#Tell England: A Study in a Generation
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Very helpful guidance when trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about at second chapter in TC
#the charioteer#public school slang#mary renault#oh yeah david blaize as well#lord dismiss us#quaint honour#flanneled fool#fielding gray#The Willoughby Captains#The Hill: A Romance of Friendship#now and then#David Blaize#E.F. Benson#Sandel#The Loom of Youth#Close of Play#another country#Tell England: A Study in a Generation#collection of public school queer literature keeps piling up
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Mystery man
Logan Sargeant x Piastri!Reader
summary: Oscar's sister has a mystery man
(a/n: its short and sweet, its not my favourite but I'm getting back in)
Masterlist / TipJar
ynpiastri
liked by oscarpiastri, hattiepiastri, yourbsf and 3,758 others
ynpiastri Alexa play a generic song about loving your hometown
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oscarpiastri omg you went back home, why did you tell me
ynpiastri why would I tell you, you don’t live here … hattiepiastri She told me ynpiastri Yeah because you live here! oscarpiastri woww hattiepiastri move home , England doesn’t love you like we love you
yourbsf I ask you one question about mystery man and you fly across the world away from me
ynpiastri the motherland was calling me yourbsf you ran hattiepiastri myster man ?? ynpiastri oops sorry on a plane home again
oscarpiastri
liked by logansargent, ynpiastri, landonorris and 1,745,096 others
oscarpiastri To monaco thank you for a P2. To my sister thank you for spending the entire weekend showing my crew my baby photos. That was hugely appreciated (I hate you)
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user omg which sister
user I think YN user Which on is YN I get confused?! user YN is the oldest of his 4 younger sisters user thank you ! <3
ynpiastri You’re welcome mr ‘I’m a car’
oscarpiastri I despise you ynpiastri I love you too big brother x
logansargeant they get better each time I see them
oscarpiastri you saW THEM TOO? logansargeant yn showed me the whole album oscarpiastri I’m dead
user I want to see baby Oscar!,
ynpiastri hold on I’ll post them soon oscarpiastri waIT
ynpiastri
liked by yourbsf, oscarpiastri, logansargeant and 3,922 others
ynpiastri Me FT baby older brother and logie
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oscarpiastri take this down
ynpiastri why oscar, you’re so cute logansargeant why oscar, you’re so cute oscarpiastri no take it down i’ll tell mum ynpiastri mum is in my likes, she’s not going to do anything oscarpiastri bully
yourbsf you look angelic
ynpiastri why thank you lovely yourbsf so who is mystery man hattiepiastri who is mystery man sis ynpiastri nope no man
user you look amazing
user how does she know logan?
user she met him through oscar
yourbsf
liked by ynpiastri, hattiepiastri, and 369 others
yourbsf On and off the grind. Waiting for YN to stop giggling at her phone
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ynpiastri i was not giggling
yourbsf no sorry, you weren't yourbsf you were heavily flustered ynpiastri objection your honor
hattiepiastri who is he sis
ynpiastri there is no one yourbsf hattie, please help
logansargeant
liked by ynpiastri, oscarpiastri, yourbsf and 878,362 others
logansargeant A classic Piastri-Sargent mess around
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user not the new girl reference!
user they are such a cute couple user i dont think they are dating, they are just friends user they would be cute oscarpiastri no
ynpiastri we slay
logansargeant i draw the line at slay ynpiastri not a slay
oscarpiastri wow replacing me
logansargeant always ynpiastri always, the better piastri hattiepiastri hey! ynpiastri sorry sorry, but oscar sucks
user logan and the pUPPY
ynpiastri
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ynpiastri Grind, Pose, Logan
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logansargeant this is horrific why
ynpiastri its cute user i love yn using her feed for just intermittent mugshots of oscar and logan ynpiastri isn't it just amazing
user what is she studying?
user fashion marketing i think user oh thats so cool user she must be so creative and smart liked by logansargeant
yourbsf friday 9pm. you & me. talk
ynpiastri omg why am i scared ynpiastri mum? help? yourbsf we are talking about mystery man oscarpiastri hmm hattiepiastri facetime me in
oscarpiastri
liked by ynpiastri, landonorris, logansargeant and 1,993,520 others
oscarpiastri Madien win with celebrations. Not celebrating when I accidently found out news I did not want to hear
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user aww thats so cute is that him and lily
user noo lily wasnt there user yn, his sister, was....
ynpiastri take that down before hattie sees
hattiepiastri YN!!! oscarpiastri too late ynpiastri heyyy hattiepiastri Oscar, you know who mystery man is?? oscarpiastri Yup, how much is this information worth to you
logansargeant Oscar not you exposing your sister
oscarpiastri I have exposed no relationship. Just threatened user this is the best sibiling interaction user i live for this
yourbsf you lied!
ynpiastri no i just spun the truth yourbsf ynnnnnnnn oscarpiastri talk to me
ynpiastri
liked by oscarpiastri, yourbsf, hattiepiastri, and 5,259 others
ynpiastri Siblings amirite. oh and a hot man
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yourbsf this is one unhinged caption and soft launch
ynpiastri so i succeeded yourbsf i love that you are soft-launching a relationship that I know, that Oscar knows and also your entire family ynpiastri is it a soft launch when you consider how long I've been planning this oscarpiastri wait, How LONG?!
hattiepiastri no because congrats
hattiepiastri it makes sense yourbsf it does
user is that logan?
user you are so crazy for that (i think it is) user piastri-logan taken to a new level liked by logansargeant
yourbsf
liked by ynpiastri, hattiepiastri, and 401 others
yourbsf fashion school photo dump
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ynpiastri its a love hate relationship
yourbsf it is a tough relationship ynpiastri we love the pain
hattiepiastri i need you see you guys
ynpiastri we'll see you soon hattiepiastri hows your mans ynpiastri ill debrief you outside of a comment section
logansargeant
liked by ynpiastri, oscarpiastri, and 1,420,553 others
logansargeant Piastri-Sargent mess around, but its revealed I'm mystery man and i love this piastri variant
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ynpiastri not you spoiling my soft launch plan
ynpiastri I had a whole photo album for it logansargeant I am so sorry sweetheart ynpiastri you are forgiven lovely oscarpiastri gag, get it off my feed user omg hard launch of the century user it is perfect
oscarpiastri actutally thank you for just getting your silly slow reveal over with because i would not have kept that secret for long
ynpiastri have some self control user oscar is so relatable logansargeant you are welcome, brother-in-law oscarpiastri nope absolutely not logansargeant you are welcome, soon to be brother-in-law
hattiepiastri awww so cute
ynpiastri ikrrr oscarpiastri hmm i’m feeling protective ynpiastri there’s a lot you don’t wanna know oscarpiastri ew hattiepiastri ew logansargeant ew ynpiastri logie? logansargeant i just wanted to fit in
ynpiastri
liked by logansargent, hattiepiastri, yourbsf and 5,001 others
ynpiastri finally i can post my man. 1 year baby
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yourbsf a YEAR?
yourbsf betrayal ynpiastri nooo don't leave me yourbsf next starbucks is on you ynpiastri deal
oscarpiastri logan. 1 year. you've been dating my sister for a year
logansargeant doing more than dating ynpiastri LOGAN oscarpiastri dead man hattiepiastri dead man
user aww they are so perfect
user piastri-sargent, the perfect pair
logansargeant i love you pookie
ynpiastri poooookie!! user omg oscarpiastri i am deactivating my account
#social media au#social au#f1#formula one#formula 1#f1 x reader#f1 imagine#formula one x reader#f1 fluff#logan sargeant#logan sargeant x reader#logan sargeant x piastri!reader#logan sargeant fluff#logan sargeant fanfic#logan sargeant smau#logan sargeant imagine#logan sargeant x you
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AITA for breaking up with my boyfriend suddenly and lying about why?
I (21M) broke up with my boyfriend (18M) a few days ago. It was a painful decision that I already somewhat regret.
We met in uni and have been dating for about 3 months, and our relationship had been going extremely well, but I started to worry about our age gap. I was concerned about it when we first started flirting, but when he confessed to me I was so happy he felt the same way that I forgot about my worries for a little.
I'm VERY chronically online so I'm familiar with age gap discourse, and 18 and 21 seems to be a very grey area. The more I thought about our age gap, the more I looked into peoples' opinions on it online, and these opinions often didn't seem very positive. It made me super nervous about how people might view our relationship and also made me worry that I might be doing something predatory despite my intentions being pure. People in particular seemed to have issues when the girl was older (which I think is fucking weird, but anyway!) I'm a guy, but I'm FTM, only out to my boyfriend, and everyone around me knows me as a girl, so this was pretty worrying.
Our relationship wasn't a public thing - we're both private people and we wanted to date for a few months before going around parading it. But my boyfriend was getting more eager to show us off, which I was happy about before, but all my doomscrolling online had made me worry.
The breaking point for me was a youtuber from my country saying in a video that he found 18 and 21 creepy. Prior to that I'd tried to reassure myself with the idea that while people from like, the USA, might find the age gap weird, people from my own country (England) wouldn't care. But that video destroyed that safety blanket.
I became disgusted with myself and started to see myself as a bad person. I was also worried that when our relationship became more public, people would hate me. I've never had many friends, university is the happiest I've been by a mile in regards to my social life - I didn't want to lose that. Plus, I live at university and can't really move out right now, so I didn't want to be trapped with people who thought I was a creep.
So, after a particularly bad breakdown, I broke up with my boyfriend. I told him that I was struggling to juggle the relationship with my studies and was starting to become tired, and felt it was best for the both of us to end things. It was a believable reason because in general I have very little energy, so he completely bought it - but he was devastated. He kept apologising for not seeing the signs and kept saying he thought things were going so well, and he was right, because they were! I felt awful.
I feel really guilty about what I did, but I was in a state of panic. I don't know whether I did it more to 'cleanse' myself or for the sake of my reputation, I don't even know if the age gap is wrong, I don't even know if people would have reacted badly! I was just scared, but now I feel like a shitty person for what I did. I don't know if the reasoning behind my actions can justify completely blindsiding and lying to my ex like that. I thought I loved him, but maybe I don't if I was willing to do that!
So, tell me honestly, AITA?
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STRIPCLUB GHOST
I think he wouldn't go to a Stripclub in the Canon but my brain was working again lel. You can find more on my A03: Mrsparras
Moving to England to study abroad has always been your biggest dream since you were a child, so when you graduated and were old enough, you did it. You blessed Erasmus that you wouldn't have so much debt—well, at least you thought so, but in the end, you couldn't make ends meet.
So you decided to search for a job that you could do while studying that also fit with your busy schedule, so you started to work in a strip club in Soho under the promise that you would only be a waitress and nothing more.
You stood behind the bar counter wearing the skimpiest clothes you had and prepared drinks, and to your surprise, it was fun. Even watching the stripper from far away gave you straight-up BI panic; they were also beautiful and mature.
Surprisingly, you even got a lot of tips despite not dancing half-naked around the pole. The customers all called you Angel; being the youngest and most unattainable had its perks.
One day there was a new customer who wore a Ghost mask and was a brick house of a man. He was nice to you despite looking scary.
"Come on, Bunny, tell me why you are doing this," he asked while you served him a glass of his favorite Bourbon. He was nice, always left you a good tip, and was generous. So you didn't feel the urge to lie to him; why should you?
"I need to pay bills; food and rent are expensive in Manchester."
"I see," he said, leaving this time a 60-pound tip on his 18-pound Bourbon.
"Sir, it's too much."
"It isn't Bunny; buy yourself something nice with it, okay?"
And you did buy yourself a proper meal after a long time of only eating pasta with pesto, and it was delicious.
The next day, when you went to work, you got an offer from your boss: 500 pounds for a private striptease, 120 pounds more if it turns into a lapdance. You never wanted to do this; you couldn't dance, and you were insecure about your body. But it was easy money, and you could always bottom out if it was too much for you.
"The man left this costume for you behind." Your bodyguard gave you a bunny costume with bunny ears, white soft lingerie, and a bunny tail. Oh god, what a freak. Problem No. 2: It was at least 2 sizes too small, making your tits almost fall out.
You were curious to find out who specifically requested you, and when you walked into the private room, you saw Ghost. You were smiling; you knew you could trust him, and you would lie if you said you didn't develop a crush on him the last few weeks when he slowly became your regular.
"Ghost"
"Bunny"
"So, um, do you want me to dance?"
"I want you to be comfortable, but yes, I would love watching you dance."
So you began to dance awkwardly at first, but then you enjoyed it, dancing around provocatively, shaking your ass a bit in his reaction, and he enjoyed it. The half-hour stopped, and you were a bit sad.
"It was fun, Ghost."
"It was Bunny."
You thought it would be the last time you did this, but when your bodyguard told you Ghost requested you for the rest of the week, every day your vagina made this weird butterfly-clenching thing. You would dance for him every day.
So you began to dance with him every day, even being bolder and giving him a lap dance. You touched his strong abs while circling your hips around him. You were afraid that the fabric wasn't thick enough to hide your throbbing cunt.
"Love, please don't move," he whimpered.
You looked at him in confusion and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"
"Bunny, no, just don't move."
You felt his massive erection under you, and you grinded against him again. "Do you mean because of this?"
"Stop it. I don't want to use your poverty for my gain."
"Did you call me a prostitute?" You asked him, feeling completely furious, and you would have fucked him even despite the money.
"No Bunny I'm just saying you're too good for me, okay? Im a dirty man; men like me aren't made for little sweet girls like you," he said before leaving you in utter confusion, horny, and alone.
You didn't think he would return the next day, but he did, and you refused his cash this time before going to the private suite with him.
"Why do you refuse my money? You need it, and I have enough of it."
"I don't want you to see me as a prostitute."
"I could never see you as less than an angel."
This time you didn't strip for him; you just sat on his lap and talked. He told you that he works as a police officer, even though you thought this was a lie, and you told him all about your native country, how you moved here, and how you loved it.
"All I'm saying is I don't think sex is good enough to pay for it," you claimed while laughing. The erection pressing against your thighs was something you already got used to.
"Then you were with the wrong men before Bunny; sex is great."
"It's okay"
He laughed, "You never had an orgasm before ?" his fingers trailed down on the thin fabric of your pants.
You blushed immediately and shook your head, grinding against his fingers for the smallest friction.
"That explains why you are so desperate, Bunny," he chuckled and left.
The next day, one day before your day off, you went to work again, instinctively walking to the private room where he already sat, this time shirtless. He was the picture of a perfect man with strong abs, and a blonde happy trail down to his thick erection that was only covered by his briefs.
"Sit down and give me a lapdance, please, Bunny."
You sat down on him, but this time he grinded against you, not you against him. You would love that sudden change, but you were a bit mad that he left you yesterday after calling you desperate.
"Tell me you want me, and I'm all yours."
"I don't want you," you lied to him.
"I think you want this, bunny. Don't lie to yourself." He leans in close, his hot breath tickling your ear. "I can see it in your eyes. You want me to fuck you hard and make you scream."
"No"
"Yes, you do," he insists, pulling down your costume to expose your bare ass. His hand traces the crack in your ass before dipping between your cheeks, pressing against your entrance. "Admit it, bunny. You want me inside you."
"No, I don't want you," but your body betrayed your stubborn act. You were soaking wet and a moaning mess for him. He was so hot and big, and all you wanted was to let him take care of you. Let him show you what a real man is.
"Lie to me again, and I'll make sure you regret it." His fingers begin to probe, seeking entry into your tight little hole. "Tell me, bunny. Have you ever been taken like this before? Fucked raw by a real man." He laughed at you, his voice sounding mean and dominant to his usual nice behavior. Maybe he had a stressful day, but did you care about what made you so lucky today?
"Good," he growls, finally pushing past your resistance and forcing his middle finger inside you. "Because I'm going to make sure you scream for me." His other hand moves up to grope one of your breasts through the costume, pinching the nipple hard.
"Oh fuck, Ghost."
"That's it, bunny. Let me hear you," he demands, adding a second finger to stretch you wider. His thumb rubs over your hardened nipple as his fingers thrust deeper, searching for that sweet spot inside you. "You like that?"
"No," you moaned.
"Lie to me again, and I'll gag you," he warns, pulling his fingers free with a wet pop. "Now tell me the truth." He grabs your chin, forcing you to look him in the eyes. "Do you want my cock inside you?"
You were thinking of lying again only so that he could gag you, but you needed him right now more than you needed anything in your life before. "Yes"
"Good girl," he praises, lowering his mouth to capture one of your nipples in a hot, sucking kiss. His other hand slides down between your legs, rubbing against your pleading clit.
"You've never felt anything like this, bunny?" He purrs against your skin, "You just want me to shove my cock inside you and claim you as mine, don't you?" He already knew the answer, and he was determined to give you your real first orgasm.
"I never felt like this before, Ghost."
"That's right," he agrees, standing up and pushing your legs apart. His hot breath is fanning across your wet folds as he stares down at his prize. "You're going to feel even better when I'm buried balls deep inside you."
Your pussy clenched and throbbed, and now he saw the evidence of your lust.
"You see, bunny," he says with a chuckle, "your body knows what it wants." His thick cock is at your entrance now, slowly pushing inside. The head teased the tight ring of muscles before finally breaking through with a small groan from both of them.
"Oh god, it's too big." It was bigger than the dildo that you had at home, but you liked the burn and to be filled.
"That's because you've never had a real man inside you before," he growls, starting to thrust deeper. Each movement hits your sweet spot and makes your insides clench around him. "You like that, don't you? Feeling my cock stretching you out?"
"Ghost, im going to cum," you whined as he started to stroke your hard nub while he fucked you restlessly.
"Good," he says, picking up the pace. His hips slam against yours as he takes you hard and fast. The chair creaked under their combined weight. "You're mine now, bunny," he pants out between moans. "Say it."
"Im yours, Ghost," you moaned. He continued the abuse on your pleading clit, leaving soft hits on it before starting to circle it again how you liked it. He read you like a novel that needs to be analyzed. He tried to interpret every movement of yours and intesed his flicks against your clit until you finally came, screaming and crying. Your head fell against his neck, and you bit it like a feral animal. Fuck you thought what has gotten into you.
"There's my good girl," he murmurs, he leaned down to kiss you roughly. His free hand squeezes one of your breasts as his cock continues to pound into you. "This is how a real man fucks." Simon picks up the pace even more, grinding against you as his hips smack against your perfect ass.
The head of his cock hits that sweet spot inside you, again and again, sending waves of pleasure through your body. "Fuck,"
"Ghost, please." You started to whimper, being completely cock drunk.
"Please, what, bunny?" he asks between moans. His thrusts become even more erratic as he loses control. "Do you want me to cum inside you?" he asked while his eyes turned darker at the thought of claiming you as his, his little innocent bunny.
"Yes"
"Yes, bunny?" he asks teasingly. His free hand left your breast to snake down between your legs, teasing at your clit. His cock is throbbing inside you as he takes you harder than ever before.
"Yes, yes, please." You started to beg, and you felt a bit pathetic.
"Yes, what, bunny?" he asks, his voice rough with desire.
"Cum inside of me, Ghost."
"You want me to cum inside you, bunny?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. His thrusts become even more erratic as he nears his climax. "Tell me how much you want it."
"So much, Ghost," you whined.
"Tell me you're mine," he demands, his voice laced with need. His cock is throbbing inside you as he reaches his peak, filling you with his hot cum. "Say it, bunny." You were in orgasmic bliss, clenching around him as he erupted inside of your willing womb. You took everything of his big cock and cum so eagerly, almost greedy, afraid someone would steal it from you. I'm yours."
"Tomorrow at 8 p.m., I will pick you up; we are getting dinner."
You looked at him confused, and he only chuckled, "Did you think I fucked my perfect girl and let you leave then? No, we are going out; well, only if you want to go on a date with this old perverted dog."
"It depends on whether you are ugly behind the mask."
"Quite the opposite, love."
#tf141 smut#tf 141 x reader#tf 141#smut#cod x reader#cod mw2#cod mwii#cod#ghost fanfiction#ghost headcanons#ghost cod#ghost#simon ghost riley#ghost x you#ghost x reader#ghost x y/n#ghost x oc#strip club#call of duty#call of duty modern warfare#ao3 fanfic#ao3 stuff#drabble
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Xenophobia in Celtic nations' independence movements: A guide to the red flags
This is something I've wanted to write about for a long time - I want to go over this in more detail when I can. But for now a short guide to the most egregious red flags is warranted imo.
'Celtic nations' refers to the modern regions where Celtic languages are still spoken, namely Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany. Its important to know that these places are called Celtic not because of who lives there, but because of the languages which have survived there. Its a common error to think 'Celtic nations'= Celtic people. In my field (Celtic Studies) Celtic is generally only applied as a descriptor in the sense of language family.
Because of the popular misinformation 'Celtic nation' = 'Celtic' population, xenophobia rears its ugly head in multiple corners of the various Celtic nations' independence movements. Left unchecked, this xenophobia develops into outright racism. Which is why it's important to recognise these red flags when you see them.
'Acceptable Targets':
The reason why some of the xenophobia goes unchecked (and develops into worse kinds) is because a lot of xenophobia in the Celtic nations is aimed at 'acceptable' targets - which no-one bats an eye about when this rhetoric is deployed. But were it deployed against any other nationalities, it would immediately obvious that it isn't acceptable. Now, I will preface this with that there's nuance with these nationalities and there's something to be said about whether some of it is 'punching up'. However, because of how accepted it is to be casually xenophobic against these privileged groups, it is signalled through that that it's okay to be xenophobic in general to less privileged groups. I feel its important to address the first rung on the ladder before tackling any higher up.
