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alpaca-clouds · 6 months ago

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On Santa, the Christkindle, Krampus and Frau Holle

Let me tell you Americans something – because I know that most people on this specific hellsite are in fact American, while I am not. I am European. German, to be exact, with some Asian roots, according to my mother. And a few days in a rather useless attempt to get a bit into the Holiday spirit, I watched the movie “Red One”. An American friend already noted, how he was aware that in the finale of the movie, it does not make a lot of sense to save Christmas, given not everyone celebrates Christmas around the world, and how also a couple of countries have the presents out on January, 6th, on the Epiphany. Which, yes, is true.

When I watched the movie, though, and got to the place, I messaged that friend: “By the way, do you know that Santa does in fact not bring us the presents in Germany? Or most of Europe, in fact. Oh, and also, Krampus is in fact not really the Anti-Santa or Santa’s brother or some shit, but that goes back a whole lot further than just Christianity.”

On the next day, though, I could not help it, but think about the entire thing. Because I was not quite sure whether I had some cognitive bias about Krampus – or if my gut feeling was right. And that got me down a long, long rabbit hole.

So, my dear Americans, let me regail you with Christmas stories from Europe, and why Krampus has more to do with white men being butthurt than anything else. Alright? Alright!

Christkindelein, Christkindelein

Now, I will not go too deeply into the entire Santa thing. Just know: Yes, St. Nikolaus is in fact connected to Christmas traditions all over Europe. However, in quite a lot of European countries, like in Germany, St. Nikolaus only comes on December 6th, where he will bring a bit of chocolate, and maybe some socks. No big presents. Those are for Christmas.

So, why does Nikolaus come on December 6th? Well, this has to do with Saints’ Days in the Catholic calendar. Basically: Every saint in the Catholic canon has a day dedicated to them. And yes, we have more than 365 saints, so yes, several saints will usually share a day. St. Nikolaus, the Turkish bishop, has his day on December 6th, hence this is the day when someone dressed as a somewhat more historical St. Nikolaus will appear in German kindergardens and schools. And also in some other countries. (Not all countries celebrate this.) That will usually look something like this.

Now, Germany will have the presents on Christmas Eve. Not on the morning of December 25th, but the tradition was originally for the family to go to Christmas (like a literal mas) on the evening of December 24th, and then come home for a good feast and presents, because the presents had been “delivered” while the family was in the church. But no, they were not delivered by St. Nick, but by the Christkind, the Christ Child. And generally speaking in most of the Catholic areas of Europe it tends to be either the Christ Child who delivers the presents, or the Magi – in those areas of Europe where the presents get to the kids on Epiphany.

And yes, there are absolutely a lot of families in Europe today, who have not a strong religious tradition, and hence just use Santa, because American Imperialism is a thing, and most movies the kids are aware off use Santa. After all those families will usually not go to Church for the literal Christmas and… Well, what difference does it make.

However, I should not that it is generally not a thing over here – even in those families that were taken in by American Imperialism – to put out cookies and milk for Santa. That very much is an American thing. Please, dear Americans, just do not assume that something that is a traditions with you folks gets done the same everywhere on the world. Because in fact, very few things Americans celebrate are celebrated the same way anywhere else (outside of Canada, I guess).

But this is actually the less interesting part of this little essay.

No, I actually wanted to talk with you about Krampus.

Krampus is not Santa’s Brother

Now I will tell you something, that has surprised all my American friends: I never heard of Krampus until I was 18. Never once was I aware that Krampus was a thing that existed, despite me being from Germany. Shocking, right?

Because here is the thing: Krampus does not originate in Germany, but in Austria. And specifically the Krampus tradition originates in Styria. Which once more is the moment I will remind my dear Castlevania fans that: Yes, indeed. Styria is a real place. It is a region within Austria. And to be exact it is the region in Europe that was Christianized the latest. (Please mind: Yes, there were other region that were not-majority Christian later, but those got Christianized before, but were taken over by Muslims afterwards. Meanwhile Styria was only Christianized majorly in the 12th century. Mainly because it is an area that is so high up in the mountains, that pretty much everyone until then who tried to forcefully Christianize failed.)

And when I was 18, I moved in with my then boyfriend, who lived in Leoben in Styria. So that year was the first time, that I ever heard of Krampus, because there was a lot of Krampus related stuff happening in Styria. Mainly there was a Krampuslauf pretty much everywhere on December 5th, so in the night before December 6th, before St. Nikolaus came. And yes, as you might be aware, the story about Krampus is usually about how he will take the naughty children and kidnap and eat them in some way or form.

In Austria meanwhile this looks like this: A whole lot of men dress up with creepy masks, run through the streets, and hit people with whips. A very Castlevania holiday indeed. Yes, usually some bullshit happens, because of people are anonymous some bullshit always happens, right?

And for my whole life I have always wondered: While I was living in Austria I noticed a whole lot more references to Krampus in American media. I chucked it up to be a cognitive bias. You know, when you learn about a new word for example, you notice it a lot more being used. So I shrugged and went on with my life, not really thinking about this again. Until that conversation a couple of days ago. And this time… This time I could not help myself. Because I was like: “I am pretty sure the Krampus tradition is older than the St. Nikolaus tradition in that area. So it is probably not a Christian thing.” But I also kept thinking: “Is it though?” Mainly, because during this years @fluff-cember I also wrote a story about Perchten, and I could not help but notice one thing: Krampus has an awful lot of similarity to Perchten.

Mother Holde and Perchten

Hey, you. Americans specifically. Do you know the story of Frau Holle? Because while I know you might probably not be familiar with a lot of European folklore, there is a good chance you at least will know the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm.

If you don’t, don’t worry. I will give you the short rundown. (Mind you, like with all fairlytales, there are about 10 different versions of this story going around. Because those were oral stories first.)

The short version however is like this.

A miller looses his wife and marries anew. And his new wife has a daughter from a previous marriage. Now they have two daughters named Marie. And like it goes in those fairytales, the stepmother treats the Marie from the old marriage very poorly, especially after the father dies. However, this Marie is a diligent child. She will do all her chores without complaining. And one day she is send to spin yarn at the local well. However, her spindle falls into the well – and when she tries to fetch it, she falls into it as well. However, instead of being stuck in the well, it turns out she gets basically isekai’d into another realm, where an old woman meets her, introducing herself as Frau Holle. And she offers this Marie to help her with her chores, and if Marie does so, she will be rewarded. Marie, being the diligent child, obviously agrees. And she does the chores, that unbeknownst to her actually allow the season on earth to move on properly. Part of it is to beat out the pillows and blankets, making it snow on the world. And after a while, Frau Holle is very impressed with her, and showers her in gold, before sending her back home. Now, the stepmother finds this child now rich and golden, and asks her where she got all that gold. And Marie, being the diligent child, tells her. So the stepmother tells her own daughter to do the same. So this daughter will also spin by the well, drop her spindle, fall in and get isekai’d. And indeed. It happens. However, this Marie is lazy and not at all diligent. And after a while Frau Holle has enough with her, and instead of with gold, she showers this Marie in pitch and sends her back.

And then there is this moral about being a diligent girl and diligence being rewarded and stuff.

However, Frau Holle actually goes far, far back into German, and especially alpine mythology to the goddess Holde, Berchte, or Perchten.

Now, we have a pretty good idea from mythological research, that Berchte (to be translated as “the bright one”) was probably very related to Frigg from Norse mythology, just with some adjustments given that this was a goddess who was prayed to in the alps, rather than Scandinavia – and mythology will always shift to reflect the area people live in.

But yes, Berchte was – from all we can reconstruct – always linked to spinning, and to the midwinter holidays. After all, most cultures did celebrate the solstices in some way or form. And it seems that indeed Berchte was connected to bringing gifts during the solstice, but also with punishing lazy and naughty children and servants. While we do have little written evidence for this in the pre-Christian culture (because they wrote down very little), we know that Berchte was said to roam around during the Christmas holidays, after these areas got Christanized.

And while Berchte would both appaear as a pretty young woman, and a motherly old woman, there seemed at some point a shift to happen. And when she came to punish those who had been lazy or naughty, she would appear as a monsterous woman with goat horns, who more commonly was called Perchten. (Still same word root though.) It is not quite clear whether Perchten at that point already was a different being from Berchte – or just a slightly varied name for a different incarnation. But however it happened: Over the next few centuries the Berchte worship died out, but Perchten survived.

Perchten and the Angry White Men

Now, here comes the interesting bit. Because we have written evidence of Perchten going as far back as the 12th century. And we know that even after Christianization of these area, Perchten stayed around. And in fact, it became a tradition for the women to dress up as Perchten during the Christmas celebrations (which back in the day lasted for 12 days, as you might know) and play tricks on everyone, who they perceived to have been naughty.

