#SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO STUDY CULTURES BUILT AROUND THE FORCE

[engagemythrusters]

all those people condemning the Jedi Order for “abandoning” people to the Service Corps… y’all those are Jedi too… they’re just not knights. If you think not being trained for combat is what revokes your Jedi status, I think that’s your issue, not the Jedi’s

[mariacallous]

With the Olympic torch extinguished in Paris, all eyes are turning to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.

The host city has promised that the next Summer Games will be “car-free.”

For people who know Los Angeles, this seems overly optimistic. The car remains king in LA, despite growing public transit options.

When LA hosted the Games in 1932, it had an extensive public transportation system, with buses and an extensive network of electric streetcars. Today, the trolleys are long gone; riders say city buses don’t come on schedule, and bus stops are dirty. What happened?

This question fascinates me because I am a business professor who studies why society abandons and then sometimes returns to certain technologies, such as vinyl records, landline phones, and metal coins. The demise of electric streetcars in Los Angeles and attempts to bring them back today vividly demonstrate the costs and challenges of such revivals.

Riding the Red and Yellow Cars

Transportation is a critical priority in any city, but especially so in Los Angeles, which has been a sprawling metropolis from the start.

In the early 1900s, railroad magnate Henry Huntington, who owned vast tracts of land around LA, started subdividing his holdings into small plots and building homes. In order to attract buyers, he also built a trolley system that whisked residents from outlying areas to jobs and shopping downtown.

By the 1930s, Los Angeles had a vibrant public transportation network, with over 1,000 miles of electric streetcar routes, operated by two companies: Pacific Electric Railway, with its “Red Cars,” and Los Angeles Railway, with its “Yellow Cars.”

The system wasn’t perfect by any means. Many people felt that streetcars were inconvenient and also unhealthy when they were jammed with riders. Moreover, streetcars were slow because they had to share the road with automobiles. As auto usage climbed and roads became congested, travel times increased.

Nonetheless, many Angelenos rode the streetcars—especially during World War II, when gasoline was rationed and automobile plants shifted to producing military vehicles.

Demise of Public Transit

The end of the war marked the end of the line for streetcars. The war effort had transformed oil, tire, and car companies into behemoths, and these industries needed new buyers for goods from the massive factories they had built for military production. Civilians and returning soldiers were tired of rationing and war privations, and they wanted to spend money on goods such as cars.

After years of heavy usage during the war, Los Angeles’ streetcar system needed an expensive capital upgrade. But in the mid-1940s, most of the system was sold to a company called National City Lines, which was partly owned by the carmaker General Motors, the oil companies Standard Oil of California and Phillips Petroleum, and the Firestone tire company.

These powerful forces had no incentive to maintain or improve the old electric streetcar system. National City ripped up tracks and replaced the streetcars with buses that were built by General Motors, used Firestone tires, and ran on gasoline.

There is a long-running academic debate over whether self-serving corporate interests purposely killed LA’s streetcar system. Some researchers argue that the system would have died on its own, like many other streetcar networks around the world.

The controversy even spilled over into pop culture in the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which came down firmly on the conspiracy side.

What’s undisputed is that, starting in the mid-1940s, powerful social forces transformed Los Angeles so that commuters had only two choices: drive or take a public bus. As a result, LA became so choked with traffic that it often took hours to cross the city.

In 1990, the Los Angeles Times reported that people were putting refrigerators, desks, and televisions in their cars to cope with getting stuck in horrendous traffic. A swath of movies, from Falling Down to Clueless to La La Land, have featured the next-level challenge of driving in LA.

Traffic was also a concern when LA hosted the 1984 Summer Games, but the Games went off smoothly. Organizers convinced over 1 million people to ride buses, and they got many trucks to drive during off-peak hours. The 2028 games, however, will have roughly 50 percent more athletes competing, which means thousands more coaches, family, friends, and spectators. So simply dusting off plans from 40 years ago won’t work.

Olympic Transportation Plans

Today, Los Angeles is slowly rebuilding a more robust public transportation system. In addition to buses, it now has four light-rail lines—the new name for electric streetcars—and two subways. Many follow the same routes that electric trolleys once traveled. Rebuilding this network is costing the public billions, since the old system was completely dismantled.

Three key improvements are planned for the Olympics. First, LA’s airport terminals will be connected to the rail system. Second, the Los Angeles organizing committee is planning heavily on using buses to move people. It will do this by reassigning some lanes away from cars and making them available for 3,000 more buses, which will be borrowed from other locales.

Finally, there are plans to permanently increase bicycle lanes around the city. However, one major initiative, a bike path along the Los Angeles River, is still under an environmental review that may not be completed by 2028.

Car-Free for 17 Days

I expect that organizers will pull off a car-free Olympics, simply by making driving and parking conditions so awful during the Games that people are forced to take public transportation to sports venues around the city. After the Games end, however, most of LA is likely to quickly revert to its car-centric ways.

As Casey Wasserman, chair of the LA 2028 organizing committee, recently put it: “The unique thing about Olympic Games is for 17 days you can fix a lot of problems when you can set the rules—for traffic, for fans, for commerce—than you do on a normal day in Los Angeles.”

[beardedmrbean]

[Huey Zoomer Anon]

I’m feel sorry for many Jewish people who feel betrayed by several artists and fandom blogs where you have to now hide your identity and such despite several years of them saying I “I’m a ally towards Jewish people!”

Well…I mention before I’m an African American with ADHD and Autism. And I felt alienated af even when I prefer very tamed villains that was coming out in the 2010’s

Pffft, the amount of pre 2010’s maniacs I like…

And another thing….a lot of leftists tend to forget the modern Jewish people ARE the descendants of the Hebrew tribes which you know are in the Bible/Torah?

Like…I think a lot of leftists (especially Americans) can’t comprehend that people in the European, Middle East, Asia, etc…see ancient civilizations in similars ways American see the Pilgrims.

Off tangent, it like people saying Dreamworks take on Moses is historically accurate…it almost like a fuckton of his descendants or those who are part of his tribe are still alive? Hint they are

And the left only really knows the exodus and holocaust part of Jewish history. And for the latter tragedy, they use it as a crunch to bash white people…while infantilize Muslims because remember the left mainly relies on the POP CULTURE take of history. So the fact that our education and entertainment systems mostly ignore Arab/Islam Imperialism.

They now think the original inhabitants of the Promised Land are colonizers because a lot of the Jewish Diaspora came back in masses in recent generations

Calling modern Israel a colonial place…are you saying that indigenous people who was heavily forced into financial, scientific, and other “white collar” jobs due to centuries of persecution are going to modernized themselves and make sure that are at mercy of monsters again.

Especially when the nearby Arab/Muslims basically said they want the Jews extinct or become their Dhimmi again?

Oh right right I read up on Middle East history before the euros part of it.

I don’t want to downplay, but I realize something

We are taught to hate the Nazis image, not it ideology. Because at the end of the day Nazism is built upon conflict theory which plagues colleges and systems to this day

I heard people (who are mostly likely adults) say that they loose empathy towards Anne Frank because they learned she was roughly our idea of upper middle class and had maids and such before the rise of the Nazis.

I think that should have been spread around Jewish communities to prepare them for the mess they are in rn

I mean I foreseen because my experience with the left…well at least you guys can counter it this time.

I’m feel sorry for many Jewish people who feel betrayed by several artists and fandom blogs where you have to now hide your identity and such despite several years of them saying I “I’m a ally towards Jewish people!” Well…I mention before I’m an African American with ADHD and Autism. And I felt alienated af even when I prefer very tamed villains that was coming out in the 2010’s Pffft, the amount of pre 2010’s maniacs I like…

There's a lot of people that got some really rude awakenings about the circles that cried about antisemitism over a horn in a game or yelled about having safe spaces for ethnic minorities to go to that they thought would be on their side.

Also a good number that were prepared because they saw the writing on the wall when the womens march decided that Pride flags with the Star of David on them would be banned, still gotta hurt though.

