#The fascism is strong in this anon my goodness

[wolveria]

I know the election results are really disappointing for you, and it’s tough when things don’t go the way we hoped. But I just wanted to remind you to keep your head held high and your heart clear of negativity. Kamala may not have won, but there’s still so much to be hopeful for. Staying positive and spreading kindness will always make a difference, even when it feels small. Let’s hold on to that hope for a better future,one step at a time.

Sending you lots of love and positivity.We’ll get through this together💙

I appreciate the sentiment and the thoughts behind it, but it's not just about the election. It's about what led to the results, it's about what's deeply and fundamentally wrong with the current system, and the decades of policies and choices that led to where we are now. While shocking, many people warned this might happen, and they were continually ignored by the Democratic Party.

Kindness and believing in a better future is important, but we can and should do more than hope. Because staying positive and waiting for others to fix this for us isn't enough.

[katyspersonal]

Oh boy, more asks..

These are some... strong words, but you are not exactly wrong about it! It is hard to grapple with. Where exactly "We should respect many things being open to interpretation in Elden Ring" stops and "You people did not play the same game tho" starts? You are not wrong about it at least being 'boring'. What use would be the story through this reading? Obviously, the tragedy of cycle of revenge and becoming the very thing you promised to destroy is a story with more importance and depth than..... than..... uuuuugghHHHH

.....ok sorry I might have overreacted. BUT, I have my limits. What if I told you that trying to uplift the weight of the genocide by either dehumanising the species or finding an 'unavoidable reason' to do it is extremely poor taste. What then.

I suppose that a deeper reasoning here is how normal it became to see fandomry as moral act. The girls go into new interests and see stuff like 'war criminal', 'murderer', 'sex offender', 'committed/complicit in a genocide', 'abuser', 'fascist' etc etc as an obligation to hate the character! From which follows both desperately trying to prove that something is inherently wrong with fans of this character AND feeling in danger if THEY like this character! So what follows? Right, character should be "protected" from "slander"! A kind of behavior that does NOT belong in Fromsoft fandoms, but literally every other fandom IS like this so I am not surprised if people carry this disease here from their previous interests! I can't even judge it because in many cases people did have a reason to be worried about harassment because fandom inquisition would treat their morally grey or black fictional favs as testimony of their beliefs!

Again, maybe I am reading too deep into it? I am just really old, therefore I saw the fandoms as we know them these day at their birth. How that behaviour happened and how it developed. Yes, personal preferences and simply not wishing your fav to be hated are big factors when such things happen!

But I think we NEED to try and think what the writer tried to tell us! What IS the purpose of telling the story where the survivor of something unspeakable returns a long time later to wage a "war with no grace or honor" that gets countless innocent people killed? Would Miyazaki write a story that excuses fascism and genocide?

Nonetheless, so many people just not really think through this lense: why would author write this? A genius writer with multiple masterpieces under his belt before Elden Ring, consistently criticising all the ways society and humanity can go corrupted or monstrous? Would he focus on how wrong the Crusade was just to make Marika and Messmer good guys here, or focus on how cruelly Marika treated the last Fire Giant, after a war with 'Fire of Ruin that could burn the Erdtree' for you all to say she had good intentions in it? 'Death of the author' should have always stayed just a narrative method, as opposed to fandoms deciding to miss the point for the whole past decade!

...And the most frustrating part is that they'll treat those who simply demand more lore accurate reading of the story and characters, without even any moral weight to it, as "omnipresent problem", when going anywhere near Youtube, Reddit and Twitter attempting to avoid Marika defence is like that scene from animated Snowwhite and Seven Dwarves where heroine ran through the dark woods and something horrid would show up no matter where she pokes her nose!

But, look, anon, you are doing That Thing. You are upset at the way some DLC reveals had changed the things in the fandom, when it is not the fault of the DLC. Even before SOTE, there was the whole infight about 'wow Marika is like Gwyn but somehow more evil' vs 'she is just a puppet of Greater Will that wants to rebel'. Such complex characters just tend to attract falling into one extreme or another! One side, likewise, was saying that she was unfairly vilified even when criticism was valid, another was snapping at them saying they woobified her-

Again: just because we as a fandom are not ready for the concept of 'tragic backstory makes a character more realistic than someone bad just because they're bad' does not mean that writers should not make stories like this! I know I am one hell of a misanthrope that can't care less about the "community", but I think somewhere deep down, even I believe we could be better and help each other to improve! People who decided that character is just bad without sympathetic traits and will side-eye anyone who says otherwise are a HUUUUUGE pain, but so can be people who take any criticism as a personal attack!

_________________________

(The post in question: ( x ))

Eh, I am glad that you liked my analysis, anon; It is strangely a second instance ever since SOTE came out where I get anon approvals over "actually analysing lore for what it is instead of using popular headcanon or theory" (first was about Nanaya)! I do not check fandom beyond what ends up on my feed, just never had that habit, but are things actually this drastic?

Regarding your confusion, I think it became widespread because a very popular artist started to draw/write a lot of this fanon? Personally, I absolutely dread when it happens in the fandoms; when it is not a singular popular person on Twitter OR Youtube, it is a group of "cool kids" on some community Discord or whatever, but the resulting hegemony of the same takes/designs/ships/preferences/etc is always there! Don't get me wrong, I am a boring unimaginative autist whose only talent is over-analysing a videogame, HOWEVER. In the places where canon goes vague and one should apply their own creativity, I'd rather see variety of interpretations! Not something that can be helped: most fans, especially the new ones, will adopt popular takes without scrutiny in order to socialise faster and be noticed. It is a self-feeding cycle that you can only escape when you block out all fandom influence and try to look by yourself!

And, well, I guess this is what I do? I try to make sure I don't have any biases besides 'what makes more sense', 'what works better', 'what has more evidence' and 'what author most likely implied'! I guess this is how I ended with "acknowledging the actual relationship" as you've put it! 'Knowing' is a very loud word for Fromsoft lore, yet these games give you limited amount of ingredients and despite there not being a recipe, you would still not try to cook a cake seeing ingredients clearly meant for a soup! Or is it for salad? Or lasagna...? Well, it is not for something sweet, right?

[griseldagimpel]

300 Works on AO3 Check In

I now have 300 works up on AO3. The only harassment from Antis I've received is a hate Ask from an Izzy-Anti and a nasty comment from an anon really upset that I included a pit bull in my fic.

I've also gotten dogpiled, rude comments, and my works reported for talking about racism, but those people don't typically identify as "Antis".

For that matter, you get people who do identify as Antis but don't harass anyone. And most people in fandom have something they dislike but keep that to their own blogs rather than harassing anyone, even if they feel really strong about it. Like, in my current fandom (The Locked Tomb), a lot of the fandom really does not like John Gaius (my blorbo) or second cousin incest ship Camilla/Palamedes (my OTP), but I have not received any harassment for my fandom content here.

So let's talk about strawmen, exaggerated harm, and Making Up A Guy.

See, the reason I started doing these check ins is that I'd encounter breathless warnings about Antis harassing people across fandom. Don't leave comments turned on for your dark fic, the warnings would go, or you'll get harassed. You can't ship X without getting harassed, I was told.

And it just wasn't matching up with my experiences, even though I'm a prolific fic writer who writes a variety of content for a multitude of ships.

Oh, Antis who harass people exist. Like I said, I've encountered them. And I've seen the same happen with others. But I feel like the fear of Antis on a pan-fandom basis outstrips the actual threat. (It seems like some fandoms have a worse Anti harassment problem than others. Our Flag Means Death is bad, and I've heard horror stories about Voltron. But that's the thing: the warnings I see don't narrow their scope to a few specific fandoms; they treat it as if every fandom is as bad as Voltron.)

Now let's talk about Tiffany G. Last year, Tiffany G ran for the AO3 board. Now, like all candidates, she had to meet certain volunteer requirements; not just anyone can run for an AO3 board position.

Tiffany G made some comments about wanting to push back against misconceptions of AO3, and fandom lost its damn mind. She got accused, no lie, of being an infiltrator spy for the Chinese government. Hey, if you're ever wondering why the AO3 board isn't more diverse, it's because when a Chinese fan ran, fandom rallied together to slander her as a spy for the Chinese government. Fans openly celebrated when she lost. Which, you know, has to be a really shitty experience for a devoted AO3 volunteer.

And she was positioned as an Anti and a threat to fandom.

Fandom collectively Made Up A Guy. The phantom menace they'd made up didn't reflect who Tiffany G actually was or what she wanted. It was a caricature - a strawman for fandom to band together and destroy. But there was a real human person being targeted by all that ire.

So what's going on?

Well, out in meat space, there is a lot of censorship and repression, from the U.K. banning protests to the U.S. banning everything from books to gender affirming care to a thousand other shitty things happening all over the globe.

And that can make people feel genuinely powerless. Making Up A Guy to destroy is easy. It makes people feel like they've accomplished something.

But they haven't accomplished anything.

Well, except for probably making one dedicated AO3 volunteer (Tiffany G) feel like shit. Good job, everyone. You didn't stop fascism, but you hurt one random person.

And this is what all the warnings about Antis harassing people are about, why they're broad instead of narrow and why they tend to overstate the [real!] problem.

Because it's about Making Up A Guy that fans can feel so brave for opposing.

Because that's easier than actually doing something.

[psychologeek]

"it's not war, it's genocide"

You say.

