#It is a very present evil in today's society

[gay-furry-poseidon-lover]

All of this is very fair, and good to read about. Though I do think Op has a point about the black and white of how people treat Epic's Odysseus verses anyone who gets in his way, and how hypocritical the treatment of Calypso specifically is if you look at how like. Any man in greek myths is treated. I believe Odysseus took women as slaves on his ship in The Illiad. Sometimes its someone else but he is one of the people who said they must kill the son of Hector, he dropped this baby off of a wall. Sure you can argue "it was willed by Zues," but I dont think that makes it any better morally. When he gets home he commands that an unfaithful servant be strung up and tortured untill death, as well as killing every female servant who was unfaithful to him. We dont neccesarily know to what degree, or even if engagement with the suitors was consensual. But all of this is to say that there really is no true good or evil character. I say all of these things as someone who really enjoys the Odyssey and Odysseus. We can recognize that acting in the ways he did would not be okay or acceptable in our society today, but we still tell his story and praise him for his loyalty and endurance.

Epic is a work of fiction inspired by The Odyssey. It is not meant to follow it exactly, nor portray an accurate example of how the story plays out in the book, and we must keep this in mind. In greek myth there are many versions of each story, many differing translations and interpretations, and long before they were written down they were passed on through oral tradition. I approach this with the mind that with each new retelling we learn about the time it was written, and what biases a translator or story teller may have let leak into it. Not that they are neccesarily false, just different, and products of different people.

A persons first introduction to Calypso will certainly influence their opinions on her as she is present in many different pieces of media. And what i think is most important is that we remember she is fictional. She's a goddess, a nymph, someone that exists only in the stories we tell. And the same with Odysseus. Its very likely writers took inspirations from real heroes and their experiences, but the Odysseus we know today is not a real person. Neither him nor Calypso are personally affected by the things we say about them. You can't conflate theorizing about the different possibilities of how an ancient story went with say, denying the story of a modern victim of rape. These are very different things in very different contexts. I thought fans of greek myth would be on the same page about this, what with the plentiful rape, incest, murder, slavery, and beastiality described in myths. But apparantly it needs to be said that enjoying stories that contain violence and crimes like these does not mean you condone or support these actions taking place in our modern society.

People are free to talk about Zues and enjoy his character without constantly giving disclaimers that we can never forgive him and he has done bad things. Because we know that, its established, its clear. People dont accuse you of being a rape sympathizer or being into fucking cows just because you mention Zues. Hes low hanging fruit though. Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis and Apollo, theyve all done horrific shit. But we dont immediately critisize anyone who talks of them fondly. Achilles did it with a corpse cause he thought she was just that beautiful. Obviously thats gross and bad. Liking his stories doesnt automatically mean you agree with that.

I'm not on tiktok (thank god) but ive seen a couple videos and posts that are very black and white. Calypso is an evil abusor and if you like her than you support abuse and rape. It's annoying as hell. I've been abused, ive been in coercive sexual relationships, I know first hand that thats bad. Duh. And if you find comfort in relating to Odysseus because of your own experiences, and that leads you to hate Calypso, thats okay. If people talking about Calypso is upsetting or triggering to you, don't engage with it by all means. Take care of yourself. Block, hit not interested, scroll away.

But what you should not do is tell random people on the internet that they are as bad as rapist abusors because they were talking about the one sided love of a nymph goddess and a mortal man in a musical inspired by anime and video games.

People are able to sepparate fiction from reality with so many other characters, why is it that Calypso is such a controversial one. Her character, and her backstory, have so much to explore and think about, and we can do that without believing that she is without any flaws or faults.

Think of her what you want, say about her what you want. Just stop projecting whatever beliefs you have about what it means to enjoy a fictional character onto everyone who disagrees with you. If you are do passionate about justice for victims, go outside, engage with local communities, see a friend, see a therapist. Speak out about the real, alive abusors and rapists who hold positions of power in our world right now. That will bring much more good to the world than starting discourse on tiktok, I promise you. (not directed at op or reblogger, but for people in general.)

Something I'm starting to notice about this fandom; y'all can like Epic's version of Odysseus without trying to paint Calypso as a rapist.

Odysseus in the original tale did cheat on his wife. Several times. And there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that. But trying to paint him as blameless and all the other women as rapists for seducing him is not the winning move y'all think it is.

Like Tiktok is becoming the worst when it comes to the topic of Calypso.

[apazwtsn]

Bro, why are people so rude?

What does it cost them, simply, to respect a different opinion?

What does it cost them to be tolerant?

What is it difficult for they to understand that there is a concept or idea that is foreign to theirs and that's fine?

What does it cost them, instead of responding aggressively and reaching the point of wishing death on someone; be responsible and leave aside what they don't like or agree with?

It makes me SICK that I'm 14 and that most adults on any platform are SO irresponsible and rude to each other.

Since when did Tumblr get so toxic, good lord?

[jewish-sideblog]

I think people forget that the Nazis never said they were the bad guys. If someone says, hey, I’m evil! You don’t let them take over your country. They presented themselves as scientific, not hateful. By their own account, they were progressives, and the superiority of White Europe over the other races was a proven and immutable fact. They had scientists and archaeologists and historians to prove it. They didn’t tell people they wanted to kill the Jews because they were hateful. They manufactured evidence to frame us for very real tragedies, and they had methodological research to prove that we were genetically predisposed to misconduct. Wouldn’t you believe that?

Hollywood has spent the last 80 years portraying the Nazis as an obvious and intimidating evil. That’s a good thing in some ways, because we want general audiences to recognize that they were evil. But we also want them to be able to recognize how and why they came to power. Not by self-describing themselves as an evil empire, but by convincing people that they were the good guys and the saviors. They hosted the Olympics. Several European countries capitulated and volunteered themselves to the Empire. There were American and British Fascist Parties. They had broad public support. Hollywood never shows that part, so general audiences never learn to recognize the actual signs of antisemitism.

People today think they can’t possibly be antisemitic, because they’re leftist! They abhor bigotry! They could never comprehend Nazi ideology coming from the mouth of a bisexual college student wearing a graphic tee and jeans. How could they? The only depiction of antisemites they’ve ever seen have been gaunt, pale, middle-aged men in black leather trench coats with skulls on their caps.

If the Nazis time-travelled from the 1930s and wanted to take power now, they’d change their original tactics, but not by much. They would target countries suffering from an identity crisis and an economic collapse. They would portray themselves as the pinnacle of what that society considers progressive. Back then, it was race science. These days it’s performative wokeness. Once they’d garnered enough respect and reputation, they’d begin manufacturing propaganda and lies to manipulate people’s anger and fears at a single target— Jews.

If the Nazis made an actual return, they wouldn’t look like neo-Nazis. They wouldn’t be nearly as obvious about their hatred. Their evil wouldn’t give them yellow eyes, and no suspenseful music would play when they walked in the room. They’d be friendly. They’d look like you. They would learn what things your community fears and what things you already hate. They would lie and fabricate evidence to connect the rich elites and the imperialists you revile to a single source of unequivocal Jewish evil. It wouldn’t be hard— they already have two-thousand years of institutional antisemitism they can rely on to paint their picture.

If you’re curious why antisemitism today is coming from grassroots organizations, young, liberal college campuses, suburban neighborhoods with pride flags and All Are Welcome Here signs? That’s why. It’s because, as a global society, we’ve forgotten that the world didn’t used to see the Nazis as bad guys. And what is forgotten about history is doomed to be repeated.

[archiveikemen]

Ikemen Villains Prologue: Act 2

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

Victor: From this moment on, you are officially a “Fairytale Keeper”, a position exclusive to “Crown”.

Victor: Kate will live in the castle from now onwards and work alongside the members of “Crown”.

Victor: The members of “Crown” will also keep an eye on her, to make sure she doesn't reveal any secrets.

Victor: During this time, Kate will write down your evil deeds. Just like she’s writing a fairytale.

…

Victor: If you want to return to your normal life after a month… don't let any of them steal your heart.

…

A week has passed since I started my life of sin as a Fairytale Keeper.

Following Victor’s advice, I haven’t fallen in love with anyone.

This way, once I prove to them that I’m a trustworthy person able to keep secrets, I’ll be able to return home safely soon.

That was what I thought, then it happened.

A pure white evil descended on England—

Victor: There is only one reason for gathering all of you here today.

Victor: That is to introduce our guests from Germany—

Victor: — to Crown and Kate.

Victor: May I ask you to kindly introduce yourself?

Angelic Man: A pleasure to meet you, dear members of Crown.

Darius: I’m Darius Vogel, the Chief of “Vogel”, an organisation under direct command of the Emperor of Germany.

Victor: Vogel is said to be a research organisation that promotes the contribution to society by Cursed Ones.

Victor: They will be living in the Royal Palace for a few months as goodwill ambassadors.

Darius: “The power of Curses for a better society” is our motto.

Darius: Although Cursed Ones presently live in the darkness, we believe that there are greater ways they can engage with society!

Darius: Just imagine a future where Cursed Ones and normal humans work alongside each other… exciting, isn’t it?

Darius: The moment I heard about this wonderful organisation in England named “Crown”, I couldn’t contain myself!

Harrison: …

Darius: Oh, don’t worry! This goes without saying, but only a few people in Germany know about the existence of “Cursed Ones”.

Darius: We know about “Crown” because all of us in Vogel are cursed too.

Darius: Interacting more with our fellow Cursed Ones helps to deepen our understanding of Curses and their abilities, right?

Darius: We could have a dinner party, or we could accompany you on your missions for field studies. c

Victor: To the outside world, they came to England as diplomats. Their real purpose of researching Curses is kept secret.

Darius: Thank you for your thorough addition, Sir Queen’s Aide. Although our positions require us to keep many secrets from one another…

Darius: I hope to establish a new regularity together with all of you.

Darius: By the way… it appears that Sir William Rex isn’t here. Where is he?

Victor: Ah, William isn’t here with us today. Please excuse him.

Darius: Oh really? That’s a pity. … I thought I’d finally get to meet him in person…

Darius: Well, I suppose it’s understandable because we arrived a few days earlier than expected.

Darius: Well then, allow me to introduce these two. They’re a pair of twins; the older one is Nica, and the younger one is Ring.

Darius: Now, be good and introduce yourselves to everyone.

Ring: Ring Schwartz… we’ll be in your care for the next few months. I’ll show no mercy if you attempt to harm us.

Nica: Goodness, don’t be so intimidating. Sorry for my brother’s rudeness.

Nica: As you can see, even though he’s an adorable and good kid, he’s very wary like a dog. Oh, I should introduce myself too.

Nica: Guten Tag, members of Crown. I’m Nica Schwartz. Nice to meet you all

Darius: Yup, Nica’s a well-behaved one.

Darius: Nica, Ring, and I are like a “family”.

Darius: I hope we can become this close with Crown as well.

Darius: … Oh? I heard that Crown consists of the Queen’s Aide and eight men… who might you be?

