa Bhai, 3 November 1890. Musa Bhai travelled to England in 1888 as part of the Booth family, who founded the Salvation Army.” X

Above: Eleanor Xiniwe and Johanna Jonkers, respectively and other members of the African Choir, who all had portraits taken at the London Stereoscopic Company in 1891. 

“The African Choir were a group of young South African singers that toured Britain between 1891 and 1893. They were formed to raise funds for a Christian school in their home country and performed for Queen Victoria at Osborne House, a royal residence on the Isle of Wight.” X

The examples above just scratch the surface. Luckily, more and more historians and researchers are publishing lesser known (and at times purposefully masked) PoC history.

More Sources 

PoC in History (WWC Search Link)

POC in Europe (WWC Search Link)

The Black Victorians: astonishing portraits unseen for 120 years

Hidden histories: the first Black people photographed in Britain – in pictures

Let’s talk about oppression and slavery 

There is a hyper-focus on chattel slavery as if the times when and where it occurred is the only narrative that exists. And even when it is part of a Person of Color’s history, that is seldom all there is to say of the person or their lives. For example, Dido Elizabeth Belle.

People of Color were not all slaves, actively enslaved, or oppressed for racial reasons at all times in history! Dig deep into the research of your time period and region. Across the long, wide history of the world, People of Color are and were a norm and also NOT simply exceptions. Explore all the possibilities to discover the little known and seldom told history. Use this as inspiration for your writing.

PoC (especially Black people) were not always in chains, especially in a world of your making. 

Don’t get me wrong. These stories do have a place and not even painful histories should be erased. I personally read these stories as well, if and when written by someone who is from the background. Some might even combine fairy tale, fantasy, and oppression in history. However...

There are plenty of stories on oppressed PoC. How many fairy tales?

Many European tales have versions outside of Europe. 

Just because a tale was popularized under a western setting doesn’t mean that it originates there. Overtime, many were rewritten and altered to fit European settings, values and themes.

Read original tales. 

You might be inspired to include a story in its original setting. Even if you kept it in a western setting, why not consider a protagonist from the ethnicity of the story’s origin?

For example: the Cinderella most are familiar with was popularized by the French in 1697. However, Cinderella has Chinese and Greek versions that date back from the 9th Century CE and 6th Century BCE, respectively. 

Choosing a Setting: European or Non-European?

I do not see anything wrong with either (I write tales set in western and non-western settings, all with Heroines of Color). There is great potential in both.

Non-Western Settings (pros and cons)

Normalizes non-Western settings. Not just the “exotic” realm of the Other.

Potential for rich, cultural elements and representation

Requires more research and thoughtfulness (the case for any setting one is unfamiliar with, though)

European or Western Setting (pros and cons)

Normalizes PoC as heroes, not the Other, or only fit to be side characters.

Representation for People of Color who live in Western countries/regions 

Loss of some cultural elements (that character can still bring in that culture, though! Living in the West often means balancing 2+ cultures)

Outdated Color and Ethnic Symbolism 

Many fairy tales paint blackness (and darkness, and the Other) as bad, ominous and ugly, and white as good and pure. 

Language that worships whiteness as the symbol of beauty. For example: “Fair” being synonymous with beauty. Characters like Snow White being the “fairest” of them all.

Wicked witches with large hooked noses, often meant to be coded as ethnically Jewish people. 

Don’t follow an old tale back into that same pit of dark and Other phobia. There’s many ways to change up and subvert the trope, even while still using it, if you wish. Heroines and heroes can have dark skin and large noses and still stand for good, innocence and beauty.

Read: Black and White Symbolism: Discussion and Alternatives 

Non-European Fairy tales - Tips to keep in Mind: 

Some stories and creatures belong to a belief system and is not just myth to alter. Before writing or changing details, read and seek the opinions of the group. You might change the whole meaning of something by tweaking details you didn’t realize were sacred and relevant.

Combine Tales Wisely: 

Picking stories and beings from different cultural groups and placing them in one setting can come across as them belonging to the same group or place (Ex: A Japanese fairy tale with Chinese elements). This misrepresents and erases true origins. If you mix creatures or elements from tales, show how they all play together and try to include their origin, so it isn’t as if the elements were combined at random or without careful selection.

Balance is key: 

When including creatures of myths, take care to balance your Human of Color vs. creatures ratio, as well as the nature of them both (good, evil, gray moral). EX: Creatures from Native American groups but no human Native characters from that same group (or all evil, gray, or too underdeveloped to know) is poor representation.

Moral Alignment: 

Changing a good or neutral cultural creature into something evil may be considered disrespectful and misappropriation. 

Have Fun! 

No, seriously. Fairy tales, even those with the most somber of meanings, are meant to be intriguing little adventures. Don’t forget that as you write or get hung up on getting the “right message” out and so on. That’s what editing is for.

--Colette  

[lesbiedykes]

aY’all wanna hear an AU I have for Carmen Sandiego? No? Well I’m gonna rant anyway. 

TLDR; V.I.L.E. is a Coven of Vampires.... more under the cut. Warning: goes not extremely explicit but does get dark, and contains spoilers for season 2. 

AU Where VILE is a coven of vampires. These vampires are the stereotypical vampires. They cannot walk in sunlight, fire and silver are dangerous to them. They need sleep albeit not as much as humans. They can eat human food, but it tastes bad. Ultimately, vampires can only be made, not born (or so they believed...) 