Righhhhht.

Those also aren't missiles, just friendly deliveries of candies. And there wasn't a massacre at 07/10, the nice Hamasniks just wanted to dance.

Also there aren't hostags - they were just chosen for a special vocation! That included a diet of 6 dates/1 pita a day. And no medication. And abuse of all kinds.

If you believe that, I have some warm ice to sell you.

~

Of whom, exactly? There's no targeting a specific group of people in attempt to eliminate.

(If it was, then it would have started with the Palestinians and Muslims who live in Israel. Wouldn't you think so?)

Genocides doesn't include multiple phone calls and flyers to warn ppl to leave unsafe areas.

You keep calling it genocide, while ignoring that if the target WAS to kill as many as possible, there are quicker and far more quiet ways to do so.

(Also less expensive with many and all sorts of resources, including people.)

~

But this isn't about it.

Like you said, this isn't about facts, or logic, or thoughts.

In short, you consider the opinion "Israel is evil (and shouldn't exist)" and specifically in this case, "genocide in Gaza":

"The cult of action for action's sake", which dictates that action is of value in itself and should be taken without intellectual reflection. - How, exactly, writing me (a random person) is helping anyone? What does it achieve? Will changing my mind help anyone, or is it just bad to have a different opinion? Or are you trying to make any statement?

Disagreement is treason - (something) is right, and everyone who doesn't think the same way is a terrible person that shouldn't exist.

Difference is bad - everyone who (isn't like me) is bad. Not specifically in your anon, yes specific in the ways we see pp people go on to random jews and harrasing them bc "free Palestine!" (How, exactly, beating up a schoolboy in the uk help to free Palestine?)

"The enemy" is both very strong and very weak - Israel committing genocide, but also can be stopped by not buying Starbucks (that doesn't even work in Israel) and going on a strike.

There's use of "Newspeak" - in which a massacre and sexual assault for the sake of killing people and provoking terror is "resistance", but fighting against those who did it, and who are STILL HOLDING HOSTAGES and still FIRING MISSILES, while trying to lessen civilians casualties is "genocide". In which refusing to allow refugees to cross the border is seen as a good thing (Egypt).

(there's more, but those are themes in your spesific anon)

I'm not saying that all I say is right, or all I say is wrong.

I'm not saying that I even have all the questions.

But those are things that's important to think and talk about.

~

Categories based on “Ur-Fascism” or “Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt” (in Italian: Il fascismo eterno, or Ur-Fascismo), by Italian philosopher, novelist, and semiotician Umberto Eco (1995).

I love your work and fics but because of your support of the genocide in Gaza Strip I am unable to truly continue supporting you.

I know that you believe that supporting the Palestinians is anti-semitic but if you learned about these topics you would know. Zionism is inherently anti-semitic itself, Zionism is a political philosophy that was first created in the 1600s by anti-Semitic Christians who believed Jews from all over the world should be expelled and gathered in one place. And then Theodor Herzl, an atheist, adopted Zionism to find a "suitable country" to colonize, and several countries were suggested: Uganda, Argentina, Cyprus, and Madagascar. But with Jews' rejection and with the support of Western politicians, Zionism secured their interests in the resources of the Middle East, thus Palestine.

Maybe if you learned what it was like to see through the eyes of people like Bisan Owda, Wael Al-Dahdouh, Motaz Azaiza, Hind Khoudary, or maybe even the six year old Hind Rajab who died after traveling through a "Safe Zone" with her family and being stuck in a car with their bodies for 12 days.

This is not a war. This is a genocide. I'm not asking you to change overnight, but knowing the full truth of what Israel is doing under the same excuses that you're telling yourself will help you understand what's really going on.

Thanks for the compliment? I think? 

Uh, ok, this isn't about my writing - this is about you complaining about my thoughts and experiences. Cool.

Support genocide etc.

A. I do not support genocide.

2B. What's happening in Gaza rn isn't genocide. It's war. And the use of that term is very disrespectful and dismissive to other places, in which there IS, actually, a genocide.

2C. That being said, I don't support war. I don't support death. And I really wish this wouldn't happen.

3. I Don't??? Think?? Supporting Palestine is antisemic??? 

I do think that pro-palestine rallies with chants like "Gas the Jews" and harrasing jews and Jewish place ARE antisemic, yes.

If you need that difference explicitly said, I guess you should look at the rallies and pro-p things you're talking about.

"But if you learned about these topics"

EXCUSE ME????

If I LEARNT ABOUT IT?

Because of course - my knowledge, as part of a minority group, of a subject that is INHERENTLY related to in-group topics, and the what I learnt from people in-group are obviously less relevant than what you, oh great saviour, has learnt through Tik-Tok.

"Zionism is inherently anti-semitic itself"

Do you even understand how ignorant saying that is??

Do you understand how much this is propaganda?

"I believe that (Jewish people right to self-determination and live peacefully) is a bad thing" - do you even hear yourself?? 

"Zionism.... was first created in the 1600s by anti-Semitic Christians who believed Jews from all over the world should be expelled and gathered in one place. "

No. Just don't.

Idk - maybe this is what they teach in America or idk where, right next to "jews, Muslims and Christians lived peacefully before the evil Zionists colonisers " (look up the massacres in Zfad, the massacre and ethnic cleansing of Habron, Gush Etzion, Gaza-several cleansing btw).

Anyway, Zionism in the older form (yearning to go back Home, Eretz Israel as the Jewish homeland, and a connection between God-People-Land) is one of the first things in the Jewish narrative.

Practically, the Jewish calander is SoLunal calander that based on the seasons, weather, and agriculture in the levant.

Religiously - jews prayed to go back to "build Jerusalem" every year since the 2nd temple was destroyed. We kept practicing traditions and Mitzvahs that are related to the connection to the spesific area.

(And there always, always been jews going to Israel.)

Herzel's thoughts and actions to create the Zionist movement came after he watched the Dreyfus trial and realised that jews will always be haunted and discriminated BECAUSE of their Jewishness. So if you want a place without this, you gotta make a Jewish state.   (There are many kinds of Zionism,  I go with this as a general and simple explanation.)

(more about why this is problematic undercut)

"You don't know what it's like" -

What. The. Fuck.

You said you came here via my fics. 

I'm sorry.

Did you miss the whole long AF a/n I wrote in the last months??

About my personal experiences with war?? 

Both current (the whole saga with physical/mental safety, the evacuation, losing my glasses, etc. ??)

And previous (being bombed and evacuation 1 as a kid. My first PTSD. Terror attack and PTSD number 2 (ft. dead babies. Fun times). Rockets, more rockets, war, friends hurt in terror attack, friends-of-friends DIE in terror attack, more wars, etc.

(And that's not even the reason I was suicidal since young teen).

"This isn't war, it's genocide"

I'm sorry, do you remember how it fucking started?? How it continues?? How there are still FUCKING ROCKETS AIMED AT Israel??

Yes. This is sad. People shouldn't die in war. 

In fact, I truly believe that death-machines and people should not be near each other.

**Which is why I'm so mad at the fact non one's talking or doing anything to make Egypt open the fucking borders and let ppl through without having to bribe their life out**

" the full truth of what Israel is doing"

Right.

You, who's purely immune to Propaganda, of course.

You sure knows much more then me - who, you know, the one who ACTUALLY LIVE THROUGH this, and actually familiar with the history of the country and conflict (no, it didn't start in 1948. Not even in 1918. It was way earlier.)

(And just as you mention - have you heard about Ellin (9) and  Eithan (5) Kapshiter? They were shoot in the car with their entire family.

Ellin was considered missing for 2 weeks, before her body was identified. That was a couple of hours after her family's funeral.

For some reason, I didn't see any "where's Ellin?" On Tumblr.

Oh, and do you remember Kfir and Ariel Bibas? Kfir just had his first birthday.

They are still held captive, btw. For some reason, I don't see anyone in the "ceasefire now" crowd talking about how CRUCIAL it is that Hamas bring back the people they, you know, kidnapped. That they should get medical attention and visits from the RC. 

In fact, in the last hostage deal, this was something Hamas refused to include.)

Calling it genocide is problematic in many ways. Including for the people who suffer from this war.

Calling it genocide allows the the activism to be mostly anti-Israel, instead of pro-palestine.

For example, focusing the efforts on "stopping Israel" and "Israel is bad" and "boycott Israel", instead of "how do we save lives" and "why Egypt not opening the borders".

Less "ceasefire now!" (Though a good target) And "defund Israel!"

More "release the hostages and let humanitarian aid in".

(not to mention that all those efforts, for some reason, never go to other places and other people who suffer. Never even go to Palestinian in refugees camps - in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria.)

Pro-tip:

If someone tells you "a (very important thing in a minority's group culture) was actually created by (A majority group) as a (bad thing)", then you have one of those options: It's a lie, reclaiming, and "yes but no" .

1. It's a lie - aka: Just bc you didn't know about it, doesn't mean it's not real. (Sort of like the term of "dark ages" - that come to portray the intellectual darkness in Europe between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance. Though it wasn't the same if you look at non-european history.)

And in a simpler example-  Pasta! Usually considered "Italian", but only got there at 4th century BC. Evidences in China during the Shang Dynasty (1700-1100 BC). There was also African form of pasta, made of kamut crop. 