Kate: I’m Kate, the “Fairytale Keeper”.

Victor: Kate isn’t a Cursed One, but she’s an important person who records Crown’s activities.

Darius: “Important person”? Hmm…

Darius: If she’s an “important person” to Crown, we should be courteous with her too.

Ring: …

Nica: You’re right, Dari. I’m so glad there’s someone else other than a bunch of guys here.

Nica: Nice to meet you, cute little robin.

Kate: … Nice to meet you too.

…

After parting ways with Vogel who went on to spend time in the room Victor prepared for them in the palace, I returned to the castle with the members of Crown.

(I’ve finally adapted to my life here, but I have a feeling that something’s about to change.)

I thought back to our meeting with Vogel.

(Vogel… a research organisation made up of Cursed Ones. So that means things like curses exist outside of England too.)

(Darius is always smiling, he looks like an angel.)

(Nica seems spirited and easy to talk to, while Ring on the other hand seems cold. They’re twins, but the impressions they give off are polar opposites.)

(Anyway, they seem like friendly people… but why do I have a gut feeling that’s not true…?)

(Did spending time with Crown and being exposed to all sorts of evil make me suspicious…?)

Harrison: … You felt it too?

Kate: Huh?

Harrison: Those guys were lying.

…

Nica: “Fairytale Keeper”, huh. The data we had beforehand didn’t include any information on the existence of that girl and her role.

Nica: I’m guessing that she just happened to discover the existence of Crown and is currently being surveillanced by them. What do you think, Ring?

Ring: …

Nica: … Ring? Are you listening?

Ring: Oh… I don’t understand complicated things, but I think it’s best to refrain from speaking based on mere speculation.

Ring: All I can say is… as long as we’re not clear on her true nature, we should be wary of her.

Darius: I mean, even though she’s a “Fairytale Keeper”, she looks like an ordinary “human”. There’s nothing much she can do.

Darius: Growing our “family” is the most important. Don’t forget our goal.

Nica: Verstanden / Understood.

Ring: … Yeah.

Darius: I can’t wait to chat with everyone more… fufu.

[pantheonofcoffee]

Don't You Just LOVE art.

Art through the passage of time, that passes hands over the decades from one generation to the next!

I couldn't help but expand more on something I mentioned in the Captain Marvel Community.

Look at meh boi Tawky Tawny. You can tell what artists are influenced by today's furry art, specifically XD. Like, it's really good art!

This is amazing design. But comparing the cartoony style that is reminiscent of children's books/cartoons versus this iteration you can see the influences.

Let the Tawny Demonstration Begin!

Above is tawky from Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil. He is... A talking tiger and drawn as such. His body and proportions are rounded, with no real anthropomorphic qualities (visually) and extra details really only drawn when he is being a "threatening" tiger. Even taking into account the artstyle, he is almost always slightly simpler and more rounded than his surroundings which actually makes him stand out MORE in a subconscious way as something *fantastical*

Above is Tawky in Power of Shazam! Again, he is given soft rounded proportions, very enlarged and rounded hands, and though it might not seem like it immediately since he does feel rooted in the scene, he has LESS details than Mary. So in this instance, we are given an anthropomorphic animal, much like some cartoon depictions of animals especially popular at this time. The lack of specific details and, though anthropomorphic, still heavily animilastic but friendly proportions (rounded out to hide even more ambiguous details about the unknown anatomy of this tiger, rounded features also give a friendlier feeling, like the squished round face of a teddy bear 🧸 instead of accurate tiger facial structures).

All of this compared with the modern 2023-present version of Tawky Tawny, who is HIGHLY anthropomorphic, detailed in his clothes, texture, shading, and anatomy (which veers strongly towards the side of the spectrum of human-like exaggerated musculatory system) with a Tiger head on top (again, detailed and far more accurate depiction of a tiger head than his earlier iterations) the man now has opposable thumbs!!

Power of Shazam and the current run of Shazam!, they are BOTH anthro tigers wearing a green suit and standing around on two feet, but have vastly different vibes.

It's about ✨️ presentation ✨️ and influence. What influenced the Power of Shazam design? Most likely cartoons and plushies.

Now... what could have possibly influenced the 2023 Shazam! depiction 👀

Tawny art and depiction through the ages, everybody!

[johannestevans]

it's interesting watching films about institutional abuses inflicted by the catholic church, bc there's a balance of like. the understanding that bc nuns are seen as sexually untouchable, there's often an obsession with their lack of sexual availability in film and literature

a nun being sexually unavailable is often responded to within the male gaze under the traditional binary of like. either virgin or whore dichotomy - either she is treated as a temptress beyond measure, a slut under her vestments, a horny fantasy OR…

she is treated as untouchable - but despite literally being in nun's vestments like. she is very much not a madonna. she is often not treated as maternal, but instead as a cruel spinster, evil, frustrated, cruel

nuns are often figured and calculated as like, scheming and treacherous in a contrast to the way that priests are presented, with this idea that because they're women, they're just inherently crueller than men, and priests ofc just want to be kind

it's interesting when you see this in adaptations of institutional abuse where the abject and obvious cruelty of nuns is contrasted with priests' kindness, and the idea that like. priests were kind because they wanted to sexually abuse their charges, which ofc, those nuns didn't (!)

that nun could literally have just stripped a child naked and attacked their genitals, but this is treated as non-sexual (because women don't feel sexual desire), whereas any touch from the priest anywhere on the body is loaded with sexual intent (because men ONLY feel desire)

and like i said like. some of this is ultimately misogynistic reproach of a woman who is not only sexually unavailable, but also has more power, autonomy, and agency than an average woman, especially in period pieces

but also it's. real. it's not just misogyny. many women have always become nuns because what they wanted was power over vulnerable people - it's the same reason any abusive people are drawn to becoming cops or doctors or nurses or teachers, bc abusers like authority

sure, some nuns absolutely joined the novitiate bc they were drawn by their faith or to escape general misogyny in society, but esp in pieces that grapple with colonial outreaches of cultural control and genocide with the catholic church, like. they're violently white supremacist

the whole outreach of the church was (and is today) in this sort of abusive conversion schooling is of course inherently violent, but without becoming the matriarch of a family - smth that has to do with luck and leveraging social status within family lines - you didn't have like

this level of unfettered access, control over, and free reign to abuse the vulnerable as you pleased. especially given how many nuns were stationed in schools, orphanages, and hospitals, like. ofc that would have been attractive for an abuser

and idk like. in most of society there is a desire to reform or rehabilitate the image of white women in regards to the violence of white supremacy - people often station the husband or patriarch as violently white supremacist and racist, but his wife/female relatives as less so

their racism is inherently made out to be less violent, more well-meaning, coming simply from lack of education or exposure, from naivety

and this is like. misogyny 101 and also white women's tears 101

the same naivety is rarely applied to the violence of nuns

but at the same time like. it sometimes in film feels as if it's being treated as like. a natural tendency of women in positions of power to be cruel

rather than the fact that in our patriarchal society, cruelty and punishment of social lessers benefits women's social mobility

and that in centuries past particularly, women who were especially condemnatory or punitive to other women, esp fallen women, and in this case like. brown and indigenous children, children of colour, children speaking minority languages or from minoritised non-catholic cultures

could benefit from that power and fear within the institutions in which they functioned, and did pretty happily and without any guilt.

and none of them will ever be fuckin prosecuted, a bunch of them today are either still working or happily retired. agony to them all.

[alchamy34]

Why Wonderbat Works

Okay, so this isn't meant to offend batcat shippers, I'm am just talking about a ship I adore so much.

So Bruce and Diana may seem like oil and water opposites but they aren't. That's just what some shows want fans to think, and unfortunately I fell for it until I found out about wonderbat.

The reason that animated movies won't make it a canon relationship is because it will be healthy and heartwarming. They are both stubborn and believe in justice as well as sharing similar wounds. And that in their childhood they had the same goals. To fight evil and protect the people. Sure Superman had that kinda goal but he had a completely different form of motivation for it.

I like wonderbat because the dark brooding bat with the immortal strong willed justice warrior princess works.

Diana could help Bruce become better mentally, she isn't afraid of him with the costume on. She cares for him and inspires him.

Batman is terrifying to criminals, hell some of the other league members fear him. But Diana sees through that, and also through the billionaire playboy persona. So it can be difficult for Bruce to push her away. That just makes the ship even more compelling.

Obviously I liked Justice League unlimited because of the ship. It just has so much potential and even today fans are rooting for it.

Another reason why I love wonderbat is because Diana loved Steve Trevor, she later liked Bruce. Why? I know they're nothing alike but it makes sense in the DCEU. When Diana met Steve, she was naive, but determined. She knew very little about Man's World. But when Bruce came into her life, she was more mature and aware of society as well as mastering the skill of fitting in. She knew better. Past Diana needed Steve Trevor to learn and grow but present Diana is there for Bruce because she already became the woman that the dark knight needs in his life.

So the ship makes sense in the movies and the cartoon. It's cute, humorous and teaches the fans something. It's still so popular that I was writing a fanfic about it. It's still a WIP but I'm trying to be accurate on it. I really want to actually join the wonderbat community.

[misscammiedawn]

The Strange Case of Murder Alters

CW: Discussions of real life murder, sexual violence and heavy stigmatization of the mentally ill

-

It's not easy writing essays about positive representation for complex dissociative disorders in fiction.

Even the most compassionate cases of intentional representation have flawed elements to them. There is no perfect depiction of plurality in popular culture as even those who specialize in the understanding and treatment of dissociative disorders do not have a full understanding of what it is like to live with conditions like this and those who do are often disregarded.

That all goes without noting that it is a highly subjective experience. There are as many presentations of plurality as there are plural people.

In writing this essay series I want to avoid murder alters because I hate how they are used to harm the most vulnerable people in our society.

But at the very least I can do my best to try and understand why people have this horrible view of others such as we...

Because behind the misunderstanding of our condition there is another issue at play.

The zeitgeist.

Today I want to talk about the social impact of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

-

Released in 1886, the story is a mystery about a lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who is investigating the suspected extortion of a his friend and client, Dr. Henry Jekyll by a thug named Edward Hyde.

It is so popular a piece of fiction that it has been adapted over 100 times.

See, the book is a mystery in which a lawyer uncovers the truth about the miracle elixir that allows Henry Jekyll to alter his appearance so that he may drop his social obligations and act without fear of consequence, knowing he can live his respectable life as Jekyll and any depravity within his soul can be exorcised within the guide of Edward Hyde with the Jekyll name unsullied.

The reveal that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person does not happen until the final pages, after Utterson discovers Hyde's body in Jekyll's lab, dressed in Henry's clothes and with a confession letter explaining the whole affair. It concludes that he can no longer control the physical transformations and that he will either be executed or have the courage to commit suicide. Either way the consequences fall onto someone other than himself.

Will Hyde die upon the scaffold? or will he find courage to release himself at the last moment? God knows; I am careless; this is my true hour of death, and what is to follow concerns another than myself. Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.

