#and that he got criticized for his support of catholics

[fictionadventurer]

Because @maltheniel has enabled me, I'm going to tell you about William Henry Seward.

If you had the American history education that I had, you might have heard of a thing called Seward's Folly--also known as Alaska. Seward was the Secretary of State who was mocked for buying America territory in what appeared to be a barren wasteland, until he was vindicated by the discovery of oil and gold and a jillion other useful natural resources. If you had the education that I had, this is the only thing you heard about him, but the more I look into the Civil War, the more baffling this is, because this guy is everywhere in the political scene of the time.

Seward was an extremely vocal anti-slavery Whig from New York. He started as a US Senator in 1849, and he became part of President Zachary Taylor's inner circle, influencing him to support measures to keep slavery out of the new territories. After Taylor died, the question of slavery in the territories dominated politics for the next decade, with the conflict getting more heated and the positions getting more polarized. The Whig Party fell apart because of disagreements over the issue; Seward held on for as long as he could, but eventually joined the newly-forming Republican Party, and became well-known for his eloquent speeches against slavery.

When it came time to choose the Republican nominee for the 1860 presidential election, Seward was by far the top candidate. All but a shoe-in. Unfortunately, some of his anti-slavery speeches were a bit too eloquent, and gave him a reputation for being much more radically anti-slavery than he was. A significant portion of the party doubted he could win a nationwide election when slavery was such a divisive issue. This gave Lincoln's team a chance to pitch him as a less-radical option, which allowed him to come from behind and win the nomination.

Seward was extremely gracious about the loss, immediately publishing letters announcing his full support of Lincoln as candidate, and putting his own campaign manager to work getting Lincoln elected. Privately, though, he was seething. He had been in politics for decades, helped to build the party, and then lost his chance at the presidency to a guy who'd been working as a backwoods lawyer for the last twelve years.

But he knew his politics, and knew it was better to support the party's candidate than to oppose him. Lincoln offered Seward the prime Cabinet position of Secretary of State--he was qualified for it and deserved it--and Seward accepted. Seward hoped that he'd be able to help select the other Cabinet members, so he could pick people from his own faction who he'd work well with. Then he, with his extensive connections and political experience, could be the real head of the administration, with Lincoln as a compliant figurehead.

Lincoln was having none of it. He listened to Seward's suggestions, but he'd basically already chosen the people he wanted for his Cabinet, across all factions of the party. While he made use of Seward's expertise and trusted him as Secretary of State, he was going to be head of his own administration and be the one making all the final decisions. After a rocky start, Seward came to recognize that Lincoln had a shrewd mind and good judgement, and he became Lincoln's loyal supporter and a good friend.

But there was a persistent idea that Seward was the real power behind the throne, sparked partly by the prominent role he took in Washington between the election and the inauguration. States started seceding almost as soon aa Lincoln was elected, and Seward was the one who had to hold things together in Washington while Lincoln was tying things up in Illinois. He was getting reports from informants, watching out for Southern spies, and keeping Lincoln abreast of what was going on. He gave a stirring speech to Congress urging the Southern states to keep the Union together, offering all sorts of concessions to mollify them, such as amendments preventing the federal government from interfering with slavery. It was a highly controversial speech, and his wife, Frances, raked him over the coals for it. She understood, earlier than almost anybody, that this crisis would turn into a long war about slavery, and that they couldn't afford to bend on that issue, even to keep the Union together. (Lincoln privately approved of several measures Seward talked about, but publicly said little, preferring to see the public's response to Seward before taking official positions.)

Seward was a little bit like a Civil War version of Evil Chancellor Traytor. Under both Lincoln and Johnson, rumors persisted that Seward was the shadowy figure who was really in charge, secretly manipulating the president into making unpopular decisions, even though most of the time, Seward had nothing to do those decisions, and often disagreed at least partially with what the president chose to do.

Best example of the effects of this misconception is the time Seward came under attack during the middle of the war. The war was going badly, and since people couldn't directly attack the president, they started going after Seward. Chase, the Treasury Secretary, told some members of Congress that Seward was the reason the Cabinet couldn't get along, and that he was always trying to take control. These senators wanted to meet with the president and force him to get rid of Seward. When Seward heard about this, he gave Lincoln his letter of resignation, not wanting to cause problems for the administration. Lincoln responded by allowing the senators to join in a Sewardless Cabinet meeting. When confronted with both the senators and the Cabinet, Chase was forced to admit that his stories had been exaggerated, and the other Cabinet members rallied to Seward's defense, resenting Congress' meddling. Lincoln refused to accept Seward's resignation, and Seward returned to the Cabinet, having been saved by Lincoln's political acumen.

I'm going to skip ahead so I can tell you the craziest part of the story. Four days before the Civil War officially ended, Seward got into a carriage accident that left him bedridden with a broken jaw and a bunch of other injuries. When told of Lee's surrender on April 9th, Seward said (through a broken jaw, after barely surviving a painful accident), "For the first time in my life, you've made me cry." (Which is both touching and an incredibly badass claim, given what he's just suffered.)

Five days later, John Wilkes Booth shot the president at Ford's Theater. Everyone knows (or should know) that part of the story. What I didn't know was that his conspiracy also called for Seward's assassination. Booth knew his Shakespeare and didn't want to leave Seward alive as a Marc Antony to eulogize the dead tyrant. (He also wanted to kill Andrew Johnson, but that assassin chickened out, and it's not really important to this story).

While Booth was at the theater, his co-conspirator went to Seward's house under the pretense of delivering medication. When Seward's son wouldn't let him go upstairs, the assassin tried to shoot him and broke his skull with the gun. The assassin then made his way to Seward's bedroom--where, I need you to remember, Seward was still bed-ridden--and stabbed him five times in the face and neck. Like, sliced away flaps of flesh. The only reason Seward didn't die was because the splint for his broken jaw deflected the blade away from his jugular vein. And because his other son and bodyguard made it into the room and forced the assassin to flee.

Chalk this one up in the "Parts of American History I'm Furious No One Told Me About" column.

While Seward was recovering, they hid the president's death from him, thinking he wouldn't survive the shock. But he figured it out three days later when he saw the flags at half-staff through his bedroom window, and realized that if Lincoln were alive, he'd have been the first to come see Seward after the attack.

Of course, Seward survived (badly scarred) and went on to buy Alaska. Which is an interesting story. But not half so interesting as all the stuff that came before it.

[sepublic]

Christianity for Dana Terrace and TOH

I have to wonder about and consider The Owl House as an expression of Dana Terrace's own nuanced relationship with Christianity. We know she was raised in a Catholic school, and we've heard of the out-of-context incident where she got put into a headlock by a nun as a child (idk if context even matters in this scenario);

Plus, there's the show's obvious critiques of Christianity, via Belos' fanaticism and demonization of witches, plus his superiority complex and belief in predestination. And then we have Tarak bonding with King as a potential father figure, even being mistaken for his dad, only to sacrifice him anyway for the Grand Huntsman despite whatever hesitations he has; This story beat echoes the tale of Abraham and Isaac. The Emperor’s Coven/Cult is clearly Catholic.

But at the same time, we have Steve's reminiscing over the Titan as perhaps just some dude who doesn't know what he wants, either; And he's saying this as a former member of the Emperor's Coven, which itself applied a very Christian understanding of the Titan via Belos. We have Luz meeting the Titan in-person, and seeing that he's not some deity but just a person who meant well and tried his best.

The show emphasizes people being able to improve and get better and needing that chance, plus what I've said about Luz possibly being meant to represent a more positive, accurate portrayal of Jesus Christ; She dies and is resurrected with the power of the Titan, who isn't quite God but maybe she is in a meta sense? It's complicated.

So to psychoanalyze a real life person through their art (which I guess is what single author classes does to a mf), I have to consider that it's not as simple as Dana condemning Christianity as a whole; More than likely, a specific brand of Christianity, namely Evangelicalism, Catholicism, etc. We have to remember that what we often criticize as Christianity is more so a specific denomination, or group of; Christianity is a widespread religion comprised of countless different takes and interpretations of the Bible.

And IIRC (a source would be helpful), I think Dana even clarified that her experience with Catholic school wasn't wholly negative either? She did not consider herself abused, or at least abused abused. Her feelings might be mixed, especially because one doesn’t need to personally experience the worst to know about it; That is another way in which one might become critical.

I don't think Dana is outright resentful of Christianity as a whole, she might just have complicated feelings, criticisms, and thoughts; Tbf, this is how many denominations came to being. So when I see Steve reflecting on the Titan, and Luz getting to meet him... I think these scenes are, in a way, Dana making peace with the idea of God in her life; Getting to consider her relationship with and belief (or lack thereof) in him, and his paternal status to the world as a whole.

She's also recognizing his fallibility, God is a person and like any person his insight and support is illuminating, but not all-encompassing; It's not doctrine, it's just advice, from one person to another. So when the Titan reassures Luz, or Dana, he's not saying she's the specialest chosen one in the world; He's just someone with a lot of experience who can provide some guidance and clarification on life, not unlike Eda.

The Titan saying goodbye to Luz feels like Dana being able to part on -ultimately- good terms after resolving that major anxiety in her life, on a final note that is no longer resentful and more a fond memory overall. It’s her moving to the next stage of her life, as Luz herself does, now able to carry and believe in herself, and not need that same guidance to figure out what to do.

It’s a coming of age moment appreciating what was given by a paternal figure, with Dana now comfortable exploring other beliefs and practices after making her farewell with Christianity by realizing it isn’t absolute, yet still treasuring what it was able to give her. So she carries on what she can, at least in spirit, like… Luz and the glyphs, remembering them, and now having her own palisman to continue her love of magic that the Titan helped support. So we have both the narrative meaning to Luz behind all of this, and the real-life significance for Dana herself, which aren’t quite the same but there is overlap. And there’s also the other meaning for Dana in how the Titan represents her father, which we’ve already discussed.

So The Owl House and the storyline of the Titan could be Dana's own nuanced takeaway from Christianity; Her exploring how she feels about it, what she appreciates, what she doesn't, how it fits into the rest of her worldview. And I don’t think Dana is trying to convert anyone, nor condemn those who feel irreverent. I think she’s more about deconstructing Christianity to reconstruct it.

Be Gay, Do Witchcraft of course, I think there is a catharsis in exploring that. And also, because the sentiment behind that phrase might be less about Christianity being inherently evil, and more so that many queers don’t care what evangelicals think of them anymore; So sure, we’ll humor your fears for fun, we ARE the demons we’re accused of being. It’s like Eda saying “Well we ain’t!” in response to Belos’ claim that humans are inherently better. Plus demonized belief systems that aren’t Christianity deserve validity as well, hence the pagan influences being portrayed positively, with the narrative questioning the dismissal of certain ideas being ‘demonic’ or ‘savage’.