2. Reclaiming (see "queer" - was used as a general term, then a slur, going back to an Identity.)

3. Yes, but actually no (take for example sign language (s) - languages, as community languages, started to form when schools-for-deaf became a thing. Residential schools, where the students lived together and worked together ehad to learn to communicate.

Then they learn sign language - of the area/country/etc.

It doesn't mean that "Hearing created SL". The languages were built from home-signs (look at the difference between simple words, like "eat" in different SLs - like brit vs. Japanese) , and gained depth through the creation of Deaf communities. 

[peakyblinded]

Mikey anon here 👋🏻

You’re saying everything I’m thinking perfectly!

“Fascist Bullshit” & “Keeping Up With Tommy Shelby™️” are so spot on!

The Shelby family and the company should have been the focal point throughout. That’s what the show started out as and that’s what we watched for. If Steven knight had allowed things to develop organically it truly would have been an exceptional series.

A power struggle between Tommy and Michael in Birmingham that developed over time for clear reasons and came to a head in the end would have been so much more satisfying than what we got.

The involvement of the Americans didn’t work for me at all. Neither did Tommy Shelby’s adventures in politics or the random appearances of The Billy boys and the IRA in S5 & 6. And the Oswald Mosley storyline just did not catch or keep my attention. It was boring and borderline annoying.

All of that plus the various Shelby subplots and then every and now and again popping in to see Michael who’s stuck in prison for 90% of the series and saying hey he’s gonna kill Tommy cos he hates him was lazy.

I absolutely would love to see a Michael spin off. Personally I wish we had seen more of it in the series. His backstory, side plots, relationships and alliances that weren’t inherently connected to Tommy. The little things that made him Michael. The right person could have written storylines that made him shine and even though Finn Cole did the best with what he was given his most memorable moments are S2, 3 & 4 because that’s when there was genuine effort put in his character development and storylines.

MIKEY-MIKE HIII

ah, my dear Mike, we get each other, don't we? 🥂

I personally liked Jack, Oswald and Diana as characters, bc the actors played them so god. damn. good.! But plot wise?? Yet again I agree with you, Mikey, we didn't need them. I wanted to watch a crime family and all that comes with it, not just the boss playing around in politics, biting over more than he can (or should) chew with his crumbling mental health (at this point idk who's more baffled by the fact Tommy is still alive - me or him, lol).

Not to get repetitive, but I'd love a spin off about Diana as well. Or about the Diana and Oswald, with a side of Jack. The fucked up fascist trio. Don't get me wrong (and I can't believe i have to say this) but I am not a fan of fascism. At all. I'm simply intrigued by the characters. How well do they really know the ideology? What's their motivation for supporting it politically? (So far I'm thinking Diana does it bc it's trendy, Oswald does it to prove to his papa wrong and that he actually can be a big strong man, and Jack bc it seems like a good business opportunity) AND HOW THEY INTERACT WHEN TOMMY "THE SEXY SOCIALIST" SHELBY ISN'T IN THE ROOM?

btw LEAVING MICHAEL TO ROT IN PRISON FOR MOST OF S6 WAS SO LAZY, I AGREE. IDC IF THERE WAS A CONFLICT IN FINN'S SCHEDULE BC OF 'ANIMAL KINGDOM' OR SOME OTHER BULLSHIT IT. WAS. NOT. OKAY. i'm having a hard time forgiving this. who's decision was it?

[greater-than-the-sword]

I recently made a post telling people that since times were going to become bad, they needed to find and reread the books that make them feel strong. Of course, I was immediately asked by an anon if I had any recommendations. At the time I regret that nothing came to mind. However, I took the time to go through my goodreads list today.

Some of these are “manly” books. Some of them are “girly” books. But all of them are books that will leave you feeling stronger, braver, or more equipped. Warning: some of these will shake up your worldview. Disclaimer: This is not a blanket endorsement of every single opinion expressed in these books.

With no further ado, I present to you:

The Chad Reading List

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Very old book

Wisest Emperor of Rome

Like Jordan Peterson before Jordan Peterson

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Oldest book on this list

5th century BC

I feel like a war general

One time I saw a guy reading this on the bus and I thought it was very sexy

The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis

I mean it’s CS Lewis and also self explanatory

Very thought provoking philosophically

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

Old Sci-fi

Sincerely convincing treatise on the unconquerable nature of the human spirit

Also slightly fascist in the literal sense

but like an inclusive humanist fascism (weird, I know)

Not fully endorsed but very much liked

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Longread

The. Human. Spirit.

Unironic virtue ethics

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Please read this even if you are a dude

Ages 7+

Virtue and dignity irrespective of circumstances

Font of wisdom

Understood Betsy

Just nice!!

Girl learns to become brave through tlc and love

like all the comfort part of a hurt/comfort fic

Read even if you are a dude

Ages 6+

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Dystopia with population control akin to PRC.

3rd children are illegal dissidents.

Must read whole series. Quick read.

Ages 9+

The Homelanders Series by Andrew Klavan

Teen thriller (ages 13+)

Conservative default viewpoint, even to the point of cheesiness a bit

The. Human. Spirit.

LET MY SON HAVE A BREAK

You will go work out after reading

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

Self explanatory

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand

My endorsement is superfluous

Simply a book that I stand in awe of really

I love books about the human spirit but this is that and more than that

This is a book that will rekindle your faith in the Spirit of God

Yeah it’s one of Those Books

Anyway that’s my entire Chad Reading list, I hope to add to it in future. Have a very pleasant evening

[normal-thoughts-official]

ok idk if u like harry potter (either way fuck jkr) but have u thought about sh characters and hp houses? for magnus i’m torn between hufflepuff and ravenclaw, alec hufflepuff ?? maybe?? and idk for anyone else

its a weird thing because i've always hated hp, even when i was a kid, but i'm kinda interested in discussing the whole houses thing? possibly because the choice between traits is so fucking random and absurd like idk it makes for funny character analysis. so in short let's go

but also, i'll warn u that my takes on this are usually considered kinda spicy. mostly because other ppl r wrong and interpret the characters terribly i go by the canon that the house ur sorted into represents what you value the most, not necessarily what you are (which is why hermione is gryffindor and not ravenclaw for example, and if i'm not mistaken so's neville? idk idc her worldbuilding is bad) so yeah

magnus is definitely hufflepuff for me, no argument about that. like yes he is very smart but i don't think that he values knowledge/intelligence above all else. wisdom maybe, but even then, magnus' character core is and has always been kindness and loyalty. he values kindness and mutual support and community and equality. it's indisputable that he's hufflepuff for me, not only in values but in personality and actions

i like slytherin alec, first because it fits his character arc. like big racist family who loves fascism and is very traditional sounds like slytherin, and at a very young age he'd be their golden boy tbh [EDIT: ive already gotten anon hate over this so please read these posts before freaking out over this part please and thank you] so like, makes sense. but even later alec i think fits slytherin, although in a different way. family above all else, tradition, and ambition? sounds like him. he's a political shark, he's very traditional, and he's loyal as fuck to his family. i'm not against hufflepuff alec per se but i wouldnt say, even by the end of the series, that alec values kindness/community/equality above all else, tbh

raphael is hufflepuff. again, loyalty, community, kindness. i could maybe kiiiiiindaaaaa see why ppl think he fits slytherin aesthetics with his power suits and shit but also raphael is the least ambitious person in like, this entire show lmao his happy ending is literally to become a priest (like i hate the whole mundane thing but u cant argue that that's an ambitious man lol). throughout the show his whole motivation was always protecting his people and his family, and he was shown to be kind and caring even to shadowhunters. and yes okay there was the heidi plotline but like a- it made no fucking sense anyway (both for his character and just plot-wise, like, she wasn't a daylighter, why would he be after her and not simon, what the fuck) so i simply ignore it, and b- even then it doesn't define him or his values. if ppl can see hufflepuff alec when he handed meliorn over to be tortured for basically no reason and was never shown to be particularly caring beyond the people closest to him, i can say hufflepuff raphael when he continuously extended his hand to people who literally betrayed, used and tortured him

maia is hufflepuff and look i know that this sounds like "all my faves are hufflepuffs" but really tho. endlessly loyal to her pack, wants to build a family, her whole thing was always about making the downworld better and making sure her family was okay, i don't see how community and equality aren't defining values for her. "oh muh muh muh she was willing to kill ppl" there was a war going on buddy. it doesn't mean that maia isn't kind and caring. also, again, she is fierce on her ideals, which happen to be family, equality, and community (both as in the pack and the downworld as a whole, see how hard she tried to mend vamp/wolf relationships). she's a hufflepuff

meliorn is a hard one. i think gryffindor or slytherin? tbh i don't think any of the houses really super fits them because again jk's worldbuilding makes no sense like the four personality traits are kind, smart, brave, and racist there are no other ones you sjw snowflake. and okay i know that i just called slytherin the racist house but that was a joke and i can see slytherin meliorn because loyalty and tradition. not really ambitious but not not ambitious either. tbh i could make points for meliorn in all houses, i think wisdom is definitely something they seek and care about, as is bravery (they're literally a knight), as is community, as is tradition. but also i could see them being like "hey sorting hat put me in slytherin i'm a 'mudblood' they're gonna be super pissed". and going there just to be defiant. but no actually i changed my mind completely, they're ravenclaw. i think wisdom and temperance are what they seek the most, because they want to be a good leader/asset for their people. which kinda circles back to hufflepuff but still.... wisdom. i think it suits them