Henry had compartmentalized enough of his undesirable impulses and emotions that he stored them in an entirely other vessel, dissociating himself from the actions of Hyde enough that he ends his confession that they are the same with the notion that the consequences of their actions falls on someone other than himself.

Dissociative Identity Disorder has long been recognized as a condition though it was not fully understood, even by today's clouded understandings. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) has medical journals dating as far back as 1831 on the topic.

Though the concept of "dual personalities" was a curiosity to the medical community it was often discussed in the same breath as hypnotism, spirit mediums and possession. It was still understood and studied at the time.

Stevenson was clearly obsessed with the concept of duality of the soul as Jekyll and Hyde was his third attempt at writing a story which centered on the war of Good and Evil within a single soul.

His previous attempt at the concept, Markheim, is a short story about a man who commits a murder of passion while shopping for a gift to get his fiancee.

The story heavily features the concept of mirrors with the titular Markheim terrified of his own reflection, noting that there is nothing within a mirror that he wishes to see. After killing the store owner he searches the house for money and is approached by a stranger who debates with him on the concepts of good and evil, acting as a spiritual mirror that Markheim must see himself within until he stops trying to deny and obfuscate his responsibility in the evils he has committed.

The story ends with him woefully confessing that he has lost the love of good but still hates evil and confesses for the murder, allowing himself to be arrested.

The stories less focus on dissociated personalities and more upon the way a person can self justify unspeakable acts to themselves by avoiding their own reflection.

I'd mentioned that Jekyll and Hyde had been adapted over 100 times?

Perhaps I misspoke. You must forgive me...

You know, I'd imagined this essay as a video. I simply have never dabbled with the form and am concerned I would take to the form with the grace and skill of James Somerton. It's far easier to stick with the devil that I know, namely typing an irresponsible number of words at my Tumblr audience.

Indulging the mental image a moment, however, the prior segment having us (Camden potentially?) bathed in golden light wearing a suit and a top hat, speaking in a refined and elegant version of our English accent before switching to me (Dawn) in red light disheveled and looking oh so slutty and talking with a little bit of our old cockney twang.

You'll forgive my distraction for this little aside, I am simply too vain not to paint that mental picture as I type.

See, there are hundreds of Jekyll and Hyde adaptations. The issue is they are adaptations of Thomas Russell Sullivan's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a stage play that ran for 20 years with its run starting with Madison Square Theatre and Lyceum Theatre in New York and London respectively.

The stage play tells a neat chronological story focused on Dr. Jekyll rather than an investigation which flits between events as in the book. Moreover the play goes to lengths to sharpen the contrast between Jekyll and Hyde, a trend which would continue down the decades, allowing for Jekyll to be more socially active and Hyde's evil to be more random in its cruelty. The play also introduced women to the narrative and allowed for Hyde's depravity to include sexual violence. The original novella lacked any sexual motivation for Hyde and Stevenson outright denied that Hyde's "unspecified crimes" included sexual violence.

The other major change between the play and the book is that the lead actor, Richard Mansfield, insisted on playing the dual role. In fact the play was commissioned specifically to allow him this opportunity.

To quote a review in The Times (August 6th, 1888)

There is but little scope for acting in what has been described as Mr. Stevenson's "psychological study." As applied to the dramatic version of Mr. Stevenson's book, the accuracy of the word "psychological" is open to question. There is no transfusion of thought or character between "Dr. Jekyll" and "Mr. Hyde." In look, dress, and action they are wholly distinct individuals; and Mr. Mansfield's appearances, now in the one part and now in the other, involve no more psychology than the "business" of a "quick-change artiste" in the music-halls. There is much more psychology, for example, in Mr. Irving's impersonation of Mathias in The Bells, where the conscience-stricken burgomaster leads a double life - one in the society of his family and friends, the other in the solitude of his chamber. But except in the hands of a master, psychology is of small account on the stage, which deals much more effectively with the cardinal passions. It is with no regret that we note the absence of the psychological element from the dramatic version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

In the book the transformation was a physical change that allowed for Henry to act without repression allowing for an exploration into the psyche of an individual caught between actions which one can look at themselves in the mirror performing and those which they simply cannot accept as part of themselves.

In the play the transformation still plays out but it is one man acting both parts and using the weight of performance to mark them as separate characters. A transformation between good and evil spurred on by the elixir. As it was the first major adaption, however, the transformation was not displayed in light until the third act, allowing the twist and its shock to be preserved.

But still an act before the finale.

With every adaption, it seems, the contrast between Henry and Edward's good and evil sharpened and more and more of the audience entered the fiction armed with the knowledge of the transformation.

The gap grew wider.

As the elements changed the story became less about the war of desires versus reputation within a single man and more about a paragon divide between good and evil. A divide which allowed Henry to become more philanthropic and Edward to become more depraved. The further from the original we drifted the more wholly divided the parts of Jekyll became.

The play itself was a success and as noted all subsequent adaptations of the material would go on to focus on the chronological telling of events with the good doctor and his evil alter ego as the central figures, often dismissing Gabriel Utterson from the narrative entirely.

But there is one other element at play.

(if this were the video essay I'd dreamed it as then this would be where I snuck in a clip from Murder, Murder from the Jekyll and Hyde musical)

In 1888 a series of murders caught the public's attention. Known colloquially as The Whitechapel Murders these crimes are more well known in association with the legend surrounding the suspect Jack The Ripper.

The 11 murders carried out between 1888 and 1891 are a crime and a tragedy that truly did occur in the streets of London. With all the cartoon representations of Spring Heeled Jack, the walking tours and the general romantic gothic ethos that has prevailed through history it is important to remember that.

Particularly as the lasting sensationalism from late 1800s London still carries lingering sentiments in the public psyche.

The first of the Whitechapel murders occurred on August 7th 1888. 3 days after the play opened in the Lyceum Theatre.

The press of the time were quick to jump upon the similarities. The Irish Times in September of 1888 were quick to make the moral accusations, decrying Hyde's depiction as murdering for the fun of the thing. The article, linked above, takes great glee in crafting a comparison when none had existed and in time the association caught on.

Enough that Richard Mansfield himself was suspected of being the murderer in question.

Days after the Irish Times story the following was published in The Star

“MEANWHILE,” writes an eccentric correspondent, “you, and every one of the papers, have missed the obvious solution of the Whitechapel myst-ery. The murderer is a Mr Hyde, who seeks in the repose and comparative respectability of Dr Jekyll security from the crimes he commits in his baser shape. Of course, the lively imaginations of your readers will at once supply certain means of identification for the Dr Jekyll whose Mr Hyde seems daily growing in ferocious intensity. If he should turn out to be a statesman engaged in the harmless pursuit of golf at North Berwick - well, you, sir, at least, will be able gratefully to remember that you have prepared your readers for the shock of the inevitable discovery.”

Another went as far as to claim that the victims being women was enough to link it to the character from Stevenson's book, a book which lacked female characters or victims.

The fact that a woman was the victim in each case, and that she was poor, takes away the suspicion of robbery and suggests some unutterably fiendish motive such as that which is supposed to animate the mystical character of Hyde in Mr Stevenson’s book. When the devilish nature of Hyde was pictured in the novel nobody could believe that his prototype could be found in real life. These atrocities and apparently cause-less murders show that there is abroad at the present time in the East End a human monster even more terrible than Hyde.

(source of these quotes and a far more detailed analysis of the Mansfield/Jack connection, please read The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Saucy Jacky by Alan Sharp)

The legend had shifted and the idea of Hyde had been solidified in the public consciousness and forever linked with the murders within Whitechapel.

In adaptation these days Edward Hyde is depicted as wearing a big long black coat, a top hat and a cane and coincidentally the vision of Jack the Ripper in the public perception has followed a similar path.

It was only in adaptations where Jekyll and Hyde shared an actor that they also shared a sense of style and the disguise had to take a certain gentleman dressed in shadow approach.

The original book makes a big point of Henry's attire being different from Hyde's as their size difference is enough that during the unexpected transformations they must fashion a way to look presentable. Lanyon describes Hyde's attire as "the trousers hanging on his legs and rolled up to keep them from the ground, the waist of the coat below his haunches, and the collar sprawling wide upon his shoulders."

Yet the public perception had found a tidy visualization of Hyde and the visualization of an unknown killer shared that same picture.

And so too was the concept of "dual personalities" linked with murderous intention.

Thus was born the murder alter.

In other Media, Myself and I entries I have worked hard to avoid murder alters. In our very first essay we opened with a passage noting that we wished for positive depictions of dissociative disorders in fiction. Breaking that rule today is a matter of understanding why so many pieces of fiction tend to lean so heavily on the idea of an evil alter ego who kills "for the joy of it".

Because as Jekyll and Hyde's adaptations became more influenced by the culture surrounding their own reception within the public canon, so too did the inspirations take leaps and bounds.

The concept of duality and split personalities was in the public consciousness and focused entirely on the concepts of Good and Evil.

But that only introduced the concept to the public psyche. Even with the links and public fascination with Hyde and Jack the Ripper it was still a matter which existed only in the public's collective imagination.

It was in 1957 when Ed Gein was convicted of a number of violent and horrific crimes that the conversation and assumption become twisted into the stigma that we all endure today. Gein was sentenced to life in a mental institution after being declared unfit for trial by reason of his schizophrenia diagnosis.

His crimes and life were scrutinized and sensationalized at the time and used heavily as inspiration for a number of thrillers including and most famously the novel Psycho by Robert Bloch and its movie adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock and the character of Buffalo Bill in both book and movie versions of The Silence of the Lambs.

The titular "Psycho" from the movie and novel, Norman Bates, is revealed to have an alter personality modeled after his mother who murders any women who get close to him and Buffalo Bill is a serial killer who wishes to become a woman by kidnapping young women and taking their skin.

Both characters would go on to contribute a lot of stigma to both the mentally ill and those who exist outside of the gender binary.

and... that's just sad. Obviously we know that not every person who experiments with clothing outside of their rigidly state assigned gender allocation will have murderous intention. That's absurd.

An often underlooked line in Silence of the Lambs regarding Bill's gender is Clarice noting "Dr. Lecter, there's no correlation in the literature between transsexualism and violence. Transsexuals are very passive."

Ignoring the over simplification and generalization, it speaks against a public perception of AMAB transgender individuals. The stigma claims that trans women are prone to violent and displays of sexual aggression but the reality does not correspond with this perception at all.

The same is true of those with mental illness, especially when associated with childhood trauma.

Though Psycho does not include a throwaway line that makes him out to be an outlier, the story does depict him forming the evil "Mother" personality through the abuse of his own possessive and controlling mother wanting to keep him away from any other women.

Even in the midst of the stigmatizing depiction they were able to show Norman being meek enough to "never hurt a fly" and having been pacified by the abuse he received at his mother's hands.

The fact is that those with dissociative disorders are known to be far more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators.

