#and its the very specific kind of christianity that exists here in the US

[ossidae-passeridae]

4. What’s the worst part of fanon? 😈

Question from here

That'd be the implicit racism thanks for asking!

A non snappy response, aka to explain what I mean by that:

A lot of fanon tropes implicitly reinforce a very white, America-centric POV, and in a universe like the GFFA which lies somewhere between heavily Asian-inspired and gloriously multicultural, that really rubs me the wrong way. (To clarify upfront: it is not racist or whatever to enjoy these tropes or to write them, but it worries me when people don't even seem to realise it)

An obvious, innocuous-seeming example is the tendency to use 'Ben' instead of Obi-Wan's actual name in AUs — especially when others' names (Anakin, Mace, Cody, etc) aren't changed as well. The biggest difference between those names and Obi-Wan's is that Obi-Wan's is obviously Asian inspired, and theirs aren't. It's not something I expect most people even think about! But it always leaves a sinking feeling in my chest.

(Obviously if, like in canon, Obi-Wan is using Ben as a pseudonym while in hiding that's a very different kettle of fish.)

A larger example is how incredibly common it is to cast the Jedi as space-Christians — some common examples being focus on tenets (the Jedi Code, which is a meditation mantra, not a rulebook), the pervasive Catholic Guilt which is very explicitly Christian in nature, the emphasis on worship as ritual rather than a state to work towards, the generalised "all organised religion must be Bad" sentiments that feel very specifically ex-Christian in nature.

Thinking about one's own religion and expressing thoughts through fiction/art isn't an issue in and of itself.

The thing is, the Jedi are explicitly based on Asian Buddhists. Not just in set dressing, but from the ground up, from their beliefs and the way they act, to their clothing to the structure of their temple — to strip that away is to remove what makes the Jedi the Jedi. It's to remove the Asian-ness and replace it with something predominantly white. It implies that Asian influence shouldn't or can't exist in the GFFA, or that there's something inferior or wrong about Buddhism that needs to be "fixed".

Again this isn't something where I think that fan authors are sitting there going "muhahaha I'm going to be RACIST today", I know that's not what's happening. But when so much Jedi-centric content being produced minimises the Asian influence and pushes a western one, it starts to say "there's something wrong with this group, we're trying to erase it because there shouldn't be representation at all" — an issue of scale, at its core.

(Then ofc there's all the "the Jedi steal babies" and "the Jedi ban emotions" and "the Jedi need to be destroyed" which, entirely separate from the above, if you replace 'Jedi' with 'Buddhists' I'm kind of starting to wonder why you hate Asian people/Asian religions, you know?)

I won't even get into the fanon surrounding the clones, because that'd require me to talk about KT far more than I'd like to on any day, but especially today 🤣

(All opinions expressed above are solely those of pass e. ridae and do not express the views or opinions of any affiliates or associates, passerine or otherwise)

[ragesharkbritain]

I’m very 👀 about the version of King Arthur that lives in your head which you mentioned in the tags of that post about living weapons. Would you mind elaborating on that take on the legend?

i mostly think this about the "and future" part of king arthur, and specifically in an urban fantasy setting where people Know the king will/has returned. How many leaders claim they are the reincarnated king arthur? how many actually think theyre arthur vs how many are just using the myth to further themselves? and the living weapon thought comes into play with the question "how are they treating their children?"

An Arthur claimant has two children, a son and a daughter. "Its alright," he thinks to himself, "as long as I know where Modred is I will be fine, and I can always kill him young." A slightly more progressive claimant thinks "Okay, but which one is Mordred?" And he raises his children in that state of blind arrogance. How isolating would it be to be raised with the assumption one day you will kill your father? and if you excel at fighting, if you intuit older languages, if you show signs of being slightly better, if people start to whisper that you are Arthur and not your father...

And what about the child that gets sent away from [insert modern city here], or is entered into the foster system, or was simply raised by a single parent? They go back to modern!Camelot with the expectation of a family, of a place for them, and good work to do, only to return to the assumption they are here to kill their father? To return to a good king, who they do not want to kill, or to return to a bad king, who they must kill?

and if the actual arthur remembers they are King Arthur, what kind of resentment would grow in their heart as they watch men, who are poor men and worse kings, claim to be arthur? As they walk through the slums and ruins of modernity, they think to themselves "None of the claimants are trying to stop this or fix this. What do they think I did? What legacy of mine are they trying to emulate?" And the burden of the myth itself, of the tellings and retellings of it, the expectation of King Arthur of Camelot-- and for Christianity to have changed as well!

So Arthur in my head exists solely as a weapon. They have no family that loves them and no place to turn to once their father finally fears them enough to kill them, they emerge into a different world. Its the same city-- but no one knows who they are. People still flinch when Arthur come near, but everyone flinches these days. Arthur start to make connections. Other people on the street help them find soup kitchens and food pantries. Arthur starts to make friends. Other people help them realize what their father did to them wasn't right. Arthur start to look at the city. Other people talk about the old days and the new days and how the City should be run. About lifting people up and bringing back the city council. About homes and clean water and food on the table. Arthur starts to think about being King.

[hidden-among-stars]

I do think it’s important to clarify in your OP about the house bill that this is anti-trans legislation first and foremost. while it’s of concern for alterhumans, it is very deliberately being proposed as a way to frame trans people as animals & target trans kids—the author of the bill doesn’t actually care (and probably doesn’t know) about alterhumanity.

This bill will be used to prop up transphobic laws, and probably isn’t intended to be passed at all. I don’t think removing or ignoring that context is appropriate.

- a trans therian

I was going to make a reblog about this exact thing, but I'll say what I was going to say there here instead because I think it's important to make sure everyone gets the chance to see this. This is going to be long because I tend to ramble. TL;DR: Conservatives are not framing transgender people themselves as animals, but their arguments about/beliefs regarding people who identify as animals are absolutely deeply rooted in transphobia, which itself is deeply rooted in a fear/hatred of any "divergent identity." These two concerns are very closely entwined and are part of the same fight (the fight of "just let people be whoever they are"), but are not in and of themselves the same in the sense that this lawmaker is trying to target transgender folks with this specific bill. What makes this bill particularly concerning is the fact that it treats nonhuman-identities as their own separate issue, along with the media coverage it has been getting, which could easily spark other more "viable" anti-"furry" bills to be written and potentially passed in more conservative states across the country. However, this is not a time to panic, but rather a time to be vigilant and start thinking about how we need to prepare to defend one another against whatever comes next.

The fight for trans rights certainly still needs to be at the forefront of our minds, and we also need to be watchful for this threat that is creeping out from the cesspool that is the conservative need for any kind of new "monster" to blame society's problems on.

-Sincerely, another trans therian.

The whole "litterboxes in schools/students identifying as cats/animals" thing started with conservatives who said "if we let people identify as another gender its only a matter of time before people start identifying as animals." These people are well aware that transgender does not mean somebody who identifies as a different species - their concept of nonhuman identifying folks absolutely is rooted in transphobia, but is not in and of itself necessarily about transgender folks.

Reality is, anti-trans legislation and anti-"furry" (read: therian, otherkin, transspecies, etc. - though furries who aren't part of these labels would ultimately be affected as well) legislation are two sides of the same coin - but they are still two distinct sides. That coin is the "divergent identities" coin (and really has many facets, not just two... so... perhaps more of a "divergent identities" cube?), as I'll call it. Anything that isn't cis, het, christian, human-identifying, etc. would be considered a "divergent" identity - a disorder, an illness, something to be cured, something to be eliminated.

Yes, anti-"furry" clauses have up until now been wrapped up with anti-transgender bills. That's conservatives trying to, pardon the horrible cliche, kill two birds with one stone - but one bird they are assuming exists/believe exists because of a sensationalist story, not because they necessarily know it actually exists. Make absolutely no mistake though, now that even the slight possibility of nonhuman identifying folks is on their radar, they are going to work to - in their mind - prevent it, and "cure" (read: eliminate by whatever means they feel necessary) it for whoever already fits that description.

Up until now, it's been a side issue. Something to just tack onto anti-trans bills. The fact that some jerk of a lawmaker decided that it was a strong enough issue on its own to create its own bill is concerning because this marks the first time that it is being treated less like a hypothetical or a side problem, and more like it's own separate issue worth addressing.

However, these two are part of the exact same fight, and cannot/should not be considered entirely separate. The fight is not just about "let trans people be trans," the fight is about "let people be whoever they are." That includes being any sexuality other than allo-het, that includes any religion other than christian (not necessarily an "identity", but still), that includes being anything other than cisgender, and yes, it includes identifying as any species other than human. The focus has recently been particularly targeted at trans folks, but remember that before it was trans folks, it was anyone who wasn't straight.

Conservatives always need a "monster" to defeat. They rely on the outrage of the ignorant and the bigoted in order to get what they want. Its why so many of their talking points aren't really about the economy or infrastructure but instead are about things like abortion, "illegal immigrants," non-Western nations in general, religions that are seen as "foreign" or "satanic," and any identity that isn't considered "normal." The reality is, issues like poverty, poor infrastructure, and prevalent violence are issues that can't just be solved in a day - but humans like quick fixes, so some folks (especially conservatives, though they're certainly not the only ones) think if they can blame all of these issues on anyone who is considered an "other," then many people will be quick to follow them in trying to eliminate the "other" and just push aside all of the real problems that continue to, in someway or another, benefit the people in power.

