#I hate living through historical events too

[sp-growingpains]

A quick reminder for my lovelies doomscrolling, you are okay. You will be okay. We will survive this just as we have many times before. The voice of the people should not be crushed under the weight of the people in power who want to inflict that despair.

It's love that makes us. Whoever holds this seat does not change you. Does not take away the sunrise. It does not take away the tired touch of a lover, no matter what the media may tell you. Your right to love should never be questioned, and I stand with you. I'll carry you if you can't walk right now so that you're here and you can do the same for another.

I wish I had the ability to write something with stronger words, but these come from the heart. This comes from a woman who is so fucking tired of watching their friends live in fear. It comes from a human who loves her fellow man. I truly believe in the good of people. We as humans have something that nothing else in this world has. We have such a beautiful ability to love. To express it and accept it in such a way that no other creature can.

Call me naive for this. Ignore this post if you must. But nothing has ever been achieved by being silent. No lives can be saved and told they're cared for by sitting on the sidelines.

Fight. Struggle. Breathe.

I love you.

[yuuchama]

Asking Lilia Vanrouge to tutor you in history sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? He seems to know a lot about historical events due to living through them and there's even a picture resembling him in your textbook. History is his best subject. What could go wrong?

You leave the tutoring session more confused than before. Lilia's knack for history is no joke, though his knowledge is all over the place.

Hardly any of what he says gets covered in class. It's probably not going to be on the test. He brings up the names of random people, common folk with no impact on the grand scheme of things. He drones on about these people for longer than necessary. He rambles about insignificant bits of their daily lives like an old man reminiscing about old friends and you don't know how to stop him.

"Patricia really hated when they implemented the new calendar system, khee hee hee! Said it made her miss a date with this lad she fancied, but it all worked out in the end. He came to find her after a while and they went steady. Never met him. Heard he was a paper boy. The kind that makes paper, mind you. Word has it that he made fine paper but I never much cared about the quality of paper."

Lilia starts floating off his chair as he becomes immersed in his own tale. He crosses his arms in thought. You stare at his exposed forehead as he turns upside-down, your pen hand at the ready in case he says anything actually useful.

"Ezekiel, though? He was a lad who was mad about paper. Oho. This was, oh, roughly 350 years ago. He penned a letter to the Shaftlands government to petition for lower taxes. About a decade after that blight incident that wiped out their food reserves. More than half their crops were being taxed and it was a brutally cold winter, he could barely afford firewood, but he still used the best parchment he could find. Said it made a stronger point to those in power. Oh, and his daughter was so angry about it!"

Lilia laughs. Three hours pass in this manner. He wafts through the air absentmindedly and bumps against your shoulder, sending him floating back in the other direction. When he drifts too far, he magically pops into another spot and makes you jump. He has a smile on his face, this is genuine fun for him.

You manage to fill in half a page with notes that seem kind of useful. You don't know how you'd source them in an essay, though, aside from "Lilia told me." You ask if he knows anything about the legendary Queendom of Roses Revolt and he launches into another unrelated story that happened around the same time about some really good chicken he once ate.

When you've had enough and the study session is over, Lilia thanks you. He gives you a piece of hard candy, its wrapper somewhat disheveled like it was in his pocket for a week. "It's important for kids like you to study hard," he says with a thumbs up. He pats you on the back before leaving. You consider asking Riddle for help the next time you have questions.

[cinnbar-bun]

Hello ~

Is it possible to request some general SFW/NSFW headcanons for Robin ? Your writing is so good and overall so wholesome it makes my heart melt. 🥺🥺

Have a nice day/night. ❤️

Nico Robin SFW + NSFW HCs

A/n: Aw, thank you for the lovely compliment dear. I hope you enjoy these <3

Note: Reader is GN. The hcs start off kinda angsty at first but gets nicer and happier (since we are dealing with Robin here). We as a society do not deserve Robin.

SFW

Robin is a very elegant and classy woman, and it’s no different when it comes to relationships.

She doesn’t like to push boundaries and often tries not to make too many “bold” moves in the beginning. She prefers to tread carefully when it comes to you, and she’d hate for her to be the one who hurts you.

Honestly it’s kinda difficult for her to express her insecurities in the beginning because she’s grown with the crew, but she feels as if she’s starting from scratch when you two are official. She worries she’ll mess up and hurt you, and then everything she’s done with the Straw Hats will have meant nothing and she was always the trouble everyone was warned about.

Please be kind to her, eventually she’ll fully realize just how much she has grown and that she’s not a devil. Just be verbal with her and tell her what you feel, and she’ll take note of your feelings and preferences.

Robin never really thought of romance in her life, always assuming it was a silly fantasy that would just end up getting her killed. Thus, she can get caught off guard when you do romantic things for her.

She prefers sentimental gifts for this reason. If you write her a poem, no matter how bad it is, she’s treasuring it. Give her an album of memories together? She looks through it almost every night and might decorate it more. When it’s handcrafted, it’s proof that YOU took the time to make something for HER. It’s proof that YOU did this and that YOU really are hers and a part of her life. Something that is so “you” makes her heart beat faster.

Surprise her with random dates or taking the initiative. Yes, I know Robin is the mom figure, and just like a mom, sometimes she needs a mental (and physical) break. If you go to her and say you have dinner reservations at a restaurant or want to take her shopping or to a cafe- the happiness and shock on her face is immense.

She's so used to doing things for others that “princess treatment” is so foreign to her and admittedly, she finds it’s very nice to be taken care of. Surprise dates every once in a while keep her on her toes and are another confirmation to her that you really love her.

But sometimes, it’s nice to just relax beside you. Robin is not too talkative in general, so often you two might spend time reading/doing something in the same room silently or cuddling each other. Robin really lets her guard down with you and it’s such a treat to see her smile so softly and that adoring look in her eyes too-

Side note: can you imagine Robin being so comfortable with you that she may just infodump about history or whatever she’s reading? Oh my god, the way she’s excitedly discussing a historical event or plant or something out loud because you just make her feel so safe until she realizes oops she’s rambling to you then looks up at you only to see you looking and listening at her because you love how happy she looks and how much she loves her job??? She just melts. (I’m melting too I love my wife)

Robin often tilts your chin to her and gives you a peck on your cheek then winks as she walks away.

NSFW

Y’all knew this Robin is ON TOP!!!

I don’t think she’d specifically have a mommy kink but if you called her that she’d chuckle and find it humorous and play along. It does grow on her after a while.

A tease. Truly, she will live up to her moniker of Devil Child with the way she teases you. Whether it’s whispering she’s not wearing any panties or is wearing a certain lingerie you like, or bending down to show off her assets to you, or straight up summoning a hand to touch you discreetly- she’s evil.

But, she is a very rewarding lover, and she, after hours (or what feels like hours) of hell, will finally give you the touches you so crave.

Loves adding sex toys to the mix. Her many hands are wonderful in teasing you further. She admittedly wanders into the sex shops to get something new for you guys to experiment with.

Lingerie isn’t something she wears often, so when she does, that’s a sign she really wants to fuck you or has something special planned for you.

Not a particularly hard dom. She prefers to spoil or at least just use some power dynamics. She won’t beat you black and blue or choke the life outta you- I doubt she would consider doing such a thing. It would take a lot to convince her to get “harder” on you if you are a big masochist.

She tends to leave plenty of hickies on you. But sometimes she leaves one that’s a bit more exposed to others. If you complain about it, she’ll apologize with a smile and say she just didn’t realize- but with the way she’s standing so proudly, it’s more likely she did it on purpose just to tease you again. She’s more possessive than she lets on.

So, we all know she uses her Devil Fruit to tease you. Extra hands and stuff to maybe hold you down or touch you elsewhere- it’s to be expected. Sometimes, though, she gets a bit experimental and (after the time skip) will summon another full clone of herself to get involved in your bedroom activities.