And… Well, here is the thing. We do not know how it happened. But one of the current theories is, that simply some men were like: “Why do women get to have all the fun?!” And kinda wanted to make a male pendent for Perchten. Which ended up being Krampus.

Now, please consider two things: 1) There is a theory too, that Krampus might have been influenced by Ottoman and Balkan mythology, though this connection is kinda hard to source, though it would explain the origins of the name. 2) In northern areas of the Germanic people, St. Nikolaus was already celebrated and had a companion, who was indeed punishing the naughty kids. Servant Rupert (Knecht Ruprecht). However, this companion was not monstrous like Krampus, but just a guy in a servant’s uniform and with a whip made of twigs. Simple as that. It still might have been an influence.

One way or another: Ethnologists are very, very certain that Krampus did come to be as a reaction to Perchten and the Perchtenläufe, which also explains the visual correlations between Krampus and Perchten.

The first written sources we have for Krampus showing up only go back to the mid-17th century, but historians assume that this tradition started in the late-16th century. But the exact details are fairly hard to pin down.

It turns out, though, that my very subjective experience of not noticing a whole lot of Krampus stuff earlier was very correct. Because… this tradition kinda got lost mostly during the 19th century. Like, sure, some places still had a Krampuslauf of some sort, and had Krampus come with St. Nikolaus during the celebrations, but for several reasons (one of them being that the Krampus just appeared too pagan) the tradition mostly got lost for a long, long while.

White People and their Lost Culture

And this brings me back to me never ever hearing anything about Krampus until I moved to Austria about 15 years ago. Because when I was in Austria, everyone told me that, yeah, sure, this Krampus thing is totally an old tradition. And heck, many of them might not even have meant to lie to me, given they were themselves fairly young. But indeed, the widespread comeback of the Krampuslauf actually only started in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Again, no, it was never a fully dead tradition, but it had petered off over the centuries and only was a thing in very few places until Styria came into the problem, that a lot of western European nations generally have to struggle with: “Well, Christianity got pushed onto us during the middle ages, and we actually do not fucking know a whole lot about our culture before Christianity, do we now? So if I do no longer align with Christianity, what the heck is my culture?” This need to have a culture of their own clearly also was influenced by the influx of immigrants and the racist reflex to be like: “Hey, this is our culture” in comparison.

And so… someone stumbled across the entire Krampus thing and was like: “Welp, this certainly does feel kinda pagan, doesn’t it?” And so Krampus was brought back, and within a couple of years became a tradition pretty much every place in Styria participated in, before it even spread to other parts of Austria.

Which brings me back to being a little alpaca standing in Austria and being like: “Huh, I never heard of it.” And then seeing horror movies themed around Krampus spring up, tilt my head and wonder: “Wait, was this always a thing?”

The answer is: Nope. Nope, it wasn’t! American references to Krampus in media go only back until 2004, and actually the big push to include Krampus in western media only happened in the early 2010s. So no, it was actually no subconscious bias on my side. It was true. Krampus was actually fairly new and the reason I never noticed this before was, that it simply had not been a thing for very long, when I came to Austria – and that indeed American media only started to broadly include Krampus in the early 2010s.

Which brings me back to the most important thing this rabbit hole has taught me: It was actually not my subconscious cognitive bias! HOORAY!

So, what about St. Nikolaus?

Let me finish with this: St. Nikolaus has been a figure who has brought treats and presents to children and servants (I cannot stress the later part enough) at least since the 11th century, probably already earlier. The historical figure that inspired this tradition goes back to the 4th century, obviously, and the way St. Nikolaus has given out presents in Europe for the most part was related to the legend around the historical figure. And yes, from all we know, the tradition of giving St. Nikolaus some sort of other person who accompanies him and at times is responsible for punishing the evil kids and servants might go back at least until the 12th century. Those servants of St. Nick have had a whole lot of names in a whole lot of different areas, and talking about them all would let me write at least a small novella here.

And in a way, I am somewhat sad, that the one of the figures who somehow managed to get picked up by Americans is actually Krampus – and how very much divorced from the cultural context he originated it became.

I guess in some way it is fitting, given that of course the American version of St. Nikolaus is also very much divorced from any cultural context he once had. It is simply the thing American culture does: Divorcing things from their cultural context. I mean, I am gonna be mean here, but I am gonna bet that I know more about the bible than pretty much 95% of American Christians, given how Christianity came ot the US and is taught there to this day. Again: Fully divorced from the cultural context.

And still, I wish it would not be that way. It would at least make Holiday movies a whole lot more interesting. Be it the ones about Santa dealing with Santa actually being a brown man, or the ones about Krampus dealing with my horny boy originating from men wanting to have a horned representation as well, while running around the alps during the winter months.

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notesfromthepalace · 1 year ago

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Some Things are Not for Tea Time

My Father once said "... people will hate you [and be jealous of you] because they see you with a new nail set every week, not knowing you do your own nails at home to save money".

Let me explain:

What my Father was trying to convey is people will dislike you over the smallest things i.e. like me doing my nails on my own every Saturday morning to save money (back in my college days), but jealously having an effect on their perception; "Oh she has so much money she gets her nails done every week" - then going into the rabbit hole of assumptions just because they are choosing to dislike me.

Again, as I always say, this blog is for the girls who get it, because if you don't, the first two paragraphs will go right over your head (if it hasn't already) and you will be lost in the sauce the entirety of this blog post.

But for the girlies who get it: the nice, mind your business, your man and money type of girls who stay prayed up but don't tempt me to jump because "knuck if you buck".

Yes, you darling!|

Hey friend!

So, just to be clear, if you did not know: not every woman who smiles in your face is your friend, and not every compliment comes from a place of being genuine.

That being said, not every woman you have conversations with should be privy to every good thing that happens in your life - to include your plans for the future.

I believe I have touched on this subject before but the more and more I vet my social circle and distance myself from certain people, the more and more apparent how important it is to safe guard the things that are so precious me.

Story Time! *Mariah Carey voice

Over the last few months, I have received a vast amount of good news and there have been new things, new investments, and new moves. But recently, certain people have been reaching out to me to inquire about my whereabouts, my love life and so on.

To be quite frank, it is none of their business.

So myself and my African Prince have gone for holiday in Times Square, met each other's close families and friends and have started to move as one - 2024 is going to be a movie (if you know what I mean).

God has been really great to me and through prayer, and learning to be more discreet with what I am working towards, my dreams and visions are coming to fruition. For example, last year I bought my first pair of Christian Louboutin heels:

I didn't do a "show-in-tell" or an unboxing. No tea no shade to people who do that, I just chose not to. I wore the hell out of these shoes though! The photo above is from my Ghanian Sweetheart taking me to The W in Bellevue for date night. But when I bought the first pair, I told myself that I would have the pumps, this time next year - it's this time next year, is it not?

My African King was literally in my mind. He got me the very shoes that I told myself I would have by December 2023!

There was a time I was doing hair and make-up on the side for some extra money. I'm aware that there are plenty of girls who had my address who may not be the finest company. So I didn't want to post the nice things I had or the nice things my man would do for me before someone tries to rob me - jealous people do that.

I am currently enjoying the Christmas Holiday with my man in our home away from the city and during this time of love and bliss, I received a call from a girl I used to be close with.

She called me on FaceTime - in tears (and inebriated) asking why we don't hangout, how come she doesn't know what's going on in my life, why I don't call her; Then goes on to insult the girls I do hangout with like "you only hang out with your boujie friends, yeah I saw that you went to the Powder Room" - like yeah I did go to the Powder Room (very nice restaurant by the way) because I was invited by a friend to go. Like I have said in previous posts, I frequent high-end establishments all of the time.

Don't get me wrong, a part of me felt bad bad because I genuinely like and care for the girl. But as I was evolving, she would ridicule the changes that she saw and insinuate that I was acting like I was better than her or the other girls we used to go out with.

To put things into perspective, she and I started hanging out when I dumped my ex. And I remember I called her on a Saturday morning and she was surprised, like "What, you're calling to go out with us tonight? We always ask you to come out and you say 'no'".

She was right, I would typically say no, but I didn't want to be one of those girls who sits in their flat and cries because they just went through a breakup. I was ready to go to the club and just be out. I needed to take my mind off of the hurt. So we went to club that night.

But, in my typical Sarah Chanel fashion, I got tired of the club quick. I don't mind it from time to time, in a section with my girlies from back home. But I remember the last time we went to the club, she got kicked out for being drunk and disorderly.

I was low-key cool off the entire situation. I was also going through my own personal evolution and changing what I do, how eat, the places I frequent - just for her to ridicule the changes. That was another reason why I distanced myself. As a friend, I wasn't asking her to do the things I was doing or to change herself; I would've loved her support though. My best friend and I have been friends of over a decade and when I would talk to her about taking my walk with God more seriously, she didn't make me feel bad for it or act weird, even as a person like herself who isn't extremely religious - she supported me from afar, so I know it's not impossible or an extreme ask.