Approximately 400 years ago (1600′s), Gunnar Maelstrom was reborn into his new life as a Vampire. A noble in his human life, he was soon hunted down by vampire hunters when they realised he had stopped ageing. He is forced to flee and live in the shadows, resentment growing. He spends a century wreaking havoc upon humanity, a gory murder spree that soon bores him. He wishes to return to his life of luxury. 

In the early 1700′s, he meets Dexter Wolfe, a talented human thief who manages to rob a group of wealthy individuals blind, making off with their property. Maelstrom is witness to this and follows Wolfe. Wolfe is homeless and stealing to survive, but strives for more. He and Maelstrom strike a deal, and Wolfe is turned into a vampire by Maelstrom. 

Maelstrom and Wolfe, for a few years, work as a team. They travel the world, stealing whatever the need to live lavishly. In the late 1700′s, they meet Countess Cleo. She is from a fairly wealthy family and knows much about high society, culture, and art. While they were attempting to rob her, she discovered their secret and then asked to join them. They agreed, due to her valuable skills. 

They meet Saira Bellum soon after, an absolute genius for her time. Cleo falls in love with her immediately. The group is impressed with her abilities, and decides to welcome her into their fold. Together they sail to the New World in the 1800′s, where they meet Brunt, a widow put on trial for murdering her husband, who would be sentenced to death. Maelstrom takes an interest in her, and decides to turn her. 

The five of them continue to travel for another couple decades, before finally deciding to open V.I.L.E. Academy with their accumulated wealth, and expand their coven. 

Each year, they would accept forty students from across the world. Any promising thief could attend and at the end of the year, 15 students would pass. Because the transformation into Vampire was potentially fatal and only the strongest could survive, usually only 5-8 agents survived each year. Those who died during transformation are disposed of and those who survived wake up to an unquenchable thirst, and participate in their first hunt - their old classmates, set loose on the island. (This would, after all, keep V.I.L.E. a secret, two birds with one stone.) 

Shadowsan/Suhara was raised to be an actual samurai, deflected days before his first battle and stealing one of his brother’s (who was a samurai) swords. He eventually makes it to V.I.L.E. island, where he is amongst the graduating class and the survivors of the transformation. 

Flash forward over 150 years. Dexter Wolfe has grown bored of the island, taking off constantly to explore the world once more. His absences grow more and more frequent. The faculty, his coven, are deeply betrayed believing he might be attempting to run away, and send Shadowsan to kill him. 

Shadowsan tracks Wolfe down to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he sees that Wolfe is intending to run, and.... has a child? Which surely, should be impossible - but it’s not. 

Recovering from his shock, Shadowsan plans on killing Wolfe, but is stopped when the police arrive on a raid. He watches as Wolfe puts his daughter in a closet, talks sweetly to her to calm her down, and takes off. Chief shoots Wolfe, which would have been fatal if he were not a vampire. 

Shadowsan prepares to do damage control - kill all witnesses, after dealing with the target. He begins the fire in the house, planning to move outside afterwards. What he does not expect is for Wolfe, upon seeing the flames, to run back into the house to save her daughter. (Oh, how his teacher has changed.) 

Shadowsan takes the girl and gets out of the house just as the roof collapses. Knowing there’s no way for Wolfe to have survived that, he opts to return to V.I.L.E. without taking out the police. 

Shadowsan takes credit for Wolfe’s death and for bringing Black Sheep back to the island. They puzzle over her existence and have Bellum run a few tests that prove she really is half vampire. This being completely unprecedented, they decide to raise her and study her, with the plan to make her their secret weapon. 

Through her youth, Black Sheep shows little to no signs of her Vampire lineage. She eats human food and runs around in the daytime (although the sun may hurt her eyes, at times), and grows at the rate of a normal human child. She does seem a bit faster and more agile, but that could just be the fact she was raised by professional thieves. Because of this, the faculty keeps the vampire thing a secret from her, which she generally accepts. 

Things continue as they do in canon, with her getting in contact with Player, requesting to attend the academy, and failing (although she does not get fed to her passing classmates, talk about preferential treatment). She follows them out on their mission and has the same realisation about stealing. She is surprised to see that her classmates have changed, but she cannot describe how or why. 

She is returned to the island and eventually makes a break for it after stealing the hard drive. Things continue as normal. She meets Ivy and Zack and they join her, the has multiple successful capers.... 

And then she gets sick. 

Her vampire awakening as truly struck. Carmen spends a few days writhing in pain, mimicking an actual transformation. When she comes out of it, she is bloodthirsty. She tackles the first person she finds on the street and begins to drink their blood. 

Carmen comes to just as the person looses consciousness, and she’s left with a limp body she rushes to emergency. Carmen rightfully panics, having no idea what has happened to her. Player does his best to research, coming up with only urban legends about vampires. They both agree its ridiculous and instead agree that VILE most likely did something to her to make her like this. She continues her missions, fighting the desire for blood. She is also suddenly more sensitive to sunlight (though not nearly as much as a full vampire) and has lost part of her appetite for human food. 