It only takes one conservative with even half a braincell to decide to google "people who identify as animals" after seeing that a bill was penned to target this specifically, to discover that we therians/otherkin/transspecies folks/etc. really do exist and that the identity is starting to gain more traction especially among youth (thanks, TikTok). I don't think the guy that penned this bill is that one conservative (this dude apparently once tried to create "bigfoot hunting season" so. y'know. i don't think he's doing much research about anything lmao), but with the media attention this bill has gained, it's only a matter of time.

HOWEVER - THIS IS NOT A TIME TO PANIC. I literally cannot stress this enough. Panic is not the response we need to have, but rather vigilance and preparedness for the day nonhuman identities eventually do find their way into the spotlight so that we can be ready for whatever we need to do to fight back against whatever future bills may follow.

[ancientcraftnoccultism]

Beginner Class - Correspondences 101

Ancient Craft & Occultism

Correspondences 101

By KB

Introduction

Welcome back to another lesson! Today, we're diving head first into the world of correspondences. What exactly are they? Why do we use them? We're going to discuss that and more in this lesson! Let's get to it.

What Are Correspondences?

In essence, correspondences are objects or aspects of objects that represent symbolism in direct correlation with a specific energy. Practically anything and everything has the potential to be a correspondence, therefore correspondences are subject to change depending upon the individual practitioner. Some of you may find yourself attributing certain emotions with colors - this itself is an example of a correspondence. Everything has its own energy, and using the energy that is in direct relation to your spellworking allows for that energy to be amplified and released into your work.

As Antoine Faivre (a French Occultist) states in his book Access to Western Esotericism:

"Symbolic and real correspondences (there is no room for abstractions here!) are said to exist among all parts of the universe, both seen and unseen....These correspondences, considered more or less veiled at first sight, are, therefore, intended to be read and deciphered....The principles of noncontradiction and excluded middle of linear causality are replaced here by those of the included middle and synchronicity. We can distinguish two kinds of correspondences. First, those that exist in nature, seen and unseen, e.g. between the seven metals and the seven planets, between the planets and parts of the human body or character (or of society). This is the basis of astrology - correspondence between the natural world and the invisible departments of the celestial and supercelestial world, etc. Next there are correspondences between nature (the cosmos) or even history, and revealed texts. Here we find the Kabbalah, whether Jewish or Christian, and varieties of 'physica sacra'....Ultimately the world stage is a linguistic phenomena."

Or as Pierre Riffard (a French philosopher) states in his book Dictionnaire de L'ésotérisme:

"The doctrine of analogy and correspondence, present in all esoteric schools of thinking, upholds that the Whole is One and that its different levels (realms, worlds) are equivalent systems, whose parts are in strict correspondence. So much so that a part in a realm symbolically reflects and interacts with the corresponding part in another realm. For instance, the Sun in the mineral realm is the counterpart of the Lion in the animal realm. The relation between A and B is similar to the relation between C and D. The microcosm and macrocosm are analogous, that is, equivalent, similar in their structures, even though they are outwardly dissimilar. The parts are in strict correspondence, closely knit together and closely interacting: thus feet/pisces, veins/rivers."

This is exactly why you use specific herbs, go for specific timing or moon phases, use certain colored candles, and much more.

Why Do We Use Them?

When raising our energy and directing our energy towards our goal, it's very useful to have elements that align with that as a means to amplify the energy. It takes less energy on the practitioner's end, as the natural energy of the objects being utilized is aligned with the energy needed in the work. A lot of it has to do with association, as that's a natural way for our mind's to process information. If you're doing a spell or ritual that is about healing, and you include a solar symbol or something orange, your mind may focus on a different energy rather than healing, which would interfere with the energy of your working.

It's important to make sure all correspondences are considered with your personal associations of things as a means to help you raise and direct energy.

Can I Make My Own Correspondences?

As stated above, the energies connected to particular items are known as correspondences, and they can be employed to increase the power and efficacy of your spell while also giving additional energy. These energies are influenced by a variety of elements, such as nature, colors, history, and culinary and medicinal applications. You would probably find at least one or two lists of correspondences for frequently used items in any book on witchcraft, especially for herbs and crystals. While the majority of correspondence lists are excellent, there are occasionally those that contain ambiguous correspondences, thus it is crucial to investigate any correspondences you are unsure about. Even if I wholeheartedly endorse the usage of these lists, especially for novice practitioners, how can we do away with them, particularly those in which we are unsure about the source of the information?

Look At Practical Uses

Examining the object's beneficial uses is the simplest method to get started writing your own correspondences. How do you utilize the item on a daily basis? What role does it play in the home? Take the broom, for instance. The broom's primary use is to sweep up dirt and debris from the house. Brooms can therefore be used to tidy up an area. Is the plant you're looking at utilized for cooking? What flavor does it have? What flavor does it add to the food? Is it able to glue the elements together, thicken, or color them? What is it used for if it has therapeutic uses? Does it relieve pain, calm rashes, improve focus, promote sleep, or treat infections?

Cayenne peppers, for instance, are hot and add long-lasting heat to the dish. They can also be used medicinally to reduce pain, increase metabolism, and hasten digestion. Based on these real-world applications, cayenne can be used to speed up a spell for a long time, eliminate rivals, or ignite your romantic life. We can begin to deduce some of their elemental correspondences from these practical applications. The cayenne pepper, which is hot and red, is related to the element Fire, whereas the broom, which is sturdy and purifying, is related to the element Earth.

Historical Uses

Once you have examined an item's practical applications, you might explore its history. Most things we use every day, especially those found in nature, are covered in folklore. To start figuring out other correspondences for an object, I advise consulting mythology, urban legends, medical books, and other historical documents. It takes time and needs critical thought to determine correspondences, but the effort is definitely worth it.

Scientific Nature

Next, start examining the object's scientific nature. The easiest way to do this is to use natural objects like plants, rocks, fungi, animals, insects, and other living and nonliving things that are present in your local environment. Where is the item often located? What features or qualities distinguish it from other things? What function does it serve in the ecosystem? Does it exhibit any distinctive behaviors? Take the flavor of mint. Almost all mint species develop swiftly and prolifically. If you don't watch them, your entire yard will be taken over. They are associated with abundance, prosperity, and fertility because of their prodigious nature. Some of these scientific correspondences are simple to infer, while others require some additional research.

Your Intuition

When determining an object's correspondences, the first three ways use logic; your intuition uses your psychology and emotions. Intuition is one of a witch's strongest weapons, although our contemporary culture frequently downplays its accuracy and trustworthiness. Start by wrapping your consciousness around the item in meditation before using your intuition to find correspondences. What does your intuition have to say about the thing? What comes to mind when you think of the thing you're looking at? Personal correspondence frequently starts in this area. At least for you, your personal connection to an object and the correspondences you create by employing your intuition have incredible power.

Consult With Spirit

Finally, you can speak with the object's spirit to learn more about its correspondences. The concept of animism holds that all things, both living and nonliving, have a spirit that we can interact with and form relationships with. This is easier said than done, and before attempting this kind of communication, you must be able to distinguish between your own intuition and mental chatter. It's normal for some witches, especially novice witches, to struggle with this correspondence determination process. This is an excellent chance for you to develop your spiritual gifts. Start by grounding and meditating with the object in issue, just like you would when using your intuition to determine correspondences. However, leave yourself open rather than putting your mind into the thing.

Keep the general mental chatter at bay and concentrate on the work at hand. Set out with the goal of listening rather than speaking. Depending on the object, you might hear it speak loud and clear in full sentences, or you might only see a flash of color or experience an emotion. But the secret is to approach this situation with no expectations. The item may not speak to you at all because you are not entitled to a dialogue with it. However, by building a relationship with the object beforehand, you can increase the possibility that it will communicate to you. Offer it gifts, communicate with it, take care of it, etc. Do essentially everything you would to make a new friend.

You will gain a strong understanding of how to employ the object in your own magical practice after combining these five techniques. Additionally, it will improve your magical practice overall and reinforce your bond with the object, enhancing its effectiveness as a component of your spells. The object will be considerably more likely to help you if you can communicate with its spirit.

[bijoumikhawal]

Coptic Women's Headpieces: padded headbands and Palmyran strips

Neither of these have much (...in the first case, any) information out there to make their own post about, but they're both interesting.

The first are these padded headpieces. In the past I'd only seen the one made of leather with flowers on it in the V&A, which notes its possible usage. However it was only until recently when I began poking around on the French internet when I found more, and better yet, an undeniable depiction of a woman wearing the headpiece. Before this I'd seen some depictions that may be the headpiece being worn, but usually seem much flatter than these were made to be or like they're a more standard gold diadem.

In addition to this, there are a few depictions of Coptic figures wearing these flower bud/petal crowns (more popular in the earlier part of Roman Egyptian art history), which makes me wonder if these were ever used as a base for those.

It's also possible this was out under the turbans worn by women in Coptic art. An example of a bust from Byzantine exists of a woman wearing a turban from Constantinople, and when viewed from the side it can be seen that the volume at the front of her headdress terminates in points near the nape of her neck/her ears. However, this bust also lacks the volume one would expect from the examples if a roll like the extant examples was used.

The other piece is one I noticed before, and isn't specific to Egypt, or originated from there. It seems to have come from Palmyra, and is fairly common in the funeral busts we have from there.