And of course, co-existence IS possible. And I find this important because it can be easy to just dismiss religion entirely in an edgy internet atheist type of way, but in the end one must reconcile that religion means a lot for a lot of people, many whom ARE chill and willing to co-exist; The narrative presents the spirituality of the Boiling Isles as something precious, for example. All belief systems are valid, not just these select few.

And maybe they don’t have to be mutually exclusive with queerness or “alternative” lifestyles, because a lot of people from these demographics aren’t quite comfortable with just getting rid of religion entirely, and they’re entitled to still maintaining that connection. If feminists can still have a nuanced relationship with femininity, so can believers with their religion.

People are simply asking to be allowed to exist and practice their beliefs in peace, they aren’t really calling for the eradication of the other. Just as queers don’t actually intend to abolish heterosexuality, they just want to be left alone. Let people decide how they feel about certain things, instead of making them get rid of it for their own good; That is every individual’s personal choice, just as yours is. And that feels relevant, given how much Choice is a theme in this show, and especially in the finale in which Luz meets the Titan properly, with the Titan emphasizing this agency to her.

[blue-rose-soul]

The Devil's Dear Friend - A What if?

Alastor's connection to Lucifer was overwritten when he tried to save his mother from her employer and was killed first. He ended up in heaven for his sacrifice.

Nicaise was not granted the same reward. One moment she was screaming and holding her son, the next she was alone and staring up at a blood red sky.

A century later, Charlie hears a knock on her door and opens it to find a fierce overlord literally marked by grief and wearing a bright smile. "Hello Princess! I heard you're looking to make some changes around here?"

I was about to start with how hypocritical that would be of Heaven, since the whole reason Nicaise even got in that altercation with her employer is because she was trying to protect Alastor in the first place. Then I remembered; Heaven's leadership is hypocritical, and even they don't know what the requirements to get in are.

I've always depicted Nicaise as a friendly and sweet person, but most of my posts about her take place after she'd been living in Heaven for almost a century. While she is a shrewd person who was suspicious of Heaven's leadership and knew there was something not quite right, she still lived in relative safety and comfort for a long period of time and could afford to relax her guard. On Earth she had it quite a bit harder as a woman of color as well as a single mother. Especially in the early 1900s. I imagine Nicaise as someone who actively chose to take joy wherever she could, but also a grounded person who did what she had to to make sure she and Alastor were okay. Nicaise took great pains to never let Alastor see her struggle and give the impression she always had every situation under control.

Gee, sounds familiar, don't it?

She built herself a strong support network, making as many friends as she could. During the day she cleaned wealthy people's homes and at night she played piano at the bar, to put food on the table. She made connections in both places, with other servants, with the bar staff and patrons, with shopkeepers and store owners, with just about anyone she could strike up a conversation with. She knew how to trade favors and get discounts and was able to build a relatively comfortable life even after her parents passed and she had no other family to help support her and Alastor.

In Hell, Nicaise again does what she needs to to survive. Even if that means making deals. I'm a little undecided on what sort of powers Nicaise would develop if any. In the main branch of the the Devil's Bastard AU I decided that the person Alastor made a deal with Eve, and that she specifically chose him because he is Lucifer's son. But Eve doesn't have any way of knowing about Nicaise mothering Lucifer's child in the Devil's Dear Friend so I don't have a reason for her to make a deal with Nicaise. She wouldn't manifest with overwhelming magical power like Alastor did, she would have to slowly build it up over time. Nicaise grew up Catholic because of her father, but her mother was vodou practitioner, so there could be some overlap in their abilities as Nicaise gets stronger.

So Nicaise forms connections, begins building a power base. Along the way she meets and befriends Rosie, and at some point or other sinners start looking to Nicaise for protection. Becoming an Overlord isn't something Nicaise set out to do, but she wields the title with pride. Sure, she's grown more ruthless over the years, more bloodthirsty, and sure, she hasn't thought about her son in... years now.

She did mourn at first. But these days she's, well, she's not exactly happy about it, but Nicaise is at least satisfied with the knowledge that Alastor is safe in Heaven. She has some criticisms but at least she knows her child isn't in any danger of being hunted down by an exorcist, or any of the more commonplace dangers of Hell. It's bittersweet, and she can't help but wonder why they had to take her away from her child, but on the day-to-day her main concern is with survival.

Eventually she does learn about the Royal Family and Princess Charlie Morningstar, but it isn't until Charlie's segment with Katie Killjoy that Nicaise actually gets an opportunity to meet her. Nicaise isn't sure what to make of the Happy Hotel project. She's not opposed to the idea that people could change for the better but, given she doesn't even know what she did to end up in Hell, she's not so certain Heaven would accept any damned souls even if they did. And as an Overlord, she knows full well how dangerous it is to show even a slight amount of weakness.

Still, she's intrigued. How could she not be? This girl is the Princess of Hell and she's trying to change one of the fundamental rules of How Things Work. Nicaise could get some answers. She could learn what she did that was so terrible that she was condemned to an eternity in Hell for it. She might even get a chance to see Alastor one last time.

If nothing else, there is an opportunity to get in good with the Princess of Hell, a powerful ally to be sure. Unlike most of the fools in Hell, she knows better than to dismiss Charlie's power just because she doesn't flaunt it.

At first she's not really counting on getting to meet Lucifer again just because she's made contact Charlie. After all, while Charlie was running around post-extermination rescuing survivors and treating their injuries, Lucifer remained holed up in isolation. Frankly, after her initial surprise that that little goofball she met at Mardi Gras years ago was Lucifer himself, she didn't think too much of him. He'd been out of reach to her for so long, and Nicaise preferred to focus on things within her scope of influence. When Charlie invites Lucifer to the Happy Hotel a month before the early extermination, Nicaise doesn't even expect him to recognize her.

He does. He very obviously does. Not only can she see it, so can everyone else with the way Lucifer stares at her, eyes wide, and says her name before being introduced.

Nicaise says the only thing she can think of to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Hello, Luci. I'm here for that child support you owe me."

[alicentsultana]

Hi! Sorry if im bothering you again but i wanted to ask you two questions ,if you dont mind

1)What are your thoughts on Alys Rivers?

2)Since you see have watched the Tudors ,what are your overall thoughts about the show?

Anyway ,have a good day!

Hi! Sorry for taking so long!

1. Alys Rivers was made to contradict Aemond and his hate for bastards. I haven't read the books and I do not intend to, I do not know what the book says about her, so I follow what people have said about her only, she is a bastard, she's a witch, and I kind of feel like she will have this change of sides. I'm actually excited to see how her relationship with Aemond will progress, but I also want to know her personality, like she doesn't strike me as a badass witch (but I can be wrong), only this beautiful seer that maybe is kind enough, I mean, why Aemond would order to kill a bunch of people and let her alive? What did she said? How did she act? Aemond is very polite and is very well educated, what does this woman have/did that was different? So I don't believe she have a """""""great (strong, femme fatale) personality""""" otherwise she would clash with him. But this completely based on the voices in my head I feel like we will have a very different Alys Rivers. To support my claim, there is also the fact that he stated that he wouldn't mind marrying Helaena, while Aegon was complaining about it, so Alys could kind of fit in this type, which I don't look forward to, but again, only my speculations.

2. The tudors have a special place in my heart no matter how badly it represented the people of that time. I was in a very great six wives obsession at the time, so along with the show I watched lots of documentaries and read a lot of historical takes and opinions about that time period, so I never let the show and critical part mix. However, I believe they did a good job in representing some key events of the time, like Henry's despair over what he did to Anne, his feelings about Mary and Elizabeth, the change in character he had when he suffered the accident, that also happened in real life, how he must have felt when Jane died and like he got rid of three wives some way and it must have gotten to him.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is hot, Henry VIII was described as hot when he was younger because he was like athletic, redheaded viking and taller than most men so ambassadors were like 👁👄👁 about him, and he was perfect catholic Prince, he was Aragon and Castella son-in-law, and they captured this glorious beginning and his ups and downs till the end of his life.

Let's not talk about the clothes, even though I love it, I wish it was more accurate.

I really like also how they portrayed his love story with Anne, because we have his surviving letters to her and he would do teenager things like draw their first name initial letters together with arabesques and hearts, he redecorated his palace to have tiles and figures of this drawings, hearts and symbols to represent both of them, he move heaven and earth for her, and it was shown in the show. Though real life Anne was apparently more reluctant at the beginning, and more daring and witty when he couldn't get rid of Catherine. They had a deep love story and after that he wasn't as passionate and not as engaged in his relationship as he was with her, or not as devoted as he was about Jane who gave him his heir.

So overall is a good show, and I watched many times to kill time when I could. If you haven't watched, I believe it's worth it give it a try!

[satohqbanana]

Josephine

Summary: This is a translation of my nonfiction essay on Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, and his relationship with his wife Josephine Bracken. As this was first published in 2015 with the assumption that the reader would have working knowledge of Dr. Jose Rizal's life, I've taken the liberty to add helpful details and context to give readers a better picture of the topics being discussed. Note that this was NOT proofread.

Dr. Jose Rizal was in a great deal of loneliness in his exile to Dapitan City, Philippines (a decision by the then ruling clergy and government officials, following the publishing of his two "subversive" novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, which criticized the Spanish colonial rule over the Philippines at the time, and his support of groups who are against the Spanish colonial rule). He was miles away from his family and close friends. Though he had plenty of lovers, none else have ever been as close to his heart as the late Leonor Rivera, his childhood sweetheart. Come the end of February 1895, his life lightened up at the arrival of Josephine Bracken.

If one would consider how real life goes, such a fairy tale romance was too good to be true. Many relationships dissolve due to the flames of passion dying out - the same flames that once blazed when they met, lonely and yearning for companionship. In Dr. Rizal's case, while he had plenty of patients, none of them became his friends or caught his fancy. It was as if he'd been truly alone, until he met Bracken.

Bracken was then 18 years old at the time. She was born in Hong Kong to Irishmen James Bracken and Elizabeth Jane MacBride. Her mother died in childbirth, and hence she was set up for adoption. The one who took her in and raised her was George Taufer, her godfather, who at the time was blind. Taufer found no doctors in Hong Kong who could treat him, and it led him to Dr. Rizal, who was famous as an ophthalmologist. Of course, in his trip to the Philippines, Taufer brought Bracken along.

