#and the issues in it are largely william's fault so the issues born of his relationship with diana are lumped in with the daddy issues | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

othervee · 1 year ago

Note

I think this is very true, and what's more, exploring the story from Wilhelm's perspective is necessary to destroy the royal mystique and the notion that the monarchy is a net positive.

Monarchies, like the wealth-industrial complex and other systems based around securing a place at the top of a heap, secure and reinforce themselves several ways. Most obviously, they game the system so that the rules are in their favour, or don't apply to them, or can be applied unjustly. Simon points this out in the first episode with the discussion of welfare vs subsidies, and explicitly spells it out to Wilhelm in s2e3 when he says that people in Wilhelm's position will always get away with cheating. We're not surprised at all to see the monarchy and its context are corrupt.

Monarchies also survive by imparting the institution and the people at its top with artificial and intangible qualities that cannot be acquired easily, not even with wealth. In YR we see that even the wealthiest and most privileged of people, like Felice's family, won't be content until they also obtain the magical quality of 'royalty'. The Society is only for first-born sons with the magical quality of 'nobility'.

Even more than 'king' and 'queen', the concepts of 'princess' and 'prince' in particular have fairytale connotations which are perpetuated through the media we consume and the stories we tell our children. One reason those concepts are more appealing than the adult versions, king and queen, is that they represent potential, the tiny sliver of hope that even a commoner could acquire that magic through marriage and becoming royal. Felice could marry a prince and give birth to princes and princesses.

(Side note: I voted for a republic in the last, sadly defeated, referendum, but I'm also easily sucked in by the royalty myth. A lot of my work has been rich-people-adjacent. Many years ago I attended an event at Government House where Prince William was the guest of honour, and even I hoped I would be one of the guests who were picked at random to meet him (I wasn't). I don't even know why, except the whole mystique and glamour of meeting a real live prince. Which, I was and am well aware, is ridiculous!)

The mystique and glamour is why Young Royals critiques the monarchy through an actual royal, and the people who are royal-adjacent, more than through the eyes of 'normal' people. We all know it's unfair that a tiny but very wealthy minority can game the system in their favour and live comfortably on taxpayer funds while contributing very little to the community. But we don't know, or we choose not to believe, that even for that tiny minority the system is corrosive and dangerous and harmful.

One of the very first comments on the monarchy in YR comes from the person at the very top, the Queen, when she tells Wilhelm that being a prince is a privilege, not a punishment. It's in the very first episode, before the opening titles even. YR proceeds to show, not tell, what it's really like at that magical, mythical summit of human experience, royalty.

Wilhelm's voice is public property. He is not allowed to speak on political issues, and he is forced to speak when the Court wants him to (and his speeches are written for him.)

Wilhelm's body is public property. In the first episode alone, he is touched by many, many people who do not ask for his consent or even think about it. The girl in the nightclub who asks for a picture. The guy who grabs him. The make-up person in the palace. His mother grabbing his face. August grabbing his face.

Wilhelm's emotions are public property. He has to apologise to the entire country for his perfectly normal teenage feelings. He's given no opportunity to point out that the nightclub fight was not entirely his fault; he didn't just walk in and punch someone randomly, he was provoked, largely because he is royalty. But he was not supposed to respond in kind as any other boy might, also because he is royalty.

Wilhelm's grief is public property. He can't mourn his brother, or recover from the emotional agony of his brother's death, in private. His grief is visible on TV and he is forced to make a speech to his fellow students at Hillerska (he unfolds a paper with the royal crest on it showing clearly that giving the speech was something the court expected him to do).

Wilhelm's relationships are, you guessed it, public property. It's considered automatic that his best friend at Hillerska will be August, his only relative there, and then the other members of the Society and other elites. And it's taken for granted that he'll partner up with the most popular (and richest) girl at Hillerska once she shows an interest in him. He's just a big juicy fish that everyone wants to hook. Nobody's actually interested in him at all - except Simon.

The reason August has all his very complicated feelings about Wilhelm - the thing that has eaten away at him since Wilhelm first started at Hillerska - is that 'Wilhelm has everything and he just spits on it'. Not even August, who is noble and royalty-adjacent, gets how truly lonely and isolating and punishing it is to be at the top. When he's brought in as Wille's backup, though, he begins to get the tiniest taste of it. His voice is also silenced - Jan-Olof refuses his suggestions for the speech, not even wanting to hear them. His future is dictated for him; he can no longer go to university and study what he needs to look after his estate, he needs to go into the military. He's feeling the gilded cage close around him, and the big juicy fruit of royalty turns to dust and ashes.

I actually think the story is much more interesting when they explore it from the perspective of Wille’s family than Simon’s. The media storm, the public reaction to a queer heir, the Royal Court, all of this because the family in question is the Royal Family that finds itself in an unprecedented situation.

#young royals #monarchy #prince wilhelm #young royals analysis

111 notes · View notes

mrmrswales · 3 years ago

Text

Exclusive: the ‘profoundly powerful’ moments that shaped Duchess of Cambridge’s children’s charity work by Camilla Tominey

It all started with secret visits the public never got to see. Newly married, and with the world’s press chronicling her every move – down to the details of her designer dresses – the Duchess of Cambridge resolved to go "below radar".