These are small plaques of metal and gems, typically with a few small beads dangling over the forehead. Currently it's supposed that they were attached to a woman's bun in some way.

Here's a Roman-era Greek bust and a Roman- era Tunisian example.

Heres some Roman-Egyptian portraits with similar head jewelry. So far, I haven't found a definitive later Coptic depiction of one being worn, but I don't think that means they stopped being worn before Christianization. It's possibly just a matter of what art has survived and what I've personally seen. Generally, Coptic jewelry is similar to the jewelry from earlier Roman-Egyptian examples, with some more unique examples and examples that were inspired by later trends in the Byzantine Empire.

One of the possible Coptic examples is from the tomb of Theodosea (full disclosure: Theodosea herself was Greek Christian living Egypt, not a Copt in the sense we mean it now, but she's dressed in a way generally common in Egypt at the time. I use "possible Coptic example" here to indicate the contemporary cultural majority of Egypt, which is distinct from the pre-Christian cultural identity of native Egyptians). Theodosea here is identified by Engy Hanna as wearing some type of golden hairnet, with a green pendant with 3 hanging pearls and two strings of hanging beads attached. Because of her palla, it's impossible to tell if she has only one medallion attached to her hairnet or if this is a strip. The overall composition of elements (a cover over the hair, the two strands, center ornament, and a shawl over top the head) are very similar to Palmyran headdresses, though she doesn't wear a turban or the patterned fillet they do.

Recently, I found a bust on an auction site labeled "Roman, probably made in Egypt" from the 1st century, with this ornament but made of a more pliable material- probably fabric. And another on the same site, maybe Egyptian (the information mentions both the terms Gandhara and Greco-Egyptian), with the more typical jeweled look, 2nd-3rd century (which is more into the swing of Christianization in Egypt).

The last aside is another jewelry piece resembling that of Palmyra, though less so: a kind of circlet that appears to be made of chain with a center pendant. The star pendant worn by the second woman also notably resembles the pin holding the strip to the Greek girl's updo. The hanging strands of Theodosea are more blatant, but it's possible these were elaboration on the fashion. This style of jeweled forehead circlet, unlike the headband and strip (I have seen art of Syrian and Egyptian women with a strip, as well as Nubian art of women with a fillet/circlet and a center strip. The latter seems to be a more widely used item than the former two, which I have only seen one depiction each of so far), has remained consistently popular in West Asia and North Africa. Additionally the padded band worn by one of the Palmyran women featured here could be a related item to the padded headband; to know one would have to see the back of her head or find an artifact connecting the two. Even if a relationship can be proven between the Byzantine, Palmyran, and Coptic padded fillets, there is no clear indication of where it originated.

*I am a Copt, and if you are not, do not tag this post talking about "recreations". I find that offensive given the actions taken by Albert Gayet in regard to the clothes he took from graves. It is a simple boundary and you will not "enlighten" me to see how it's fine.*

Sources/Further reading:

https://art.rmngp.fr/fr/library/artworks/femme-assise_terre-cuite_polychromie-technique

https://art.rmngp.fr/fr/library/artworks/bourrelet-de-coiffure-postiches_laine-textile

https://art.rmngp.fr/fr/library/artworks/bourrelet-de-manteau_laine-textile

https://art.rmngp.fr/fr/library/artworks/bourrelet-de-mantelet_laine-textile_textile-matiere_lin-fibre | sources for 3 of the padded fillets and the figurine

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O353014/pair-of-fillets-unknown/

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/468716 | the marble bust

https://www.persee.fr/doc/bch_0007-4217_1969_num_93_2_4903 | in German, has photos of carvings with the hair ornament

https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/ancient-marbles-classical-sculpture-art-l16260/lot.59.html | carving of the short haired child

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/ancient-sculpture-and-works-of-art/a-roman-marble-portrait-head-of-a-girl-circa-2nd | carving of a girl with a jeweled strip, may be Egypt as the notes say an image of it was published in a work on Greco-Egyptian art and the girl has an "Isis lock" hairstyle

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4241695 | overview of Palmyran jewelry

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1903-0717-3 | Tunisian example of strip

https://www.livius.org/pictures/greece/thessaloniki/thessaloniki-museum-pieces/thessaloniki-portrait-of-a-girl/

https://womenofegyptmag.com/2020/02/11/what-coptic-artefacts-tell-us-about-women-in-ancient-egypt-part-one/

[effervescentdragon]

buckle up, because I’m about to go off. So i posted this take this morning, because I was thinking about F1 fandom’s habit and hipocrisy of criticising “third-world” or “middle-eastern” countries about their breach of human rights (no matter how much i personally think most of it is performative, pat-myself-on-the-back-for-being-a-good-human kinda “activism”), while nobody is saying anything about F1 racing in Miami, Florida, which is currently literally one of the worst places to live. to which, as is usual on good ol’ tumblr, i got this ask

i blocked the anon, obviously, but to borrow dear friends’ words “this ask is so american, all it needs is an eagle, a gun, unaffordable healthcare and perhaps a burger”. HOWEVER. i can’t stay silent. i choose violence (metaphorical) these days. my first thought was to reply with “i’d check my privilege but im too busy being able to check my bloodwork with my free healthcare”, which may be a bit tone-deaf and mean. so i outsorced this ask to certain friends (including a full-blooded american and a person from the middle east), and here is a series of screenshots of their responses, because they are wonderful and smart and more verbose than i was this morning, with only one coffee in my blood and irritation level of +billion. their opinions also kind of matter more than my own, because these are their lived experiences. 

now. as i said, and as you can see, these are the lived experiences of my friends, and are therefore also subjective at their core. so lets look at some facts. 

“florida is in the usa, a free, democratic, modern, developed country where protection of human rights is enforced”, i believe you said? ALLRIGHT:

- a bill that passed in florida 10 days ago that allows judges to alter custody agreements if they think one parent might allow gender affirming care

- florida abortion ban after 6 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest after 15 weeks 

- a transgender sports ban in florida that allows genital inspection of minors, aka children (thank you @lauda4theback​ for finding these links for me)

- USA’s position in the Democratic Index;

- tumblr post with sources made around four days ago with details about just some of the gun violence happening in the US currently;

- BBC article about 160 mass shootings that had happened in 2023 up until April 16th and data from gun-violence archive (which, correct me if im wrong, is singularily an american thing);

- Anti-Trans Bill tracker no 1 and no 2 in the US, which, you know, implies violation of basic human rights;

- banning of books in the us to cripple education and avoid taking responsibility and acknowledging already existing and rampantly rising levels of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and generally what you all like to call “traditional (christian) values” and the rest of the world likes to call “blatant right-wing fascism” - here’s florida specifically (god i hate nyt); 

these are just some of the FACTS about the united states, and they very much speak for themselves. i couldve found a million more sources, but, honestly, i dont feel like waddling through more of the mud that is this country’s awful politics and policies. 

now its time for my opinion. im assuming youre american, because if youre not, thats just... i have no words, then. you can come in here spouting absolute fucking brainwashing propaganda your country does to you on a regular basis, but dont expect me to have to listen to it, and do anything other than laugh derisively. your-us centrism is tiring, scary, and insane, because your country, to me, is little more than a glorified cult. it’s dangerous to the rest of the world for many reasons, not the least the way it permeates every sphere of our public life and pushes american fucking propaganda upon all of us, whether we want it or not, and its absurd and awful fucking military, which i would like to see razed to the ground immediately, but i pity you, anon, for being so absolutely lacking in critical thinking that you actually believe this bullshit that you are spewing. i was trying to criticise our fandom’s way of expressing outrage when it comes to non-western, whatever the fuck that means, countries while simultanously not speaking about or even acknoledging the fact that rapid erosion of democracy in the us has all the markings of the same “dictatorial” regimes we like to be enraged over when it comes to racing in bahrain or jeddah or abu dhabi, except the usa is not being held hostage by a single autocratic dictator but with the republican party which controls the government institutions. that is sometimes the only difference i can see.

i wont speak about human rights in the middle east, because i am not middle-eastern. there’s people who can add their opinions here, and i invite them to do so. i also invite anyone to tell me if i got something wrong, used a wrong source, or said anything that i need to re-check or do more research on. but the bottom line is: for you to take my LEGIT criticism and get offended on behalf of the fucking US instead, well. that says a lot about you and your priorities, doesn’t it?