Doesn’t mind threesomes (beyond the ones with a clone of herself), and is willing to try them. Only thing is that they need to be a close confidant of hers, otherwise she’d feel rather awkward or uncertain about their motivations. (Who you want that third person to be is up to your imagination, dear <3)

Aftercare is lovely, and often consists of you two sitting in a bath together. She can’t use her powers in the bath, so this is another way of letting her guard down with you and showing you how much she trusts you.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

👉🏽👈🏽 spare any jjk faerie au headcanons you have cooked up for a desperate lass?

of course because man do i have some thoughts as a lover of faeries. i could probably go on about this for hours

gojou satoru | elf

a prince hailing from a seelie court

his very birth shook faerieland as foretold by the stars red, blue and purple stars that soared through the sky the night of his birth and his eyes are ones that can see mana and the shape of the soul among other things

presents himself as a revel-loving fool he simply enjoys games, but he is a lot more observant and calculating than he lets on

in his youth he often toted on and on about the stupidity of love, likening it to more of a curse and an ailment that turned the sane into fools so outside of the obligation of having heirs, he doesn't desire love in the slightest

until he meets falls in love at first sight with you, a banshee who saved his life when you coincidentally happened to be passing by after he found himself in a bloody situation

causes the entire court to go into an uproar when he immediately announces his intentions to make you his queen never mind the fact you haven't even accepted his proposal yet

his mother doesn't like you in the slightest. she gave birth to one whose very birth has shaken the earth and if her son is going to marry anyone it is going to be someone more fitting of that position

satoru ignores all that in favor of doing his best to woo you now that you're stuck living in his palace until a revel thrown in your honor passes

yes he knows this very much so makes him a hypocrite but he doesn't want anyone else

asks you all sorts of question about being a banshee. how your cries work, if there are different wails for different situations, how long you've been heralding death

at least you know the man is nothing if not passionate. it's hard resisting his charms as he asks you gently each time to marry him. you think you just might say yes when you feel the ghost of his lips against yours

getou suguru | phouka

if he isn't being an advisor to seelie prince satoru, suguru is a human-hating phouka who is, unfortunately, stuck living with one

unlike humans, the folk are creatures who keep their word so when you are able to best him in something for a favor he's inclined to keep his promise

and yes, he promises that he won't harm you or your loved ones after your deal has come to a close. yes, this includes things you personally consider harmful ranging from murder to physical attacks

for a human, you're quite clever in looking out for any loopholes. you apparently weren't lying when you said you were a faerie enthusiast

but that's the extent of suguru's praise when he learns why you were so adamant to find a faerie to help with your problems ー

apparently you took a botany elective thinking it would be an easy A only to now be just barely passing the class

yes, that's right. you want a member of the folk, a phouka, to be a glorified tutor until the end of the semester just to make sure you don't get a failing grade. apparently, suguru gave you far too much credit

still, you end up growing on him overtime with your sense of humor and you're way of looking at things. he hates to put it so simply but he supposes you aren't like other humans he has come across

(suguru later nearly destroys your textbook because he himself grows frustrated with your class. the human sciences are just as confusing to him as it is you. but your grade has technically improved since he began helping you so it's not entirely a loss is it?)

nanami kento | elf-kobold hybrid

an elf-kobold hybrid with horns that gently curve atop his head akin to an imperial demon

a record keeper often has work writing down events as they take place as well as organizing historical texts as he sees fit. it's a tiring and thankless job but it is something his family has been doing for generations and he sees no reason to break tradition now

the one saving grace he has are naps he enjoys taking between late afternoon and dusk, religiously, by a lake close to the palace

you're a swan maiden who calls the lake home and his quiet company. it's winter in the human realm and rather than fly south with your flock, you decided to spend the season in faerie and decided that particular lake would be home

you're a playful, impish thing who enjoys presenting nanami with riddles as he grows tired and you watch over him to keep him safe while he sleeps. a deal you've both made in favor of him bringing you delicious sweets from the palace

it's quite the favorable deal for you both

of course, inevitably you two get to talking and find yourselves having more and more in-depth conversations as the week goes by

what would nanami do if he decided to break family tradition?

where have you traveled in the human realm?

as a swan maiden, you seldom ever take off your cloak of feathers. there's no reason to ask, nanami knows the rules that swan maiden and selkies follow. should your cloak or coat be taken, you're forced to follow their will

as such, nanami never refers to your coat in the slightest. he never even asks about it

it's a great sign of trust among your kind to ever be vulnerable with your cloak. something nanami learns first hand when he wakes up one particular evening and finds that you have covered him with your cloak to make sure he stays warm

fushiguro toji | boggart

a lord in an unseelie court of faerie, who works in service to the high king as his sword

had a mortal wife who died centuries ago and together they had a half-human son

his son lives among humans presently and while they don't readily talk to one another, toji often has his men sent to the human realm to watch over his son and give him reports on his wellbeing

doesn't imagine himself ever loving someone he did his wife again until running across you a human who stumbled into the wrong mound

allows you to stay in his fief until it is otherwise safe for you to return home

you say you're a dancer so you dance for him and keep him entertained as a sort of thanks for not promptly killing you when you trespassed on his territory

the tension between you both is palpable to many. his staff who are forced to wait on your hand and foot as his guest and to the gentry you see at unseelie revels

the ones that gossip about how it isn't strange for toji to take human lovers

and yet despite that, no matter how close you get, toji keeps a distance between you both that. he fell in love with a human once, still remembers the sting of watching his beloved wife grow old and wither away in front of his very eyes

it's a pain he doesn't want to revisit ever again

okkotsu yuuta | human

unlike most stories of selkies and their evil human spouses, you're marriage with yuuta is quite the happy one in the seaside town you call home

yours was an accidental love story where he accidentally caught you in his net, only to release you

the next day, you brought piles of fresh fish and crabs and shrimp by his beachside home as thanks, much to his confusion as to where the catch came from

you usually followed his boat when he goes to fish and he learns how to recognize you, often laughing sheepishly when he saw you, warning you not to get too close so you don't end up in the net again

it isn't until a stormy night when yuuta fell overboard that you did anything drastic such as save his life, taking him to the shore and giving him cpr

you stayed with him all night until the storm passed keeping him warm

when yuuta woke up to seeing a beautiful, naked person by his side, he was understandably surprised. even more so when you transformed into a seal right in front of him. that was his introduction to the folk, to magic

now he's surrounded by you and your ocean-filled magic everyday in your little cottage by the sea

you come and go as you please, sometimes for weeks sometimes even for months at a time depending on the time of year

but you always come back and yuuta is happy to see you every time

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 52 Hype Posting

Hi void. I am going to vibrate out of my seat. Oh I'm going feral, absolutely feral. Another WSJ cover and lead colour page next week already! Promotion on TV during prime-time in Japan! The insanely good volume 4 PV! Hokazono-sensei judging for a manga award! Kagurabachi's getting the push to be the Next Big Thing at last- you love to see it.

Kind of.

I want Hokazono-sensei to get all the recognition he deserves, but I also don't want the fandom to explode and become yet another annoying dudebro space. The success of the series is more important though, so I'm happy to see Kagurabachi get so much support. Everyone needs to know about this manga! ANYWAY.

LOOK AT THIS TROLL.

It's Chihiro's turn to have a creepy parasocial admirer now.

Hiruhiko's not doing this just for kicks, however- he deliberately (and successfully) triggered Chihiro to orchestrate his dramatic fall. Given what happened at the end of this chapter, I would not be surprised if Chihiro's literal descent is foreshadowing a metaphorical one of some kind down the line.

And this just breaks my heart:

Triggers Chihiro's rage then fucks off only to do this? I will not be mourning Hiruhiko's death.

Chihiro's not built for being a murder bot and it pains him so much to be seen as equivalent to someone like Hiruhiko. But he was taught to see things through and uses his hatred for the Hishaku to keep going. Revenge is probably the only thing he wakes up every day for- he wasn't kidding about that "fresh hatred" line in chapter 1. And neither was Shiba when he said living like this would break him. This kid needs a hug and a safe place to cry out the pain so badly, man...

More than that, though... more than anything...

HIRUHIKO'S THE FUCKIN' ANTI-HAKURI.

"We're equals", he says. "I killed my family", he mentions. "Let's be friends," he asks as he forces his way into Chihiro's life. "I'm the only one who can understand you." The hell you aren't you rat bastard. Hakuri's the one whose soul resonates with Chihiro's. He's the one Chihiro acknowledged as an equal and a friend. BEGONE, FOUL DEMON.