In Professor Gregorio Zaide's book, Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist and National Hero, which I used as my major reference for this essay, Bracken too fell in love at first sight. It was not mentioned how so, but they already decided to get married within one month of meeting each other. "Unfortunately", Father Antonio Obach, the head clergyman of Dapitan City, did not agree to marry them, for they did not have permission from the bishop of Cebu, who held jurisdiction over marriage and other Catholic ceremonies in Dapitan City. This is possibly due to Dr. Rizal being excommunicated from the Catholic church for his critique of the corrupt Catholic clergy at the time. It is likely that the couple never got permission to marry at all, for it is also stated in Professor Zaide's book that no other priest would agree to marry them, either.

Could we call this love? Can we consider a very quick decision to marry as a serious relationship? Did Bracken truly feel love for Dr. Rizal, or was it that she was filled with overwhelming pity for the man that she mistook it for such? Did Dr. Rizal hurry their relationship for he could already foresee his death? Was Bracken simply too young to understand and make a clear decision on such matters?

Based on the above given situation, I would say it wasn't as serious. A strong and stable relationship that is intended to last long, such as marriage, is not easily formed in such a short time. Partners ought to spend time not just to learn more about each other or each other's families, but also to find within themselves the efforts and commitments they could give to the prospective married life. Such decisions should not be rushed to avoid regrets in the end.

Even in today's society, everyone is in a hurry with regards to romantic relationships. The younger generation is too eager, and the older generation is running out of time. So many end up committing grave mistakes and feeling deep regrets. Despite such stories and warnings, people keep rushing anyway. They (we) never learn.

It is possible that Dr. Rizal and Bracken were the same way. And possibly, due to their whirlwind romance and their age gap (Dr. Rizal was then 33 years old), Taufer too opposed their relationship. He tried to use suicide as a leverage against Josephine - a very abusive tactic - and it was successful.

Taufer and Bracken eventually left for the capital of Manila. Taufer never received treatment as Dr. Rizal deemed his condition incurable anyway, and soon Taufer left for Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Bracken chose to stay with Dr. Rizal's family in Manila.

In the book* that Professor Merriam Bernardo Cesar lent us for our project, it is said that Dr. Rizal's family thought Bracken was a spy sent by the clergy, a threat to Dr. Rizal's life. This is understandable, as around that time, someone pretended to be a relative in an attempt to steal Dr. Rizal's letters of correspondence with actual relatives and friends.

Eventually, Bracken made her way back and reunited with Dr. Rizal. In Professor Zaide's book, it was stated that since no one would give them the sacrament of marriage, the couple went to a church, held hands, and accomplished the ceremony themselves. If man can't do it, God himself will do it. They were not legally husband and wife, but they lived as though they were, which caused a lot of rumor-mongering in Dapitan City.

I've seen something similar in an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. In a dilapidated church, which had the cross by the altar intact, the titular characters too held hands and made their vows by themselves, with no one else - not the clergy, not their families, and not even their friends - to support them. How pitiful such couples are. Two individuals who firmly decide to love each other and be with one another, separated by the selfish interests of other individuals. Perhaps I'd been wrong in my initial assumption of the depth of Dr. Rizal and Bracken's relationship.

It is also written that they were eventually blessed with a child the following year, 1896. However, the child was born premature, lived for three hours, and was named by his father after his own father: Francisco Rizal y Bracken.

Such a tragedy is truly unfortunate and very sad to think about. As Professor Cesar said in our interview with her, it is only Bracken who Dr. Rizal ever had a child with. Even the name that he gave to their son was the same name as his own father. Due to this, I can conclude that Bracken was indeed very, very important and dearest to Dr. Rizal's heart. I have been mistaken in my limited judgment.

If there was something even sadder to think about, it is the couple last moments together. There are those who say that Dr. Rizal and Bracken might've been married, with actual priests present, just before Dr. Rizal was shot in Bagumbayan, Luneta, Manila. (Dr. Rizal was eventually tried and sentenced to death by firing squad on December 30, 1896, months after his son's birth and death.) Dr. Rizal's last gift for Bracken was a book with the words, "To my dear, unhappy wife, Josephine." How agonized the two must've been - Bracken, who was so young and had already lost a child, and Dr. Rizal, who before loving her, loved his nation and homeland so dearly he'd give up his life and his own happiness defending its rights.

And this nation that he prioritized over anything else, has not yet seen a true sliver of freedom even until today.

Tis truly a tragedy.

[catholic-on-main]

thank you so much for your blog lol. i've unironically learned a lot from it. i'm 17 and interested in becoming a catholic. i read the new testament and i believe it, i try to pray and learn more about christianity as much as i can, and from the research i've done on different christian denominations i think catholicism seems the most correct & resonates with me the most. never been to church though yet, but i plan on going when i move out lol. but i'm from a secular/ethnically jewish background and i'm nervous to talk to the people in my life about wanting to convert to christianity, because they think religious people are stupid and misguided and that christians are bible-thumping rednecks with no critical thinking skills basically. my friends make fun of christians a lot, and my dad doesn't want to take me to church while i live with him. i've also realized i am more conservative-leaning, for lack of a better word, on issues such as transgender and abortion, though honestly i never thought these were good things on my own but got peer pressured into supporting them. but my area is so liberal/secular and people constantly talk about these issues in ways i very much disagree with or make fun of religious people and i just stay quiet because i'm too much of a coward to say that i'm the person they're talking about. i feel like i would lose a lot of my friends online and irl if i started talking about the impact christianity has had on me and how much it means to me. i know christians are supposed to be open about their beleifs and be able to explain and defend them. i want to explain to people that i want to be a christian and that i don't mean any harm for having different beliefs from them, but i'm honestly too scared to lose my friends. do you have any advice for this situation? (i'm sorry for the long ask!!!)

Anon, thank you for the kind words! I'm glad that my blog was able to help you out. I'm sorry you're in that kind of situation. It's definitely difficult to be in that position, and it's very scary.

I recommend looking into videos on catholic apologetics (how to explain and defend your faith to others). Father Mike Schmitz has lots of videos explaining different aspects of the catholic faith, and I highly recommend his videos! I watch them fairly regularly myself, as he's energetic and can break down difficult subjects into smaller pieces. I also recommend looking into catholic groups you can attend for support. Local churches tend to have groups for young adults that can range from Bible studies to more casual hang-outs. If you cannot attend these due to your family, then look online! There are groups on social media and apps like Discord that can be a healthy access point for others of the faith. You can also reach out to local churches via e-mail to get in contact with someone who can talk to you and get you any resources you might be looking for.

As for difficulties with friends, that's probably the scariest thing. First off, do not feel responsible for changing their mind. If you strive to live your life as a good example of the faith, then you've done your best. Pray a lot over it! I pray rosaries often when I am stressed out about something. I find the repetition helps soothe my anxieties. Ask that you might find the words to best use in your conversations. And feel free to ask others to pray for you as well! You are not in this alone, though it may feel like it. Going into a conversation, ask that they be respectful and hear you out, and say that you will be respectful in return. Make it clear that you aren't accusing or attacking them. If they come at you with questions that you struggle to answer, you are absolutely able to say that you aren't certain how to answer at the moment, and you can get back to them later after you look into that topic. Especially since you are rather new to the faith, but even people raised catholic can struggle with how best to address certain concerns.

Your situation is difficult, and I'm sorry if my response does not seem super helpful or instructive. While I have lost friends in the past due to my faith, it was more of a gradually growing apart rather than direct confrontation, so I don't have the same experiences. I will be praying for you. Feel free to contact me again if you'd like.

And if any mutuals or followers of mine have some of their own advice, especially those who converted to the faith, you all are absolutely welcome to reblog with your experiences!

[beardedmrbean]

The overwhelming majority of New York voters blame President Biden for letting the migrant crisis spiral out of control, a new poll released Tuesday reveals.

The Siena College survey found that a stunning 84% of voters consider the influx of migrants a serious problem, with 57% identifying it as a “very” serious problem. Only 12% of respondents said the problem is not serious.

“It’s a sad case and Biden doesn’t even care. This is a federal problem and has always been a federal problem,” said Maria Ortiz, 37, works in retail and says she constantly sees migrants begging on the train with their babies.

“I’m not voting for him. I voted to get him in office and it’s [been] my biggest regret since,” she said at Jamaica Station in Queens. 

Nearly two-thirds of voters — 64% — flunked the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant influx, while only 29% approved.

The poll suggests the crisis at the southern border that has swamped the Big Apple with the thousands of asylum seekers is dragging down Democrat Biden’s popularity even in blue-leaning New York.

“While other issues in Washington and abroad have largely driven the news cycle over the last few weeks, the influx of migrants to New York remains top of mind for voters, with 84% saying it’s a serious – 57% very serious – problem for the state,” said Siena College pollster Steve Greenberg said.

“Seldom do we see an issue where at least 79% of Democrats, Republicans, independents, men, women, upstaters, downstaters, Blacks, whites, Latinos, Catholics, Jews, and Protestants all agree – that the migrant influx is a serious problem.”

The survey indicates that even immigrant-friendly New York has reached the breaking point with the unrelenting crisis.

Nearly two-thirds of voters, 64%, say New Yorkers have done enough for new migrants and must now work to “slow the flow” of migrants from the border, compared to 29% who say the state should accept and work to assimilate them. That’s a higher figure than the 58% of voters who said so in August.

Mayor Eric Adams was roundly criticized for saying the migrant crisis would “destroy New York City” without aggressive federal intervention. But 58% of voters said they agreed with Adams’s statement, and the support of his dire claim was consistent from all regions of the state.

54% of voters said migration has been more of a burden, while just 32% said it’s a benefit, a worse figure than in the prior August poll.

Biden, 80, has trouble with his own base. A majority of New York Democratic voters — 52% — said they want a nominee other than Biden to be the party’s standard bearer for president. Only 41% of Democrats said they want him as the nominee for re-election.

Thomas Barnes, a 44-year-old transit mechanic, predicted a “huge red wave” in the 2024 contest.

“If this election goes any other way, I think it is time for the American citizens to take a good look at our election system.“ 

“Biden’s funding two proxy wars, Americans are not only broke, it’s getting worse — the crime rate is sky high. Law abiding citizens are afraid for their lives. I’m a transit worker, I see shit every night. Democratic policy is what got us to this point,” he said, while adding he also blamed Republican Texas Gov. Gregg Abbot for sending migrants to sanctuary cities.

“The working class is getting squeezed to nothing. We got nothing left. It’s our tax dollars, not the rich. I think Donald Trump has a really good shot [with] demographics that have historically voted Democrat — it’s all over social media. Black people are done with the Democrat party. It’s promise after promise during election season. Tons of pandering and no follow through. No delivery.” 