And another thing….a lot of leftists tend to forget the modern Jewish people ARE the descendants of the Hebrew tribes which you know are in the Bible/Torah?

ya, we're supposed to trust the science when the covid vaccine hit, but for some reason a plethora of genetic studies proving that are invalid somehow.

Like…I think a lot of leftists (especially Americans) can’t comprehend that people in the European, Middle East, Asia, etc…see ancient civilizations in similars ways American see the Pilgrims.

Some do I'm sure, there's others that have been there forever too, but human migration is nothing new at all

Off tangent, it like people saying Dreamworks take on Moses is historically accurate…it almost like a fuckton of his descendants or those who are part of his tribe are still alive? Hint they are

Last name is Cohen, there's a fair chance you're in the Levite line I believe it is.

And the left only really knows the exodus and holocaust part of Jewish history. And for the latter tragedy, they use it as a crunch to bash white people…while infantilize Muslims because remember the left mainly relies on the POP CULTURE take of history. So the fact that our education and entertainment systems mostly ignore Arab/Islam Imperialism.

That's been wild to me the entire time I've been aware of all of it, these guys hacked and slashed their way all the way into Spain with their 3 choices of convert, pay jizya, or die.

Not even going to talk about the slavery they did, I don't care what privileges some of them may have had, you're still someones property.

They now think the original inhabitants of the Promised Land are colonizers because a lot of the Jewish Diaspora came back in masses in recent generations

Calling modern Israel a colonial place…are you saying that indigenous people who was heavily forced into financial, scientific, and other “white collar” jobs due to centuries of persecution are going to modernized themselves and make sure that are at mercy of monsters again.

not 100% on who the original are, but they sure as shootin are the oldest we know of, and I'm not sure what the cutoff is for years living somewhere as a people and culture it takes for folks to be considered indigenous and how many away it takes for them to lose that status.

Especially when the nearby Arab/Muslims basically said they want the Jews extinct or become their Dhimmi again? Oh right right I read up on Middle East history before the euros part of it.

Both on that first one, and ya it's wild how short on information about that region so many people are, as I've told you before I don't actually recall learning much if anything about the Ottoman Empire in my k-12 years, and I'm sure that's not unique.

I don’t want to downplay, but I realize something We are taught to hate the Nazis image, not it ideology. Because at the end of the day Nazism is built upon conflict theory which plagues colleges and systems to this day I heard people (who are mostly likely adults) say that they loose empathy towards Anne Frank because they learned she was roughly our idea of upper middle class and had maids and such before the rise of the Nazis.

First bit is shown out when you have people all over that have absolutely no clue how to classify fascism,

And ya, the loss of empathy for her and her family is beyond depressing there, it should actually go to show that it didn't matter if you were well off financially and socially when the ss showed up, all that mattered and all it took to sign your death warrant was your grandmother on your mothers side being Jewish, you could be Catholic and it didn't matter, you were still Jewish to them.

I think that should have been spread around Jewish communities to prepare them for the mess they are in rn I mean I foreseen because my experience with the left…well at least you guys can counter it this time.

Good number of them knew and all, even if they weren't prepared for the level it would get to, when the previously mentioned Anne Frank discourse started and gained traction folks started getting the idea I think.

[kharmii]

It’s always entertaining to me when people constantly bring up Canon to certain topics in fandom but then they turn around and completely disregard the Canon and create a random headcanon that is canon "Because I say so."

Like transing up characters that are canonically normal. Or create ships with characters that have s/os canonically.

Honestly I’m someone that usually sticks with Canon unless it’s something that is not sitting right with me. Like Ingo‘s unsolved displacement. But I also don’t go around telling people what to do and how to treat the characters and canon.

Honestly if it’s built up properly I can get behind non canon stuff but I rarely see these. It’s usually just "they are that and do this because I say so"

Fandom can be fun but also a living nightmare depending on how you treat and interact with canon and the fans.

In the end everyone is free to do what they want, just don’t be a jerk to others about it. (And I‘m sorry so many are a jerk to you for your opinions)

Thought of a couple of rants I haven't covered yet. How about when people take something canon from an anime from another country and interpret it in a (smarmy obnoxious fckn miserable left-wing Marxist) Western cultural kind of way? -Or because people won't let it go, they'll interpret the Himuras from My Hero Academia (family of Shoto's mom and Geten) as being incestuous based on one vague line in a manga? You try to explain the Himuras are Japanese and not Pakistani, so the idea of them marrying first cousins isn't that likely.

Side note: I enjoy being into My Hero Academia because I've encountered so many interesting analyses from people interested in and studying Japanese culture. I'm getting some of the context that we Westerners aren't getting, such as how Endeavor is looked upon more favorably in Asian countries and the context to why that is.

-Or another fandom fail that's mildly irritating is when people take people who are obviously villains and make them virtuous. I get it if you feel sorry for them, -like in the case of Dabi and Shigaraki- but the fact that they've mass murdered people makes them irredeemable in my opinion.

Okay, one last thing about Geten and I'll drop it for now. People say that ReDestro saaaaaaved him from a life where he'd be forced to marry his cousin, but last time I checked, he was facing either death row in Tartarus or a lifetime of misery in a tiny, cramped cell with both his arms and legs confined.

Worst case scenario....Geten is literally engaged to his first cousin in an arranged marriage. That's a thousand times better than being radicalized into a terrorist cult and ending up a mass murderer in prison. Srsly people......

As for Ingo, it used to bug the crap out of me that people would head canon he'd be brought to Hisui via Ultrabeast when the obvious reason was Volo's sky rift. It still annoyed me even when that concept art came out saying he was in Hisui 'XX' years, which a lot of people thought to mean twenty years. That would make Ultrabeast Theory make more sense if his arrival preceded Volo's rift, but then again, one of the clan members mentioned that a rift had opened up years before, and that could have been the one Ingo arrived from. I wish we'd get more lore on that whole deal.

Honestly if it’s built up properly, I can get behind non canon stuff, but I rarely see these. It’s usually just "they are that and do this because I say so"

I'm OCD enough to stick with canon, but since I'm into so many side characters with vague backstories, it gives me a lot of leeway to be creative. Again....why is it that people be all "incestuous relationships aren't in character for X character" but nobody ever says, "werewolf bullshit isn't in character either". In fact, everybody is overly respectful and permissive toward the grossest ass furry bs, like I've yet to see anybody but me take the piss when it comes to Omegaverse, even though it's the most obviously exploitable fetish for comedy and trolling. Seriously, males have wombs routed into their asses, but they have to get c-sections to give birth because semen can go in but babies cannot be shat out for some odd reason. Maybe because the size of an infant would cause a massive perforation of the colon?

Then again, a/b/o is trans coded, and those people take themselves so damn seriously. They want to sound edgy and cool with all this monster fucking, like get it? I'm the monster for being trans! I'm the werewolf! I'm the hunted persecuted dragon that everybody hates!

Not true. At best, the 'monster fuckers' are sad little Shigarakis who had evil adults exploiting them when they were young and impressionable, and the evil bastards did things to their bodies they had no business doing. Yep, they're like Shigarakis, except fat. -Fat and hairy. It's no wonder werewolves have to be in every damn thing. There should be a rule about it, like how Rule 34 is "If it exists, there is porn of it". There should be a Rule XX like "If it exists, there's a werewolf version of it".

Everybody is free to do what they want, and I'll try not to be a jerk about it, but incest arguments will always lead to the argument it should be socially acceptable to bag on every stupid fetish and trend on Tumblr. -And again, use that block button. I sure do. I block and report as spam every stupid 'evacuate the Palestinians' charity whether it's legit or not (so stop pm-ing me Mohammed Bot). We have people in serious trouble in this country. Why would I give money to help people from a culture that sees me as a second class citizen? Go pan handle around the college aged suckers.