When Chase is taken prisoner and used for bait, she saves him and is almost killed by Brunt. Shadowsan saves her and reveals that he is the one who found her, and that she is half vampire. He gives her a kinda half-assed explanation about her past and tells her that V.I.L.E. is indeed a Vampire Coven. He leaves her with the hard drive and a bottle of pills. 

The pills are an imitation blood substitute that vampires can add to beverages and drink to survive between feedings. They were invented by Bellum for the operatives to drink to reduce the need for blood. Carmen, not being a full vampire even after her transformation, wouldn’t need to drink them as often, but they help the cravings. 

Meanwhile: 

ACME does not know they are hunting Vampires. They genuinely believe it’s just a large criminal organisation. Chase, however.... is a descendent of a long line of vampire hunters, and believes that Carmen is a vampire before she even began to wake up as one. While the claims feel ridiculous, he is still the only agent that has managed to get close to Carmen Sandiego, so ACME wants him on their side. 

I have more but I’m tired so maybe I’ll add more tomorrow. If you read this far, thanks!!! 

[disappearing-rose]

Heyya darling! Such a cool non-US ask game, so here a bunch of numbers for you: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 20, 26, 28 (just wanna know your favourites, I kow your country has plenty of beautiful, beautiful nature :P) xoxo, - alexa

Ahh, Alexa, honey, thank you so much for the ask!❤ Now, this is a long one so *cracks knuckles* brace yourselves.

1. Favorite place in your country?

Well, my favorite place would have to be the island I live on. I like places where you are close to nature, with trees and mountains and, most importantly, the sea. So my home island is definitely my favorite place in Norway, by far. No place like home, right? ;-)

2. Prefer spending your holidays in your country or abroad?

Hmm... a little bit of both. The only time we really travel is during the summer holidays. For example, right now I'm in Crete, boiling and wanting to shed my own skin, it's so fucking hot. But sometimes we've just driven down to Oslo to spend a couple of days there, exploring our capital. But during Easter and Christmas we stay at home. So while I like getting out of the country sometimes, I always look forward to going back home. In case you can't tell already, I'm a home body;-)

4. Favorite dish specific for your country?

Does Grandiosa (Norwegian frozen pizza brand) count? We don't eat much traditional food in my family, but one of the weirdest and coolest to tell people about is "smalahove" ( boiled sheep's head with eyes and (sometimes) the brain intact. And everything is eaten).

5. Favorite song in your native language?

Ooh, I like both "God Morgen, Min Kjære" (Good Morning, My Love) by Benny Borg, though I listen to Hanne Sørvaag's version the most, and Sissel Kyrkjebø's "Se Ilden Lyse" which also has an English version, "Fire In Your Heart". It was the song for the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer and they are both beautiful. "God Morgen, Min Kjære" always makes me emotional and "Se Ilden Lyde" makes me patriotic and long for the winter and snow.

7. Three words from your native language that you like the most?

Kjærleik (love), the nynorsk version of the bokmål word 'kjærlighet'.

Æva (enternity), the nynorsk version of the bokmål word 'evighet'.

Melankoli (melancoly).

(For reference, we have two written languages in Norway: nynorsk and bokmål. Nynorsk is based the dialects around villages and places/ islands away from the city, like where I live, and bokmål is based on the Danish language and how they spoke in upper class Oslo in the 1800's. They also have bokmål- like dialects in eastern Norway today. The words are spelled and pronounced differently, but the meanings are the same, in Norwegian and English).

8. Do you get confused with other nationalities? If so, which ones and by whom?

We often get confused by Americans ( I think, but don't take my word for it) as being Swedish, as some think that Norway is the capital of Sweden. Though, if you wanna get technical, we used to be in a union with Sweden, from ca. 1814 to 1905, after they won us from Denmark.

Psst! I recommend you read up on Norwegian history, especially from around the middle ages to the present day, it's SUPER interesting!

9. Which of your neighboring countries would you like to visit most/ know best?

I'd love to visit Russia and learn their language, I think it's so beautiful. I'd also like to visit Sweden, as my great- great- grandfather was from Sweden and I'd like to improve my Swedish as well.

10. Most enjoyable swear word in your native language?

"Faen!" It means "damn" in English, but in Norwegian it's actually a fancier word/name for Satan/ the devil. I also like the phrase "faen i helvete", which litterally means 'the devil in hell" and I use it quite frequently.

11. Favorite native writer/poet?

I love Henrik Ibsen to death! There is a reason why people call him the second best writer to ever live, after Shakespeare.

13. Does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

We probably have a few, but the only one that comes to mind is that we don't open our Christmas presents on Christmas Day/ Boxing day morning. In stead, on Christmas Eve, we dress up all fine, you know, dresses and suitpants and shirts, and eat Christmas dinner. Then we gather together and one person gets up, read out the labels on the presents and hand them out to the person they are for. And then, when everyone has gotten their presents, we open them together, not one by one. Then we have dessert later and enjoy family time. Sometimes it's just my immediate family, sometimes it's my entire mother's side as well.

16. Which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?

Ohh, this is a good question. There are quite a few that I hate, and it's difficult to pick just one. The one about polar bears roaming free in the streets is one that always irks me, but is also funny. (BTW, they don't, at least not in the main land. The only polar bears that exists in Norway is on Svalbard, an island very north of Norway.) Or the one about everyone being tall, blonde and blue-eyed, which is not the case. (Yes, I'm blonde, but I'm 5' 4" and my eyes are green).