His favorability and job approval ratings are underwater and he leads former Republican President Donald Trump — who is fighting four indictments — just 46% to 37% in a hypothetical matchup, with the rest of the voters undecided. His lead over Trump is shaved to 7 percentage points if Robert Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West run on minor party lines.

Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who has fought the opening of migrant shelters on her Staten Island turf, said, “New Yorkers overwhelmingly disapprove of Democrats’ open borders.

“From President Biden to Governor Hochul to Mayor Adams, they have created an unsustainable and unsafe crisis at the expense of their own citizens,” Malliotakis continued.

“Senators Schumer and Gillibrand should stop holding up our Border Security Act that passed the House in May and end this madness.”

Former Democratic Rep. Max Rose, who lost his seat to Malliotakis three years ago said the president “can’t ignore” the migrant issue.

“The Biden administration and Democrats have to show they can effectively and humanely manage the migrant issue or face serious election consequences,” said Rose.

“This could make the 2022 backlash over riots and crime look like a walk in the park,” he said.

Rose predicted Biden will carry New York in the presidential race next year because of the overwhelming Democratic vote in NYC. But Democratic candidates for Congress could lose if Biden fares poorly at the top of the ticket in the suburbs and upstate, he said.

In terms of popularity, 52% of voters said they had an unfavorable view of Biden compared to 45% who had a favorable view. Similarly, 51% of respondents disapproved of his job performance while 46% approved.

A staggering 65% of New Yorkers say the United States is going in the wrong direction under a Biden presidency, while just 25% said it’s on the right track with the remainder undecided.

Felix Ramos, a 26-year-old security worker, said if the polling trend continued, Biden would have to blame himself. 

“New York might just become a red state, and that’s when you know you did a bad job as a president.” 

Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2-1 and the last GOPer to carry New York in a presidential race was Ronald Reagan in 1984. But last year, Republican Lee Zeldin ran a competitive race for governor against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and the GOP picked up congressional seats.

“And also true is that right now, Biden has his worst-ever New York favorability and job approval ratings,” said Siena’s Greenberg. “The good news for Biden is the election is more than a year away. The bad news is there’s more bad news,” Greenberg said.

“While 70% of Democrats view Biden favorably, and 70% of Democrats approve of the job he’s doing, 52% of Democrats say they want a different presidential nominee in 2024.”

Zeldin, for his part, said “President Biden should start preparing a concession speech” if the trend continued.

“If New York is close, you can only imagine where voters are heading in swing states,” the former Long Island congressman said.

“There is an intensified desire for a correction over disastrous one-party Democratic rule in New York.”

Only 30% of voters statewide approve of Adams’ handling of migrants’ issue while 46% disapprove. Even in New York City, 50% of Adams’ constituents disapproved while 41% approved.

Only 30% of voters statewide approve of Adams handling of migrants’ issue while 46% disapprove. Even in New York City, 50% of Adams’ constituents disapproved while 41% approved.

Only 37% of respondents statewide approve of Hochul’s handling of the migrant crisis, while 52% disapprove.

Public safety remains a major concern — 59% of voters statewide say crime has gotten worse over the past year, while just 9% said it’s gotten better and 28% said the same.

In New York City, 51% of voters said crime has gotten worse, while 33% said the same and just 12% better.

That’s a potential problem for Adams, who made bolstering public safety his top campaign pledge for City Hall in 2021.

The survey of 1,225 registered voters was conducted from Oct. 15-19, after the terrorist group’s Hamas invasion and slaughter of Israelis and Israel’s counter-offensive in Gaza. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

The poll found that 57% of New Yorkers support providing more military and economic aid to Israel, compared to 32% opposed.

Meanwhile, 51% of responders back providing more military and economic aid to Ukraine while 38% were opposed.

“New York needs help and we have been asking for help but all [Biden] does is send help to other countries and lounge on the beach. Pathetic,” said Ortiz, the Queens straphanger.

On the Middle East war, 50% of voters agreed with the statement that Israel must do everything it can to get back the hostages taken by Hamas, but Israeli attacks in Gaza will largely hurt innocent Palestinian civilians more than anyone else

But 32% of voters agreed with the statement that after the surprise terrorist attacks Hamas carried out on Israeli civilians, Israel must do everything it can in the Gaza territory to make sure it never happens again, regardless of casualties.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"...it is not surprising that a group of [political] Catholic youth would focus on the anti-religious content of the UO [Université ouvrière] message. But, as we have seen above, [dissident communist Albert] Saint-Martin’s opponents on the left frequently made the same point. The historian Andrée Lévesque has examined the surviving transcripts of lectures from the later years of the UO (starting in 1932) and comments:

Few dealt directly with communism, and a large number were anti-clerical harangues denouncing the power and wealth of the church or Roman Catholic dogmas such as the Immaculate Conception.

In a piece looking back at interwar Montreal, Communist Party secretary Stanley Ryerson was highly dismissive of Saint-Martin, describing him as an “anti-clerical socialist”:

French-Canadian communists in Montreal were critical of this anti-clerical trend. To Saint-Martin’s anti-religious diatribes (lectures on the ‘Immaculate Conception’ and the like), they counterposed proposals for united action in support of … the unemployed; to which Saint-Martin’s rejoinder was to advocate at most a Ghandi-like [sic] policy of passive resistance.”

Immediately after this criticism, however, Ryerson admitted that “even among the militant francophone radicals … the trace of an earlier ex-Catholic aversion to the robes noires remained.” He described riding as the passenger of the communist Roméo Duval, who startled him by suddenly swerving and speeding towards a priest who was crossing the street. The clergyman just barely leaped to safety. Shocked, Ryerson asked Duval why he had done that. The driver replied “off-handedly” that he always did it when he got the chance; he couldn’t help himself. Ryerson’s pairing of these anecdotes belies his assertion that orthodox communists always avoided the anticlerical extremes of the heretical Saint-Martin."

- Elliot Hanowski, Towards A Godless Dominion: Unbelief in Interwar Canada. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024. p. 181-182.

[damien-mlm]

Maeve Sweeney (The Boy Nanny OC)

Age: 25

Zodiac: Cancer - June 22nd

Gender: Trans feminine (MtF)

Height: 5'6 (169 cm) 

Ethnicity: Irish

Sexuality: Pansexual

Skin Color: White with a lot of freckles

Eye Color: Teal

Her Theme:

What was lost

TW: Transphobia, Religious Trauma, Hate Crime, Death by Fire

Maeve always knew who she was, from the very beginning in her young childhood. Her parents were always supportive as well, others? Not so much.

You see, Maeve was assigned male at birth, and when she expressed herself to be a girl as a kid, and her parents being open and welcoming of their daughter's identity, it did raise eyebrows in their small Irish Catholic community.

Their parents did everything to protect Maeve from their hatred, although they could only do so much when it came to the kids at her school. She was bullied by the children of the adults in the church. So Maeve had no friends growing up.

Primary school as a living nightmare for the poor girl, but, surprisingly, secondary school was a whole different story.

Times were changing and people were more accepting, even those kids who bullied her on behalf of their parents changed, they gained a mind of their own and, through critical thinking, realized their wrongdoings.

As Maeve grew, she begged her parents to let her have hormone blockers, and of course, after careful consideration and some visits with a gender therapist, she was allowed to have them. It did wonders on her self-esteem, and she began to expand herself and her self-expression further through art and music. She became wonderfully skilled at playing piano and sketching, as well as painting with inks and watercolors. 

As much as the kids around her were more decent as of late, she naturally had built up some walls to protect herself, and remained a loner during most of her school years. 

A year before graduating, one of the boys from her childhood tried to approach her again, he seemed friendly and genuinely regretful of what he had done, so Maeve opened a door for him to enter into the castle that was surrounding her heart. Truth was, as much as she wanted to be safe, she also longed for friendships and contact with others her same age. She was lonely, so she let him in.

His name was Joseph. He was the only son of one of the most strictly catholic families in town, and even if his parents had a tight hold on him, he knew that his parents' religious fanaticism and hatred towards the "unholy" was out of line.

Because of this, and to protect Maeve from his parents' catholic wrath, he kept his friendship with her a secret.

They met up after school, there was a forest near a cliff at the edge of town. That secret spot was theirs.

Maeve's parents knew about Joseph from the beginning, she never kept a secret from them. And they were concerned about the boy's intentions, but soon enough, they trusted him as well.

Maeve and Joseph have been inseparable since then. Every day, after school, Maeve would bring a basket with snacks and a blanket to lay on near the edge of the cliff. They shared quiet moments together and grew closer as the end of school was approaching.

Maeve wanted to become a professional pianist, or at the very least, a piano teacher. But most of all, she wanted to make her own family. She loved her parents dearly, but she wanted to experience the joy of being a mother to her own children. She knew it wasn't biologically possible for her to bear her own child, but she knew that she wanted to care for another life, another human being in need of her care and nurturing.

Secondary school finished, and she was 18, thus, she was able to go off hormone blockers and start HRT. It wasn't easy at first, the mood swings, the growing pains, the neverending need for chocolate whenever she got a new set of estrogen pills. But she was always grateful and beyond happy to be able to see herself as she truly was. 

Joseph was next to her through it all, always there for his friend. Though deep down he wished they were something more than that.

It was sad for everybody when Maeve left for Uni, her exceptional piano skills had gotten her a full scholarship at the University of Manchester to study Music. It was far from home, and from her one and only friend, but it was a step closer to her dream life.

Life at Uni really let her express herself further. She became more outgoing and social, and her skills and natural intelligence put her at the top of her class. She had to stay in Manchester until she graduated, though. Of course, she kept close contact with Joseph and her parents via video calls and text messages, but her parents weren't exactly able to pay for plane tickets every time she was on break, so even if she had new friends, she missed her family and her dear Joseph every day. None of them had realized that Joseph's phone was being secretly looked through by his domineering mother whenever he was asleep…

None of them were able to be there for her graduation and diploma ceremony, but they had a whole surprise planned for her for when she came back home.

She got off the plane and grabbed her luggage, soon enough, she spotted Joseph in the crowded airport. They both ran and embraced each other, full of joy and excitement. Joseph quickly led her to his car, practically running with her luggage on his back, smiling like a child.

"What hurry is on you?" Maeve asked, giving a small laugh as Joseph pushed her to get in the car.

"Just wait and you'll see!" He said, playfully before starting his engine and speeding off to Maeve's home. It was getting dark and it was pouring, as usual, but Maeve felt alive and happy to be back home.