simon is another hard one for opposite reasons like i don't think he truly fits any of the houses? like meliorn fits them all simon fits none. i know ppl always go with hufflepuff simon cuz they think hufflepuff is the dork house and simon is an anxious bean but fuck that noise, hufflepuff isn't the dork house, it's the house for those who believe in mutual aid and support and equality and that's literally canon, hufflepuff existed because it was the only hogwarts founder who believed that everyone had equal right to education. hufflepuff is a fierce house of sjws and people who want to change the world for the better and YES i am aware that for someone who thinks harry potter sucks i sure have strong opinions about it. but that's the thing like there are so many interesting places jk rowling could've gone and instead she chose to write the most superficial shit ever. anyway my point is that hufflepuff is not the dork house so i'm not gonna sort simon there just because he's a dork. but anyway i wouldnt say that he particularly values any of the house's traits. maybe ravenclaw for creativity? or gryffindor because clary is there and he's like "please sorting hat do me a solid" lol

which okay i guess leads me to clary. definitely gryffindor. bravery with a side of recklessness is definitely her thing. she is fierce and she is proud of it. no argument about that

j@ce is also gryffindor in the most annoying obnoxious way. he's just like man i sure like violence watch me prove how macho i am and the sorting hat is like oh no it's one of those gryffindors

izzy.... i can see gryffindor cuz again bravery and just again fits her character arc as she would go there specifically as a fuck you to the lightwood's traditional slytherin shit. but really tho, ravenclaw. she values knowledge, she is hungry for it, she wants to see the world and learn and invent and create you know?? so like yeah ravenclaw

cat.... either ravenclaw or hufflepuff? she just cares about people as a whole but also about wisdom and knowledge so could go either way imo

ragnor... man i really have no idea for ragnor. again aesthetic fits slytherin but is he actually proud, ambitious, cunning? i don't think so. fucking ravenclaw maybe? just like "yes i value knowledge very much now put me in the nerd house where people will leave me alone" lol. ok tho ravenclaw it is

madzie... gryffindor? idk she seems like she would want to have adventure. it's so hard to do this for sh minor characters when their personality was basically based on the shape of the writer's poop that day tbh

camille is slytherin because duh and if we really wanna do a h*gwarts au for some reason, it adds some angsty juices as magnus once again falls in love with a slytherin and doesn't know how to open up and trust (once he meets alec, i mean)

luke is ravenclaw methinks. i guess could have been slytherin because character arc as shadowhunter but like... he's just a wise and caring figure. i could see hufflepuff but i think his thing is less equality/community and more family, but post-sh luke doesn't exactly fit "proud, ambitious, cunning" either. so yeah methinks ravenclaw. same for alaric i guess

who else exists lmao. i feel like i'm forgetting somebody but idk who so i guess i'll reblog or edit if i think of someone elsIT WAS DOT okay so i think either hufflepuff or ravenclaw. kinda hard because her whole personality was "cares about clary" so idk but like loyalty and care seem like character traits that suit her? also she was knee deep in trauma and still cared about helping magnus so... yeah hufflepuff

[collectivefandomasks]

Tumblr Mom, I am scared. I am sorry if you don't like politics being dragged into your blog, but I am American and feel helpless. I'm just shy of being able to vote and I've probably been watching the results (so far) way too obsessively, but I'm really scared about what's going to happen if he wins reelection. I worry that I won't have a future (not in the suicidal sense, if you're worried, just that, you know, the earth is dying, America is doing terribly, and it feels like there's a- (1/2)

Aw man I can relate to the “just shy of voting age”. I was 6 months shy of 18 during an election and it sucked. As for the politics, I don’t actually mind talking politics (weird, I know, but shipping is a lot more incendiary on tumblr than politics. What a world we live in). The reason I don’t post much about it is because I don’t think my local politics would be very relatable to an international audience, me not being American and all. Anyway! Election night is always a bit scary and for you in US right now I understand if it can feel downright apocalyptic. I only know what’s going on from an outside perspective, but it looks like there’s a polarization in the US that’s getting pretty extreme, and that always leads to a feeling of unrest on a fundamental level. We never know what’s going to happen in the future, or how things may progress in our own country politcally, but -as weird as it might sound -the fear you feel isn’t bad.

Now, we’ve all learned over the past decade (and long before that) that fear is a tool that can be used to radicalize people and cause rifts in society. Often we think that fear is the tool of fascism, dictatorships and oppression. And it is, but that’s not all it is. Fear is a warning system, that let’s us prepare and act in advance. Fear means that it’s time to focus on what’s going on, and how we will choose to handle it. Fear, like anger, can drive positive change as much as it does negative.

You describe this overwhelming feeling of chaos and powerlessness that could make any person want to just give up. We all encounter that, sometimes, whether it’s to do with the enviroment or injustice or something else. I can’t tell you there’s an easy cure, because there isn’t, but here’s what I try to do when I’m struck down by it:

I ask myself “what is the problem?” this sometimes involves research because it’s not always obvious. With the enviroment, for example, the problem could be that 100 companies are causing 70% of the pollution, and only the governments of the world can force them to get a fucking grip.

Then, I ask myself “what can I do to actually contribute to solving this?” Is there a political party I can join? A protest? A movement? Would it help to become a lawyer? A scientist? A politican? Is it so bad that I shouldn’t try to solve it, but try to escape it instead? Sometimes, there’s something I can do, which is why I’ve been active both politically and with enviromental movements when I was younger, but sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes I don’t have the energy, or time, or force of will. Worse, sometimes all alternatives feel equally worthless (which is why I’m not involved in politics now). And in those cases, I accept that fact and try to let the anxiety go. Because fear that can’t inspire movement is just paralyzing, and if you can’t move then you have to put the fear away.

My point, though I’ve rambled my way through it, is that what you’re feeling right now is good in a way. It means that you can see the world for what it is. Just don’t let that knowledge make you apathetic. And don’t fall into a spiral of catastrophic thinking. The world is not dead quite yet, and the US still holds public elections. There’s time for you to turn eighteen and start making a difference. If there’s anything we can learn from history it’s that things are never as fixed as we think they are. Rome could fall and Paris could burn. Nothing is quite as set in stone as they’d like us to think.

Stay strong anon💞💞💞

P.S. if all else fails you can always join @ihassheepquake

they seem to be on to something

[warsofasoiaf]

Hello! Following the questions regarding the clear inefficiency and corruption of dictatorships, and in particular the 20th century ones, Mussolini's fascism comes to mind as probably the worst among the Axis powers in this regard. Or at least that's my view as an antifascist Italian and history enthusiast. I'd be interested to know if you agree (if you wish and have time), since I really appreciate your meta analisys. Thanks!

If you’re looking for a quick zinger, you really can’t go wrong with the classics. Despite the “at least the trains run on time” slogan, the trains in fascist Italy were often off their timetables and notoriously late.

Fascist Italy had a terrible track record during the Second World War. While the “Italians don’t fight” stereotype. Like I discussed with @stefansasse in our podcast episode about the ineffectiveness of fascist military and governmental organization (albeit we focused on Nazi Germany), there was a grand emphasis in style over substance and little in the way of genuine innovative techniques, which was a real shame because the Italian soldiers did at times exhibit considerable ingenuity with motorized and mechanized warfare during their time in Ethiopia and Spain. Individual unit action did showcase phenomenal cases of courage, German soldiers that had worked with the Italians had even said “the soldiers are good, their officers worthless.” So the major European country with the most experience of fighting a modern, motorized war was among its least prepared and least innovative particularly at the officer corps. This isn’t to defend fascism and anyone who takes that as such is willfully wrong, I just find it necessary at times for those who dismiss the Italian people as people that can’t fight. 

However, the army apparatus was, following the pattern of dictatorial administration, clumsily run. Caste systems that had dogged the Italian military in the First World War (the common grunt or peasant conscript primarily saw the officer corps as out-of-touch men from Piedmont or Savoy) continued into Fascist Italy, with conduct between officers, NCO’s, and enlisted men not conducive to a unified fighting force. Dialect problems plagued the army and administration, which was deeply at odds with Mussolini’s fascist mission statement of a single strong leader that would eliminate the muddling and arguing that left liberal democracies incapable of facing the challenges of modernity. Similarly, his mantra of a strongman that could effectively organize the apparatus of state to prepare to fight a truly modern war sort of fell apart when Italy was unready to enter war, having to declare war on the United Kingdom and France well after the battle was already lost for the latter in the hopes of getting the spoils. 

And what was ready wasn’t great. Their tanks had thin armor and puny engines. Their artillery was ponderously slow with poor range. The anti-tank guns had little penetrative power. But perhaps the worst (because I’m a logistics guy) is the absence of field kitchens, with poor Italian soldiers having to ask allied German soldiers for food. That’s an unbelievably terrible record of fascist inefficiency, where an incompetent dictator has oversights that completely cripple its operations. Their invasion of Greece was a debacle, they needed a full 20 divisions of Alpini if they wanted to succeed, they had six. 

Worst is often a subjective judgment, but I think there’s enough objective measurements to say that Fascist Italy was one of the worst combatants in the Second World War and a lot of that stems from the incompetence and inefficiency of the fascist regime. 