[mxescargot]

OC masterlist

misc/multiple universes

garv (fishboy)

prima (tropey good guy)

vindicta (tropey bad guy)

ursa (dark magic bounty hunter)

ari (light magic bounty hunter)

urban fantasy/superhero

premise: a timeline that diverges several years before ours where a significant minority of the population across the world contracted strange illnesses that led to various magical powers; focuses on the Eastern United States (aka what im familiar with). themes of disabled justice and solidarity.

micheal (he/they): friendly college kid who always puts others before himself, teleportation powers

jem (any pronouns): an old self-insert, shapeshifting powers

ayaan (he/they): kid with unique powers that mess with the fabric of reality, of particular interest to the villain

emilia (she/her): sociologist studying how superpowered people interact with a society built for non-superpowered people, recently gained fire/energy/plasma powers of her own in an accident

saiorse (any pronouns): software developer and emilia's spouse. he does not have superpowers

alison (he/him): evil CEO (maybe also politician?) looking to take advantage of superpowered people for his own gain. especially young, powerful superpowered people. i do not know how to write villains tbh

eren (she/her): micheal's classmate.

haru (they/she/it): your average edgy 14 year old.

high fantasy: the world of An

premise: weird mix of some of the history i'm interested in, with a technological level of around the 1840s to 1860s? focuses on a governmental transition from absolute monarchy to parliamentary democracy and the greater inclusion of ethnic minorities in the political system and society as a whole. the people are sorta kemonomimi-hobbits with mammalian and insectoid features. also has eldritch shit going on in its magic system.

these are some of my oldest characters and have changed a lot, their original concept was a "five elements" thing and that still shows through.

the names are based on my conlang :> i didnt try to make the romanizations look pretty, just functional, so uhh ⟨v⟩ is a schwa and most letters correspond with IPA values but idk if thats accessible. here ill replace j with y and v with whatever letter looks best, you can see the mess of the "official" spellings in the tags. they dont exactly have a gender system like ours so pronouns are what i imagine they'd use if raised in our culture and language yk

baa'oni (they/she): activist reviving the long-suppressed/erased (idk what the right word is) life-related magic practices of their ancestors. name translates to "sundew"

lausa (she/her): noble who uses her position of power to help incite change, eventually becomes prime minister. romantically involved with baa’oni, causing suspicion and controversy. name translates to "shadower"

laanya (they/them): self insert. former water magic student reconnecting to it after trauma, also tries to get involved in activism. name translates to "river delta"

treyii (they/she/he): young and uncertain, pressure is put on him to achieve great things and they don't know where to belong. name translates to "sparks"

unnamed character referred to as "wind guy" (they/he): a vengeful prince with command over the weather.

star wars

premise: focuses on jedi fighting in the clone wars. i mostly made these characters in quarantine lol

aiya (they/xe): twi'lek anakin skywalker on a budget. padawan during the clone wars, becomes an inquisitor.

rakiss (she/they): mirialan; Aiya's fellow padawan and very close to xem. killed in O66

haalas (he/him): togruta; aiya's strict master, very loyal to the light side of the force itself and scared of losing another padawan to the dark side. survives O66, but is eventually killed by aiya, who blames him for rakiss's death.

malice (they/she/it): dathomiran zabrak who was the first padawan of haalas. left the order and turned to the dark side, but isn't with the Sith.

ekiv (she/her): rakiss's master, also a mirialan, and longtime friend of haalas. mom friend, but only because she's a people pleaser with massive gifted kid burnout. survives O66; assumes a new identity and learns how to heal.

hizta (any pronouns): tusken ex-bounty hunter who now runs a droid repair shop on coruscant. acquainted with aiya before and during the Clone Wars, aids the Rebellion.

penelope (she/they): human; old colleague of Hizta's. generally fairly cold and professional until you get to know them; actually very affectionate.

i also have some underdeveloped clone trooper OCs

hollow knight

cornu (they/them): HKsona. void-corrupted snail shaman capable of harnessing both soul and void magic.

unnamed fairyfly OC

[officialpenisenvy]

aren’t there good things that come from family members loving and supporting each other? i’m not trying to be a dick, i just haven’t heard the term “family abolition” before or heard about this as a movement

don't worry, i totally get it, family is an institution that is profoundly entrenched in our culture and has been throughout history, so i know it can be really tough to imagine a world without it. family abolition is an incredibly varied and complex movement and summarizing it is way beyond the scope of my abilities, so this is just the way i personally see it at this point in time. individual families can absolutely be a positive community full of support and love, in fact i would say that my own extended family is a net positive despite it all; still, the institution of the family overall is largely a negative force that creates insular pockets of complacency and silence around the abuse that occurs between its members, while at the same time overstating any potential harm that comes from outside sources or society at large.

if you're anything like me, the vast majority of people in your life come from abusive or otherwise deeply dysfunctional homes, ones that have done demonstrably more harm than good in their own personal development and growth: beyond the anecdotal, just look at the statistics on, for instance, the rates of queer youth with abusive or bigoted families, or how many conservatives today use the family as a shorthand for all that is good and pure and must be protected from degenerate perverts (despite studies showing that the vast majority of child sexual abuse comes from within the home).

i sometimes liken family abolition to church abolition, as both are deeply rotten institutions and forces for conservatism built on abuse upon abuse and wrongful hierarchy upon wrongful hierarchy, as well as both having some good apples such as individual family units or parishes that can be incredibly positive forces in people's lives. however, this comparison isn't perfect: namely, the church responds to the need for a spiritual and ideological connection based around a specific faith and teleological belief, a need that can be met by no other community of people in today's society (barring other religious congregations, of course). the family's function, on the other hand, is not unique to itself: a common adage is it takes a village to raise a child, and i really do find it to ring true when discussing family abolition — a handful of blood-related individuals will never be better fit to raise a healthy and happy child than a wide and sprawling community founded on trust and mutual accountability and communal child-rearing experience, a community that doesn't necessarily exclude the blood relatives of the children but works to integrate them in a larger context where any potential abuse of power is kept in check and denounced.

of course, this is mostly theoretical: we live in a society (bottom text) that is deeply capitalistic, and capitalism is founded on the institution of the family, so it's probably utopian to imagine the abolition of the family before the collapse of capitalism. and even then, many societies in the world and throughout history are not capitalistic yet are still founded on the family (albeit with varying definitions of it, some of which are very close to the proverbial "village" i described above): if the aim is to dismantle the family altogether and not simply alter its definition to fit more members of consanguinity or non-consanguinity, it will have to be a concerted and strenuous effort to go against an ingrained part of our understanding of the world.

[gemsofgreece]

Some will complain that Greece has become kr will become a tourist destination only because of many Greeks leaving the country and many places are filled with hotels. While i agree that Greece should invest in schools, healthcare, hospitals, tourism is the number one income to our country.

Especially during summer, but that happens i believe in all around the world. Italy, France for example are tourist destinations all year and northern Europe is mostly a winter destination whereas Greece is a summer one.

It might seem counterintuitive coming from my blog but I don’t agree. Tourism can be the number one income in a country but no country should have such disproportionate sizes of income. You can’t survive only on one thing. If something bad happens, knock wood, and tourist visits decline, what do you do then? Tourism is not a very reliable source of income.

There is also the overdevelopment which is very much a real thing: doctors and teachers in Santorini can’t find a house and sleep in yards or leave the Island, because all houses are rented by tourists for higher prices? So Santorini’s kids won’t get proper education and the people will have no doctor but that’s okay because they get tourists’ money? This is just not a healthy development and it’s hardly a development at all. The excessive construction has already started degrading the natural environment and the authenticity of the traditional settlements. The problem slowly expands to more of the country, with all people struggling to find houses to rent longterm that have no insane prices and luxe resorts being built out of place in traditional settlements protected by the state and cultural organisations.

Every country should invest in all sectors it can evenly. By all means, focus on your strengths, but not at the expense of all other sectors and the well-rounded development of the country. And young people should find jobs in what they have studied or what they desire: sciences, arts, commerce, agriculture, industry and not all of them be forced to become waiters and receptionists working in hectic conditions because all other sectors are dead. Or, worse, leave.