God damn it. Hokazono, I love you for making my most hated villain archetype into a character I want to see more of. I've never understood why playful psychopaths are so beloved but I get it with this guy. Smooth move making him the evil version of my favourite character in all of fiction, Mr. Author. Now I need Hiruhiko and Hakuri to face off over their ideals about who Chihiro really is. It would be the perfect reprise to the Sojo arc! PLEEEEEEASE. There's so much HakuHiro potential in this setup... Hakuri being the one to pull Chihiro forward again would be amazing. But not for his own goals this time- just to help Chihiro as a true friend and partner. Not gonna get too attached to this since it's just one potential development out of many... I won't let myself... (too late).

(Psst... 昼チ or 昼チヒ will probably be the JP ship tag/name for Hiruhiko/Chihiro. Ain't no way Chihiro is the top in this pair for most Japanese fujin lol.)

The Show

The main character of the play's name is Sasuke and Hokazono-sensei is a huge Naruto fan. So much so that he's taken his own spin on Naruto and Sasuke three times now (Enten, Roku no Meiyaku, Kagurabachi). Chihiro is, in fact, his OC donut steel character inspired by the most annoying emo ninja boy ever. I see you, Hokazono-sensei.

The Battle of Soshima might be a made-up title to reference the real historical event The Battle of Tsushima, which fellow Golden Kamuy fans will recognize. At any rate, there aren't any famous Japanese stage plays with the same name, so there's no direct narrative parallels to draw insight from (sad trombone noises). Fortunately for us Hiruhiko is a yapper like I hoped and tells us the plan pretty plainly anyway:

I relate so hard right now, random audience guy.

Hiruhiko says the plan to kill Chihiro's not a bluff. But he's not acting like he's intends to make good on that statement. So that means...

Perception vs Intent

Chihiro looking his best: stressed and menacing

This is gonna be huge I think. Remember what Azami said back in the Sojo arc in ch. 9:

Azami, please come back soon. I need you carnally.

Then consider likes like this...

Local violent gang member still pretty tough after becoming human shishkebab through a moving train.

Chihiro could be set up to tarnish his father's legacy.

The public doesn't know the true strength or capabilities of the weapons that won the war- they just know that Rokuhira Kunishige made them and they were the key to winning. So Chihiro dropping in on a stage play to splatter the audience with a headless corpse's blood is not a great first impression. He looks downright villainous in this scene. Awesome, but villainous.

The Hishaku are going to metaphorically "kill" Chihiro somehow. For some reason, tormenting this poor guy is absolutely vital to John's plans... it's probably more along the lines of Chihiro being a useful pawn to move around to create conflict they can exploit, but still. They're going to try to break his spirit this arc for sure. Leave Chihiro alone! He's been through enough!

I've got a hell of a lot to say about this but I need some key details from the next few chapters before going off on lunatic tangents. Fuckin' hell though, this is great. This is exactly the type of development I was hoping we'd see after Samura's chapter. Chihiro's committed to the cause of killing the Hishaku, who so far have been wholly unsympathetic villains. But killing is a wrongful act. And this chapter sets up that Chihiro might not be the sympathetic avenging swordsman we love him as in the eyes of the public- he appears to be more of a menace like some of the members of the Kamunabi accused him of. He might be challenged on his murderous modus operandi via a Hishaku-backed smear campaign. Seriously, using Chihiro's brutality against them to ruin his father's legacy would be so evil and cruel. I love it.

We'll be able to count on Shiba and Hakuri to make sure Chihiro doesn't go off the deep end at least. I wouldn't be surprised if Hiyuki played a pivotal role in helping Chihiro out this arc too, but I don't want to commit when we've hardly seen anything of her so far (my spaghetti sovereign... please come back to the main story full-time soon).

Whether or not I'm right (I'm not, I never am), Chihiro's murder sprees fueled by Fresh Hatred are going to get looked at in a critical way. High time and I am definitely here for it. Tell me what you've got to say about violent revenge motivated by grief, Hokazono-sensei. You have more space to examine the topic now compared to Farewell! Cherry Boy.

Shorter than usual but that's not a bad thing. I can always come back and edit this (came back to do so twice now already) or make another addendum post, but...

... Just choose kindness, people. For yourself and others. See you later.

[beevean]

I still can't get over Alucard leading Robespierre's army. That's straight out of a stereotypical fanboy fanfic about how awesome my favorite character is.

If they ever do the Sorrow games, they'd better have flashbacks with Alucard liberating prisoners from Nazi concentration camps, killing Osama Bin Laden and helping to destroy the Berlin Wall

Annette: This is the cost. This is the way we let change in. Alucard: Through the widow's window. Richter: Don't tell me you're a Royalist too. Alucard: I'm a realist. But I'm also very old. I'm not saying that when you live for centuries you stop caring, but enough rebellions and upheavals, and you notice the patterns. They start with hope and end with bloodshed. Or they start with bloodshed and end with bloodshed.

Alucard in S2E3: eh idrc much about revolutions. i'm so unfathomably ancient, i've seen them all, and i think they're dumb.

Robespierre: Reason and the public interest began the revolution. Intrigue and ambition have halted it. The majority desires the good, but it neither knows the means to reach this goal, nor the obstacles that distance them from it. All the enemies of the Constitution borrow the name and language of patriotism to spread error, discord, and false principles. It is thus that public opinion is... *Alucard waltzes in, everyone orgasms on the spot* ... excited. Alucard: Sorry to interrupt your riveting speech, Monsieur Robespierre, but quite soon, this city is going to be attacked by an army of vampires. Vampires and demons, actually. I can help you prepare to fight.

Alucard in S2E5, needing someone to stroke his dick ASAP: hi mr. actual historical figure Maximiliene De Robespierre, do you perchance need my (absolutely invaluable) help, as a (lowly human) revolutionary? don't mind the fact that I'm half-vampire, a noble, and clearly not French, I'm just hijacking this real historical event for the sake of the cool finale where I need to look cool :)

bitch doesn't give a shit about the revolution. he even mockingly quotes "vive la revolution". he just enlisted a HUMAN ARMY to fight against an EGYPTIAN INVINCIBLE GODDESS. and they don't do shit! Sun Thundercat slaughters them because cannonballs don't scratch her! He lead these innocent people to their deaths for a cause that wasn't even theirs! Just so that he can look badass and charismatic and like he actually did something in the story!

I fucking hate this cunt it's unreal 😭

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Why do some fans of a French historical figure who died in 1793 hate Napoleon? Napoleon had great respect for him.

I thiiiiink you mean Robespierre? Though he died in '94.

(Or do you mean Marat? He was assassinated in '93... For the sake of the ask, I'm going assume Robespierre.)

If you are talking about Robespierre, well, I couldn't answer that as I am not them and I'm sure each person has their own reasons. I presume it has to do with seeing Napoleon as a figure who undid the Republic, rolled France back to monarchy, and whose actions resulted in the reinstatement of the Bourbons? But again, I can't be certain.

Another thought is that Napoleon is a deeply flawed man. Not that Robespierre wasn't, because of course he was, being that he was human like us all, but their foibles and flaws run in rather different directions so the people drawn to Robespierre are, not always but sometimes, different from those drawn to Napoleon.

Fundamentally, I'm not the person to ask as I find both figures, and the times they lived in, interesting!

--

Napoleon's views on Robespierre were nuanced. Which is natural, considering he lived through the revolution and his political leanings varied during that time.

I answered this previously, but I'll just copy/paste my answer from that old ask (a few minor tweaks made):

Napoleon as a young man admired Robespierre. He was friendly with Robiespierre’s younger brother Augustine and was, for a time, a Jacobin. Napoleon’s views of Robespierre shifted over time. As a young man he saw him as a moderate in the Revolution who was doing his best to end the rampant factionalism that plagued the early French Republic. He believed that Robespierre was the man best suited to controlling the Revolution and preventing its dissolution into extremism or royalist retribution. 

Napoleon as an older man had a slightly different take, although he still judged Robespierre more kindly than others who were big players in the 1790s. The nutshell is that Napoleon felt Robespierre was more moderate than the other revolutionaries at the time, but his fanatic dedication to the revolution and the Republic made him go too far.

I think Napoleon, like many (though certainly not all) who lived through major world-shattering events, developed a nuanced and complicated relationship to the players who he had known in person, or knew a great deal about/was contemporary to. Especially a player who he once admired, and to a certain degree still did. 

Napoleon’s takes on the Revolution are one of my favourite things to read so here, have a few. 