People with these conditions often had to endure horrible mistreatment, neglect and abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to care for them and that society lets us down by holding these violent and dangerous stereotypes is simply inexcusable.

Even those who have alters capable and willing to use violence, they are formed through self-preservation and do not act "for the fun of the thing" as the Irish Times correspondent put it, much of their violence is turned inwards or used to ward off people and prevent them getting close.

Another highly publicized case that adds to the stigma pool is that of Billy Milligan, convicted in 1975 and formally diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, his life and story have been directly adapted several times, including the infamously stigmatizing Split. Airing this year is a TV adaptation of Milligan's life starring Tom Holland.

It's clear the fascination and assumptions are still well and truly alive. Fact is the murder alter is likely not going to go away anytime soon. It is far too useful a narrative crutch for crime stories where a suspect does not even realize they are the guilty party and though there are only a small number of high profile cases, they have latched on to the public's imagination and been adapted multiple times with those adaptations inspiring further stories.

It's why we need good representation. It's why we want to highlight that good representation as much as we can.

-

Media, Myself and I is a series of Tumblr posts I make to highlight good representation of dissociative disorders in fiction. I do not claim to be the best at academia or research but I care deeply about the topic.

Originally I was going to use the Jekyll/Hyde stuff to build up to the only murder alter I respect but I think we can wait for another day to hear her laughing wav.

Please scroll the tag if you'd like to see more or click on any of the below essays:

Discworld and Plurality Incidental, intentional and accidental representation Gender, Dissociation and Clinical Stigma in The Third Person Recontextualized Memories in Umineko Derealization in Night in the Woods and Metal Gear Solid The Dangers of Hypnotic Personality Play in Penlight System Origins in The Incredible Hulk Relationships with Systems in The Incredible Hulk The Healing Journey in Mr. Robot

Thank you for reading.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

DELAIN Announces New EP, 'Dance With The Devil'

Melodic synth-metal masters DELAIN are set to break new ground with their upcoming EP, "Dance With The Devil", due on November 8 via Napalm Records. Following the success of their latest full-length opus, 2023's "Dark Waters", which debuted at No. 9 on both the U.S. Hard Music Albums chart and the official German album chart — this EP promises to showcase the best of DELAIN's discography while striding ahead into a future that promises to explore new, more synth-driven soundscapes than ever before.

Today, DELAIN introduces the first offering off the upcoming EP by releasing its title track, "Dance With The Devil", together with a visually captivating music video. With very personal lyrics, catchy electronic synths, and powerful contrasting growls, the five-piece underlies its melodic signature sound and presents a future fan favorite without a shadow of a doubt!

DELAIN keyboardist and main songwriter Martijn Westerholt states about the song: "We're really excited and eager to share this new DELAIN song with the world. It captures the recognizable and signature sound of DELAIN but with a fresh and modern touch."

Westerholt adds about the video: "This video was shot the day after we performed at Summer Breeze in Germany. We still had the adrenaline of that show in our system and were stoked to be able to carry that energy into the video. We had a blast! The video contains a dramatized depiction of the struggle between good and evil — the war we all wage both without and, often times, within our own selves."

As their second release with a revitalized lineup anchored by founding member and band mastermind Martijn Westerholt, "Dance With The Devil" features a thrilling collection of two brand new tracks, two newly presented favorites, nine electrifying live performances, and two instrumental bonus tracks, showcasing the best of their catchy, melodic signature sound with extensive electronic synth elements and fresh modern nuances.

The offering debuts with two gripping new tracks, "Dance With The Devil" and "The Reaping", serving as a whirlwind of emotions articulating feelings of anger and sorrow through catchy electronic synth melodies and modern heaviness. "The Reaping" delves into collective themes, expressing disillusionment with the current path of society toward imminent and inescapable consequences. Following these, the EP presents a brand-new version of "Sleepwalkers Dream", showcasing Diana Leah's voice and her breathtaking full vocal capacities. "Dance With The Devil" continues with nine live performances, featuring massively streamed hits from both the present and the past. These include "Burning Bridges", "The Quest And The Curse", "Moth To A Flame" and the massive hit "April Rain", which has been streamed over 10 million times, along with "Queen Of Shadow". In addition, the digipak edition features instrumental versions of "Dance With The Devil" and "The Reaping", as well as an alternate ending version of "Underland". DELAIN's new EP impressively underlines the unit's high-class standing in the scene and continues their voyage of setting fans' hearts ablaze!

Martijn Westerholt says: "We're thrilled to have brand new material ready to be released! In addition to the new songs, it was fantastic to have captured some magical live moments of our European tour earlier this year as live tracks for the EP. We're definitely very excited for this release and are really looking forward to bringing the new music to the stage!"

"Dance With The Devil" track listing:

01. Dance With The Devil 02. The Reaping 03. Sleepwalkers Dream (2024 version) 04. The Cold (live) 05. Burning Bridges (live) 06. The Quest And The Curse (live) 07. April Rain (live) 08. Invidia (live) 09. Queen Of Shadow (live featuring Paolo Ribaldini) 10. Your Body Is A Battleground (live featuring Paolo Ribaldini) 11. Moth To A Flame (live) 12. Control The Storm (live featuring Paolo Ribaldini) 13. Dance With The Devil (instrumental) 14. The Reaping (instrumental) 15. Underland (alternate ending version)

[mask131]

Cinematic bloodlines (1)

The novel "Dracula" gave birth to many, MANY different adaptations, with several of them forming a very particular chain of works that I will call "bloodlines". And the first one actually begins with... a theater play.

In June of 1924, twelve years after the death of Bram Stoker, Dracula was adapted to the stage in Derby, by Hamilton Deane. This play was a huge success - in June of 1927 it was moved to London, and there made so much noise that by September of the same year it crossed the Atlantic and became a Broadway fame. It is from this specific play that the iconic "Dracula outfit" comes from, this evening wear, these soirée clothes with a black cape. It is also at Broadway that one particular actor would start playing Dracula, forever changing the fate of the character: the Hungarian-descendng Bela "Lugosi" Blasko, destined to become the first "face" of Dracula.

We move on to the core of this bloodline: the 1931 "Dracula" movie by Tod Browning. The first "actual" Dracula adaptation on screen, or at least the first talking movie about Dracula, and the one that immortalized Belga Lugosi in the role of the vampire count.

This movie was a huge and lasting success, and erected Dracula as a cultural icon in the American landscape. Jean Marigny wrote that one of the reasons this Dracula worked so well at the time was due to the historical context - the mix of the Great Depression's miserable effects and the inherent xenophobia of the USA, which found themselves "embodied" somehow by Dracula, this sickly and cruel "foreigner", this diseased and malevolent "other" which brought evil into the world. From 1931 to the end of World War II, roughly, American cheap literature and pulp fiction saw a boom of Dracula copies and imitations, so many vampires with Germanic or Slavic names that all were more-or-less subtle personifications of the political threats the USA had to deal with - Bolshevism or Nazism.

Though, again by Marigny's word, this "xenophobic" and "political" reading of Dracula does echo wonderfully one of the elements that made the original novel a success - as beyong a "good versus evil" and "vice versus virtue" battle, the Dracula novel also presented the vampire as a threat coming from a far-away country on the backwards, peasant, superstitious and ancient Eastern depths of Europe, coming into the harmonious and civilized order of Britain to cause trouble and disrupt peace... Perfect to please the inherent xenophobia of Victorian England. Though, it also should be pointed out that the novel, while adhering seemingly to this inherent bias, still was quite subversive - for example by having the Count be clearly more powerful and more prepared than the protagonists, who are all somehow weak or mediocre embodiments of the Victorian society, outmatched and unarmed for quite a long time against this clearly far superior being that is the vampire...

Also, this movie solidified the idea of a younger Dracula - as unlike in the novel, Lugosi's vampire doesn't start as an old man with a long white mustache...

The 1931 Dracula led to the development of what we know today as the "Universal Horror", a series of horror movies developed by Universal Pictures and which formed the first big "cinematic family" of the horror world. In this setting, "Dracula" got a sequel: "Dracula's Daughter" in 1936, very very loosely inspired by both "Dracula's Guest" and "Carmilla" (the two most prominent depictons of a female vampire at the time). The movie is about, as you can guess, Dracula's daughter who is trying to use all the methods she can, both supernatural and scientific, to break the vampirism curse she inherite from her father... The movie is also well-known for playing with the lesbian subtext of Carmilla, reusing it on screen in a Dracula context.

The third part of the unofficial trilogy came in 1943: "Son of Dracula". This is not actually about the literal son of Dracula, unlike "Dracula's Daughter". Rather it is about count Dracula moving not into London but into New-Orleans to spread his vampirism (was it the first time Dracula was depicted arriving in America? I think it might be...). In fact the other working titles for this movies were "The Modern Dracula" and "The Return of Dracula", all much more faithful to what the movie is actually about. This picture is also notorious for being the first time the "Alucard" trick was used in vampire fiction (note that Dracula is not played here by Bela Lugosi, but rather by the other giant of horror Lon Chaney Junior)

After this initial trilogy forming a very loose story (continuity was not the main concern of Universal movie-makers), the Universal Horror entered the era any big franchise enters at one point - crossover times! With "House of Frankenstein" in 1944, and "House of Dracula" in 1945, both about events gathering under one same roof Dracula, the creature of Frankenstein and the Wolf Man, the three iconics of the Universal Horror.

Then we entered the era of parodies, and the Universal Dracula ended up with the 1948 parody "Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein".

This is the end for the old "classic" Universal line. There is actually more down it, Universal didn't stop its vampire movies there, but I'll keep it for another post, because I want to conclue this post with three other movies.

Bela Lugosi is quite famously THE Dracula - and many believe that he was the only actor for Dracula in the Universal movies. Yet, as said above, he wasn't present in all of them - Son of Dracula, for example, was without him. Rather, this idea comes from the fact that, after playing Dracula on stage and on screen, Lugosi ended trapped in the role and type-casted as a vampire. He notoriously played in an unofficial trio of vampire movies which solidifed his reputation as "the vampire actor".

The first was another Tod Browning production made not so long after the original Dracula: 1935's Mark of the Vampire (or Vampires of Prague), which was strongly inspired by a silent horror movie currently lost, "London after Midnight". There, Lugosi played a "count Mora" who causes mysterious deaths in Prague with his daughter Irena. (And in this angle you could consider this movie a sort of unofficial rival to Universal's "Dracula's Daughter").

Followed in 1943 "The Return of the Vampire" by Lew Landers, which was basically trying to be an unofficial, unlicensed sequel to the Universal 1931's Dracula, even having Lugosi play the main vampire haunting London (Armand Tesla). This picture also contains a copy of Universal's Wolf Man in the person of Andréas the werewolf.

The last one is another parody in the line of the Abbott and Costello movie (in fact it was heavily inspired by it): the 1953 John Gilling's movie "Mother Riley Meets the Vampire", where the vampire is titled Van Houssen and plans to dominate the world by... building a robot army. Well... it was the 50s.