Not to mention she would put me in compromising positions like trying to hook me up with a man that she knew was in a fully committed relationship with another woman, or acting a complete fool in a restaurant and yelling at the waiter.

So naturally I distanced myself. And to be fair, she's not the only person I distanced myself from. Over these last two years, I have seen so much change in my outlook on life, my spiritual life and walk with God, my ideas and interests, my love life and so on.

I am also of the understanding that everyone you meet can not go on your journey, especially if they choose to remain in the same place mentally, that they were in back in 2022 - we are on the brink of 2024, become anew.

Take tips from my blog, it'll help.

And I don't say that to be a mean girl.

I want to see all women, especially young women of color evolve and be of their higher selves. But I can't make the horse drink the water if it doesn't even want to come to the well.

With less than a week left in 2023, leave the need of giving everyone an explanation in 2023 - ITS NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS!

For the girlies who have already been living their lives in luxe and love, keep doing it.

But for the girls who don't know where to start, sissy pooh, start at Notes From the Palace. And will it be lonely someone times, yes. Will your character be questioned by people that you thought were your friends, yes. But will the grass be greener on the other side, YES!

Happy New Year and I pray all of my readers, even the low key haters have a year of prosperity, peace, love and money

With Love,

Sarah Chanel

P.S.

You see that shoe! I almost forgot the most important part. Walk with Jesus, for real. And I will be walking right along our Lord and Father Jesus Christ for the rest of my life because all of the great things I have obtained and will achieve are all in thanks to the Most High! Stay prayed up!

#black women #black women in luxury #luxuriousbw #black women in leisure #black love #happy new year #holidays #christmas #jesus christ #merry christmas #new years resolutions #level up #black femininity #black beauty

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xxdoubledaisyxx · 4 months ago

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Yes all this is free for you to enjoy. I do not intend to charge you or make you feel guilty.

I believe the phrase is "paying it forward", except this is more of a cooperative gesture. The only problem is that not everyone seems to be aware that to make the best products you need the assistance and technology of a professional media industry to do so.

Whatever the hell that thing is, it looks like an abandoned old house a black and white all-time Christmas movie favorite. I think I'd put this 4 out of ten on my list, and with respect to others will say no more. Considering the gravity of the declaration.

I confess that these tools of the trade are ones I found, very much like a certain count found the prowess of his body in another tale. They were in a book, prominently challenging all readers in full unabridged form in nearly every jail dorm library, written by Alexandre Dumas.

I do not believe he finished the tale. I believe there was an interuption by a nefarious interloper who forced changes in the flow of the story with an act of passion. This passion was also affective of me, and I was so furious I spurned Dumas from the disciples of Story as a betrayer to the Evil One.

On the bright side, his work with Monty Cristo, the Count, serves adequately enough as a passing mark. I read the abridged version, and perhaps it was a mercy to us both. You certainly did not deserve that wrath, but I did not deserve that insult from such a long dead ghost.

Buckingham deserved better because the people of England deserved better. Perhaps the corruption then was at the pope, who demanded the fear of the nations as the fear of God, and I do not disagree with such a possibility. Considering their goals as a community of Christians, it is not a problem if they require global acknowledgment through one singular order of sacred tradition, over a vast enough time span to forever imprint in reality a vision of the distance between God and Sophia; Love and Wisdom.

I am probably not a bear as a spirit animal, but I definitely know how that anime character feels. I think I'm more like a coyote, instead of a wolf as a comparison. Not that it's a problem now.

Have you ever heard of Zitkala Sa? The lovely maiden herself is responsible for the graceful hands which penned those ultimate Native American tales into the Halls of Remembrance and forever; the tales of cosmos and chaos for her people, alive and well to this day and forever.

The tales I read which familiarized me with the depth of identity that is revelated in the (that's a real word? choombasa 🙏) coyote. Two coyotes, in particular. The sly one, and the wise one.

That put things in perspective.

While flying on a plane somewhere, which seems kind of significant not only because of flying. I did a lot of that and have never really been at home anywhere. Not once in my entire life.

Seriously. That's what you get when you Christ Jesus, and we did. It's not your fault, nor is it mine, and it's taken care of anyway. I dealt it the way of the story, and that was that.

(It is most rare for a storyteller's good works to make it into the Divine Order of Story's with their own selves as a disciple. Usually... the story they create is rebuilt into another work or refined into something else long before their talents have drawn them to the Halls of Remembrance and inspired them to become an initiate if they were not born into the community locally before undertaking the life-threatening trials of Story. Pure.

Nobody survives that. I guess except me, but I just had to do it again anyway since they didn't "believe me" and you cannot in fact survive it anymore because the way I found was the only way, and they blocked it forever with their pure evil actions. (I had to prove all this in court, and it was the most bull shit initiation rite to ever mar the "sacred records" of the court. Forget about it. It was dealt with, and it only proves that I'm truly a badass in real life no matter what the situation is. systems.)

Mindless, but pure evil actions anyway with government power behind those actions. That government power has more gravity than any individual no matter who you are, thus, even though those idiots had some crazy schem and plan to take over the world, one which would have worked too-- if it were not for the one thing that will never change.

I will stop you.

(If her Nepiness does not stop you first.)

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slasherstations · 10 months ago

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i know this isn’t in the “ask me!” list but i’m just curious, what are your favourite sub genres in horror? which movies do you always gravitate toward bc they have certain themes/elements? i love finding out what makes horror “scary” for people!! <3

first off i want to say SORRY for taking so long to answer this, i haven't had the time to sit down and collect my thoughts because i really want to give this an articulate response. i have loved horror movies since i was little, so at this point there is little that necessarily "scares" me in the same way that other people get scared. however, some types of horror still get under my skin, for sure. but outside of what may personally scare me, there are subgenres that i just enjoy. note that a lot of the movies i list apply to multiple genres but. like. idk deal with it.

DAYLIGHT HORROR:

one of my favorite subgenres (if you can even call it that?) is daylight horror. horror movies typically happen during darkness/night time, which makes sense. obscured vision, more isolation, lack of awareness around you. what could be lurking in the darkness? what is there that you can't see? however, i think that daylight horror works really well because it's about what IS seen. that despite it being a seemingly "safe" time, there is still danger. and you can see it, but it can't be avoided. something about horror being in plain sight gets to me. some examples of this that i personally love are: the texas chainsaw massacre (1974), of course the passenger (2023), and midsommar (2019).

COSMIC HORROR:

i personally think there's something very primally horrific with cosmic horror. the idea that all of this, every single thing you feel or believe in, being completely insignificant in the grander scheme of things. that none of it even really matters at the end of the day because it was all completely out of your control. i dont know, things like that get to me especially for some reason! though they dont necessarily scare me, i find myself really relating to the characters and finding myself in their helpless plight to fight against something so much bigger than themselves. some examples of this that i am a fan of are: the thing (1982), in the mouth of madness (1994) , color out of space (2019), event horizon (1997).

BODY HORROR:

yesss... YESSS!! i am personally a big fan of gore in movies so, body horror is like my favorite thing. the desecration of the human body, twisting and morphing into something completely unrecognizable like yaesss... there's a lot of different ways movies utilize it, and typically body horror is coupled with cosmic horror so you'll probably see both in a movie. the thing and color out of space have good body horror, i'd also add society (1989), videodrome (1983) (honestly anything by david cronenberg is good), slither (2006), hellraiser (1987).

OCCULT HORROR:

now, here i have to admit a personal bias. i grew up in a very christian household, so, i think that definitely has something to do with occult horror getting to me. it's strange though because satanic horror typically doesn't really get to me, i think aside from longlegs but i think that movie utilized dread really well. i find satanic horror mostly lame and cheap tbh. but occult horror? something about that does get to me. i think it's because it also sort of plays into cosmic horror themes of helplessness and insignificance in the face of something bigger and greater. some movies that i really like are hereditary (2016), longlegs (2024), the wicker man (1973) , apostle (2018), rosemary's baby (1968) , suspiria (both the 1977 and the 2018).

PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR:

man, i really love psychological horrors. i love when fucked up things happen to people's psyches! i love when characters are driven to madness! love when they're confronted with their worst fears in the worst ways possible! love it, love it. another persona bias for me just because i am a psych student lol. there's so many i can list, uhm. love love love silence of the lambs (1991), get out (2017), the shining (1980), the lighthouse (2017), the ritual (2017), possessor (2020), jacob's ladder (1990), the night house (2020) (underrated honestly! im sad this one went under the radar), audition (1999), martyrs (2008), i could honestly go on and on...