From an account from Napoleon in Exile, or a Voice from St. Helena volume I: 

Heard him express some opinions afterwards relative to a few of the characters who had figured in the revolution.  “Robespierre,” said he “though a blood thirsty monster was not so bad as Collot, d’Herbois, Billaud de Varennes, Hebert, Fouquier, Tinville and many others. Latterly Robespierre wished to be more moderate; and actually some time before his death said that he was tired of executions and suggested moderation. When Hebert accused the queen de contrarier la nature, Robespierre proposed that he should be denounced as having made such an improbable accusation purposely to excite a sympathy amongst the people, that they might rise and rescue her.  From the beginning of the revolution Louis had constantly the life of Charles the First before his eyes. The example of Charles who had come to extremities with the parliament and lost his head prevented Louis on many occasions from making the defence which he ought to have done against the revolutionists. When brought to trial he ought merely to have said that by the laws he could do no wrong and that his person was sacred. The queen ought to have done the same. It would have had no effect in saving their lives but they would have died with more dignity.  Robespierre was of opinion that the king ought to have been dispatched privately. ‘What is the use,’ said Robespierre, ‘of this mockery of forms when you go to the trial prepared to condemn him to death whether he deserves it or not.’  The queen went to the scaffold with some sensations of joy and truly it must have been a relief to her to depart from a life in which she was treated with such execrable barbarity. Had I been four or five years older I have no doubt that I should have been guillotined along with numbers of others.” 

and from Volume II: 

I [Barry O’Meara] asked his [Napoleon’s] opinion about Robespierre.  “Robespierre,” replied Napoleon “was by no means the worst character who figured in the revolution. He opposed trying the queen. He was not an Atheist; on the contrary he had publicly maintained the existence of a Supreme Being in opposition to many of his colleagues. Neither was he of opinion that it was necessary to exterminate all priests and nobles like many others. Marat, for example, maintained that to ensure the liberties of France it was necessary that six hundred thousand heads should fall. Robespierre wanted to proclaim the king hors de la roy and not to go through the ridiculous mockery of trying him. Robespierre was a fanatic, a monster, but he was incorruptible and incapable of robbing or of causing the deaths of others either from personal enmity or a desire of enriching himself.  “He was an enthusiast but one who really believed that he was acting right and died not worth a sous. In some respects Robespierre may be said to have been an honest man. All the crimes committed by Hebert, Chaumett,. Collot d’Herbois and others were imputed to him. Marat, Billaud de Varennes, Fouche, Hebert and several others were infinitely worse than Robespierre.  “It was truly astonishing to see those fanatics, who, bathed up to the elbows in blood, would not for the world have taken a piece of money, or a watch, belonging to the victims they were butchering. There was not an instance in which they had not brought the property of their victims to the Committee of Public Safety. Wading in blood at every step, they believed they were doing right and scrupled to commit the smallest act bordering upon dishonesty. Such was the power of fanaticism, that they conceived they were acting uprightly, at a time when a man’s life was no more regarded by them than that of a fly.  “At the very time that Marat and Robespierre were committing those massacres, if Pitt had offered them two hundred million, they would have refused it with indignation. They even tried and guillotined some of their own number, (such as Fabre d’Eglantine) who were guilty of plundering. Not so Talleyrand, Danton, Barras, Fouche: they were figurantes and would have espoused any side for money.”

---

Quick aside, I forgot about Napoleon's scathing assessment of how Louis and Antoinette comported themselves during the trial.

"It would have had no effect in saving their lives but they would have died with more dignity."

Napoleon "Look, your death is inevitable but at least have some goddamn personal pride and dignity" Bonaparte.

[asgardianhobbit98]

Four for Valentine: Week 2 "The Letter"

Fandom: The Hobbit

Pairing: Thorin Oakenshield / Reader

Characters: Dwalin, Thorin, Gender Neutral Reader

Important Tags: written from Dwalin's POV, romance, angst, death, alcohol consumption, grief, love, redemption, healing

Words: 1146

Summary: When Dwalin attempts to heal his grief after the Battle of Five Armies, his finds himself not just grieving Thorin but also his sibling. But in the depth of night, ghosts come to life, and Dwalin finds that the letters are more healing than he originally thought. (I really meant for this to be fluffy but then my brain made it bittersweet instead because apparently angst is all I can manage today)

Written for my "Four for Valentine" event 🩷

My dearest y/n.

They are calling it the Battle of Five Armies: a Historic event, it seems. I certainly won’t be forgetting it. And I will make damned sure no Dwarf ever forgets it either. Just like I am making sure that no Dwarf ever forgets Smaug’s taking of the Lonely Mountain. Two points of important Dwarven history… and two moments in my life I would rather forget than remember. But it is crucial I don’t forget. If people remember it feels like people also remember you. Both of you.

My brother said writing down feelings is better than cutting down Orc filth. I still disagree. But I can’t deny that it helped me greatly when I lost you. It will certainly help me greatly now that I have lost him.

I loved you. You were my sibling, how could I not? But even if you had not been my family, I think the two of us would have gotten along well. You were funny in a way I didn’t really get, but which others seemed to find endearing. Thorin certainly found it endearing. More than he dared admit.

You see, I found a letter of his in his belongings. I didn’t mean to rummage through his things. It fell out when I was moving it. So don’t come yelling at me from the rocks now! And I only read it because it was addressed to you.

I hadn’t read your name in so very long. Maybe it was the already present grief, but I suddenly grieved you once more. I had to. Because when I read his letter to you, I saw the life you could have had if I had just been quicker in getting to you. That damned dragon!

He is dead now. Smaug. Revenge didn’t taste as sweet as I thought.

You would have had a life with Thorin. I know it. Because he wrote so. He loved you. Dwarves only love once. He was more devastated than he admitted to any of us. I knew he slipped away from us for a long time after the fall of Erebor. I knew he grew quiet. Distant. I never in a million years thought it was because of you too. I thought his family, his people… And here I was grieving you in front of him, burdening him with my own shite.

Yet, he never once said a word. He simply supported me.

He loved you.

You could have been his. He could have been yours.

Maybe this is for the better after all. If you had been here, you would have had to grieve him. The loss of Thorin is one I do not know how to handle.

I wish you were here to help me.

Perhaps the two of you are there in the afterlife, living among the rocks of Erebor, reunited at last.

Stupid.

Dwalin put the pen down and crumpled the letter in his hands with a little more force than necessary. He threw it aside where he watched it land among all the other attempts. Alone in a room in Erebor, finally home, Dwalin thought he might find some solace in a successful quest. But everything felt wrong.

With a sigh, he moved over to his bed and simply… drank himself to sleep, like he usually did. It helped with the nightmares, it helped with the grief, and it put him right to sleep. It was a win win, really.

Balin hated watching him do it, but Balin wasn’t around at the moment. He was on his way to Moria to continue furthering their people’s wealth; to try and retake the mountain. Meanwhile, Dwalin was still stuck in the past, in his grief… doing nothing with his life… or so he thought, at least.

…

As the darkness engulfed him, a restless sleep devouring Dwalin, he found that the alcohol actually did very little to help him. Rather than steering him onto a path of just dark, dreamless sleep, Dwalin found himself suddenly standing in his room.

Actually, that wasn’t the best description on where Dwalin found himself. He was in his room, yes, but he was sort of… standing by his bed, watching himself sleep.

It was a weird position to be in, and for a long time, Dwalin did nothing but stare at himself.

Had he died?

Was this the afterlife?

But no, he was breathing… Snoring, actually. It was a rather pitiful sight.

There was a strange humming in the background. As if someone was singing, but it wasn’t one person. It was a vibration so loud it sounded like a thousand people humming. It was peaceful, almost recognizable. As if Dwalin had always heard it in the background whilst walking in the mountain, or out and about.

But he couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

The humming was interrupted by a little shuffle in the room behind him. He turned, finding it rather difficult and slow to do so, and watched…

You.

And Thorin.

Both of you looked ten times better than you’d ever done alive, warm peaceful looks on your faces at all times. The two of you were picking up Dwalin’s attempts at writing a letter to you, reading them with your heads held together, arms locked in a loving touch…

“Y/N?” Dwalin asked, staring at his sibling with pure… shock. And Thorin, his king… “Thorin?”

Both of you looked up at him. But it was you who answered Dwalin: “I like your letters. They make me happy.”