Another one is that people consider us rude. That is not the case. We consider it polite to not unnecessarily bother a stranger with, for example, small talk and we just respect other people's personal space. It doesn't mean we are cold or rude.

However, I do somewhat agree with the fact that we are a 'cold' people, just not in the way people think. We are very... introverted, I suppose you could say. For example, we don't ask strangers for help unless we absolutely have to and we generally avoid sitting next to people on the buss, prefering to sit alone. And we don't randomly go up to people we don't know and strike up a conversation about the weather, which is why we might seem a little frazzled when strangers/ tourists ask us questions or for directions. We just prefer our own space and company. But we are a very, very polite people who are happy to help, despite our perhaps confused exterior, and who smile quite a bit. Sure, you might run into some grumpy people, but who hasn't had a bad day in their life?

19. Do you like your country's flag and/or emblem? What about the national anthem?

🎶Det er Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått!🎶 I love our country's flag, it always make me exited to see it during the Olympics or while walking around the streets in other countries. I love our national anthem as well! The lyrics, written by the wonderful Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, contains so much love for our country and describes it so well. The melody, I have to admit, is a little slow and melancolic- sounding compared to other nations', but I can't imagine it being any other way, nor do I want to!

20. Which sport is The Sport in your country?

Many, many, maaany people will say soccer, and I suppose they are right, as it is the sport with the most supporters and what they talk about the most. Personally though, I prefer handball, mostly because it's a sport at which our national team is actually good at. Our women's team has won both the European Championships and World Championship several times through the years. Has the soccers teams ever done that? Yeah, I don't think so, my friend.

26. Does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? What do you think about the portrayal?

I don't think so, at least not a lot. And if they do I think they often portray us as barbaric Vikings, stupid blondes, or bad at English. And I've never seen an American movie/ tv- show where they portray someone Norwegian, so I don't really know what I think about it.

28. Does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? Do you have favorites?

If anyone has ever seen photos of litterally anywhere in Norway, you'll know that we have the most stunningly beautiful nature. Tall, strong mountains, long, winding rivers, big lakes you can swim in, deep, long fjords, small waterfalls. Norway is full of nature and the nature alone is worth a visit. As for favorites, I can't choose as I barely seen it all, but the Geiranger fjord is gorgeous, though packed with tourists and cruise ships in the summer, but its beauty never fails to amaze me, espacially from a high vantage point.

PS: If you are ever going to visit Norway, I suggest getting out of the big towns like Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, as the most stunning nature is along the roads, highways and smaller towns. Also, most of our fjords are situated along the entire west coast, so be prepared to take ferry boats to cross them.

[tas-ss7a]

Columbus, An Angel in Disguise

no more 2010 memes.. only 2019 memes that are dank and not dead

*clap* *clap* Columbus Review. Welcome everyone to History class’s favorite show, Columbus Review. It is slightly on the progressive spectrum, politically-speaking but that’s fine because chuckles we all know Ricky’s a Democrat since the beginning right?

First off is some questions about Columbus, mostly whether his actions were justified or not.

First question: Is Columbus the most significant European in history?

Me and the boys when we wanna find a new route to India.

Debate PTSD Well I’ll try to be least biased here. I would have to say, no he’s not the most significant European in history. To first answer the question, we must have a definitive meaning of “significant”.

Significant

1. sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy

So when someone is “significant” that means he or she is important and is worthy of your attention. Example, President Donald Trump. He’s president of the US and has a lot of power over the country. Now this may seem like conservative propaganda, but that is true. He is important due to America being a powerhouse right now and that enhances his power. So in the end, i̶t̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ he is “significant”.

Sorry that was my old self relapsing into song lyrics.

So is Columbus important? As I have stated earlier, he isn’t. But why? There are 1 main reason why. What’s that one reason? There are more important people than him.

Example: Julius Caesar.

Although he was stabbed at the end of his life, that doesn’t mean he’s not important.

He had a behemoth of a legacy. An example would be the decline of the Roman republic and the rise of the Roman empire. He also formed the First Triumvirate, which basically is the trifecta of the Roman political world. Let’s also not forget that he was a prominent conqueror during that time, conquering Gaul, Italy, Spain and most of Europe.

Conclusion is, he is extremely influential as he laid the foundations of the Roman Empire and because of that, many things exist today such as Roman numerals, the Julian Calendar, and the roads that lasted for more than 1800 years so that’s quite a long time.

Conclusion to this question: There are more important people than Columbus such as people like Julius Caesar.

On to the 2nd question: What effect did he have on the world?

Some people in debates argue that it was Leif Eriksson who discovered America. But there’s one problem.

He wasn’t influential.

Columbus was however. He did tell everyone in Europe about America and did spread the “news”. So what effects did he have on the world? He connected two large landmasses, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia. He started the Columbian Exchange and because of the Exchange, we have many things now such as bees, livestock, and of course diseases.

Although his actions were not justified by today’s standards, he did start the Columbian Exchange and told everyone in Europe about America.

Alright boys, 3rd question: How did he treat the native people?

To quote a fishy website called progressive.org, here is their statement about how Columbus treated the Indians.

“Doing as he wished, Columbus and his crew brought disease, stole precious resources and ultimately wiped out many indigenous island tribes, all in the name of claiming this side of the globe as the “new world”.”