[send-up-my-heart-to-you]

HI HI HI long ask incoming :,,DD

so i have a transmasc muslim character from Malaysia, and i was wondering what the biggest no-no’s are when it comes to writing their transition? and, also, what is it like being a queer muslim in general?

being a queer and trans asian i understand enough (personal experience lol) but i was raised (unfortunately) in a predominantly catholic country that has a LOT of misinformation abt muslims. which sucks. i vaguely know that removing one’s hijab is a very delicate, sensitive thing to do. but what happens when the person no longer identifies as a woman, and wishes to present masculinely? or heck, even present a bit femininely, but still choose to identify as a man? how would a trans muslim go about presenting the way they want to, in the theoretical situation that they’re in a safe enough environment to do so?

hii <333 i want to clarify beforehand that this is a VERY sensitive issue, esp among muslims. cause us as muslims have faced enough misrepresentation as is, and some (i promise not me) may consider it insulting and misrepresentative for a queer muslim to exist (as if they dont already). just, be wary when approaching this subject

now, the issue here is that trans muslims are an EXTREME minority, and i mean extreme. not many people transition and still call themselves muslim. they either renounce islam, or hide their identities for the sake of safety. islam resembles christianity in a way—queerness is a big no-no. HOWEVER, in islam its not haram to BE these things, its haram to act like it (specifically, acting like the opposite gender. dressing like them, who you get married to, etc)

you have to be v delicate, since most ppl would not accept a trans muslim character (i say most bc there are ppl who wouldnt mind, but society as a whole generally would in fact mind)

you almost never see women decide to take off their hijab bc they dont identify as a woman. removing the hijab is taboo enough in muslim culture, but doing that due to not identifying as a woman anymore? BIG no-no

if, theoretically, theyre in an environment safe enough to do so, they still may find ppl unfriending them bc of it, or tryna convince them not to do so for their own safety

HOWEVER, i do have genderqueer friends irl who are still muslim, all of them afab. im gonna use two of them as an example (keep in mind we do live in a transphobic/homophobic society)

the first one (genderfluid but goes w any pronouns) was a hijabi before they stopped identifying as a woman, and they still wear a hijab. however, they do wear chest binders and more masculine style of clothing (e.g. no skirts). they still cover their awrah (the part of a muslim that should be covered. for men its from the navel to below the knees, for women its everywhere except the face and hands), but theyve become a lil more careless w the hijab (like wearing it looser)

the second one (he/they) isnt a hijabi, and they still have long hair. however, he also wears a chest binder, but still likes makeup and things like that. ik less abt this one cause we arent as close as me n the first friend, but thats what ik

and i also mentioned the awrah. keep in mind that men have a hijab too, just a different kind. "hijab" just means covering, n both genders have to cover personal parts. so your character may stop wearing a headscarf, but they still have to wear longer shorts n grow out a beard (and yes, growing out your beard is a must for men in islam. according to most scholars anyway, since the prophet pbuh did it)

if your character was previously a hijabi, you might make him more careless w the hijab (showing more n more hair until he eventually renounces it completely) n start wearing more t-shirts w jeans and things like that (search up "grunge hijab" n youll see what i mean)

it IS better to make a trans non-muslim in a muslim society, considering a lotttttt of muslims might find it offensive if theres a trans muslim, but obv i have no say in your character and in the end its entirely your choice <33 just be aware that its kinda like stepping on broken glass here

[furinana]

The Trolley Problem in SMTIVA and why I keep choosing Dagda

There are several ways one could analyze Danu and Dagda's philosophies (and in far more detail) but for this post I'll be talking in a simple and straightforward way through Pros & Cons with in-game evidence.

Personally, I see Bonds and Massacre's essential difference standing on 'I care for the now' and 'I care for a future with no suffering'.

-----Bonds-----

The price: - Dagda is replaced by a Dagda shaped by Danu - Humanity will continue to depend on religions thus the cycle of suffering continues for both humans and those who rely on human understanding (gods, angels, demons etc)

But you get! - The souls that were going to build the Cosmic Egg are set free - All of your teammates are alive with their sense of selves intact

It's an ending that favors the human side as it doesn't put the focus on blaming the humans but 'bad and tyrant' gods. Even though they become bad specifically from the observation done by humans.

Gods and demons will continue to exist by being observed and exploited and blamed on for their misery. But for Nanashi what matters is that his friends and allies are well and working together. For now.

-----Massacre-----

The price: - Human souls will be sacrificed to build the new Universe - Your teammates are alongside the sacrificed and if revived, have a different sense of self

But you get! - Dagda stays as the original Dagda - Humanity will become independent and self-sufficient from religions, sets free those who rely on human understanding (gods, angels, demons etc)

Here, Nanashi accepts solitude and taking on Dagda's god position for a future where religions and myths become pointless. No biases or influences that could twist the original nature of the world anymore so new humans will be born with unlimited potential of using the truth of the world for themselves instead of leaving it at the hands of deities. Unless an exterior force comes.

It's important to keep in mind that as cruel for his methods Dagda is considered, he doesn't favor a specific religion or way of thinking like how Law does and just wants Nanashi to avoid the root of his problems: the observation done by humans. To consider Nanashi as if he could be a second YHVH is to go against what Dagda is preaching for (and Dagda will still watch you as he disappears).

The best argument for this is shown in this summary from page 110 from the SMTIVA artbook (translated by dijeh):

As sidenote, while Brigid isn't shown in the main story, she has a cameo in Tír na nÓg (aka the DLC area where Dagda makes it available for you to train), in which Nanashi can meet various Celtic figures from pre-Christian Ireland:

So if you are going to point out Dagda taking advantage of the mental state of Flynn and your Goddess, just scroll up and look again at what Danu does. They use the exact same method, with the real difference between them is that Danu's solution is an endless cycle of punishing and policing ideas that will keep being reborn from humans while Dagda wants to give future generations of humans the power to not depend on religions and on the same line, towards gods and demons the freedom of expectations to conform to what humans demand of them.

The irony is that Danu's kind and wholesome outcome favors way less groups in the long way than Dagda's despite the game constantly throwing at you that he is the most self-centered of the two.

Krishna, the most fitting force to compete against Law and Chaos since hinduism is one of most popular religions (approx. 1.2 billion of adepts), advocates for the pagan religions to side with him so each gets its own slice of followers for a world order of polytheism instead of monotheism. It's an ending that favors deities associated to polytheism. Dagda does the opposite to Krishna: 1) uses the fact he is not a very well-known deity and hides in the Axiom from interference from other people and YHVH himself until he could meet someone with a powerful will as Nanashi so he can 2) force all deities and demons altogether to return to the nature.

Dagda's ending strips the powers and authority of all religions and gives them to humans.

Now, obviously we also count that how a player considers the 'price' and the 'reward' will commonly vary from the theory (f. e. players picking a side for liking or disliking a character regardless of the meaning behind their alignment or viceversa).

In fact, SMTIVA validates this option as you can still see Nanashi being able to choose dialogue where he looks down on his teammates while also disagreeing with Dagda.

Meanwhile, Nanashi in Massacre is able to show compassion when parting ways with them as well.

In other words, there's no such a thing as a route where Nanashi is 'locked' into a single type of personality. Nanashi can canonically choose a route for ulterior reasons beyond what Dagda or Danu originally wanted them to be.

The duality of being friendly out of selfishness or being aloof out of not wanting to be heartbroken are all possibilities.

One could even say that the latter is present in Dagda himself, particularly from the ways you might be able to view his relationship and treatment of Nanashi.

To put it simply, the perspective of Dagda seeing a son in Nanashi after getting distanced from his daughter and Nanashi seeing a father in Dagda due to his orphan background and rather... unbalanced dynamic with Asahi and Boss.

As how a certain quote goes, the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. Taking into face value Dagda's grievances with influence caused by bonds with other people is similar to villifying the Chaos side without understanding the nuances of Law being what demonized it in the first place.

Dagda is intentionally made to be the bad apple of the game as a smokescreen for the player.

[cryptid-cuties]

Planing, Shaping, & Slotting theory

So the Duffers released some bts images of the filming of ST S5. In one of the shots we see this book laying on a table underneath a poster of Pink Floyd The Wall.

After doing some light digging I found something out:

This book does not exist. Meaning, it was made specifically for ST S5. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to break down everything about this book that we can see to potentially find out its importance. The Photo: - Doing a reverse image search of the factory worker didn’t garner any results, which means this is either a photo that someone had of some random factory worker that has never been published previously or, they took this photo specifically for this book cover. A lot of work for something that is meant to be a throw away background prop.

Also when doing a quick reverse image search, it brought up similar photos (not this exact one though) of factory workers. Specifically factory workers working on manufacturing tanks and turrets. 

“Planing, Shaping & Slotting”

A quick google search of those terms reveals that these are all different mechanical operating processes. Most specifically used in woodworking and metal working. The major difference seems to be a difference in how the machine cuts the wood/metal.

Fred H Calvin

Looking up this name as an author yields no results. HOWEVER, something I do find interesting is if you just Google “Fred H Calvin”, this is the first result:

Calvin’s doctrine of predestination is a book by Fred H Klooster, who is a former professor of systematic theology at Calvin Seminary, specializing in the study of John Calvin. - John Calvin is a well known French theologist who is known for his doctrine of predestination and the birth of Calvinism.

Calvinism, also called Reformed Christianity, is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and various other Reformation-era theologians. It emphasizes the sovereignty of God and the authority of the Bible

Predestination by definition, at least in theology, is the doctrine that all events are willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul.

- If you look at the reviews on the book, there is really only one that kind of breaks down the main points of the book, which I find to be very interesting: 

Now, I am by no means an expert in theology so I had to go and breakdown what some of the key terms used here mean in reference to theology and Calvinism specifically:

**important note** all of these definitions are pulled directly from Google, so I don’t know if these are all 100% accurate or if anything is being misrepresented.

Election: In Christianity, particularly within the theological framework of Calvinism, election involves God choosing a particular person or group of people to a particular task or relationship, especially eternal life. Election to eternal life is viewed by some as conditional on a person's faith, and by others as unconditional. Unconditional election (also called sovereign election[1] or unconditional grace) is a Calvinist doctrine relating to predestination that describes the actions and motives of God prior to his creation of the world, when he predestined some people to receive salvation, the elect, and the rest he left to continue in their sins and receive the just punishment, eternal damnation, for their transgressions of God's law as outlined in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Reprobation: Reprobation is God's eternal decree whereby he foreordained that (1) certain persons would be excluded from the number of those saved by grace, and that (2) those same persons would instead experience his just wrath. - Something of note that I also found about reprobation, at least in Calvinism, is that God is not viewed as the author or creator of sin, but rather it’s “fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger.”