Without beating around the bush, I'm talking about the English (and French. But I know more about the English so that's where my focus will be).
Yes, pro-independence anti-English memes and jokes can be funny. Most of them do stay on the side of punching up and many raise important points on the effects of English imperialism on the Celtic languages. However, there's a fine line between punching up and voluntarily using and wielding xenophobic arguments and rhetoric to get one up on the English. This, in my view, only paves the way for worse kinds of xenophobia and to me is a canary in the coal mine situation. But I also cannot talk about this without also making it clear that it is possible to recognise that sometimes a line is crossed without validating English persecution complexes à la 'you can't even say you're English these days' or similar nonsense. Both things can be true at once: Casual xenophobia against the English does exist, however, its existence should not be used to validate English persecution complexes. On the contrary, we should fight that also.
The reason why this canary in the coal mine has gone unnoticed is because of the reluctance to actually point out xenophobia against the English in pro-independence movements due to fear of accidentally validating the claims Englishness as a concept is under threat or due of fear of ostracism from Celtic nationalist movements. There is little danger of actually validating the former sentiment, however, because of a crucial fact. The people in the Celtic nations being casually xenophobic and the English with persecution complexes have one massive trait in common: they're both xenophobic in incredibly similar ways. If it's hard to tell apart an English nationalist from one in a Celtic nation if you were to swap the target of their ire, congratulations, your movement has a xenophobia problem /s.
English nationalist: We should tighten controls on our borders to keep all those foreigners and immigrants out. Make England English again.
(Xenophobic) Celtic nationalist: We should fight for our independence so we can tighten controls on our borders to keep all those foreigners and immigrants out. Make [insert Celtic nation] [nationish] again.
Many Celtic nationalists will also present ahistorical facts or manipulated versions of history in order to seem more valid or legitimate. It's a massive red flag when someone's grasp of history seems more emotional than grounded in historical fact. Using Welsh history as an example, I've seen this type of Celtic nationalist blatantly lie about historical figures, literally deface ancient castles in Wales based on a poor grasp (and respect for) history and conflate modern English and Welsh identity with ancient entities which do not map neatly 1:1. The ahistory presented by individuals or groups fancying themselves as leaders in their respective movements are unquestioningly accepted by others in the Celtic nationalist movements. This creates a manufactured mythology, belief in which confers in-group status and out-group status. A mythology which reinforces beliefs already present in the movement - such as the right to be casually xenophobic as long as it's against the 'right people' and as long as it is done in the name of protecting or advocating for their nation.
It was never going to stop at English people:
Once casual xenophobia is established as being tolerated, expected or even encouraged in the various independence movements, it enables xenophobes to be bolder in their rhetoric. Because casual xenophobia against 'deserving' nations like England is dismissed as 'just banter' and not taken seriously, it sends a signal to everyone in that movement that xenophobia is okay if its used against the 'right groups. While it may roll like water off a duck's back to the average English person, other, more vulnerable people do not fare so well.
To use an actual example I've seen out in the wild, some people will claim that you can't be considered Welsh unless you were born in Wales. Many people won't question this or interrogate the implications. Firstly, this comes back to how Celtic nationalists can often sound exactly the same as English nationalists (blood and soil nationalism is common to English and Celtic nationalisms). Secondly, this rhetoric also simulataneously invalidates several ostensibly Welsh people, such as Saunders Lewis (born in Liverpool) and Jan Morris (born in Somerset). In most cases, anyone who lives in X country / is a citizen of X country can or should be able to describe themselves as Xish.
The perennial anxiety of Celtic nationalists is that because most of the Celtic nations (excepting the Republic of Ireland) are constituent parts of a state (either the UK or France) and not independent entities in their own right, there is no control over borders and there is no system by which someone can be made a Welsh, or Breton or Cornish etc. citizen - and thus no way to control [nation]ness via those means. When Celtic nationalists agitate for independence, it's important to interrogate their motivations. If they are motivated primarily by a desire to control who is considered Xish and who isn't, that's a red flag.
English nationalists have this citizenship problem too, since England is not an independent nation, but a country within the UK. However, most English nationalists overlap heavily with British nationalists in general, so most agitation for 'sovereignty' gets channelled into British nationalism. This is one of the key differences between English and Celtic nationalists - the former is usually very fond of the United Kingdom, the latter detests it and wants to secede. This leaves Celtic nationalism in a tight spot - there is a desire for self determination which is currently impossible to achieve or enforce. And that makes a lot of Celtic nationalists anxious. And that anxiety leads to feeling like they need to prove their commitment to the cause by performing xenophobia, which validates their in-group status while simultaneously establishes the out-group.
A person born in England but who lives in Wales, perhaps speaks Welsh or considers themself Welsh will, in general, be mostly unharmed by 'you have to be born in Wales to be Welsh' rhetoric. But you know who might be? So many immigrants who consider themselves Welsh who make Wales a great place to be. Immigrants in Wales (especially nonwhite immigrants) may feel excluded by such rhetoric. It's almost on par with "where are you really from" sentiments. And this is an entirely self-defeating kind of rhetoric for Celtic nationalists to take up. Here we have thousands upon thousands of people who willingly want to live and work in Celtic nations - many of whom will also learn the language - undoing centuries of English and French propaganda that diminished the worth of Celtic nations and their languages* - and Celtic nationalists want to exclude these people from claiming the nationality of their adopted nations because... they didn't happen to be born here. Got it.
Xenophobia, once established, cannot be contained:
Xenophobia ripples outwards. Once it is established it is okay to be xenophobic to certain groups, other groups begin to be included in the xenophobia. This then has the potential to expand into outright racism. In Ireland, for example, there's significant amounts of antiblack racism present in the nationalist movement. Very recently, due to the actions of the UK government over the Rwanda Plan, the Republic of Ireland has gotten frustrated at the amount of immigrants attempting to reach their shores after abandoning attempts to claim asylum in the UK (out of fear of being sent to Rwanda). There's a "we don't do that here" attitude in many Celtic nationalist movements with regards to English imperialism, xenophobia, racism and anti-immigration. But not only do we do that here - it's worryingly integral to some people's visions for their nation's independence! You end up with complacency because many will take a literal no true Scotsman approach to Celtic nationalism and pretend that such people aren't really part of the movement. The problem is, is that they are here and regularly hijack otherwise unproblematic movements.
There are many routes through which Celtic nationalists can get radicalised into becoming massively xenophobic in order to fight for their respective nation's independence. All of them stem from real, legitimate problems in each nation whose cause has been misidentified.
One way is through opposition to second homes. On all counts, a noble goal and a very legitimate problem which I myself am invested in fighting. But the ways in which this problem is addressed often veer into questionable territory. If the focus is on "how dare those people from over there come over here" instead of "how dare a very small group of people monopolise housing for holiday lets at the expense of locals" there's a problem. The problem isn't people not from [place] holidaying there, it's the people who monopolise housing for their own profit which reduces housing available for locals and destroys community. In Aberystwyth I've heard some appalling sentiments against people from the Midlands - borderline if not outright classism around their appearances, mannerisms and accents. Sneering at random families visiting the beach isn't going to help anything and only exposes thinly veiled bigotry in whoever is making such remarks.
As already mentioned, another way radicalisation into xenophobic Celtic nationalism can occur is through mythologised 'history' which has been manipulated to suit the needs of the person or people making the claim. Lately, I've been seeing a rise in Welsh 'history' groups rife with disinformation and outright misrepresentation of historical events which are so designed to keep people angry about historical injustices against Wales. There are plenty of real historical injustices which can be talked about - but the 'history' presented in these groups is often fabricated or twisted to make things worse than they were or are stripped of nuance which perhaps paints certain historical figures less favourably than the authors would have liked. Not to mention superimposing modern nationalism onto ancient peoples is also just accepted as fine to do. Here is a screenshot of a Welsh 'history' group shared in a Welsh learning group I'm in. I can and will do a deeper dive into this topic in particular when I can. For now I'll mention the most important things to notice:
As mentioned in one of my other posts on this topic - the term 'native' is frequently misused in a Celtic context. Here, it sets up the basic in-group/out-group dynamic from the start and creates a setting in which members of the group are privy to the 'real' history while others are not. A brief glance at posts in this group makes that quite clear. The flag in the image is a representation of Y Groes Naid - supposedly a piece of the True Cross kept at Aberconwy. Now, there are ways to depict this cross which aren't so dogwhistley - so I'm immediately suspicious this image was chosen on purpose. Right down to the fact there's plausible deniability if anyone tries to point out how much the flag looks like the white supremacist Celtic Cross symbol, since it's Y Groes Naid, right?
I will wrap this up with that as a Celticist, I see far too many people uncritically supporting certain Celtic nationalist movements simply because they are pro-independence. Turning a blind eye to 'acceptable' xenophobia and choosing to believe ahistorical versions of history because it better suits their politics. This must be resisted - we can advocate for the independence of Celtic nations which desire it without relying upon these means. It can be done, I promise. But the path to that means dismantling systems of oppression which exist within Celtic nationalist movements. Awareness of the problem in the first place is a good place to start.
Reblogs and comments are welcome on this post to raise awareness of the issue and actually talk about these things.
Diolch am darllen!
#cymblr#tymblr#Celtic#celtic studies#celtic languages#celtic nations#racism cw#(in case)#xenophobia#anti xenophobia#antiracism#celtic history#celtic mythology#welsh nationalism#annibyniaeth#annibyniaeth wrthfasgaidd#antifascism#Ireland#Wales#Scotland#Isle of Man#Cornwall#Brittany#I didn't have time to touch on pan-celtic nationalism but that's a whole nother beast#reblogs welcome#long post
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Hey quil, I trust your book taste, can you give me some reccs perchance? I’m not picky, whatever your faves are
of course! you'll have seen some of these before in my dragon recs list, but I'll throw in some other ones too :)
A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons; My favorite book series of all time. I can't tell you what it's about because discovering that is part of the plot. Genuinely changed how I think about fantasy and writing. This post goes into a tiny bit more detail but I cannot stress enough it only covers like 2% of the story it makes me FERAL you just need to trust me and stick it out through the confusion (trigger warnings)
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by RF Kuang; young Robin is taken from his home in Canton to England when his family dies, his knowledge of Cantonese invaluable in a world where language, via silver bars, can literally become magic. The British Empire is working to collect all it can for its own gain, but as Robin grows up and learns more of how the world works, how it wants to use him, the more he finds it shouldn't be this way. A beautiful story on loss, oppression, imperialism, injustice, and language's role in identity. I cried.
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan; Isabella, now an old woman, recounts how she became the most renowned dragon naturalist in the world--overcoming misogyny, maneuvering through politics, and more. Follow her from childhood to present day around the world, studying dragons in the field. This story has wonderful characters, critiques the "not like other girls" trope, has beautiful relationships (including platonic!), a lot of action and intrigue alongside the fascinating science, animalistic dragons, and!! SO many pictures! the artwork it's seriously incredible. Love this series
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd Jones; around Colbren, the dead don't stay dead. Ryn, a young gravedigger, agrees to take the mysterious visiting mapmaker, Ellis, to the abandoned castle, because she needs the money to support her two siblings and in hopes of stopping the worsening curse. Ellis, found near the woods as a babe, hopes to find some remnant or clue to who his family was, who he was. together, they must face the walking dead, find the abandoned castell where this all started, find the answers, and find themselves. I adored it's tone, characters, how it handled death and grief, everything. it reads like a fairytale in the best way
The Martian by Andy Weir; Mark Wattney's an astronaut on Mars when a storm hits, forcing the mission to return to earth prematurely--but he doesn't make it to the shuttle in time, they presume him dead, and leave devastated. now alone on Mars, Wattney's got to figure out how to survive--and how to get in contact with earth and let them know, hey, uh, I'm still here guys. one of my favorite hard sci-fi books of all time. Wattney is such an entertaining, intelligent guy; he'll have you laughing, then on the edge of your seat as Mars tries its best to kill him. this one also comes with a movie :)
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn; Bree's in an early-college program, grappling with the very recent death of her mother. when she stumbles into creatures that shouldn't exist, magic, it starts to look like her mom's death might not have been an accident. she finds a secret society of the descendants of king arthur + the round table, inheriting their powers to defend the world from a different plane--and Bree needs to find out what they know. but getting in is difficult as a Black girl, especially when their guard dog is convinced she's a demon. a beautiful story on grief, Black generational trauma, racism, identity, and more. we're eagerly awaiting book three this spring <3
The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir; of course I had to include this one--tonally similar to ACOD in that you WILL be confused <3. The Emperor Undying needs necromancers; Gideon doesn't give a shit, but the girl she's been raised alongside, Harrowhark, the heir of the house on their far away planet, doesn't give a shit that Gideon doesn't give a shit. She contracts Gideon to serve as her guard, her cavalier, as Harrowhark travels to the Emperor's planet to compete to become one of his right hands. Except as the competition progresses, something's...wrong. fatally, lethally wrong. people keep turning up dead, and if they don't figure this out, they could be next.
I'll stop there, but I hope you find something you like on that list! If you (or anyone else) have any more specific requests or guidelines for recs, feel free to send them :)
#book recs#book recommendations#quil's queries#nonsie#these are in no particular order except for acod at the top#i think i gave all of these five stars?#okay yeah. these are all personal 5 star reads#look upon them and realize things about me <3
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In Your Dreams, Whatever They Be - Part 1
Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader (uses she/her pronouns)
WC: 11,223
TW: Alcohol, violence, stabbing, boats, spiders, sarcasm, jealousy, trauma, trauma bonding, blood (and lots of it), nightmares, Vecna, mentions of death, smoochy kisses, mentions and flashes of past traumas, Billy Hargrove gets mentioned, brief allusion to second base, graphic descriptions of violence, graphic descriptions in general. If I'm missing any please please please tell me and I will happily add them!
A/N: So this was supposed to be a quick and easy 4k one shot, and now I'm in a two parter, rewatching the series to try and make it as accurate as I can be. I forgot how himbo Steve really is. It takes place starting with s4 e5, and it goes to s4 e7 or 8, I don't remember. This is based off of my favorite song of all time, and the fact that they used it in this show makes me so unbelievable happy. I hope y'all enjoy this one! any and all constructive criticism is welcomed and wanted!!!
Part 2
“What’s going on in there?” Steve gently rapped on your head with his knuckles, “hello? Anyone home?”
He watched as your eyes shifted back into focus, looking at him.
“It’s nothing Steve.”
“Yea and I’m the queen of England.”
“No need for the attitude,” You grumbled, sitting up, attempting to get off the boys bed before
this turned into a full blown thing with interrogations and prodding in places you didn’t want Steve to see at the moment.
He softly said your name, grabbing your wrist and rubbing his thumb over it. “Will you please talk to me?”
Your eyes fluttered closed at the contact. A soft inhale and exhale to remind yourself to calm the tears before giving Steve a smile.
“I’m seriously okay Steve. If it was something that was actually worth anything, you’d be the first person I told.”
He contemplated your answer, studying the way you wouldn’t look at him. “Pinky promise?”
You looked over at the clock on his night stand before jumping up and dusting off the proverbial dirt from your thighs.
“Actually, I, um, I have to go—Steve. Um. I’ll see you later!” You quickly grabbed your bag off the ground of his bedroom floor and quickly made your escape down the stairs and out the front door.
Steve flinched as it slammed shut and sat there, pinky still outstretched wondering what the actual fuck just happened. You never ever ditched him like that, let alone ignored a pinky promise.
You, on the other hand, were suffocating. The room had suddenly become too suffocating and Steve—sweet, lovely, kind, perfect Steve immediately noticed, and you just couldn’t let him go poking where he didn't need to be.
Your headaches had started to come back, but it was nothing new considering your period was about to start anyways. And the last thing you wanted to do was make Steve all worried about some stupid little headache—
“Oh for fucks sake.” You grumbled again before turning right back around on the porch and storming back into his house again.
Steve had just made it down the stairs when he collided with you in the hall, the door slamming shut a second time.
“What are you doing—-“
“We made that stupid Fucking New Year’s resolution for a year of no poor communication. So. I’ve been having headaches.”
“…..headaches?”
You nodded and ran a hand through your hair.
“Yeah.” You whisper, now suddenly feeling a lot less confident about the situation.
Steve was silent, his mind racing a million miles an hour. Out of all the people in the world, he absolutely downright refused to let you become the next mangled body. He had seen Eddie’s face when he relieved what Chrissy had gone through, and he had seen Nancy after they had discovered Fred; for fucks sake he was there when Max was levitating in the cemetery. He couldn’t lose you. He seriously couldn’t lose you. Because he didn’t know what he’d do with himself if you weren’t with him. He’d loose his fucking mind—that’s what he would do. He’s become some crazy old man like Murray or—-
“Steve.” You took his hand in yours and narrowed your eyes. “Are you listening to me?”
Steve shook his head and squeezed your hand. “I said, I usually get them the week before my period, and they’re right on time. But with the whole….”
Steve nodded and looked at your hands together, eyeing the ring you wore on your pinky finger—a pinky promise to him that you always wear.
“But.” You yanked his hand a little bit to make him focus back up on your face. “Because of everything going on I just didn’t want you to freak the fuck out. But that’s what’s been on my mind.”
Steve let out a shaky breath. “Yeah…yeah okay I just…”
“I know.” Even when you could potentially be in true, real danger, you managed to stay level headed, or at least put up a really good front; it’s what Steve admired most about you, and simultaneously loathed about you.
“I know everyone is at the Wheeler's house but do you want to make them come over here?”
Steve squeezed your hand in response to your question, his voice still gone. Somehow snatched away with the rest of his mind from the moment he realized you could be taken from him.
“Okay, do you want me to call them?”
Steve was a very physical person. He showed his love through actions—getting an eyelash off your nose, buying your favorite flowers, and so forth. But he truly showed his appreciation for someone through small touches; a hand on a shoulder, the squeeze of a hand. But when Steve pulled you into a hug, you were a little surprised. He may love small actions of touch, he rarely was one to give hugs or full body contact, even to someone he has loved for a long time. The boy was getting more and more self conscious ever since the Fall of King Steve and the Bullshit of Nancy Wheeler.
“Steve I promise I’m okay I promise.”
“But what if it’s not just any headaches…” he whispered into your hair, tightly holding onto you, terrified to let you go.
“The second I start getting psycho visions or freaky nightmares, you’ll know okay?”
“Y-yeah.” He sighed, just holding onto you for a bit longer. You rested your head on his shoulder, forehead against his neck, and slowly started to sway with him, trying to drag his mind away from the pit he was dragging himself into.
He complied, still drowning in ‘what-if’s’. He listened as you started to softly mumble a song to yourself as the two of you stood in the foyer of the Harrington Household, sunset peaking through the windows.
“Stars shining bright above you, Night breezes seem to whisper I love you, birds singing in the sycamore tree, dream a little dream of me.”
Steve focused on the sound of your breathing, the beating of your heart, the low hum of your voice.
“Say nighty-night and kiss me, just hold me right and tell me, you’ll miss me”
“I should be comforting you.” He grumbled, as you continued to sing and sway.
“While I’m alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me.”
“What’s the name of the artist again?” He whispered
You stopped short and looked up at him, taking only half a step back knowing Steve might lose his shit if you stopped being in direct contact with him.
“Steven Harrington this is only my favorite song of all time, and you don’t know which version I like the most?! Jesus, you’d think my person would know that.”
“Okay but that doesn’t answer my question.” His heart fluttered a little bit when you called him your person.
“You’re a pain in the ass.”
Just as Steve went to sass you back, the phone rang, making him jump. Steve stared at it while you were looking at him, watching him flinch every time it rang. “You gonna answer it, or just stare at it.”
“Well….”
“Steve.”
“I’d really rather not.”
“It could be important, Stevie.”
His insides started melting as you called him that. “I really don’t want to.”
The phone stopped ringing and he smiled cheekily at you before taking your hand and bringing you out towards the patio, sliding the doors open with ease.
“What are you…”
“I want to keep dancing with you without any distractions.”
You blush a bit and shake your head.
“Okay hot shot. Show me your moves then.”
“Only if you promise to keep singing.”
The both of you stepped out onto the patio and closed the sliding doors behind you. He brought you around the pool to the small yard behind it, offering his hand once more.
“You, Steve Harrington, are something else.”
He slid his arm around your waist and took your hand in his. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” He whispered, kissing your head.
“Depends.”
“On what.”
“Stars fading but I linger on dear.”
You shrugged. And started swaying again, resting your head on his collarbone.
“Still craving your kiss.”
“Oh you crave my kiss huh?”
You rolled your eyes and continued singing, smiling up at him.
“I’m longing to linger till dawn dear, just craving this.”
Steve cheekily kissed your jaw, causing you to smile and squeeze his hand.
What the two of you missed was the consistent ringing of the Harrington Household phone, that stopped ringing after the fourth or fifth attempt.
“Sweet dreams, till sunbeams find you. Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you. But in your dreams, whatever they be, dream a little dream of me.”
Steve took the opportunity to spin you around, interrupting your singing. Your laugh was music to his ears, besides the actual singing you were blessing him with.
“Stars fading, but I linger on dear, still craving your kiss.”
Steve leaned down and kissed you softly, interrupting your song. You smiled and kissed him back, tasting your cherry chapstick on his lips.