Thanks for the question, Anti-Fascist Italian and History Enthusiast Anon. I hope you have a good one.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[letbarbieshavedragons]

"Live by my rules or die"??? Lmao, okay, what dany did is definitely in line with stalin, sure. Not. Wtf the fuck kind of idioticy is this? Dany very clearly and often gave people the choice, and more importantly there is a strict difference between the common citizen and the establishment. The bolsheviks targeted the bourgeoisie to replace and become the new ruling class. It is not the people dany is executing to build her new world. Revolution means getting rid of the old guard not the people.

Go off anon. Daenerys is not in fact a fascist. Even in the last really ooc episodes, it’s not a correct term for her. She’s still just a monarch. Plus, the last season was immensely ooc for everyone, Daenerys spends 90% of the series being the opposite of a fascist so calling her one seems to me like they are just stretching to hate her. And @tallulalusa has a good point, this is a midevial monarchal setting, we really can’t apply modern lexicon to it. By this person’s arguement Cersei and Tywin and Robert were all fascist. But killing your enemies in this world is common practice. Having one person with all the power is pretty much the only form of gov they know. This is a monarchy, not fascism.

Also, I want to go into this ‘Barbie dragon’ comment this person made. Cause it makes a lot of assumptions, that I just can’t get behind. Like antis alway use this term as if I shouldn’t think that sounds fucking awesome. I WISH I had a dragon queen Barbie to play with as a kid. Also I liked barbies as a girl 🤷‍♀️ give me a Dany Barbie, id be hyped.

I mean, I get why Barbies are problematic: the historical lack of inclusivity, shallow professions, and unrealistic body standards. But it strikes me thats not why antis use it. They use it in the sense that every obnoxious misogynistic man would call a woman a ‘barbie’, to represent the stereotypical shallow, bubble headed, blonde, pretty girl that all edgy teens (myself included) learned to hate.

But the truth of the matter is, Daenerys isn’t that at all. If anything she’s the subversion of that trope. Is she beautiful? Yes. Blonde? Yes. Do people assume she is vapid and stupid? Also Yes. But what is she actually? A liberator, a conqueror. A woman with strong beliefs, a stronger drive and a clever mind. Not exactly a ‘barbie’. But go off I guess.

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Hello Ms. Lost! I'm writing to you with a feeling of strange unease. For years I've been following SNK without any wane in enthusiasm. I've been enjoying the story itself, as well as appreciating the sense of conflict in situations and ethics the characters often face. Recently I've noticed an uptick in folks on Twitter accusing the story/Isayama of being any number of unsavory things; anti-Semitic, pro-imperialism, nationalist, etc. 1/?

Personally, I feel that I’d need to do more research before being able to commit to statements as to what Isayama does or doesn’t believe. As for the story, I’m not sold. I feel it’s inevitable that history inspires the stories people will tell, but that isn’t to suggest the presentation of difficult topics is the same thing as the author/mangaka condoning the behavior or people/events in time. But with this sudden surge of people shutting down the manga or supporting it… 2/?

I guess I just find myself questioning my still-strong interest in the manga. Racism and anti-Semitism will always be awful and should be spoken out against, there’s no two ways about it. But when I step back to think of SNK through that lens, I just don’t see the story condoning these behaviors, fetishizing people, or whatever else is being claimed in the aforementioned Twitter threads. 3/?

So yeah. I think I’m just writing all this to you because you always speak your mind both respectfully while not sugar-coating things. If you don’t have thoughts on this subject, or just don’t want to answer, I understand all the way. But in case you do, I wanted to ask what you think about the entire Isayama/SNK is anti-Semitic/imperialist/etc. thing.

Hello Anon, I generally avoid answering asks about this because most of them stem back to an old tumblr post that has already been critiqued many times by people who are much more patient and eloquent than I am, and giving it further airtime is not helpful.   However, this latest blow up has been triggered by a different post on twitter, so I’m going to break my own rule and answer your ask as a one-off. 

Like you, I can’t comment on anything Isayama may or may not have said in past interviews, as I’m not familiar with the context and I lack the frame of reference to pass judgement one way or another, and neither is it my place to do so. 

With regard to the manga itself, I appreciate that different people can read the same material and come away with very different interpretations, and it’s not my place to tell anyone how to interpret a text.  I can only give you my opinion on the story as I’ve read it in good faith, and personally I don’t think that it sets out to condone fascism, imperialism, militarism and anti-Semitism.  As I read it, the whole theme of the manga is that war and oppression are bad and cycles of violence are futile. 

Having said that, Isayama is not a subtle storyteller.  I’ve been critical of his handling of plot and pacing in the past and his use of historical parallels and imagery is heavy handed at best.  I have to confess that I winced when I read the Marley arc, it’s really not subtle, and it’s far too easy to take the imagery out of context, which is exactly what has happened.  And fwiw, I have the same concerns about Zeke’s plan and the current eugenics plot line. 

However I don’t think Isayama is glorifying military might; he repeatedly highlights the futility of military power, and the majority of soldiers and their commanders have died horrible inglorious deaths. I don’t think he has dehumanised the Eldians; yes they can turn into monsters, but the whole point of the story is to see them as free individuals.  I don’t think Isayama’s sympathies lie with Marley; their oppression of the Eldians is clearly shown to be a terrible, terrible thing.  I don’t think he is setting up the supremacy of one nation over another either; the whole point of the plot line with Gabi and the Braus family was to show that underneath all the prejudice and indoctrination they have more in common than not.  And I don’t think that the visuals of the manga flirt with fascist symbolism any more than many other military themed series, and less than some.  Also Flocke is pretty much a poster child for the evils of right wing nationalist extremism. 

I confess that like you, this latest round of criticism has left me a little despondent because so much of it appears to be ill informed.  However, I can understand how some people might be offended, particularly if they haven’t read the entire series.  I can only advise that if you enjoy the series then you continue reading and make your own informed judgement as best you can.  That’s what I’ll be doing, and that’s pretty much my last word on the matter. 

Thank you for framing your ask so thoughtfully and respectfully Anon, and for appreciating the sensitivities of responding to a question like this. 

[fragiledewdrop]

Let me try to add something to this awesome reply.

I'll draw an example from real life, aka an idyllic family lunch that took place a couple weeks ago.

Here's a few background details you may need to fully understand this:

1) I am Italian, which means that fascism has played a pretty important role in the history of my country and in the life of many of my family members.

2) The protagonists of this family lunch were my parents and I, my grandfather, and my grandfather's brother.

3) We are all leftists, some more "moderate" than others, EXCEPT for my great-uncle, who is 100% right wing and spent the years of lead getting into fistfights with communists in the streets of Rome.

4) My grandfather was born in 1931. This means he spent his entire childhood and early adolescence under Mussolini's dictatorship.

5) His brother is much younger: he was a small child during the war.

Now, as I said we were having lunch, and we started talking about politics-unavoidable, really, given the fact that we were (still are) in the middle of a particularly messy government crisis. We obviously had different opinions, so we started arguing. It was a pretty polite discussion at the beginning, but things escalated quickly. My relatives started going back in time, addressing almost every single government we've ever had, and by the time I brought out dessert they were straight up shouting. And that's when my uncle dropped the bomb.

"What did Mussolini ever do wrong after all? Sure, you can criticise his choices since 1935,but before that? We should take him as an example"

Silence.

Then I exploded.

(Here is where it all becomes relevant to the matter at hand.)

1) "Fascism and Communism are the same thing", you say.

Surprisingly enough, that's what my uncle said too.

When I went ballistic on him, his first reaction was to say that "Mussolini also did good things". That's the standard argument Italian fascists use (Have you ever heard the expression "At least under Mussolini the trains were on time?" Yeah) So I used my standard reply, which is : "I sure as hell hope so. He had absolute power for twenty years, he must have done something useful with it".

I also said that doing "some good" doesn't excuse the horrifying things he also did in the slightest. And I started listing them: the crimes, the suppression of freedom, the killings. Surprise surprise, here he went (like you, anon) : "But the communists were doing these things too. They were no better than him. In fact, Stalin was worse"

To which my only answer was, and is, and always will be, a resounding "So?"

Let me ask you something: if you stab a guy in a dark alley, and you are arrested, do you think that :"Sure, I did it, but the guy one street over stabbed a person too" would be a valid defense? Do you think it would excuse what you did, legally or morally? It doesn't matter what anyone else does. You are accountable for your actions. Even if the guy one street over were a more heinous criminal than you, even if he had killed two people or four or ten, you would still be a murderer. The nicest of two murders, maybe, but still a murderer.

Honestly, I don't give a fuck whether Hitler was worse than Stalin or Mussolini better than Franco or whatever other deranged boss fight from hell you want to come up with. They were all dictators, they all violated human rights and THE CRIMES OF ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS MERRY BRIGADE DON'T EXCUSE OR MITIGATE THE CRIMES OF THE OTHERS.

Anon, even if you were right and Communism = Fascism (it's not true, as explained above and in the comments) that wouldn't make fascism suddenly okay.

Honestly, the fact that you have to resort to the argument "But they did it too!" like a child trying to get out of punishment in a kindergarten playground means you are not coming from a very strong ethical position, imo.