I agree though that Greece should try to distribute its visitors throughout the whole year, like Italy and France. It’s already slowly happening, however the tourist count should not increase too much at this point. France and Italy are different cases. They get more tourists but they are much bigger countries with much bigger populations. I think they have 60something million people and get about 60-80 million tourists all year round. This is only a little larger than local population so it’s sustainable. Greece gets only 30 million tourists but it has 10 million population! This is barely sustainable. I believe our high season popular places can’t bear more than that. It means that most locals must be obligatorily in tourism services. That’s just not right. On the contrary, French and Italian people can choose their career paths more freely and contribute to far more sectors of economy at the same time.

By the way, I believe Greece can do up to 40 million but ONLY if tourists come throughout the year and to more places in the country. Otherwise not. Greece can be compared better with Croatia which also gets more tourists (11 mil) than it has people (~ 4 mil). Croatia is beautiful, I have been there, but it’s rapid unhealthy development starts getting evident. I have been to almost all Balkan countries and even though strictly speaking it’s probable it was amongst the prettiest, it was not my most enjoyable experience exactly for how it starts lacking in authenticity compared to the rest, because of its fast growing tourist culture and tourism-centrism. (Just my two cents)

See also the beautiful islands and countries of the Indopacific, Hawaii etc The quality of the life of local people has been freefalling ever since large parts of the lands are becoming luxe resorts of big hotel chains, specialising in “exclusive experiences” for the tourists who stay there locked taking baths and yoga, removed from the real life of the country they are visiting, almost as removed as the locals who have been working night and day in their service for a better life. Tourists should become travellers and explorers again. Countries should strive for diversity and not excessive dependency in their economy. People should start living and truly enjoying their own countries too.

[memurfevur-archive]

Some History and Tidbits About Oterland

What is it

Oterland is a small town nearest the Oterland ranges, itself a part of the Unbrusid Mountains. The population of Oterland as a town is not very big, with about 2,500 people on average living in condensed neighborhoods spaced apart from each other. However, most of Oterland’s population is not included in the census and lives in the large brooding cavern that the town is most known for, with a population reaching around 63,000 and growing. Most of Oterland’s residents are Jadebloods, and the Oterland Caverns are a Jade-exclusive brooding cavern– meaning that no other caste can obtain a job there, in theory.

History and the Shebang:

Oterland was established in pre-Imperial times sometime during the Mage War– an era with an uncertain timeline but does not pre-date written history. Many mages had spread throughout the globe to create settlements as either a base of operations or an attempt to find a new home away from devastation. It is thought that many a magically-inclined Troll (mages) were at odds with an enemy that is unknown to historians. This enemy or enemies have repeatedly been struck from written record or have little to no evidence of existing. Additionally, the people of Oterland Caverns are incredibly protective of their archives and history, and seem to be wary of outsiders. This has made it difficult for some to extensively explore the region’s history, and to uncover the truth about the Mage War– as some believe this era to be a work of fiction as controversial as Earth’s tales of King Arthor.

What is agreed upon based on what records have been studied is that a large diaspora of mages sought shelter and refuge away from a conflict. Again, there are few to no records on who these enemies were or what the conflict was about, but these same texts imply that they were being hunted. As a result, they made homes in Unbrusid’s natural tunnel and cave systems, overtime expanding it into an even more intricate network.

Though the first permanent settlement was made in the upper-middle levels of what today is considered the cavern, over the course of a great many sweeps did the mages carve out and establish what would be the largest temple-city to date. While at first importance was shared among the whole pantheon, worship eventually fell to mainly the Goddess Spirit while the other deities faded into the background.

It was clear that this underground temple had been made to become a new haven for the mages. The central hollow has a large waterfall supporting a large lake of which the city was built on top of. Hives and other establishments neatly line the clean pathways, all made of a strange glistening white stone with odd arcane symbols etched in. The temple itself is a beautiful and intricate building, made of the same stone and some crystal glass, giving classical-like architecture an otherworldly feeling. The temple is divided into many different sections, some that were clearly made as living quarters for monks and priests while others were meant for worship or politics. It was not until the reign of Overseer Emacin Tarris, the Defiance, and the changes she made to Oterland’s laws that forced this hidden city to become a relic of the far past, leaving the temple to rely on cavern-appointed priestesses to maintain it.

The erasing of hundreds of sweeps of people and culture fell upon the shoulders of Emacin Tarris, who outlawed mages in an attempt to save Oterland from its unknown enemies. The legend goes that the fabled Mage King, a major figure who is said to have started this mysterious war and had rallied the world’s mages to fight in his cause, sought shelter in these caverns. In an attempt to keep her people safe from the same enemies the her ancestors had run from so many sweeps ago, Emacin refused the Mage King and sent him away. Soon after she began banning magic in its entirety. Mages soon became villainized and outlawed, and anyone who was caught practicing magic would be exiled or executed. By wiping out magic and those who practice it, Emacin was able to evade the attention of these omitted enemies, but in doing so erased much of Oterland’s history, people, and culture. There are records affirming some details of this tale, giving credit to the possibility of the Mage Wars being real. Ironically, magic is still alive in Oterland, and much of the population are descendants of these mages– but the Defiance’s laws made sure that you will rarely find anyone in Oterland who approves of magic, both in and outside of the caverns.

While Oterland has always been spiritually involved, it is thought that the erasure of mages encouraged more to turn to the Goddess Spirit for guidance, protection, and as a political tool. The Defiance used the cult following of the Goddess Spirit to turn people away from magic and towards relying on a new political and spiritual hierarchy that shapes the Oterland Caverns to this day.

First in line is the Overseer, then the Overseer’s second-in-command who helps play middle-man between the Overseer and the priestesses. Priestesses are expected to take care of the temple, where they live and interpret signs and messages from the Goddess herself. The head of the priestesses, who works directly with the Overseer and the second-in-command, is given the title Prioress. While anyone under the Overseer is expected to answer to them, a lot of stock is put into the Prioress’ words and often the Prioress is included in legislation and administrative decisions. It is usually priestesses and/or the Prioress who look after the direct care of the grub mother itself. 

Religion has also drastically shaped the leniency the Oterland caverns may have towards specific mutations. While Oterland did not formatically cull mutants until officially being enlisted into the Imperial Empire’s territory –back then still only centralized to Alternia– they did show favoritism to physical mutations that allowed wings to be grown. Wings are thought to be a blessing from the Goddess Spirit, since the grub mother who is winged is believed to be the deity’s physical vessel. 

Such mutants, the ‘blessed’, are given high spiritual status and may be considered gods themselves, often the object of worship. The relationship between Prioress and ‘blessed’ is, vocally, considered ‘familial’ or akin to ‘a guardian and their charge,’ but it is much more practiced as if the mutant in question is an object the Prioress owns. The ‘blessed’ is considered a reflection of the Prioress; if the ‘blessed’ shows good behavior befitting of the aesthetic of the Goddess, then the Prioress has a better reputation and is considered to have a close relationship to the Goddess Spirit– giving her more power and credit.

It is also important to note that the administration in the caverns often point to feminine favoritism; those who identify as female are seen as stronger, more devoted, and more capable of their duties. Those who identify as male or outside the binary are seen as lesser and weaker, putting pressure on them to become 'better' or 'more loved' by the Goddess. While it is possible for males and nonbinary Jades to hold positions of power, it often is given to females. This isn't specific to the Oterland Caverns either, but it does play a part of Oterland Caverns' spiritual and administrative decisions, particularly one's own relationship to the Goddess and whether or not they are socially deemed 'worthy.'

Besides the Overseer, second-in-command, and Prioress, there is a council made up of Elders– those Jades who have been alive the longest– who help make decisions on behalf of the people. Though, these council meetings usually are held to decide a disobedient Jade’s punishment, or to discuss briefly minute complaints the residents of the caverns have that must be brought to the Overseer's or Prioress' attention.

The town of Oterland itself has a different governmental system than the caverns. The town has a mayor and its own council made of those of whom the mayor has appointed. While religion is important to the town of Oterland, it is not as strictly ruled by it as is in the caverns. In fact, despite being right next to each other and being founded by the same population, the town and the caverns are largely divorced from one another– this is more in part of the caverns’ cult-like isolation driving a wedge between themselves and ‘outsiders.’