Double predestination: Double predestination is the idea that not only does God choose some to be saved, he also creates some people who will be damned. Some modern Calvinists respond to the ethical dilemma of double predestination by explaining that God's active predestination is only for the elect.

Foreordination: Definitions of foreordination. (theology) being determined in advance; especially the doctrine (usually associated with Calvin) that God has foreordained every event throughout eternity (including the final salvation of mankind)

Unlike predestination, foreordination allows for individual agency (the ability to choose whether to fulfill one's callings).

Proximate: So looking up proximate in relation to theology I found what is called the proximate cause doctrine. The proximate cause, also called legal cause,  refers to a primary cause or an incident that set everything in motion.

So from my rudimentary understanding Calvin believed, in relation to the end of the world, that God has predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned since the creation of the universe. That he has chosen, or elected, certain people to have a specific role in the salvation of mankind and that they, as well as the damned, have the ability, or foreordination, to choose whether they want to fulfill that calling. And that all of this will be set into motion, or proximated, by a specific incident or event. 

Lindsay Publications Inc.

Doing some digging, I did find out that this is a real publication company. If you look at a list of their published works, you see that they are mostly specialized in manufacturing and machine building books. A lot of their works were published in the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s. 

Now taking everything we’ve learned, I’m sure we are all wondering: How does this relate to Stranger Things?

So based on a couple of theories that are already floating around about S5, especially because of the inspo board the writers posted, I believe this book could be alluding to the party working on building some form of machine, potentially in one dealing with time travel. Let me explain:

So we are all already under the idea that s5 is going to deal with time in some form or another, whether that has to do with time loops, time travel, or something similar. We also know that the Upside Down is stuck on the day that Will was taken into the Upside Down and that s5 potentially opens with a flashback to Will in the Upside Down.

Also based on those weird AI generated clips the writers shared during the strikes about specific scenes in s5 we can tell that Jonathan and Steve are building something as well as Dustin, Nancy, and Jonathan in some kind of machine(car?) traveling through some kind of hellscape. 

Based on things they have already referenced in Stranger Things, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took inspiration from Back to The Future and tried to make their own version of the DeLorean. The book, just as a manual on machinery, could be used as a guide on how to build said machine. Especially since none of the party, except for maybe Dustin,has any understanding on building something of that magnitude. 

That part seems obvious based on things we already know. All we are left with is the question of why they are building this machine in the first place. I think the answer could potentially be explained in the other clues of the book. Stranger Things has dealt in religious imagery before, especially in s4. I found this reddit post specifically talking about all the religious symbolism we see in s4. 

Since they have dabbled in religious imagery before, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that they will continue that theme in s5. In regards to Calvinism specifically, we can take a look again at my rudimentary explanation of Calvinism: So from my rudimentary understanding Calvin believed, in relation to the end of the world, that God (Henry/One) has predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned(Vecna’s victims) since the creation of the universe (The Upside Down). That he has chosen, or elected, certain people (Eleven/Will(?)) to have a specific role in the salvation of mankind and that they, as well as the damned(The People of Hawkins), have the ability, or foreordination, to choose whether they want to fulfill that calling. And that all of this will be set into motion, or proximated, by a specific incident or event(The events of the finale of s4). 

Them time traveling back in time to prevent the events of s4, or even Will being taken in the first place, could be them refusing the call of their roles in Henry’s version of the end of the world/Hawkins. 

Something else interesting is that this book appears underneath the poster of Pink Floyd The Wall. There is a really good post (here) about what The Wall is about. It could be easy to assume that another thing that sets the events in motion could be that the party is not dealing well with coping with the trauma of s4. Eleven’s failure to save Max/Hawkins; Dustin’s failure to save Eddie; Mike dealing with his failed confession and crumbling relationship with El; Will dealing with his, supposed, unrequited feelings for Mike/the return of his connection to the UD; Lucas dealing with the loss of Max. We could see any individual member of the party building a wall around themselves after that. There could potentially be something that happens in early s5 that will cause one or more of those walls to crumble, and the way they see to rectify it is by building a time machine to save those they’ve lost. It also doesn’t hurt that the person in the poster easily looks like one of Henry’s victims. 

I could be way off base here, but I just think all these little details are interesting to pay attention to. Especially since the Duffers have referenced that they hide things in the background purposefully to foreshadow things in the main story.

Tldr; Planing, Shaping & Slotting is foreshadowing the party building a time machine to save Max/prevent the end of the world.

[markedbyfireandash]

NaNoWriMo2023 Spells Day 03: Free Space

(Skipping "Tape" for now as I can't seem to find a spell that actually incorporates tape as a part of it, and not just as a quick adhesive)

@asksecularwitch

I'll just go ahead and link to what the author refers to as a "cyberspace book" that outlines an entire method of using a chessboard in all kinds of spells:

Magic for Squares by Tony Perez

To summarize the setup:

The chessboard is placed as a diamond, with the four corners pointing at the four cardinal directions (black tiles pointed at the north-south axis). The center four squares are the "starting point", where the pieces selected for the spell (or other relevant objects) are placed. On the corners are the unused chess pieces, still grouped according to their color (black occupying north and west), acting as Witnesses to the scene unfolding at the center.

The arrangement is then charged by placing items symbolic to the elements in their places along the four cardinal corners, and then vibrating their names. The book uses "Integra (N - earth), Renevator (E - air), Igne (S - fire), Natura (W - water)". The same can then be done to "reset" the board to a neutral state.

To use the magical chessboard, the relevant chess pieces and other props are placed at the central square of the board, and arranged in ways that reflect the spell's goals. The author provides several different arrangement ideas, such as elevating chess pieces, making figures face each other or away from each other, and even interacting with them as if they are the person they represent.

A chessboard is a very interesting choice of tool - the first thing it reminds me of is that characterization trope where a character is shown to be good at chess to signify that they're Smart(tm) and/or Manipulative(tm). Using a chessboard as the... setting? of a spell places the caster as the chess master of the situation, manipulating its pieces to suit their goals. As the author is a playwright, and has mentioned their experiences in stage-blocking as an inspiration for this method, playing chess master may not be far-off.

With the addition of the elements and cardinal points though, it seems that the chessboard is acting similarly to a specific kind of altar, or even a circle...? I don't think I have the vocabulary for this lol. It's not something I use, but I see whole rituals of setting up an altar and calling the four elements from the four cardinal points and leaving the ritual objects inside it a lot, and the way the chessboard utilizes the elements and the Witnesses give me the same impression.

I quite like the idea of using the center cross, the point where the two opposing sides meet, as the focal point. I think it's similar to the idea of using the crossroads or a liminal space as a location of power, to make changing the direction of things easier.

The charging and resetting of the chessboard is an interesting bit - the author uses an alternative meaning for INRI. As the Philippines is mainly Roman Catholic, it makes sense that magic practicioners here find power in Catholic Christian imagery and verses - the number 3, Catholic saints, and Catholic holidays feature a lot in local magic beliefs. Google tells me that the "igne natura renovatur integra" meaning allegedly came from the Rosicrucians, and translates to "by fire, nature renews itself". It's a very fitting phrase to use when you're changing the nature and function of a chessboard from a board game to a magical tool.

My Latin isn't Latin-ing well, so I don't have much of an opinion on the translation and the assignation of the words to the elements. I do know that assignment of cardinal directions to the elements varies by tradition, but not enough to know why the difference in what seems to be closely related / commonly syncretized traditions exists.

As for the chess pieces themselves, the author assigns the white pieces as Yang, and its King and Queen pieces as a 'protagonists' (the playwright influences coming in), while the black pieces are Yin, and its King and Queen are the 'antagonists'. Personally, this seems unnecessarily gendered (and perhaps has some unfortunate implications regarding the colors), but it seems the author works with a system that treats "male" and "female" objects differently .(I'm not quite sure why yang is the Default Protagonist here, though.) Following the yin-yang associations, the white pieces are also used to attract influences, while the black pieces repel them.

In general, while I am really interested in the basic idea of the spell method - and anything that can easily masquerade as mundane objects and actions are of great interest to me - the creator of the chessboard spell uses systems that I don't follow and don't fully understand yet. I like the idea of using the whole board as a 'stage' of sorts, of having the pieces to 'witness' my plans unfold (something something about it's not real until you have someone/something see it happen), and using the center of a chessboard as a magical focal point. But other than that, I would completely rework the method he presented, relying on how I personally perceive the concept of chess instead of his playwright's perspective and the whole elements and yin-yang system.

[zenodreemurr]

Red is NOT the true color of Determination? An investigation about Undertale lore (Part 3)

Greetings everyone. This is part three of my investigation of Undertale lore.