“You stole my chapstick, I knew it.” You mumbled before swiping your tongue against his bottom lip.
“Nuh, uh.” He whispered back, moving his hand to your jaw, pulling you a little closer to him.
You were interrupted by the screaming of Steve’s name and the pounding on the front door.
The both of you jumped apart, hearts pounding. You looked at Steve while he turned and looked towards the inside of his house.
The both of you heard the strings of curses from a small army when nobody answered the door, followed by yells about where he kept the spare key, and why was it locked because it was never locked Steve let go of you, much to both of your dismays, before moving towards the slider, only to be interrupted by a “are you SERIOUS Hanginton?”
Dustin’s head had popped over the fence near the edge of the woods, scaring the shit out of both of you.
“What the hell Henderson!” You yelled, stumbling back into a chair. Your heel caught on the side, and the metal left a little gash on the top of your foot as you fell into the lounger, the definition of ungraceful. You let out a yelp as you collapsed
“Shit, Shit, are you okay??” Henderson yelled, attempting to jump over the fence, and only failing slightly.
Steve rushed over to your side, panicking since the last time there was blood near his pool, well….
You were examining the gash, taping it lightly and flinching at the sting. But then you saw Steve and immediately switched gears into calming Steve down, completely ignoring the blood dripping down your foot.
“Steve. Hey.” You put your hand on his shoulder but Steve was freaking out. His eyes were wide, and his breathing was erratic. “Handsome, look at me.” You whispered to him, taking his jaw, aware of your audience.
You loved touching Steve, and he loved touching you, in every way each other's minds could think of, but the two of you tried really hard to not be super all over each other in front of the others. It wasn’t that you were hiding your relationship per se, you both were just private people when it came to your relationship. You were both taking it slow, wanting to make sure everything was just right, earning trust and figuring out one another without the influence and nosiness of your beloved friends. They knew you had at least kissed a couple of times, and were official enough to hold hands in public, but what they didn’t know was that you had been dating each other for over a year now. In fact, you were sure this was it for you—your endgame. You felt such an all consuming love for him, and he knew it too. He was terrified of the ways you would go to bat for him, which is why the sight of your blood near his pool sent him into a slight panic attack. But your touch sent a little shock through his system and he looked up at you, eyes wide and a little manic, lips parted.
“I’m okay. We’ll just get a bandaid or tw—“
The next minute unfolded to be one of the most overwhelming both you and Steve had experienced. First, Henderson had finally scaled the fence and fell over it with a thud and a loud yell. Then, Nancy shoved open the sliding doors, which meant the rest of the kids, and Robin were probably in tow. Dusting had managed to run over to you and started to freak out about your foot, panicking outwardly like Steve was panicking inwardly.
Nancy finally made it over to the both of you, but only looked at Steve.
“Steve? What the fuck! Where the hell have you been? Y/n wasn’t answering her phone and so Max and Lucas went over to her house—“
“Nance…”
“and her mom said she was at work but she hasn’t been at work because I was just there and she didn’t take over for me and——“
“Nancy.”
You squeezed his hand.
“And then you weren’t answering your phone and we called so many ti—“
“Holy shit what the fuck happened to your foot!?” And there was Robin, kindly interrupting Nancy’s ramble.
Nancy whipped around and looked down at your now slightly blood soaked foot. It was seriously nowhere near as bad as it looked, but because you had been free bleeding trying to help Steve and then everyone burst into the backyard, your foot looked worse than it was.
“Oh my god!” She squeaked out, thinking back to Barb, and looked at Steve. She noticed his panic and decided it was her responsibility to fix it.
“Hey Steve?” Nancy knelt down next to him, which made you inhale sharply. Nancy had been….well. Ever since Jonathan had moved to California, she was a bit all over the place, and everyone knew it, including Nancy. Her emotions were running wild, and she had been eyeing Steve again. You were far from jealous, knowing how much Steve loved you since he reminded you over and over and over again. But there was something about the way she was eyeing him, the way she reached out to him, that made your trust waiver—not in Steve, Never in Steve, but maybe in Nancy.
Steve caught the tail end of your inhale, and looked up at you, his eyes still not focusing a hundred percent but he was trying for you.
“Can you go get some bandages for my foot Nance?” You asked, squeezing Steve’s hand again, trying to ground him while also trying to politely tell Nancy to back the fuck up. You looked over at her and gave her a smile, as if to say that you got the whole Steve situation under control.
She eyed your hands before nodding, and heading off into the house. As she had walked into the house and up the stairs, Robin corralled all of the kids mumbling that the show was over. Dustin put up a little bit of a fight but Max and Lucas had dragged him inside and closed the sliding doors. All of the teens did their best to pretend to not look out at the couple on the patio, whereas Robin was casually trying to not stare at the two of you through the kitchen window. Everyone was extremely curious about the secretive couple.
You squeezed his hand again. “Steve. I need you to listen to me. I’m okay. It’s just a cut on my foot.” Your other hand came up and slowly took his other hand, hinting that he should be next to you on the lounger.
Steve obliged, mind still far away, panicking to no end, conjuring up the worst endings he could possibly imagine.
You gently took one of his hands and placed it on one of the pulse points on your neck.
Robin had snatched Nancy from exiting the house, shushing her as she tried to justify going back onto the patio. And even if she managed to get through Robin, Dustin and the others would not have let her through anyways.
Robin had shared a look with Dustin, examining the scene before them. Almost no one had ever seen Steve this vulnerable, and actually no one had witnessed the two of you have such an intimate moment together, collectively making everyone in the house question whether or not they knew either of you at all.
You were taking slow breaths, letting Steve not only feel your pulse beneath his fingers, but also your breath. It caused him to slowly start to match your pace, chest moving slower and hands stopped shaking. His eyes started to focus in on you again, the hint of a grateful smile ghosted across his lips before it fell under a frown of complete self deprecation.
“Shit, baby I’m so sorry.” He whispered, not moving his hand from your neck quite yet. “I-I just…it reminded me of…”
“I know, I know.” You whispered. “But it’s just a small cut, and I’ll let you give Henderson the talking to of a lifetime, once I know you’re back with me, yeah?”
Your eyes had been monitoring his, watching for when he was fully back in the present. Steve nodded and placed a quick kiss on your forehead. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, I’m here all week.” You teased, before sighing and looking down at your foot. “It’s definitely not that bad but I do want to clean off my bloody foot.”
Just then, Nancy made her way back onto the patio, with very upset Dustin trailing behind her. Dustin looked so guilty, and so apologetic, and Nancy looked….upset? Mad? Jealous? Whatever it was, Nancy was doing a good job of making it not as important as fixing up your foot.
“Oh thank you so much Nance.” You smiled at her, only faltering slightly when she only responded by giving you a tight lipped smile, dropping the first aid kid on the chair, and walking Back inside.
You and Steve looked at Dustin who just shrugged. Whatever it was would have to wait.
“So why were you people hunting me down?”
“There’s been another….” Dustin looked down at his feet, and Steve took one of his hands and put it on the kids shoulder.
“Okay.” You breathed out, taking the medical kit in your hands and digging through it to find all the necessary things to clean up your little wound.
“ Y/N, I’m really sorry. I-I didn’t mean to—you know. It was a total accident.” Dustin gushed at you and you just smiled in response to him.
“It’s all good Dusty Bun.” You joked at him, while the kid tore himself into pieces, feeling fucking awful.
“Shit happens. It’s okay. It’s not like you snuck back here with the intent to injure me….unless.” You smirked at him, letting Dustin’s cheek turn bright red and he shook his head vigorously.
“No. No. I would never do that to you—“
“She’s joking Dustin. It’s okay.” Steve tried not to laugh at the poor boy, watching as his face fell into a slightly more comfortable expression.
“Dustin, can you go and round everyone up in the Living Room, so we can talk about everything?”
Dustin nodded and started to run off before he stopped and turned towards you again. “Promise you’re okay?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die, kid. I’m all good.” You took your finger, crossed your heart with it and lifted it in the air. “Steven Harrington as my witness.”
Dustin cracked a smile before going back inside and trying to round up everyone into the Harrington's living room.
Once you had properly bandaged your cut, you sighed and cast a quick glance at the patio doors, noticing only Max and Lucas lingering, but still giving you all the privacy they could with a glass door. But Lucas was solely focused on Max, making sure her headphones for her Walkman were sitting just right on her head.
You turned and kissed Steve, soft lips on his. “Are you okay?” You whispered to him, letting him lead the kiss, giving him the control he needed to regain in that moment before facing the troops.
Steve gently swept his tongue across your lip, allowing him to deepen the kiss a bit more. He sighed so prettily into your mouth and you couldn’t help but smile.
“I will be, yea. I just….” You nodded and pulled away from him. Steve glanced over at Max, noticing the headphones and his face fell flat. He had been the one to hold her close when she collapsed outside of Billy’s Grave after floating in the air. And suddenly it was you he was cradling, unconscious.
“What’s the artist?”
“What?” You gave him an incredulous look, turned and looking where his gaze was set on Max. “Oh Steve, I don’t think—-“
“Please.” It was so soft, and pleading. Your heart broke as he looked back at you.
“The Mamas and The Papas.” You said softly, tucking a loose strand of his hair behind his ear.
“Dream a Little Dream of Me, right?” He squeezed your hand once more as you nodded.
“Alright.” He sighed and kissed your head before getting up. The two of you could rest when you’re dead, you figured. You stood up with him and brought the first aid kit back in with you.
Once everyone was back in the living room, the rest of the day was a whirlwind. Lucas was telling you about the fact that Carver and his teammates were hunting down Eddie and anyone who tried to help him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
At some point you found yourself stuck in the back of Nancy’s car. Then, you found yourself stuck in between an argument between a mother and his son about Skull Rock.
“Yeah well it wasn’t popular until I made it popular, alright?”
You snorted at that one, while Steve turned towards you, slightly horrified about admitting that in front of you. But you knew King Steve, and it wasn’t like you were unpopular. You were one of those people that managed to fly under the radar by being on everyone’s radar. Nice to everyone simply worked best, especially when it meant you got to kiss and tell without it ruining your life. You smirked at Steve before turning to Dustin.
“But he’s right though Dustin. It’s over that little hill, on the right, past the two trees.” You slowed down to break the news to Dustin, Max moving to catch up with you, both of you snickering to one another while the rest of the gang looked at you, seriously doubting their knowledge of you at all.
“Stop gawking Harrington, and move those legs. Let’s roll.” Steve fixed his pace and trudged ahead, eager to prove his best friend wrong.
You and Max just observed the two. You had been Max’s babysitter since she moved to Hawkins. She was definitely too old for one, but her mother insisted, and she would have much rather spent time with you than with Billy. She was your little sister, your everything, the Dustin to your Steve. You were the one who got her so addicted to Kate Bush in the first place. So when Steve had told you about Max floating into the air, you almost caused several accidents driving from your house to the Wheeler’s, where Max was being kept safe.
The two of you were giggling about the bickering between the two idiots when you heard Steve and Dustin ahead of you.
“Bada Bing, Bada Boom, There she is Henderson. Skull Rock, in your face man.” Steve pushed past the both of you, a shit-eating grin on his face. “In your stupid, cocky little face.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“Yeah, Yeah, even when it’s staring you right in the face, you can’t admit it. You just can’t admit that you’re wrong, you little butthead.” Steve smugly stared up at the rock.
Two boots landed on the ground, right next to Dustin. “I concur. You, Dustin Henderson, are a total butthead.”
Dustin started jumping up and down before rushing Eddie into a hug. “Jesus, we thought you were a goner.”
“Yeah, me too man.” Eddie mumbled, looking over at the rest of you wearily. You watched as Steve and Eddie interacted like some sort of divorced parents in the parking lot of a McDonald’s before deciding to ease whatever tension the two of them had going on.
You smiled and waved at him, “Oh my god, is that the serial killer Edward Eddie “The Freak” Munson, leader of the Hellfire Satanic Club,”
Max let out a snort, before trying to cover the giggle seeping out of her mouth.
“You’re funny there princess, you know that?”
“Oh I do, Edward. How are you.” You mumbled, patting his back, while you eyed Dustin, who was losing his fucking mind over his compass.
Steve was not the jealous type, or he liked to pretend that he wasn’t. You were a kind person to every single person you met; somehow every single person in the world knew you, and yet nobody had a vendetta against you (to his knowledge) or anything awful to say about you. But it was moments like these, when Eddie called you Princess, or got a little too close, where he would start to tense up.
“Better now that you’ve brought yourself, and also some food.” He hastily grabbed one of the paper bags from Nancy and grabbed one of the flasks filled with water, drinking almost all of it.
“When I got to shore, I tried calling you guys but uh, my walkie was busted, man. Drenched. So uh, I did the thing that I do now, apparently. I ran.” A sardonic smile spread across his face, and he shook his head, looking down at his hands.
“Do you know what time this was, the attack?”
“No i -i- I know exactly what time it was.” Eddie takes the watch off his wrist and tosses it to Nancy. “My walkie wasn’t the only thing to get soaked.”
“9:27.”
Robin’s eyes lit up. “Same time our flashlights went kablooey.
“Which means what exactly?” Steve chimed in.
Nancy sighed, looking down at the watch in her hands before tossing it back to Eddie. “That surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick.”
“Well, we’re one step closer–we know how Vecna attacks.” You mention, watching Dustin pace back and forth.
“And where he attacks from.” Lucas added on.
“So now we just need to sneak into his layer in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart.” Max sighed, crossing her arms.
Robin mumbled quickly, “If he even has a heart.”
“A stake is he like a vamp–is he a vampire?” Steve’s eyes widened.
“Oh Steve, babe.” You sighed, pinching your eyes.
“Itt was a metaphor.” Max scoffed in reply to him.
Eddie looked up from the ground and towards Max. “Uh bullets work on him right?”
“I say we chop his head off.”
“That’s great Lucas.” You muttered, not fully believing this conversation was happening. Steve on the other hand looked at Lucas with a “What the fuck” type of look.
“Yeah I’d say all of the above, but we can't do any of that until we find a way into the Upside Down.” Nancy sighed.
“We need El to get her power back.” You nodded in agreement with Max.
“Everything was wayyyy easier. We had this girl, she had super powers–”
“Superpowers, yea, you mentioned her.” Eddie cut off Steve with a nod before peering over at Henderson.
“Hey uh, Henderson’s not cursed is he?”
Steve shook his head. “Cursed, no no, he’s fine. Mental? Absolutely.”
Just then Dustin raised his arms to the sky, turned to Steve and Screamed the word Boom, at the top of his lungs. Everyone flinched at the loud sound, but your head had started to bug you the second you had found SKull Rock, and you weren't one to say anything, but Dustin screaming at the top of his lungs definitely wasn’t helping.
“Bada. Bada. Boom.”
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And just like that, the day sped up again. Your head continued to bug you all the way to the lake. He had noticed that your head started bugging you halfway through the walk to the shore, holding you hand and quietly whispering the lyrics he remembered from the song earlier, just to you. It made your heart melt a little, just how much he cared for you. It was a bonus that it calmed him down in the process.
“What is Mordor?” He whispered to you, watching as the shore grew closer.
You laughed softly and shrugged. “There's this book series called Lord of the Rings.” You answered back to him. “And the heroes leave The Shire to go to Mordor to stop the big bad.”
Steve let out a little “huh”, and nodded. The little green monster known as jealousy came back full force. Of course you would know what Eddie was talking about. Of course that was something else Eddie had over him. “And you’ve uh, read this series.”
“Yes Steve. All four books.”
“Did you like them?”
The questions surprised you. It’s not that Steve didn’t like the things you liked, or didn’t care about what you liked, but this was an interest that you simply hadn’t mentioned because it didn’t seem in his wheelhouse. “Ye-Yeah…why do you ask?”
You looked at him with a curious smile on your face, and Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. If both you and Butthead up there like it then…”
You stopped and kissed Steve on the cheek. “You’re adorable Steve.”
Just then, Dustin sprinted forward, yelling about the fact that something was happening. Eddie managed to save him from stepping into the lake, when Steve ran up ahead.
“You gotta be shittin’ me.” He huffed and turned and looked back at you, exasperated.
“Yea. I thought these woods were familiar.” Eddie’s tone was flat, and disparaging.
“Lover’s Lake.” Robin sighed, staring out at the water.
“This is confounding.” Dustin muttered, looking back and forth from the water to his compass and back again.
“There’s a gate in Lover’s Lake?” Max looked over at you.
Nancy spoke next, “Whenever the Demogorgan attacked, it always left an opening. Maybe Vecna’s the same way.”
“Yea, only one way to find out.” You grumbled, also not exactly happy to see the lake.
Eddie pulled back a tarp to reveal a little boat, definitely not big enough to fit all of you. Once Eddie and Steve had gotten the boat in the water, Robin climbed over the two of them. Eddie went next and helped Nancy get into the boat as well as you. All four of you looked at Dustin, who tried to get onto the boat.
“Hey, Hey, you trying to sink us?” Eddie shoved Dustin's head back a little and shook his own. “The boat holds four people, tops. okay?”
“It’s better this way, okay?” Nancy walked over to try and comfort Dustin.
And you agreed. “You guys stay here with Max.You keep an eye out for trouble.”
Dustin was flabbergasted. “You keep an eye out for trouble.”
You gave him a look considering he just snapped at you, but he only continued.
“It’s my goddamn theory.”
Robin leaned over. “You heard Nance and Y/N.”
Dustin just rolled his eyes. “Who put them in charge?”
“I did.” Robin sassed back, watching as Dustin tried to process everything that was going on.
“Compass.” Nancy held her hand out as a very, very upset Dustin reluctantly placed the compass in her hand.
“Hey. There ya go.” Steve threw the backpack at Dustin before pushing off of the shore with the boat, jumping in at the last second.
“You said Four!”
Steve whispered a “sorry” to him as the group began to paddle out towards where Patrick died.
Robin smiled at them, “Bedtime at nine Kiddos.” in which Dustin just flipped her off. Robin just stood up and waved, “Miss you already.”
You had to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing.
As you all sat on the boat,slowly paddling through the darkness of Lover’s Lake, when suddenly Nancy yelled out. “Woah Woah Woah, slow down guys, slow down.”
All of you leaned in and looked at the compass, it was spinning in circles, no actual direction.
All of the sudden the walkie lit up and spoke: Guys what’s going on. Come on guys, talk to me, what’s going on.
Robin picked up the call, still staring at the spinning dial.
“Uh Dustin your compass has gone from wonky to Wonky with a capital ‘aah!”
“Steve, what are you doing?” Nancy’s voice reached your ears, and everyone immediately snapped their heads towards the boy who was starting to undress.
“Somebody’s gotta go down there and check this thing out.” He pulled off his other shoe and sock. “Unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years then…It’s gotta be me, no complaints. Alright.” That last section ws slightly more aimed towards you than anyone else, but you just stayed silent.
“Hey, I’m not complaining. I do not wanna go down there.” Eddie looked around at the water uneasily before taking one of the flashlights wrapping it in one of the plastic bags they had brought. It was better than nothing.
Steve pulled his shirt off, and that’s when you caught Nancy staring. This time, you were a little more upset at her openly staring at Steve’s half-naked body. Robin looked between you and Nancy and made a little face, deciding to wait to ask any and all questions to you once Steve was gone.
“Hey.” Eddie handed him the flashlight. “Good luck.”
Steve nodded. “Thanks.” Before looking at you and giving you a small smile, meant to be an apology.
Robin pulled a cigarette from out of Eddie's mouth, mumbled a “gross”, and chucked it into Lover’s Lake.
Steve stared straight ahead psyching himself up.
“Steve?” You couldn’t help yourself.
He looked back at you. You had a horrible feeling about this. Yet you held your tongue because there was no way that Steve “The Hero” Harrington was going to risk anyone else’s life, and trying to talk him out of it was like trying to convince the sky to turn purple—it wasn’t going to happen. All you could offer him was something to maybe calm his nerves.
“Be careful.”
You all sat there, each of you doing your own thing to not think about the fact that Steve was under the water.
“Where are we at Wheeler?” Robin asked, bouncing her leg up and down, glancing from Nancy to the water and back again.
“We’re closing in on a minute.” Nancy responded with a slight air of worry.
“Come on Steve.” You mumbled, still watching the water. Robin placed a hand on top of yours and gave you a small smile, just trying to provide at least a sense of comfort even though her best friend was down in the depths of Lover’s Lake.
When Steve popped up, you all jumped. Eddie yelled slightly with an “Oh Christ!” But you immediately reached your hand out to him, which he was more than willing to reach for.
“I found it.”
“You found it?” Nancy piped up before Steve smiled, trying to regain his breath.
“I found it. Yeah I found it.” He smiled, and unlike the rest of this day, the next thirty seconds seemed to go by in slow motion.
Steve was hanging off the edge of the boat, still trying to regain his breath before he would climb into the boat, still holding onto your hand with his own.
“Dustin, you’re a goddamn Einstein. Steve found the Gate. It was right where you said it was.”
Steve was panting. “It was pretty wild. It’s more of a snack-sized gate than a mama gate.” Reference Robin from earlier. “But still, it’s pretty damn big.”
Steve’s head was pulled under the water. All of you moved towards him, trying to get him onto the boat. He resurfaced, a concerned look on his face.