2) "Antifa = Communist"

At this point in my story, my uncle and I were eviscerating each other with words. Until my grandfather, who had been completely and uncharacteristically silent until that moment,interrupted us. He looked his brother dead in the eye and very calmly said: " You don't know what the fuck you are talking about." Then he proceded to give a speech that left me reeling. He said that as a child he was obsessed with the Fascist party, and especially with the Duce. He said - and I quote- that he had been brainwashed. That every morning he had to start the day swearing undying fealty to the Duce, and that that was the tune they were all made to dance to quite literally from dawn to dusk. He said that Mussolini was his whole world. He said that if, at any point in his life until he was 14, someone had given him a knife and told him to kill someone because the Duce wanted him to, he would have done it without hesitation (he was deadly serious and it really, really scared me.) He said that on April 25th (that being the day in 1945 when Mussolini tried to flee the country) he was destroyed. He couldn't imagine a world without him.

This last part was the worst, because dammit, my grandfather had lived through a war this man had dragged the country into, and he still revered him.

It was the first time in my whole life I heard him speak of this so plainly. I knew he still knows Mussolini's speeches by heart (my other grandfather does too. Neither of them are fascists, but things drilled into your brain during childhood are difficult to forget) but somehow I thought he had always been able to see through the indoctrination. I never would have guessed he had, at any point in his life, supported and even loved the man he now despises. But how could he not? He was a child, and he didn't know anything else, and if this isn't evil I don't know what is. (Oh, this is the reason I mentioned my grandpa's and uncle's age difference. My uncle didn't go through this whole process. He was too young. I wonder if that has something to do with his opinions. It's just a theory, though)

I am telling this story because these right here are the roots of antifascism. It's personified in someone who lived through the regime people are now so quick to glorify, was steeped in its ideology and then, when he was free of it, slowly came to realize how wrong everything he believed in had been.

My grandfather is the most radically antifascist person I know, for many reasons. According to your reasoning, anon, he should be a communist, right? And yet he is a centrist with a slight inclination to the left. I know for a fact he has never once voted PCI (that was the Italian Communist Party, really important for a long while)

So yeah, sorry, your reasoning doesn't check out.

But enough with the family stories. I'll give you one more example of this: the Italian Constitution.

After the war ended, and after Italy held a referendum that got rid of our (frankly useless) king, we became a Republic, and Constitution was needed.

A Constituent Assembly was elected to write it, composed of very different political forces. You know what they ALL had in COMMON, though? ANTIFASCISM.

So let's take a look at this terrifying Antifa assembly, mmh?

You are probably scared by all the red on the left, and yes, yes, those are communists and socialists. Not surprising, right? Although I want to point out that they are there in part because a lot of socialists and communists fought the fascists (I mean literally fought. In battle.) Now, If they were fascists like you say, why would they...fight...fascism??? In fact, why would fascists and communists constantly fight throughout history, with the one exception of the short, ill-fated Hitler/Stalin alliance? I really really don't follow. But, moving on.

Now I want you to look to the centre and the right. See all that unthreatening blue? Those are all antifascists who *gasp* where not communist. At all. Is that possible?????

Well, look at the first party listed, the one who had the highest number of representatives. The DC. Who are they? The Cristian Democracy. Now, after all your talk of history books, I am sure you know that Christians and Communism don't mix well, to put it mildly.

Here's one of the DC's manifests :

As you can see, the DC was both antifascist and vehemently anti-communist. Kinda throws a wrench into the workings of your impeccable logic, doesn't it?

I want to end my rant on this note: antifascism is not a political party. It is an idea, a belief, that should come natural to everyone who believes in freedom and in democracy. There can be no democracy under fascism. There can be no freedom. Not even in the most utopian interpretations of It. Sure, I would try to oppose a communist dictatorship too if that were a threat. A dictatorship of any kind. But what I am seeing year after year all over the world is not the rise of a dangerous authoritarian left, but of poisonous, racist, isolationist far right that feeds on uncertainty and fears - feeds uncertainty and fear, actually. I never, ever thought I would have to hear people talk in all seriousness about the need for a white ethnostate, yet here we are. So here I am, with what I have to give,however little.

Militarized communism or radical communism is the definition of fascism. So simply put, antifa is in fact fascism. Were you all absent during history class?

Hoo boy Anon, we don’t think you were paying a lot of attention in history class.  You might want to find someone to sit down and help you understand what we’re about to lay on you:1) “Militarized communism” or “radical communism” aren’t things.  No one uses those terms because they don’t really describe anything (well, to be fair, the former described the economic & political system in Soviet Russia from 1918-1921, but we’ve a feeling that’s not what you meant) .  We think that maybe you were looking for the term “authoritarian communism.”  The textbook example of authoritarian communism?  Stalin’s regime. 2) Is “authoritarian communism” the “definition of fascism?”  A lot of haters like yourself seem to think they know what the definition of fascism is but do they, really?

One person that might have a better sense of the definition of fascism would be Columbia University history professor Robert O. Paxton, who’s written a book on the subject.  Guess what’s missing from his definition, Anon?  Any mention of communism! But wait, there’s more!  Paxton has something to say about authoritarian communism/Stalinism and whether or not it’s fascism:“No doubt Nazi and communist mechanisms of control had many similarities” but “Stalin’s regime differed profoundly from Hitler’s in social dynamics as well as in aims.  Stalin ruled a civil society that had been radically simplified by the Bolshevik Revolution, and thus he did not have to concern himself with autonomous concentrations of inherited social and economic power.  Hitler (totally unlike Stalin) came into power with the assent and even assistance of traditional elites, and governed in strained but effective association with them.”  “Hitlerism and Stalinism also differed profoundly in their declared ultimate aims - for one, the supremacy of a master race; for the other, universal equality…Focusing upon central authority, the totalitarian paradigm overlooks the murderous frenzy that boiled below in fascism.”“Treating Hitler and Stalin together as totalitarians often becomes an exercise in in comparative moral judgement: Which monster was more monstrous?…Stalin killed in grossly arbitrary fashion whomever his paranoid mind decided were ‘class enemies’ (a condition one can change), in a way that struck mostly adult males among the dictator’s fellow citizens.  Hitler, by contrast, killed ‘race enemies,’ an irremediable condition that condemns even newborns.  He wanted to  liquidate entire peoples, including their tombstones and cultural artifacts.”  (The Anatomy of Fascism, pp. 212-213). So no, Anon, communism - even militant/radicalized/authoritarian communism, isn’t fascism.  3) Is antifa militant/radicalized/authoritarian communism?  Even if you weren’t wrong about “communism = fascism,” (which, contrary to what you may have gathered from a McBain movie, you are wrong about), are anti-fascists communists?Certainly most, if not all, communists are anti-fascist.  But that doesn’t mean that all anti-fascists are communists.  Anti-fascism is a big tent compromised of people with all sorts of political perspectives (or none at all), who come together in their mutual opposition to fascism.  But the fact that some anti-fascists are communists doesn’t mean that all anti-fascists (or even the majority) are, even if all communists are anti-fascist.  You’re making what’s known as an association fallacy here.4) If anti-fascists = fascist; and you’re against anti-fascists, who are fascists;  then that makes you an anti-fascist by definition. Which, in your muddled ouroboros logic, also makes you a fascist!  Which means you are your own worst enemy.  At last we arrive at the truth of the matter! 

[katyspersonal]

I don't believe I am going to make much SOTE progress today, especially since this traitor @fantomette22 is apparently asleep/busy and can't help me right now -_- So yeah, some extra stuff before bed

1) It is interesting to think of an implication of this item.. damn, apparently there WILL be places where you are stuck but can't teleport or something? :p Okay then.. Sacrificial Twig + this shit it is, then?

2) They continue with the "monkeys are trying to comprehend magic" lore!

! Onze is the Demihuman swordsman I fought in the Belurat Gaol earlier! The sword is dropped by a Demihuman Queen you fight in Cerulean Coast! I mean, yeah, even in the base game there was a Demihuman in Weeping Penunsula who used a Glintstone Staff, but damn..

3) Miyazaki: Yeah DLC area map will be like the size of Limgrave :)

Also Miyazaki:

Me: Girl you ok? 💀💀💀

4) I love the woman with Sulyvahn's blades, but I can't defeat the woman with Sulyvahn's blades ;-;

Maybe eventually.....

5) WAIT gdhyyf it is like, a symbol of moon and flame or something?????

This is adorable gfhgfhgggb I know it makes sense, but aww

6) I already screamed about it at Fantomette, but

HOLY SHIIIIIT SHE WAS FUCKING RIGHT ABOUT DRAGONS FASCISM THIS WHOLE TIME WHEN WE QUESTIONED WHY WOULD DRAGON COMMUNION BE A THING IF GODWYN BEFRIENDED ANCIENT DRAGONS THE ANSWER IS THAT ANCIENT DRAGONS FUCKING HATED GREYOLL-TYPE DRAGONS I REPEAT THEY HATED THE "IMPURE" OFFSPRING OFF THEIR SPECIES WHAT THE FUUUUUCK AAAAAAA

7) There is a new Carian Knight! And it is a big deal since they were "no more than a dozen"! Cool!!!

And it is a girl! However I am curious.. Moongrum, Moonrothyll... why their names start with 'moon'? Are they siblings? Or maybe Carian Knights had ancestry thing going on so those born with expectation to be raised as Carian Knight had 'moon' names in advance? Or they assume 'moon' name as new one upon entering a service (least likely since we already can recall exception)? Arghhhh

8) Okay this was actually an important one for me personally! So basically @jarognieva asked me whether I've met Queelign and I said I had no idea who it was. So greeeat, I've missed an invader -_- She said he was at Belurat and I checked but he never appeared, so I assumed he is one of those invaders that vanish after the boss of the area is defeated. (Who thought it was a good idea? I bet I've missed a cool drop... ;-; ) However, she added that he also invades in another place but she would not tell where! I didn't mind that and continued exploring the DLC as usual. So, after defeating that red bear beast at last (horaaaay!!!), I decided to check a distinct building on that map, and GUESS WHO I'VE MET?????