All of these lead to the treatment of Lugosi' vampire typecasting as both his legacy and his curse - to the point that when he was buried, he demanded it was in his Dracula costume...

[gyspy-moon-rose]

Witchcraft The Beginnings.

Witchcraft. It is a very simple word with a deep meaning and history. The idea of witchcraft stretches over a long period of time and spreads throughout the world. The idea becomes known around 560 B.C. when the two Old Testaments condemn witches, until today. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were one of the most well-known witchcraft trials over the world. But many have also occurred before then. The idea originated in Europe and had traveled to the New World.

Witchcraft has been described as working with the Devil. If a person were a witch, that person would have made a pact with the Devil, and would be able to perform black magic. Scientists who study the witchcraft trials say the hysteria has to do with people’s idea about how everyday events can be explained. The events are explained in terms of a belief of witchcraft. People want order in their society and hate chaos. Anything like enemies and catastrophes make people feel they are not part of the natural order. Whatever threatens the order is considered witchcraft.

The two Old Testaments, Exodus and Leviticus, had first condemned witches around 560 B.C. with the quotes, “Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. ” and “Leviticus 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” The anonymous Jewish priest wrote them in present-day Iraq during the reign of Evil Merodach, a dark time of Jewish exile. The priest might have been assigned to write them by other priests and scribes.

Many arguments about witches follow 560 B.C. Each statement is contradicting the one before it, and many recent arguments are always accepted as the new and correct theory. For example, around 420 C.E., a church leader, St. Augustine, argued that demons and witches could not function under the face of God. This is accepted as the new orthodoxy of the Church. But in 1273, Thomas Aquinas argued that dangerous demons and witches are roaming the country.

Witch-hunts were popular and people felt it was a necessity to conduct the hunts. From the mid-1400s to the mid-1600s, witchcraft trials erupted, sending death rates up. From 50,000 to 80,000 people were executed throughout Europe. About eighty percent of those executed were women. The deaths per country varied, with a high of 26,000 in Germany to about 10,000 in France, 1,000 in England, and only four in Ireland. The Reformation divided Europe between Protestant regions and those loyal to the Pope, but Protestants also took witchcraft seriously.

Witch hysteria swept France in 1571 after Trois-Echelles, a defendant accused of witchcraft from the court of Charles IX, announced to the court that he had over 100,000 fellow witches roaming the country. Judges responding to the ensuing panic by eliminating those accused of witchcraft most of the protections that other defendants enjoyed.

Once in a while between the witch-hunts, many inspiring and frightening events happened. In 1453, and epidemic swept France and killed several children. The public had blamed the disease on black magic.

The people of France then took several suspects and tortured them harshly. The accusers tortured the suspects until five of them confessed of having caused the plague.

The witches were soon hanged.

Not long after, in 1484, Pope Innocent VIII declared that witches were meeting with the Devil and casting spells that destroyed crops and killing infants. He asked two friars, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, to publish a full report on witchcraft. The Malleus Maleficarum ("Hammer of Witches") was published in 1486. It relegated the old orthodoxy that said witches were powerless under the face of God.

The Malleus Maleficarum suggested that one way to determine a person a witch was to find a Devil’s Mark on their body, and to have the suspect brought to court walking backwards to minimize their chances to cast spells on officials.

In 1566, England executed its first witch, Agnes Waterhouse. She was a wrinkled old woman with a hunched back. She was thrown into jail, and suffered long days of fear and hunger, until she confessed to the evil deeds she was charged with. She had used a cat named Satan to conduct her evil work. Waterhouse had used the cat to kill the neighbor’s hogs, kill widow Goodday’s flock of geese and cow, and kill her own husband. She rewarded Satan by giving him blood to drink from her own face. Agnes Waterhouse was hanged immediately.

Less than thirty years later, King James was sailing with his wife, Princess Anne, from his honeymoon in Denmark when the ship experienced fierce storms and rough waves. The ship’s captain had convinced King James that witches were real when he blamed them for causing the horrible weather. When six Danish women confessed to having created the storms, King James began to take witchcraft seriously. When he arrived in Scotland, he burned many witches. This became the largest witch-hunt in British history.

The famous playwright, Shakespeare had written a play that was performed in 1606. The play was called Macbeth. In Macbeth, Macbeth encountered three witches. These three witches play important roles in the tragedy.

The largest witch-hunt in French history occurred from 1643-1645, but following the witch-hunt of France, trials in Europe start to decrease in the late 1640s. Soon Europe’s history of witchcraft faded away. In 1682, England executed its last witch, Temperance Lloyd.

What contributed to the end of witchcraft execution and hunts in Europe was the Enlightenment, beginning around the late 1680s. The Enlightenment brought reason, doubt, and humanitarianism. Each helped defeat superstitions. The Enlightenment said that there was no real evidence that there were witches that caused harm, and that the use of torture upon them to force out confessions was cruel.

The two Old Testaments, which had the quotes that the Jewish Priest wrote, had affected people of Europe because they influenced so many arguments of witches and God, and people were willing to believe the latest statement made about witches. When the two Old Testaments explained that witches were to be killed, St. Augustine argued that they were actually powerless under God. St. Augustine’s view was accepted, and many people did not worry. But later, the accused confessed on having witchcraft powers, and people in Europe believed them and started freaking out. They wanted eliminate any trace of evil in the area.

Europe was done with witch-hunts, but the history of witchcraft affected the Salem Witch Trials in the Massachusetts Bay Colony area because the Puritans took the history, ideas, and beliefs of witchcraft with them to the New World. The Puritans thought they were safe, but when the afflicted girls started acting strangely, they thought it was witches that were tormenting them. They thought they were witches because they thought back in Europe they wiped out the witches, but the New World was full of unknown things. To the Puritans, any little strange behavior is strange, unusual, and not normal. Anything similar was considered bad, and because the Devil was associated with evil, he himself was involved in the hysterias.

The Puritans were afraid of the Devil because they believe the imaginary world of God and the Devil is as real as their visual world, them, and the Native Americans. The Puritans believe the Devil and the Native Americans are the same. The witchcraft idea comes from people’s religion, beliefs, and fears. The Puritans still had the ideas of witchcraft stuck in their heads.

This is why the idea of witchcraft still lives on today

Timeline:

c. 560 BC: The Bible condemns witches with two quotes.

c. 420: St. Augustine argues witchcraft is an impossibility.

1208: Satan becomes sinister following.

1273: Thomas Aquinas argues that dangerous demons exist.

Mid-1400s: Witchcraft trials erupt in Europe.

1453: An epidemic killed a few children in France. The public blamed it on black magic and tortured five people until they confessed. They were executed.

1484: Pope Innocent VIII and Malleus Maleficarum.

Early to mid-1500s: The Reformation sends death rates up after Trois-Echelles, an accused witch, announced that he had over 100,000 fellow witches roaming the country. Judges responding to the ensuing panic by eliminating those accused of witchcraft.

1566: England executes its first witch, Agnes Waterhouse.

1591: King James authorizes the torture of suspected witches in Scotland.

1606: Shakespeare's Macbeth performed with witches playing important roles.

1643-1645:The largest witch-hunt in French history occurred.

Late 1640s: The number of trials in France began to decrease.

1682: England executes its last witch, Temperance Lloyd.

January 1692–May 1693: Salem Witch Trials in the New World.

[variousqueerthings]

im watching a danish 1918 silent film called "himmelskibet" (the sky ship/spaceship) and it's interesting from several perspectives

for one, i enjoy the idea that these people have the notion of going to space and build a spaceship (an incredibly charming spaceship) in 2 years and it works! lifts ve-e-e-e-r-y slowly out of the atmosphere over the course of several days

for two, they're going to mars. which in 1918 reads differently im sure, than in 2024 and the rich colonialism wet dream -- also because in this movie mars is in fact populated, so it's actually not colonialist in the way it might have been x amount of years later in space-exploration cinema and the martians are depicted as being far more civilised (and also more... back-to-the-earth, we'll get to all of That) than earthlings, which is interesting

for three, they build the spaceship and point it towards mars, but don't have the tools to gauge how long it'll take to actually get there -- they calculate a presumed date before they leave, but whilst on the spaceship just have no idea where they are? this isn't deep, it's just funny to me

point the fourth. mars is populated. it's populated by a bunch of very human-looking aliens, because it's 1918 and the only difference between us and aliens is that the aliens are fruitarian hippies who all wear long robes (yeah, i can buy that) who have overcome everything bad that humanity currently is. the message is a hopeful one, with the lead martian saying "what we are, you will become"

the martian society is presented as a utopia. they're fruitarians, they've got no crime, no violence, and in what feels like some of the most long-lasting of political ideas, when the astronauts bring violence with them, they are made to think about it, but not punished (and there's some christian repent vibes to it, but it's not too egregious as to not work as concept -- the movie as a whole is very christian in feel though) and the protagonist considers how evil it is to throw people into prisons on earth. there's also a whole thing about embracing/celebrating death, rather than fearing it, which i wanna roll around in my head for a bit

but... the film tries very hard to juxtapose this utopian ideal with earth, however can't figure out how to make that work in imagery, or even put its finger on what is actually wrong with earth society that violence abounds in the first place (you'd think there might be some wwi imagery in there, but no, not a one -- its way of "showing violence" is random young well-dressed people on the street assaulting an elderly man and laughing, or smoking and dancing, or implied sex before marriage...)

all the scientists/leaders on mars are men, while the women... idk, frolic in beautiful dresses (there are a couple of interesting women in this, but they're not The Thinkers, they're The Feelers). they're all white and christian (if, danish christians rather than american christians). they're all thin and able-bodied and "beautiful." there's a scene where the women dance "a chastity dance." it begs the eternal question of "wait is this actually portraying a white supremacist eugenics cult?" WHICH is not what the movie wants to say, it very much wants to say something about anti-violence idealism as the future for humanity, it's like. got its heart in the right place, even if the final messaging is "we take this woman from a higher culture and within her lie the seeds for a superior earth," which hmm.. yeah. ive. ive heard things like that said before. not about a martian

it's interesting what kind of shorthand we have for storytelling. how the people making this movie undoubtedly were trying to think of the most visually effective way of conveying utopia, and how that imagery is mainly used today to make a viewer go "uh oh" to the extent that i almost briefly wondered if there was going to be another shoe about to drop, even though the movie hadn't been going in that direction at all

very much enjoyed it on the whole though. a moment in time. a very very early scifi film. ye olde danish text

And the most important thing.

Behold A Spaceship:

[aressida]

my entry: "As a digital soldier, I know there is debate about what Q truly stands for." - Aressida. 15.10.24.

Some see it as a sophisticated psyop, comparing it to the Soviet's "Operation Trust," where people were misled into believing things were handled behind closed doors. I have watched over the years, people argue the "white hats" and "black hats" narrative is just a ploy, with both sides serving the same agenda. For them, even those following the light may be caught in a trap, unable to see the bigger picture.