SLASHER HORROR:

slashersss... oh my beloved, what can i really say? slashers are probably one of, if not my absolute favorite subgenre of horror. i know people tend to find them trite because of how formulaic they can be and how oversaturated the genre is, but if you really start looking, you can find some GREAT, great movies. i love the popular choices, like scream (1996) and halloween (1978) of course, but i think there's a lot of other hidden gems that come into play. behind the mask: the rise of leslie vernon (2006) is a really good commentary of the slasher genre as a whole. i think house of wax (2005) was also really fun! tucker and dale vs. evil (2010) is also another good satire of slashers. i really loved a nightmare on elm street 3: dream warriors (1987), too! aside from what they do with nancy :,) my bloody valentine (1981), chopping mall (1986)...

#buffy answers #horror #i know this is probably longer than you had intended for me to answer for this question but uhm . its awesome.

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tristandelarkadien · 2 years ago

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On Clive & Maurice, pt. 1

Let me try to write out my thoughts on one of my favourite novels, and explain why the casting changes the implications of the movie.

I watched Maurice a while back. The film, not the novel. I had looked forward to seeing Hugh Grant, as I thought him a good choice for the main character. Needless to say, I was surprised and confused to see him playing Clive. Even more surprised and confused to see a small blond actor playing Maurice, and not Clive.

The blond guy was not a bad choice. I am sure he was a good actor. But he came across as more emotional than expected. The fact that he seemed a bit smaller than Clive's actor gave them a different dynamic than the one I had come to expect from the book.

I will lay out my ideas here. If this has already been touched upon in some prior essay, I apologise, but the sadly now ephemeral nature of Tumblr's search function makes it hard to locate.

(I also do not wish to turn this into an 'X is better than Y' debate. Both the film and movie are lovely stories, and they both deserve attention from their respective/shared devotees.)

I would love to cite or review the books involved, but unfortunately, they are outside of my reach due to reasons of money & location. I have endeavoured to cite what I am able to, in hopes of one day being able to afford scholarly literature written on the subject.

Introduction to Romantic friendships

In the early-to-mid 19th century, muscular christianity crossed over with ideals of manliness to create ideas about intense friendship between same-sex people being a precursor to romantic love with individuals of the opposite sex.

This friendship was meant to be mutually enriching. After the embers of passion had given way to mutual companionship, the two were to have a strong, but ultimately ‘normal’ friendship, less passionate than that of youth, as that emotion was now to be directed towards women.

These friendships were depicted in didactic children’s novels, as well as bildungsromans / Coming-of-age tales. We can see this in Tom Brown’s Schooldays, where a school matron puts the unruly, boisterous Tom together with meek, religious Arthur who looks younger than his years.

"Oh, Master Brown," went on the little matron, when the rest had gone, "you're to have Gray's study, Mrs. Arnold says. And she wants you to take in this young gentleman. He's a new boy, and thirteen years old, though he don't look it. He's very delicate, and has never been from home before. And I told Mrs. Arnold I thought you'd be kind to him, and see that they don't bully him at first. He's put into your form, and I've given him the bed next to yours in Number 4; so East can't sleep there this half."

Tom was rather put about by this speech. He had got the double study which he coveted, but here were conditions attached which greatly moderated his joy. He looked across the room, and in the far corner of the sofa was aware of a slight, pale boy, with large, blue eyes and light, fair hair, who seemed ready to shrink through the floor. He saw at a glance that the little stranger was just the boy whose first half-year at a public school would be misery to himself if he were left alone, or constant anxiety to any one who meant to see him through his troubles. (Tom Brown, pt 2, c. 1)

It doesn’t take long for the two to get better acquainted, in a way that enriches both of them, according to the dominating ideology of the age. Tom instructs Arthur in how to ‘fit in’ and not get singled out for bullying, while Arthur makes Tom’s fighting instincts kick in to protect Arthur, rather than roughhouse.

"What a queer chum for Tom Brown," was the comment at the fire; and it must be confessed so thought Tom himself, as he lighted his candle, and surveyed the new green-baize curtains and the carpet and sofa with much satisfaction.

"I say, Arthur, what a brick your mother is to make us so cozy. But look here now, you must answer straight up when the fellows speak to you, and don't be afraid. If you're afraid, you'll get bullied. And don't you say you can sing; and don't you ever talk about home, or your mother and sisters."

Poor little Arthur looked ready to cry.

"But please," said he, "mayn't I talk about—about home to you?"

"Oh yes, I like it. But don't talk to boys you don't know, or they'll call you homesick, or mamma's darling, or some such stuff. What a jolly desk! Is that yours? And what stunning binding! Why, your school-books look like novels!"

And Tom was soon deep in Arthur's goods and chattels, all new and good enough for a fifth-form boy, and hardly thought of his friends outside, till the prayer-bell rang. (Tom Brown, pt 2, c. 1)

Seeing Arthur set a good example by praying leads Tom to remember his own religion, which he has forsaken by refusing to pray before bed.

Tom was sitting at the bottom of his bed unlacing his boots, so that his back was toward Arthur, and he didn't see what had happened, and looked up in wonder at the sudden silence. Then two or three boys laughed and sneered, and a big, brutal fellow, who was standing in the middle of the room, picked up a slipper, and shied it at the kneeling boy, calling him a snivelling young shaver. Then Tom saw the whole, and the next moment the boot he had just pulled off flew straight at the head of the bully, who had just time to throw up his arm and catch it on his elbow.

"Confound you, Brown, what's that for?" roared he, stamping with pain.

"Never mind what I mean," said Tom, stepping onto the floor, every drop of blood in his body tingling; "if any fellow wants the other boot, he knows how to get it."

What would have been the result is doubtful, for at this moment the sixth-form boy came in, and not another word could be said. Tom and the rest rushed into bed and finished their unrobing there, and the old verger, as punctual as the clock, had put out the candle in another minute, and toddled on to the next room, shutting their door with his usual "Good-night, gen'l'm'n."

There were many boys in the room by whom that little scene was taken to heart before they slept. But sleep seemed to have deserted the pillow of poor Tom. For some time his excitement, and the flood of memories which chased one another through his brain, kept him from thinking or resolving. His head throbbed, his heart leapt, and he could hardly keep himself from springing out of bed and rushing about the room. Then the thought of his own mother came across him, and the promise he had made at her knee, years ago, never to forget to kneel by his bedside, and give himself up to his Father, before he laid his head on the pillow, from which it might never rise; and he lay down gently and cried as if his heart would break. He was only fourteen years old. (Tom Brown, pt 2, c. 1)

It is also evident in David Copperfield, where David moons after a boy named ‘Steerforth’ who eventually forsakes him. (Notably, asking if the ‘vulnerable’ boy has a sister is done in Tom Brown as well.)

‘Good night, young Copperfield,’ said Steerforth. ‘I’ll take care of you.’ ‘You’re very kind,’ I gratefully returned. ‘I am very much obliged to you.’

‘You haven’t got a sister, have you?’ said Steerforth, yawning.

‘No,’ I answered.

‘That’s a pity,’ said Steerforth. ‘If you had had one, I should think she would have been a pretty, timid, little, bright-eyed sort of girl. I should have liked to know her. Good night, young Copperfield.’

‘Good night, sir,’ I replied.

I thought of him very much after I went to bed, and raised myself, I recollect, to look at him where he lay in the moonlight, with his handsome face turned up, and his head reclining easily on his arm. He was a person of great power in my eyes; that was, of course, the reason of my mind running on him. No veiled future dimly glanced upon him in the moonbeams. There was no shadowy picture of his footsteps, in the garden that I dreamed of walking in all night. (David Copperfield, Chapter 7)

They reunite as adults, the 90’s miniseries has Steerforth kiss David’s head at that point. David still looks up to Steerforth at this point, which eventually leads to Steerforth forsaking him. The point here is that these friendships were not supposed to go on for too long.

And yes, depending on children to raise children in a milieu without adult supervision can definitely go wrong. Even the writers of the age knew it, both Vachell (The Hill) and Hughes (Tom Brown) mention abuse in their novels. Talbot Baines Reed (The Fifth Form at St: Dominic) mentions a clear cut example of grooming. I mention this, because it will be relevant later on.

From the above passages, we can extract the following framework: An ‘inexperienced’, vulnerable boy, is shielded and educated by an ‘experienced’ boy. I can write multiple essays on the topic (And I just might), but at the end of the day, this is what we need in order to move on to part 2.

#Maurice #Maurice 1987 #Boarding School Canon #Edwardian #e. m. forster #Essay #text #1910's #Great Britian #19th century

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rockinlibrarian · 1 year ago

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10, 16, 24 for the fandom ask 🧡🧡

Whoo-hee, I have an Ask! (To be fair, I've HAD an Ask for several days, but this is the first I've gotten on my computer proper to answer it).

So let's see.

10. a blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter:

I'm going to give this one to @non-plutonian-druid, who not only posts delightful fan art, they also post delightful fan art in even more delightful crossovers, which is just very fun.