So Columbus and his boys brought disease, took resources, and took down many island tribes. And the reason behind it? To claim that side that he called the “new world”.

Aight boys, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 5th question is: Should he be judged by our moral standards? Why?

Simple answer: no.

Long answer:

The answer is easy. He shouldn’t be judged by our moral standards because our standards are based on others standards. And others standards are based on the time we are at right now. For example: back then, raping others would be the only way for us to reproduce. But now, raping can be as bad as a first-degree felony and could end in 20 years in jail and 25,000 dollars lost.

In the past, you could just walk out of the crime scene and not get charged. But now, its a lot different from the past. That’s why I don’t think he should be judged my our standards.

Another question down, a few more to go: What are similarities and differences between him and Genghis Khan.

Well let’s address the elephants in the room. They are both conquerors, one in Europe and the other in Asia. They both are cruel to their “enemies”, whether they are indigenous tribes or their literal enemies. I read from a suspicious site that Genghis Khan would pour liquid silver into his enemies eyes and ears.

And we all know what Columbus did. He chopped Natives’ hands, ears, and noses if they didn’t obey.

So do they have any differences? First of all, Columbus traveled to new land and Genghis Khan took land. Secondly, Columbus went to America and Genghis stayed in Asia and possibly a bit of Europe. Thirdly, 2 pictures. One of Columbus and one of Genghis Khan.

See the difference?

Genghis Khan is thicc and Columbus isn’t.

Alright bois that’s almost the last question. The last one is here..: How was your thinking changed/evolved (positive, negative, surprising, etc.) about Columbus?

Well initially for me I thought he just a guy who discovered America and famous because of that, but now that I learned more about him. His history is pretty messed up. But that doesn’t change the fact that he discovered America and told everyone in Europe about it.

So my opinion on him is still the same, neutral.

Oh blyat, that was a long ass assignment. Anyways everyone, that was Columbus Review, the most popular show in History class.

<3 -fellow communist of TAS

[anemonensblog]

11(33) Questions meme

So I got tagged by @writsgrimmyblog quite a while ago, and didn’t get around to answering it since I was travelling, so got further tagged by @dictacontrion​ and @huldrejenta​. So this is very long. Hence the cut thing.

RULES:

- Always post the rules

- Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you

- Write 11 questions of your own

- Tag 11 people (or however many you want)

As for my questions, I’m tagging @eidheann, @dracogotgame, @capipuff, @awesomedig, @comingupwithusernamesishard, @noeeon, @i-didnt-wanna-do-it, @firethesound and then if you guys who tagged me wants to do my questions too, I wouldn’t mind readig your answers :D

@writsgrimmyblog​ asked:

1.       What’s your favourite quote from a book or poem? I'm not the best at picking out quotes and I've never been big on poetry, but Kate Tempest has some texts that really digs into my soul. Seeing her at the third biggest stage at Glastonbury, a spoken word artist drawing such a crowd - was pretty powerful. So I chose this quote from her 'Tunnel Vision':

"The myth of the individual has left us disconnected, lost, and pitiful" (which sounds a bit bleak, but the whole poem/album is really powerful, and it ends on a sort of hopeful note.)

2.       What song makes you want to dance like nobody’s watching? I only ever dance like nobody's watching :D latest to Pumarosa at their set at Glastonbury, and then to some pretty heavy techno waiting for Josefin Örn's set at the Glade. While I don't listen to it much on my own, nothing really makes me let loose and not give a shit like hard electronic music does wrt dancing.

3.       What’s your favourite ship to read? Currently Larry. Fic wise it's such a varied pairing to read - covering so many themes and settings - so I never manage to get tired of it. I also really love Tomlinshaw, but Drarry is always in my heart - my first and deepest fandom love.

4.       If you could own one item of clothing belonging to any celebrity what would you pick and why? Umm, is it weird to be in a celeb related fandom and say that I don't really pay that much attention to celebrities? I guess in the sense of overall style I usually like Kristen Stewart's choices and I'd probably be more than happy to wear her wardrobe at all times. But for a single item I'd probably go for one of Harry Styles's lush and luxurious and ridiculously expensive floral blouses and pair it with a pair of high waisted skinny jeans and my brogues.

5.       Gif with a hard or soft ‘g’? Well, as I usually pronounce file formats in Norwegian, the hard g is the only one that makes sense. I suppose we do have a version of soft g too, but that would make it yif, and that just sounds weird. So hard g it is!

6.       What’s your favourite fanfic ‘getting together’ trope? Hmm, does coming to terms with one's sexuality count as a getting together trope? That always hits me really hard and feels very emotional. Otherwise I guess friends to lovers and enemies to lovers, with loads of pining and ust.

7.       What’s your guiltiest pleasure? I'm not sure I actually have a really guilty pleasure? I used to watch a lot of Americas next top model, just because I loved seeing the process with the photo shoots, so maybe that's a little guilty with regards to how the modelling and fashion industry perpetuates some very unhealthy things.