Dwalin must have looked quite dumb as he simply stared in shock, because suddenly you began to chuckle. That chuckle… He’d missed it.

“My dear Dwalin,” Thorin said, “you look as if you’ve seen a ghost.” Both of you chuckled a bit at this.

“You both are…”

“Dead,” you finished for him. “Yes, quite. But that doesn’t mean we’ve left you.”

Thorin nodded along. “We’re always with you. In the rocks that make up your home. In your memories. And we’ll be waiting. Until you’re ready.”

You smiled. Thorin smiled.

…

And far too soon did that ‘dream’ end because suddenly Dwalin woke up with a start in his bed, looking around the room, searching…

He pushed away the bottle of alcohol. His heart lighter, and went back over to the crumpled up drafts of a letter.

Okay… he thought to himself… I’ll keep writing if it makes you two so damn happy.

Chuckling for the first time in a long, long time, he wrote at least twenty long letters in the candlelight, telling the both of you everything that he wanted to. Because he missed you both, and he loved you. And if you two really did read his letters, then he was going to keep at it until he was sure you both knew just how much you meant to him.

tag list: @fizzyxcustard @middleearthpixie @glassgulls @evenstaredits @knittastically @heilith @lathalea @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @nowandthane if you'd like to be added or removed from my tag list, please let me know!

reblog and comment = love and support 🥰

[the-sappho-of-lesbos]

hi, sorry if this isnt a good blog to send this to i just dont know where to turn atm (if this isnt a good blog to ask for help plz lmk where would be better, soz). im 22 and figuring out im sapphic & im trying to join online lesbian spaces but everyone seems so anti-babydyke and im starting to notice that being a lesbian is more about discourse and infighting than it is about wanting to kiss a lady. i thought it was about kissin ladies and thats what i want but how do i make other lesbians not hate me? i feel like all of the other lesbians expect me to have a PhD in lesbianism before i call myself that, before i consider a femme attractive, its like i have to pass thru all these hoops to prove myself even to other queers that im a real lesbian because i can name every lesbian historical figure. again super sorry if this is a bad blog to send this to i do not have a clue who to ask about this or anything im totally lost rn lol (genuinely sorry for literally being that annoying baby dyke ppl complain about rn. ignore me if you want im not gonna be tilted. thx for listening

This isn’t a bad blog to send this too. I’m just genuinely sorry you are going through this and I’m sorry if I don’t have a way to help. But I’ll try my best!! And maybe some more people in the comments will be able to help in ways I can’t.

But just know I’m sending you lots of love and that there isn’t anything wrong with you. At the end of the day, regardless of whatever else is happening, your sexuality really is just simply who you are attracted to. And that’s okay. You are enough ♥️♥️

(I’m also going into this assuming you are at least 18+, so I apologise if I’m wrong on that )

Firstly , you aren’t just seeing things. There is definitely a lot of infighting in the community. Like a lot. I would say it’s typically more intense and in your face online then it is IRL, but I’ve also seen IRL gay groups go really deep off the end with with this stuff.

From what I have read and from people I have talked to, this has sadly sort of always been a thing. We just have different waves of it and different things it might be focused on based on the time period and the world events affecting that at the time. I think in general it’s a very human thing that allllll groups do, but when you are in a marginalised, oppressed and small group of people it can feel a whole lot more concentrated and obvious because there is less room for it to go.

Again, this is just based on conversations I’ve had and things I’ve read, so take it with a grain of salt. But there has also been misunderstandings, disagreements and different beliefs on what things are , what they mean and who should do what in the community. Ranging from politics to fashion to marriage to sex to identities around butch/femme and what it means. For one piece saying something you have another saying something different.

This can cause a lot of confusion and infighting amongst people. A lot of tension at times. And because of trauma a lot of people tend to want to be around people with similar alignments in understanding and belief.

A lot of things can affect that like age , location etc.

But none of that is a reflection of you or your worth or your sexuality. And there ARE people in the same boat as you. Even when it doesn’t feel like it.

There have been waves in the past of some women using and or claiming lesbianism to be a response to sexism. We are currently living in the time after that. And because of that a lot of opinions and thoughts and actions taken place are in a response to that wave. Be it people trying to push it , denounce it , confused by it or hurt by it.

I think this has lead to some of the scaffolding of the current culture we have today.

I understand that need and drive for community and the horrible feeling that can come along when the said community feels like it is in shambles. I feel that way a lot too. And I’m sorry I can’t take that away.

I feel like I’m rambling at this point I’m sorry.

I just want to say though there is nothing you have to prove to anyone. We all figure this stuff out at our own pace. Anyone who treats you poorly for not knowing something or just genuinely not showing interest in it is on them. Your lesbianism doesn’t mean you owe anyone an opinion or a certain way of dressing or feeling. The only person you owe is yourself and that is to show kindness to yourself and be around people who respect you and love you for the wonderful lesbian that you are.

EDIT : I just re-read and you said you are 22 I’m so sorry I missed that 😩

[jamtlandsarkiv]

It's hard to find densu enjoyers. What's your favorite dynamic? And during which era do you like to imagine them together? Some people who write this pairing in modern settings make Sweden cheating on Finland for instance. It's as if each historical period demands a different reason for this rare pair to be together.

Thank you Anon for sending this ask about my OTP! I'll write my answer under the cut as I have far too many thoughts about these two.

Please appreciate this new and improved GIGABJÖRN this DenSu Swednesday.

The part of your ask where you said that some people who write DenSu in modern settings make Sweden cheat on Finland surprised me, because I have never seen this before. The only reason why I think someone would write this is because they're a SuFin shipper who uses cheating DenSu to introduce some drama into SuFin's relationship. There's no real-life reason why Sweden has to cheat on Finland to be with Denmark in the modern day, because they're all independent nations. Besides, both Finns and Danes make fun of Swedes. If their personifications shared the attitudes of their people, neither of them would want to be in a relationship with Sweden.

My favorite time period and dynamic for DenSu is the most vanilla one possible: modern era, happy monogamous relationship. I'll admit that I'm very bitter towards the old fandom's dynamic for DenSu where they were only violent towards each other. I like to write DenSu as the ideal relationship, so I want them to live in a time period where their countries don't have an active conflict against each other, where they can be open about their relationship and raise children without facing a lot of discrimination. Also, I write Mathias (Denmark) and Björn (Sweden) as human-like characters with unique personalities and life stories that have lived through their countries' entire history, as opposed to humanized versions of the countries whose personalities and lives are analogies for the country's history. This means that the history of their relationship will be influenced by their countries' mutual history, but it won't be determined by that.

Mathias and Björn are immortal magical personifications in my Nationverse, which is different from Hetalia canon in many ways. One of the differences is that humans aren't aware about the existence of magic and immortal personifications, which means that the personifications are not important figures in human society. They don't have a political role and they're not obligated to participate in every war and historical event that their country experiences, although they will be affected by these events in the same way as their fellow citizens. Another difference is that their health and physical ages represents the "conservation status" of their people and culture. Because their people and culture are not threatened in the modern day, their bodies are frozen at the peak of a human's health and strength, in their mid to late 20s.

Mathias and Björn were born when the ancestors of modern Danes and Swedes began to inhabit the land that would become the modern countries. They lived in their respective countries with their people, and they only started spending time together as children, after they figured out how to use their magical powers to teleport to each others' lands. Björn had an intense crush on Mathias but was terrified of others finding out about it, so he tried to suppress his crush by being an asshole to Mathias. Mathias obviously had to retaliate against this stupid kid who was being an asshole to him (and who he couldn't kill because Björn was immortal too). This was the start of their thousands-of-years rivalry.

As their countries formed kingdoms and started to have more frequent conflicts with each other, they formed a genuine hate for each other and challenged each other to fatal duels (being immortals, the loser would respawn). Björn's crush on Mathias only became more intense as they grew older, and Mathias also became attracted to Björn whose muscles only got bigger with time. Their duels with weapons evolved to fights with a suspicious amount of physical contact, but neither of them were willing to admit their attraction to each other because of the social norms of the time.

DenSu's fights ended in the 19th century when both of their countries lost a lot of their power and territory. As their countries experienced famines and mass emigrations, their health began to decline, and they couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of death if their countries' population and economy wasn't able to recover. Finally, they put their rivalry aside to support each other through their common struggle. I haven't decided exactly when the turning point of their relationship from friends to lovers happened, but I like the idea of Mathias living in Björn's house during WW2 after the annexation of Denmark. Living under the same roof as "friends" with intense mutual crushes led them to explore each others' bodies, and then...