If, by any chance, this is the first part you stumble upon, here's a summary of what is happening. These posts are a full-on investigation about the color of Determination and how it may not be red. During the last part, I talked about the kind of well-known origin of SOUL names, as well as the relation of the red SOUL with this. Each part of this investigation, due to the full one being too long and to stay consistent with the separation of the parts of the investigation, is its own Tumblr post. It is recommended to read them in order. Here are PART 1, PART 2, PART 4 During the two last parts, it was proven that the appearance of red is more common that one would believe . This part will delve into this specific aspect of the investigation, since red is more present that it's said most of the time by fans. Analyses of the possible significances of red throughout the game and lack of red in specific situations related to Determination As I've stated before, red appears many, many times throughout the games, and each time people argue that it is related to Determination, yet, while some meanings are unclear, others are and are unrelated to Determination. People also tend to believe that red appears quite rarely, yet it is not the case. In fact, let me show you how you see it throughout the entire game.

While I had to take an Asgore genocide encounter to show it (since attacks aren't shown in the screenshots of the Undertale Text Project), all of your attacks throughout the game as well as all damage you see the Monsters taking are shown in red. Yet that is not the only time red appears. There are many other times. And since I have shown Asgore, let me show you one thing you known and one detail most people most to never notice.

Most people talk about how Asgore's trident is red. Now there may be an explanation for this. In popular culture, the Devil tends to be often represented as red, especially if its intended to be seen through child eyes. While not the only color commonly seen, and while the relation may not seem obvious, goats are, for Christians, related to Demons, and even more specifically, the Devil. Asgore's design in combat is made to look like the Devil, and the addition of red to the trident may be an aesthetic addition to help thinking such a thing. But that is not all. Do you see the red on the background? You know, at the bottom of the image. Most people do not see it, yet it exists. It's there. While I may be a bit too confident into what I'm saying, this looks like droplets of blood, possibly referencing the children that are dead, before Frisk. However, for it to work better, we need to assume that Asgore has killed them all, which, while it's very likely due to numerous texts, stays unconfirmed (or I haven't found it, hence why I take the time to talk about it). As such, red, on this image, could actually represent murder or evildoings, since red is also seen, to an extent, as a color of evil. The theme of murder isnearly omnipresent when it comes to Asgore. Even Dreemurr is an anagram of "Murderer", showing the omnipresence of the theme. There's also another thing.

Asgore is referred to in red text at least twice throughout the game (that I found). This more than likely signifies importance (which red may do other time, as seen with Chara's red texts) and no more. Also of course there is red in the background, most likely for the scenery, which is an aesthetic choice. In fact, it is not the only case of red being related to importance.

This is another case of using red to make something look important. The special attack is talked throughout Papyrus's fight, and even the way he talks about it makes it sound important. Now that we've talked about the red related to importance and to Asgore, let's go to other appearances that I know of.

Multiple instances of red can be seen throughout the Flowey fight in the Neutral route. First of all, while it applies to all fights, all lost HP is represented in red. Also, you can see some red on Flowey's design. Whether it is the red eyes on the television screen or the thorns on his body, it seems to be made to terrify the player. This boss is known to have scared many persons after all. Not only that, but when the warning appears, it appears in red. Of course this is a classical warning choice. Red is a color that easily catches attention, hence its uses for important signs, much like this warning one. Let's get to the next ones.

Those are the True Lab ones. I've identified red appearing four times at least. For the first two, the red, as proven by the second image, is there for the association of colors red/blue/green/yellow, an association of colors that is very common to see. As for the entries, the red is again there with the intent of scaring people, or at least creating a feeling of dread, as this is a darker shade of red.

By continuing, we can see that red also appears on Sans's telescope room. I'm not going to look through every room in Undertale. Tumblr limits the amount of images we can send in one past and it would be too long. I chose this one because we do not look at the room itself in the telescope. But to be fair, I feel like that was chosen at random, which may show a lack of meaning for the color red red in some occasions. I can't see any meaning in this, especially when Frisk's eye becomes purple, which makes it even more confusing. Let's also look at the dimensional box, that also has some red on it. It's probably that way to separate from the very blue, green, and white looks of Snowdin and Waterfall. The next one is the last appearance of red I will look into, and I kept this one for last intentionally.

The end of the Sans fight, the one everyone waiting. Well, first of all, thanks to these screenshots (and feel free to verify by fighting Sans in-game), we can actually see that the red only appears once Sans put his hand on his torso. You can also see the red thing on the hand on the third screenshot. We're not here to theorize about the true nature of this. In fact, this post assumes that no theory should be stated as correct. Sans in Undertale is intentionally left as mysterious, and we're not sure anything about Sans truly means anything. That is one of these instances, though one of the weirdest. Now, to continue, let's not forget that determination is relevant during some moments of Undertale. For fights, it's especially relevant for Undyne, Undyne the Undying, and the amalgamates, as Undyne calls herself determined and the amalgamates have been injected determination. Let's look at them.

As you can see, as proven with Sans and Asgore, some colorful details can appear, yet no red color appears on Undyne the Undying and the amalgamates themselves when you fight them, even though they're related to Determination. Interestingly enough, as you can see with the Memoryheads (which applies to all amalgamates by the way), red text appears when you attack them, telling some words. One may assume that it is because the amalgamates have determination. However, I would like to talk about another possible reason for this red text (plus I've kind of already talked in the first two parts how red doesn't mean determination). The True Lab is supposed to be that horror part of Undertale. This can be seen thanks to Alphys's unethical experiments, the amalgamated living beings, as well as the stressing atmosphere of the place in general accompanied by the music. Red text could also be a part of it. Red is the color that reminds people of blood, which can strike disgust and fear in some people, especially younger audiences. Red being there for being scary is one thing I've mentioned previously in this post, in one instance even relevant to the True Lab, though it was a darker red. Hence, due to that other possibility, among with a few possible others, I will not assume that the red text means Determination. This, much like a lot of the lore of Undertale, is ambiguous at best. The lore being ambiguous is one message I wanted to pass to the Undertale community. The ambiguous lore makes people easily have headcanons and think of them as facts since people repeat over and over that they are facts without even trying to do proper research. Yet when you think about it twice, there can be many explanations for many, many different things. Many things also aren't as obvious as they are talked about when you research the lore properly. But at this point, most people have been told from their very first introduction to the Undertale community that some interpretations of the lore are facts, and people try to just show correlations (sometimes very doubtful ones) just to prove their beliefs, while not admitting the flaws of their research process or of the theories themselves. I won't claim that my investigation is perfect. To be truly perfect, I would need to analyze every single bit of text in Undertale, even the one that could seem irrelevant. I do it to a certain extent, and I come up with unexpected ones, but looking at everything would take a way too long time. I doubt any analysis is perfect, but I also try to find the flaws in my own and this will easily be visible in part 4. As for now, have a good planetary rotation.

[agp]

i cry for the women who wish they were camab but unfortunately werent. i laugh with and at them too, though honestly probably more of the latter. but they have no idea what theyre missing and its sad really. if only there werent systems sorting us into these humanizing and dehumanizing categories on which our very personhood is founded, and those privileging from the current arrangement wouldnt get so much leverage for making their relationship to this privilege ambiguous if not a lie. i hope this kind of complaint is more than vaguely familiar and the parallel im trying to hint at is glaring enough.

transmisogyny demonstrably produces something unique that the exclusion of cis women from trans womanhood does not have as an observable equivalent genocidal force. acknowledging the coloniality of cis and trans as a product of the coloniality of man and woman shouldnt lead us to uphold these categories as universal and eternal, but as specifically bound to our political historical context: the dominant contempory coloniality of gender. the ongoing white christian hegemony, western patriarchy, settler colonialism, 21st century capitalism, (post)modernity, or whatever you call it.

and deep down this is an exlusionary practice on the same partial grounds that we are excluded from womanhood as trans women (i say partial because transmisogyny is also quite incentivizing). our exemption from certain forms of targeted misogyny as children coercively assigned male at birth provides certain privileges in our society that are difficult to talk about because they are consistently used as leverage to rob us of our womanhood again and again. it also makes it difficult to talk about male assignment as something that carries exclusionary demands relating to womanhood: what one could call transmisogyny.

the history of these demands and the leverage they continue to provide those exempt from transmisogyny are that very system. they are the particular forms of treating each other that dominate oppress and exploit us with particular forms of discrimination, in this case on the basis of assigned sex relative to claimed gender. transmisogyny as a system of values sets the conditions for the production of exemptions from transmisogyny in its more direct, active, and violent forms of systemic and interpersonal abuse. it is a history where transmisogyny is a demonstrably genocidal force, and the exclusion of cis women from trans womanhood appears not to be.

thats not to say it cant exist in relatively minor forms here and now, or that it could never develop into an equivalent form of violence. because if we let these systems develop further ways to provide us the material interest to dominate, oppress, and exploit each other relentlessly, with time, i know things could get a lot worse for everyone.

lets be naively thankful for cis womens exclusion from transmisogyny, in the same way trans exclusionary feminists, anti-feminists, or otherwise will continue to claim that the world we live in has been nothing but priviliging to those assigned male at birth strictly relative to the gender binary since time immemorial, and that we therefore do not experience misogyny.

cause idk. i believe cis women experience something particular when people dont believe they were cafab when they claim womanhood, but that calling it transmisogyny without further qualification in the way we demand that transmisogyny categorically qualifies as misogyny isnt as urgent in this political economy? and that defending the integrity of trans womanhood and transmisogyny is a higher priority here and now, just like terfs who prioritize defending the cisexist integrity of womanhood and misogyny over our political concerns.

the contradictions of gender will keep developing in new ways. i hope the political necessity of the duty to exclude cis women from trans womanhood deemed necessary to resist transmisogyny evaporates one day just as much as i wish the duty to exclude trans women from womanhood deemed necessary to resist patriarchy becomes obsolete as well. because they are both products of the same system that inovates new ways to dominate oppress and exploit us every day. and because i care. and because i am a revolutionary.

but maybe i also feel more empowered to revolutionize womanhood than trans womanhood and could use more support from transmisogyny exempt peoples of the world at the fucking moment

[cookinguptales]

wwdits tarot: temperance

Slowly but surely this has just become a way for me to ramble about every character in this show.