Critics claim "Qanon" distracts us, offering false hope that others are fighting our battles, stopping people from taking action. Symbols tied to elite manipulation are woven into Q's messages, making it seem too aligned with the very forces we resist.

But I see it differently. We are in the trenches, exposing real corruption, human trafficking, government conspiracies, and the links between Big Pharma, corporate greed, and elite power. Q does not hand us the truth, it guides us to discover it ourselves, leaving it up to each of us to respond.

This movement pushes people to dig deep, question everything, and not sit back waiting for a savior. I do not know why some people think this. What they need to listen here is that we are uncovering society's dark secrets, not as passive spectators but as an awakened army. As we all know that today's world is filled with deception and manipulation.

As a digital soldier, it is my job to cut through the lies, distinguish fact from fiction, and stay committed to justice. This is not about blind faith in Q, the white hats, or anyone else, it is about owning our personal awakening, research, and spiritual growth. Only if you can see this. This war is psychological and spiritual as much as physical.

Evil is working to control and destroy, and whether you are an Anon or not, the fight for truth and justice is real. Our role is to remain vigilant, trust our instincts, and always question the narratives we are fed. In those cracks, the truth emerges. And with that truth, we fight back.

To those who attack us, understand this - You are being deceived, time and again.

This war is not for the faint-hearted or those seeking easy answers. It demands discernment, relentless research, and a clear focus. Whether Q is part of the solution or part of the problem is something each of us must decide. Meanwhile, we move forward, exposing lies, standing firm, and working against an overwhelming force that owns nearly everything, except us and the few brave voices speaking out.

I have also found myself on a deeply personal side quest, tracing the roots of my ancestry this year. This journey has led to uncovering links to Viking heritage, Royal lineage, and now Freemasonry, along with some ancient mysteries of Egypt, all ties that still hold influence today. It is not just about the past, but how these hidden connections continue to shape the present. I am determined to to uncover the layers and discover the truth symbols and rituals, and how they intertwine with the world's unfolding narrative. So while others are still fighting out there, I am here on this path for now. I will be back when something else comes. And after two months, I feel a greater sense of ease and find myself slowly reintegrating into family life once again.

Stay strong, keep going, and remember this, we are on the right side of history. Keep the faith. God bless the truth-seekers.

[archivalofsins]

Tripple Copium

Shoot that shit into their veins. Do it once, thrice but never twice. Two is the evil number. So, Mikoto better be asexually reprodcuing up there or he's unforgivable. He better be popping out alters up there.

His third song better be looking like-

His thoughts in the next Minigram better be represented like-

We don't have that much three alter representation, discussions around alters being forcefully shut out, representation of the abuse and trauma that causes this very personal disorder to form, or how many of us use media as a form of escapism and that impacts our mental spaces.

It would be nice if we-

Amane is right there and fulfils all those criteria. So, as far as we're concerned you've got that. None of the people behaving in this manner are the starving orphans they pretend to be begging for representation they don't have.

Because last I checked just today by the way

This is how the representation you all cry about wanting is being treated-

Oh, and the accussations of her not being a system at all simply because her system is connected and due to that none of them can hit Es because of the conditioning. Something illustrated through Purge March because even though only one Amane faces the harshest brunt of the punishment the rest are still rained on too.

"Wow Gunsli can't you just let 3koto theorists have their day? Their time? They have every right to want the representation they latched onto and related themselves too for so long to better mirror thier own personal experiences."

You're right casual and reasonable individual.

Except that's not what they're doing is it? It's easy to go it's all in good fun when there are no negative repercusions to oneself from this occurring. However, this does have negative repercussions for those of us with dissociative identity disorder in two alter systems.

Through these individuals just having their fun and pushing this to the extent that they have. They've stated plainly for all to see that two system dissociative identity disorder representation is wrong and gross. At times even going as far as to state that such a presentation is rare and unrealistic. Intent does not excuse the impact a person or multiple persons actions have on someone else.

The behavior that has been going on since the release of Double just serves to highlight the overt ableism that individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder and only two alters not only face from society but within the dissociative community itself. Something that isn't new to anyone who has even took more than cusory glance at the topic. So, I guess I shouldn't have personally expected better. However. before this we personally avoided all media that even touched on this topic.

Still from the beginning the idea of there only being two alters in Mikoto's case was treated as a negative stereotype that needed to be corrected by adding more for him to be good representation. I've discussed my personal feelings on this before. I've discussed my dislike of the 3koto or rgb theory on these grounds before as well.

To simply act as though people that face and deal with dissociative identity disorder in the way Mikoto is shown to with only two alters don't exist- That people who the disorder presents this way are fake and just a horror movie trope or a stereotype is a form of ableism. Comparable to people saying,

"Um all people with autism don't have low empathy. I feel empathy. This is just a widely used media trope done for exagerration. Some people with autism feels emotions and empathy really heavily actually-"

Except in this case it's,

"Um two alters is kind of rare and a trope. Not all people with dissociative identity disorder are like that. This is just an ableist trope. I have X ammount of alters actually."

When what both mean is,

"I don't like it when media doesn't represent how I experience this disorder specifically. It's harmful because people will really start to believe that we're all like that which just isn't true. Oh of course some people are. It's a varied experience but I'm not like them and I don't want people to assume I am. There's enough stigma! Can we just stop the stigma? Would it kill someone to represent this in a less demonizing way and focus on the humanity of it? Am I the only who gets this. The only one who recognizes this as the overused media trope brought about by genral ignorance on the disorder that it is. What they have X too? Well, they're probably lying where are their forms where's their proof. I mean even if they do there's clearly something else wrong with them not just that. I mean if they're representing it like this. See if they were a mental health professional and dealt with more people who had this instead of focusing on their own narrow worldview they'd know this was wrong. This is why we need people who are more informed to speak on the matter. We need more people like us making media. People who really get it. Just really get it you know?"

These people may need more individuals like them writing medai because they really get it. I don't though I need these sorts of people to stay far away from and my deviant existence. I need them to leave. Because the truth is there are many people like Mikoto regardless of if they only have two alters or more. There are a lot of people with this dissociative identity disorder and all our experiences vary. Milgram even displays this through the use of its other characters.

Dissociative disorders are not monoliths.

There are many people who go undiagnosed long into adulthood. Just due to lack of access to healthcare. Just for them to be exposed to constant change and new stressors that end up exacerbating this issue that they still don't know they have. This leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as abusing substances like alcohol and cigarettes. Something that can lead to the issue being misdiagnosed as a substance abuse disorder.

All the while, still having these new responsibilities and duties pile on, causing increased stress. Leaving them feeling like they have no one they can talk to about these things because they don't want to worry those closest to them or they don't particularly feel connected to the environment they're in currently or the people within it whether they're surrounded by friends or not.

Instead from what I keep seeing and hearing many fans have just gone nope there's no one like that in the world.

Those sorts of things don't happen Gunsli it's 2023 and the definition of DID isn't

anymore.

We understand as we've rudely assumed your plurality status from the beginning that you a poor singlet wouldn't know about the intricacies of this disorder like we would. The counsel of plurality discerned that the proper definition would be three or more not two or more. We hope that helps. Now let us, the experts, take this off your hands for you. Maybe ableism should be a top shelf word for you sweetie~ We're not the bad ones here we have this disorder too. People with a disorder can't be ableist against that disorder. Internalized ableism isn't real and you're just raining on people's parade, okay?

Yeah, no not okay. No, one here is a fucking expert. Most of the people doing this are talking about experiences they clearly didn't have when it came to this disorder. Then when others disagree with them, they assume that person is a singlet or ask people for diagnosis forms when they say they aren't. Something that displays that most of the individuals behaving in this manner are more than likely privileged beyond measure. That I can only assume have been coddled by the government to the extent that they were even capable of having access to diagnostic tools and services.

From my own experiences with pursuing diagnosis. In the state of fucking Michigan. Detroit, Mi where I was born and raised.

-Personal Anecdote to better explain my mindset when it comes to this-

So, how's Michigan? Well even when you're not in Hell you're in hell. Great state overall if you subtract the fact that you can still go into restaurants and face overt racism where either the whole place is glaring at you for having the audacity to go there or they sit your family and a nice Asian couple in an unlit part of the restaurant when the rest of it is fucking empty and lights work everywhere else. So, how would one assume that race and financial status impact someone's access to mental health services and medical care in a state like that? Could it be well it must be fine if that's how restaurants are treating minorities. Ahn moderate like it surely exists but it probably isn't good.

Or fuck Gunsli you're twenty eight the incidents you just recalled happened in 2011. The fuck is it like growing up in a places like that in the early two thousands. Have you ever been called the n-word with the hard r? Yes, and I'm light skinned. Wait what about when you said that thing about people marching with guns outside of a bookstore you were going to. One it was specifically a Barnes and Nobles two it's for exactly what you can imagine it was you ignore it after a while. Which should be a good indicator of how mental healthcare is handled where I'm from it. Literally the difference in access to mental health and medical services in Michigan based on your income, where you live, and ethnicity is staggering.

For example, my friend had to leave this State entirely- She got a job in a new state as a full as adult and then at said new job her supervisors went hm we're going to get you tested for this because we think you have it. Then she got fucking diagnosed with autism. She left undiagnosed and came back diagnosed. I remember it clearly because she literally said upon arrival back and her first visit to my home, "Guess who's back and has autism." Then slapped her diagnosis papers into me. That's the fucking level we're on here. That's fucking wild.

 I was on my father's healthcare until I was twenty-one because it got extended. So, when I was like nineteen I went hm not gonna have healthcare soon... Maybe this is good time to get tested for autism and take care of my mental health before I don't have the chance to let me look into that. You know how much that costs for a legal adult? Five thousand USD-

You know what my insurance didn't cover. You guessed it any mental health care. It literally didn't even cover therapy. If I talked to a therapist for thirty minutes, it would cost my family two hundred dollars. This is the difference privilege and being born in a better spot than someone else can have. So, I don't necessarily blame people for thinking that's not how that works and assuming that others have the same access to opportunities as they do. Things like that happen.

A lot of people would then go onto assume that well there were other avenues to getting treatment and care like the education system. There are teachers and school psychologists that can refer students for testing or even report neglect or abuse to the proper authorities if the need arises. Yeah, that’s rightfully how that should work huh. However, at one point during elementary school a kid went missing from school for several days. It had been almost two weeks, and his parents didn’t really give an excuse for his absence. So, he was at risk of being truant. Our fifth-grade teacher called in the kids parents and they told my fifth grade teacher verbatim,

"We don't know where he is either. So, there's nothing we can do. He left the house a while back and we haven't seen him since. He does this sometimes he’ll be back when he comes back."

To which our teacher a new guy like fresh out of college and just started working at this school that year said,

"I'll have to report it if he's not here tomorrow. So, find him."