Just as he reached for you, Steve’s face dropped, and he was pulled under. Nance, Robs, and Eddie all yelled out his name, screaming for him to come back. You immediately pulled off the jacket you had been wearing and dove straight into the water, no hesitation. Nancy, Robin, and Eddie then started screaming your name. Your new white converse had been covered in mud and now they were soaked in murky water as you swam for your life to get to Steve. You watched as he was pulled into the gaping portal beneath you. You watched as he was dragged through the water with ease. You swam faster, pushing through the gate not even ten seconds after Steve.
Your lungs were burning. You fell to the ground with a hard thud, groaning as you tried to ignore the large bruise that would be all along your thigh and shoulder. All of this while trying so desperately to breathe but the air was suffocating. You managed to stand up, and looked around for Steve. Red lightning struck above you both, maybe five hundred feet apart.
That’s when you heard it, the screeching. Your eyes managed to locate Steve before they were moved to the sky as the creatures started to surround the both of you. You watched as he ran towards something on the ground and picked up an oar, hitting one of the bats that swooped down on him. You ran towards him, picking up a second oar, and started batting, fighting your way to each other.
Then, you saw Steve get swiped off his feet. A bat around his neck, and two others circling, ready to go in for the kill. Steve kept trying to swipe them off but was starting to fail. He let out a blood curdling scream as his body convulsed on the ground beneath your feet.
Your blood ran colder than Lovers Lake. You ran towards him, listening as he screamed your name, crying out helplessly for you as they tried to feast on his abdomen and while one was slowly strangling him.
Anger and panic filled your body up to the brim as you came closer to him. You hit two home runs before you slammed the oar down on one of the bats, eating away at Steve’s stomach, and blood splattered up and across your entire body. You’d be pissed about your clothes if you weren’t already so enraged at the thought of the pain Steve was in. There was blood scattered across your face, and you could taste it on your lips. Dustin might have called you badass if you weren’t so fucking terrifying.
You didn’t notice as Nancy, Robin, and Eddie barged through the portal, and immediately started beating the shit out of all of the remaining bats that tried swooping down on the group of you.
Instead, you continued bashing in the body of the bat next to Steve. Robin had started watching you, slightly scared of the force you used to bring the oar down onto the bat. But all you could see was Steve. His mouth was open but no sound was coming out as he struggled to breathe, trying to pull the bat's tail away from his neck. You gave it one final blow to the head and watched its body give out beneath you.
Just as you went to thwack the head of the bat suffocating Steve, something wrapped around your ankle. You dropped to the ground as the bat swiftly pulled you down, bloody oar out of your grasp.
Robin and Nancy were to take care of the bat that was strangling Steve, Eddie continuing to swing at any bats in the air he could.
“Nancy behind you!” She turned around and thwacked the bat that came at her before she delivered one final blow, releasing Steve’s throat as it went limp.
A blood curdling scream left your lips as one of the bat’s bit down into your thigh. All you could see was white and red and all you could feel was white hot pain. The teeth tore through your flesh like butter, and it might have had some sort of venom dripping from its teeth because the exposed flesh felt as if it was melting off your body.
Steve had managed to rip the bat off of him, and tore it in half with his mouth, willing to tear the bat limb from limb, but then he heard you scream. Steve always assumed he would freeze because in his nightmares he would watch as the dogs tore you limb from limb, or as a demogorgon dragged you into the depths of the upside down, and he would freeze watching as he let you die.
But not this time.
His body raced towards you, ignoring the sharp rocks and fuck else that would stick into his bare feet. The adrenaline in his body caused him to pick up the oar you were dragged away from and bash the head in on the bat digging its teeth into your thigh. You were screaming, you were screaming for Steve. His mind clouded with rage as he broke the oar in half and stabbed down, impaling the bat and leaving it stuck to the ground of lovers lake.
There were tears streaming down your face, as Eddie and Robin helped pull you up and away from the dead animal laying next to you. A sob escaped your lips as you put some weight on your right leg.
“Jesus Christ, Jesus H. Christ!” Eddie screamed at the sky, still trying to hold you up.
Steve’s breathing was labored as he stood above the bat’s bloody carcass. He heard another sob escape your lips and immediately snapped his head towards you, but just as he took a second step towards you, the screeching of bats over head caused all of you to look up at the sky.
“Shit shit shit.” Eddie muttered, looking around trying to find a spot for cover.
“There’s not that many, we can take them.” Steve huffed, still running purely on adrenaline and spite.
Another bellow of screeches came from the sky across the barren lake.
Nancy ran over to you and gently squeezed your shoulder, luckily the one that wasn’t bruised. “We need to find cover. Now. Can you make it if Eddie and Robin help you?” Her eyes search yours, simultaneously checking for your inevitable concussion based off of the way you dropped to the ground earlier.
You just whispered out Steve’s name, eyes starting to close.
“Hey. Y/N. Look at me. He’s okay. He’s alive okay? I need you to stay with me for just five more minutes, okay?” Nancy was starting to freak out the more you drifted in and out of consciousness. She turned to look at Steve, who was shutting down on his own, his own adrenaline starting to wear off.
“Eddie, Do you have Y/N?“ Nancy practically shoved Robin towards him while wrapping your arm around his neck while he supported you. “The more people that help her the better.”
Steve had reached out to help but Nancy shook her head, “ I need you to focus on finding us Skull Rock, and not collapse while holding her. Got it?”
Steve stared at Eddie, his frame supporting you, and huffed before nodding.
Once everyone had secured their position, you all quickly made their way towards Skull Rock, well as quickly as you could possibly be. Eddie spent the whole time whispering how proud he was of you and how badass you looked and how good you were doing while walking, all of the encouragement and little jokes you needed to stay awake and push through the pain to get to get under the rock. While Robin was freaking out about Rabies, which was so extremely helpful of her, thank you robin!
Once you had all taken cover from the bats, you leaned against the wall, just trying to breathe again. That’s when Steve started to lean on the wall, and eventually collapsed to the ground.
“Steve?” Nancy immediately stood up and made it to him in record time.
You would have turned bright green if you weren’t starting to pass out on your own.
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” He grumbled, slowly sliding down to the ground.
“No no no, you’re losing blood. Shit.” Nancy had ripped her skirt to provide some bandages for Steve.
“Steve?” You mumbled before, your legs gave out, Eddie managing to catch you.
“Shit Shit shit.” He started panicking and looking at Robin, who in turn started panicking again.
“Nancy!” Robin yelped, kneeling down next to you trying to keep you awake.
Nancy took one look at you and turned back around to Steve who was trying to get up and reach for you. “Steve, I need you to stay still.” She turned back to Eddie and Robin. “You need to rip her jeans!”
“No no no, hey. Stay with me. I need you to stay awake Y/N.” Robin whispered, squeezing your hand. All she could think about was dying by animal bite, which was so not comforting for any one involved.
Steve gasped as Nance tightened the bandage. Once it was secured he scrambled over to you.
“This is going to hurt baby, I’ m so sorry.” He mumbled to you, before gently taking the places where the Bats had broken through and ripped the jeans, creating one short leg. He pulled the bloodied pant leg down, trying to avoid the gushing wound on your leg. As quickly as he could, he tore up your jeans and started using it to wrap up your thigh, causing you to moan in pain anytime he would come near it, which resulted in a string of sorry’s coming from him.
You managed to take a look at Steve, covered in makeshift bandages and Eddie’s vest. If this were any other time, you’d make a quip to only him about how hot he looked but instead all you could do was slur his name and keep your head tilted back against the rock, doing your best not to pass out from the pain.
“Shhhhh baby it’s okay.” He whispered, as you whined again when he tightened the bandages.
All you could do was whimper and lean your forehead against the rock. At least it was cool to the touch, providing some relief for you. Your breathing was becoming more and more labored as the minute passed, and all Steve could do was whisper to you as it happened.
“I cant…” you mumbled to him, the first coherent words besides his name that you uttered since the boat. “I’m so tired.”
Steve shook his head. He finished tying the bandage before placing one of your hands on his pulse point, and his hand on your own, refusing to let this happen.
“Fuck. No no no. Y/N hey. I need you to stay awake, pretty girl. Come on.” His voice quickened and his eyes quickly flitted to Eddie and Nancy and Robin.
“We have to. We have to go. Now. She can’t.” Steve was trying so hard not to cry, and was barely making it through a full thought before the next one came. “Fuck. How are we.”
“Steve, I don’t know if she–”
Nancy had never been scared of Steve before, but the look he sent her made it clear that whatever thought she had should not be said out loud.
“We need. To find. A way out.” He said through gritted teeth, listening to your breathing get slower than he’d like.
You hear him call your name once, and then twice, and then the next four hours of your life are all a blur.
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You awake on Nancy Wheeler's couch in the Upside Down, while Steve is screaming into the abyss at Dustin.
Your head is pounding and you groggily go to sit up, but immediately get hit with a wave of nausea. As soon as you do make it up you keel over and start coughing, dry heaving really.
All four heads snapped in your direction, and Steve dropped the Lite Brite on the table, rushing over just as you start to feel the bile in your throat.
Steve quickly dragged over one of the stupid little trash bins that Mrs Wheeler kept around the house that the Upside Down had magically decided was necessary, and placed it in front of your face before grabbing most of your hair.
His efficiency was appreciated since you started to vomit into the trash, your head pounding and your throat burning.
Once you had thrown up everything in your stomach, plus what felt like your actual stomach, you gagged a bit on the air in your throat.
Steve was rubbing your back and mumbling soft words while you were still hunched over.
“Morning Princess.” Eddie called from the dining room, and while you didn’t have the energy to give him some choice words, you did have enough energy to flip him off quickly.
Steve shot him a look but Eddie only let out a chuckle at your antics. Clearly the brink of death suited you well since your sense of humor and your attitude were still intact.
“Why were you yelling at a lamp?” You eventually managed out, voice hoarse and almost completely gone. Robin had come over with a water bottle they had found in the fridge of the neighbors house.
“I thought you were gonna die.” She whispered to you, in which Steve turned his glare towards her instead.
You gratefully took a sip of the water, swallowing it before it immediately was rejected by your stomach, which causes you to vomit it back up into the trash bin.
You winced at the sting on your throat, and Steve winced because that wasn’t a good sign.
“Thanks Rob.” You send her a quick, but soft smile. She quickly took your hand and squeezed it, knowing that was all she was going to be able to say without starting to cry. “If you….well. I think I would’ve had to kill Steve because he would've been so unbearable.”
Which causes you to giggle slightly and nod. “I can see that happening.”
“Guys!” Nancy yelled over, giving you a very relieved smile, “we’re heading to Eddie’s Van in ten. There's still the kids' bikes at the house still so we can take those.”
Steve stood up and had a lot to protest but you just pulled his hand, causing him to look at you. “Steve. Really, I’ll be okay. We just need to get out of here.”
The others dispersed, getting ready to leave, letting you and Steve have a moment to yourselves.
Steve sat back down next to you and kissed your hand. “I—, you looked so hot beating the shit out of that bat.” He joked, causing you to muse a smile at him. “I know right. Sexiest murderer around.” You jested back.
“You….” Steve swallowed down the lump in his throat and let you see the tears building up in his eyes. “I—“
“But I’m all good. I promise. My head still kind of hurts though. Guess we’ll have to play period, concussion, or Vecna.” You tried to joke, but Steve just sent you a glare.
You sighed, and what you did next was for mostly your benefit, partially for Steve’s benefit, and slightly to piss off Nancy who was pretending like she wasn't watching you both from her kitchen alongside the other two.
You kissed Steve. It was simple, and quick, but mostly it was reassuring.
He hummed slightly before letting you pull away. “Even after you ripped a bat to shreds with your mouth, you still taste like my fucking chapstick.” You laughed softly before looking down at your legs. You were no longer in your jeans, but in a pair of Nancy’s shorts. Your leg had been bandaged a lot better, but you knew the second you got back into the real world, you would need to get the disinfection of a lifetime.
“Does Nance have any alcohol?”
Steve gave you a look. “I don’t think now is the time to start drinkin–”
Much to Steve’s chagrin, you stood up. A groan left your lips as you put weight on your bed leg. “Hey Nance? Where does your dad keep the good stuff.”
She looked up at you before running off to go get exactly what you needed.
“It’s going to numb the pain Steve, and I love you, but right now, I need to not feel my thigh so I can ride a stupid bike over to Eddie’s stupid van.”
Steve shook his head and stood up. “Look, Y/n,” he sighed. “I really don’t want to fight but–”
“Then don’t, Steve. This is not your call to make right now. Just. I need you to trust me okay?”
Steve huffed. “Fine.” before he walked off into a different room.
Nancy slowly came in with a bottle of scotch from her father’s liquor cabinet. “Hey…”
“Shit, Nance. I’m sorry you had to hear that.” you mumbled, sitting back down on the couch.
She shook her head and sat down next to you, uncorking the bottle and handing it over. “How…How long have you guys been together?”
You took the bottle, and took a swig, letting the liquid burn your throat. “God this is awful.” You coughed and laughed a bit with Nancy as she cracked a smile. You offered her the bottle and she gladly took a swig.
“I would also like to know.” Robin piped up, moving and sitting on the floor in front of the both of you. Once Nancy took a swig, she handed it to Robin.
“Oh, fuck. It’s uh…What is it, March?” The girls nodded and you sighed. “A year, give your take.”
Both of their jaws dropped. “I’m sorry what!” Robin’s eyes were wide open. “Since when!”
“Since like February of 85 Rob, get it together.” You took the bottle from her and took another swig.
“Holy shit.” Nancy mumbled, realizing she needed to reevaluate her entire life at this point. “Why didn’t you tell anybody?”
“Well, we had just started dating, right, and we wanted to take it slow really try not to fuck it up, ya know?” You took another swig before handing it back to Robin. “And we were gonna tell everyone but then Starcourt happened and uh. Getting the shit beat out of you by Russian thugs, and being forced into taking a truth telling serum really makes for complicated relationship updates to your friends. And Steve had just graduated and was really trying to figure his shit out—I don't know. Honestly, it never came up, nobody asked.”
Robin took a swig and shoved the bottle into Nancy’s hands. “Well I thought he was just pining after his best friend, who is waayyyyyy out of his league if I’m being so honest right now.”
“Thanks Rob.” Steve mused from the doorway, leaning against the side of it while Eddie just stood there, arms crossed.
“You guys started partying without us I see.” Munson interjected, with a smile on his face.
Robin turned bright red before shaking her head. “Steve I—”
“Don’t apologize. I mean she is quite literally so out of my league, it’s a miracle she even likes me, let alone loves me.”
You sent him a wink, while Eddie and Robin passed a look between the two of them. Nancy just took a slightly longer swig of the alcohol.
“We need to get going.” Nancy mumbled, standing up and walking into the kitchen.
“Is she okay….” Steve whispered to you, coming and offering you his hand to help you stand up.
You shook your head. “She’s been going through a lot lately, and I think she’s trying to figure out all of her feelings. She’ll be okay.”
He kissed your head before looking at the others in the room. "Let's get going then, shall we?"
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Your head was throbbing. It felt like it was split open. One moment you're standing with Steve, watching Nancy climb up the rope, the next you're falling through the air. With a sudden thud, you land on the ground, and scream out in pain. Your leg was so fucking sore, and your whole body ached as you stood up.
You look around and realize you're back in the parking lot where the mall was. You see something laying on the ground further away, watching as the vines around you pulsed. Slowly you took step forward and then another before you left out a gasp. There was Billy, lying just how you remembered him, on the ground. His body was covered in vines and a slug slowly started to crawl out of his mouth. You stumbled away from him, trying not to sob, looking around for anything.
Do you remember what you did, y/n?
You look up towards the sky, trying to find where the voice was coming from. Flashes of your last moments next to Billy as he died in your arms while Max watched.
Or have you already forgotten.
Flashes of Steve’s lips on yours, Max floating in the cemetery.
When I kill someone...
Another of Max sobbing into your chest, Billy's screams in your ear, Steve’s hands on your body.
I never forget.
The Mind Flayer stabbed through Billy’s chest. Blood poured out of his mouth as he looked at you.
Suddenly vines started to over take the parking lot, from all sides. You spun around, panicking, trying to find a way out. You ran past a few cars, ignoring the shocks of pain through your system. Once you had run far enough away, you realized that it was no longer the parking lot of Starcourt.
You were suddenly standing on the staircase of the dilapidated old Creel House. A clock ticks, floating by you, as you slowly start to descend, eyes frantically moving back and forth. Your chest was starting to close up.
I see you've been looking for me Y/N. You were so close. So close to the truth. How was old, blind, dumb Victor.
You reached the bottom of the stairs, and spun around slowly, still trying to locate wherever he was.
Did he miss me? I've been meaning to check back in, but I've been busy.
You look to your right, and there's Chrissy's mangled body, vines clutching it. Her jaw was wide open, her eyes were gone, and you could see the snapped bones.
So very busy.
You watched as a door formed in front of you, the Creel House, except it was brand new. You watched as the little girl walked by you, claiming the house was a fairytale.
You stared at the gaunt little boy in the corner of the foyer, eyes dark.
He watched you back, and your whole body shivered. You slowly followed him through the house, watching as he made his way to the bathroom, and took off the grate. You turned away once you realized what he had been holding in his hand, unable to face something you so grotesquely hate.
Suddenly a boy went past you, and you followed him into the attic. He had created this sort of altar, filled with candles and little jars filled with Black Widows. He was just a child.
You wandered down the stairs, and watched the boy watch the clock in his foyer. The ticking of the clock rang in your ears, and all you could do was stare at this boy. The anger festered and festered and festered.
A shrill scream caught your attention as you turned around, suddenly in the yard, watching as the young boy caught and tortured a bunny. Its screams rang out as he reached out, not touching the animal, and slowly started to destroy it. Your chest was heaving as you ran back into the house, slamming the door closed, not wanting to see another moment.
You watched as a crib, covered in fire, rocked itself in the fireplace, infants screaming all round you. The fire lit uo Henry’s face, eyes closed, moving back and forth underneath his lids.
Suddenly, as you turned around, you heard music. Ella Fitzgerald’s voice rang through the halls.
Stars shining bright above you.
You let out a strangled sob. This was your favorite song. The family sitting at the table was formally dressed up. It must have been a special occasion for all of them to have looked so cleaned up for a family dinner. The Radio started moving between stations even though no one was touching it, but Henry was looking at it.
The lights started to flicker. The radio couldn’t hold down a station. Everyone was suddenly on high alert, trying to figure out what was happening. Your voice was stuck in your throat as you watched the mother float up into the sky, her bones shattering and splintering as her eyes bled. She landed on the table with a thud, causing you to jump back. Vecna has a sliver of blood draining from his nose. You watched as he murdered his sister, and then moved onto his father. Lights flickering. Radio shattering. But then he collapsed on the ground. His father was quickly arrested and blamed for the murders of his wife and daughter.
You watched as this boy was subjected to the tortures of Dr. Martin Brenner. You watched as he was tattooed, branded, with the mark of 001.
“See? Not so bad. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Doctor Brenner said, looking at 001. “Is there Y/N.” His head turned towards you and you took a step back.
Why Don’t you take a seat.
And you ran, You sprinted as quickly as you could to get away fromBrenner, from Vecna. The hallways were filled with the dead bodies of guards, the screams of the children held hostage, the lights flickering. It was carnage. The blood smeared against the walls caused you to just freeze. You tried to run the other way. You tried to run as far as you could.
Steve was screaming in your face. He had both of his hands cupping your cheeks begging you to come back to him, to stay with him. His heart was racing. All he could see were your eyes, rolled back into your head, your body just unresponsive. It was his worst nightmare come true. He screamed at the others to hurry up, just shaking you and begging you to come back to him.
“Please Y/N, fuck. Please, stay with me. Come back to me. I can’t–you need to come back.”
Erica had run into the other room trying to help the rest of the team speed through all of Eddie’s tapes. “Steve says you need to hurry!”
“Yeah no shit!” Yelled back Dustin, while Max screamed that they couldn't find anything useful.
“Seriously what is all this shit.” Robin was just throwing tapes, trying to find the right one.
“What are you even looking for!?” Eddie yelled back.
“Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles. Music We need MUSIC.” She yelled at him.
“This IS MUSIC!” Eddie screeched back.
You were running as fast as you could through the damp hallways. The walls were never ending and they were painted in blood, so much blood. You had to maneuver around bodies, all the while looking behind you, trying to out run Vacna. Your eyes were stinging from the air of the Upside Down, and your lungs couldn’t keep up. The exit had been nailed shut, covered in boards. Your panic was setting in as you looked around, trying to find any answer. You kicked and pulled at the boards until one came loose. As you got your hands around the second one, a voice came from behind you.
Y/N.
You slowly turned around, shaking. There he was. Vecna was slowly stalking towards you, like a predator watching its prey.
What are you doing? It’s not time for you to leave.
You clutched the door handle, praying to whoever out there that would listen to help you. You keep yanking on the wooden plank. Another one came off as you started to yell. The third one was looser but refused to budge. He kept coming closer to you.
Now that you’ve seen where I’ve been.
And closer.
I would like very much to show you where I am going.
And closer.
You managed to get the final one off before you shoved through the doors, using all of the will power you had left. But suddenly you were no longer in the hallway, it was the same room you had just been looking into.
Dr. Brenner stared at you, eyeless. “Take a seat y/n.”
The lights flickered out, and all you could hear was your breath, terrified to even move.