Unlike most of Alternia’s cities and districts, if you were to look at a map you’d find that Oterland’s borders have largely remained untouched over the sweeps, as there are few ruling Carnivals or Circuses vying for territory in this region.

[anya-snow]

THE KINGDOM OF THE NORTH & THE GOLDEN EMPIRE: A list of wanted connections for people of YiTish origin in the North

The Golden Empire of Yi Ti is currently broken into eight major regions and the island of Leng, which is why some have looked outside their own borders for opportunities to grow and thrive. For many generations, YiTish people have travelled to other nations, with a particularly tight bond having formed with the Westerosi kingdom of the North.

For many years the kingdom of the North has embraced YiTish nobles, merchants, artisans and sages. The North’s visionary king, Owen Stark, has been working on creating a new realm unlike that of his predecessors, expanding on and strengthening bonds that have existed for so long. In recent time, this has fostered trade as well as cultural and intellectual exchange between the two nations.

NOTE: Houses, characters, plots, etc. are open to change and discussion. What is non-negotiable is the heritage of these characters, please note the FCs for these roles must have East Asian or Southeast Asian heritage.

WANTED CONNECTIONS listed below

HOUSE GREENLEAF Many generations ago, this house was founded by a YiTish immigrant who was later knighted and titled for his loyalty and service to the North. The YiTish lord changed his surname (Luye, YiTish for “green leaves”) to the common tongue “Greenleaf”. The late Rhydian Mormont was married to Yanlin, a daughter of House Greenleaf, also deceased along with thier daughters Leyana and Olira.

Open roles:

One to two Greenleaf knights

One lady appointed as one of Queen Rosalyn’s ladies-in-waiting

Open to more suggestions!

FROM THE REGION OF WAN This is one of the regions that have broken fully with the rule of the God-Emperor in Yin, although they aren’t officially an independent region like the island of Leng just yet. Their dedication to commerce with other lands and their amicable bond with their neighboring region of Shizi has enabled them to be as self-sufficient as they wish and not be forced to rely on the God-Emperor’s support. They have a strong bond with the regions of Ren and Xing as well, supporting them in their trade routes. This region isn’t ruled by a feudal lord but by a system of guilds, with each electing a member to represente them (merchants, sailors, tailors, healers, etc.) in periodic gatherings. People who have travelled to the Westerosi kingdom of the North have done so to escape the tensions in Yi Ti, encouraged by the promise of a better life in a kingdom that has welcomed them for many years.

Open roles:

One to two members of the merchant Yuan family (connection to Yuan Anya)

One to three members of the ruling guilds (artisans, tailors, healers, etc)

Open to more suggestions!

FROM THE REGION OF XING It is often said that the people of Yi Ti learned how to decipher the language of the stars from the Lion of Night and the Maiden-Made-of-Light, who taught them how to interpret both light and darkness, and who communicated their will through constellations as well as the rest of the secrets of the night sky. A colossal astronomy tower was built and a city began to grow around it, which is today known as the city of Xing, one of the oldest populated regions in all of Yi Ti. In time, more seekers of knowledge and wisdom were drawn to the region of Xing to learn the secrets of the universe. With time, and with people from other places travelling there, the exchange of knowledge was immense, culminating in a variety of schools being built all across the region for students to learn astronomy, engineering, botany, amongst many other branches of study. Nowadays the city of Xing in particular is considered a hub for sages (the equivalent of Westerosi maesters) as well as scholars, and it welcomes people from foreign lands to learn there.

Open roles:

One Xingese sage, part of the council as Archmaester of the North

One to two scholars who play a role in King Owen’s development plans for the North

Open to more suggestions!

FROM THE REGION OF SHIZI This region of Yi Ti mostly consists of forests and farmlands, which is why the Shizii people have developed most efficient and ingenious methods for agriculture. They have particularly good ties to the region of Wan and have a fruitful trading relationship with its people as well as with the regions of Xing and Ren. They are ruled by a feudal lord of the Qian family that resides in Shizi, which is often called the Jade City due to its lush vegetation and vast flora as well as the characteristic green clothing of their ruling family, who are called the start of the Jade dynasty by those who reject the God-Emperor’s rule. The ruling lord of Shizi represents the biggest threat to the God-Emperor’s rule, since they descend from the same bloodline and too many people believe he is rightfully descended from the Lion of Night and the Maiden-Made-of-Light, as all past YiTish emperors, thus it is believed he has a rightful claim to become the new God-Emperor. Assassination attempts from the lord in Shizi to the God-Emperor and vice versa have taken place a number of times. However, rather than overthrowing the current God-Emperor, the Qian family aims to break from Yi Ti and begin a new empire along with the people of Wan.

Open roles:

One member of the Qian family (a child of the feudal Qian lord)

One noble loyal to the Qian family

One to two refugees who were displaced from Ludi after its destruction

Open to more suggestions!

For any questions and more details about the North, please reach out to @owenstark​

For any questions and more details about Yi Ti, please reach out to @anya-snow​ 

[aronarchy]

https://twitter.com/AbolitionF_ists/status/1467939051613396995

[transcription:

ember ☭ @bimbomarxistt · Dec 5, 2021

imagine hearing a baby cry and your first thought is that they’re t[r]ying to manipulate you into spoiling them

Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas · Dec 6, 2021

The ascription of malice to Children comes from white supremacy. Especially in the US case the logic was built into Puritan theology. The text “Performing Childhoods” goes into the ways this intersected with antiblackness especially during slavery and into the late 1800s

At some point white children were placed into a notion of child innocence especially as the developing bourgeois society needed, in places like the US, to frame them as blank slates to be trained in the school system to become workers. Black children never got that

Black children became the embodiment of childhood malice that needed to be controlled. This always had implications for Black parents bc it became common to paint the children as either dangerous or endangered by Black adults’ irresponsibility

These narratives still follow us: overpolicing blamed on kids having “no home training”; and lack of “home training” blamed on supposed Black Matriarchy (a la Moynihan ideology); or on poor Black cishet men not being proper breadwinners (Bootstraps ideology)

None of these ideas developed in a stable form. It developed over time. We specified the late 1800s bc around then the foundation of more well known “science” inquiries was being harnessed in a unique way, especially as class struggle are under way, in the way of abolitionisms...

... the early “intellectual projects” that would become eugenics in the 20th century, the scramblings for territory in Africa that definitely was a material undercurrent to these things... It is all connected. These things were interacting

Interested in hearing about how Colonial constructions of childhood developed and shifted outside the US context tho. If any folks [have] information on that let us know.

(As far as the Christian theology: original sin doctrines had a history of positioning children as in need of authoritarian parenting in order to punish the devil or temptation out of them. The same logic went into certain values of why abstinence and cisheterosexism was needed to control so-called human sexuality that often got coded as the quintessential expression of original sin.)

The reinforcement of childis[t] and cisheterosexist relations under Patriarchy has a class function. In the Colonial context it takes on a particular life because Black and Indigenous are coded as inherently devilish and heathen because of religious/ethnic supremacism. But also as a civilizational insistence to justify clearing away class/social relations that didn’t fit the mold necessary for the interests being mounted by Man, including relations of gender/sexual lines, as well as relations between children and adults/elders.

Authoritarian parental mastery and cis/allo-heterosexist control had to take on a particular kind of intensity and regulation for the “backward” peoples who are always already the embodiment of a Fallen Nature that the church and Western institutions must police on behalf of the ruling class’ material interests.

The mistreatment of Black children by the school, nuclear family, police + media narratives, church, and the implications this is having for how Black adults (especially QTGNC ones, bc this is connected to why the “Gay Agenda” idea is used to accuse us of forcing queerness/transness onto kids) get impacted by the State, the family misregulation (foster care/child protective) system, esp for mothers & birthing parents... there is alot to parse.

Again, it is all part of a system. We need to study, struggle, build solidarity, and a revolutionary spirit: and fight for our collective liberation. We can also talk about how rape culture is often upheld by the ascribing of adultlike malicion and sexual proclivities to Black children across genders. This is why the cishet boys aren’t seen as victims of CSA; and young girls and marginalized genders across the spectrum are always victim-blamed or painted as the real predators or deserving of it all.)