THE FUCKING GUY HIMSELF LOL!!! OF COURSE HE HAS A FUCKING PETRUS HAIRSTYLE LMAOOOOOOO GGJHJGJJ

So basically bro talked shit (that all 'graceless' shall meet death in Messmer's flame), that already made me REALLY want to kill him as if this cursed hairstyle wasn't enough gghghg . And he also called us 'graceless heathen' upon death lol. But it ACTUALLY clicked when he dropped an item, like:

Okay all 6 of you already had enough of my lunatic ravings about how much I abhor this specific type of attitude, as well as my theories on Messmer's motivations being rooted in purism of religious kind when anon asked about my expectations for him (I haven't met him yet so schhhh). But it is.. more than that. Miyazaki hates this sort of people too, especially he consistenyly bullies clerics in his works. Just.. read this description

Like not only this gave me some STRONG hatred for this character already, but also reminded me of one of the reasons I ended up loving Miyazaki's works so much to begin with. Shit like this just makes me feel understood, and without exagerration, reading this gave me HUMANITY RESTORED effect after I was feeling low because of a certain spoiler 😔 Honestly.. I don't care how many dramatic blonde twinks he will do dirty with a random plot twist, but as long as he addresses his disdain for this kind of people in his works I'll always love his games. Like I know it sounds oddly emotional but you need to be familiar with his other works to understand vfhgjbghb My faith in him as a creator straight up got restored, it is a personal detail for me!

9) So I figured that Ascetics are dropping pieces of their set.. I had suspicions, yeah, but now I am just sad ggjhhhjj I don't want to grind these guys *ends up doing it anyway probably*

10) For some reason I am starting to really like that hornsent guy who drafts maps of Miquella's crosses! Knowing Soulsborne tho I guess I just need to wait for something bad to happen to him -_-

11) Some people (all two of them) legit thank me for showing these item descriptions because they can't play the DLC themselves, but the players they watch don't stop to read items lore! Okay.... I guess I'll continue, heheh;

[evilwickedme]

I'm not Jewish but I had a question about anti-Semitism. If you're not up for the emotional labor of answering that's cool but I saw a post that compared seeing the Wonder Woman movie to supporting facism and that seemed wrong to me, but I'm not sure I know enough about the nuances of the situation to express why. I was wondering if you could help me understand if that's a bad comparison and why? If not I totally understand.

hey anon, great question. short answer: yes. long answer: abso-fucking-lutely. longer answer:

hell yeah, comparing seeing the wonder woman movie to supporting fascism is terrible. here are a list of posts I’ve seen in this context:

a literal blood libel on gal gadot, comparing the way she looks at chris pine to the way she might look at palestinian children before she eats them

the amount of times I’ve seen people say she supports killing palestinians because she opposes hamas, or saying she was a combat soldier, if I had one cent for every time I’d probably get a seven-digit check along with my actual paycheck on monday

comparing israel to the apartheid, fascism, or the nazis isn’t new, but hey, it’s always good to see it on my dash, ffs

so here’s why all of that is fucking bullshit.

1. we’re going to start with the convenient timing of all of this. see, you may not remember this, but gal has already been wonder woman before - in the dc film batman vs. superman. arguably, one of the worst films of all time, but she still had a relatively large part in it, appearing in at least a quarter of the movie’s scenes if not more. she also had a large part in a fast & furious movie, which I haven’t watched, so I can give no commentary on it. and in that movie earlier this year, keeping up with the joneses. all of these movies had moderate to starring roles by our favorite amazon, gal gadot. all of them went unbanned in arab countries, unprotested by palestinians and tumblr and the antisemitic left. would you like to guess why?

see, here is this movie, starring a woman, who is good, and strong, in that order, who saves the day, who isn’t sexualized, who is a goddamn hero, who isn’t joss-whedon “strong” but rather compassionate AND goddamn powerful. and imo - and other people on this agree with me - that fucking scares people.

people don’t want to support wonder woman. but since there’s nothing wrong with the movie itself - sans the car that appeared out of nowhere - they have to find something else to latch onto. and oh, how convenient, gal gadot is in this movie, and she’s jewish and israeli, so she’s double evil, let’s get people to avoid this movie that way.

to clarify, I don’t think everybody doing this is doing it maliciously. I think it’s understandable for a palestinian to not want to go see a movie with an israeli in it. especially if they’re told that gal gadot was a combat soldier who killed palestianians herself, who wanted to join and joined willingly. it’s understandable if somebody who doesn’t actually know much about the situation - who gets all their information about israel from tumblr and other leftists gentiles - hears the literal lies and antisemitic bullshit and believes it, because, funnily enough, the sjw movement has completely skipped us and many times fucked jewish people over. so again, it’s understandable. but there’s a reason the controversy is only surrounding the movie led by a woman who is actually everything tumblr claims to want - and that is plain old sexism.

2. let’s address the idf, mmkay? the idf is mandatory service for all citizens. that’s right! every 11th and 12th grader in israel misses at least a dozen days of school to go to various army bases till they decide where you’re going to go once you enlist. some people, like myself, get a special permit not to enlist - but it is very, very rare, and very difficult to obtain even if you have good reason for it - they dragged me around for a whole year, from city to city, until they finally issued me mine. not enlisting means jail otherwise. so gal gadot enlisted in 2004 when she was 18, like the rest of us, sure. but she didn’t choose to. and she didn’t join the combatant forces. she didn’t even go to the ever-popular intelligence units. she was a fitness instructor. she helped people get in shape. (sidenote: גל, אם את רוצה לעזור לי להכנס לכושר, תשלחי לי הודעה.) in addition, gal gadot is a fierce feminist, who shows up to premiers in flats cause her back hurts, who posts pictures of herself with her husband wearing no make up, who became wonder woman for her daughter.

but what about that three year old facebook post???? you mean, the one where she writes she supports the israeli troops in their efforts against hamas? people write about it as if it’s one of many posts she’s written about killing innocent palestinians. and just to clarify: that’s the only fucking post. and hamas is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. it uses human shields and schools as centers for their activity on purpose. saying you’re angry at her for supporting her troops - as if you’d say anything like that to a retired american soldier for saying they support their troops, as if you’d dare - in the face of a battle with a literal terrorist organization - what could possibly go through anybody’s head that would make that sentence logical.

not to mention, she’s said repeatedly that she wished there was no need for the idf, that she wished that there could be peace. hey, I feel the same way. but the political situation doesn’t work like that. and so she supported eliminating hamas, a terrorist organization, and people actually hated her for it. literally what the fuck.

3. is israel apartheid or fascist? no. does it have problems with racism, and serious problems at that? hell yes. but we’re not fucking apartheid.

4. and finally: the antisemitism. because… dear god, the antisemitism. I’m going to break this down from the most “innocent” to the absolute worst.

wonder woman is white feminism - jewish. people. aren’t. white. they can be converts, or identify as white for other reasons - but antisemitism is racism against jews, aight? is that clear? the white/poc dynamic that is the common theory in america right now doesn’t work with jewish people. pale ashkenazis like gal gadot are not poc, but not white either, because white people were our oppressors for literally thousands of years, they raped us and killed us, and equating us with our oppressors is fucking antisemitic. see the first link for more detail on that.

a blood libel is a blood libel is a blood libel. for those of you who don’t know, blood libels are among the oldest forms of antisemitism. a blood libel is an accusation, specifically against jews, of killing non-jews, with little to no evidence, as an excuse to prosecute jewish people and kill them. the most common form is the claim that jewish people kill children, either to serve the devil, to use their blood for a matza or otherwise religious sacrifice, or even for fun. when searching for the blood libel I had seen - which thankfully, I couldn’t find - I found this post. this is an example of a blood libel torn apart. and just to clarify, ffs: yeah, claiming she killed palestinians and put notches on her gun is fucking antisemitic, especially when she did none of the above. it’s a classic blood libel, it’s literally garbage, and don’t fucking perpetuate it.

my personal favorite antisemitic trope is the elders of zion. saying every jewish person or israeli has connections to the people who secretly control everything!!!!! we’ve never been oppressed, we’re just pretending to be while secretly running the antisemitic media, the antisemitic american government, and of course, the ever popular antisemitic idea we run the banks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay!!!!!!!!!! here’s a secret: gal gadot, beyond voting, has no connection to the israeli government, or to any policies it has, racist or otherwise. she’s an actress, for god’s sake.

and the worst of it. comparing israel to nazis. comparing jews to nazis. comparing the magen david (aka the jewish star) to a fucking swastika. all the height of antisemitism. people on this site so conveniently forget that the nazis targeted jews more than any other group, that we still haven’t reached pre-wwii numbers, that around half of all jews worldwide live in israel, and that, ffs, we aren’t a fascist government, we’re the only true democracy in the middle east. call it pinkwashing or brainwashing, call it whatever you like, I call it antisemitism, because we’re not fascist, and we’re definitely not fucking nazis.

and once again, I’d like to remind you that even though I myself am open to talking about my opinions cause I can’t fucking shut up, asking every jewish person to talk about israel and its actions is fucking racist as fuck.

tumblr: don’t ask every muslim person to immediately denounce isis, a terrorist organization that literally kills other muslims!!!

jews: aight, don’t ask us to denounce the only place where it’s even a little safe to be jewish - 

tumblr: what???? no!!!! no way!!! here’s a jewish person, if you’re not explicitly for the destruction of israel and extremely vocal about it, you’re literal garbage!!!!

essentially.

anyway, so to summarize: yes, anon, your instinct was right. wonder woman is feminist as fuck, intersectional as fuck, and a great fucking movie which I’ve already seen twice, and not going to see it because of gal gadot, who is a literal sweetheart, makes me go:

[serenagaywaterford]

#5 - love your long posts, never apologize for it. The longer, the better in fact. And yeah, you were right, enough about Nick, until he becomes more interesting, if it happens at all. Back to Serena, I don’t post on tumblr, or discuss the show much in real life, so I don’t get any backlash. It’s probably easier for me, but I am an unabashed Serena apologist, and I don’t really feel bad about it, at all... anyway, love your posts, your fanfics, and your appreciation of Serena fucking Joy!