Both of them got drenched in cold water as they exited the vehicle and approached the house. Never noticing the small car that had been following them from the airport.

Joseph opened the door for Maeve, and she was met with a dark room. Not a second later, the lights turned on. The interior was decorated with golden balloons and a big sign that read WELCOME HOME, her parents and a sopping wet Joseph exclaimed "Surprise!!!". Maeve hugged her parents in a tight embrace, happy tears running down her cheeks. 

"Oh! I almost forgot!" her mum said, before scurrying to the kitchen and coming back with a cake covered in strawberry frosting and gold colored letters at the top that spelled Congratulations on your Music diploma!. Her dad whipped a sparkler out of his pocket, lit it up and placed it on the cake as a finishing touch.

Maeve was speechless, her gaze darted between her parents and Joseph, words failing her as she tried to thank them for the surprise.

"Welcome home, little bird" her dad said sweetly as he gave her another warm hug. 

"Thank you all so much, I've missed you so badly" she said, still in tears.

"We've missed you too, my dear girl" said her mum, settling the cake down on the table to give Maeve a hug of her own.

Joseph couldn't contain himself any longer, he gently grabbed Maeve's face and pulled her into a deep, loving kiss, one thumb stroking away at her happy tears.

His parents barged through the door at that moment, they had been watching the entire exchange and were enraged at the events that unfolded.

"Get that filthy creature away from my son!" Joseph's mother screamed, his father pushed Maeve at the wall.

Joseph punched his father in the stomach then went to Maeve's side to check on her. She was sitting on the floor, wide-eyed and immobile from shock, as her mum tried to pull Joseph's mother out the door. Her dad was wrestling with Joseph's father, who was still trying to attack Maeve.

The mad woman had pushed Maeve's mum out of her way and yelled from the top of her lungs as she pulled out a molotov cocktail from inside her raincoat "In the name of God, I'll send this unholy creature back to hell! BACK TO WHERE HE BELONGS!!" 

It all happened too fast, in a split second fire erupted in the house, Joseph's mother hadn't considered distance or aim. The liquid fire splashed on all of them, Joseph covered most of Maeve's body with his own.

Searing pain and heat resulted in the desperate screams of all the people in the house, Joseph, with his entire back in flames, tried his best to take Maeve out of the house and under the rain. As soon as they made it out, Joseph collapsed face first on the front lawn and Maeve had realized her left arm and parts of her back had caught on fire, the sting from the icy water that fell from the sky made more intense by her injuries.

The house was engulfed in flames, the screams of both her and Joseph's parents long gone.

She spent several months in the hospital healing from her wounds, she had 3rd degree burns on her back, nape and left arm. 

Joseph died of his injuries after a week.

Once she was discharged from the hospital, and all legal matters were settled, Maeve Sweeney moved away from Ireland, back to Manchester. 

She got to know what true loneliness and emptiness felt like. She had nobody left. No family, no real friends. She was alone in the world.

On the outside, she seemed to have her matters in order. On the inside, she was broken and riddled with grief. Still, she didn't give up, and kept striving for that warm feeling of love and familiarity that she missed so much. She would feel like home again, no matter what.

A/N: Welp! Here she is! And as it is usual with my characters, she has a gutwrenching story on her back.

I hope you guys enjoyed this, as short and as straight to the point as it was.

I'll be writing more about her soon, but as always, my ask box is open for any and all questions u might have about her and her journey ✨

Taglist: @mr-trick @rottent33th @slaasherslut @the-pinstriped-hood @allthingsblood @texaschainsawslvt @angxlslasher @kalid-raven

[skinnedlknees]

BASICS

FULL NAME: KIM CHAN-YEOL [ 김찬열 ]

» MEANING: Kim [ (Hangul: 김) is the most common surname in Korea. Kim is written as 김 (gim) in both North and South Korea. The hanja for Kim, 金, can also be transliterated as 금 (geum) which means "gold, metal, iron". ) was the name of a family that rose to prominence and became the rulers of Silla for 700 years. .]; Chan-yeol [ From Sino-Korean 燦 (chan) "vivid, illuminating; bright" and 烈 (yeol) "fiery, violent, vehement, ardent".]

VERSES: The Game, Excess Baggage, Fear of 13.

NICKNAME(S): Chan, Channie.

AGE: 28-years old.

DATE OF BIRTH: 1994 September 12, Monday.

PLACE OF BIRTH: Gwangju, South Korea.

OCCUPATION: English/Korean Teacher.

RELIGION: Born Catholic, non-practicing. Spiritual but not religious.

ORIENTATION: Heterosexual; heteroromantic.

GENDER: Cisgender male.

PERSONALITY

STRENGTHS: Loyal, Analytical, Kind, Hardworking, Practical.

WEAKNESSES: Shyness, Workaholic, Insecure, Overly Critical, Worry a lot.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Kim Nam-joon.

HEIGHT: 6’0” [ 182 cm.]

WEIGHT: 154 lbs. [ 70 kg. ]

BUILD: Athletic.

GAIT: TBA.

HAIR COLOR: Black.

EYE COLOR: Brown.

BIRTHMARK: TBA.

OVERVIEW:

» SCARS: Small ones from playing when he was little.

» TATTOOS: None.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Gwangju, South Korea.

RESIDENCES: Gwangju and Seoul, South Korea.

NATIONALITY: Korean.

ETHNICITY: Asian.

FINANCIAL: Lower middle-class.

EDUCATION LEVEL: University graduate.

DEGREES: Education.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Chanyeol is fluent in Hangul, his native language. He is also fluent in English which he teaches in high school. He is also learning some other European languages like French and Spanish. He is fluent in Japanese and can converse well in Mandarin.

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Names to be added; both alive.

SIBLINGS: Younger brother and sister.

CHILDREN: He has no children.

PETS: He has a cat.

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: Chanyeol is very good friends with Riri. They met when Chanyeol briefly lived in Jeju with his mother’s parents due to some hardships. He went to school there but eventually transferred back to Gwangju to finish. 

» TBA.

FAMILY HISTORY: There’s nothing much extraordinary about Chanyeol’s life. He grew up in a loving home although you can say his parents are ‘traditional.’ They were strict and still are and stressed out the importance of finishing school. His mother was an elementary teacher and his father was a farmer. Chanyeol and his siblings helped out their parents as they grew up not having a lot although their parents always made sure there's food on the table. 

Chanyeol and his siblings were raised to be humble and family-oriented.

Chanyeol went to college in Seoul; his parents working hard to send him to a university where he could get good education. He worked at the same time to help pay for his tuition although he did get scholarship because of his exceptional grades.

Chanyeol didn’t right away finish college. He had to stop for a year when his father got sick. He went back home to help around the farm and also support his younger siblings. He finally returned to university when his father was strong enough to manage some work. 

Once he graduated, he right away went job hunting and once working, he made sure to help out his parents. His mother still teaches but only part-time and manages a small store with his father as well. Both of his siblings are also in school. 

Chanyeol is very focused on work; he loves teaching. He works part-time as a sub at a high school in Seoul and he does cram school teaching English as well. He does private tutoring which makes him most of his money.

Re-connecting with Riri in Seoul gave Chanyeol an opportunity to open up a whole new side of his career. He has been hired by a few managers and trainers to tutor their young idol trainees. 

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Chanyeol dated but when his parents start nagging him about getting married, he doesn’t necessarily get scared but he breaks up with his s/o - he doesn’t like the pressure of being forced to start his own family. Besides, he has a lot he would like to achieve. 

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: He is good friends with Riri and Hajun.

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: "Has its time and place.”

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): Nothing really.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISORDER: Anxiety.

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): Depression.

[grison-in-space]

My queue reminded me about this one as desired. I toddled off to find some reporting about the current state of the AZ hotline, because it's been a few weeks since March. As of last week, at least one Arizona public education advocacy organization is already beginning to push to kill this thing on grounds that it's a waste of time asking parents to "snitch on teachers", and the prank calls and emails are giving her some excellent ammo. As of last report they'd had about 2,000 emails and 600 voice calls, the vast majority of which have not yielded any useful information. The AZ Central is openly calling for citizens to flood the hotline with calls to support teachers, bless them.

I also found this US News note, which mentioned a few similar hotlines:

In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin created a tip line in January 2022. But his office said it was deactivated in September after it “received little to no volume” of pertinent calls, USA Today reported. In 2021, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson established an online portal for concerns about anything being taught in the state's public schools. Many used it to send in criticisms of him.

And the Louisiana Illuminator, bless their hearts, filed a FOIA request and got the text of all the complaints submitted to Louisiana's "Protecting Minors" tipline.

It's looking pretty great, y'all. The Illuminator piece has some incredible ideas for wasting time:

Hundreds of users complained about The Bible, pointing to passages that describe explicit sexual activity, rape, incest and abortion. The complaints say these portions of the Bible are inappropriate for children. 

Several complaints raged at Landry for refusing to set up a tip line for clergy abuse. 

“In 2018, the Louisiana attorney general stated that he couldn’t set up a tip line for people to report clergy sexual abuse because he didn’t have the authority to prosecute them… Clearly the Church has an established history of child sexual abuse, but you have decided to waste funds on a dead-ended search for that abuse in libraries rather than where it really exists,” wrote one user, only identified as John. 

Others submitted the addresses of Catholic churches and lists of Louisiana clergy members who have been accused of sexual assault. 

Out of the thousands of pages of complaints, only a small handful appeared to be made with serious intent. Upon closer inspection, some comments that initially appeared to be serious were actually against schools, libraries and books that do not exist. 

The key takeaway here is that flooding these tiplines works to tie up the hands of the people doing the investigations, makes them ineffective, and wastes the time of American taxpayers. It's a great thing to do when you're feeling helpless, however you can muster. The sheer diversity of the calls, letters, and emails presented proves that this is something that millions of Americans care deeply about, and that no one is going to sit down and let these book-burning assholes put their mealy-mouthed, regressive words into the mouths of teachers and public schools.

(And they make mighty good reading for journalists to publish, just saying.)

So Arizona launched an “education hotline” that allows “concerned parents” to report “””critical race theory””” and other things like ~gender identity~ being taught in the classroom

It would be a shame if the number and email were spread to bad actors looking to prank call the AZ Department of Education

602-771-3500 or empower @ azed .gov 🤡

[back-and-totheleft]

The old college triad

Call them city boys. Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and Spike Lee are not only NYU film school’s most prominent graduates, they’re provocateurs in the most colorful Gotham sense.

Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean of NYU’s Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television (part of the Tisch School of the Arts), asserts the filmmakers reflect the curriculum’s “strong auteur philosophy.”