The greatest strength of DenSu's dynamic is the physical attraction and passion they feel for each other. After all, if they can keep up a rivalry for thousands of years, they can turn it into love too. Both of them are the types of people who bond to one person very strongly. That person will receive their full love and attention, but they are expected to reciprocate just as much. This is no problem for DenSu, as both of them feel greatly fulfilled when they make their other half happy. While the term "opposites attract" is usually applied to DenSu, they are only opposites on the surface. They have different - nearly opposing - skills, interests and preferences, but their ethics, values, communication and thinking styles, goals in life and sexual preferences are very similar. This means that there's almost no "resistance" or "wasted energy" when they work together and interact with each other, because they can quickly agree on a common goal, know what their roles are and how to achieve their common goal. Each of them helps to compensate for skills that the other is missing. DenSu operates like a finely tuned machine with all of the parts in perfect synergy.

Scandinavian culture is reserved, so to the casual observer, DenSu doesn't even appear to be a couple, as they don't do PDA or sappy romantic gestures. The way they show love to each other is through silently doing favors for each other, remembering what the other likes, accepting their (few) differences rather than nagging the other to change. They keep the romantic gestures in private, and when nobody's watching, they are very touchy and "filled with desires" (Tumblr may not like the actual word). They're physically frozen in their 20s and have healthy diets and frequent exercise, so they get these "desires" very often. Despite what their physiques and body language would imply, Björn has a higher sex drive than Mathias, and Björn is a bottom. Mathias is vers and Björn will oblige when Mathias asks him to top, but he doesn't get any pleasure from it directly. He only feels the emotional pleasure from seeing Mathias being pleasured.

Finally, something I don't see being talked about often enough is the way Mathias and Björn verbally communicate with each other! Swedish and Danish are mutually intelligible, but the average Swede is not trained to understand Danish and will hardly understand anything. Danish comprehension of Swedish is better, but it's not great either. Mathias and Björn are definitely better than the baseline because of their thousands of years together, but they weren't together for most of those years, and they cannot fluently speak each other's language. Because of this, they modify their normal ways of speaking to understand each other better. They have memorized the most common vocabulary differences and false friends. When they talk to each other, they'll insert these different words from the other person's language, and speak in a more neutral "TV big city" accent without noticing. Björn's natural accent is not a big city one (he's from coastal northern Sweden), and I like the idea of Mathias making a special effort to travel to his hometown and study his dialect early into their relationship (before the invention of the internet).

More DenSu headcanons and essays to come. I'm thinking about creating a wiki dedicated to writing about my OTPs...

[racefortheironthrone]

Are there any notable examples of anti-mutant prejudice towards the X-Men coming from within the superhero community?

This is a great question!

This gets to the complicated nature of how mutants fit into the Marvel Universe. I've always been a vocal proponent of the idea that, far from the mutant metaphor only making sense if it's in its own little bubble where mutants are the only people with superpowers, the mutant metaphor actually functions better in the context of the Marvel Universe, because it allows you to explore more complicated and more subtle ways that prejudice functions.

While there are plenty of super-villains who have quite blatant anti-mutant prejudice, you don't tend to get that same kind of overt bigotry towards mutants among super-heroes. Partly, this is because bigotry is a very unheroic character trait, but it also has to do with the way that the way that Marvel historically portrayed the spillover effects of anti-mutant prejudice.

Following in a kind of Niemöllerian logic, it's almost always the case that groups that hate and fear mutants also end up hating and fearing non-mutant superheroes. Thus, Days of Future Past starts with the Sentinels being turned on mutants, but it ends with the Sentinels wiping out the Avengers and the Fantastic Four too - because the same atavistic fear of "the great replacement" applies to both mutants and mutates. Likewise, the same forces that line up to push through the Mutant Registration Act inevitably end up proposing a Superhuman Registration Act, because once you've violated the precepts of equality under the law for one minority group, you establish a precedent to do it to another.

Instead, I would argue what you see in the case of anti-mutant prejudice among superheroes is explorations of liberal prejudice. This takes many different forms: in Civil War, you see Tony Stark insensitively try to wave the bloody shirt of Stamford in the face of a survivor of the Genoshan genocide or Carol playing the good liberal ally but ultimately trying to get mutants to set aside their own struggle in favor of her own political project. (For someone who's spent a good deal of time working, and living with, the X-Men, occasionally against the interests of the state, Carol does have a tendency to stick her foot in her mouth. Hence in Civil War II, you see Carol essentially goysplaining the dangers of creeping authoritarianism to Magneto.)

In Avengers vs X-Men, you see the Avengers acting like they know the Phoenix Force better than mutants and ultimately prioritizing the safety of mankind over the efforts of mutantkind to reverse their own extinction. This is where the "Avengers are cops" meme in the fandom comes from. (I would argue that Captain America is badly mischaracterized in the latter event - we know which side he's on when the interests of mutants and the interests of the state come into conflict.)

The common thread here is that anti-mutant prejudice among superheroes emerges as a kind of unthinking, unreflective callousness brought on by a worldview that thinks of humans as the universal default of lived experience - while thinking of mutants as a somewhat annoying special interest group that fixates on their particularist grievances rather than working for what the heroes consider to be the common good.

For a more intimate version of how this plays out, I think the Fantastic Four are a great exploration of how "well-meaning" liberals can massively fuck up when they don't do the work of examining their own biases. We've seen this since the very beginning: in Fantastic Four #21, Kirby goes out of his way to depict uber-WASP Reed Richards blithely assuming that the "free market of ideas" will take care of the Hatemonger, while the subtextually Jewish Ben Grimm knows that the way to deal with a mind-controlling Hitler clone wearing purple Klan robes is deplatforming-by-way-of-clobberin'.

Then later on, we see Reed Richards debate Congress out of passing a Superhuman Registration Act, while saying nothing about the Mutant Registration Act - even though he has a mutant son who is directly threatened by it. (See that adorable blond moppet with the slur scrawled across his face in the fictional advertisement above? That's Franklin Richards.) This is why I have a crack theory that Franklin's biological father is actually Namor rather than Reed, which is why Reed so consistently shows a passive-aggressive hostility to his son's mutancy.

At the same time, Sue also has her blindspots when it comes to mutant rights. In the underrated FF/X miniseries, Susan Storm acts like an understanding and supportive parent to Franklin - right up until someone suggests that Franklin might want to come to Krakoa and explore his mutant identity, at which point she goes full Karen and starts lashing out with her powers. Chip Zdarsky, the writer, explicitly compared Reed and Sue to liberal parents who support gay rights in the abstract until their kid comes out as trans and wants to spend time in LGBT+ spaces.

[mywitchyblog]

I really need to rant rq cause this is just getting on my nerves but

I’m sick and tired of BIPOC acting like someone is evil just because they’re white. Calling them things like “Colonizer”, and stereotyping them all as bad or hating BIPOC.

Yes, there have been some very evil white people in the past, but saying that everyone who is white is evil is generalizing.

So just because someone’s ancestors were fucked up people, now someone else has to suffer for it? Instead of blaming it on the people who were actually bad?

BIPOC have literally been through this stuff before. They’ve been stereotyped as “evil” or “aggressive” because of their skin color, and now it’s happening to white people too?

Yes, BIPOC have every right to be wary of white people, but to generalize them just because of their skin color? That’s seriously ridiculous.

idk, it just gets on my nerves that people assume that someone is racist just because they’re white. It’s annoying honestly.

I completely get where you’re coming from, and it’s true that generalizations based on race can feel frustrating and unfair. At the same time, I think it’s worth exploring why some BIPOC individuals might feel this deep-seated mistrust or wariness toward white people. It’s more than just a social or cultural reaction; there are scientific explanations that help shed light on this, and understanding them might bring us closer to mutual empathy and respect.

Research has shown that trauma can actually be inherited across generations, a phenomenon known as intergenerational trauma or epigenetic inheritance. This isn’t just about stories or memories being passed down, but actual changes in genetic expression that affect how people react to the world. For example, descendants of Holocaust survivors have been found to exhibit higher levels of stress and anxiety, even though they themselves never lived through those traumatic events. This happens because trauma can leave biological imprints on DNA that impact fear responses and emotional processing.