In all we gotta fight racial capitalism and cisheterosexism, patriarchy and ableist notions of biology, psychology, neurology, etc that are used to organize many of these institutions and relations: and part of that requires examining how the pathologization of children is used

/end transcription]

[whatisonthemoon]

Thoughts on Dying for the People

Yesterday, 53 years ago, on December 4, 1969, Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, was drugged and executed in his sleep during a raid on his apartment. He was 21 years old. Those who executed him were a unit from the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, who coordinated with both the Chicago Police Department and the FBI (COINTELPRO). Fellow Panther Mark Clark was executed in the same night-time attack, and four others were injured, including Hampton’s pregnant partner. Who was Fred Hampton? In his short life, Hampton was able to ideologically and politically sharpen the Panthers throughout the country, and built up Chicago Panthers into a force to be reckoned with. He was already organizing breakfasts for children in his neighborhood at 10 years old, and provided him with experiences and skills that enriched his later Panther organizing, which included a free breakfast program for children. He remained an organizer throughout high school, as well as a leading student, with honors and varsity letters. In 1966, he began to increasingly identify US imperialism as the enemy of all working people. It was around this time that he encountered the Panthers and began to work with the community supervision program, which sought to patrol the police and hold them accountable for their violence. Within two or three years, he had managed to organize a nonaggression pact among Chicago's major gangs, campaigned against sexism and male chauvinism in the Black Panther Party, and began to lead the Party in Illinois.

Not only did his work lift up the Panthers, but all anti-imperialists who were seeking to unite for the end of US imperialism. He was the principal organizer of the original Rainbow Coalition, a multi-cultural, multi-national coalition of anti-racist, anti-imperialist organizations such as the Young Patriots, Young Lords, Brown Berets, American Indian Movement, Red Guard Party, Students for a Democratic Sociality, Rising Up Angry, Mothers and Others, and others.  Hampton, like Malcolm X, was one of the greatest revolutionaries who lived in the US through the twentieth century. He was known for loving and serving the working class, his disciplined practice, thoughtful leadership, and sharp analysis. Hamptons are a rarity, which is why already at 18/19 years old, the FBI began surveilling Hampton and attempted to sabotage his work and relationships. He was one of countless organizers and activists in the U.S. who have been surveilled, targeted, and/or executed by their own government.  As soon as the news of Hampton’s death began to circulate, thousands of panthers, allies and supporters pilgrimaged from all over the country to Chicago.

Dying for the people

I used to be willing to die for my sexual purity, and for True Father, and for the cause of protecting Korea from communism. For some time after leaving the Moonies, I thought dying for a cause was the mindset of a cultist. Over time, I’ve come to recognize that many live, and are willing to die, for a cause because they have realized there is no other choice. Studying the church’s history, and US history, made this clear to me. Understanding what the third world experiences under the boot(s) of imperialism of all stripes (US, Japanese, British, Chinese, French, etc.).

This particular George Jackson speaks to what I’m driving what:

"Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution."

Unification Church and Counterinsurgency

The Unification Church’s support from the US government undoubtedly had something to do with the upsurge of revolutionary politics in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s. There are many reasons why people got involved with the church, as varying techniques and forms of “heavenly deception” were used throughout the church centers, but for many American young adults who joined the Moonies at this time, the church offered a path that was explicitly not the worn-out capitalist American Dream. For many of them, too, it took weeks, months even, to begin to realize they were in fact joining a religious organization.

For the generation emerging out of the Vietnam War, and yet remaining in a world in the midst of anti-colonial uprisings and revolutionary movements seizing power, “the movement” spoke to the dreams, hopes, and weariness of a generation that longed for peace, meaning, and some sense of grounding. The US was experiencing radical social change, with the youth making what seemed to be extreme statements about sex, government, politics, gender, and religion. Even for those who were apolitical, the shifting values of their generation left many feeling unanchored and unable to discern the world. The Moonies spoke to that sense. This new faith and movement led hundreds of Moonies and CARP members to cooperate with the FBI on a COINTELPRO-like program to sabotage the organizing of anti-imperialist activists in solidarity with El Salvador. Even after the USSR and China went down the capitalist road, and many post-colonial countries went down the path of semi-colonialism, we remain in a world with shifting values, where revolutionary organizations and ideas are now re-emerging, growing, and in many places taking hold of the people’s hearts, such as among millions of workers and peasants in India, the Philippines, Brazil, Turkey, etc. And just as this was true back in the 60s and 70s, so is the trend of the US government murdering activists and organizers, principally among Black youth. A number of grassroots organizers in the Black Liberation Movement have gone missing or had mysterious deaths since the Ferguson uprising. The U.S. also continues supports efforts to repress social movements and eliminate activists throughout the world, including in the Philippines, where thousands have been killed for being suspected communists by arms paid by the US tax dollars and created by a UC-owned weapons company, SNT Motiv/S&T Motiv. The Moonies were a vital force in post-Marcos Philippine counterinsurgency planning, as the ones who organized conferences between Philippine military leaders and politicians, Philippine cultural figures and celebrities, CIA, US generals, and other leaders and “experts,” to figure out how to suppress the Communist threat of the New People’s Army. Same problems

Our problems remain the same. The Philippine government is still ruthlessly chopping up activists, claiming them as NPA. The US government is still funding the murder of communists. The Unification “movement” remains a tool of counterinsurgency. There have been major defeats of the people in the US in the past 50-60 years, as there have been globally, but the path toward victory zigzags, as mistakes are made, new conditions arise, and lessons are learned. The people always come back to the realization that they must fight in order to win. As capitalism in its highest stage, which is imperialism, grows increasingly more unstable, it will also grow increasingly more violent, especially as the climate crises becomes even more prevalent. The working and colonized people of the world will not take this forever, and in order to survive, they will have to unite and fight to defeat imperialism. As they have before, again and again, and as they are even now, the people will continually rise up towards the final victory: a classless, stateless world free of imperialist domination and war and capitalist exploitation. As conditions worsen, more and more will see that such a future is worth living and dying for.

-------------------

If you want to know more about this, look to the revolutionary movement in the Philippines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEJ3u5btITY

[nasatestpilot]

I always felt like I had an uncanny ability to get a good read on people the first time I meet them

My experience has proven to be mostly right so far

After the first day we talked I knew you were a genuinely good person

It's hard not to find genuinely good people attractive

Especially people that are hot, share the same values, and have some similar interests

I was aware of my own insecurities and how much I was hiding my true self around others

I was convinced no one would like me

I was still learning how to control all this rage inside me

I kept isolating myself, even from my family

I'd spend most of my time in a windowless room in a basement

The people who built the house made it soundproof since one of them was a musician

I used to listen to music and look up politics, history, geography, and sports, and other cultures

That led me to take a sociology class in high school

A cute girl in the class was a fellow leftie and was really into psychology

So naturally, I started to read up about it

When I ended up going to Indiana Tech for college, I didn't really plan on staying

I was pretty embarrassed, I thought I would go to a better school and enjoy being on my own

I realize now that I would have faced my mental health problems a lot sooner if I did that

Instead I chose psychology, since it was the only major that they had that sounded interesting to me

After the first year, I realized that if I kept going there, I could keep my 4.0 (or close to it) and go to any school I wanted for grad school

I felt safe with that and I decided to switch to a pre-law program that they just started

I thought I could just go to law school, study environmental law, and do some good there and make decent money

After a year of that, I looked into law schools more and realized pre-law wasn't a major anywhere else and that I would be better off studying whatever I liked

So I went back to psychology

I'm so glad I did

I got to learn about every facet or psychology, including therapy skills and practicing using CBT

I learned that I could trust the behavioral health system even though it was imperfect

I learned that psych meds are a bit of a guessing game

I learned that it was easy to be misdiagnosed

I don't know if I would be here today if I didn't choose this path

I also know that back when I knew you, I wasn't in a good place to be in a relationship