Acting as Prince William’s "plus one", rather than a fully fledged solo royal in those early days, the newest addition to the Royal family knew that she wanted to find a cause she could champion as impactfully as Diana, the Princess of Wales’s landmine campaign; it was simply a question of where to find it.

Having already announced her first patronage of Action on Addiction, a charity working with people with drug and alcohol problems, Hope House, a women-only rehabilitation centre in Clapham, south London, seemed as good a place as any to start.

It was October 2011 when the then 29-year-old Duchess paid the first of several, incognito visits in a bid to find out what had sent its clients on a downward spiral of self-destruction.

According to Rebecca Priestley, who accompanied the Duchess on the visit and would go on to spend five years as her private secretary, it played a pivotal role in her decision to put childhood at the heart of her philanthropic endeavours.

Speaking on the record for the first time, Mrs Priestley, who is now an executive coach, recalled: "I remember going up to Anglesey, where they were living after the wedding, to have a conversation with the Duchess about her royal life."

At that point, she had the philanthropic world at her feet. She could have done anything she wanted in the charitable arena. Typically, she had put a lot of thought into it already. Addiction was an issue she was instinctively thinking about – but she was also genuinely interested in understanding what support was there and what role that played in the bigger picture of mainstream societal issues."

With the Duke having flown to the Falklands for a six–week tour of duty with his RAF search and rescue squadron, Mrs Priestley put a programme together to support the Duchess’s desire to "listen and learn"."A lot of it was behind the scenes, just talking to people and hearing where it was that they needed more help. The one thing that united all of the women at Hope House was that the derailing had started so early on. They could trace the problems in their adult lives back to childhood."

A subsequent private visit in February 2012 to Clouds House, a treatment centre in East Knoyle in Wiltshire, served as further confirmation that the early years should be a key area of focus. But it was during a later meeting with female inmates at a detox unit at Send Prison in Woking when the penny well and truly dropped.

"It was a profoundly powerful moment,” recalled Mrs Priestley. "You go in there with this preconceived idea that these women have done things wrong, that it was their fault. Then one woman started speaking to the Duchess about her earliest memories of seeing needles on the floor of her home."

She had always thought addiction was a misunderstood issue, but after this, she became concerned that there was a pre-destiny about those affected – an inevitability about it. These women were born into it and there was very little chance of escape."

The experience set in train a sequence of events that will next week culminate in the Duchess, 39, stepping up her ambition in driving awareness and action on the impact that early childhood can have on society at large.

She will launch a new initiative through the couple’s Royal Foundation to further explore the science around early childhood, raise awareness of the issue and foster collaboration and partnerships across relevant groups.

According to Lord Hague, who became chairman of the Royal Foundation last September, the "ambitious" new project will be equal in stature to William’s £50 million Earthshot Prize, launched last year with Sir David Attenborough to find workable solutions to climate change and environmental problems.

"The Duchess truly believes this is one of the great issues of our time," said the former Tory leader. "This is the central plank of her work in the way conservation issues are for the Duke. It’s a hugely significant moment."

While politicians are often in a rush to make a difference during the comparatively short time they have in office, royals are there for life, which perhaps explains why Kate has taken 10 years to get to this point.Having been instrumental in launching the Heads Together campaign with William and Prince Harry in 2016, designed at tackling the stigma and changing the conversation on mental health, it was not until 2018 that she convened a steering group of experts to look at how cross-sector collaboration could bring about lasting change.

In January, she delivered a landmark speech after her Five Big Questions on the Under Fives survey garnered over 500,000 responses.

"People often ask why I care so passionately about the early years," the mother-of-three said.

"Many mistakenly believe that my interest stems from having children of my own. While of course I care hugely about their start in life, this ultimately sells the issue short. If we only expect people to take an interest in the early years when they have children, we are not only too late for them, we are underestimating the huge role others can play in shaping our most formative years, too."

Pointing out that the social cost of late intervention has been estimated to be over £17 billion a year, she added: "The early years are therefore not simply just about how we raise our children. They are in fact about how we raise the next generation of adults. They are about the society we will become."

According to Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London, the Duchess "has a vision of how she can help transform how we as a society view and invest in the early years for the benefit of society".

Describing her interest in "the role the brain shapes our early experiences and how that sets us on a path to adult life", he explained: "When you look at very young babies and infants, on the surface they don’t appear to be engaging in complex emotions so there's a tendency to underestimate the millions of synapses that are being formed every minute. But science is telling us we have to look under the bonnet.

"There’s no question that for the Duchess, this is a lifetime piece of work. The last five years laid the foundations, now we are entering a more proactive phase.” Described by one source as “thoughtful, professional and determined to do a good job,” there is a sense that Kate has never been in it for the early wins, but the long haul.

As one well-placed insider put it: "She took the job very seriously right from the very beginning. She continues to want to get it right and do her very best - for the institution, for William and the importance of the work she’s doing.

"She doesn't just want to rock up for a picture opportunity, which is why she used to get quite frustrated with all the early focus on what she was wearing. She really cares about this stuff."

Another source said she was "much more fun" than people give her credit for, pointing out how she has grown in confidence having found a cause that she is not only passionate about - but also well informed.

As Lord Hague put it: "She’s been reading the books and had trustees reading the books. People assume her interest in the early years is because she has children – actually it comes from all the adults she’s met." The other key influence has been Kate’s own idyllic childhood.