When the light’s came on, you realized you were strapped to the table. The straps were pulled so tightly, you were starting to lose feelings in your fingers. You struggled against them, unable to be freed. Vines had wrapped around your legs, chittering away as you started to cry, thrashing around, trying to get out of the chair. They were slowly coming up your arms, getting tighter and tighter. You couldn’t move. Vecna was across from you, stalking towards you once more. You couldn’t get out, you couldn’t move. You couldn’t–You couldn’t even think straight. He kept coming closer, and closer and closer. You tensed up, letting out a whimper as he slowly leaned in.
I want you to tell Eleven. I want you to tell her everything you see.
His claw came up over your face and flashes of lights filled your minds. Steve dead in your arms. The town cracking and being swallowed whole. The clock tolled. Your friends screaming your name as Vacna took them one by one. Splits in the earth throughout everything you knew and loved. You screamed out, struggling against him. Another clock chime. More death. More Destruction.
Tell Her.
“No!” You screamed back at him, tears streaming down your face as you continued to struggle. Max dead in your arms. Lucas laying on the floor in front of you. Robin tore to pieces. Cracks in the earth. The clock tolls again. Vines covering your home.
Tell Her Everything.
You scream at the top of your lungs as his claw presses against your face.
You inhale and suddenly stumble back away from Steve’s grasp, tears start to stream down your face, as you collapse to the ground. Steve immediately catches you.
“Woah woah woah. It’s okay. It’s okay.” He cradles you against his chest, as you struggle to breathe, panting and sobbing. “I’ve got you. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m right here.”
You stare up into Steve’s eyes, paralyzed, and for the first time, Steve doesn’t know what to do.
#x reader#steve harrington x y/n fluff#steve harrington#stranger things#steve harrington x reader#steve stranger things#steve harrington x you#steve harrington imagine#Steve Harrington x reader fluff#Steve Harrington x reader angst#Steve Harrington oneshot#steve harrington fic#steve harrington fanfic#steve harrington fanart#steve harrington fandom#Steve Harrington fanfiction#Spotify
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Theory: Señor Scratchy will (should) turn out to be a hare, not a rabbit.
So I know how most people associate black cats with witches and, in the comics, Agatha Harkness' familiar is a black cat called Ebony. However, what you might not know, is that hares (jackrabbits for all you non-Brits out there) are also associated with witches.
Hares are a close relative of rabbits, they're both classed as leporid lagomorphs but there are a few key distinctions. Rabbits are generally cute and fluffy, they often live in burrows (this is simplifying things, there's actually lots of species of rabbit and many don't burrow) and one species, the European rabbit, was domesticated by monks and that's how we've got pet rabbits.
Hares, on the other hand, are evolved to run long distances at speed when under threat, they can be quite aggressive, they love to kick and dramatically backflip and they look like they've seen some dark, dark shit. They're also relatively elusive and prefer dawn and dusk. Sounds like the kind of animal Agatha would vibe with right?
And it is probably because of this elusiveness that they're so shrouded in myth. In medieval times, hares were associated with witches and shapeshifting. One such example was in 1662, when a woman named Isobel Gowdie confessed to four counts of witchcraft, stated that she was sent on an errand by the devil and that during that errand, she was disguised as a hare.
Another story tells of an old woman in Dorset, England, who was locally thought to be a witch. One night, a group of men went out hunting, leaving their tools by the house of said witch. When out hunting, they saw a magical pure white hare. They tried to capture it but it escaped after it had been bitten by their dogs. When they returned to their tools, they found the old woman injured and bloodied. In a rare positive ending, the men decided to never try to hunt the hare again.
And my final point is that hares have also been historically associated with homosexuality. In classical antiquity, many vases depict hares in scenes about homosexual promiscuity. This theme extended into the Middle Ages where comparing someone to a hare was a suggestion that they had partaken in sodomy.
I guess Agatha cant just be walking around with a whole ass hare (they're quite big btw, I know cos I had one in my freezer for a month... don't ask) so my theory is that she's hiding him in plain sight as a normal looking rabbit.
Anyway, I'm a scientist that studies rabbits and hares and this idea came to me when I was stoned. Hope it makes sense!
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Drs. Ziyad Al-Aly, Akiko Iwasaki and Eric Topol, along with other acclaimed researchers, have issued a position statement on Long COVID published yesterday in the journal Nature Medicine. This document provides a much-needed perspective on the continued dangers posed by the “forever COVID” policy enshrined in official public health policies.
This important review comes on the heels of the recent publication in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) of a reference frame for the chronic disease. It was developed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Examining the Working Definition for Long COVID.
The 2024 NASEM Long COVID definition is: “Long COVID is an infection-associated chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and is present for at least 3 months as a continuous, relapsing and remitting, or progressive disease state that affects one or more organ systems.”
Most importantly, previous documentation of a COVID infection is not required for the diagnosis. The NASEM report explains: “By now, most persons worldwide have had at least one episode of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. A requirement for proof of diagnosis could wrongly exclude many patients …”
This closer approximation to a scientific definition of long COVID is an important step towards educating the public and issuing a call for action to address the viral assault on the global population.
The authors of the study, published in Nature Medicine, should be commended for giving urgency to an issue that Dr. Al-Aly has rightly called “the elephant in the room.” Yet as sincere as these appeals may be to take Long COVID seriously, they will not convince the bourgeois authorities who have already dismissed warnings about the acute stage of COVID-19.
The complex multisystem disorder that can affect nearly every organ system after a COVID infection spares no one across the age spectrum. It appears that even fetuses in utero are at increased risk of respiratory ailments if the mother was infected during pregnancy.
Considering our rapidly developing comprehension of the long-term health consequences of COVID, thanks to the exemplary work being done by these scientists, the policy of mass infection demanded by the financial oligarchy assumes an even more sinister and deranged character.
The “cardinal” symptoms of Long COVID include brain fog and memory changes, fatigue, rapid sudden onset of heart rate, significant sleep disturbances, and immense sense of discomfort and illness after exerting oneself. There are no cures and, worse, no diagnostic tools that can tell someone they have Long COVID. Only recently have healthcare workers and researchers begun to identify treatments for Long COVID, but there is an absence of randomized trials to guide these decisions.
The authors note, “Care for people with Long COVID varies widely across settings and practitioners. It is often challenged by lack of widespread recognition and understanding of Long COVID among medical professionals, constrained resources and competing demands on healthcare systems still recovering from the shock of the pandemic, lack of standardized care pathways, lack of definitive diagnostic and treatment tools, and a general pervasive pandemic fatigue with an urge to ‘move on.’” The last point is a byproduct of the impact of forcing the population to accept COVID as a permanent fixture of society.
On top of the horrific impact it has on an individual person, on a social scale, mass Long COVID leads to loss of productivity, disruption in the workplace and increased risk of occupational-related injury or fatalities. Cognitive impairment, even after mild infections, is common, and there can be dire consequences for workers in occupations where the slightest error or inattention can be devastating: truck drivers, electricians, airline pilots, first responders and more. To say nothing of the impact on the wider community.
The report makes reference to the 2022 US Brookings Institute estimates on the figure of 2 million to 4 million US adults who were out of work because of Long COVID. Add to this the Minneapolis US Federal Reserve Bank report from July 2022, finding that people with Long COVID had a 10 percent poorer chance of being employed, and when they were, worked 25 to 50 percent less than uninfected individuals.
On a global scale, the authors wrote, “On the basis of all the available data, a conservative estimate of the annual global economic toll of Long COVID could be around $1 trillion, amounting to 1% of the 2024 global GDP.” Other estimates are even higher: An economic study from 2022 placed the cost of Long COVID at $3.7 trillion, or $11,000 per capita for the US alone, amounting to 17 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Most compelling in the Al-Aly et al. review was their assessment of the global cumulative incidence of Long COVID, which until now had been opaque.
Basing their estimates on meta-regression studies that pooled all the available evidence, they estimated that figure for the first four years of the pandemic at 409 million cases of Long COVID. The authors remarked, “It is crucial to emphasize that these estimates only represent cases arising from symptomatic infections and are likely to be conservative. The actual incidence of Long COVID, including cases from asymptomatic infections or those with a broader range of symptoms, is expected to be higher.”
By comparison, among the most common ailments afflicting the world’s population, heart and circulatory issues, affect around 620 million. This means that in only four years, Long COVID, as a disease, has risen nearly to the top of the global list. Furthermore, Long COVID, as a multi-organ disease process, will only exacerbate noncommunicable and communicable diseases that arise in the future.
Placing these figures into context, this week, based on wastewater data, infection modelers estimate that COVID infections have once again climbed above 1 million cases per day, a staggering figure, to which the CDC is completely indifferent. COVID modeler Dr. Mike Hoerger of the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative, in a social media discussion with this writer, said that presently, on average, every American has been infected between three or four times.
In a rare show of concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 was spreading across the globe, with positivity rates in Europe above 20 percent. In opening their August 6, 2024, news report on COVID, they warned, “The UN health agency is also concerned that more severe variants of the coronavirus may soon be on the horizon.”
The European continent is swimming in a river of infection, like the unfortunate Olympic athletes sickened by swimming in the polluted Seine. And as we have already noted, the Olympics themselves have been a superspreader event.
Knowing that reinfections, more severe disease, and remaining unvaccinated, all raise the risk of Long COVID, one can only watch the current wave of infections with alarm. These will be given further fuel as schools and universities begin to open their doors later this month. Furthermore, global COVID vaccinations have essentially come to a halt. Long COVID is the long tail of the ongoing pandemic that has no end.
Unique in the report by Dr. Al-Aly and colleagues is the raising of social issues affecting the global impact of Long COVID. In support of the UN Foundation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), they raise the need to end poverty and hunger, improve access to health, provide quality education, improve working conditions and reduce inequalities. They also call for funding to support coordinated interdisciplinary research on Long COVID on a global footing.
The recognition of the social issues that need to be addressed is an important insight. However, the appeal to existing public health institutions and political processes to heed their warnings will not bear any fruit.
First and foremost, the “forever COVID” policy is not a misguided public health construct. It is a calculated and coordinated approach to ensure pandemic threats would not impede the unfettered accumulation of surplus value off the backs of the working class. If the sick and infirm fall by the wayside, these social losses are seen as financial gains by the class that seeks to extract from the working class every minute of their potential labor power and avoid the cost of their “lingering on.”
In this regard, Senator Bernie Sanders’ introduction of legislation titled the “Long COVID Research Moonshot Act of 2024” is simply political theater, aimed at deluding the public into thinking that the capitalist system is capable of reform. The bill would provide a paltry $1 billion in mandatory funding per year for 10 years to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support Long COVID research.
To think this legislation will see the light of day while social spending is being slashed to fund the forever wars is to look at the world through very thick rose-colored glasses. Those researchers and public health advocates who wish to promote the application of the scientific principles that guide their own work must recognize the necessity for a broader social perspective.
To address Long COVID, as the world Trotskyist movement has demanded, one must begin by eliminating COVID across the world. Despite the dismissal of such a perspective by capitalist governments and the corporate media, zero COVID is and remains the only viable solution.
Only one social class is capable of taking up and fighting for such a policy: the international working class. The fight against COVID and future pandemics, like the looming H5N1, must be integrated into the revolutionary mobilization of the working class against the capitalist system and the establishment of a socialist society, in which human needs, including the most basic concerns of healthy life, will be the basis of social policy, not private profit.
#long covid#covid#mask up#pandemic#covid 19#wear a mask#sars cov 2#coronavirus#still coviding#public health#wear a respirator
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WAKE UP ITS HAMILTON TIME (hamilton pt 1)
everyone thank richard for getting me to put all my knowledge about alexander hamilton in one place. if you're at all new or confused, @thereallvrb0y once asked me 3 years ago to tell him everything about every historical figure i can, and since then i have been doing that. now we are onto the last one on the list he gave me, and studying hamilton is literally my life's work, so here it is. on tumblr.com. for free.
my sources for this are Ron Chernow and Hamilton himself and a strange amalgamation of knowledge from different museums, documentaries, interviews with historians, and other otherwise publicly accessible knowledge that i have compiled into the vast library inside my mind! you can find my notes in the link in my pinned post. let's go (this historical research is sponsored by the ghost of freddie mercury and my aunt who made me a whole pot of coffee)
Background Information
Ron Chernow loves to talk about how the island of St. Kitts and Nevis was formed, but that's not fucking important. What's important about Hamilton's birthplace is that it was positioned in the Caribbean in such a way that made it a very easily accessible port, however the coastline was pretty smooth which made it generally unideal for mooring ships.
Source: The St. Kitts' Scenic Railway; Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy by Ian W. Toll, p. 112 ("Basseterre Roads was not a good natural harbor. It was little more than a dent in the otherwise smooth coastline that ran along the western side of the island. There was no pier- visitors were obliged to run their boats directly onto the beach, sometimes surfing in on waves that broke heavily as they reached the shore.")
Now, notice that St. Kitts and Nevis is, in geographic terms, to the right-ish of the Caribbean. That means when you're coming from Jolly Ole England, you might make a pit stop in St. Kitts and Nevis. So if you ignore the fact that the island has no natural harbor (at least not a good one), it might be a good economic prospect for a young merchant, right?
Well, not if that merchant is James Hamilton, because he was an idiot. And I say that lovingly, or at least more lovingly than Ron Chernow did. Ron Chernow also emphasized that St. Kitts and Nevis was filled with the 18th century version of Shameless, and also Jewish people. Ron Chernow might not hate Jewish people, but he does hate the character archetypes in Shameless. In Shameless terms, James Hamilton was like Frank Gallagher.
Disclaimer: knowledge of Shameless is not necessary to understand that being compared to a guy named Frank is not a good thing
I've already made posts about Hamilton's parents and brother (here, if you'd like to read that ig. weirdo), but I want to talk about the things that Hamilton would have learned from his parents. Later in life, Hamilton vaguely alluded to his father's failings in business being due to an excessive amount of generosity and not really understanding where he should and shouldn't spend his money. This did not by any means make Hamilton stingy with his money, or even smart, for that matter, but it did make him want to be something specific: independent.
James Hamilton's tragic flaw was his dependence on other people, whether it was his older brother or Rachel Faucette or his business partners, etc. Due to the position and order in which he was born, James was never destined to be a leader. He wasn't exceptional academically like other non-first-born-sons, such as James Madison, or dispositionally inclined to organize and inspire, like George Washington. He was just a dude, and he was a dude who was not built for 18th century society, especially not in the Caribbean. From what we can tell, James Hamilton was a gullible, moderately intelligent man with symptoms of autism and non-descript mental health issues. He was basically fucked from the get-go.
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (p. 12-16); Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 25, p. 89, letter to William Jackson, August 26, 1800 ("In a capacity of a merchant he went to St. Kitts, where from too generous and too easy a temper he failed in business and at length fell into indigent circumstances.")
Rachel Faucette was like James Hamilton's polar opposite. She was forced to learn how to provide for herself, not being able to rely on anyone, because that could be ripped out from under her feet at any moment, and the only thing concrete in her life was herself. She was a woman, and that was what most women had to learn at some point.
Rachel was also perfectly poised to be the clear moral guide for young Hamilton. When James Hamilton left, he basically sacrificed any reverence his son might have for him, and instituted Rachel as Hamilton's sole role model for his developmental years and i just burned the shit out of my hand with coffee.
Disclaimer: James Hamilton had nothing to do with me burning the shit out of my hand with coffee, I promise. You can't blame all your problems on deadbeat dads
If you're a Sigmund Freud fan, (good opener, I know), you're aware of the Oedipus Complex, and that's not exactly what I'm talking about, but yk. look it up. This theory proposed by Freud was only partially rejected by the psychological field (due to the fact that not everything is about wanting to fuck your mom and kill your dad, and also that's not the story of Oedipus Rex like. at all??), but the part that still rang true was that children do have a unique attachment to the opposite sex parent.
Psychological studies show that children tend to describe their opposite sex parents more favorably than same sex parents. Why? I don't know, I'm not a psychologist, I'm an 18 year old who drinks coffee like he was 5 kids to raise.
Source: "The Relation between Attachment to Opposite Sex Parents and Attachment to Romantic Partners" by Gary L. Grogan and Dr. Mary E. Pritchard, p. 10 ("However, most significant for the present inquiry were the findings that respondents described their opposite sex parents more favorably, and same sex parents more critically.")
This statistic is visible in Hamilton's descriptions of his parents, and must have been enhanced by James Hamilton's early departure in his son's life, the consequences from that which seemed constant, but also by the reputation his father had built on the island he left Hamilton on. Hamilton would grow up to see his mother not only providing for herself and her children, but also overcoming the consequences of James' actions, which provoked resentment towards his father, and admiration towards his mother. This will develop as a theme throughout his life, but we'll touch on that as he grows up. He isn't even born yet! So let's get on to that.
Source: so when I say Hamilton's description of his mother, I really mean HIS son's, but JCH most likely got this description from his father, Life of Alexander Hamilton by John Church Hamilton, vol. 1, pg. 42 ("...a woman of superior intellect, elevated sentiment, and unusual grace of person and manner. To her he was indebted for his genius."); for the sake of my reliability and reputation, I'll include JCH's description of his grandfather for comparison, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton by John Church Hamilton, p. 13 ("Hamilton's father does not appear to have been successful in any pursuit, but in many ways was a great deal of a dreamer, and something of a student, whose chief happiness seemed to be in the society of his beautiful and talented wife, who was in every way intellectually his superior.")
Early Life
Alexander Hamilton was born ginger on January 11, 1755, and I don't entertain the argument that he was born in 1757 because I'm not an anarchist and I believe society has laws (I'm actually lying, I'll talk about the birth year debate in the college section). Hamilton was not, however, born black or Jewish. He was also, potentially, born not James Hamilton's son.
"Wh- WHAT?! *cries*" I hear you say, and I know, it's shocking information, but yes. First off, Hamilton was not black in any percentage more than the Pillsbury dough boy is black. This theory comes from the fact that Rachel Faucette was a lower class woman and therefore we have no proof that she WASN'T partially black. I don't even have to dispute that for anyone with a gram of critical thinking skills to see that that isn't a valid historical hypothesis.
The Jewish thing has a little more merit to it, and there's a whole book about it that I haven't read. There is some evidence to suggest that Rachel Faucette's ex husband, Johann Lavien, could have been a secret Jewish person, and possibly caused Rachel herself to convert, and she tried to pass on that to Hamilton by having a Jewish woman educate him when he was a toddler (that last part is a true fact, and is the earliest piece of information we have about Hamilton's education). If this is true, (and it's nearly impossible to prove true or false because well if Lavien was a secret Jew, it was a secret), it did not impact Hamilton's religious beliefs in any way, and he identified as a Christian throughout his entire life.
We'll do a paternity test on Hamilton later, just hang tight. See, this is how I get you, I say something controversial, and then I don't talk about it until 16 paragraphs later.
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 9 ("A persistent mythology in the Caribbean asserts that Rachel was partly black, making Alexander Hamilton a quadroon or an octoroon. In this obsessively race-conscious society, however, Rachel was invariably listed among the whites on local tax rolls. Her identification as someone of mixed race has no basis in verifiable fact. (See pages 734-35 [this is in Chernow's Acknowledgments, and he just talks about how he used a paper trail to come to this conclusion, and thought genetic research would only confuse the evidence. He also discusses that there is a small chance that Hamilton fathered a black child named William Hamilton, but I can go ahead and tell you that's false due to the fact that Hamilton had just arrived in America when William was born -HWS]) The folklore that Hamilton was mulatto probably arose from the incontestable truth that many, if not most, illegitimate children in the West Indies bore mixed blood."); Life of Alexander Hamilton by John Church Hamilton, vol. 1, p. 42 ("...rarely as he alluded to his personal history, he mentioned with a smile his having been taught to repeat the Decalogue in Hebrew, at the school of a Jewess, when so small that he was placed standing by her side upon a table); Ibid., vol. 7, p. 710-11; Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 26, p. 774, "Comments on Jews"
Hamilton's education began with his mother, who is almost definitely the person who made him fluent in French by the time he came to America. Despite limited access to books (34 books in both French and English to be specific), Hamilton still studied everything he could from a young age, with an early love for learning new things and proving that he was smarter than you. However, most of his education was in the School of Hard Knocks Community College, which was amply provided by the environment around him.
In the height of the British Empire, the Caribbean was essentially a social prison for anyone who broke the moral laws of the colonial, Eurocentric society of the time. This included pirates, prostitutes, drunks, thieves, and basically anyone who didn't fit the mold for a member of high society and/or someone who could serve high society and their lives of luxury. Hamilton, by birth, was one of these people.
Hamilton's father moved the family to St. Croix right before he left, which was a dramatic shift from Hamilton's life on St. Kitts and Nevis. In St. Croix, everyone knew Hamilton's mother as the disgraced ex-wife of Johann Lavien, and therefore knew her two sons as "whore-children", which was a word usually given to illegitimate children. Here, Hamilton was roped in with the degenerates of society, and it was practically said directly to him that he was destined to be unholy, unclean, worthless, and disgusting. Could you believe that this would have an impact on his mental health?