So, there I am listening to this as an eleven-year-old thinking... Huh why'd the teacher lie? He's not legally allowed to do that. Does he not know? Is he unaware? Did something change? Because if he does that then he’s not going to be coming back to school any day let alone tomorrow. Let me explain. So, my like seventh or eighth elementary school was a charter school. This meant it was specific to residents of that township. Meaning if you legally didn’t live in that area, you could not go to school there.

A lot of kids were from Detroit not that area this meant a good number of them weren’t really legally allowed to be going there at all. So, reporting it would require telling someone a student’s  legal housing address which would get them  kicked out of the school. Something that the vice principal had told students and their parents about when they enrolled. I told my teacher this too like hey you can’t do that, and he was like what do you mean. Then he was like that’s crazy, and I was like okay ask the vice principal and he called him in and the vice principal was like no she’s right you can’t do that and you’re lucky they believed you could. Just hope he comes back and leave it alone from now on.

Because we're a charter and all the schools below a high school level within their area were systematically shut down meaning they literally have nowhere else to go. So, lying is about their addresses and as little people as possible knowing about them is really the only option or they’ll just have to try to find a school that teaches this grade level in Detroit which there are not many. That was the first school that I went to that had a proper school psychologist. Before that one I was sent to a counselor at an inner-city school for a verbal tick I made after all my sentences. You'd think hm that might be a sign of autism.

You'd be right that's what the actual psychologist they brought in after weeks of being hit with ruler each time I made the noise didn't stop me from making the noise because I could not hear it. So, this was just an exercise in pain. I don't remember my age. All I know is it was before nine because at nine I was in charter school and living a lie.

That lie being I am totally from this area stop asking questions and you legally don't have the right to inquire about my address at any point in time and as such I don't have to give it to you. They eventually brought a psychologist in because after a certain point of physical abuse people start to believe you when you say I don't hear what you're talking about. Wouldn't that be nice no this went on for like two months not all physical abuse that was just when my mom made sure I went because she complained to the teacher.

The teacher and I actually had a very civil agreement to never speak or deal with eachother again. She was also the anger management class teacher. Prior to this I was sent there for fighting a lot in elementary school they thought I had anger problems. Two kids bet me ten dollars each I couldn't make her angry and I wanted the money so I did.

To the extent that on day one she threw me out of anger management and said,

"Don't come back here. You don't have an anger management problem you are a problem. I don't care where you go during this time, but you come here and then you leave that's it."

And that's how I got twenty dollars and a free hour of time every Wednesday. Then she went on to do that solely because my mom was worse than me. Meaning if this woman did nothing simply my mother had no issue getting her fired. So eventually the teacher called in a specialist, this was still back at the time parents had to agree to get you tested for autism.

The lady talked to me for a second and went to my mom then very politely inquired if my mother would allow her to test for this disorder. Because she had great cause to believe I had it at no cost to my mother by the way. At which point my mother promptly no we left and that I never had to go to speech therapy again and got me ice-cream while explaining how if I got diagnosed with that, I'd basically be jobless and futureless. Along with how the government is always trying to diagnose African Americans with something in order to make them feel less than and psychiatrist can’t be trusted. The ice-cream was good though.

-End of personal Anecdote to better explain my mindset when it comes to this-

So, there you go that was my experience with the education and mental healthcare system in Michigan if anyone was fucking curious.

Okay well now you're just centering things around your own personal experiences. That's not fair and doesn't invalidate the experiences of those who may have been fortunate enough to have access to those tools or delegitimize the trauma they have. Just because someone has access to help doesn't mean their trauma is any less important than that of someone else's.

You're right it fucking doesn't! Everyone’s experiences should be respected regardless of the privilege’s life has or hasn’t afforded them. That’s common sense and should be the case for anyone regardless of how their circumstances differ from someone else’s.

However, the fact that many people are not as fortuitous or have the same access to care as their peers do, causing them to go undiagnosed for longer. How going undiagnosed for such a long time does impact how they deal with this disorder and even if they ever come to terms with having it or not. It impacts how people view themselves and how they interact with society and the concept of mental health. It can cause them to believe that they’re evil or a fraud regardless of what those around them say or the things they manage to accomplish. It does cause people to have a tenuous grip on their personal identity and feelings regarding themselves.

Because unlike those who had access to those tools earlier in life and have been given ways to cope with those facts about themselves. Those that go undiagnosed most of their lives are just trying to find ways to survive financially when they reach adulthood. They don't care about the tolls to their mental health they just care about if they're going to fucking eat today or remained house. Or what's going to happen when the people they do have to rely on inevitably leave or pass away and how not to cause trouble for those people. So, they don't leave or become disappointed in them.

Even if they have to lie to them about things going fine.

Many people have been jokingly saying singletes don't have a right to discuss Mikoto's case.

I could rightfully say that those who were lucky enough to have access to mental healthcare and early diagnosis should not have the right to speak over individuals that have gone undiagnosed for most of their lives. Should not have the right to center this around their personal journey with the disorder because the experience is just not the same. There is a vast difference between me someone who was diagnosed with autism just last year and someone who was diagnosed with it as child and as such given access to accommodations to help and aid them in better interacting with the environment around them.

There's a difference between people who were diagnosed or came to terms with having a dissociative disorder in early childhood and individuals who did not. Something that is highlighted incredibly well by how some systems treat the idea of systems with two alters existing in regard to Mikoto's character. Treating the very concept with disdain and disgust simply because it does not fit their own experiences.

Looking for any reason to sweep it under the rug because it's the gross part of the disorder it's the bad rep. Their DID isn't like this. It's not yucky or split they're special good people who are doing dissociative identity disorder right and if Mikoto was good rep he'd be like that too. So, he must be like that.

Look there were three in this shot and look at the green so it's not that. It's not two, it's still good guys. Maybe they're just having each of his songs be representative of one alter. The third one will show the third alter guys. We aren't being biased in any way we're not saying two is bad it's just this would be a more accurate depiction and if it is just two that's kind of ableist, right?

Literally, take a moment and listen to yourselves. Because that's simply incorrect. Existing with a disorder doesn't make a character or person ableist. Regardless of how that presents in them specifically. Also, if the third song was from the perspective of a new alter how the hell would it narratively wrap Mikoto's story?

Well, if we put all the POV's together and work backwards we'd be able to figure out their crime as a whole of course. Okay and if you do that now what proof is there that there are more alters outside of wild stretches of the imagination that people publicly and privately have made fun of because they lean straight into conspiracy theory territory or being blatantly and easily provable lies?

I'm not playing this game with anybody any longer. This behavior is ableist and why a lot of people with dissociative identity disorder and only two alters don't interact with dissociative works of fiction or the communities. Because people who it presents that way in aren't safe wherever they go. Because people like this who care more about looking respectable than those struggling with this disorder will throw folks who it presents this way in under the bus every time just to make themselves look better.

Oh, that doesn't sound nice. That's not the type of people they are. It's all harmless fun. It's not that serious. It was never really about the number of alters. You're going a bit too far.

Yeah, it's easy to recognize that when the fingers pointed are at you, huh?

[dirteater69]

i watched wendigoons analysis of no country for old men earlier today and it got me thinking of themes in stories reflected through characters, and i started thinking about the themes of the killjoys fic im currently writing and how they reflect through the characters, so im gonna write some of it down now before i forget. im only on the third chapter and there will be at least ten when im finished, but this is based on what i have written and planned currently so i hope it makes sense. the main themes are pretty vague in my mind, but im thinking it will be along the lines of how real people shape themselves into characters+how real events are mythologized, how ideologies and hopes affect people, heroism and villainy, how committing and experiencing violence changes someone, what normalcy means, clinging onto or rejecting social norms in times where they have kind of lost all meaning.

in this post i will mainly write about how these themes reflect in the characters of jet star and party poison (at least how i write them) and their relationship and thoughts about each other.

party wants to be the hero and shapes themselves into that character: they are the leader of the killjoys, they are very charismatic and a good fighter, later on they become an important figure in zones society in the wake of the analog wars and lead many battles. they end up being seen as a hero by many and their actions in battles and other things about them are talked about around the zones as myths or folktales.

the thing is, deep down, party does not see themself as a hero. they feel that they have something at their core — whether that’s queerness, inability to conform to other social rules, committing violence — that makes them unable to embody the ideal of a hero that they have in their head. they feel that because there is something ‘wrong’ with them, they don’t deserve to get the things they want. this manifests most obviously in the story in their romance with jet, where they think that they can never, or should never, be in a relationship with him because they would taint his (perceived by them) normalcy and moral purity with their wrongness and strangeness; however, this is only part of the fact that they dont believe themself deserving of a good life at all.

they are the first of the killjoys to ever kill someone: it happens when they are all escaping battery city, and party ends up accidentally killing one of the bl/ind guards chasing them down. though this action may have saved all their lives, party still feels immense shame and horror at having done it. the night after, their first night in the zones, they have a nightmare where they are eating the body of the man they killed, and jet appears to kill them in a way reminiscent of putting down a sick animal. at their core, party believes that they are a villain and a danger to the people around them.

of course, in the middle of a horrible war, the zones needs a hero. that is what party shapes themself into: a loud, confident, violent leader of the zonerunners to take down bl/ind once and for all. there’s a sort of split in party’s identity, where on the outside, they are the hero of the zones, but on the inside, they believe themself to be a morally corrupt fraud who is going to ruin everything good and beautiful they touch. combined, this makes for an absolute monster of a martyr complex: if they die for a good cause, then the world will both be better because the thing they’re fighting for (the freedom of the zones, the destruction of bl/ind) has succeeded, and because the evil that they bring into the world simply by existing is gone.

one other thing i want to touch on with party is how they deal with social norms. before beginning life in the zones they knew they were nonbinary but didn’t really have a safe way to express it besides going by they/them around kobra and later, when they met, the other killjoys, but when they enter the zones they begin to present more femininely. in the first chapter, party and ghoul (who is transmasc, and who i have a ton of other thoughts about) have a whole conversation about gender, which might be one of my favorite parts that ive written so far, and it ends with them swapping pieces of the school uniforms they had to wear at the school in battery city, with party wearing ghouls skirt and ghoul wearing their pants. i haven’t written any more in that vein yet, but i want to explore party’s gender more in the fic. they are definitely very open to rejecting gender norms, at least when they have the opportunity, and it’s an extremely joyful experience for them to present the way they want, but it still sort of claws at them. to them, gender nonconformity doesn’t fit with that idea of heroism that they have. when they present more femininely, they almost feel like they’re betraying the people in the zones that believe in them, like they’re ruining the hero.