Stone likes to think they share “a New York state of mind,” or, as he elaborates for Variety, “an irascibility … something energetic, and off-putting sometimes, and it comes out in Spike’s work and in Marty’s, and I think it comes out in mine — but each in different ways.”

All three are experiencing a banner year with big-studio productions featuring strong scripts written by relative novices. And for Stone and Lee, who are coming off what might be termed a baroque period of overly mannered movies that served as fresh meat for their detractors, vindication is sweet.

Newsweek’s David Ansen called Lee’s “The Inside Man” a film that “crackles with the seriocomic tension of thin-skinned New Yorkers thrown together in a crisis,” while the New Yorker’s David Denby says with “World Trade Center,” “Stone bulls his way into our emotions with his usual force but with greater clarity, sanity and measure than in the past, and he is better at violent spectacle and at capturing the stages of dying than any other director.”

Scorsese, whose classes Stone and Lee attended at NYU, has received the most uniform praise with “The Departed,” a crime drama in which his chosen milieu — the mean streets of New York — have been replaced by those of Boston’s South Side. “This is the movie that Scorsese fans have been yearning to see for a very long time,” wrote Joe Morgenstern in his Wall Street Journal review, “and it’s a crowd-pleaser in the bargain.”

In a way, working within the confines of genre — albeit with strong narratives and punchy dialogue — has benefited both Scorsese and Lee. For his part, Stone was dealing with a subject — the terrorist attacks of 9/11 — that required the kind of sensitivity with which he’d appear to be at odds.

“The grandiosity (of recent Stone projects) looked like his self-indulgence knew no bounds,” says author, film scholar and critic Molly Haskell. “With (‘World Trade Center’), he couldn’t dominate the story, so he chose instead just to serve it.”

If Scorsese, Lee and Stone have been shaped by their experience at NYU — which Stone calls “a home of ideas” — they hailed from different backgrounds.

Scorsese, a native of Manhattan’s Little Italy, seriously considered joining the Catholic priesthood before attending film school in the early ’60s.

Stone, the son of a successful Wall Street stockbroker, dropped out of Yale and did a tour of duty in Vietnam (for which he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart) before he enrolled at NYU.

And Lee, who spent his formative years in Brooklyn, attended Morehouse College before earning a graduate degree from Tisch.

The three directors have not only given back as instructors (Lee has been teaching at NYU for the past 10 years) and with financial support, the subjects and themes they explored as students remain very much with them today.

Scorsese’s senior class short, “It’s Not Just You, Murray” (1964), centers on an aging mobster who reflects on his life of crime; Stone’s 11-minute student film from 1971 is titled “Last Year in Viet Nam”; and Lee’s controversial NYU short “The Answer” (1980) reimagines a remake of D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” from the perspective of a black screenwriter.

“When you start out young, you’ve got to believe you’re going to change the world,” Haskell says. “They certainly did. And they wanted to change the way movies were made. They all had more of an agenda than most people who come out of film schools, especially West Coast film schools. They weren’t looking to get into the industry to do smooth, polished work. There was something more gritty, more urban, more violent, edgier.”

School for scrappers

Or, as Morgenstern puts it, “They’ve all been infected by the idea of film as more than something that opens on a Friday night, makes a killing over the weekend and disappears.”

That ethos is reflected in NYU’s fostering of individual voices.

Campbell says: “One of the things our faculty says about teaching is, ‘I’m not interested in the film that I want to make, I’m interested in who you are and the film you want to make.’ And everything we do is about finding out what your story is, and then giving you the tools to make that story.”

Stone recalls NYU as offering “a certain degree of independence. We were all on our own, there was no money, it was like a rat’s nest of competing ideologies. We’d have to fight for our budgets, our scripts. I remember every film was a struggle. So it was a scrappy way of learning.”

This struggle has remained with Scorsese, Stone and Lee throughout their careers. Even in the wake of such career high points as “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas,” Scorsese has always harbored the fear that every film could be his last, that whatever suit was signing his checks could pull the plug at any moment.

“At least until recently, (Scorsese, Stone and Lee) have represented a sort of urban New York counterpart to the industry,” Haskell explains. “They’re sort of anti-industry, and maybe that’s one of the reasons they’ve had such a hard time in terms of Academy Awards.”

Between the three of them, they have earned 20 Oscar nominations, but only Stone has won, thrice: for directing “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July” and for writing “Midnight Express.”

The year Lee received a screenplay nom for “Do the Right Thing” — his incendiary drama about racial tension in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood — presenter Kim Basinger famously departed from the script on Oscar night when she said: “We have five great films here and they are great for one reason — they tell the truth. But there is one film missing from the list that deserves to be honored because, ironically, it might tell the biggest truth of all. And that’s ‘Do the Right Thing.’ ”

“I think there was always that (sentiment),” recalls Haskell of Basinger’s extemporaneous remarks, “especially with (Lee), because there was this sort of desperate desire for some black filmmakers to make good. I think he’s very talented, but I think people put up with a lot from him, too, just because they wanted him to succeed, and they wanted that voice in movies, that vision.”

That vision still abounds in “The Inside Man.”

In the guise of a bank-heist movie, Lee injects the narrative — from a script by Russell Gewirtz — with a melting pot of ethnic flavors and post-9/11 paranoia that’s at once tense and funny.

Veneration gap

“He brought all that New York energy to the film,” Morgenstern says. “The movie is really densely populated, and it’s fascinating to me that after all these worthy attempts at small, personal films that haven’t really connected with an audience — black or white — here Spike Lee was brought in as a director for hire, and he’s obviously had his way with the script, and his imprint is on the material.”

If Lee has felt shortchanged by the Academy, he’s not saying. Multiple calls and emails to his handlers went unanswered. But, like Scorsese, who also is not talking to the press, he seems to have made peace with an industry that has given him multiple platforms and opportunities as a filmmaker.

“I think they sort of exorcized some of their personal demons,” says Haskell of NYU’s power trio. “And once you become accepted, or even venerated, you don’t make the same films anymore. And there would be something faux about it if they did. They have grown, they’ve matured.”

Stone, who now makes his home in Los Angeles, puts it another way. “Hollywood — it’s a muse, and also a bitch goddess, but it’s made a good life for me. In the end, I can’t complain, because I do think she gave me some good breaks. And I couldn’t get those in New York, which is why I had to leave.”

-Steve Chagollan, "The old college triad," Variety, Oct 25 2006

[dominickeating-source]

Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine (2002)

Set Phasers on Stunned

Brit. actor Dominic Keating tells what it's like zooming at warp speed from failed cocktail waiter to playing weapons lieutenant Malcolm Reed on Enterprise, the latest incarnation of Star Trek.

Just two years ago, a frustrated Dominic Keating, who had emigrated from England in the early 1990s with the single-minded goal of making it big as an actor, was on the verge of "throwing in the towel" -- like untold thousands before him.

After too many near-misses, his decision to split was spurred by his failure to land a guest-starring spot on Star Trek: Voyager after he thought he'd aced the audition. Austin, Texas, and a change of career beckoned. Then came a call from Star Trek's executive producer Rick Berman, who wanted to see Keating again. He'd been saving the actor for a role in the franchise's 5th series in 35 years, Enterprise.

Keating, who was living in a $400-a-month apartment at the time, recalls the moment his life changed: Berman asked him, "Are you free for the next 7 years?" In an instant, the now-thirtysomething Keating went from earnest wannabe to TV star with a long-term contract in hand.

Enterprise, which is seen in more than a dozen countries worldwide, made its U.S. debut in September 2001 with boffo ratings for UPN and critics suggesting that it had re-energized the aging franchise. As Weapons Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, Keating is one of a seven-person ensemble cast (led by Scott Bakula as Capt. Jonathan Archer). And though Keating isn't involved, the new film "Nemesis" opens in theaters this month to further stoke interest in the current show.

Keating has participated in a dozen sci-fi conventions around this country and in Europe. In Germany, 7,000 screaming fans made him feel like he was "headlining in a boy band." A multicity Australian tour beckons in 2003.

His tale is an Everyman story, about a hard-working, average guy whose cards came up trumps. Keating tells "Spirit" how he beat the odds.

Spirit: Your face is now seen by millions of people around the world, but what has your first professional job?

Keating: I made my professional performing debut in a "two-man" drag act at the Cabaret Club in Bournemouth, England. When this good Catholic boy finally plucked up the courage to tell his mum what he was doing to get his union card -- dancing nightly in a pair of black Lycra shorts with the bum cut out in red piping -- she sent me a good luck card, saving "Let's hope your bottom gets you to the top!"

Spirit: What did you really thank would happen when you got to Hollywood?

Keating: I thought I'd be famous in a year <laughs>. I used to sit near the Hollywood sign, looking out across LA, and I had conversations with this town about what I was going to do here. But a year before landing Star Trek, I was watching daytime TV, scratching by backside, and waiting for that call. I also quit because I thought I'd missed the boat.

Spirit: What was your first job in Hollywood?

Keating: A sexy cable series called "Love Street." I gatecrashed the audition. I played a pop star who was down on his luck, but through the love of a good woman with ample assets, his creative juices, so to speak, are rekindled. When I first read the script, it was -- very smart car, great costumes, fabulous house, pop-star makes love by a fireplace, makes more love in the swimming pool. And it was very Al Pacino, if I say so myself. But I'm afraid with time out for commercials, it came down to just 20 minutes and a soft-focus lens. It's probably the worst job I've done since I've been here.

Spirit: What did you find was the key to hanging in there?

Keating: Well if I had to do it again, I'd have taken therapy earlier <laughs>. The way I see it, you can have enormous talent and even a lot of luck, but I reckon hard work and tenacity win the day. I've supported my craft by doing everything -- thieving, begging, the usual stuff. I've been a fence builder, courier, cocktail waiter. At one point, I think I'd been fired from just about every bar on the Kings Road in Chelsea. I couldn't hold down those jobs. When I think of it, I've been fired from every job that wasn't an acting job.

Spirit: What advice would you give to aspiring actors?

Keating: I would never tell a child of mine to be an actor. It's just too hard, man, I'd never advise anybody to act or do anything, quite frankly, that's creative for a living. But if they can't stop themselves, then it was right for them to do it. When I decided to be an actor, I was so unemployable in any other field that I really had nowhere else to turn. For me, it's my outlet. If it wasn't for acting, I'd probably be dead.

My one gripe about the business is that very often it doesn't matter how good an actor you are. I've had to take that on the chin -- not to say that I'm the best actor, but I'm not a bad one. But it doesn't matter. So much of it is determined by how you look, physically <laughs>. I just wish I'd been better looking.