Along with seeing the poor lifestyles of the inhabitants of the Caribbean, Hamilton also saw glimpses into a very different world: ~rich people~. There were few rich white people on the islands, and they owned vast amounts of enslaved people, with the black to white ratio being 8:1 in the Caribbean. These enslaved people were forced to live in horrible conditions, and Hamilton saw it everywhere- his mother owned three people, but they were often rented out to garner profit for the white family, rather than working a plantation as others in the Caribbean did. Violence towards enslaved black people was only part of the violence young Hamilton witnessed in the Caribbean, some of which came in the form of dueling *insert ominous music*
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 18 ("To the extent that dueling later entranced Hamilton to an unhealthy degree, this fascination may have originated in the most fabled event in Nevis in the 1750s [a duel between two men where one of them was killed"); Ibid., p. 19; Ibid., p. 23-24
James Hamilton abandoned the family in 1765, and the reasons he did so are debated, but most likely are due to debt. However, there's another possibility that I've alluded to before: Hamilton's paternity.
So, remember, Rachel Faucette is not a perfect angel, and she also didn't particularly care for matrimony. There is a chance that she was with other men besides Hamilton and Lavien, and though we have no evidence that she was, there is an interesting character I'd like to throw into the mix.
Thomas Stevens, a moderately rich guy, was a merchant who lived on King Street in Charleston, St. Croix, with his wife Ann and his son Edward, who was born a year before Alexander Hamilton. Thomas Stevens was a very generous guy, and Edward Stevens would later be lifelong friends with Alexander Hamilton. And uh. They looked almost exactly the same. I really wish we had a portrait of Edward Stevens, but according to literally everyone, it was hard to tell the difference between him and Hamilton. Now, statistically, we all have some kind of doppelganger out there, but like what are the chances that they grew up down the street from each other and their parents had suspiciously close connections? Now, I'm not saying that Hamilton should have been Alexander Stevens, I think that's pretty irrelevant, but it is possible that Thomas Stevens... you... ARE THE FATHER!!!
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 27-28 ("Nevertheless, in the absence of direct proof, the notion that Alexander was the biological son of Thomas Stevens instead of James Hamilton would clarify many oddities in Hamilton's biography.")
The Hamiltons' life post-dad-desertion was actually somewhat comfortable due to Rachel's kickassery. She established a little store for a source of income, relocated a couple times, rented out the enslaved people (as one does, i guess, that's such a wild phrase), and kept a pet goat for milk and cheese and idk soap or whatever else people make with goat milk. Her sons would help out, possibly providing an origin for Hamilton's incessant need to be productive at all times without resting. At times, they were supported by his aunt Ann Lytton Mitchell, who he would remain loyal to until his death. During this time, as he was old enough to understand what his father did, is probably when his fiercely loyal, chivalrous and family-driven attitude developed.
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 22-23; Ibid., p. 28
I'm so hopped up on caffeine I could do a triathalon.
Hamilton and his mother were both afflicted by a strange and unspecified illness in the winter of 1768. The primary symptom was a severe fever, and they were treated with purgatives, medicinal herbs, and bloodletting. Nothing helped, and Rachel died at 9 pm on February 19. Hamilton miraculously survived.
Immediately, Hamilton and his brother James had everything they owned taken away, indebted by bills charged against them by local debtors. Their half brother inherited whatever else belonged to their mother, which brought up the marital scandal all over again, beginning a legal battle that lasted for around a year. In the end, the two Hamilton brothers were left with two things: jack shit and fuck all.
Custody of the two boys was appointed to their cousin, Peter Lytton. In my notes, I described him as "white trash" and "insane", including the quotes, so idk who said that. Peter Lytton lived with his black mistress and their illegitimate child. He killed himself on July 6, 1769, and what's strange about that is that we don't know if he shot or stabbed himself. I don't know who got confused about the difference between a knife and a gun, but that isn't my problem.
To make a bad situation worse, Peter Lytton didn't leave the boys anything in his will, and neither did his father, who did "his best" to help. His best could have been even just mentioning the name Hamilton in his will, but whatever, I guess.
These events held very important lessons for the young Alexander: 1) nothing lasts forever; 2) everyone dies; 3) the legal system is terrible; 4) rich people hate you; and, most importantly, 5) the only way out was up.
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 22-27
On His Own
This marked a split between Hamilton and his older brother, but this didn't seem to affect him as much as what happened with his parents- possibly because he wasn't biologically his brother, but I don't really care about that. What's more important is that Hamilton was almost entirely on his own, with inconsistent housing, so he couldn't always rely on the Stevenses. He was in a very similar situation that his mother was in at one time not long ago: alone and self reliant.
Hamilton was already working for the mercantile company, Beekman and Cruger. This company was later renamed, so I'll just say that Hamilton worked for Cruger, who was a business man with ties to New York. Hamilton worked as a clerk at this import-export business, giving him the responsibility to monitor intake and outtake as well as the organization of papers and just generally keeping everything in line. Due to the international relevance that was St. Croix, Hamilton often used French in his business dealings. Here, Hamilton perfected his handwriting into that elegant mess we know and can't read, picked up information on shipping/navigation, and learned his famously proficient math skills, particularly in relation to finance and economics.
Hamilton's famously maniacal work ethic began here, but so did his yearning for military valor. The first piece of personal correspondence we have from Hamilton is a letter to bestie Edward Stevens, and was made very famous from The Musical.
"Im confident, Ned that my Youth excludes me from any hopes of immediate Preferment nor do I desire it, but I mean to prepare the way for futurity. Im no Philosopher you see and may be jusly said to Build Castles in the Air. My Folly makes me ashamd and beg youll Conceal it, yet Neddy we have seen such Schemes successfull when the Projector is Constant I shall Conclude saying I wish there was a War. I am Dr Edward Yours Alex Hamilton (sic)"
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 29-30; Alexander Hamilton to Edward Stevens, November 11, 1769, St. Croix; Library of Congress, Image 13 of Alexander Hamilton Papers: General Correspondence, 1734-1804; 1734-1772
When Cruger left St. Croix for New York due to medical reasons in 1771, he left 16 year old Alexander Hamilton in charge of his primary source of income. And you're probably thinking that's a stupid idea. Because it is.
BUT ITS ALEXANDER HAMILTON. SO IT WAS FINE??? Well, fine for everyone besides the captain of the HMS Thunderbolt.
The Thunderbolt pulled into St. Croix's busy harbor after crossing the ocean and manned by a veteran captain, however Hamilton was not satisfied with the outfitting of the ship nor the quality of the goods that had been transported.
"Reflect continually on the unfortunate voyage you have just made and endeavor to make up for the considerable loss therefrom accruing to your owners." -Alexander Hamilton to Captain Newton, February 1, 1772
You can really see Hamilton's "I'm better than you and I know it" attitude shining through, made more shocking than ever than the fact that he was SIXTEEN YEARS OLD and talking to a man who was LITERALLY TWICE HIS AGE. The only reason he didn't lose his job over this is because he was right. The mules that had been transported were in such poor health, Hamilton had to pull strings to get them sold, and the wood was too waterlogged to be sold on the open market, so he sold it to a private buyer who was able to find something to do with them. He showed quick thinking, confidence in his abilities, and managerial skills. It was these skills that would later appeal to George Washington, not his financial abilities, and led to his most important appointment.
Source: Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 1, p. 23, letter to Tileman Cruger, February 1, 1772 ("It would be undoubtedly a great pity that such a vessel [the Thunderbolt] should be lost for the want of them [cannons]."); Ibid., p.4, letter to Captain Newton, February 1, 1772; Alexander Hamilton: A Biography by Forrest McDonald, p. 128 ("Taken aback, Washington replied, 'I always knew Colonel Hamilton to be a man of superior talents, but never supposed that he had any knowledge of finance.")
Cruger's firm also engaged in the Atlantic slave trade, as did the majority of trading firms in the Caribbean and the American south. It was this exposure to the abhorrent conditions on slave ships and the violence African people faced in the triangle trade that shaped Hamilton into a vocal opponent of slavery- when it was convenient. More impactful was the fear he developed of slave revolts, as was very common in the Caribbean because of the disproportionate slave to free/black to white ratio in the islands, and this would later define his views on the French Revolution and public protest in general. He and Thomas Jefferson had this in common.
Hamilton continued studying books in his free time, and the local newspaper, the Royal Danish American Gazette, began publishing poems from an anonymous young writer- obviously it was Hamilton. His poems ranged in subjects, and aren't particularly good, but they're better than any poems I've written angrily in my journal about my evil exes, so that is to his credit.
Hamilton's poems took a religious turn, most likely traceable to the arrival of Reverend Hugh Knox, who took in Hamilton as a mentor. Clergymen were a hot commodity in the hell hole that was the Caribbean, and Knox had a lot of work on his hands, but he took a particular interest in Hamilton, specifically in getting him out of the aforementioned hell hole. He saw that Hamilton was incredibly intelligent and hard working, almost to a fault- he was probably the first person who was genuinely concerned for this dude's health over how much he worked.
Fun fact, Knox also had personal ties to the Burr family, but that is literally only a fun fact and not a sign that Burr and Hamilton were star-crossed lovers in fair Verona or whatever Chernow has deluded himself into thinking.
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 32-33; Ibid., p. 34
Source: National Guard Bureau, "Examining Lessons from Katrina 10 Years Later"
Then, a massive hurricane struck the Caribbean on August 1, 1772. It was incredibly damaging, causing mass destruction in St. Croix, and this is most definitely one that we in the south would evacuate for. Even my dad would evacuate for this one, and it took a lot of convincing to get him to evacuate for Katrina.
In reaction to this event, Hamilton wrote his famous letter to his father detailing and reflecting on the storm. And finally, I'm giving y'all my analysis of this letter that I keep saying I'll do. However, this post is already incredibly long, so I'm going to do it in a google doc and attach it here.
Source: Alexander Hamilton to The Royal Danish American Gazette, September 6, 1772
The letter was published to The Royal Danish American Gazette, which spread around the afflicted community. Knox's congregation gathered money for the anonymous young author (now not very anonymous) to sail to the American mainland for his education. Originally, Hamilton went to study medicine, due to the high demand for doctors in the Caribbean (his knowledge of anatomy would remain helpful throughout his life). However, at some point he decided he would not be going back to the Caribbean, and switched his focus to law, but we'll discuss that more in part two.
Source: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, p. 37-40
Well, there's part one. I did all of this in one day because um. I don't know, but it is now one in the morning and i have to wake up earlier than normal. so that's fun. i hope y'all enjoyed. shout out to my mom for proofreading half of this, and shout out to my aunt who gave me coffee, that was a horrible idea. i'll be back with part two at some point, which will probably be more concise because hamilton's childhood in the caribbean is where most of the theories are, so yeah. love y'all.
#alexander hamilton#history#amrev#american history#american revolution#hamilton#18th century#caribbean history#long post#research#heavy breathing#this is my career guys#do it for richie 💪#amrev history#i also watched like half of a chris chan documentary during this#and an entire markiplier playthrough#this is my spring break#publius originals
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Basic info:
Nicknames: Eudie (Close friends), Dame Capricieuse (Rook), Sea bunny (Floyd), Herbivore (Leona), Child of Man (Malleus)
Class: Whatever she want (usually 1-A)
Dorm: Ramshackle (Vice-Housewarden)
Birthday: March 16th
Age: 21-22 years old
Height: 1,70 m
Dominant hand: Left
Club: Pop Music club
Hobbies: Origami and drawing
Best subject: Alchemy
Homeland: England
Pet peevies: Cheats
Favorite food: Hot dog
Least favorite food: Cheese
Talent: Plan
Family: Father, mother, Rayven (younger sibling), grand parents, uncles and cousins
Background:
Eudora During her childhood, Eudora always tried to keep her sibling and cousins out of trouble, but she usually ended up joining them in causing mischief. Since she was 12, she helped her parents run the bookstore and her sibling, Rayven. Unlike her sibling, she never believed in fairy tales and magic, although she enjoyed listening to her sibling tell stories and enter into their fantasy. When she went to university, she had to move to another city, she ended up focusing a lot on her studies and kind of neglecting her free time, only spending time with her family at meetings and birthdays.
After Rayven disappeared, she was devastated. It was a huge shock for her to hear on the phone that her sibling had suddenly disappeared. One day, when she was observing the sky on the college coverage, she saw a pair of stars that shone brighter than the others, then she remembered the stories Ray liked to tell her when they were children. Even though she thought it was stupid of her, she wished to the stars that she could know where her brother was and then went to his dorm to sleep. When she woke up, she had ended up in another world.
Personality:
Generally seen as a cold and reserved person, Eudora is not one to show much empathy with the NRC boys because she knows how much mean they can be. Because of their severe and serious side, many find them scary and try to stay away from them. She tries very hard to be patient and stay calm, but she can end up exploding depending on the situation.
She is also very proud and confident of herself, and because of her impulsiveness and stubbornness, it is very difficult for her to change her mind or opinion, which can lead to frustration when things don't go the way she wants. In her group of friends, she is the one in charge of the group. She always warns when something is going to go wrong and if they insist and it goes wrong anyway, she would be the type of person to say "I told you so."
Despite being very severe, Eudora has a loving and kind side that she only shows to those she cares about. With these people, she shows herself to be more supportive and demonstrates that she is a good listener, sometimes giving some advice, and even lends them some of her belongings if they need them. She also surprisingly has a great sense of humor, thus tolerating the freshmen's antics and even doing with them.
Trivias:
She is the Twisted version of Yen Sid from the movie Fantasia
Her name, Eudora, is of Greek origin, meaning fortunate gift, being the name of one of the nymphs of Greek mythology
Her full name is Eudora Ludwig Vasconcelos
She is terrible at cooking, being the only things she can prepare are sandwiches
After arriving in Twisted Wonderland, she began sharing the tasks Crowley gave her with Rayven.
She went to Twisted Wonderland after the Savanaclaw chapter.
She was studying medicine before going to Twisted Wonderland
She is allergic to cats, but Grim's fur doesn't affects her allergy
She is afraid of mice
Rayven has British ancestry on his father's side, who is also British.
Galeria:
Divider by: cafekitsune
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I Read The Silmarillion So You Don't Have To, Part One
This is really for the benefit of my mother and sister, who are both diehard Lord of the Rings fans, but who don’t want to read The Silmarillion. My mother remembers picking it up with the expectation that it was another LotR book, and being disappointed that it read more like a history textbook than an actual novel. That’s because it’s not a novel, it’s a mythological epic along the same lines as the Homeric epics or the Epic of Gilgamesh, that tells the history of the first age of Tolkien’s world. It occurred to me that I am exactly the type of person Tolkien wrote The Silmarillion for — a person who knows folklore well enough to appreciate what he was trying to do, and recognize the conventions that he uses. I’m a person who went and applied to Yale’s graduate program in medieval studies (and got in!) just so that I could use the historical, cultural, and literary background of the Middle Ages to inform my own fiction. So, forgive me for saying it, but who’s better equipped to appreciate The Silmarillion than me? And it’s not as long as I thought, with only about 400 pages, which feels really doable after having read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. So, I’m going to paraphrase the whole of The Silmarillion, for all those who want all the juicy Tolkien lore but don’t want to read it themselves.
Before I get into it, here’s a bit of background, for those less versed in Tolkien lore: The Silmarillion is Tolkien’s magnum opus, which he spent his entire life working on and never properly finished. It could be called a “prequel” to The Lord of the Rings, but that would be misleading. It’s intended to be an original mythology for England, from before recorded history. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are both small episodes from this enormous mythological cycle, and neither is really all that significant in the overall story of Tolkien’s world (which is probably why they actually got finished, and published). The Silmarillion and The Hobbit were originally meant to be completely separate projects, which is why they differ so much stylistically, but Tolkien eventually decided to combine them into the same world. The Lord of the Rings fully integrates the world of The Hobbit and that of The Silmarillion, with copious callbacks to both. (The reason Tolkien wrote it at all is because his publisher wanted a Hobbit sequel and not whatever weird thing The Silmarillion was.) The Silmarillion was not actually published until after Tolkien’s death (because he was never ready to officially declare it finished), and it was edited together by his son Christopher.
Christopher had to do a lot of reworking in order to make the narratives more fluid and consistent with everything Tolkien had written about the world. In that way, The Silmarllion kind of does resemble the ancient epics that it emulates — it’s cobbled together out of its existing material, with many pieces missing or compensated for. Christopher writes,
It became clear to me that to attempt to present, within the covers of a single book, the diversity of the materials — to show The Silmarillion as in truth a continuing and evolving creation extending over more than half a century — would in fact lead only to the confusion and the submerging of what is essential.
Like any mythology, The Silmarillion is fundamentally organic, so what Christopher did is the equivalent of taking a bunch of Ancient Greek primary sources and cobbling them together into something like Ovid’s Metamorphoses: A coherent narrative that arranges all the basic stories from the mythology in chronological order, making it much more comprehensible, but also stripping away all of its inconsistency and nuance. That actually makes it more authentic. The fact that one person was able to produce anything close to the complexity of an entire oral tradition is extraordinary.
I’m not going in blind. I have a general idea of what The Silmarillion is about, and I’m familiar with general Tolkien lore through osmosis (mostly thanks to Quora). I’m interested to see if my initial impressions hold up, how much of what I know about wider Tolkien lore actually comes from this book. I know the Fall of Numenor’s in it. Is Beren and Luthien’s whole romance in it, or is that only in the Unfinished Tales? What about Elendil and the formation of the half-elven line that would eventually end with Aragorn? What about Annatar? I guess I’ll find out.
Ainulindalë: The Music of the Ainur In which Melkor learns that it’s really disrespectful to deliberately sing the wrong thing during a choral concert.
In the beginning there was God, whom Tolkien calls Eru or Ilúvatar. Ilúvatar creates beings called the Ainur, which are sort of like gods and sort of like angels, and tells them to sing for him. Initially, each Ainu only comprehends the part of Ilúvatar that it represents, but eventually they start to understand each other, and gradually they start to understand Ilúvatar’s big vision of the universe. They start to harmonize, and their singing creates the world. I’m only a few paragraphs in, and it’s already so beautiful I could cry.
The Music of the Ainur by Jef Murray
The first thing I’m reminded of is the Platonic (and Kabbalistic) idea of emanation — God creates higher beings that are manifestations of his thoughts, and then the higher beings create the physical world, which is a manifestation of their thoughts. Magic in general follows this same pattern of manifesting one’s ideas in physical reality. There’s so much more I could say about that, but this is meant to be a summary and not a theological dissertation. I’m betting it’s not a coincidence, though.
The Ainur are made of Ilúvatar’s ideas, and all of them express Ilúvatar’s ideas through their singing. But — oh no! — one of the Ainur comes up with some ideas of his own, and decides to sing about his own ideas in order to glorify himself. If you hadn’t guessed already, Melkor is this universe’s Satan. Just like Lucifer, Melkor is one of the most powerful and glorious of the Ainur, and he’s a Special-Chosen-One-Magical-Girl because he has a little bit of each of the other Ainur’s powers (i.e. he shares in all of their divine domains). Melkor introduces some discordant notes into his singing, which introduces imperfection to the universe.
Ainulindalë by Paontaur
Most of the Ainur who are in Melkor’s choral section are like, “who the hell is singing off-key?” But some of them like his melody better than Ilúvatar’s, and start singing along with him. This makes matters worse. Ilúvatar simply smiles and starts conducting a new song that’s similar to the first one, but a little different, to accommodate the discordant notes. Melkor and his choir start singing louder in response, and the entire universe becomes the equivalent of a gorgeous violin concerto and a heavy metal riff playing at the same time, each at full volume. To get an idea of what this might sound like, I listened to “The Cloud Atlas Sextet” and the guitar solo from “Seven Nation Army” at the same time, and… it kinda worked, in a weird way, but it definitely sounded like the two songs were competing with each other. Not easy to endure for long, so, a good portion of the Ainur stop singing.
Ilúvatar lifts his other hand, and another song starts up, interweaving with the first. One is slow and sorrowful, the other is loud and abrasive, and together they drown out Melkor’s evil guitar riff. Raising both hands, Ilúvatar ends the music in a single chord that is deeper than the abyss and higher than the sky.
Eru Ilúvatar by Elveo
Ilúvatar addresses the Ainur, telling them that they will now see the things that were created with their music. To Melkor, he says, “If you try to change my music, you’ll find that you’ve actually made my music even better in ways that you can’t even conceive of. Everything you do is going to serve me anyway, so go ahead and try!” So, we get an answer to the Problem of Evil right off the bat. Discord is allowed to exist because, in a roundabout way, it improves the things around it. Every story needs a villain to be interesting, and Melkor is the villain of the story that Ilúvatar is telling.
Melkor feels ashamed, and then resentful. Ilúvatar gives the Ainur the ability to see (when before they were only able to hear), and shows them a vision of the world they made with their singing: Arda. Each recognizes the part of Arda that it personally sang into existence. They see some of the past, present, and future, and they also see things that they hadn’t conceived of. One of these things is a vision of the “Children of Ilúvatar,” the races of Elves and Men. Ilúvatar brought them into existence with the third song (the bombastic-sounding one), and the Ainur didn’t have any part in creating them. Most of the Ainur immediately love the people, and understand more of the mind of Ilúvatar through watching them.
Melkor and his followers, most of which are the most mighty of the Ainur, focus all their attention on Arda (as opposed to anything else in the universe). Melkor convinces himself that his goal is to help the Children of Ilúvatar in by putting the world in order, but yeah… sure, buddy. His real goal is to subdue all the Children of Ilúvatar to his own will instead of that of Ilúvatar.