16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate:

Ah. Hmm. Which canon even? Oh you know what, I'm going to be obnoxious and say, if you pay attention in TUA you'll NOTICE that Five totally reacts differently to Viktor than to everyone else. He smiles more. He's less insulting. There's this scene in S3 where he goes "I hate to say I told you so" and Viktor shoots back "You LOVE to say I told you so," and Five just smiles and nods! You CANNOT tell me he wouldn't have a snappy comeback if ANYONE ELSE had dared! So I know I can't convince anyone to ship them but you DO SEE they have a DIFFERENT relationship from the others, right? :P

24. how has fandom positively impacted your life?

Well. I have been writing stories since I learned how to write, and making them up for longer, but after my first child was born it was like everything shut off. I was so tired! I had no more free time! How could I take time out of my busy day to write when I could be using that time to, Idaknow, sleep? Before I could get into the habit again I started doing collection development for the library, and it was like, do you have any idea how many books are published in a year? And it's really important for more diverse voices to be uplifted. So like why do I, a white (basically-)straight mainstream-Christian (relatively-)able-bodied (not neurotypical, but come on, Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908 and she's the most perfect female-with-ADHD character ever, so it's not like THAT one's lacking) ciswoman even need to write a book? Who cares? Yes, I am aware this is a lie ones brain tells to be obnoxious, but it still made it impossible for me to actually carve out time to write when who cares?

The first step in me getting past this was the writing prompt that became "The Pipeweed Mafia Epic," which was, technically, fanfiction. It gave me permission to just HAVE FUN with writing, without thought to whether the story is Needed or if anyone's going to read it at all. Some of the only other stories I managed to get out for the next few years were ALSO fanfics. But it was infrequent, and I didn't share them. AND THEN, here on Tumblr, I saw a post for a Legion FX fic exchange and I said, "You know, I think I can do that. I should take the chance!" So I did, and ended up writing not just my assignment but also a little fic that popped into my head just in the process of me deciding what I wanted to ask for! And now I had an AO3 account, which meant I suddenly had an outlet when I saw a movie that desperately required some rethinking! And suddenly I was waking up to emails that said "You've Got Kudos!" and THAT'S a hit of dopamine, so it suddenly became so much easier to just get an idea for a silly little story I could stick on AO3 and maybe get a "You've Got Kudos!" message the next day!

So long story short, fandom helped me get WRITING again. I'm still not sure when I'll ever get back to ORIGINAL fiction, but at least the storytelling itch in my brain has an outlet!

#ask game #fanfic #writing

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emiliosandozsequence · 2 years ago

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I just found your the passion of the christ vibes tag and i'm curious now lol since everybody seems to consider it the best religious movie of all time. What did you hate and like about it?

Btw what happened to Jim Caviezel, i saw a picture on twitter where he said Tru*mp is the new Moses.....

jim caviezal is just...a terrible person from everything i've ever heard about him rip, so i wish i had the answer to that question, but alas i do not :/

as for the film itself:

i've always found christianity as a religion very fascinating, so me watching the passion of the christ was going to happen one way or another despite all the bad things i'd heard about it throughout my life. i think what i disliked about the film mostly had to do with who was making it tbh (jim caviezel and mel gibson; plus all the stupid proselytizing crap they said during press for the film and whatnot) and also just...the way the story was told too. i just really didn't like how everything was done.

as for what i liked?? tbh i really liked the fact it was all in aramaic. i thought that was super cool. i really liked the scene with jesus in the garden. i really liked how satan was represented, but i also hated it a lot at the same time lol. i really liked the part where jesus was being flogged (that scene really spoke to me idk and i'm not even christian lol).

i'm aware you didn't ask for this, but i love this movie too much not to bring it up: an example of a christian film that i, to this day, am deeply obsessed with is mary magdalene. the film that came out in 2018. i think the reason i liked that one so much was because it was told from a very jewish place...and also the score is beautiful.

#ask #anonymous

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motsimages · 2 years ago

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I watched Joy Ride the other day and while it's entertaining and has some good ideas, it is not as original or fun as I thought it would be. I guess, for some reason, I was not expecting yet another americanada and I don't know if they are aware of it.

After the cut there is a list of things I liked and didn't like. Obviously, all of the spoilers are there:

Things I liked:

Actresses of that age when they start to disappear and that body type that never exists.

Lots of sexual jokes, some actually quite funny or well thought out and respectful (the assisted masturbation is chef's kiss), which is some stereotype breaking for women that age in the US, and Asian women of all ages in general. While it is a very sexual-based comedy, they are very respectful of the one who doesn't want to have sex. They are not mocked or ridiculed. They were given the instruction "have fun" and they all had fun in their own way.

A very gnc character that apparently is non-binary (I read it in comments, I missed it during the movie). Also very clearly neurodivergent with interesting moments and showing that her silly special interest actually helps.

Make up and costuming sometimes is eye candy (the k-pop costuming)

Some scenes are real gems, as are some dialogues. It actually threads quite well some things between them.

There are some international relationships commentary and some "get your head out of your ass, USamerican" (it still falls short to me but it is there).

Deadeye.

Things I didn't like:

As I already said, for a movie that spends quite a lot of time emphasizing about the difference between Chinese-Chinese and Chinese-American, it is still very American: the Chinese-Chinese star of a Chinese show looks very western and speaks in perfect English with his fiancée, his Chinese-Chinese co-star who studied in the US. He is Christian, which fine, there are Christians in China, but I am going to guess they are not like Christians in the US so what was all that "leave room for Jesus" thing? And also, we don't see other beliefs and how they manifest in real Chinese-China so we can't know that Christianity is a minority religion in Asia (unless we already knew).

As a matter of fact, for a story that happens partially in rural China, there sure are a lot of people who speak English quite well, including an old grandmother. Sure, the adopted one who doesn't speak Chinese is at a loss, but they mainly say "oh USamericans never learn other languages" and that's that. She had two friends who were going to serve as interpreters and we barely see that happening. And when we do, they just make up whatever translation they want.

They are all (except Deadeye) terrible people and not very good friends, generally speaking. They use "have a real job and make a career" as a way of showing that you are mature enough and old enough when they tend to behave like teenagers most of the time. They are all very self-centered (which is interesting because an Australian-Chinese makes the point of saying that Chinese people don't hold individuality as a rule, as opposed to USamericans BEFORE they all get angry with each other because of being self-centered).

I can suspend my disbelief for quick travels and no jet-lag for sci-fi and cyberpunk, but not for a more or less realistic set in the present movie. They go from the US to China with no jet-lag. In theory they are only 4 days in China but they travel around it in unsual means of transportation because they can't get on a bus or a train in a way that would take them weeks to reach their destination. They even travel to Korea in those 4 days.

Oh they get their passports stolen. Yes, the Chinese one living in China too, apparently because she worries as much as the others. They do not think of calling the Embassy to fix it as soon as possible, they just keep travelling. They even go to Korea without passports and back to the US. So basically, not having passports doesn't affect their trip in any way whatsoever.

They kind of insist on "respecting someone's decision no matter what" as a good friend behaviour but sometimes your friends make terrible decisions and your job is telling them. The one engaged to a Christian?? She loves sex, she just stopped having sex and pretended she never had sex to be with him. And he lied about that too. And they had been dating for 3 years. When one of them finally confronts her to that (in the worst possible moment and possible way, because as I said, they are all terrible people), another one says "it's her business!" as if it was not one big mistake to base an entire relationship on a lie. And we are not really shown why she likes him other than that he is very hot, so why is she waiting?

That rule, btw, applies to some things only because when it comes to the adopted one saying "I don't want to meet my birth mother", it can be pushed and manipulated.

The men are all eye-candy, which is not necessarily a critique for this kind of movie but they are also very hot according to the Western taste, including having rounder eyes or being bronzed. They criticise the adoped one for not liking Asian men and 1) dismissed her one-time fling with a guy from Kazakhstan because they don't know if that counts as Asia in quite a racist dialogue but I guess it's alright because they're Chinese-American! and 2) they seem to not like real Chinese men either if what we are given is the Western taste of men instead of the Chinese taste.

They constantly tell the Chinese who was adopted that she is so white and criticise her for it, but then they are unaware of their own biases towards other cultures (unless other Chinese people are being racists towards Japanese, for instance). Which could be a good point to make, the way we all have our biases and xenophobia and all that, but they somehow don't know how to make it because it really centers all around "the white one" (adopted). Even after it is found out that she was actually born from a Korean mother and a whole family that had previously accepted as one of their own now rejects her, her friends still mention how white she is. There is a whole story there with the Korea-China relationships and we miss it because it's more important to make jokes.

While they grow more accepting of Deadeye, the scene of bonding between the main character (who didn't like them) and Deadeye felt forced and out of the blue. And also, they are only superficially more accepting. When Deadeye suggest doing their annual best-friends travel to some very US place that they like, they quickly ignore them because it is not as fancy as Paris.