AHHH! I feel so bad cos on mobile read more cuts don’t work!!! :D But I am very relieved that at least you don’t hate lonnnnnnnnggggg rants lol.

Yeah, Nick. Nick, nick, nick… I wish I could find better things to say about him but I can’t. Not until the character actually gets interesting and does something good. Like, truly good for women in Gilead. Not just his baby mama. I just have such a strong lack of interest in anything he says or does, lmao.

FIVE, CAN YOU LEND ME SOME OF THAT NO FUCKS GIVEN ATTITUDE?! I really want to be as confident. “I am an unabashed Serena apologist, and I don’t really feel bad about it, at all”. I WANT THIS TOO. I think it probably does help not dealing with fandom at large cos it’s just an angry pit of cultish vipers out there if you even mention “Well, Serena is interesting for many reasons.” AHHHH! DEVIL WORSHIPPER!!!!!! RAPIST NAZI LOVER!!!!!” with a side of, “If you don’t ship N**k/June, you’re disgusting and don’t understand THT at all because it’s the One True Hope and Nick is just the best!” 

-_-

Like.........???

No.

sorry....

But it’s simply to exhausting to even try to respond to the vitriol anymore. I tried a while ago but no one (except our little group of Serena fans) wants to hear it. (THAT IS WHY I AM SO HAPPY I HAVE THE FELLOW SERENA ANONS/FANS HERE.) 

They hate her, she’s 1000% evil--the MOST evil on THT, she is responsible for Gilead and everything bad that has ever happened, she deserves to be beaten by fred and lose a finger that’s not even good enough!!, the end. thus i’m straight up blocked immediately for questioning that. No discussion allowed. If you like her, for any reason, or try to understand her at all, you also must be a right-wing, religious, anti-feminist nut job who hates June. You don’t deserve to even be in a THT discussion if you attempt to understand Serena at all, and god forbid you attempt to explain or reason through her behaviour or psychology. I can’t imagine how it would be if I flat out woobiefied her or was a Serena apologist in those circles. I mean, it’s totes cool if you’re a Nick or Lawrence apologist, or apparently even a Fred apologist (yeah. I saw that once and died a little inside.). Even Aunt Lydia apologists aren’t completely beaten down but Serena? Well, excuse me, your soul must be rotten just like hers sorry bye.

and i’m like... 

because yeah, it really makes your viewpoint so much stronger by just blocking people who question you and insulting them personally instead... it’s not like THT is criticising hiveminds or autocracies or cultish behaviour or anything lol.

it’s not like that sort of behaviour in a freakin TV show fandom about fascism and women’s complexities is a huge hypocritical stance to take.

so i give up lol and stick to this little blog here

i just wish i had more energy to blatantly go out into the wilds of fandom and be like I LOVE SERENA GIVE HER A REDEMPTION ARC I DON’T FEEL BAD IN ANY WAY FIGHT ME ALL DAY LONG.

ALSO LIKE

why does nick-loving necessitate rabid serena-hate? like i have personal issues with nick, but afaik there are plenty of serena people who don’t hate nick? and there are other fans who don’t like either. but it seems like if you ship n**/june there is some rule that you must be so excessively anti-serena that you look plain ole crazy. i am sure there must be people who ship it and also think serena is an interesting character???? maybe? or maybe the sorts of people who delve into serena’s character are just too different and nick is just not interesting enough when you recognise what a 100000% more complex character she is. she spoils us, lol. i dunno what the answer is. i can’t say i’ve “met” any serious n/j shippers that are also big serena fans. i would assume they exist. tho maybe the two things aren’t compatible lmao. different strokes, i suppose. lol i just wish they’d allow people to have differing opinions without having a stroke every time serena is mentioned as something other than pure evil, or be able to take criticism of precious nick without throwing a tantrum and refusing to acknowledge the problematic nature of him and other characters. (god help you if you say you don’t like n/j hahaha.)

anyway i don’t like the combative nature of this fandom. like if you aren’t part of the hivemind, you’re not welcome. i honestly don’t understand why it has to be that way??

(it’s also not great that all the big, popular fansites/fanblogs are all n/j and basically refuse to put/reblog anything on them that is any other ship, or basically anything not anti-serena. like imo if you’re running a blog for THE SHOW IN GENERAL, you should welcome all submissions and reblogs no matter if you personally like the ship/character or not. but nope. not in THT fandom lol. i don’t even think skins fandom was this bad and that’s saying something, cos it was pretty polarized but it seemed like the big blogs were fair enough in representation.)

ok i’m obvs taking this fandom thing too seriously and i need to just ignore it. i’m too old for this lol.

just stick to my little corner here with you guys and stop hoping the rest of the fandom leaves me alone hahahah unless they want to be nice ;)

[blackboard-monitor]

1, 8, 9, 11, 22, 24, 32, 39 for the talk about thing, please! :)

1: Talk about the first time you watched your favorite movie.I don’t really have a specific favourite movie so I’ll mention a few.Mary Poppins: I have no idea, I have no memory of a time before I’d seen Mary PoppinsDeadpool: I met my best friend’s now ex-boyfriend for the first time and we went to see Deadpool in the cinema. I ended up having to sit separately from them because the theatre was so full, which I was a little glad about because I’m very socially anxious so I was super nervous about meeting him.Star Wars: Ok so I know this is multiple movies but the story is good. Me and my lil bro had been playing Lego Star Wars (Original Trilogy) on our PS2 for some time but we didn’t know anything beyond that about the series. Then we went to a concert of Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra where they played a music from the Star Wars soundtracks and afterwards our parents decided that it was high time we saw the movies. This was a decision they probably regretted because it was followed by an obsession that lasted a couple of years.

8: Talk about the thing you are most proud of.Already got that one :)

9: Talk about little things on your body that you like the most.I like this little mole I have on the side of my right thumb because as a kid I used to always look down at it to check which side was right and which was left. I like my hands and my fingers, don’t really know why. I like that I have high cheekbones, even if you can’t really tell because I’m chubby. I like that my hair is naturally very light and that my eye colour is shifty depending on the light, somewhere between green and grey and blue. I like the bruises I get from kung fu because they make me feel like a different person, someone who’s strong and confident and athletic. 

11: Talk about the best dream you’ve ever had.I think it was probably the one where I dreamt that the one literary agent I’ve sent my book to replied and was very excited about the book and wanted to help me get it published. My soul was crushed when I woke up and realised it was just a dream. 

22: Talk about your worst fear.My worst fears used to be more personal, like dying alone, never having loved, or not amounting to anything. But now I think I’m most afraid of a repeat of the 1930s, the 1940s. I look at the world and all I can see is fascism getting stronger, people deliberately planting fear and growing hatred. I’m afraid that there will be a war that will end human civilisation as we know it.

24: Talk about something someone told you that meant a lot.This one is easy because it just happened: I posted the prologue of my book on tumblr and I’ve gotten the nicest comment about it and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy and good and worthy. You pour your heart and soul into something and it means so much that people see that, that they like it, that they get it. Because that’s all I ever dreamed of when writing it, that people would get it, and it’d mean something to them.

32: Talk about a place you remember from your childhood.When we lived in Tokyo, there was a park near us that my dad, my brother and I would go to a lot. We called it Rocket Park because the main feature was a slide built to look like a rocket: a metal tube with stairs inside and a slide that spiralled around it on the outside. There was also a plane and a train in the park, made of concrete. We would walk there and stop at a conbini on the way and get some food like onigiri and then we’d eat on the bench and after me and my brother would play. Sometimes we played football with this neon orange ball I got for Christmas, and in August we got nets and plastic boxes and took part in the traditional pastime of catching cicadas.

39: Talk about things you wish you’d known earlier.I wish I had known – or understood, rather – that the problems I had with my friend were not only because she didn’t appreciate me, but also that I failed to imagine her complexly. I wish I had known that my feelings were not one-sided and that there was a chance for us to be together. I wish I had know about music like My Chemical Romance when it would have been age-appropriate to be emo. I wish I had known that my friend was so unhappy where we were so she wouldn’t have had to tear us apart. I wish I had known that what I’ve studied for the past three years wasn’t what I wanted in life; I wish I had known to take the time to really consider what I wanted. I wish I had known antidepressants would work so I could have started them sooner.

thanks for asking anon, and sorry for the long post :)