Brought up in leafy Bucklebury in West Berkshire by her entrepreneur parents Michael and Carole Middleton, pictured below with the royal family, the Duchess has never made any secret of how fortunate she has been to be brought up in a loving and supportive family.

"She always recognised that she benefited from such a great start in life," added Mrs Priestley.

"That’s why sport and the outdoors has always been a key theme for her. She was always asking how those sorts of experiences could be made accessible to others."

For Dame Benny Refson, president of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, where the Duchess has been patron since 2013, Kate’s grounded upbringing has proved an asset.

“The Duchess listens and people feel heard and valued. It’s nothing to do with privilege. The groups she meets in challenging areas in London don't look at what she's wearing. What makes a difference is that an important person has shown a genuine interest in them. She can relate without passing judgement, which is so important."

Having started out as a reticent public speaker, the Duchess has finally found her voice – and next week she will have a lot more to say.

#duchess of cambridge

298 notes · View notes

drabblesofrapture · 4 years ago

Text

Vicey’s Characters

Mod Vicey here! Here are the summaries (and profiles, when available) of the characters I’ll be using in these little drabbles! Remember, these are their CANON versions, so that context can be known for the AUs! [Readers be forewarned, this is a pretty long post. Feel free to just read the names and see the pictures! All of the artist credits can be found in the character galleries on their Toyhouse profiles, listed at the end of each summary.]

Selena Mavis

This little imbecile is pretty much the main character! She’s the Devil’s most recent daughter, born to a human woman. She traveled to Rapture to meet her father and join the demon mafia. She has the ability to manipulate shadows, using them to create weapons, wraiths, or nigh-indestructible beings hellbent on destruction of all things living! (The last one is, honestly, not intended...) She’s also a dingus.

TH Profile

Derek Alvar

This is my vampire boy, one of my oldest OCs! In canon, he is a nervous little wreck that put up with a lifetime of high expectations from his father. He did end up becoming the Sire of the Alvar vampire coven, but less because his father retired and more because his entire coven died. Now he’s balancing between holding his claim on his coven’s territory and assets, and being dragged along by his best friend Selena to save the world every once in a while. TH Profile

Jeff Callahan

Jeff is the supplier. Jeff will supply is the head of global business operations for the demon mafia! He has a warehouse in the middle of Rapture. He’s on friendly terms with the highest demons, the Patrons, and is the warden of Selena Mavis. He likes to bake, especially when he is stressed. Also, he is British. TH Profile

Melissa du Claire

Melissa is a bitch, basically. She is rather nomadic, constantly traveling the world as the Beast Tamer, a world-renowned expert in trapping, taming, and killing supernatural creatures. She keeps a few of them as pets. She likes pissing Jeff off. They dated once. She has a whip. TH Profile

Stefan du Claire

Melissa’s nephew! She died in the 20′s, he died in the 60′s-70′s. Rather unfortunate, really, that they ended up the only two in their family to become demons. Stefan’s main job is being the only thing holding together the shambles that is his friend Devon’s drug operation. Right now, he’s taking a break and decided to take a vacation to Rapture. He has now gotten sucked into the current efforts to save the world. TH Profile

Lucy Beaureguard (AKA Lucinogen)

Lucy has become somewhat stranded in Rapture. After a long childhood of being passed around distant relatives, she found herself traveling with the owner of a carnival, Alan Winter. A series of unfortunate events later, Winter and his carnival were... retired. Lucy now lives with the city’s resident Reaper, Undertaker, and runs a small business where she assists people with sleep issues. Dream magic! TH Profile

Jaffa

Jaffa is a baku! After an incident where he put the entire city to sleep to feast upon all their dreams at once, he was (inexplicably) allowed to stay as Selena’s pet! He now walks around Jeff’s warehouse, sniffing out dreams of entirely-suspecting sleeping workers. TH Profile

William Alvar

Derek’s older brother that he just found about like... two weeks ago. Their father originally intended that William become the heir to the coven, but William wasn’t about that life and decided to run away. (This unknowingly contributed to the harshness of Derek’s training.) He’s spent the past few decades partying around Europe, but came back to Rapture after his account was mysteriously emptied. That’s how he found out he had a younger brother! TH Profile - needs to be updated

Darius

A Grim Reaper that has been recently assigned to Rapture to assist with the large amount of deaths in the city! (Best not to ask.) Seems to be pretty chill, really doesn’t care about anything. Doesn’t understand why mortals make a big deal about death. It’s a normal thing, ain’t it? Also likes to go around without a shirt or shoes on. Will wear a coat when it gets cold, though. TH Profile

The Outsider

The Outsider is a minor trickster god that lies outside of the belief system. We don’t know a lot about him besides the fact that he is inherently unstable, can shapeshift others, and can summon objects at will. TH Profile - TBD

Red

Unhappily bound to the Outsider, Red has been recently been freed from decades of being forced to require a host. After so many years living in her monstrous Guardian form, she has become devoid of many emotions; the exclusions are anger and sadness, emotions she has plenty of experience with now, thanks to the Outsider. TH Profile

Adonis

Adonis is the younger (older?) brother of the Outsider. Purple and yellow eyes (He and the Outsider traded). He is currently trapped in a dimension that is, itself, trapped inside a marble. The Outsider has carried this marble around for centuries - it was the Outsider’s fault that Adonis was in there, anyways. TH Profile - TBD, picrew 522865