Spirit: What have you learned about dealing with Hollywood?

Keating: Rejection is the name of the game, and it's never easy. You gotta knock on a lot of doors. Contacts are invaluable. Agents -- can't live with 'em, can't work without 'em. Getting a good one is like pulling teeth, mate. It really is a catch-22. Yet, this town is built upon perception. You really need people to talk you up. I want to nail every audition I go to, don't get me wrong. But maybe I'm a little more pragmatic now about why I don't.

Spirit: What else would we not necessarily know about acting?

Keating: *Hurry up and wait* is the operative phrase in Hollywood. When they want you on set to do a scene, they want it now. But you've waited 3-1/2 hours and now you're caught in the loo with your trousers down, and suddenly now you gotta be ready for your close-up.

Spirit: But you're not complaining?

Keating: The actual acting is a lot easier than you think. I've learned that camera acting is a lot different than stage acting. Twenty-six episodes [in the 1st season alone] back-to-back, have allowed me to have more of a friendship with this black box [camera] that follows you around. Before, I was very anxious and very self-conscious because it brought out all sorts of self-esteem issues. But now I'm learning to work that camera, like the way I had an instinct how to do it in a live venue.

Spirit: Tell us about Trekkies, conventions, and why aren't there seat restraints on Star Trek bridges?

Keating: Why? It's a TV show. That's what I tell a lot of the fans. *It's a TV show.* Actually, the serious ones call themselves Trekkers. Anyway, I love 'em, mate. God bless 'em. Without them, none of this is possible. My first convention was pretty surreal. But they give me a chance to give back, if you will, for all that they're giving me.

The lucky thing for an actor getting a gig on the latest version of Star Trek is that you are guaranteed this fan base that wants to like it. So if you don't mess it up too badly, the fans are going to want you. I'm a bit of an Irish-Catholic and there's that part of me that wants to work for the money, so I do the conventions, sign the photos, and extend my hand, because they want to meet us. So why not give 'em what they want?

Spirit: Do you actually like science fiction?

Keating: As a kid, happiness was sitting in front of the TV with Scooby Doo and Star Trek. It was quite erotic, actually. Captain Kirk and chiffon ladies every week. That and the cover of "Cosmopolitan" were my early forays into [sex]. I loved Kirk because of the sexy chiffon and that two-fold scream of his [demonstrates]. Hands to the ears, pause then head thrown back.

Spirit: What's the secret to Star Trek's longevity?

Keating: It's got humor, drama, interesting characters, cool locations, and a little bit of the cat suit -- the sexy stuff. I read in the "Hollywood Reporter" that Star Trek was the most searched for TV classic on the Internet last year. Five different franchise series in 35 years -- it's a worldwide phenomenon, a monster.

Spirit: What are your general thoughts about television?

Keating: Cor, blimey! The opium of the masses. All my life I've sat in front of a television, and I'm trying not to have the TV on carte blanche now.

Spirit: What's the best and worst about working on a hit TV show?

Keating: The best? We've got a seven-year contract. I get to work every day. The money gives you freedom. I stepped up to a home in the Hollywood Hills with a pool and a killer view. Actually, just driving through those legendary Paramount gates, having the security guy nod at you, is special. There is no "worst" thing. Yeah, you might be there 16 hours a day, but you get a lovely trailer, and the food and phone calls are free. There's nothing to complain about.

Spirit: What'd you do with your first pay check?

Keating: The check I got for doing the pilot was the largest I've ever received for acting [nearly $36,000], so I photographed it with a digital camera and it's in my computer for all time. I didn't spend it; I hoarded it.

Spirit: What's your favorite line from the show so far?

Keating: It was spoken in the pilot, when my character introduced phaser pistols with two settings -- stun and kill. And I say, deadpan: "It would be best not to confuse them."

Source: www.dominickeating.com

[fighting-these-demons]

Alright Final Episode Let's Go

FINALLY A PROPER FLASHBACK WHERE WE SEE THEM BEING HAPPY TOGETHER YES THANK YOU

Arajin only makes stones for people he REALLY cares about and it's so nice to see how he first fell in love!

He admired Matakara SO MUCH!!! And from the other flashbacks it wasn't immediately obvious that Matakara was actually the one training first.

Before it seemed like Arajin was training and then Matakara admired and joined him! (And honestly this seems like a retcon but I'll take it.)

Nice! He saw some sweet adorable boy and his unwavering spirit and it filled him with his own spirit and determination! That's SO SO SWEET!!!

And I know I've said it before but he's kept at that carving hobby and chasing that high of the reaction he got from his favorite person loving the gift he made ever since he gave that first stone to Matakara.

Getting to see Arajin's reaction to Matakara's reaction is so great!

😭💖

Augh childhood memories of giving gifts of affection.

The framing of this show continues to be The Most. 😂

That frame would be PERFECT reference for a Throwing Cards / Suicide Joke fanart.

Similar eyebrows and facial hair on Senya's part too.

GOCHA GOCHA URUSEE!!!!!

Sorry. Reflex.

He's finally wrestled past his shame and wants to help Matakara!!!!!!!!

😫😭💖

Lmao the guy in her soap opera has the same name as Kenichiro just about. How appropriate because that is EXACTLY how I was reacting last episode!

Im glad she's happy about her son finally getting a chance at love. (In her eyes/assumptions)

I've seen people frame her as gross or sexualizing her own son but I've gone through the entire series now and that's never been the case!

😤

We have a CLEAR EXAMPLE of Incest in this show and its Mahoro.

🤦‍♀️

Arajin's mom has never once salivated or lusted after her son or been inappropriate with him.

She's invested in his love life and so happy for him when she assumes that he's making progress but she's never once been weird with him like Mahoro is with Marito.

People are so quick to demonize this woman that just really loves romance for absolutely no reason. She's literally just cheering for him and happy for him and trying to give him space and opportunities.

She's also nosy and spies on conversations but it seems that she's doing it out of concern and care for her son and just checking in on him.

And hell the fact that she's supportive of him ending up with a girl or a guy is great. She doesn't judge him for that. She just wants him to have what she had with his father before he (assumedly) died.

Also God that monk was So Fine that poor Nun. 😭💔

How did they run out of water? Why were they walking through the dessert??

That would be a cool romance anime if someone would make it.

I'd love to see angry Catholics foam at the mouth over it too ngl.

Also also I love that apparently they're so close that she regularly dishes to him about her shows. Probably to his annoyance but there must have been a time before the show where he was receptive to it or she wouldn't still be doing it.

JavaPetals Yay! 💖💖💖

God if TT doesn't get SOME kind of affirmation after all of this. 😫😭

Man I know its a funny bit but all I am is disappointed that him and Cat-Guy aren't getting together. 😞

SJDJDJSBDJDJD

BlondeTerror Piggyback!!! 💖

Mahoro is off the fucking rails but hey! It worked!

(I had a feeling Marito was faking to avoid her. Which like. Yeah. Absolutely do that man.)

THE FRAMING

Sjdjdjdndjdjdbdbdjdjdbdj

He's so in love with Kenichiro. 💖💖💖 and really, who isn't?

I dont think they'd be healthy or good for each other. Especially not at this critical point in Kenichiro's life.

But like. They would be hot. 🤷

She got 2 Sigma Goons to help in nurse costumes???????

Amazing.

Poor Marito. 😂😭

His mom is amazing and she doesn't deserve any Hate whatsoever. This woman rocks. Also her apron is so cute.

THEIR REACTION!!!!! HER SPEECH MOVED THEM SO MUCH!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

This show Keeps Delivering!

Again. I wish this had been delivered to us earlier in the series in parts. But since this show is mostly told from Senya's perspective (and apparently Ichiya managed to hide his illness) he realistically wouldn't have known.

So I get why they couldn't. I just wish they had found a way to flash back and hint earlier. Like maybe someone asked Ichiya a question that made him think back or something. Not that he would have shared the thought, but just thought it.

GOOD JOB ARAJIN!!!!!!! SENYA GIVING UP LIKE THAT FAILS BOTH OF YOU!!!! DON'T LET HIM RUN AWAY!!!!!!

shdiejdndbdjd

BLONDE TERROR EXPRESS!!!!!!! GO BOYS GO!!!!!

😱🥺😭

Nooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Oh gosh I thought that his Friendship Stone really got broken there but he's just in a nightmare mindscape of his own making inside of Ichiya's possession.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

🎊🎉🎊

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOOD FOR YOU ICHIYA AND SENYA!!!

Oof

Whoa what?

The outfit change really makes this look like a Yus*hi fight and I'm not mad about it.

I guess that's just whats left of their outfits in the real world after the body possession fight so far.

Babe you've gotta be fucking kidding me.

REALLY????

Why don't I ever learn?

Just me. Chilling.

The bells? What bells?

I hope Utsumi and the team muttered "Got em!" When they story boarded this part.

Well Hell, at least they gave me the band-aid of the cutest BlondeTerror Express scene in the anime combined with a JavaPetals scene!!!

💛💙

💙💖

YES FINALLY

Matakaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

🎊🎉🎊

Your Friends Love You!!!!

And Minato-kai has been like family to yoy while Mitsukuni was in Juvie. Let their love in! Arajin is finally your friend again too!

So you can hopefully move on and past him and embrace the MinatOT3.

SENYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

😭💖💔

Goodbye King! 👋

Lmao Matakara waking up in the Baby Girl Damsel pose.

SEALED WITH A BLOOD PACT TO ALWAYS BE BEST FRIENDS

Framed like a reverse blown kiss.

HELL YES

Damn Utsumi you couldn't have given us a tear filled embrace???

NEVERMIND!!!!

💖💖💖

THANK YOU UTSUMI!!!!

SHE SAID "IF UPPER MANAGEMENT WONT LET THESE TWO BE A COUPLE WE'LL GO FOR THE MINATOT3!!!!"

And Kenichiro gets to watch as they have the bond that he and Mitsukuni had!!!

💖😭

Wish those two random guys had names I'd love people to just write a bunch of cute slice of life fic about their below average delinquent adventures. Just absolutely normal shit.

Marito is right back on his bullshit. 😂

Good for him! 💖

THE CAT LOVING TEACHER AND THE CAT CAFE GUY ARE A COUPLE IN MY HEART!!!!!! 😫💖😭

Aw the party is so cute! 💖

Jesus dude. Well. You know what? I'm glad he doesn't give up. Good for him. Hope he moves her heart. 👍He's gotta grow out his hair and hit the gym first though.

MITSUKUNI IS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

🎊🎉🎊

KEN!!!!!!!!!