8.       Most relatable 1D (or solo 1D) lyric? “If tomorrow you won’t be mine, won’t you give it to me one last time” JK LMAO but no one can convince me that song isn’t fucking hilarious. For real though, I’m more of a melody than lyrics kind of gal, so I’m not entirely sure? Maybe this one, for good luck, since I’m making some changes in my life (also bonus since they are Louis’ lines :D): “I think I'm gonna win this time, Riding on the wind and I won't give up, I think I'm gonna win this time, I roll and I roll, 'til I change my luck, I roll and I roll, 'til I change my luck”

9.       If you could give one piece of advice to a celebrity, what would it be? I don't necessarily feel like I have any good basis for giving advice to celebs, but I guess just remembering to keep a healthy perspective towards the world, and to use their platform for good. Their participation in politics and activism could do more good than I think a lot of them realise. (But stay informed and think before you speak.)

10.   Tell me your favourite joke. You know, I literally can’t think of a single joke. I guess I could search for some, but that would sort of belie the point.

11.   If you were famous for a day, what question would you most dread being asked during an interview? I think anything related to diet/workout routine/keeping my body in shape would make me feel really uncomfortable and objectified.

@dictacontrion​'s questions:

1.       If you could have one billion dollars or the not (or only incidentally) profitable superpower of your choosing, which would you choose and why? As my big dream/my favourite thing to do is travelling and seeing the world, my chosen superpower would probably be teleportation. BUT teleportation would still leave me with the issue of spending money and getting days off work (unless I used the teleportation for criminal purposes I guess). So I think I'd go for the billion dollars, which not only would enable me to travel as much and however I'd like, but is such a ridiculous amount of money that maybe I could use it to do some good in the world.

2.       What article of clothing makes you feel most awesome? The way I dress is incredibly dependent on my mood, but I guess maybe my denim shorts? Mostly because of the setting in which I would wear them. I love the feeling of warm air and sun on bare skin more than practically anything, so the few occasions where I'm able to wear my denim shorts I feel happy and awesome from the get-go :)

3.       How did you get into your most recent fandom? That must be the 1d fandom, so long story short: a 1d fanfic based m/m novel tickled my curiousity, Harry's 'not that important' even more so. Got recommended the fantastic gryles fic “If this is love” by sunsetmog which I read and adored, and diving deeper into sunsemog’s fics I then read “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow” which till this day still stands as one of my fave ever fics. Then followed some arbitrary tumblr searching and blog following, and in time the rabbit hole that is Larry swallowed me hole and has failed to spit me back out.

4.       What’s your least favorite/most hated book, and why? I’m terribly impatient, so I don’t really finish stuff I don’t like? So I don’t really have that passionate bad feelings about any one book I’ve read. Read some 1800s Norwegian realism/naturalism literature in high school which at the time felt like a drag, but in hindsight I’m very happy I read. Moby Dick annoyed the hell out of me, and I gave up halfway through, but I still don’t hate it, I don’t think. So I don’t really know *shrugs*

5.       Describe a fanwork you’d love to read/see/watch, but don’t want to create yourself, please? Ummm, a long and plotty Ginny/Luna fic maybe. I’d love to read more femslash, but the fics I’ve seen out there are usually just little ficlet. And nothing against a good ficlet, but I’m longing to dive deep into a long and immersive wlw story. (Incidentally, if anyone have any such recs, be it fanfic or original fiction, I’d be happy to hear about it!)

6.       What would be the lineup of your ideal music festival? Ahhhh this is simultaneously the hardest and the best possible question for me!! Okayyy: Grimes, Years & Years, One Direction (ofc), Pumarosa, Arctic Monkeys, Lianne La Havas, Shura, The Shins, Loyle Carner, Wolf Alice, Ezra Furman, Lady Gaga and Rihanna (the two of whom I don't listen to much, but I think they'd bring some amazing pop flair), the Kills, Chvrches, All We Are, Warpaint, Tame Impala, Susanne Sundfør, Amason and then Katzenjammer for some fun nostalgia, ohh and Kate Tempest! and Charli XCX was a lot of fun and I wouldn’t mind seeing her again. ummm okay and then a club line-up for after hours with AlunaGeorge, Disclosure, Hot Chip, Roger Sanchez, Röksopp ft Robyn, Christine Dancke and Nick Grimshaw because why not ;) (And now I’ll probably go on to regret everyone I forgot to add)

7.       You’re given the power to unilaterally create one law or policy in one country - what is it? To nationalise all natural resources so their riches would benefit the people rather than a few rich private business owners and multinational corporations who are often not even based locally.

8.       If you had to commit to living in one place for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Part of me wants to say London, but I think realistically I'll have to choose Bergen (in Norway)<3

9.       Thinking about your life a year from now, what’s one thing that you hope will be different? I hope I’m no longer in this limbo between life phases and will have got to implement the changes I’m going for properly.

10.   What’s one thing that you hope will be the same? My relationship.

11.   What’s the last thing that made you laugh? Was out with some friends for beers last night, which included many laughs, but I can’t remember what in particular that made me laugh. I hang out with these people way to rarely. They’re such great people, and hanging out with them feels so relaxed.

And last but not least, @huldrejenta​‘s questions:

1. What was your favourite album as a teenager? Depends on when you asked me. If I was 13, probably “The Eminem Show”, but as a 17-year old, most definitely Arctic Monkeys’ “Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not” (which still stands as one of my all time favourites)

2. What’s your favourite album now? Pumarosa – “The Witch” – fantastic album, which I wholeheartedly recommend.

3. One pairing you’d love to have more fanfic/art about? As mentioned above, Ginny/Luna. But also more femslash in general would be pretty fantastic.