Next up is XIV. Temperance.

So to make sense of Temperance, I think first I have to talk about the Four Cardinal Virtues. People sometimes put these against the Seven Deadly Sins, but the virtues are actually quite a bit older. Originally a topic of some discussion in ancient Greek philosophy, the Four Cardinal Virtues were comprised of four traits that are, well, virtuous to have. These virtues were later adopted by Christian theologians and eventually moseyed their way into occult stuff.

The four virtues are Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, and Prudence, and all four correlate to tarot cards in the deck. (Strength, Justice, Temperance, and The Hermit respectively. I know, that last one is a bit of a stretch.) I haven’t talked about them much because, well, virtues are kind of dull. But Temperance is kind of a dull card.

All of the other virtues drifted a bit in meaning when they made it to tarot, but Temperance still correlates strongly with its traditional meaning. The idea here is to be not too much of anything. Not too happy and not too sad. Not too fierce and not too meek. It seeks to find the middle way in all things and not feel any one thing too strongly.

It is a very calm, stable card.

Being real with you, there aren’t really any stable characters in WWDITS, but it was still fairly easy for me to choose who I wanted for this one. I wanted just a really chill, laid-back character who doesn’t really seem to fit into any of the core groups. He’s not too good. He’s not too bad. He’s not too concerned with most of the goings-on of the vampiric world.

He just wants to make minimum wage and go home to his sad storage-facility coffin.

That’s right. It’s Derek.

Temperance calls for moderation in all things, and Derek seems to have that covered pretty well, actually. He was kind of a mediocre human, and he’s become a mediocre vampire as well. I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way; I think that in some ways, Derek has his life together a lot more than some of the vampires we’ve seen. He doesn’t hit the highs that a lot of vampires do, but he doesn’t often hit the lows, either.

One of the main symbols of Temperance, both in tarot and long before that, is a person pouring liquid from one container to another. Traditionally speaking, this is supposed to be a person mixing water into their wine to make it weaker. (This was common in the ancient world so people weren’t just drunk all the time.) The idea is to weaken the wine so it isn’t too strong. Moderation, temperance, etc.

That said, the meaning of that image has drifted a little bit in tarot to be more concerned with the concept of blending. Temperance here is calling for you to listen to multiple points of view, attend to several different groups, and mix all those things together into something that suits you specifically. It calls for you to take in diverse viewpoints and not cling to any one of them too tightly.

I think Derek manages that, actually, though perhaps not out of any desire of his own. Because he doesn’t really fit into any existing vampiric groups, he seems to take a little bit from the human and a little bit from the disparate vampiric groups he encounters and mixes them together into something all his own. This can sometimes have disastrous results, like when he got in trouble for wearing too much Hot Topic, but for the most part? Kind of seems to work for him.

He’s not dead yet, at least. That kind of seems like a win in the vampiric world.

I think that Derek also serves this purpose in the narrative, too. He serves as a blend of human and vampire that the writers use to really rattle Guillermo. Derek is a constant reminder of the human world that Guillermo is desperately trying to leave behind, not to mention the sins he’s committed in it, and the writers often seem to bring him up when Guillermo needs to be a bit uncomfortable. When he has to confront what his actions have done to other humans at the Mosquito Collectors. When Guillermo is going nuts trying to attend to Nandor’s wedding. When Guillermo finally decides to try and shake up his own position in life by asking Derek to turn him.

He’s a useful sort of character to have around, I think; a bridge between the human and vampiric world that Guillermo has never quite managed to build himself.

Derek also serves as a kind of weird happy medium between human and vampiric morality. As a human, he wanted to hunt vampires. (For… somewhat murky reasons, if we’re being honest.) As a vampire, he still refuses to engage in the kind of wanton violence and debauchery that the rest of them do. While he’ll freely admit that he "just does fucked-up shit now” he also seems to have a moral code that’s a lot stronger than Guillermo’s. He doesn’t like to lie or cheat or screw people over. He won’t steal from his human victims. He works for his living.

So I think we have a mixture now of the super fucked-up shit that the vampires do on the daily, often to each other, and his mission to make the world a better place as a human. He’s not quite so noble as a vampire slayer now, but he’s not killing for kicks, either. Temperance, I suppose.

Finally — honestly, he’s just a pretty chill dude, if a bit needy. Even when his life was on the line at the Vampiric Council, he seemed to have a very “I guess this is my life now” philosophy about things. He certainly seems to have the calm aspect of Temperance down pat.

I’m interested to see where Derek ends up in season 5. Whether Guillermo will pull him more into the fucked-up vampiric world, or if his own set of human scruples will prevent Guillermo from attaining the vampiric status he’s always dreamt of.

Will Derek stay Temperance?? I guess only time will tell.

(And damn, will someone just have a chill bull sesh with this guy? He’s so lonely. He makes me depressed. Guillermo, I love you, but you are a genuinely terrible friend. lmao)

Anyway, onto the imagery.

Like I mentioned, the main thing with Temperance is this pouring liquid between two cups image. We also see this angelic figure with one foot in the water and one on land (balancing between two worlds) and having an indeterminate gender (occultists in this period were pretty into dimorphic gender roles, so an androgynous figure like this would be yet another symbol of blending two "opposites.")

With Derek — I mean, obviously we have to turn the liquid into blood, right? We just gotta do that. It’s a given.

As for the rest of the card, I like the idea of setting it in the cramped back room of that gas station, but a pool of blood on the ground spilling from his two chalices. One foot is in that pool of blood, but the other still on safe ground.

(He would spill the blood. Sorry, Derek, but you’re not exactly the most capable of vampires here.)

Temperance is usually an angelic figure, but we can’t exactly have those around our vampires, can we? Still, I think it’d be nice if the fluorescent lighting forms a sort of halo behind his head.

We get our angels where we can get them in this show. lmao

wwdits tarot masterpost

[luesmainblog]

Hi there, is there a link to your about page that people can access via the tumblr mobile app?

you can try my direct About link but I don't know if it's readable on mobile, I'm a strictly desktop user and I've been here since before the site became mobile-centric, so I genuinely don't know what's accessible and what isn't :( my phone can't really run the tumblr app half the time, so it's not something i'm able to check for.

honestly it's nothing that isn't pretty much covered by "i'm here i'm queer get used to it" or looking at the political stuff i do reblog. brief summary being i'm nb, aspec, anti-terf, anti-swerf, anti-cop, and anti-harassment. longer summary: I do my best to be an ally to jewish and muslim folk, but i am very under-educated in that area. same applies to mental illnesses. i was around during The Ace Raids(period of tumblr history where the site went extremely anti-ace for, at the time, no discernable reason. now we know it was general anti-queer getting its hooks in early.) and i watched the birth of the mogai community and the bi v pan debate. as a result my attitude towards identity is "you're the expert, just use whatever label suits you best and i'll believe you about it". i respect older/"outdated" identities and do my best to learn about queer history and incorporate that knowledge into my views. i can get kind of anti-christian at times due to the general trauma of living in the united states and watching "religious belief" become the excuse for massive levels of abuse and control, but i do respect people who use that belief to help people and push positive change. i view Missionary Work(i.e. going to another location and doing charity specifically to spread the word of your religion, like the god damn mormons are constantly doing) as inherently colonization and fundamentally do not understand people who consider it to be a good deed. i am against arranged marriage, but respectful to those who are comfortable in theirs. I support poly marriage(i am poly myself), and i think we need to severely change how disability aid is handled so that disabled people can marry who they want without losing their coverage and don't have to literally count pennies to make sure they're not over an insanely low limit. i can get kind of loud about intersex people's existence and rights. I support landback, but i am under-educated in native issues. I consider neurodivergency a positive thing, but i also acknowledge it as a disability. i consider the political lesbians of the 1960s to have been infiltrates and traitors, as their beliefs were foundational to modern TERF rhetoric. I don't have a DNI(if some asshole decides to follow me they're gonna see exactly what i think about them very quickly, and if they stick around anyways, maybe something i post will shake their beliefs a little), but TERFs, SWERFs, nazis and MAGAs get blocked on sight. harassment will also be blocked and reported. I am a strong believer in online anonymity; i don't think it's wise to share your age, sex, race or location unless it's something you WANT people to be aware of. I also don't think it's a good idea to share your face, but i don't harp on people who do make that choice unless they're underaged(and even then it's gonna be a very light 'hey maybe this is a bad idea'). double points on location, stop telling people where you live. that should NEVER have been normalized.

i'm also into a lot of fandoms, and i don't usually tag unless asked. current tags: NSFC(not safe for crystal, basically any mention of death will be under this), Facepaint, Spiders, Cats, Horrible Things, Important, Signal Boost, For My Wife, Frosty, Crinket, and Awesome Music. if you dig too deep into that last one you'll find some OLD tumblr culture. i also try to tag for content warnings like abuse, flashing lights, and sexual assault.

in short, i think other people should be able to exist how they want to as long as it's not inherently harmful to others, and i love to learn more about the world and spread that knowledge. i'm gonna see if i can make this my pinned post, this is honestly a better summary of what you're gonna see on this blog than my about page is. also, not the most important thing, but I do have memory problems, so i usually use Likes as a way to show myself i've already reblogged/seen something. ff to block if this ain't your rodeo, and welcome aboard if you stay!