The rest of the Ainur are very impressed by Arda, and especially by the sea, which contains the distant echo of the Music (which is why all the Children of Ilúvatar feel called by it). The Ainur that sang the water into being is called Ulmo (no, not Elmo), and of all the Ainur, Ilúvatar taught him the most about music. Each of the other Ainur was given a different concept to comprehend and sing into existence. The air and wind was created by Manwë, who is the noblest of the Ainu. The earth was created by Aulë, who’s almost as skilled as Melkor, but his sense of pride is in making beautiful things, instead of in himself.
Ilúvatar shows Ulmo that, although Melkor tried his best to destroy the idea of Water through his singing, all he did was make it even cooler in the manifest world. Melkor created Cold to freeze the water, but all that did was create beautiful snowflakes and whirls of frost, which Ulmo never even conceived of. Melkor created Heat to evaporate the water, but all that did was create the beautiful clouds and the music of rain falling. The clouds have the double benefit of bringing Ulmo closer to his friend Manwë (it probably says something about me that I read “thy friend, whom thou lovest” and immediately thought, SHIIIP!).
So, therefore, everything Melkor does to screw up Ilúvatar’s creation ends up improving it in the long run, and that’s why Ilúvatar allows Melkor to exist.
Arda does not actually exist yet, it only exists as an idea that has been described in the singing. So, Ilúvatar formally begins the manifestation of Arda with an epic Let There Be Light moment: “Eä! Let these things Be!” A light appears, and the light is the whole of the universe.
Many of the Ainur choose to remain with Ilúvatar, but a certain number of them descended into the manifest universe, Eä. Making this choice requires them to give up a significant amount of their power and ability for as long as Eä exists. That’s what being alive and in the manifest world does — it shoves you down into a smaller version of yourself and limits the things that you can do. (The Wizards experience this same thing, but on an even smaller scale.) The Ainur that decided to go to Eä are called the Valar, and they function mostly like gods and goddesses.
The Valar are disappointed to discover that the world doesn’t actually exist yet. The singing just conceived of it as an idea, and Ilúvatar kickstarted its manifestation, but now the Valar have to actually build it. So, they begin to painstakingly shape the primordial matter of Eä into Arda, the world as we know it. Manwë, Ulmo, and Aulë do most of the work, but Melkor is there too. Melkor is that guy who doesn’t actually help with the group project, but then takes credit for the whole thing once it’s done. While the other three are building the world, he offers unhelpful suggestions and changes things to make it suit his own vision. When Arda is young and covered in fire, Melkor figuratively plants a little flag on it and names it Melkor-land. Manwë, who was the lead singer of the second melody that Ilúvatar created in response to Melkor, is really pissed off and brings a host of other spirits down to Arda to kick Melkor out. No one gets to claim credit for a group project that everyone else worked on! Melkor goes off into a corner to sulk, and leaves Arda alone… for the time being.
The rest of the Valar give themselves physical forms. Because they’re all excited for the arrival of the Children of Ilúvatar, they base their appearances on the Elves and Men. Their humanlike forms, gender, and so forth are about as inconsequential to them as our clothing is to us, and they don’t always bother to “wear” their humanoid forms. Melkor sees them walking around on Arda in these beautiful forms that emulate the people and the elements of the world itself, and is even more resentful than ever. So, he gives himself his own physical form, and because he’s motivated by spite, his form is dark and scary instead of bright and beautiful. He appears as something like an ice-capped volcano, all fire and ice, striding through the sea.
What follows is the first war between the Valar and Melkor. The Elves don’t know very much about this, so, little of it is recorded. What we know is that Melkor went around and petulantly undid whatever the Valar were trying to do, like your annoying sibling who keeps knocking down your tower of blocks every time you finish building it. Whatever the Valar tried to make, Melkor would destroy. If the Valar made a valley, Melkor inverted it into a mountain range. If they carved out an ocean, Melkor “spilled” it. Everything in the world is therefore corrupted or somehow altered by Melkor, instead of matching the Valar’s original idea for it, but in the end the group project is finished and it comes close enough.
Music of Ainur by breath-art
Valaquenta: Account of the Valar and Maiar according to the lore of the Eldar In which we’re introduced to the T̶w̶e̶l̶v̶e̶ ̶O̶l̶y̶m̶p̶i̶a̶n̶s̶ Kings and Queens of the Valar, and the Maiar.
This is what every fantasy writer wishes they could do — just exposit on the lore of their gods! I wish I could explain all about my fictional gods and how cool they are at the start of my novels, but I’m not Tolkien. Maybe someday I’ll be famous enough that someone will buy a book like this one that consists of nothing but lore.
Now, imagine that you’re opening the D’Aulaires’ Book of Elven Myths, and reading about the great elven gods (or more specifically, the gods as the Elves know them).
Valar by @phobso
As I usually do with pantheons of gods, allow me to introduce you to the pantheon of Arda! These are the Kings and Queens of the Valar, and there are seven of each:·
Manwë: The god of the sky and wind. He’s the High King of the Gods, just like Zeus. He has the epithet Súlimo, “breather.” Manwë sort of replaced Melkor as the Ainur who best understands Ilúvatar (making him roughly equivalent to the Archangel Michael, if Melkor is Satan).
Varda: The goddess of stars and light, Manwe’s wife. She lives with him in a tower on top of the tallest mountain (Taniquetil), and Being with each other improves their perception, so that they can see and hear everything. Varda hated Melkor before everyone else hated Melkor, and thought he was an asshole even before the Music was sung. The Elves call her Elbereth, and she’s their most important goddess.
Ulmo: The god of water, all water. He spends most of his time in the depths of the ocean, so he doesn’t see the rest of the Valar much and doesn’t bother to take on a human form most of the time. When he does, it is terrifying to see his gigantic form rise out of the waves and hear his voice, which is as deep as the ocean. Despite having disengaged from the other gods, he still loves the Elves and Men. He keeps tabs on them through all the freshwater rivers, lakes, springs, and fountains. Sometimes he wanders on shore in disguise and plays horns made of white shells, which fill whoever hears them with a longing for the sea (like Legolas).
Aulë: The god of rock and metal, precious stones, mountains, smithing, craftsmanship, and terrain. Aulë is the most similar to Melkor in temperament, because both wanted to make things of their own and have others praise them for it. It was mostly Aulë’s job to fix whatever Melkor broke during the creation of Arda, so he hates Melkor as much as anyone else. Melkor, meanwhile, lost his ability to create anything of his own — he can only corrupt or destroy things that others have made, so he especially envies Aulë.
Yavanna: The goddess of nature and agriculture, Aulë’s wife. She usually appears as a woman in a green dress, but sometimes she appears as a Tree of Life who connects the groundwater with the sky. She has the epithet Kementári, “queen of the earth.”
The Fëanturi: The masters of spirits, two brothers who rule over Death and Sleep. They’re called Mandos and Lorién, but these aren’t their actual names—they’re the names of the places they live. Their actual names are Námo and Irmo. (I’m not really sure why they were introduced to us by the names of their domains, but linguistics is weird, and Tolkien fully replicated its weirdness.)
Namó/Mandos: The god of the dead, who lives in the Halls of Mandos, in the far west of Valinor He forgets nothing, knows everything, and knows the fates of everyone. It’s his job to pass judgement upon the beings that live in Arda after they die (or… whatever the elves have instead of death? A sort of purgatory), and he works under Manwë’s authority.
Irmo/Lórien: is the god of dreams, who lives in the gardens of Lórien (now you know where the name “Lothlórien” comes from). The Valar often take breaks in the heavenly world of Lórien whenever Arda becomes too much from them.
Vairë: “The Weaver,” the goddess of history, who records all of time in her webs. She’s Namó’s wife, and lives in Mandos with him.
Estë: The goddess of sleep and healing. Like her husband, she is gentle, refreshing, and not at all like Morpheus.
Nienna: The goddess of sorrow and grief. She mourns incessantly for everything Melkor has ever done, and everything that was hurt or lost as a result. On the slightly brighter side, she’s also the goddess of compassion and hope. She lives even further west than Mandos, and the spirits trapped in Mandos supplicate her for her wisdom. She is Namó and Irmo’s sister.
Tulkas: The god of strength and heroism, who came to Arda specifically to help the other Valar fight Melkor. His epithet is Astaldo, “the valiant.” He has long golden hair and a golden beard, doesn’t need a horse because he can outrun everything, and mostly just punches stuff.
Nessa: The goddess of speed, Tulkas’ wife. She likes running and dancing, and deer follow her everywhere she goes.
Oromë: The god of the hunt and Nessa’s brother. He prefers to stalk around Middle-earth, hunting Melkor’s minions, rather than to live in Valinor with the other Valar. His horse’s name is Nahar. He has the epithet Aldaron or Tauron, “Lord of Forests.” He has a magic hunter’s horn that sounds like the sun rising or like lightning.
Vána: The goddess of youth and flowers, Yavanna’s younger sister and Oromë’s wife.
The influence from the Olympians is obvious, but this little section hints at a lot more depth and complexity in each of these beings (well, the male ones, and about half of the female ones). I’m really interested to see how they develop from here.
In addition to the Valar, there are spirits called the Maiar, which are “of the same order as the Valar but of less degree.” I suppose that means that they’re also Ainur? It’s hard to tell, but regardless, they’re the direct underlings of the Valar and they act as intermediaries, so, we could call them lower-ranking angels. There isn’t any specified number of Maiar, and most of them don’t have names. A handful of them do:
Ilmarë: Varda’s lady-in-waiting.
Eonwë: The herald of Manwë.
Ossë: One of Ulmo’s underlings, the spirit of stormy and choppy seas, who lives near the coasts of the ocean.
Uinen: Ossë’s wife, the spirit of calm seas, who protects marine life. Sailors pray to her to calm the waves, and her hair spreads throughout all the waters. Numenoreans in particular worshipped her. Ossë very nearly joined Melkor, but Uinen prevented this.
Melian: A handmaiden of both Vána and Estë, who lives in Lórien and tends the trees there. She’ll be important in Quenta Silmarillion.
Olorin: Another Maia who lives in Lórien, but he spent a lot of time with Nienna, who taught him compassion and patience. This made him the wisest of the Maiar. He’s not important to this story, but he is important to another story that you already know…
Then of course, there’s Melkor. His name means “who arises in might,” but because he’s evil, he doesn’t deserve to have this name. Instead, the Elves called him Morgoth, which sounds a lot scarier. Because he has some of the powers of all the other Ainur, he can affect all of their creations, but because he’s evil, he can’t do anything with them other than distort and corrupt them. Because he’s arrogant, spiteful, and fixated on ruling the world, this is all he ever does.
Melkor also has Maiar servants among his followers, whom he turned evil; they became fiery demons that the elves call “Valaraukar,” but that we know better as Balrogs. Most of Morgoth’s Maiar don’t have names either, but one of them does. His name is Mairon, which means “admirable,” “excellent,” or “precious.” He was originally one of Aulë’s Maiar, but left his service to join Morgoth, becoming only slightly less evil than Morgoth himself. The Elves decided that he also didn’t deserve his name, and called him Gorthaur the Cruel, or else a name that means (roughly) “abhorred” or “vile” — Sauron.
More to come!
#the silmarillion#silmarillion#tolkien#jrr tolkien#the lord of the rings#lotr#eru iluvatar#melkor#music of the ainur#ainulindale#valaquenta#valar#summary#silm#the silm#silm art#silm fanart
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🧚♀️ Anon
The Mummy 1999 Movie
Darling is a Librarian who dreams of becoming an Archaeologist (As she has a Degree in Egyptology) but has been constantly turned down, mainly because of her being a woman (Depending on the Timeline of which JJBA Part it’s more extreme to mild sexism)
This can either be with
1. Johnathan, Zeppeli, Speedwagon and Dio as the Mummy
2. Joseph, Caesar, Lisa Lisa and the Pillarmen as the Mummies
3. Jotaro, Old Joseph and DIO as the Mummy
4. Bruno and his Gang with Doppio as the loyal Servant to the Evil Pharaoh Diavolo
Darling accidentally awakens the Villainous Mummy when she read from the Ancient Egyptian Text/Scroll
Regardless of which Joestar, they discover they’re the Descendant/Reincarnation of the Pharaoh Johnathan and Late Pharaoh George
Dio/Kars/Diavolo intend to reward Darling by making her his Concubine, only to be smitten by her intelligence, wit, beauty and courage to try and stand up to him (And intend to make her his Queen, but he intends to Mummify Darling to make her Immortal like him)
The Joestars need to save Darling because only she can read the Ancient Egyptian Spells to stop Dio/Kars/Diavolo
What do you think? (Sorry for the constant posts, my ADHD is in hyperdrive right now with JoJo, Monster Movies and Scary Movies)
Oh ohhh ohhhh!
I don't remember a lot of the mummy 1999 because it has been ages since I watched it last but I did have a massive ancient Egypt phase (like to the point of making a 3d map of an ancient egyptan town along the nile with a village, farms, people, animals boats ect) as a kid and know quite a bit on the topic.
Jonathan and dio seem like a good pick as the Victorian Era was when England had a massive fascination with mummies.
Jonathan is an archeologist and is good friends with darling (she does have feeling for him but didn't have the courage to tell him) as they studied at the same university. He's always had a particular interest in ancient Egypt as his family has had a stone tablet in their line for generations that dates back to around that period. Darling has offered to transcribe the tablet for him but they've never gotten around to getting that done as both parties are too busy.
Darling works at the British museum as a librarian and trascriber as that was the only position they could get, as most expedition groups would turn her away.
One day the museum has a huge discovery delivered. The sarcophagus of a later Pharoah with the canopic jars and the many carved soldiers that were said to serve the Pharoah in the afterlife. As well as a stone tablet that darling is asigned to transcribe.
Darling speaks the inscriptions in the native language and the soldiers come to life and in full size. Attacking other workers in the museum. She tries hiding but is soon discovered and dragged over to the sarcophagus.
A voice speaks from within it. Offering them a place as a concubine for being the one to awaken him. Darling refuses, telling him that her heart is set on another, Jonathan Joestar.
Not taking kindly to the refusal, he demands his servants kill Jonathan. This leads to Jonathan getting attacked but is saved by his old teacher Mr Zeppeli who has knowledge of various cursed artifacts and had been trying to take the stone tablet and destroy it. Unfortunately the only way to stop the evil Pharoah Dio now is to find an ancient inscription that could undo the curse, however it has been lost to time.
They hide at the Joestar estate for awhile along with speedwagon, who warns Jonathan that the Pharoah has offered whoever can find Jonathan dead or alive a great sum of wealth.
During then Jonathan finds an old journal that links the tablet in his families possession to that off the lost one that Zeppeli mentioned.
During this time Dio's form has mostly regenerated. He's been using darling to get information about the world now as well as trying to whoo her but failing.
"I think I've mistaken you greatly (Y/n), someone as headstrong and intelligent as you is much more deserving of the title ḥmt nswt wrt (wife of king)" Dio would tell her. Of course she'd object but how so. At this point quite a few people have already taken to worshipping him (perhaps even a cult that has been worshipping him since his death and were aware of the tablet).
Of course he has them making preparations for darling to undergo the same ritual he went through. Which involves the actual mummifcation but being alive for at least part of the process. Which he is sure to explain in excruciating detail as he trails his still boney fingers across her abdomen. Luckily the ritual must start on the day of the summer solstice. Giving darling some time. But not a lot.
Jonathan would probably burst into the room just as the ritual was about to start.
(Sorry kinda went ham on my own thing but you do not understand how much I've wanted to have the excuse to write a yandere mummy scenario!)
#yandere jjba#yandere jojo's bizarre adventure#yandere x reader#yandere#yandere dio#monster au#🧚♀️ anon
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On November 24th 1572, John Knox, the leading light of the Scottish Reformation, died.
Say what you like about the man, but he is an integral part of our story, the exact place and date of his birth is not known with certainty, but it is generally accepted to be Giffordgate, near Haddington, East Lothian in either 1513 or 1514. Knox’s father, a farmer is said to have been amongst those slain at Flodden, around the time of his birth, but really we have no way of knowing this, born of a humble family, records of which are scant, another source tells us that his family stood in feudal relationship for The Earls of Bothwell and one of his forebears was killed at The Battle of Sauchieburn, where James III was killed.
The name “John Knox” is first recorded among the records of the University of Glasgow, where Knox enrolled in 1522. There, he is stated to have studied under John Major, one of the greatest scholars of his time. Major was at Glasgow in 1522 and at St. Andrews in 1531. How long John Knox remained at college is uncertain. He was ordained to the priesthood at some date prior to 1540, when his status as a priest is first mentioned.
By 1547, Knox was preaching at St. Andrews. When the French attacked a Scottish castle to quell a Protestant uprising there, Knox was captured and then spent nineteen months as a slave in France. After his release, Knox returned to Scotland and began his attacks upon the Catholic Mass, writing his tract A Vindication That the Mass Is Idolatry. His work in Scotland was put on hold, however, when the Catholic Mary Tudor ascended to the English throne. Her coronation and reign as “Bloody Mary” drove Knox from England, sending him to Europe where he travelled to Geneva and met John Calvin, who further instructed him in Reformed theology. Knox eventually left Geneva to pastor the English refugee church in Frankfurt, Germany.
Knox returned to Scotland in 1555, only to be driven out by persecution the next year. Returning to Geneva, Knox accepted a call to pastor the English church there. During this time, Knox offered his best-known contribution to the Reformation. Until Knox, and for some time afterward, the Reformers believed that a Christian must always live in submission to secular authorities. From Romans 13, they reasoned the King (or Queen) was established by God and, therefore, must be obeyed. Even wicked monarchs were to be obeyed, insofar as their commands didn’t violate Scripture. For Knox, this unquestioning obedience was unacceptable.
His experience and witness to persecution along with his view of idolatry led Knox to disagree with the prevailing view of subjugation to the throne. Focusing upon the Old Testament, Knox came to a different conclusion. Central to Knox’s position were the prophets and their insistence upon purifying the nation of Israel from idolatry. For Knox, the implications were obvious: just as Christians could not obey wicked laws, they should not submit to wicked rulers. In his mind the Catholic Mass was idolatry, and, therefore, the Catholic was an idolater. Any Catholic monarch—such as Queen Mary I—was, therefore, an idolatrous and wicked ruler. Christians should not submit to such rulers but oppose them.
Returning to Scotland in 1559, Knox led the Reforming party of Scotland. He continued to promote reformation and raised troops to assist in that goal. Over the last thirteen years of his life, Knox passionately fought for reform in Scotland and opposed the Catholic Church and Catholic rulers. Despite Knox’s hard work, his goal was not realized until after his death in 1572.
The statue in the pic is at New College Edinburgh that I took a couple of weeks ago. Knox's grave is now under a car park in Parliament Square Edinburgh.
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The Lies We Are Taught In School
Talking about science this week, let me talk about the thing that irks me more than anything: The fact that we get taught so many lies in school. Both in regards to science, and in regards to stuff like history. Like, holy fuck. Why do we get taught that much garbage?
If you google "Lies we got taught in school", you will find an endless amount of listicles going over a variety of lies.
A lot of people in America will of course know that the version of American history they get taught in school is very "clean". Be it their version of how Thanksgiving came to be ("And then the indigenous people and settlers got along just fine"), how the entire story of Matoaka/Pocahontas happened ("And then everyone just got along and no 12yo girls got raped"), or how the Civil War went ("And then slavery was ended and everyone had equal rights, yay").
Another thing that school keeps telling us is the thing I mentioned yesterday: IQ. IQ is not real. At least not as any measure of intelligence. All IQ tests will test is, how good you are at taking IQ tests.
Or one that I found in so many listicles: The food pyramid. The food pyramid is a great example of a thing that a lot of people believe, that is not based on science, but fully on propaganda by an industry. And yet... It is very common in the US - and almost as common in Europe. At least I learned about it in primary school, and never learned a correction of it until I entered university.
Or getting back to history: A lot of history classes teach so much bullshit when it comes to medieval history and how people in medieval times lived. They will act as if the medieval world was just one thing, rather than many things. Oh, and a lot of schools place the witch burnings into the middle ages - even though they all happened AFTER the middle ages.
Or something quite relevant to trans folks: Schools very much teach that there are only two genders and sexes, and that those usually are based on the chromosomes. Even though intersex people exist and might be a lot more common than we actually realize, given that most people are never tested for intersex conditions. And since we know that other than what was long assumed (the supposed fact that almost all intersex people were infertile) is wrong... Yeah, some scientist argue that intersex is a lot more common than assumed. So even from the very biological aspect - without going into gender - it is quite wrong.
The list really could go on and on.
And mind you, some of those myths (especially in regards to history) are so prevailant, that folks who even go to universities and study ajacent stuff will still be believed. I still remember: Two years ago I talked in a historical podcast about the witch hunts, how they happened after the medieval period, how they looked different in different countries, how they did not happen everywhere in Europe, and how they not always were going for women. Mind you, we linked the historical sources under the podcast... And yet, someone I know, who studied history (though with their main focus on Victorian England) went on a long rant how that was all wrong. Was she able to come up with counter sources for her claims? No, obviously not. But she kept insisting even months later.
In general the entirety of all those lies taught in school usually go back to one of three reasons for those lies.
Propaganda. There are quite a few lies in school - especially in regards to history - that are propaganda. Especially when it comes to the sanitizing colonial history. Stuff like how settlers and indigenous people got along fine. How Lincoln ended slavery. Or for us in Germany, how we totally never really were ever involved in any colonialism whatsoever. That is all propaganda. Even stuff like the medieval prejudices are based on the propaganda that history only ever moves forward. The food pyramid also belongs to this.