4. What’s your favourite villain in books and/or movies? I’m not a villain kind of lady, but maybe Umbridge? I don’t think anyone has ever given me as bad feelings as her, because she’s such a realistic villain in a lot of ways. She’s not caricature evil like Voldy or Sauron, but an everyday, self-involved, closed minded evil. And that’s a very effective kind of evil to hate.

5. Do you believe in supernatural phenomenons? No

6. You can have dinner with any person from history, who would you choose? This is kind of an impossible question. So many interesting persons through history. But, actually, I think I’d really have loved to have met my grandfather on my father’s side. My dad is quite old, so his dad was born in the late 1800s and died long before I was born, but he was a teacher and from the sound of it, incredibly foresighted and modern for a man of that time. Which are values he’s very much passed on to his sons. My dad is amazing. My grandfather was a teacher, and during the Nazi occupation of Norway during WW2, he was among those who lost their jobs because he refused to teach nazi ideology to his pupils. And this was in a small, working class industry town, and my dad has told so many fantastic stories about him. I’d love to have met him and talked to him.

7. Name three things you like about yourself :) While I’m pretty shy, I’m also kind of tough in some ways. I went to Japan without much of a plan and winged it as we went. I started playing rugby at age 27. I started singing in a choir I found by googling, where I didn’t know anyone. I wish that toughness spread to other sides of my life, but at least it’s something. I can sing, something which brings me immense joy. I have a pretty good memory, combined with wide spanning interests and curiosity, so I remember a lot of weird facts and random things.

8. Hogwarts era Drarry, yes or no? Depends. 8th year, post war/canon, yes. Canon divergence (other than ewe), mostly no.

9. What was the last thing you googled? The lyrics for some 1d songs for one of the questions further up :P

10. Favourite Harry Potter book? Hmmmmmmmmmm I don’t know? Maybe Prisoner of Azkaban? They’ve all had very profound effects on me though, so it’s like choosing a favourite child.

11. Favourite museum/gallery? I’ve seen a lot of amazing museum during my life, so that’s kind of impossible to answer as well. But maybe, for nostalgic reasons, Bryggens Museum in Bergen. Because my dad used to take me and my sister there sometimes during weekends when we were little, when my mum needed to sleep after a night shift at the hospital. And he’d tell stories and we’d look at the archaeological spots and the seasonal exhibits, and we’d get soda and cake in the museum café.

My questions:

1.     Do you have a song stuck in your head right now? Which one?

2.     Do you have any plans in the foreseeable future that you’re looking forward to?

3.     What’s your favourite place inside your house/flat?

4.     What hobbies do you have outside of fandom?

5.     Do you speak any languages besides your own?

6.     What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?

7.     If you could meet the leader of your country and tell them whatever you wanted, and be guaranteed they’d listen to you, what would you say?

8.     What movie did you watch over and over as a child, and what was your favourite thing about it?

9.     What’s your favourite thing about each season through the year?

10. If you were to get a pet tomorrow, what would you call it and why?

11. How did you discover fanfiction?

[therealestvc]