They spend the whole movie mocking the adopted one because she can't eat Chinese food but then they go to Paris and say that they don't have to try French food. It all feels so hypocritical that even comments as silly as this one just add to the whole mess with xenophobia and racism this movie is.

Also, how is the adopted one "so white"? Her white parents wanted her to study Chinese (which she did for one year or so), they introduced her to the only Chinese family so that she had a connexion with her culture. She could have practiced Chinese with them and learned more things about Chinese culture. I guess she didn't do it because she always wanted to fit in, but this is more me putting things together than an actual real explanation in-world.

The message of the movie in the end is basically the same US message of success and hard work. So going to China serves no more purpose than just doing shenanigans that they wouldn't do in the US because that's what travelling is for, I guess.

f you find yoursefl recognising you and your friends in the three girls of this movie, you better find other friends. They all use each other shamelessly, lie to each other, manipulate each other, can't listen to each other and accuse each other of whatever terrible thing instead of facing their own emotions.

#If there is nothing better on tv it works #but I wouldn't watch it on purpose

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alpaca-clouds · 4 months ago

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Christian Mythology - and the Meaning of Magic

In 2020 I wrote my essay collection on colonial ideas in science fiction and fantasy. And if there was one essay among the 20 I have written in that year, that I would really love to see professionally published it is the one I have written on magic. Because I think that is an issue not explored enough in the way we talk about those things.

Western folks tend to be a bit haughty when they talk about other cultures. Often you will hear them speak about another religious practice and go: "Yeah, those people believe in magic. Did you know that?"

If someone notes something like this towards me, I will go: "And you believe that a priest during mass transforms wine and bread into blood and flesh. How exactly is that not magic?"

And the answer will usually be: "Yeah, but nobody believes that is literally what happens!"

To which I will say: "So, on what do you base the assumption that this other culture believes that literal magic happens?"

So, here is the issue. We kinda consider it normal to use whatever implicated magical stuff from other cultures and religions in our fantasy novels. If you write Urban Fantasy or Historical Fantasy, nobody will usually bat an eye at the idea of bringing in demigods that are kids of any deity of other magical entity from that mythology. You can use gods from those mythologies as your bad guy on any day, even the "good gods". Sure, a few folks will be bothered, but all in all most people think that is fine.

Heck, in some cultures it might even be a somewhat actively practiced religion they themselves will use in their media. Anime certainly is not hesitant about using Shinto deities in their stuff, right?

However, when we go over to the Abrahamitic stuff, it is suddenly very different. Can I use a golem without it having anti-semitic implications? And how will people react if I have Jesus, or Mohammed, or God show up? (The fact that Islam at least does not want you to depict either in any visual way does not make that easier, mind you.) How will they react if I have either character show up as a bad guy?

Now, in non-majority-Christian cultures this is easy. I can name you a couple of japanese media that indeed have the Christian God as a main antagonist (Angel Sanctuary, my beloved) and borrow heavily from Christian mythology in the same way some weeboo authors in the west might bring in Susanoo in their cool hot fantasy property.

And I can guarantee you, when I talk about the bible as Christian Mythology, and do it in a public setting, there will at least be one Christian, who will gasp out loud at the implication that anything in the bible might be mythology.

Now, this has not stopped authors from using this mythology in their media exactly. There is a lot of Jesuses showing up in American Gods, and even though I have not watched more than 6 episodes of Supernatural, I am aware that Jesus and God show up as characters in that show.

And of course there is Dogma, that good old movie, that has Alan Rickman as Metatron.

Chances are, however, that even with something like Supernatural, that all in all has a lot of conservative ideals and definitely is very pro-Christian, there will be some people who will becry the depiction of God, Jesus, and what not as elements of a Fantasy story.

And this leads to a weird phenomenon: A lot of media that generally seems to work on "Clap your Hands if you Believe" (aka, everything humans believe in is real) very awkwardly shrugs with the shoulders, as soon as Christian mythology comes up. It will be like: "Oh, yeah, Greek gods are totally real here. Yeah, Shinto gods, too. And the Zulu and Yoruba gods, also absolutely a thing. Oh, yeah, some souls end up in the Duat and will be judged by Osiris. God? Heaven and Hell? Uhm... Uhm... I am not quite sure what you are talking about, hehe. Do not mind that. Anyway. We also have an Underworld."

I noted this on a couple of Castlevania servers, because Castlevania Nocturne kinda confirms my suspicion that this world does also work on "Clap your Hands" as a basis. Or at least it strongly implies it. Yet, while we see the supposed "hell" in season 3... If the show was a person, they would start profusely sweating, if you asked them about the Christian God and Jesus.

And mind you, Castlevania is not alone with this. My traditional writing genre has always been Urban Fantasy. And I can name you so many both good and bad Urban Fantasy series, that will just assume it as normal that deities from ten different pantheons are running around the setting, but will never quite answer whether Christianity is also true in that setting.

There is a reason for this, of course. And the reason is not just that the Abrahamitic religions are more political. But it is also... If Christianity in a world is explicitly said to work by the same logic and rules as all those other religions... It is no longer special.

So, basically atheists, who usually will play way nicer with pagans, will be pissed because Christianity is real. And Christians will be pissed, because Christianity is not "special". So in the end, the creators of those shows kinda sidestep the issue and just... leave it as an open question.

And mind you: One partially written Urban Fantasy story I have is "Heaven's Heist" (I love alliterations). Which is basically about a conspiracy in Heaven and how Jesus teams up with a group of demigods to kidnap God from heaven, because heaven these days is run by some of the angels, given that God has severe mental issues - as "Clap your Hands if you Believe" is actually really bad for the mental health of a deity, if there are millions of humans who believe you are kind and forgiving, and millions, who believe that you are wrathful and ready to bring down a next flood.

Yes, that story very much is a commentary on religious politics, played a bit for satire. But let's face it, there would be some Christians who would be pissed at the idea.

#writing #mythology #christian mythology #abrahamitic #muslim mythology #clap your hands if you believe #worldbuilding #urban fantasy #fantasy #greek mythology #shinto mythology #supernatural #castlevania #american gods

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shychick-52 · 2 years ago

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I saw 'Sound of Freedom.'

Oh, my gosh, I thought I was prepared. I was not. I fucking SOBBED.

After seeing the movie for myself, I can confirm that there is NOTHING political about it. Absolutely nothing. I have NO idea why Hollywood and the media are BASHING this movie as "alt-right conspiracy theory bullshit", and even saying this movie is only for Trump supporters.

WHAT THE HELL. The mental gymnastics are astounding. How is anti-child trafficking alt-right garbage?? I don't understand this at all.

This film is based on a true story. Tim Ballard is a hero. Child-trafficking is A VERY REAL AND DAILY OCCURENCE, and is probably the most important human rights issue in the world. And not nearly enough people talk about it. It's an unpleasant subject, but it needs to be talked about. And this film is designed to spread awareness of that.

And I am damn thrilled that this movie is doing so incredible at the box office. I'd heard how amazing it's doing before I saw it, I've heard how showings have been sold out in theaters everywhere, and I saw that for myself at my own theater. I'm so glad people care about this issue.

This movie- the message behind the movie, the reality of it- has NOTHING to do with politics, left or right. And Angel Studios may be a faith-based studio (which likely automatically gives some people the wrong impression), but the movie isn't necessarily a "Christian" movie. That isn't the point of it at all, that isn't the focus of the movie. Child trafficking isn't a "Christian issue" or a "right-leaning issue." It's a HUMAN issue. Children are the most vulnerable of all people. The horrific things that are done to them in trafficking rings...

Here's a line from the movie that truly stuck with me- "Child trafficking has already surpassed the illegal weapons trade, and soon it will surpass the drug trade. Do you know why? You can sell a bag of cocaine once. A 5-year-old child, you can sell them 5-10 times a day, for 10 years straight."

#Shy speaks #sound of freedom

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thoughts-of-alaina · 3 months ago

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Yesterday I put on YouTube Music remix, and the playlist was "Oddies but Goodies", which generates songs I haven't listened to in some time. One of the songs that played was ‘I Hate It Here’ by Taylor Swift.

I have never had a song resonate with me so much. I almost began crying at work. I am well aware that many people have found different interpretations for this song. Almost all interpretations focus on Taylor and trying to understand her own inner workings/lore. Which I fault no one for. I love the interpretations. I simply wish to share mine.

When I listen to music, I either ignore the lyrics or the lyrics form stories in my mind. I ignore who is writing/singing it.

My interpretation comes from my own inner thoughts and feelings. Last month my girlfriend and I had a very deep emotional conversation. We had it after finishing episode 7 of arcane. We were emotionally drained. We could not finish the season and left the last two episodes for another movie night. So we talked for hours instead.