I knew that I would have trouble feeling secure and would have difficulty being vulnerable

I knew that I could hurt you with my words

So I chose to keep my distance

You didn't really reach out, so that made it easy

That was until I took a medical leave from grad school

I was fortunate that I was able to live with my parents who supported me

They let me rest and work on bettering myself

After I got my bipolar diagnosis I jumped the gun

I thought by having the right diagnosis and being on a mediation to treat it, I was already better

That's when I started to reach out more

I decided that it was time for me to reconnect with the world

It's why I reached out to you to grab coffee

But when it came time for me to have fun with a new group of people who were already established friends, I felt the need to isolate

I realized I didn't feel safe to be myself yet

I let my thoughts torment me

I remembered that whenever I was with a group of people who already had a friend group, that I could be left behind

And if I was left behind, I was worthless

The pack would reject me and I would need to survive on my own

I then chose to do the thing I so badly wanted to prevent

My ears were back, my teeth were showing

As my mind raced, I chose to type hurtful words

Intending for them to hurt

All my life I intended to be the person who would burn seems as they frayed

Instead I burned the half of the bridge I chose to make

I chose to push you away

And I regretted it ever since I did it

I can't ask for forgiveness and the thought to even ask is incredibly selfish

I can't force an apology in you

Maybe I'm arrogant and this didn't affect you so an apology is not needed and it's weird that I let this affect me so much

Maybe you just needed time and you're at peace with it

Maybe you haven't revisited it

Maybe you think about it from time to time

I hope you're not hurt by it anymore

The possibility of that leaves me feeling shameful

We weren't that close, but I know I still destroyed whatever trust had for me

That you couldn't feel safe around me

As much as I think being able to talk to you every now and then would be an improvement for my life

I understand that I might have lost the privilege of being some part of yours

And if I did, that's ok

You'll never have to hear from me or see me again

As I'm writing this, I know I may never get an answer

I accept and respect that

I'm sorry I fucked up the chance to do share this life with you as part of it in someway that benefits us both

I'm not in the mindset that I can't do anything about it anymore

I know I can continue to go to therapy and take my meds; I can coach high schoolers not only how to play lacrosse well, but to know they are safe and can express themselves through sports without the toxic masculinity; I can continue to work at a job where I can help connect people and make sure behavioral health services can keep providing care to the most vulnerable in the community

And above all, I know that I can be patient and wait

Even if I have to take these words to the grave

I think the best way to make it up to you is to let you be

And all I can hope for is that you feel safe and happy more often than not

It's hard for me to admit, but I feel some guilt that I am so happy now

That a lot of things I worked for happened to work out

I have an amazing partner who is everything I want and need, a great job, and hobbies that I enjoy

All based on connections with people

The same connections I had such a hard time making before

I'd say I'm living the dream and don't want to wake up, but that's not true

I put a lot of conscious effort into this

I don't know how it all happened so quickly and there's a part of me that feels scared I will fuck this up

And that often leads to me thinking about how I treated you the last night we spoke

I went from someone you got excited to see to someone that cussed you out when you did nothing to deserve that

I'm sorry I made this about me

I want to share because you helped me get here

I just wish you could see me now

I think I would make you proud

[hannahbunny]

This goes for many northern civilizations too. Despite being pressed to the edge of extinction by colonial brutality, they still survive, and they aren't an ancient mystery.

Taos Pueblo was a central point of trade for the southwest well into the 19th century, and the people who lived there then still live there today. Over a dozen pueblos are still populated by Puebloans today, and the people who live in them can trace their ancestry to many of the abandoned pueblos that dot the region. 'Ancient' Puebloans aren't all that ancient, and aren't the mystery so many people make them out to be.

Cahokia was the largest city north of Mexico, a vibrant center of trade in the midwest built around a massive mound, founded in the 9th century. It was the same size as London in the 12th century- and it may have declined in the 14th century, but the people who lived there still exist in the form of the Peoria Tribe which is headquartered in Miami, Oklahoma today. There may not be 'Cahokians' anymore, but the people didn't vanish. Their culture just grew into something new, like every culture in the cycle of civilizations does.

The Five Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole) had towns of thousands that dotted the entire southeastern United States, built around mounds like Cahokia's. Mississippian civilization, commonly called the mound-builders, was vibrant and flourishing from the 9th to 17th century, with hundreds of towns with widespread trade networks and large scale agriculture. Their towns had planned streets, residential and public subdivisions, bureaucratic chiefdoms, and organized militaries.

And then colonizers decided they wanted that land. The Five Tribes were forced west to Oklahoma in the 1830s-1840s. But the people still exist. You can study the Cherokee language at university. You can get arrested by Seminole Lighthorse Police on I-40. You can visit a Muscogee art exhibition in Tulsa. You can hear Choctaw stories about mounds almost 2000 years old, built by their ancestors. The mound-builders are still here, they aren't some ancient mystery. They were just forced to leave their homes.

When one thinks about "ancient" Native American civilizations and ruins... the thing is that... most of them, they weren't ancient. The Inca were not fully conquered by the Spanish until 1572... for reference, the Mona Lisa was painted in 1502 and Martin Luther made the 95 Theses in 1517.. the "ancient" Aztec Empire was younger than the university of Oxford founded in the 11th century, Montezuma lived at the same time than Leonardo Da Vinci... There are castles that are younger than Machu Picchu, those cities were inhabited by millions just a few centuries ago, and some (Cuzco, México), many actually, are still inhabited today. People speak about the Ancient Maya as if it was some mysterious civilization that was lost, and while it was past its prime at the time of European conquest, the Maya still had city-states and were living in the same areas they live today.

There are still millions of people, right now, who speak Quechua, Nahuatl, and Maya in all their dialects, and I'm just talking about the three most well-known civilizations here... there are millions of Native Americans who still speak their languages and practice their culture and beliefs alive, both thriving and struggling today.

Talking about the "Ancient Inca" or "Ancient Aztecs" makes as much sense as talking about the "Ancient Dutch" or the "Ancient Swedes", and it's another way of erasing them, saying that they just aren't around anymore just like say the Sumerians, or that they just weren't relevant to world history. They were contemporaries to modernity and they're still alive today.

You can talk about the Ancient Olmecs or Ancient Chavín though. Because the Inca and the Aztecs are relatively "modern" but their cultures were just the latest from a cycle of civilizations stretching millenia before Christ.

[automatismoateo]

Off My Chest: I Hate Christianity. Heres why. via /r/atheism

Off My Chest: I Hate Christianity. Here’s why. To be fair, I find all religions awful. Even Buddhism which gets a pass in our culture has some seriously disgusting beliefs (tldr kids with cancer deserve it). Yet Christianity seems to be the only religion in the USA which increasingly affects my day to day life. From my healthcare to where my tax dollars go. I grew up in this nonsense. I went through conversion therapy. Just learning about evolution in school was met with massive protests. Heck, I was even kidnapped by a church as a kid while being forced to hear the gospel. As I got older, I really wanted to get involved more in charity only to learn that most of the tax free churches basically did none. They’d get money to help with homelessness then didn’t. They’d get money for addiction programs and didn’t do anything except a “pray the addiction away program.” At one point I proposed a cooperative business to restore citizens with criminal records and I was told “it’s better to keep them materially poor so they can be spiritually rich.” This church (Xenos Christian Fellowship) later received a $1 million PPP loan which was also forgiven. What really separated me from the Christian church was doubt. Even at 5 years old I was filled with doubt. I’d be told to read some book and I did, but was always left wanting. I studied theology for I could enter church leadership and we’d talk about the more scary parts of the Bible: Old Testament genocide and infanticide. Now we’d write off genocide as the murdered having deserved it, but infants? What did they do? Well there’s two answers: god can do what we want (but this also implies he’s a dick sending a lot of people to hell) or the more accepted answer: those kids were killed before the age of responsibility and thus got a pretty nice gift. Of course when 2016 rolled around and my church backed Trump because he would undo roe v wade, I had to ask: why? Wouldn’t it make more sense for abortion to keep happening to spare those lives? Hell we should be rounding kids now! Just as you’d put a suffering animal out of its misery, we could save multitudes from eternal damnation. The big problem with doubt in the Christian church is that at a certain point they make it a character issue: this doubt isn’t legitimate because you’ve been deceived by satan. Nevermind gods hands off attitude when being deceived by the second most intelligent creature around… it’s an escape hatch for religious leaders without answers. My question had me speaking with so many religious leaders and they couldn’t use the “deceived” logic. The calculus is self-evident. They’d just say “look you have to believe! What else is there?” Nothing. And that’s okay. I hate having given so much of my life to this religion, I go to therapy and it helps. However, none of this made me hate Christianity. It gives people comfort. You do you boo! Hell I’m not consumed with hate when they get loans that are forgiven. But over the last decade I’ve built a wonderful life for myself that doesn’t involve Christianity, but day by day that’s encroached upon arbitrarily. My healthcare. My freedom of speech and thought. There’s double standards in almost every aspect of my life. You can take my money and get your tax breaks, but let me have my damn autonomy. Haven’t you had enough? I hate Christianity. Truly. And I hate the idiotic Christians I have to encounter day to day. And it’s not because Satan corrupted me You really are just that insufferable. We could just leave each other alone, but here we are. Submitted April 02, 2024 at 08:42PM by TheKimulator (From Reddit https://ift.tt/X26aycl)