this is where we get to their perception of jet star. i mentioned earlier how they feel like he’s too good for them to pursue him romantically, but there is so much more to that. to party, jet is the ideal of heroism that they feel they should be; more so, he represents the ideal of american masculinity that they betray when they present femininely. they piece together true and half-true things about him to create a version of him in their mind that they can compare themself to, furthering their idea of themself as a villain. when they decorate the masks and ray guns of all the killjoys, they make jets red, white, and blue. this idolization also ties into the shame that they feel about the violence that they commit. there is of course the nightmare they have of him killing them for having killed the bl/ind guard, but there is also the fact that while they are a very active fighter in the analog wars, jet mainly works in the medical tents. they destroy things, he fixes things. (never mind the fact that the destruction they commit is against bl/ind) this idolized idea of jet eventually ends up clashing with the real him in a scene late in the fic, where they have a whole breakdown at him about how bad of a person they are, including how they’ve ‘ruined’ him by simply being his friend. he doesn’t have a clue what they’re talking about.

but what is actually going through jet stars head throughout all of this? well, while party is eager to show themself as a hero, jet tries to portray himself as the ‘everyman’, the regular person in a world of chaos and absurdity. this is how he’s been coping with the trauma he’s experienced at the hands of bl/ind: he is sent away from his family’s farm in zone 8 to a ‘reformation academy’ in battery city, and ends up staying there for several years before escaping with the other killjoys, but throughout those years he thinks of it as something fleeting and temporary; surely, he’ll get back to zone 8 soon, to return to his normal life. he’s not actually some kind of crazed desert rebel like the rest of the killjoys, he’s just a regular american farm boy who’s been thrust into a strange situation by forces beyond his control, and as soon as he gets the opportunity he’ll return to that life. even when beginning life in the inner zones, surrounded by the stranger aspects of zone culture, this is how he thinks and portrays himself to others — or, at least, tries to. it’s related to how he deals with trauma. while party thinks of the bad things that they’ve been through as yet another thing that makes them wrong and unfit, yet another thing that makes them the villain, they at least acknowledge that it’s happened. jet just tries to suppress those thoughts completely.

however, his entire idea of returning to a normal life in zone 8 falls apart once he sees what’s happened to it. when he travels to zone 8 for the first time in years, it’s entirely under the control of bl/ind, unrecognizable from the wholesome farm society he remembers. his plans for a normal life — and, furthermore, his thoughts of himself as a normal person — begin to fall apart when he sees the place representative of his old life destroyed. party is with him in that scene, and though he has to break through all his layers of emotional repression for it and it makes him almost feel physically sick, he manages to explain some of his issues to them. one of the things they say in response is something that will be very relevant to both their character arcs: “normal isn’t a thing anymore”.

jet is soon embroiled in the chaos of the analog wars along with the other killjoys, but he still clings to some ideas of normalcy. whereas party is an avid fighter, jet stays out of battles until it is absolutely necessary for him to join, instead helping out in the medical tents and administering first aid on the battlefield. though he isn’t explicit about it, he does kind of look down on the zonerunners most active in the fighting, especially the ones that don’t show any shame or remorse about the violence they commit and sometimes even delight in it (cough cough, a certain bomb-building thrill-chasing black-haired city-born adrenaline junkie with no regard for social niceties, mayhaps?).

of course, the main exception for this is party poison, because love makes you ever the hypocrite — and it is love that he feels for them, though he doesn’t realize it, and certainly wouldn’t admit it for the majority of the story. party falls for his front of the normal, well-adjusted american farm boy, and he falls for their charismatic hero persona in turn. while he does help people in his role as a medic, and sees it as far more preferable to shooting peoples brains out with a blaster, bl/ind goons or not, he finds his unwillingness to fight kind of cowardly. this ties into many other things he believes about himself, like shame about not having fought back against bl/ind when they were taking over zone 8 and he still lived there, as well as the idea that he can’t truly be useful to his community. the latter relates heavily to his issues with normalcy and his own identity: he’s spent so much effort on trying to make himself as palatable as possible that he’s almost cheated himself out of an identity, trying to appear normal to the point where he feels like he doesn’t have any real good traits or talents left. party is the opposite of all of this for him. they are loud and unapologetic about who they are (or, who they want people to think they are), they don’t have any qualms about doing what they have to in order to save the world, they are the ideal of a true zonerunner and hero.

circling back to jet, the thing about him is that he is not as normal as he tries to make himself seem. throughout the story, he slowly gets more comfortable showing small, strange parts of himself to the people around him. he seems to have taken party’s words to heart, at least partially: normal isn’t a thing anymore. it’s only small things, he still deals with some heavy repression of trauma and trouble facing a lot of his own feeling and desires, but its a start. he has his own quirks and absurdities, his own traits that make him a unique and fucked up person. i don’t have every part of those developments planned out, but i know that at least some of it will be in relation to gender, like growing his hair out and presenting more femininely in other ways. he would have a lot more inhibitions to let go off before really being able to face his thoughts about his own gender than party would, just due to the environment and pressures he’s been raised with. (a full exploration of jet’s gender would not really fit in this fic just with the story outline I have planned, but i might write a continuation that goes more into detail. my hc for jet’s gender in the music video era is a he/she transfem, though this fic takes place many years before that and jet still thinks of herself as a cis guy for most of it.) the point being, jet is not actually the one of the killjoys who is the most normal; he is just the one who’s the best at pretending to be.

when jet and party actually acknowledge their feelings for each other, they both have to break down a lot of emotional barriers to do so, and it’s a large part of them beginning to reject the characters they’ve resigned themselves to. party has to realize that they are not an inherently horrible person and that they do deserve to live a good life, that jet is not an untouchable object that they’ll ruin by being close to. jet has to accept that he’s allowed to love someone he’s been taught he’s not allowed to love, that just because he’s in a relationship unlike the ones he’s ‘supposed’ to want doesn’t make it any less real. it heavily involves them letting each other off the pedestals they’ve put each other on, and loving the real person underneath the persona. that is actually an interesting thing that is true for both of them: while they fixate on the fronts that the other puts up, it’s the real person underneath that they fall in love with. jet idolizes the heroic leader that party tries to be, but falls in love with their kindness and vulnerabilities. party envies jets projected normality and righteousness, they fall in love with the strange quirks that make him who he is.

their emotional journeys won’t have full resolutions in this fic, but if i finish it i will probably write a continuation in which the analog wars have ended and there is more focus on the characters emotional development. it would show more of that theme of them letting go of the roles they’ve placed themselves in: party realizing that they don’t need to act a specific way or have a certain personality to be a hero, they just need to help people; jet letting go of his attachment to normalcy. they don’t need to be perfect heroes, they don’t need to follow specific norms or rules. they just need to be who they are, and that’s some fucked up kids stuck in a fucked up situation just trying to make the best of it.

of course, even with those emotional issues resolved, they still struggle. I mentioned at the beginning the theme of real events being turned into myths, and that would certainly be relevant to the killjoys, especially to party. during the analog wars, the image of party poison as a hero and leader of the zones spread quick and they were mythologized into an almost godlike figure. (this is true for the other killjoys as well, but not to such an extent.) this image comes to haunt them even when the wars have ended: wherever they go, they are expected to live up to this idea of themself that they have long since let go of and never even really fit in the first place. the mythologizing is to the point where certain people who preach about the figures of party poison and the killjoys don’t even know what they actually look like.

there is also the fact that while the analog wars have technically ended, there are still attacks occasionally made by bl/ind, and the killjoys have to defend themselves with violence whether they like it or not. the ‘end’ of the analog wars also brings along some other questions about the themes: how do the killjoys deal with the absurdity of their lives when they can no longer blame it on existing in an active war zone? how do they rebuild their lives after all that non-stop violence? again, this is if i finish the fic im currently writing.

im not sure how to end this post but it’s been fun to write and i hope other people might enjoy reading it. i might write a similar one about how the same themes reflect in fun ghoul and kobra kid, but i dont know.

[ruthlesslistener]

How accurate/believable do you feel the bug behavior is in hollow knight? And if you find it inaccurate/unbelievable do you find that it affects the enjoyability of the story told? I really enjoy stories that center on fictional creatures (which I believe is called fantastical xenofiction?) but I always find myself anxious bout making stuff believable since I know nothing about regular biology, and it feels like most writers of xenofiction whether more humanoid or animalistic have a degree or at least some advanced schooling in biology that informs their writing.

Oh my friend, don't worry at all about biological or behavioral accuracy in Hollow Knight, because there is very little of it present and the fact that they are an advanced species means that it merely has an influence on their behavior, such as Leg Eater and Divine's cannibalistic courtship, Flukemarm's family system, or Willoh eating other bugs. Hollow Knight appears to be set in a completely alternate universe where invertebrates filled the niche of the large vertebrate species we see today (bc why else does gruz mother have bone in it), so while there are species that are analogous to the ones on our planet, it's not entirely 1:1. That's part of my enjoyment of it, actually- we're given just enough similarities and tidbits for us to base them off of irl creatures, but they're also different enough from our bugs that personal interpretations have a lot of breathing space. Their species will infer how they view and act in the world, which is something we see in the above examples, but because they evolved to live in civilizations, how much of that base instinct ends up persisting in the society is variable and up to headcanon. That's why I like it so much- because the game makes it very clear that these civilized bugs are very much not human, and builds the world and the culture of each tribe around it. The spiders and mantids of Deepnest and the Fungal Wastes being eager or unbothered by killing/eating other sapient bugs makes sense, but does not detract from the fact that both tribes harbour sympathetic or deeply honourable characters. Hollow Knight embraces the fact that each species of bug has different needs while also sticking fast to the anthropomorphic characteristics that makes them so relatable, making it a believable alternate society setup that does not discriminate which tribes are 'good' or 'bad'. Which was actually what threw me off in Bug Fables more than the inaccurate biology, as in Bug Fables, the socialized bugs were all herbivorous while the 'evil', feral bugs (with the exception of one, the tarantula sorcerer) were all carnivores. That just doesn't make any sense to me, and it bothered me more than all the other biological inconsistencies in the game- because I can assume if bugs have developed a new language and civilization, their biology wouldn't match the bugs in our world. Having consistency in worldbuilding rules is much more important than biological accuracy.

I also don't think that a background in biology is a necessity in order to enjoy xenofiction. Much of what I learned about bugs and snakes is information that I learned in my free time rather than learn in the classroom (though some of my classes did indeed inspire or reinforce some of the stuff I've made up, such as wyrms being simultaneous hermaphrodites due to mate scarcity). Having a background schooling in biology will make understanding your research easier, yes, but learning how to read scientific papers is a skill that every biology student needs to learn, no matter how long they've been in school. If you're determined enough (and curious enough), then you too can do the research necessary to flesh out the biology and behavior of fictional species! All you need is plenty of curiosity and free time, and the patience to chew through some tough, dry words to get to the meat of the good stuff. As long as your worldbuilding is consistent, the amount of biologically accurate material in your writing is more of a secondary thing to worry about.

(If you want a tip though, do a deep dive into the evolution of reproductive behaviors to help you get a basic idea of how different social structures evolve. Sex is a pretty key factor to how animals behave and evolve, with resource scarcity/location, scarcity of mates, difficulty of rearing young, tertiary sex ratio differences, and the harshness of the environment all leading to different social structures, physiology, and behavior. It's pretty fascinating stuff, and is a great help in determining how a fictional society might work.)