[boreal-sea]

@merry927

"Subsume" - include or absorb

Note: I will be focused on American patriarchy here. This is American Upperclass Christian CisHet Abled White Patriarchy, because that's the kind of patriarchy that runs America. So when I say "patriarchy", that's the specific kind I am referring to.

Some of these concepts of course apply to other countries and cultures; but as I am not from those countries or cultures, I don't get to speak on their behalf or discuss how these concepts intersect with their brand of patriarchy.

-----

Do I think American patriarchy has "absorbed" racism, homophobia, and transphobia?

Transphobia and homophobia are direct results of sexism and misogyny, which are themselves products of the patriarchy. The patriarchy did not subsume these concepts, it invented them. The patriarchy exists to keep men in power, and to do that, it must oppress all those who are not American Upperclass Christian CisHet Abled and White.

Homosexuality is hated because it disrupts the "natural order" American patriarchy insists on: a heterosexual family unit of a man and a woman and their 2.5 children. You hear this all the time when republicans cry that the gays are "destroying the family". If women have babies without men, how will men stay in control!? If a man doesn't have a wife, how can he have children and stay in control!?

Transphobia is hated because it too disrupts the "natural order" of American patriarchy. There is so much that goes into this: the idea that trans people are castrating themselves first of all, which is "humiliating" for a man to do to himself, and "destroying her fertility" when a woman does it. Disrupting the patriarchy's goal of reproduction is one of its greatest fears, because having babies is a great way to control women. Then of course there's the fact that trans people fuck with gender and gender presentation and what we think of as "biological sex". Being trans is inherently disruptive to the patriarchy's status quo.

Racism (and xenophobia) was not invented by American patriarchy, but American patriarchy absolutely HAS incorporated racism into its framework from before America was even a country in order to keep White American Men in control. Black men are absolutely second-hand citizens in American patriarchy and do not have the same power or control as white men, period.

So no - I do not think American patriarchy has "absorbed" homophobia and transphobia - it invented them. I do think it has absorbed racism, but obviously I do not think racism was "invented" by the patriarchy. American patriarchy could not exist without racism, but I do not think that eliminating American patriarchy would eliminate racism.

-----

NOW - we need to have a brief discussion on the differences between racism and sexism. They are not a 1:1 analogy, especially since racism and sexism can intersex with one another. They are separate axes of oppression. As we are both white, I don't think either of us really gets to have a say on racism, nor should we be using it as a tool in this discussion.

-----

So let's return to sexism and discuss the words "oppress" vs "harm". Oppression is a form of harm in which a person is held back, held down, or made subservient to others.

A better analogy would be, if you were a straight woman, something like:

"I would expect I would be (rightly) sharply criticized for saying lesphobia oppressed me"

And I would say you're wrong. Straight women are regularly oppressed for being perceived as lesbians. Being chased out of jobs, chased out of bathrooms, sexually assaulted or raped, ostracized, sexualized - straight women are not immune to these forms of oppression just because they aren't lesbians. Bigots do not care about your actual identity, they only care about their perception of you. Being straight will not protect you if they want to hurt you.

Now let's bring men back into the picture. Men who are oppressed by the patriarchy.

I think Matthew Shepard was very oppressed by the patriarchy for being gay. You know, since he was murdered and all that.

To claim that gay men are not oppressed by the patriarchy is, to me, a sign of absolute ignorance. It takes purposeful effort, in my opinion, to not see the harm gay men have faced from the patriarchy. Every little boy who has been physically abused by his parents for holding a doll or wearing a dress, every boy beaten up by his peers at school for being effeminate, every gay man who's been refused employment or housing because he's gay, every victim of AIDS who was a man - every one of those men is a victim of the patriarchy, and has absolutely without question been oppressed by the patriarchy.

Honestly, to claim otherwise is in and of itself homophobic.

-----

As for what "the right" does - I assume you mean conservatives - I give zero shits what they do. I don't run my life based on what republicans will think of me.

-----

@merry927's reply from the comments:

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! MATTHEW SHEPHERD IS ALIVE! HE WAS NOT BRUTALLY BEATEN BY HOMOPHOBIC PIGS AND LEFT TO DIE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!

Great news to ALL men who have been victims of the patriarchy! Merry927 has decided YOU AREN'T ACTUALLY OPPRESSED!! Go enjoy that male privilege!!

[innocentsshounenjuujigun]

Back when I read the manga, I interpreted Christian as a closeted gay desiring to become a woman in order to be with Etienne.

Since the story is framed in a time in history where gays were not well-liked and Christian is presented as a super logical person, I thought it was reasonable for him to want to be a female, because this would make his love for Etienne more acceptable and overall easier.

I know you write Christian as a trans girl and I think it's a totally valid take because the manga is a bit unclear, but I would love to hear your opinions on this other interpretation.

(Also English is not my first language, but I hope I could convey my ideas just fine >.<).

Alright, so, I may have taken this ask a little more seriously than I should have. >w> As in, I'm currently in an Arthurian Legends class with a professor who specializes in the Medieval period and its history, culture, and stories... and I had a meeting with her specifically to discuss this topic.

That means you're about to get an essay in response here, anon. Most of the following paragraphs are based on my own opinions developed in the years I've been invested in Innocents, but there are a good few of my professor's opinions also taken into account.

I have a lot of feelings about Christian's gender identity and how Furuya crafted her story, so I hope I can do those feelings justice!

. . .

(They/them pronouns are used for Christian here for neutrality.)

The core point of this is that for Christian, changing their gender identity would have been far from the most logical choice. There's nothing about becoming a woman that would have made their life easier— or made it easier to be with Etienne from a social perspective. It would have been far more "logical" to stay a gay man than go to such extremes, for reasons such as...

Homosexual acts were common enough to be in the manual priests had to guide people through repentance (called a Penitential). Beyond that, "sodomy" happened often enough that it was a recognized issue, particularly in monasteries and among knights. While it was still a "sinful" and punishable offense, it happened, and it happened often enough that Christian, well-read as they are, would have almost definitely been aware of both the existence of those acts and exactly what would have been done to "punish" them. (Source)

In comparison, trying to become a woman would have been a major problem socially. That's not just a single sin to repent for; it's an attempt to alter their entire lifestyle into something that would have been highly socially unacceptable. A couple of acts of "sodomy", in comparison, if they were even found out, would have been much less punishable than trying to live as a woman.

Going from that, it would have been far easier for Christian to live with Etienne somewhere remote enough that the chances of being found out would be next to zero, and have their "sinful" relationship as it was— not embark on a dangerous, potentially years-long quest to undergo a dangerous surgery and change their entire life to do something that would have been less socially acceptable than a few acts of sodomy that may or may not have ever been discovered.

And of course, Hugo! He, a member of the Knights Templar, was very obviously engaging in sodomy on the regular. While we may not be sure of exactly how aware of this behavior his superiors were, the fact that half of the prostitutes shown in the scene with Nicolas and Guy are male says a lot about how easy that was to get away with. (Ch. 10)

As you can see, Hugo was sleeping with plenty of men, and he didn't suffer any dramatic punishment for it (that we know of) until what happens in the actual story.

Next, in terms of logic, undergoing surgery to "become a woman" would have been an incredibly reckless, risky choice. We see an illustration of the procedure in Christian's textbook (Ch. 20), and it's pretty grotesque. Definitely not the kind of thing that would have had a high survival rate in the era before germs were common knowledge. Going by the picture, it does not look like something that a rational man would willingly undergo, especially not when considering the information stated in the previous paragraphs.

Yeah. That does not look like something many people would have survived, nor a very logical choice to undergo if you're not desperate.

This leads to my most significant point— the utter loss of any kind of social advantage. In this time and place, women didn't have much in the means of rights. By becoming a woman, even if the procedure was 100% successful, if they survived, and if they were able to seamlessly live their new life without anyone ever knowing that they started out male, Christian would have lost every bit of status, power, and safety they had in the process. As a man, they still had some form of agency; submitting to life as a woman would have put them in a terribly vulnerable position, even without the risk of being found out for who they previously were.

With Christian indeed being a logical, rational person (for the most part), it doesn't make sense to me that they'd resort to such desperate, dangerous measures in the hopes that it would somehow make their relationship with Etienne easier. The matter of attraction is the only advantage I can think of that they'd gain, and even that idea doesn't exactly work out— since Etienne would have been fully aware that they started out as male, the aftermath of the procedure wouldn't have changed what he knew about them.

Christian's desire to become a woman is highly illogical. It's desperate. And the consequences of such a choice, the overwhelming risks with very little reward, indicate to me that there was a lot more going on in their head than just wanting to justify their feelings for Etienne. In this setting, changing their sex and gender would have been a far too dramatic choice to solve that problem.

There's additional evidence, in my opinion, in Christian's behavior in the story, but since this post is meant to cover only the potential logic/non-logic of the choice, I'll stop here for now.

Thank you for the ask! :D