#Vicey's characters #mod vicey #long post #Vicey's Charas Masterpost

6 notes · View notes

weemsbotts · 4 years ago

Text

All That Glitters is Not Gold: Stories from the Mine

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

In 1889, the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine opened and operated, eventually changing ownership from the Cabin Branch Mining Company to the American Agricultural Chemical Company before its closure in 1920. After the devastation of the Civil War, the discovery of “fool’s gold”, aka iron sulfide, was a boon to the local economy as sulfur was an ingredient in items such as soap, glass, rubber, fertilizer, and the production of gunpowder for World War I. While companies and businessmen profited from this venture, the 200-300 laborers, including children, risked their lives for small wages and often unsafe working conditions.

In 11/1899, the Fredericksburg Free Lance described the operations with predictions for its future, “Three shafts have been sunk about 140 feet deep, and tons of ore are gotten out daily by a force of 60 men. The ore is shipped by the company’s own 7 miles of well built narrow gauge road to a point in the Potomac River. The sum of $500 to $600 is paid by this firm [Dedrick & Co.] weekly for labor. The whole surrounding country seems a bed of pyrites ore and a bright future is before Dumfries.” The mine became a major industry to the area with 70 buildings (company store, blacksmith shop, hen house, icehouse) and employed both black and white persons but housed them separately. Crews worked the mine in 10-12 hour shifts as the mine operated 24 hours a day, pay ranging from 50 cents (children’s daily pay) to potentially $4.25 a day/shift. Crews consisted of blasters, persons who ignited the dynamite and supervised others, powdermen responsible for carrying and placing blasting powder, muckers who loaded ore into wagons, cart pushers who transported the ore to the surface, and timberman who provided stability to the shafts with wooden. The mine employed children to sort the ore into piles based on size. The Mine generally assigned black persons to lower positions and the wages did not reflect the reality of supporting a family; instead, the Cabin Branch Community (Hickory Ridge, Joplin and Batestown) supported each other and relied upon being self-sufficient by growing crops, hunting, and taking multiple jobs. One unidentified black woman in her 50s noted, “…His father was one of those that worked in the mines and of course it was hard work. They would go in there and stay for…he couldn’t recall whether it was days or months because he was so young. He remembered his dad going away, staying for a long time, and finally coming. And then, he could see him coming from the distance and he would see him covered with the soot and grime and all. And it just seemed like he was gone forever…” Another person remembered, “Everybody was really blessed an not really deprived…They were a self-contained community. They were pretty proud of…the fact that they pulled together and they could make it together.”

(Cabin Branch Mine Coupon Book, Coupons worth 10 cents)

Accidents certainly happened with reports appearing in local newspapers. On 06/13/1903, the Alexandria Gazette reported “A colored man, named Smith, about 40 years old, was taken to Washington from Dumfries, early last night. Smith was suffering from numerous injuries…In the mine there is an incline railway on which cars weighing 1,200lbs when empty are need to carry the ore to the opening of the mine. Smith was struck by one of these cars, by so severely injured that Dr. William P. Canton surgeon for the company, deemed it necessary to have him taken to Washington.” Mr. Smith suffered from a broken right leg, both shoulder blades dislocated, and a splintered upper jaw. Turning to a transcribed partial list of laborers compiled by Ronald Turner, we find two potential Smith’s – Bord Smith and Robert Smith, both noted as laborers further identified by their race. While the prognosis for recovery was good, deaths also occurred in the mine, and the resulting court cases provide an enormous wealth of information about mine operations.

In the case Quinton L. Hutchinson’s Administrator vs. Cabin Branch Mining Company, Climenia Hutchinson, the widow and mother of their infant child, sued the mine for 10,000 in 1909, “…a large and ponderous mass of stone, slate, mineral and earth fell from the side of the said mine and in and upon said plaintiff’s intestate, without any negligence or fault on the part of said plaintiff’s intestate, and by such falling in of said stone, slate, mineral and earth so negligently permitted to hang loosely in and about said mine and the sides thereof, the said Quinton L. Hutchinson, plaintiff’s intestate, was injured and crushed about the body, back and hips and so injured that he died shortly thereafter, to-wit…” Physicians examining the body noted he had bruising over his entire abdomen along with displaced segments of his spinal column, with ruptured internal blood vessels caused by pressure of the material. The plaintiff called upon many laborers in the mine to testify regarding the day of the accident and the conditions of the mine, including Mr. J. Clarence Williams, born “Well, Dumfries is as close as I could get at it”, as Mr. Williams was present at the time of Mr. Hutchinson’s death and personally knew him. The mine employed Mr. Williams as a mucker, receiving a 1.50 a day/shift, he testified to the condition of the mine and the chain of command – the defense questioning his experience and specifically asking about the race of the men working near where Mr. Hutchinson died. Frank G. Williams, race not identified, worked the machine, and received $2.00 a day/shift – he was with Mr. Hutchinson at the time of his death. “Well, of course, I know he was killed, that’s all. A piece came over on him and he hollered, and for a second or two, I didn’t know hardly what had happed for a second or two.” An estimated two-ton piece of ore or slate fell and pinned Mr. Hutchinson. Based on witness testimonies and mine policies, the court instructed the jury to determine eleven issues, ranging from workplace safety to the possible negligence of Mr. Hutchinson – however, the jury needed to determine if the mine could have averted the accident after discovery of any supposed worker negligence. The jury awarded Mrs. Hutchinson assessing her damage at $1750.00. Cabin Branch Mining Company quickly appealed and won when the Prince William County Court reversed the decision, stating the judgment was erroneous, and ordered Mrs. Hutchinson to pay the costs “…expended in the prosecution of its writ of error”, a total of $357.55. According to our records, the family buried Mr. Hutchinson in Dumfries Cemetery, born in 1882 and died in 1909.

(Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine, 1907, National Park Service)

Many of the men interviewed lived in or near Dumfries and worked in the mine for over ten years – some even continued working for the company but not in the section where Mr. Hutchinson died. White miners lived in Dumfries, some rented from the Merchant family (now the Weems-Botts Museum), while the black laborers in the records noted they lived as close as they could to Dumfries and identified it as home although the town remained segregated. By 1920, the mine no longer operated due to a variety of factors, ranging from a marked decrease in demand of gunpowder after WWI and the discovery of cheaper sulfur elsewhere.

National Park Services owns the property today and you can even walk the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine Trail leading you to Quantico Creek and other foundations of the Park’s past life as a mining industry. While there are scattered traces of the Mine operations and even a burial of one of the miners, we rely upon oral histories, court records, letters, folklore, and other sources to help tell the stories from the mines.

Note: April is rushing in and The Weems-Botts Museum is ready with three virtual opportunities! From preparing for the cicadas with your family & friends to having a tea basket arranged for you, we are here to provide interesting, varied, and delicious programming! Click here to find links to all of our seasonal programs!

(Sources: HDVI Archives: Cabin Branch Mine Newspapers transcribed and compiled by William Schneck, 04/29/2010 ; Payne-Jackson, Arvilla and Sue Ann Taylor, Prince William Forest Park: The African American Experience, National Park Service National Capital Area, 06/2000; Turner, Ronald R. American Agricultural Chemical Company & Cabin Branch Mining Company Workers Dumfries, VA 1910-1920, accessed on 03/24/2021 via http://pwcvirginia.com/sites-structures.htm; National Park Services: Prince William Forest: Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine (1889-1920), https://www.nps.gov/prwi/learn/historyculture/cabin-branch-mine.htm; )

#community #localhistory #princewilliamstrong #historyathome #museumfromhome #archives #oralhistory #primary sources #virginiahistory #courtcases #mining #foolsgold #worldwarone #localeconomy

2 notes · View notes

iihappydaysii · 5 years ago

Text

Jamie is attracted to Lord John, which makes him very confused and angry, in this essay I will… okay, but I’m actually going to write this essay, so buckle up.

Last night, I read Jamie talking to the others at Castle Leoch in Outlander about his experiences as a teenager with the Duke of Sandringham. First of all, the duke is disgusting and needs a very swift kick to the balls—but even so, Jamie doesn’t take the duke so seriously. He finds an amount of humor in it, even if it’s in part just how he’s chosen to deal with it. Also, Jamie is surrounded by men that, though they’re far from “allies”, they’re not being particularly hateful about it. Of course, all of this discussion occurs before the rape and torture Jamie experiences from Black Jack Randall. This filled in a piece of what I’ve been trying to understand about Jamie’s relationship with Lord John.

Before Lord John, the Duke and Black Jack are Jamie’s experience with—I strongly hesitate to say gay men—but Jamie sees a connection between these three men based on their attractions to men, however disturbingly they present in the Duke and Black Jack. The Duke preys it seems to be exclusively or near exclusively on young men. Claire upon meeting him says that it’s all the boys under eighteen that seem wary of him, as they’ve been warned (I’m increasingly glad that as far as we know the Duke got nowhere near young Lord John). Of course, we have Black Jack who is an 18th century version of a serial rapist/serial killer. Jamie experiences a horrific trauma at his hands. Not only did he rape and hurt Jamie physically and very, very seriously, he also found ways to make Jamie find pleasure in it. And thinking of Jamie’s casual reaction to the Duke’s inappropriate advances, it makes me think Jamie’s particular reaction to this form of torture isn’t based on a simple baseline homophobia.

A) Jamie feels guilt for getting “pleasure” out of it because he’s married and faithful to Claire. Also, how could she ever love him if he did (his thoughts)? B) What does it say about him that he could find any kind of release/pleasure at the hands of such a horrific man and in the midst of an incredible amount of pain? C) Later, after the rape and torture, if he experiences any attraction towards a man—as it seems he might towards John, I’ll explain more later—how can he ever know if those feelings only exist because of Black Jack? And, even if he can parse that out, he can’t stomach the thought that he shares anything in common with the Duke or his rapist.