[crystalprofessor]

worldbuilding headcanon; In the interest of not making people read a single two-mile wall of text (and instead two separate one-mile walls of text!), I'm going to split this up into ancient history and... semi-modern? Actually recorded? History sections, mainly because I have so much Sinjoh stuff in my brain that I need to make it its own headcanon. Consider this homework for the Tohjoh one. Also, point of order: for clarity's sake, I will be referring to ancient Sinnoh as Sinnoh and not Hisui because I don't want to have to flop between them, and it makes more sense to call it Sinnoh when discussing the Sinjoh Ruins.

To start us off, the earliest version of the Sinjoh peoples were a nomadic tribe that traveled alongside migratory pokémon herds (swinub line), which they largely relied upon as their main means of sustenance. Their range spanned from central Sinnoh to Northern Johto. To be clear, we're talking ancient ancient. Largely before written history ancient. (Unown notwithstanding, but we'll get there.) At this time, Sinnoh and Johto were still directly connected by a strip of land.

Historically and archeologically speaking, it's unclear how and what exactly happened that these two locations were cut off from one another. Some blame a steadily rising sea level during that particular era and claim that the cut-off was a slow one, while others believe it was a single catastrophic event, such as the combination of extreme seismic activity and a tsunami that permanently flooded the plain on which these original Sinjoh people traversed, effectively cutting their tribe in half. There's not a lot of hard evidence for either, but the former theory is believed to have the more solid foundation as the existence of the Sinjoh Ruins would imply that the two halves of this culture were, at one point, able to come together to build the structure. (If anything, it's plausible that both are true.)

Regardless, this single tribe was inevitably divided. Officially speaking, the two groups that formed as a result were known as the Celesticans in Sinnoh and Ecruteans in Johto, the latter of which settled in the area now known as the Ruins of Alph. Which is the next subject of discussion.

Both the Ruins of Alph and Solaceon Ruins were constructed around the same time, specifically when archeologists have theorized this "cut-off" was occurring. Part of this is the result of the two halves of this culture, faced with no longer being able to live their nomadic lifestyle, simply being forced to create more permanent settlements. (Solaceon Town no longer has any standing above-ground structures, but it did have them at one point, as archeologists have been able to uncover. Which has generally lead experts to believe that it was the equivalent Celestican )

So... those weird underground parts and the unown, though. Researchers studying the Unown have recently discovered that they can communicate with one another across some remarkably long distances. Between regions, even.

The underground structures of these two ruins were built to serve a different purpose, as implied by the inscription in the Solaceon Ruins: All lives touch other lives to create something anew and alive. These two structures, utilizing the Unown, were meant to connect the two halves of the Sinjoh tribe when their separation became inevitable. The Sinjoh Ruins are theorized to be something of a transmission center, but there's not any hard evidence of that being the case as of yet. (If it is true, it likely also served some secondary purpose as a place of worship, as the Ecruteans were cut off from the shared holy sites of Spear Pillar and other locations in Sinnoh.)

Now, bear in mind, this is primarily a theory. Although researchers have been able to prove Unown's transmission abilities, there's not really anything definitive to suggest that they were used in that way. And the histories of the Celestican and Ecrutean peoples, as far as historians have been able to recollect, would suggest that they certainly were not living in parallel in that way.

We won't get into the decline of the Celesticans because it's not really the point here. But the Ecruteans, on the other hand?

Like with a lot of the overall history here, exactly what caused the Ecrutean people to move away from the Ruins of Alph isn't entirely clear. We do know that they left, thanks to the inscriptions in the underground portion: We humans must learn to walk in harmony with them. We depart for their sakes. (this translation being the one from Crystal, because I think it reads better). Paired with the image of Ho-Oh that accompanies it, several theories have been tossed around. All we really know is that the rise in worship of Ho-Oh led the Ecruteans to establish what would eventually become Ecruteak City in parallel with their abandonment of the Ruins of Alph. Nobody really knows why. The most popular theory is that the declining population of Unown (for unkown reasons, though some theorize that it may have been a result of the rise in worship of Ho-Oh over the Sinnoh Creation Trio) led them to simply leave and move their settlements slightly further north, where the land was ultimately better anyway. That's... about it. It's ultimately one of the big historical mysteries of the Johto region, and one that nobody really has a clear answer to.

But, the fact remains, we know the Ecruteans moved a bit further north, built the Bell/Tin Tower and Brass Towers, and ultimately integrated with the population of peoples from neighboring Kanto to form the current Tohjoh culture. Whiiiiiiiich is the subject we'll get into for the next headcanon!

[zielandrei]

Why I chose STEM

STEM, often known as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, has been the driving force behind our modern world. I would like to share my experience and the reasons for my decision to live this way in this blog.

Since I was a little child, I have been drawn to the amazing phenomena around me because of their nature. learning scientific secrets and being fascinated by them! STEM education should allow children to channel their energy into worthwhile endeavors so they can experience the world's unlimited possibilities.

Someone's enthusiasm may be stoked and they may be inspired to make a decision by a mentor. I had the good fortune to work with passionate educators who encouraged my interest in STEM. They gave me encouragement, reassurance, and confidence, which led me to decide on a career where I could learn more about sciences and technologies.

I liked STEM because it was a practical study course, which is why. STEM is everywhere demonstrating the link between theory and real-world applications. We improve our abilities to solve problems when we take STEM classes. We develop logical and critical thinking skills in the mind. These skills are not just useful in STEM fields, but they are helpful in general.

STEM is the foundation for innovation because it allows us to create new ways to educate ourselves and enhance our lives. I chose STEM because it had the potential to bring about significant change, and that is what motivated me towards some of my altruistic goals. Ultimately, through STEM, I learned how I could be of use in making new discoveries that could benefit society as well as coming up with life-saving technologies that would help in solving some of the problems affecting the world.

A culture like this in STEM is built on complementarities and collaborations brought about by a plurality of viewpoints. A global professional group with a same aim and vision is made possible by transnationalism. By choosing STEM, I created a pathway to collaboration with talented people from many fields where we shared our experience.

STEM is a field of study that changes constantly. Given its basic nature, learning is likely a lifetime process. I want to be given the chance to learn new things, think critically, and sharpen my intellect every day. My preference for STEM stems from my passion for self-improvement and lifelong learning.

The fact that I love to explore, have great role models, and want to use engineering innovation to bring about positive change did not just happen to be the reason I chose STEM. As I start this exciting new chapter in my life, I am therefore happy to be a part of a culture that values creativity, problem-solving, and building for the common good.

Also, why don't you take advantage of this opportunity if you're interested in math, science, technology, and engineering? Join the STEM community's boundless potential and collaborate to bring about change.