Abridged Max chapter 3

Kate's P.O.V. Tori and Chloe looked at me weirdly after I told them where our Max was...I collected my thoughts as I continued to explain to them what happened and what we needed to do. "Sooo...you're telling me that Maxine isn't that person who just insulted you two?" Tori says looking bewildered. Chloe on the hand looked like it was the coolest thing on earth. "Yes, now if you let me explain further then we can try and find a way to get our Max back" I say rationally. They nodded for me to continue. "Okay so the force of the fall when our Max hit her head must've sent her mind to another Max in another universe and sent us that Max in our Max's body". Chloe decides to speak up "I think we need to go to the junkyard and shoot things to figure out what to do". Tori smacks upside the head then says "that's the dumbest idea I've ever heard!". Chloe rubbing her head by the slap retorts back "oh yeah, well you got any better ideas?". Tori thinks then says "well first, let's find out where this imposter Max is from then find a video from her world then play it". Chloe laughs her head off at Tori's idea... it wasn't a bad idea. "That's an even worse idea" Chloe manages to say before the two go about arguing about whose idea is better. I better stop this before a noise compliant is sent in...again . I stand up on my bed then whistle real loud to get their attention, it seems to work as they both look at me. "Okay!! You guys need to stop this...this isn't making Max come back, I say we go with both of your ideas but we will do them tomorrow. And also I have an idea too, I say we go to the library and research info on this" I say before sitting on my bed, the two of them were looking confused at my statement. Tori asks "we have a library in this school?". I groan and lay back on my bed ' lord give me the strength not to go off on these two'. "Let's go" I sit up grabbing my purse and not waiting for them to follow behind me. No ones P.O.V. The three girls traveled to the abandoned library just south on the gymnasium, legend has it that there are corpses of previously failed students from the early 2000s. The atmosphere around the area suddenly changed to dark, crows were showing up here and there, and Chloe swore she saw the gargoyle statue move its head. Once they reached inside an old cropsey voice spoke startling Victoria and Chloe "such beautiful children...what brings you here at such a late hour?" Kate found the light switch and turned on the light. "Just looking up some research Gladys" Kate answers friendly to the librarian. "Well, knock yourselves out...not like we get many in here anyways" the librarian says quietly before sitting back at her desk. Inside the library there were cobwebs littering all around the bookshelves and an old computer that looked like a typewriter. Since everyone pretty much had laptops and smartphones, there wasn't really a need for the library but the students without such technology ventured to the library for looking up resources on the old computer or finding books for fun. Kate was one of those students so she was familiar with the place. First, they went to the book area looking for books on anything about the history of Arcadia Bay, Victoria found an old dusty beat up book about the history of Arcadia Bay which dated back to the 1800s...she showed it to Kate to make sure it was the right one. Kate nods then head towards the computer area. The two followed then after Kate to the old computer where she searched up alternative universes on google. She then searched Arcadia bay along with alternative universe, the results were a lot. One search however brought the attention to their eyes a video that read "Life Is Strange:Abridged" "Click on that video" Chloe says pointing to the YouTube link. Kate clicks on the video but no sound comes up...oh yeah they forget that it wasn't like a laptop and couldn't play sound unless plugged in with headphones on the monitor. None of them brought headphones. "Just send it to yourself then we can look at it in the dorms or tomorrow" Victoria says tiredly, looking at the clock it read 11:20 pm. Kate sent the link to herself then shut down the computer. "Hey guys look! It's a floppy disk!" Chloe says drawing their attention to her holding a paperback book. Victoria groans before facepalming. "Oh Chloe don't be silly, it's just a paperback book...come on let's go! We got work to do" Kate says grabbing the book then heading to the front desk to check it out. Once the book is checked out, the three girls tiredly leave the library they agree to watch some of the video then go do Chloe's plan in the morning...not sure how it will help. They all head to Victoria's room where they watch the YouTube link Kate emailed to herself on Victoria's plasma screen tv from Victoria's laptop which eating pizza. "Chloe why do you sound like a California skater dude?" Victoria laughs. Chloe throws an insult towards the Victoria in the video "well at least I don't sound like a teenage boy whose daddy buys him everything". Victoria throws the finger up to Chloe's comment. Kate is looking at her "character" in the video. "Why do I sound like I smoke a pack of cigarettes everyday?". The others laugh at her comment. In the video, the other Max shows up and it sounds like the Max that showed up at Kate's door earlier. The three of them reach the end credits of episode one and notice is almost 1 a.m., it's been decided that they will sleep in Victoria's room since both are too tired to leave. Victoria and Kate sleep on Victoria's bed whereas Chloe takes the couch, once the lights are off and they are settled in they all say their good nights then fall asleep. Chloe's P.O.V Morning I wake up before Vicky and bun bun, I see them cuddling on the bed and decide to take a picture for future blackmail on Vicky. I decide to leave and go change clothes before meeting them at the junkyard. I leave Vicky's room being mindful not to wake them, looking at Max's door... don't worry Maxie Pad we will find you. I continue walking to where I park my truck, yasss today they will be doing my plan!!! That'll show Vicky that it isn't dumb and she's just a butt. I shower quickly before getting breakfast at the diner then head to the junkyard. It's about to hella go down today I wait for what is like forreeveerrrr, ughhh good thing I got expelled from there, I finally see Vicky's car pull up. I see her and Katie pie get out, I run up picking up Kate in a giant hug. She giggles. "Okay Chloe put me down" I put her down before throwing a head nod to Vicky. She doesn't like to be touched much. Trust me I tried to hug her once and those scars from her scratches are still there. Vicky grumbles "so what are we doing again?" Kate shoots her look as if she was saying 'behave'. "We are going to think about what to do while shooting cars and cans!!" I say excitedly. Kate looks nervous "Is this a good idea?" I reassure her that it is alright if she doesn't wanna do it then she doesn't have to...I go to do the same to Vicky before she stops me saying "I'll give it a try" shrugging her shoulders. I nod before giving her a gun. The first shot rings out of our ears with Vicky shooting a car window before doing a victorious dance declaring that this is fun. We go about shooting rounds till there are no bullets left. "Well, Chloe I gotta say this and I actually mean it...that was really fun! We should do that again" Vicky says surprising me. "Thanks...so what's next?" I ask them. Kate decides that we have to go talk to that other Max to figure out what happened with her getting here. We all agree then head back to Blackwell in search of that other Max. Abridged Max P.O.V. I have been in this dumb town for a day already...this isn't my town I miss kicking Warren's ass and making fun of people without them getting hurt. Everyone in this town are a bunch of fucking pansies. I tried to beat up this warren but he just laughed at me asking when we were going to go ape. What the fuck is going ape? Yesterday I went to talk to Kate about possibly making out since the last I asked that she stopped me....and she was fucking offended then I asked Chloe how her family was, she looked confused plus Vicky is being nice to me. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! No one hear has heard of Danny Danko...and keep asking me why I speak in an welsh accent and are acting rude. I'm only acting like myself. It's time for some fun.... I go about vandalizing the girls dorm with toilet paper and throwing stuff at Alyssa because well it's fun, I put girls panties on the statue in the front of the school because why not? Then go about rearranging Vicky's wall of pics in the form of a Dick. She sure will love that. I'm about to go talk to Daniel about his weird obsession with drawing me when I'm stopped by Kate, Chloe and Vicky (ick). Vicky decides to speak up in the group "Max we need to talk to you". Ohhh my goshhh why them?