I told my gf that for some reason I have this anger inside of me. A flame. Like a candle. Yet like a candle it can be nudged and tipped over leading to a house fire. I asked her, why do you think I have this underlying rage. To put it into context I am normally a very happy calm person.

Everyone at work claims I am a very calm, cheerful gal. Smart and hard working. All my managers claim I will go places. (Which I am forever grateful for. Especially for all the kind compliments they have all given me. They truly meant everything to me. I was such an insecure kid back then. I've finally gained some confidence and I finally feel like I've grown into woman.)

My gf has known me since I was 14. She remembers what I was like when I was a kid. Even better than I do. She remembers how much of a mess I was. Issue; I didn't I somehow... Repressed? Ignored? All the horrific things that had happened to me as a kid.

Well as a kid when my dad would snap, I would either hide away, run away, or go quiet. I would wait for peace and then continue about my life. I would never address what had happened. I had no one to talk to. I never trusted my parents or my brother. (That's likely due to a repressed memory that'll come back to haunt me one day.)

My gf told me that I likely just bottled up all that anger. Well yours truly kinda forgot what her life was like prior to finding peace and joy in life. So I asked her, like the goldfish that I am, "from what?" That was a mistake yet it was a necessary one. There are many reasons why I love my girlfriend and this is one of them. She said and I quote, "I remember you calling CPS before."

Devastating. Because I completely forgot that I did that. I had forgotten/ignored all my childhood trauma. Thought I gotten over it. That I healed. Haha, noo. I simply found some freedom in my life. The freedom that I should've always had. I had found freedom in going to work and going to college. I had a place to escape to. I had the key that would grant me the freedom to leave my home one day. That comforted me. It gave me hope. So much hope. That hope became my peace and happiness for years.

I had forgotten my childhood.

The next morning when I woke up, that anger I had for so long just vanished. She had helped me find the candle and she blew it out. (Reason 1.5 million on why I love my girlfriend and why I have the best girlfriend.)

So how does all of this play into my interpretation of ‘I Hate it Here’? Easy, because I've been self-reflecting on my childhood for the past month because of her. Two days ago my father had an anger outburst. One that threw me back to when I was a child and he was having one against my younger brother.

All those awful memories came flooding back and have been for days now. When that song came on I related to it all. How I am trapped living with my parents for the next 3 years. How I am trapped being someone I am not. Playing a good Christian girl while in reality I want to wear bikinis and marry my girlfriend who they only know as my best friend. That I don't believe in God. I want to put queer flags and colors everywhere. Wear queer supporting stuff. Be loud and queer! But I can't. It's killing me. I can't be my true self. I hate it here. So I dream up a future where my gf and I are happily married and living together. Where we've both escaped our families. We're both making other children's lives better. Her as a teacher while I help children with therapy as a child psychologist.

A future where we can explore the world together.

I hate it here at home listening to all the yelling. I'm trapped inside a weird Christian girl who is too naive for this world. I'm trapped in a world where my father belittles me, a world where he yells at me and calls me stupid. When in reality I'm not. I called him out and he was upset and lashed out because he knew I was right. He wasn't ready for someone to call him out on his horrific argument.

So I escape into make belief fantasies most of the year.

#taylor swift #taylor swift music #dead poet department #i hate it here #sorry for the rant #rant post

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stormysstranded · 3 months ago

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So with all the discourse over #TransVincentValentine, let me tell you a story.

CW: CSA, cults, sui attempt, parentified oldest sibling, mentally ill dr#g add!¢t mother, gender dysphoria, rat ba$tard father, puberty not going to plan, look If I can survive you can handle reading about it OK?

I was 12 or 13 the year my hair went from pin straight and blond to wavy curly and muted red. Something else started happening that year too. I was assigned female at birth (and as I have later come to understand was probably *surgically* assigned female at birth and that might be the root cause for my CFS/ME and hormonal problems now) but over that summer I began having erections the size of my thumb.

I was horrified.

My family was christian fascist and part of an abusive cult and I was homeschooled and had not actually helpful or protective sex education (for the sake of the family purse, I needed to be easy to SA, and it's easiest to do that to someone under 2 situations 1. When they are drugged unconscious and 2. If they are not aware the act they are being involved in is SA. I found myself in both situations hundreds of times between the ages of 2 and 16 (when I aged out). I am still actively hiding from my family and the cult in another state but that's a whole other kettle of fish.

The day I first saw Vincent Valentine was the day I had decided to die. I had a plan, I had backup plans, I had the bathroom prepped. Come Hell or high water I was going out of the world before the sun did that day. I was the defacto parentified oldest sibling in the family since mom's schizophrenia went untreated and her substance use "didn't exist". I loved my sister and brother dearly and I wanted one more moment with them before I left. I made myself either tea or coffee (I honestly don't remember which) and I scrolled through YouTube to find what would be the last movie I would watch with them. I came across the movie Advent Children. I had recently watched a playthrough of Crisis Core and loved it and recognized Cloud. I told my siblings this would be a huge treat while holding back the tears and clicked on the movie.

Now as to my reason for wanting to die, I am not a Christian anymore, but when I was I took it seriously, as a matter of life and death. I actually read the Bible and memorized parts of it. I did everything my elders told me (which made me easy to abuse). When I had what I now at 30 years of age know was an intersex puberty that left me with ambiguous traits, I thought God was punishing me. I didn't believe in predetermination but this new bodily horror made me wonder about it. Like I had been cast out of heaven before I had even had the chance to die. Like God had rejected me before even seeing my whole life unfold. I didn't know what I was. I knew, somehow, I couldn't be a woman even if I wanted to be (I very much didn't). And I would have rather died than become like my father (who I learned was also an abuser of mine several years later when the trauma bond with him broke and I started having CPTSD flashbacks that would give a war veteran a run for their money). I had never heard of an intersex person before. I had never had manhood modeled for me in a way that didn't make my body feel like a torture device.

Then halfway through the movie, enter Vincent Valentine.

My initial reaction was fear and a bit of repulsion. This isn't what a man should be!..... Right? Then I apologized to my siblings and played the scene back again. Something settled in my bones. This was a form of manhood I could achieve. I could keep my long hair and quiet voice. I could hide behind dark clothing. I could still be adored by children. And I could learn my way around a hand cannon and live my life on demon time (once I get my chronic fatigue figured out it's over for you bitches xp ).

I finished the movie. I went into the bathroom and put the bleach away. I put everything back as it was. I hung the clothes I had planned on dying in (the darkest, most androgynous pieces I owned at the time) back up in my closet. I let curiosity win. I would see if I could maybe, just *maybe*, grow up to be a man like Vincent Valentine.

THAT'S why queer people are claiming him. We see ourselves in him. We see him taking up space despite the fact that he technically shouldn't exist by virtue of being an ex TURK (which shouldn't happen) and being an optional character in the original game who became a core member of the story by popular demand. I get it, kids can be insipid. Frankly, I don't care. 12 year old me was insufferable but that piece of art saved my life and anyone saying I was wrong to hope because what I saw at my literal darkest hour somehow harms a *fictional characters* masculinity can go finish deepthroating their terf's boot somewhere else. Trans men are not lesser men. Intersex men are not lesser men. If Vincent Valentine was either that would not make him less masculine. I quite like reading about him as all 3, cis, trans, and intersex, in fan fiction. There are a lot of things about him that work in any of those directions. And for the love of every Pagan Goddess and God, shape shifters have been transgender coded since Loki entered Norse mythology, so die mad about it. Right now my existence is being attacked from every direction. I cannot get a passport. Soon I may not be able to renew my ID. I am damn well aware I may end up in a Goddamn concentration camp under Trump. Of course people are getting upset when you talk in dog whistles about how their comfort character who possibly saved their life is not for them. Read the room. Now is not the time. Fandoms are about friendships and these are not the actions of a very good friend. We're tired of having to fight to exist everywhere. As it goes, don't like, don't read. So if you don't have something nice to say, please just leave me and my people alone.

#once more without the typos #trans joy #intersex pride #every time you complain we make another character gender diverse #ff7 #SteveBlumeLowkeySavedMyLife #Vincent Valentine #Chaos #HellMasker #GigasDeath #GalianBeast #Double Take #Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist

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bills-bible-basics · 4 months ago

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ARE YOU DECEIVED AND DON’T KNOW IT?

My friends, it really saddens me to see how many of you have been deceived by misguided Bible teachers who themselves have been blinded by the erroneous theological perspective known as Futurism.

I have written about this subject so much over the years — and continue to write about it — and yet everytime I view my news feed, I still see so many of my Christian friends spouting off this nonsense and commenting “Amen!” to this same nonsense.

In case you haven’t read any of my articles regarding this topic — such as “Fight Against Futurism!” — Futurism is a misguided belief system which takes ancient, already-fulfilled Bible prophecies, and applies them to our current time as if they haven’t occurred yet.