YOUR MAN IS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!

😭💖

Id been holding out hope but gave up at the end of the last episode lmao.

I'M SO HAPPY FOR THEM!!!!!

THEY CAN BE A FAMILY!!!!!

😯💖

SENYA!!!!!!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

I wonder if he'll look for Ichiya's bullet too? Idk what he would do with it honestly but I'm sure that Senya would want to see Ichiya somehow.

I'm happy with where this left off!

💖

[nortism]

It definitely is upsetting but I want to point out that this isn’t a belief Victor Hugo came up with himself. Disordered eating is a very common theme in stories about saints, stories that both Victor Hugo and Jean Valjean, living in Catholic France, would have grown up on. Suffering is very glorified in Catholicism, both for the repentance of sin and also as a way of imitating the life of Christ. Victor Hugo discusses this in the convent digression, with how the nuns retreat from society, which he’s fairly critical of.

Fasting is practiced in Lent by more dedicated Catholics and many saints are described as taking that fasting to extremes. Saint Catherine of Siena, who’s diet consisted of vegetables, water and the Body of Christ for most of her (short) adult life, comes to mind but there’s many examples.

In this context, Jean Valjean’s restrictive eating makes perfect sense. His whole moral is epiphany is so tied into Catholicism which comes with some good, like his generosity to the poor, but comes also with the idea that he has to punish himself for his past. He struggles with this throughout the book and restrictive eating is just one example. It’s his fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his death.

Living with Cosette limits this behaviour somewhat as he has something beyond his religion to live for:

And again she said to him:-

“Father why do you eat horrible bread like that?”

“Because, my daughter.”

“Well, if you eat it, I will eat it too”

Then, in order to prevent Cosette from eating black bread, Jean Valjean ate white bread

LM 4.3.4

However once he loses that support network (through yet another act of self denial), his restrictive behaviours get worse. This tends to be portrayed as Jean Valjean losing the will to live without Cosette in his life but I also think there’s an element of comfort in restricting and in the idea that by hurting himself he’s becoming closer to God.

We can definitely argue about how sensitive Hugo’s portrayal of disordered eating is. He definitely has some underlying Catholic hang-ups despite him rejecting the religion later in life. His portrayal of Jean Valjean’s religiosity can definitely be critical at times but there is an underlying feeling of admiration from Hugo, which when it comes to disordered eating can definitely leave a sour taste in your mouth. I mostly just wanted to provide a bit of context rather that come down either side of this argument as I feel it’s not really my place to say.

I would also recommend this article from the Journal of Eating Disorders about Saint Catherine of Siena and what she can tell us about modern disordered eating. It’s not got much to do with Jean Valjean but it provides some interesting insight into how Catholicism interacts with eating.

am i allowed to say jean valjean showed signs of disordered eating or would people boo

[epistolizer]

Hit & Run Commentary #150

Will those celebrating the transformation of Victoria Secret from a fashion show into a podcast also demand that the Chip and Dale dancers dump the muscular men in favor of thin bookish nerds?

Bush Regime Homeland Security Functionary Tom Ridge has been rushed to the hospital following a stroke caused by a blood clot. Wonder if he recently relented to Plague Cult Alchemy.

George P. Bush has launched a campaign for the Attorney Generalship of Texas. With no other viable candidates for President, the young Bush eventually actively supported Trump. For such, he was accused of betraying his family. But don’t any other time leftists and progressives celebrate those that so openly defecate on the values of their respective families as just a normal part of the maturation process?

And when minorities can’t afford the mortgages with which they demand to be lavished for simply not being White, I guess it will also be Whitey’s fault when the properties are lost or the owners are forced to labor in order to retain them.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Lady Mao) ruminated on the tragedy of tossing human beings into what she described as human garbage bins. If so, has she spoken out against those taken into custody during the Capitol Kerfuffle languishing in jail over what amounts to little more than a glorified trespassing violation?

If the Autarch is so concerned about crime, why doesn't he also take actions against knives?

Wonder if these Pentagon elites that can drone on and on about the boogeyman of White supremacy are as eloquent and schooled in the intricacies of the Islamist, Antifa, and Black Lives Matter threats.

The Loudon County school board members forbidding clapping most likely this time last year called for the defunding of the police had very little to say negatively regarding the joint Antifa/Black Lives Matter campaign to redistribute other people’s property.

Apparently applauding in regards to statements with which one agrees pertaining to public policies one opposes is an outrage that cannot be countenanced but looting merchants in response to certain judicial rulings is.

As part of the Autarch’s anti-Second Amendment agenda, it is being proposed that those who deal in firearms whose merchandise ends up being used in a nefarious manner even if the dealer violated no other discernible regulation should be held liable.  So if heart attacks rise above a certain level in a particular area, should the fast food establishments located there be held responsible?

On an episode of Batwoman laced with even more propaganda than usual, the crime was depicted as particularly outrageous not because an innocent man was shot by privatized police but because the victim was an innocent BLACK man. So is that somehow more tragic than Bruce Wayne’s father Thomas getting murdered, the event that spurred the young lad into eventually becoming Batman? Perhaps Thomas Wayne got what he deserved as part of the maligned “One Percent”. And when future audiences are retold the origins of the Dark Knight, should the new narrative be that the Caped Crusader embarked on the quest to avenge the death of his White parents if viewers need to be deliberately told the ethnicity of the actor portraying the victim before their very eyes?

Speech codes have banned the term “powwow” for being culturally insensitive. Instead it has been suggested that the term “gathering” be used. But isn’t that potentially triggering to Highlander fans? For in that series, the Gathering was the time when the Immortals commenced the ritualized killing of one another.

In an oration, the Autarch sympathetically explicated why Blacks and Hispanics are reluctant to submit to Plague Cult alchemy. Yet his doctor bride was much more critical of Tennesseans just as skeptical regarding injectable pharmacological elixirs. If the concerns of minorities are to be addressed with gingered sensitivity, Evangelicals concerned about prophetic implications, Catholics regarding pro-life concerns, and libertarians opposed to invasive government intrusion are worthy of just as much respect.

Travel guides are published to showcase the most noteworthy attractions an area has to offer. No doubt one of the most prestigious placements in such is the inside front cover. As such, are we to assume that Durham, North Carolina has little more going for it than a neon depiction of the female reproductive tract complete with boxing gloves as ovaries?

Shannon Bream of Fox News is a devout Christian. So much so that she published a regarded book on women of the Bible. It is too bad her theological thinking is deficient in that she mockingly chuckled on the 6/28/21 episode of America Reports at the hypothesis that unidentified aerial phenomena might be interdimensional in nature. Will she be as dismissive in regards to the terminology to describe how other spiritual realities such as the Resurrection or the Afterlife interact with the temporo-spatial continuum?

Contrary to a public service announcement sponsored by the U.S. Airforce, that branch of the military does not exist to promote diversity. It exists to assert technological superiority in the expanse above the territory of the United States in pursuit of the nation's defense.

Teacher union president defends Critical Race Theory as teaching accurate history. Mind you, these were the same postmodernist subversives this time 30 years ago insisting that a singular version of history did not exist. Rather, the discipline merely consisted of competing narratives regarding what is hegemonically referred to as the past.

The Autarch is threatening to send plague alchemy gestapo door to door. Am sure that will play well in the sticks.

Nearly two decades ago, no doubt many of the Democratic legislators patriotically singing on the steps of the Capitol following the 9/11 attack now side with necromongering ideologies and worldviews bent on toppling traditionalist understandings of America.

So a certain social media mogul can post video of himself riding a hydrofoil surfboard waving an American flag but to his fellow technocrats you are a threat to regime solidarity if you use your air conditioner.

Teachers Unions claim that these organizations want to defend the right of pedagogues to teach controversial epistemologies such as Critical Race Theory. To be consistent, these guilds should issue a similar proclamation in defense of Creationism or Intelligent Design forthwith.

Now it's claimed a third jab of the Plague Cult alchemy may be required. Where do the demands end? Brings to mind Picard's line from Star Trek: First Contact about continually falling back at the relentless advance of the Borg.

The Autarch’s chief propagandist admonished that criticizing of Plague Cult mendicants with the charism of evangelizing on behalf of the sacredotal alchemy among infidel peasants groveling in their hovels is a disservice to the regime and its dedicated sorcerers. That’s pretty much the same excuse invoked to crack down on free speech throughout the megadictatorships marring the twentieth century. Will those that deliberately remain on enhanced unemployment despite jobs being available will also be accused of doing the nation a disservice?

The Secretary of Health & Human Services insisted it is indeed the state’s business as to who has not acquiesced to Plague Cult alchemy because of how much it has spent fighting the pestilence. In other words, you are nothing more than the government’s whore.

If you can be arrested for not showing up for jury duty, why shouldn't the fugitive Texas legislators be arrested for a similar violation of the law?

The Autarch claims that those who question Plague Cult Alchemy are killing people. As such, the regime insists it is justified in gathering intelligence in order to curtail the dissemination of counterrevolutionary perspectives. So on what grounds do these progressive sorts gripe about any bit of information J. Edgar Hoover might have collected?

Does the Autarch intend to as carefully monitor the communications of Antifa and Black Lives Matter?

Regime propagandist Jen Psaki suggested that those spreading content categorized as disinformation should be banned from ALL social media platforms. It is assured that such is not censorship and in accord with free market principles. If so, shouldn’t it be up to each platform to decide which content will be allowed or forbidden rather than the state making such a determination?

If the vaccinated are able to contract and spread plague, don’t they bear as much responsibility for spreading the plague as the accursed Neo-Lepers?

For all this panic about the increase in Plague, it seems the death rates are still pretty much flat.

If boycotts are organized of venues that require proof of plague cult alchemy, why should we give an excrement if they go out of business?

So employers are pitching fits that they already can’t find enough workers, yet the tyrants holding power want fired the workers refusing to consent to this Mark of the Beast prototype

A private business is theoretically free to deny services to those that have not embraced invasive Plague Cult sacraments. They also ought to be forced to live with the financial ruination and repercussions of such a decision.

So apparently those insisting opposing same sex matrimony is an egregious denial of human liberties would deny the very right to eat for those withstanding the herd consensus on a dubious alchemical elixir.

A social justice degree. And what exactly does that train one for, life as an Antifa looter? If one had a legitimate academic interest in that topic, there is no reason such studies could not be pursued within the context of more traditional academic disciplines such as History, Political Science, Philosophy, or even Sociology. Unless of course the real reason for such a formalized major is that these subjects are too rigorous for those pursuing such a scholastic path.

By Frederick Meekins