Enter Lord John Grey. Jamie likes him, despite the fact that he’s the Governor of the Ardsmuir Prison, despite the fact that he once tried to kill Jamie. At first, there’s mistrust and contempt there, but eventually, they grow to like and respect each other and enjoy time spent in each other’s company. Dining together, swapping stories and playing chess. Given Jamie’s strong reaction to John’s simple touch to his hand (a death threat, followed by basically years of contempt). If Black Jack had never happened, I think, at worst, he would’ve given an 18th century “Sorry, man. I don’t swing that way.” John would’ve apologized and that would’ve been that. Jamie knows John is no real threat to him. Jamie has little that can be leveraged against him, as Black Jack was able to leverage Claire against him. Our sweet David Berry gives us a false impression of the size difference between Jamie and Lord John. He’s near a foot taller and physically dwarfs John. Not to mention, in the show, Jamie says defiantly to John (before their friendship) that he can do his best to torture him but there’s nothing he can do that hasn’t already been done. He doesn’t seem particularly afraid.

I’ve mentioned this before, but its mentioned in the Lord John series that John is actually pretty good at figuring out who’s into dudes and who isn’t. He’d have to be to survive long, doing what he does, especially as he doesn’t go to the brothels. He ‘gets it wrong’ with Jamie and it’s likely a mix between wishful thinking/strong feelings and simple misinterpretation, but John is smart and he senses something. So he acts on it in as gentle a way as possible (not knowing anything of what happened to Jamie with Black Jack, he won’t realize Jamie has been raped at all until he guesses it in that painful scene in BOTB, which I’ll discuss in a moment. Firstly though I want to mention some things that come later that relate to suggestion that Jamie is attracted to John in some way, beyond John believing so enough that he takes such a large risk. For one, Claire will end up sensing something between John and Jamie, enough that it bothers her and she recognizes it for what it is, at least what it is for John. For two, we know there’s a connection between violence and sex for Jamie, we can see it in how he is ‘in bed’ with Claire. Anytime John’s attraction to Jamie gets brought up, he responds violently, despite John not being any actual threat to him—something he knows for certain by the time John is saying “We were both fucking you”—and yet, how does he react then? Violence. (I can’t fuck you, so I’ll hit you. Two sides of the same coin for Jamie.)

Later, he’ll even admit to Claire that when he was falling apart after William was born that it was John who was able to put him back together again, and that he’s angry about it. He’s angry that John can touch his heart in that way.

Anyway, let’s rewind a bit, so we can discuss why exactly Jamie would be so angry about any possible attraction to John based on how he sees gay men (and how he believes he’d have to see himself if he were to accept the way John is able to make him feel).

The scene where John comes to Jamie for help figuring out what to do about Percy’s impending trial is where we can see this issue most clearly laid out. First of all, Jamie has a VERY strong reaction to realizing Percy was John’s lover.

I can’t in honor see him hanged for a crime whose guilt I share—and from whose consequences I am escaped by chance alone.

This is all it takes for Jamie to realize that Percy is John’s lover. Though John doesn’t directly state that, Jamie senses it, is smart enough to figure it out—and does not react well. (Also, the word Jamie uses is ‘catamite’, which is a term from ancient Rome and Greece that means ‘a boy kept for homosexual practices—and John corrects him to lover).

They begin to argue it at this point, basically the concept of whether or not men can be lovers. Jamie, whose experience is limited to the Duke and Black Jack, knows intimately that what those men experienced was not love, but selfishness and power trip to varying degrees. He’s projected that on to all men who experience attraction to men—a burden he would have to hang around his own neck as well—if he were to feel a similar (as maybe he did when John touched his hand in Ardsmuir… in that moment, before he pulled away.)

Only men who lack the ability to possess a woman or cowards who fear them—must resort to such feeble indecencies to relieve their lusts.

It’s an attempt to goad John, to insult him. It doesn’t particularly work as Lord John doesn’t possess any great deal of shame around his being gay and knows that isn’t true. He’s not afraid of women and could most certainly possess one if he wanted to. John doesn’t take the bait as intended and deflects to talking about love. What do you think love is?

He needs to keep his love for Claire separate from anything he could or could not feel for John and Jamie goes on to speak of one of his other experiences with gay men, though John doesn’t know that this relates to an exact experience (this can also relate to Black Jack because of Fergus). But I think Jamie, at this point, is pretty certain that John is no Black Jack. His negative reaction to Jamie (in a sense) forcing John to whip him Ardsmuir was a good example to him that John doesn’t get pleasure out of that. But still, if John has this attraction to men in common with Black Jack and the Duke, he must have others, right? So, he turns to accusing John of ‘preying upon helpless boys’.

Lord John threatens to physically fight him for that comment, which is very fair. It’s a horrible and gross accusation that he absolutely does not deserve in any way.

Jamie’s reaction to this is interesting. Armed or no, ye canna master me.

Of course, this is when John says something really motherfucking dumb without realizing the implications because he doesn’t know Jamie’s history of trauma.

I tell you sir—were I to take you to my bed—I could make you scream and by God, I would do it.

This conversation goes all to hell because John thinks he’s arguing against homophobia and what he’s really arguing against are fundamental beliefs Jamie now holds to protect himself against his trauma and any feelings he may or may not have for John. (and it just must really suck to be in love with someone who thinks such terrible things of you, through not fault of your own).

(Also a quick aside about Grey wanking after this, like it doesn’t make a hell of a lot of a sense in reality. Especially as we know Grey will be very angry about this conversation for a long time after. However, in a literary sense it goes to reflect that idea of violence as sex or violence as a way to express sexual attraction. If Jamie’s release of the sexual tension of that scene was the punch, John’s was this.)