This deceptive belief system began making inroads into our Christian faith — both in Great Britain and in the United States — about two hundred years ago through individuals such as John Nelson Darby, Margaret MacDonald, and William Miller and his Millerites, who believed in the soon return of Jesus Christ, and the rapture of the Saints.

Ever since that time, one foolish individual after another — including some popular and famous preachers — has made misguided predictions — and even set specific dates — regarding the so-called rapture of the Saints, the start of the period referred to as the Great Tribulation, the return of Jesus Christ, and related events.

As I point out in some of my articles on the Bill’s Bible Basics website, over the past two hundred years, and to this very day, every single one of them has been wrong. My friends, you need to STOP and ask yourselves why this is. Why have all of their predictions and dates failed?

Sadly, beginning in the 1960s and the 1970s, the doctrines of Futurism began to grow even stronger within the modern Christian Church due to a number of well-meaning but misguided popular preachers who promoted these wayward beliefs amongst America’s youth.

By the late 1990s and the early 2,000s, the erroneous tenets of Futurism had overtaken other theological perspectives, so that many Christians were no longer even aware of the fact that there exist other theological perspectives, and that not all Christians agree with Futurism.

Over the years, many books and movies — such as “The Omen” movie franchise, the “Left Behind” book series and movie franchise, etc. — entrenched these false teachings within the minds of naive, gullible Christians who did not have a strong foundation in God’s Word. They were, and have continued to be, blind sheep who have been led astray from the truth of God’s Word.

With the arrival of the Internet — and later still with the rise of the social networks — the deceptive lies of Futurism continued to spread everywhere, so that today, this false belief system has gained a very powerful hold over literally millions of modern Christians all around the world.

In fact, the doctrines of Futurism have become so pervasive and powerful, that if one dares to speak against the tenets of Futurism, he or she is immediately shot down and branded a false teacher, and one who promotes doctrines of devils. In other words, those people who have actually become deceived by Futurism, are accusing those brethren who are trying to tell them the Scriptural truth, of being the deceivers. And so here we are today.

As I explain in my seven-part series entitled “Jesus Christ’s Return: Have We Been Deceived?”, I personally was on the Futurism bandwagon for about forty years of my adult Christian life. I totally believed in it. Not only did I fully embrace it, but I fervently preached it to others as well. That is, until the Lord really began opening my eyes to Scriptural truth — as opposed to the false doctrines of men — in 2011-2012. It was eventually in 2016 that I authored the aforementioned series.

From that time until now, I have continued to share what I am now fully convinced is the proper interpretation of the ancient Bible prophecies, both via my Bill’s Bible Basics articles, as well as by way of my graphics, poetry, songs and online discussions on the social networks.

Sadly, it has not by any means been easy. I continue to encounter resistance from my misguided brethren who refuse to see the truth. I have lost friends over it, and I have likewise let go of certain friends who insistently and persistently continue to spread the lies of Futurism after I have tried to set them straight.

Yet despite the rejection which I know this current commentary will undoubtedly bring from some of you, here I am yet again reaching out to my Christian brethren, in the hope that at least a few of you will wake up and come out from under the deception of Futurism.

My friends, you need to STOP spreading all of this misguided nonsense. Not only are you deceived yourselves, but you are deceiving others as well, exactly as the Apostle Paul wrote almost two thousand years ago. To be more specific, it is time that you understand the following:

1. Barack Obama is not the Beast or the Antichrist.

2. Donald J. Trump is not the Beast or the Antichrist.

3. Elon Musk is not the Beast or the Antichrist.

4. The Pope is not the False Prophet.

5. Neither Obamacare or the COVID vaccines are the Mark of the Beast.

6. America is not Babylon the Great.

7. The Roman Catholic Church is not Babylon the Great.

8. The Great Tribulation has not already begun and is not about to begin.

9. The Abomination of Desolation pertains to the distant past and has nothing to do with our current times.

10. All 70 weeks of the Prophet Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks” prophecy — not just 69 of them — were fulfilled long ago.

11. The rapture of the Saints is not imminent.

12. Jesus Christ is not returning soon.

By sharing all of the previous misguided doctrines, you are in fact unknowingly setting up a lot of Christians for great disappointment when these events fail to materialize, exactly as has occurred for the past two hundred years. Do you honestly want to be guilty of doing that?

Before concluding this commentary, allow me to issue a clear warning: Do NOT try to start a doctrinal debate on my page. If you disagree with anything I have stated above, you have your own page where you are free to discuss it to your heart’s content. Do NOT do it here!

If you want to better understand why I believe as I do, and what has convinced me to believe as I now do after being a Futurist for so many years, then I invite you to read and seriously study the hundreds of articles and series which are currently found on the Bill’s Bible Basics website. They will clearly answer many of your questions.

Please not that at this current time — 02-28-2025 — my web server and BBB website remain offline and are inaccessible due to technical issues. However, hopefully, within the next week, my new computer will arrive, and everything will be back to normal.

To reiterate, do NOT attempt to argue or engage in a doctrinal debate with me or with anyone else who participates on my page regarding the aforementioned issues. If you do, your comments will be deleted. If you continue to persist, you will be unfriended. Really irk me, and you will be blocked entirely.

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ahopkins1965 · 7 months ago

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My New Associations with God & the Saints

Anthony Joseph Hopkins

2765 Wentworth Avenue #607

Dayton, Ohio 45406

This is titled my new associations with God and the saints for a specific reason. It is simply because my new associations with God, Jesus Christ, and the Saints are very important to me. My salvation and your salvation came from Jerusalem, but first from Galilee. Jesus died victoriously for the world and for all of our sins. This means to me that I am a free man in Christ Jesus. Father, into my hands I command out my spirit. In 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 is emphasized because it pertains to the importance of salvation, death, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God for the victory in Jesus for saving mankind. Jesus died for me and everyone else so that we will earn a second chance at life. Always remember where God had brought you from.

We are here to do our Father's will; Psalms 31:5. By his strips we are healed. The passion of the Christ was extremely graphic and it was a real depiction of the resurrection and life of Jesus Christ. A Steven Speilbush directed movie that had made a strong impact in the lives of many Americans. This is what Jesus went through. He was aware of God's presence. He invoked God as His Lord and as His father. Father into my hands I command my spirit. He died confidently, victoriously, and violently.

New Associations with God, Jesus Christ, and the saints means to me that I am supposed to be around members of my church that I attend on a regular basis. I am supposed to feel connected with my new associations. These are believers of God and Jesus Christ. I love my church; which is Greater Allen AME Church in Dayton, Ohio. I love all of my church members. I also love the atmosphere as well as the church itself. The church itself at one time used to be a library a very long time ago. New associations to me are being around my fellow believers, family, friends, and around those who have the same love for Jesus as I do.

How confidently do we trust the scriptures in the old and New Testament in the Holy Bible? Try to ask God to have your word in your heart. Do not hide your words from my heart. Maintain your words inside of me Jesus always. The people that I am involved with are very happy and inspiring. My AA sponsor is a person who inspires me on a daily basis. He is like a father that I really did not have in my own life. He is a man of God. He encourages me each day to read God's word and to remain positive. We need to learn how to speak the word of God to each other on a daily basis. We need to stop speaking of the world. The world has many challenges on a daily basis. We need to be available for one another in Christian love.

I will fight for my life each day for God and Jesus Christ. My new associations are people who love me for the person that I am. My new associations are encouraging, positive, respectful, constructive, and eager to tell me what is right and truthful. In my life today, I strive to stay positive each day. I like to say positive things each day. I am eliminating all of the things that are negative and ridding things from my past. I do this by closing the door on Satan. You can close the door on Satan by changing your way of thinking and avoiding people who are a negative influence. You can be healed through the things we say that are positive.

We all must start being accountable for your own words and actions. What comes out of your mouth reveals your personality, fear, sadness, depression, anxiety, and anger. Do not hang around people who are selfish and nonbelievers. I have noticed that most of my non-believing friends and enemies do not attend church. They say things to you to turn you away from God and His blessings from you. The enemies that I have right now are trying to overturn my positive confessions that I have for God and turn it into negativity. I stay busy for God and Jesus Christ by praying, fasting, loving others, doing for others, and reading my bible each day. I say busy blessing everything and thanking God for what I have each day. Scriptures of interest are as follows: 1 Corinthians 3:1, James 3:10, Deuteronomy 28:5-9, Psalms 100:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

God's intent of humility of our lives means that we are supposed to love one another and stop criticizing each other all of the time. When a person is judgmental and discontent, this means that his problems tend to be inside of himself. He shares his disagreements with others all of the time without trying to resolve them. I am a person that likes to get things done. My friends know that I am a person who gets things done. I know that I have been distracted lately with the illegal brain implant called synthetic telepathy. I know that I have been changing my way of thinking and doing things by reading the sword of the Spirit.

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