Ancient material. This is probably the most common reason. See, a lot of material in school is just outdated by decades. At times because the curriculi have not been updated in decades - at times because the people updating them are actually not professionals in those fields, hence basing their ideas mostly on what they learned in school 40 years ago.
Simplification because kids "won't understand it otherwise". A lot of stuff in school gets dumbed down in comparison what you learn in university, because a) not everyone needs to know it (they say), and b) kids cannot understand it (they say). This is true for a lot of stuff in the science classes. Stuff like "only two sexes", "only five senses", "only three states of matter" is mostly based on this.
But honestly... While the first two reasons are bad either way (propaganda does not belong in schools, and schools should work with modern material), some people might think the last reason is somewhat understandable. But honestly... It is not. Because kids are actually not stupid.
It is one thing to not teach everything and leave out stuff. Otherwise we would not need universities. But... Lying to kids? Yeah, that is not good. It is not a good thing to begin with. And really, why do we keep doing that?
#schools#science#lies#lies taught in school#misinformation#propaganda#food pyramid#history#medieval history#witch hunts#transgender#intersex#biology
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Sebastian x Ciel 🥀❤️🔥🖤💖🌹👄 Astrology analysis (Synastry) Part 1a ✨🔮🌌
*⚠️Non Shippers PLEASE IGNORE MY POST AND STAY OUT! I don't want your negativity in my blog! If you don't like it, then don't engage with it...as simple as that!!⚠️*
I wanted to make a really unique, fun and interesting post related to sebaxciel. I have been studying astrology for the past 8 years now and I can tell you that its not a joke and actually can be very somewhat creepy like how do they know about me so much like wtf! stop exposing me!💀 Astrology is very vast and very in depth knowledge if you want to look at it further. So I thought why not lets make a synastry and composite chart about seba x ciel and how their relationship dynamic works astrologically and how their relationship is still evolving. I have also made their numerology chart and its fun! (I'm still learning astrology and numerology , so if I make any mistakes please kindly correct me!)
Out of my curiosity I just wanted to look at Seba x Ciel 's synastry, composite and numerology chart report and analysis and BOY !!!! I WAS SH👀K !! LIKE WTF!!! HOW!?!? HOW CAN THIS BE 💯% ACCURATE!! Now its giving me creepy vibes like did Yana purposefully picked their birthdays ?!?!? SO HERE I AM BLOGGING THIS ✨ ASTROLOGICAL MIRACLE ✨ and you are reading it!! GET READY TO GET SH👀K !! CAUSE YOU KNOW SHARING IS CARING!!
In this Part 1, I will only discuss about the planetary and asteroid Synastry aspects ( synastry chart means that you take 2 different people's chart and superimpose it on top of each other to see how 2 different people act with each other between their relationship dynamic ) ( this part 1 is getting really really long, so I decided to break it down into many mini parts ( like part 1 a,b,c..I don't even know how many mini sub parts of part 1 I will write, but it is more than 2 ) , Its like writing an AO3 ...you can never stop writing lmao! In part 2 I will go further into the Synastry and the details of the House placements and how the house overlays gives their relationship dynamic more definition! Part 3 and Part 4 will be based on composite charts! ( composite chart means you combine 2 different people's chart to see how they work together as a team or as a 1 person ) Part 5 will be about Numerology and if I'm able to find out more interesting astrological facts about them then I may make part 6 ( mostly Natal analysis )...I'm gonna expose everything about SebaxCiel dynamic and their real personality and how their relationship works and how its evolving and what do we expect to see in the future especially in the manga chapters! *EXCITED*
The birthdays, time and location I used :
Sebastian : 18th January, 1886 ( 6:30 am ) London,UK
( I was extremely skeptical about Sebby's date, however after doing lots of research and some analysis, I have come up with this birthday as it is very accurate...at least I tried to make it accurate! , also I used this bd for sebby because whenever a demon a manifested in this 3d human realm, it is 'reborn' again...obviously he a thousand years old I'm not using that B.C. date lmao! )
( okay I know none of them were actually exactly born in London,Uk however I do not really know where the mansions located...so I used London as a general location and England isn't that big enough like the states lol ..so it wouldn't affect the reading and analysis much at all I think! lol )
Ciel : 14th December, 1875 ( 7:30 am ) London,UK
Synastry Chart below! I'm going to explain now what planetary and asteroid aspects creates their LOVING, STEAMY , SEXY AND IRRESISTIBLE synastry !
✨ Ciel is Deep Blue and Sebastian is Deep Orange ✨
Just like their Eye colors! *GASPS* that was a coincidence! SH👀K !!
✨KEY ASPECTS ✨
Their positive aspects :
Their negative aspects :
( these two images illustrates their dynamics of both positive and negative sides of the same coin )
I'm gonna talk about *positive aspects only ( mostly conjunctions, as trines and sextiles are very watered down version of conjunctions, its still positive though )* cause I don't wanna ruin the *rose-colored glasses* mood we all sebaxciel shippers have it on right now! I don't need to talk about *negative aspects* cause they don't really fight much...its just the power chokehold they have it on each other kinda like BDSM not physicially but psychologically and I kinda find that really really hot! *negative aspects* ( Oppositions and Squares ) aren't necessairily that bad they are just 'necessary evil' for realtionship to grow, improvise, evolve, survive and thrive . If you guys find more aspects you can reply or reblog!
*Website used : Astroseek.com*
Jupiter - Juno ( 👰🏻🤵🏻 ) : *HAPPILY MARRIED, THE ULTIMATE HUSBAND - WIFE DYNAMIC*
Jupiter, the planet of expansion, faith, hope, good luck, opportunity, wealth, philosophical and spiritual values and financial gains. It's also known as the Great Benefactor because it's larger than all the other planets in the solar system. Jupiter the god and husband of Juno according to the greek mythology. Juno, the asteroid of loyalty, intimate, serious and long term relationships and partnering. Juno is the goddess of marriage and protector of women, who was known for her loyalty and protection of women. Jupiter and Juno were a married couple. Juno is Jupiter's most prominent wife and is often depicted as a beautiful queen-consort. Juno is the queen of the gods and is worshipped as the protector of marriage and homemaking. Jupiter is also known for his infidelity and he had many other affairs lol.
When Jupiter and Juno tightly conjuncts in a synastry like this, both the juno and jupiter person wants to have a strong and powerful commitment towards each other. Jupiter brings happiness in juno person's life. Jupiter's optimistic approach in life boosts the ego and confidence of juno person. They both think they have found their 'ideal match' as Juno is extremely loyal, supportive and devoted to Jupiter person's interests and goals. Jupiter helps juno through expanding Juno's vision for their future goals and Juno helps Jupiter by grounding themselves in practical day to day life. Jupiter person also helps juno to succeed in careers to achieve BIG GOALS. Juno is tolerant of Jupiter just like a loyal, devoted and faithful wife!
Its a very stable and long lasting and perfect synastry for marrige! Jupiter brings out Juno’s desire for marriage and commitment in a big way. Juno wants to get married to Jupiter right away, like juno wants to make the 'OFFICIAL CONTRACT' immediately ! or Juno wants to desperately have a family with the Jupiter. Juno's characteristics is very protective, possesive, loyal and devoted in nature, and jupiter expands or amplifies juno's these qualities or characteristics on each other and jupiter can feel its effect.
According to this synastry, Sebby's Jupiter tightly conjuncts Ciel's Juno in libra. Libra is zodiac of relationships, ruled by Venus , the planet of Love, Beauty and Harmony! Their main focus would be their relationship with each other is their #1 priority! They prioritzie to make their relationship more lovely, harmonious, compatible, diplomatic, graceful and beautiful from both inside and outside. Sebby is very important for ciel's career and his BIG GOALS in life and they are both very loyal and devoted to each other. And Sebby helps Ciel by expanding Ciel's future vision and plans!
Venus - Mars ( ❤️🔥 🥵🛏️👄) : *BAD BOY ON A BIKE MEETS THE SEXY VICTORIA'S SECRET MODEL, PASSIONATE, MAGNETIC AND IRRESITIBLE ATTRACTION AT 1ST SIGHT*
'Let's fuck'....This conjunction is like a ticking time bomb 💣 💥 and the explotion of the excitement would be the bed breaking session! They can't help but to get pulled by each other to do that deed...THEY LOVE TO FLIRT WITH EACH OTHER 24/7! There is no other way to describe this dynamic! Its a great synastry to have a very , BED BREAKING LOUD SEX. ( Conjunctions and Oppositions will mostly feel this, but in oppositions fights will be frequent, trine and the sextile won't be that strong ) Especially if the man is mars and the women is venus...the bed breaking session will go on all night long! their passion is just stronger..if its the other way around the 'man' in this relationship may feel emasculated or may even feel slightly uncomfortable by the women, but the passion is still there but the women might be very forceful sexually towards the man.
This synastry doesn't give enough stability for relationships to last, but this synastry is perfect for a quick fling and passionate romance. Mars, the planet of ( very masculine energy ) Aggression, Power , Temper, hot headed, SEX, impulse, War, Aries and Scorpio ruler and Fiery planet meets the Venus, ( very feminine energy ) planet of Beauty and Love, Peace, Harmony, Joy, Luxury, Riches and Diplomacy ruler of libra and taurus.
Mars can't help or stop thinking about the passion and they also want to have Venus in their life even if its for a very short fling type thrilling relationship, MARS WANTS TO HAVE THE UPPER HAND ( like controlling or owning Venus ), MARS WANTS TO MAKE THE MOVE 1st AND IMMIDIATELY AS IF VENUS IS THE SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION STUFF WHICH WON'T STAY FOREVER IN THE MARKET ! MARS WANTS TO MERGE WITH VENUS TO FEEL THE PASSION AND THE RAW BURNING DESIRE THEY CRAVE DEEP INSIDE FOR EACH OTHER. And if Venus wants Mars as well, Venus will let Mars do whatever Mars wants...venus also secretly wants to get dominated by Mars! You know the saying goes, 'Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus'..its the merging of masculine and feminine energy we are talking about.
Even if it is between platonic relationship rather than a romantic one, the 'platonic' friends will still feel some tension...and their other friends might notice it and will tease them by saying 'u guys r so gay/lesbian for each other' lots of inappropriate touching going on between these 'platonic' friendships even if they already have a bf/gf....if its the dynamic between parent and child, they will show lots of passion and affection through touching all the time.
In this case, Sebby's Venus tightly conjuncts Ciel's Mars in Pieces. If noticed carefully Ciel always wants to have the upper hand and they are becoming very 'touchy touchy' by each manga chapter, especially it is more noticeable in the Emerald witch arc...like after waking up from the psychic trauma Ciel compensated his lost touching time with sebby as Ciel and Sebby both were excited to be able to stay 'near' each other again! Also, Mars do love get bathed by Venus!!... They were constantly flirting with each other with Victorian aesthetics in Emerald witch arc, especially when ciel was in a dress and sebby called him 'my lady' while fighting with Germans! and also the train date!...Mars CRAVES the touch of Venus!
Don't let Ciel's 13 old appearance fool you, he is very forceful and demanding towards sebby ( Its an Order SEBASTIAN! LMAO ) and Ciel CRAVES sebby's affection, excitement, passion and touch! Ciel as being a Mars in Pisces is drawn to more romantic and sensitive partners who are compassionate, creative, spiritual and will listen to him and Sebby as being a Pieces venus, he wants passion, true love, and a partner that is emotionally invested in the relationship. And Ciel exudes his passion and desire for 'revenge' and very much invested in Sebby! And we got to see the constant flirting going on between them on the lastest 212 🌹 train date🌹 chapter!
Pluto - Neptune (❤️🔥 🥀🖤) : *ALWAYS EVOLVING, LOOSING & FINDING EACH OTHER AGAIN THROUGH THEIR DEEP & INTENSE SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION : A THRILLING ROLLER COASTER RIDE OR A CONSTANT DEATH & REBIRTH CYCLE?*
Rarest conjunction EVER!!! It takes around 250 years ( more or less ) for Pluto to even complete 1 cycle and it takes around 165 years for Neptune to complete 1 cycle. Pluto and Neptune conjuncting like this happens only once in around 500 years!! Last time it happened in 1891 , and the next time it will happen in 2385. And it is even more rare to observe it in the synastry! Therefore, its really hard for astrologers to even describe such synastry dynamics! Both Pluto and Neptune are considered generational outer planets and they are extremely slow moving...Pluto the planet of the underworld ,the mafia boss, the thug you don't wanna mess with, always Schemeing and Plotting, death and rebirth, power to control, deep dark secrets, intense earthly desire and transformation..( lmao I always think if pluto was a person that would be that anime character from jjba Goirno Giovana like Italian mafia boss ) ...sounds very scorpionic in nature as pluto co-rules scorpio with mars...on the other hand, you have Neptune the planet of illusion, delusion, manipulation, confusion, dreams, fantasy, out of this known earthly realm ( Isekai world in anime term ), spiritualism and psychics etc etc is the theme of Neptune...Neptune rules Pisces.
When these 2 planets are in conjunction with each other in a synastry like this, Pluto person will try to dominate and control the Neptune person, Pluto wants to transform the neptune and its theme...Pluto will breakdown and destroy Neptune and will help rebuilt Neptune back better than before...now this transformation can be very painful if the Neptune person resists...the annoying thing about this transformation is that it just constantly occuring , the cycle never stops...and if the Neptune person stops the 'evolution' or does not want to transform spiritually, mentally or psychologically...they will end up having very dissapointing 'reality check' which can be very devastating and life threatening to them because Neptune is the 'Illusion' Neptune can't see past the delusion they are living in...In other words, Neptune has no other choice but to listen to pluto no matter what...if Neptune wants to transform and wants to stay committed to pluto...Pluto is very protective over Neptune person and have a very strong mental and psychological and sometimes emotional attachment to Neptune. Pluto doesn't and won't let go off the Neptune person, pluto's grasp on neptune is very tight as it wants to hold onto it desprately...it can also be other way around as well if the pluto person doesn't do what they are supposed to do, like help transforming Neptune into realigning with their reality, pluto person might get into a big trouble as the confused neptune will try to manipulate and the pluto will retaliate as pluto is very grounded into the reality and will not tolerate neptune's manipulation and psychological warfare...eventually either pluto will leave neptune alone or Pluto can stay strong keep staying 'grounded' into the reality so that it can help evolve and transform neptune as much as it is needed for neptune's realigning with the reality.
Another positive side of this synastry conjunction is that there are always a space for forming an extremely strong mental, psychological and emotional attachment with each other. Overtime they will both feel the extreme affection and empathy towards each other, if both pluto and neptune do their spiritual work and transformation and don't resist the process, instead they should trust the process, as they are both transforming spiritually. And only then they will be very affectionate and empathetic towards each other. They will also have a sense of compassion, will be able to sync with their emotional needs, they will eventually learn how to be emotionally vulnerable with each other...
In this synastry Ciel's pluto conjuncts Sebastian's Neptune. Ciel had to transform sebby mentally, psychologically, spiritually over and over again throughout their journey so far..so many trial and error going on..still the good thing is that sebby is committed...even though he was somewhat injured in the book of murder and book of atlantic...both times when he got injured, he wasn't expecting he was overconfident and slightly delusioned of his demonic superpowers...he underestimated undertaker and it cost him a lot of trouble for both ciel and him...and in the emerald green witch ark , ciel being the pluto person temporarily stops functioning due to his trauma and sebby being the neptune person tries his best with his dangerous manipulation and psychological warfare on ciel and it worked as ciel being the pluto did not tolerate his disrespectful act and retaliate back asap which was very much needed at that time...also, at the book of circus at the asthma scene ciel was embracing his own transformation and managed to overcome his fear at the end that's why sebby looked so excited... so as long as they are with each other, transformation like these will keep occuring!
Also, through that transformation, their bond keeps getting stronger through each transformation and they have gained enough empathy, affection, emotional and psychological attraction towards each other as it shows how proud ciel was when he acknowledged sebby's dedication at the end of the book of atlantic on the boat when ciel said 'You did good work today, when we reach the manor I want you to rest to serve as phantomhive butler properly'...and also when ciel woke up from psychological trauma in the green witch...they both were extremely affectinate towards each other as if its their one of the big relationship transformation...
Also, on the side note, both their pluto and neptune conjuncts at the zodiac Taurus, Taurus in pluto will be obsessed with their material possesion, finance, money, will be determined and enduring and Neptune in taurus will be very artistic, being good with food, will have a natural talent for creating beauty like pleasure seeking...both their planets conjuncting in taurus would challenge and transform their view on material possesion, pleasure seeking tendencies, money, loyalty and determination...this is exactly what we see happening during the blue revenge arc when R!ciel came back and took away everything from our ciel! And as a pluto in taurus, our ciel was extremely mad and his reaction at lau's place was extremely valid.
Juno - Ascendant (✨ 💘 ) : *ARE YOU MY HUSBAND/WIFE?*
Most common synastry among married couples!!! Its a love at 1st sight connection! When one partner's juno conjuncts the ascendant of another partner...the juno person sees the ascendant person as their ideal mate like their entire exsistance is perfect for the juno person to be considered at their significant other. Juno, as I mentioned earlier, the asteroid which is like a very loyal and devoted wife can be very possesive of their partner at well. Juno ( sebby ) person knows very well that ascendant ( ciel ) person will be very important in their life and juno dreams and even fantasies about having a life with ascendant person and how exiciting it will be...the ascendant person will immidiately realize that the juno person needs to be in a commitment with ascendant person...its a inner calling which the both juno and ascendant person realizes from deep within..both juno and the ascendant works together to succeed and accomplishing their mutual goals. Juno person is happy to provide a solid support in order to nuture ascendant person's future goals...Ascendant sees Juno as the stable and committed source of love and asc uses it to their advantages in order to achieve their desired goals...This synastry can show that the asc person feels like a wifey/hubby material to their juno partners and the juno probably proposed to them a lot or talk about marrying them every now and then. The juno person can be overly possessive and controlling over their asc partners as well.
In this synastry Sebby's juno conjuncts Ciels ascendant very tightly! And sebby shows all these possesiveness towards ciel and their small flirting here and there is a huge indicator!
Moon - Saturn ( 💏💍 ) : *I'M BOUND TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES ALONG WITH THIS MARRIGE*
Another really common marriage indicator between most couples...Moon the planet of emotions meets the saturn the planet of restiction, authrority and strcuture. Saturn is like a benevolent restrictive father figure and the moon is that inner child. Saturn may sometimes think that moon is really childish...Saturn isn't complaining though they are happy to take the responsibility that comes along with the moon...Saturn is very mentally and emotionally mature...and moon is very moody...which can sometimes annoy saturn....moons is always emotionally ups and downs like they are always in an emotional wave of 'feelings'...They both want the same thing in terms of commitment...Moon approaches with the commitment very emotionally and Saturn with a sense of responsibility, maturity, or practicality. Doing anything in their power to keep the bond secure. Its a really stable and long lasting synastry between married couples. This synastry is very solid and strong and provides a solid base for mutual understanding, respect and commitment between couples..
In this synastry Sebby's saturn is in conjunction with ciel's moon...even if the orbs are wider, the energy is still felt and..the moon can have wider orb in conjunction...it is very evident that how bratty can ciel get from time to time and how childishly he tests sebby just so that he can annoy him...and sebby quietly endures everything ciel throws at him along with his bratty tantrums...and how sebby is very strict with his learning lessons later on how ciel took revenge by pouring the hot tea on sebby's hands LOL so petty of being cancer moon!
Juno - Sun ( 💕💖 ) : *I WILL PROTECT YOU NO MATTER WHAT*
Devotion, loyalty and possesiveness to the maxxx!!! As I said earlier that Juno, the goddess of marriage is also very possesive, loyal and devoted.... In this synastry, juno conjuncts with the sun ( which is the ego the core personality )... Juno is very protective, possesive, loyal and devoted to the Sun person...Juno sees the sun person as their ideal mate ....the one and only...Juno's ideals and Sun person's ideals are matching with each other...They have deep understanding of each other's desires...Sun person's ego is ideal for juno person...juno finds it very attractive...Juno will do anything to protect the sun person from any harm...They have similar ideas about family, home, career and children. They are always there for each other. There is a strong sense of admiration, mutual respect and attraction towards each other. They see themselves in a committed and fulfilling relationship with each other. They have strong foundation to build a life, family and home together. This is a very strong and stable relationship for marrige..one of the common placement found in most married couples...Juno is everything the sun person could wish for to find in their ideal mate...
In this synastry, sebastian's juno conjuncts ciel's sun. Sebby would go in extra length to devote himself in order to protect ciel and there are many small small indications in the manga that sebby is possesive , loyal, devoted to ciel. Sebby will do literally anything to protect ciel like and his possesiveness shows that how panicked he gets when he sees ciel is injured ...in the green witch and the blue cult arc! Sebby so protective that he even forgets his own injury to protect ciel...that's how deeply devoted and protective this synastry aspect between juno and sun can be.
THIS IS SOO LONG!!! I did not want to make it into a huge thesis LMAO!! sorry for wasting your time! thank you for reading though😭😭😭 my other parts won't be that long...it took me 3 days to write lol...I just got carried away by their dynamic! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!! AGHH!! I felt like I had to explain astrologically!
#black butler#ciel phantomhive#kuroshitsuji#sebastian michaelis#sebastian x ciel#sebaciel#yaoi bl#proship#fanfic
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