Of course, they’ll rebuild their friendship slowly, over the years at Helwater and in Scotland. Enough so that Jamie will gift John with one of his most precious things—his son William. This time will end with an offer of his body in exchange for John to care for William (though it is a test to make certain John’s not a creep and if he is Jamie plans to kill him). John, of course, turns Jamie down because as Jamie will later say to Claire, “he would not take counterfeit for true coin”. This is the moment where Jamie separates John from Black Jack and the Duke. And, at least for a moment, is able to separate himself from them too. Enough that he does something he does not have to do, that there’s no real reason for him to do, he kisses John.

Grey felt the big hands warm on the skin of his face, light and strong as the brush of an eagle’s feather, and then Jamie Fraser’s soft wide mouth touched his own. There was a fleeting impression of tenderness and strength held in check, the faint taste of ale and fresh-baked bread. Then it was gone, and Grey stood blinking in the brilliant sun.

#lord john grey #jamie x john #outlander nonsense #rape tw #homophobia tw

72 notes · View notes

robbyrobinson · 4 years ago

Text

Stephen King Villains: Most Evil to Least Evil

Stephen King is considered the master of horror best known for his prolific writing career that in itself takes place in a multiverse of sorts. Besides monsters and supernatural beings, there are also very, very evil humans that also antagonize the protagonists.

Most Evil

Most Evil would go to Randall Flagg. He is probably the closest thing to the Devil that exists in King's works, though Nyarlathotep is also said to be one of his many titles. He appears in several of King's novels sowing chaos wherever possible. He was apart of many violent tragedies such as race riots, lynchings, you name them. In The Stand, he sets himself up as some sort of god for those who also had penchants for violence. In The Dark Tower series, he works alongside the Crimson King and gets into even more acts like destroying a city and driving a woman insane by having a dead man recount to her what he had seen in the afterlife. Ultimately, his plan is to topple the Dark Tower itself which would spell destruction for the multiverse.

Bronze goes to It. An ancient, primordial evil, It was originally from the Macroverse before crash landing to the area that would eventually become Derry, Maine where it establishes a cycle of awakening every 27 years to kill and devour Derry's children even though it is implicated that It doesn't need to consume the flesh of its prey as it could live off their fear alone. But it is their fear that makes their meat tastier to It. It is an egotistical, narcissistic being who views itself as being superior above humans and its archenemy Maturin the Turtle. It is first defeated by the Losers Club back in the 1950s after it had killed the young brother of Bill Denbrough only to return 27 years later to settle the score.

Silver...it's a tough one, but I ultimately decided that William Wharton from The Green Mile earns this spot. He is not the most powerful being in the books nor is he anywhere close to the first two's level. Simply put, he is a disgusting piece of human garbage that should've gotten fried to death in the electric chair for what he had done. He is first taken to the Mile after killing two people, one of which was a pregnant woman. When he arrives, he pretends to be in a near-drunken state only to then attempt to strangle one of the wardens. That in itself is bad, but what pushes him further is the fact that he was the one who raped and killed those two girls that John Coffey is being sentenced to death over. He used the sisters' love for each other to coerce them not to scream lest he kill one of them before leading them out of their house.

Patrick Hockstetter. A pure solipsistic psychopath, Patrick was a member of Henry Bowers's gang but he was especially nasty. He took perverse delight at killing animals but that is not his main claim to infamy. As a solipsist, he believes that no one exists aside from himself...essentially the world revolved around him. When he learned that his mother had given birth, Patrick felt threatened. So much so, he smothered the baby to death with a pillow.

Norman Daniels, the main antagonist of Rose Madder. A corrupt cop, he domestically abuses his wife Rose and in one instance sexually assaulted her and later caused her to suffer a miscarriage. When she leaves him, Norman pursues her, murdering and torturing those in his way his preferred method being biting them to death.

Leland Gaunt of Needful Things sets up a novelty shop in Castle Rock where he has his victim's greatest desires in stock, but they had to pay a sum and additionally stage a prank. A magical charm that drives the residents to madness one instance being when two women killed themselves in a madness-inducing stupor leading to a young boy killing himself.

Rose the Hat. A little lower on the list. A True Knot (quasi-immortal vampiric beings), she feeds on steam, as in the dying breath of children who have "the Shining." This is of course done through torturing children to death. Despite committing serial murders, plausibly in the hundreds depending on how long she and her clan were operating, she nevertheless greatly cares for her fellow True Knots and becomes increasingly incensed by Danny Torrance and Abra Stone killing them.

Going to King's first novel Carrie, we have several trash. Chris Hargensen bullies Carrie White relentlessly climaxing in her staging a terrible prank where she drops a bucket full of pig's blood on Carrie's head at the prom after forging fake votes for Carrie. Following her is Margaret White , Carrie's mother. An insane religious zealot, she emotionally and psychologically abuses her daughter as she saw it as her fault that Carrie received telekinetic powers because of her perceived mistake. After the massacre, Margaret attempts to kill Carrie.

The Overlook Hotel. At first it seems odd that I would include what is basically an inanimate object. But in the book The Shining, it is made apparent that the hotel is alive and is greatly evil. It drives those who visit it to madness ultimately resulting in them killing their families and then themselves. Once it completely possesses Jack Torrance, it fully has its malevolent intentions out in the open.