For many BIPOC communities, there’s a collective history of colonization, slavery, and systemic racism, which are deeply traumatic experiences. These experiences aren’t confined to history books—they’ve left their mark on the DNA of descendants. This inherited trauma may manifest as a kind of instinctual mistrust or heightened fear response toward white people. So, when BIPOC individuals express discomfort or fear, it might not be a conscious bias or prejudice, but rather a response deeply ingrained in their biology as a means of survival.

Some experts even suggest that this response can function similarly to a phobia, where the fear is intense and visceral, often occurring without conscious thought. It’s an instinctive reaction that helped protect previous generations, and now it’s being passed on, whether or not it feels rational in today’s context. Inherited fear like this isn’t necessarily about hatred or anger—it’s about survival instincts that have been etched into a community’s collective memory through generations of trauma.

This perspective doesn’t excuse generalizing or treating all white people as inherently bad. Generalizing is problematic because it doesn’t recognize individuals for who they are today. But by understanding that there might be a deep-seated biological basis for these reactions, we can start to see that this isn’t just about unfair assumptions or stereotypes. Instead, it’s a response that has roots in real, historical suffering.

In terms of the science behind it, intergenerational trauma shows how traumatic experiences can alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence itself. These are known as epigenetic changes—markers that affect how genes are expressed. In the case of BIPOC communities, the legacy of slavery, colonization, and ongoing systemic oppression has likely led to biological adaptations. These adaptations can influence emotional responses, so fear or mistrust toward white people can be amplified, even if a particular individual hasn’t personally experienced overt racism. It’s a biological imprint passed down through generations.

To sum it up, while it’s true that generalizations aren’t fair, there is a deeper reason why some BIPOC individuals may harbor mistrust toward white people, and that reason is rooted in inherited trauma. This isn’t about blaming individuals today for the actions of their ancestors, but rather about understanding that this mistrust has been shaped by real, deeply painful histories. Recognizing this can help us approach these conversations with more empathy and understanding on both sides. When we acknowledge the impact of intergenerational trauma, we can work toward healing together, rather than falling into cycles of judgment or misunderstanding.

[retrobassgirl]

Holocaust Memorial Day - A Timely Reflection

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 approaches. Like so many people, I find it a really difficult day. After the positive light of Chanukah I am aware that the date is fast approaching. As part of the editorial team here at the Star I now have to think about and consider how I might write about it too. With so many thoughts, it is hard to know where to begin. I am putting pen to paper on January 6th, just a week before we go to press. I want to take you back to the grim but heroic 80 year anniversary of January 6th 1945 but for now, permit me a digression.

HMD began in Britain in 2001. That was a difficult time for my family. My mother, Rose, had suffered throughout her life from what we would now consider to be PTSD. She would never talk about her earlier life, even to my father. Only her psychiatrist knew what she had experienced. When younger, she had made a number of unsuccessful attempts on her life and yet she had, paradoxically, become a successful, confident, influential and much respected, author, historian and local politician. She was also a wonderful mother. By 2001 however, she had begun to suffer increasingly from a form of dementia. The cruellest part was her gradual failure to recognise those around her. That eventually included myself. The mother who taught me Torah, who I argued with, respected and who understood me, no longer knew me. How does one say goodbye under such circumstances? She died almost 20 years ago of pneumonia, aged 75. She left behind some of her later diaries and a bunch of unpublished manuscripts from her early twenties; mostly rescued and hidden by my father. He told me that she had progressively burned a good deal of other writing and reminiscences.

My mother Rosa (Salz) aged 23

My mother found memories of the Shoah difficult, that at least, she would explain. I understand that like so many, she felt an incredible sense of guilt that she remained when others from her wider family were gone. After Eichman's trial in 1961 and execution in '62, she seems to have begun to confront memories and to throw herself into positive work, motherhood, writing and political activism. As a family we travelled to Germany on many occasions while she pursued research and met people. She continued to travel and research after I left home at 18, visiting the former Soviet Union, Poland (where the wider Salz family had lived), and the DDR. Her study was always full of books, both in German and English. She typed meticulous notes right up to her final illness but I am never clear that she found the answers she was looking for. Very little survives.

All this frenetic activity did however give me a mother capable of the most intelligent insights and a fund of historical information. Born in 1930, like most mothers who lived through that turbulent period, she was passionate in making sure that her daughter would never forget the events of the Shoah. Horror and terror were clearly not something she wanted to pass on to a child, but I am aware that she tried to give me the most balanced account of the events that she could as I grew in understanding. Six million horrifying deaths were counterbalanced by some positivity lest I assume that Jews were simply passive victims. She was always careful to explain that there was a will to fight back that could not be ignored by hateful Nazi forces. For one thing I am eternally grateful: I grew up knowing that there was also a Jewish Resistance, the ghetto uprisings and selfless acts of bravery from so many. I retell one such story below. The story, though heroic, contains disturbing details. I struggle to deal with these now and I know that my mother struggled more. The heroism of the Jewish resistance was the heroism of those who knew they would not escape alive. That they fought back at all was truly remarkable and hard for me to comprehend. My generation owes so much to these courageous men and women.

Rosa Robota (1921-1945) – Heroine of the Jewish Resistance in Auschwitz-Birkenau (photo Courtesy of the Wiener Holocaust Library)

Exactly 80 years ago as I write, on January 6th 1945, four young Jewish women resistors were hanged by the SS in Auschwitz. Their leader was Roza Robota, pictured above. Her fellow resistors were Ala Gertner, Ester Wajcblum and Regina Safirszstajn. These four courageous women, had successfully enabled a Sonderkommando revolt in October 1944. It was a daring plan involving the co-ordinated work of many people, but without Rosa’s work, it would never have happened. How it was arranged was a story of painstaking planning, secrecy and personal sacrifice. Various accounts survive. Yad Vashem has a brief one page entry with the bare facts.

Born in 1921 in Ciechanow, Poland (Zichenau in German), Rosa, as well as being my mother's namesake, also shared her Hebrew name: Shoshanah. Like my mother, she had grown up a political activist and was a member of the Ha-Shomer ha-Tsa’ir Zionist underground movement. In 1942, the Nazi forces cleared the Zichenau Ghetto where she had been forced to live. Rosa was transported to Auschwitz with the rest of her family, none of whom survived the selection process apart from herself. She was imprisoned in Auschwitz II. She was later transferred to Birkenau and made to work in the women’s

clothing kommando. These girls had the trauma of sorting and processing clothes taken from the dead. Rosa however was able to organise a resistance group within her unit and make contact with one of the sonderkommando units attached to crematorium 4.

The Sonderkommando were mainly Jewish men, forced to dispose of corpses from the gas chambers. They had traumatic work, sometimes having to deal with the murdered relatives or friends they had known. They were forced to work or suffer death themselves. They played no part in the killings and were kept apart from other camp inmates to maintain secrecy.

Between 1942 and ‘44, Rosa secretly recruited the help of girls forced to work in the Weichsel-Union-Metallwerke factory which produced detonators for artillery shells. At great risk to themselves, these girls, (including Ala Gertner, Ester Wajcblum and Regina Safirszstajn) smuggled tiny, concealed quantities of schwarzpulver (gunpowder) which Rosa then passed on to the men of the Sonderkommando. By October 1944, there was however a considerable amount of explosive hidden in the crematorium. Reputedly some was used to make crude, makeshift grenades and the rest to fabricate explosive charges to destroy the crematorium. Added to this, the Sonderkommando also possessed some small arms smuggled in to the camp by partisans as well as crudely fashioned knife blades.

On October 7th 1944, on a given signal, the revolt broke out. Initially the SS were taken by surprise. Some prisoners managed to escape but were soon rounded up. There was hand to hand fighting. Crematorium 4 was successfully put out of action and destroyed. Three SS men were killed and several more injured before the revolt was brutally suppressed. Most of the Sonderkommando were summarily executed but a few retained for interrogation. When they revealed the names of the women involved these were then arrested and brutally tortured in the notorious Bloc II. Rosa was the only one with any genuinely useful information but in spite of her Nazi captor’s horrific treatment, she never revealed the names of her fellow resistors.

Rosa was only 23 when she was hanged by the Nazis on January 6th 1945. I find it hard to imagine what strength, bravery and resilience it must have taken for her to remain silent after being so brutally and repeatedly tortured. Her work and her steadfast resistance, remind us that even in those incredibly dark times, Jews like her, never gave up and resisted to the last. I for one am thankful.

3 weeks later, on 27th January 1945, the Red Army liberated Auschwitz. The date is now recognised as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Roza Robato in her 20's (photo courtesy of the Wiener Holocaust Library)

(Originally published in the Bradford Star - January 6th 2025)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history. Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:

Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.

Review:

A girl willing to go to great lengths to rescue her sister from an evil king soon finds herself working together with the king's half brother in order to stage a coup and destroy the king. Based and inspired on real historical events/figures, the story is set in 1506, Josean, in which the evil tyrant King Yeonsan rules. Known for his cruelty and horrific abuse of women and girls, King Yeonsan will kidnap married women and young girls to abuse, traffic, and use as playthings. When seventeen year old Iseul's older sister is taken to become the king's latest prey, Iseul will do anything to get her back. The king's power is absolute and to challenge him would mean certain death. Prince Daehyun has not only witnessed but committed many horrifying acts in order to simply survive in his half brother's rule. He has been forced to shut his emotions off in order to just survive... having to watch King Yeonsan's rampant executions and abuse of people... and Daehyun has been bidding his time, patiently waiting to stage a coup and dethrone his brother. Daehyun and Iseul's path cross and despite their dislike for one another, their deeper hatred for the king will bond them together as they seek to free themselves of this monster. All the while a different monster is on the loose, a killer known as Nameless Flower, prowls the street, leaving behind dead bodies and messages to the king. Can Daehyun and Iseul make it out alive or were their chances impossible to begin with? This was such a heart wrenching and brutal read, especially since it is based on real history and on real atrocities committed. I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors that had occurred. The story was a fantastic look into this moment in history and despite how hard it was to read at some points, I was absolutely gripped until the very end and was so happy with how things turned out. I would absolutely recommend this for anyone who enjoys stories based on history, heart wrenching stories, and just a good read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[koskela-knights]

Random Koskela HCs

Headcanons partially based on what I've seen in the game so far, which includes some of the manuscript pages & the commercials (*Some spoilers ahead thus*)

Ilmo is the younger twin with an age difference of 3 solid minutes

Ilmo's entrepreneur & creative spirit is balanced out by Jaakko's no-nonsense attitude.

However, I like to think that Jaakko has had his share of wacky, wild ideas but happily gives Ilmo the credit for them since most residents already view Jaakko as the less quirky brother.

It was actually Jaakko who came up with the floats they can't show on television.

The Koskelas are inseparable from each other and also from their baseball cap and beanie.

They probably lived in Watery their whole life.

Ilmo looks up to his brother, even though he doesn't always say this out loud.

The brothers have a bunch of tapes with bloopers from their commercials that they watch when drinking beers together after a long day of work.

Every now and then, when the weather's good, they like to race each other on their motorcycles. It got them in trouble more than once with the deputies, but fuck the government and police!

They also like to make long tours on their bikes, taking in the views of the landscape.

Extended Family

Jaakko met his wife who was a tourist visiting Bright Falls. They had kids but in the end it didn't work out with them because his wife was a city woman, plus Jaakko's involvement with so many Koskela businesses left him with little to no time for her.

Still, he has an okay bond with his ex and a good relationship with his kids. They mainly keep contact through e-mail and occasional phone calls. During some holidays, the kids visit Jaakko in Watery.

When the kids were young, Jaakko's built them some toys and mini attractions (like a mini moose spring rider)

Ilmo tried his best to be The Cool Uncle but didn't always succeed where he wanted to. Being a smalltown resident, he was often out of touch with the big city customs and cultures.

Other random stuff

Although the local government isn't always too happy about so many things being owned by the Koskelas, it gives the town their fair share of income and it helps locals get jobs and keep a community feel.

Ilmo took evening classes to become an entrepreneur

He had to grow into his more extroverted persona.

Ilmo hates it when tourists pronounce or write his name wrong. No his name is not Elmo and he doesn't know who that furry red thing is. (There have been instances where Jaakko told naive tourists that 'Elmo' is the correct English version they could use instead)

Ilmo once considered doing tour guides on his motorcycle but Jaakko talked him out of it.

Angsty

Ilmo sometimes feels he has to overcompensate in his achievements. Since he looks up to Jaakko, who is his business partner and has a family, Ilmo fears he will fall behind.

Jaakko wishes his kids would stay in Watery, but knowing how shady the place is, he is glad they live far away from their hometown.

Jaakko was initially afraid to become a dad, but Ilmo hyped him up and supported him through the process.

No matter how many Taken they've killed, it hurts each time. Especially if they've known the person who got transformed.

Jaakko was the first one to kill a Taken, which he did after Ilmo initially hesitated which almost got him heavily injured.

Ilmo isn't superstitious, but there always remained a lingering fear that one day he would turn out like the historical figure Illmari. After the events of AW2, he blames himself heavily for Jaakko's death.

Ilmo has survivor's guilt.

After Jaakko's death, Ilmo can't immediately grieve, because there is still an evil to defeat, plus he still has all his responsibilities for the multiple businesses he runs. But keeping up a facade isn't easy.

Ilmo doesn't know what to tell Jaako's kids. How is he supposed to explain what happened to their father? The only "consolation" is that Jaakko's death was quick, he didn't have to bleed out or anything. Still, it was super messed up and Ilmo has nightmares.

[1863-project]

hi! i recently went to visit NYC with my friend (it was fun!! veeery crowded but fun) and she mentioned that 1) there are a lot of abandoned rail lines around NYC, some of which have been reopened and 2) there's apparently an event in grand central where they put a lot of the old trains out on display???

i didn't have time but i'd love to check both of those out if i ever visit again - i was wondering if you knew any more about them? + also if you have any other recommendations for what else to see around the city 👉👈 tysm!!!

Hey, I'm so glad you had a great time in my city! NYC is really a wonderful place, even though we're packed like sardines in here.

There are definitely a lot of rail lines that aren't currently in use in and around NYC, as well as some that are only used for freight. We used to be a pretty dense railroad hub (before cars fully took over). The proposed Interborough Express would run on the Bay Ridge Branch of the LIRR, which hasn't carried passengers since 1924 and has been exclusively used for freight since. If you go into neighborhoods that once contained shipping warehouses, like Industry City in Brooklyn, you can find railroad infrastructure if you know where to look still. A bit further afield, they're looking to hopefully someday return rail service to the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western's old Lackawanna Cutoff, which would allow New Jersey Transit trains to go non-stop between Hoboken, New Jersey and Scranton, Pennsylvania. And of course, we have a myriad of abandoned subway stations, which you can look for as you pass through on your way to other destinations! (City Hall is the one I recommend trying to see the most - just stay on the 6 Train until it loops around after its last stop and you'll pass through as it gets set up to go back uptown. Or you can become a member of the New York Transit Museum and go on a tour, like I did.)

Actually, visiting the aforementioned New York Transit Museum makes getting into an abandoned station easy as pie. You pay $10 to get in and you're in the old Court Street Station. If you like trains (or trolleys or busses!) on any level I highly recommend it.

RE: Grand Central, that was an old event done for National Train Day, and I don't know if they still do it but it would generally be in early May if they bring it back. I know they've been known to roll out the Hickory Creek for that - it's an observation car that used to be on the 20th Century Limited, the New York Central's flagship service between NYC and Chicago. The Hickory Creek is maintained by the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey and it tends to be in their yard in Boonton, NJ when it's not running on private charters.

For other recommendations - oh my God, if you haven't been to the American Museum of Natural History, you have to go. It's my favorite place in the entire world. I'll also recommend the Bronx Zoo, the Wildlife Conservation Society's headquarters, as they do a lot of work towards the conservation of endangered species and education. If you like baseball, Citi Field (where my useless Mets play) has significantly better food options than Yankee Stadium, and I'm not saying this out of bias - Yankees fans agree with me.

Avoid Times Square. It may be geared towards tourists, but everyone who actually lives here hates it because it's too crowded and you can't get where you're trying to go. If you really have to go to Raising Cane's or Junior's Cheesecake there are locations in Brooklyn that are so much less crowded.

If you have questions on anything specific I'm happy to help! I love sharing my city with other people!