The Shawshank Redemption. Kind of more leaning towards the film adaptation, but here goes: Samuel Norton is the warden of the Shawshank prison. Initially coming off as a kind man with that rich Southern Christian rhetoric, Norton is truly a greedy man ruling Shawshank with an iron fist allowing rapes and other evils to happen on his grounds. He uses the prisoners for cheap labor in a money laundering scheme which he forces Andy to assist him with. Unlike in the book, when Tommy has information proving Andy's innocence, Norton sends for Captain Byron T. Hadley to kill Tommy.

Next would be Bogs Diamond. The leader of a group of men called The Sisters, he enjoys violently raping his victims one of his favorite being Andy. But it isn't because he's gay, but more because he derives disgusting glee from raping them when they were at their lowest state.

Henry Bowers, the secondary antagonist of It, is a racist, Anti-Semitic, misogynistic, fat-shaming lunatic who graduates to murdering his own father before deciding to go to kill the Losers Club when they enter the sewer system to face off against It/Pennywise. But it is shown that his father was abusive and he likely learned a lot of his prejudices from him. But he also stands as a trope of King's where you have insane bullies.

Lastly, we get to Percy Wetmore the secondary antagonist of The Green Mile. Somehow coming off as more reprehensible than the real villain of the book, Wetmore is a low-functioning sociopath who primarily came to the Cold Mountain Penitentiary to watch the death row inmates die.

Especially despising Delacroix, he kills Mr. Jingles by stepping on him out of spite, and he later deliberately leaves the sponge dry leading to Delacroix's excruciatingly botched, prolonged execution where he literally cooks in Old Sparky. He's kind of lower on the list mostly because of his film counterpart looking horrified. Something tells me that he probably was only thinking that by not wetting the sponge it would give Delacroix a little more pain, but he wasn't anticipating for the events to ensue the way they did. Though him being forced to watch is cathartic as was what became of him in the ending.

Least Evil

Cujo takes the first spot. All he wanted was to be a good boy, but all that changed when he was bitten by a rabid bat. Now he kills those that he miscontrues as being responsible for his pain.

Carrie White was the protagonist of Stephen King's first book. Born with telekinetic powers, Carrie was bullied by her peers; mistreated by her fundamentalist mother...ultimately she was driven insane when that horrible prank at the prom befell her. She committed horrible acts, but ultimately, it is understandable. It was only a matter of time for her to snap.

Jack Torrance: While he tries to kill his wife and son, part of it largely falls on the Overlook corrupting him. He was abused by his father ultimately becoming an alcoholic who unwittingly dislocated Danny's arm. At the least before the Overlook's destruction he had a moment of clarity.

Christine: A sapient possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury vintage vehicle who acts like a envious girlfriend when it comes to its owners. Worse, it is fully able of numping people off if need be.

The Wendigo: In Pet Sematary, it is a wendigo that is responsible for the cursed grounds that whatever was buried in its soils, an evil, undead version arises. This happens to Church the cat and especially to Gage. However, the Wendigo is presented more as a force of nature than truly evil.

Annie Wilkes: After saving Paul, it seems at first Annie was a kind woman...at least until she found out that Paul killed off her favorite character and becomes hellbent on forcing him to rewrite the ending where she was alive again. She holds him hostage and even breaks his legs as punishment (though it's much worse in the novel). Worse, it is revealed that Annie is a serial killer with a body count in potentially the 70s with multiple infants dying under mysterious circumstances while under her care. More patients end up dying but they were mostly ignored as the patients were already deathly sick prior. But with all that being said, Annie does have severe mental issues to the point where she is unable to discern reality from fiction.

4 notes · View notes

stormlight1 · 7 years ago

Text

Feral - A Labyrinth Story

One

Sarah Williams-Bradshaw chopped celery with a little more force than was necessary and tried her hardest not to be irritated with her stepmother. It seemed like she was always irritated with her stepmother. She tried not to be, because Karen meant well, but she had this chronic habit of meddling. Perhaps when Sarah was still a teenager, her meddling had been justified (although Sarah would never admit such a thing). But she had turned twenty-six not so long ago, and the last thing she wanted was to be given pointers on how she ought to be running her own life. She was married, for cripes sake! Had been for almost seven years now. That had to account for something, didn't it?

Okay, so maybe her marriage was on the verge of collapse, but that wasn't her fault. She wasn't the one who'd gone off and cheated. On more than one occasion, she suspected, although Augustine had only ever admitted to the one affair. And that was only because she'd come home from work three hours early one day, and walked in right as he was in the middle of having it.

Thank goodness Katie, their seven-year-old daughter, had still been in school during that fiasco…

"Ow!" Sarah jerked her hand away from the cutting board and stuck her thumb in her mouth, glared at the knife she'd just sliced across its pad. That's what she got for not paying attention.

"Do you need a band-aid?"

"No, Karen, I'm fine," she sighed, examining the shallow wound critically. Even after all these years, Sarah still refused to call her stepmother "Mom". She could tell it bothered the woman, who had long since given up trying to convince her to do so. Sometimes she even felt guilty about it, but she couldn't bring herself to call Karen by anything other than her given name. It felt like she'd be betraying her own mother to do otherwise.

Never mind that her own mother had moved to London with her famous boyfriend not long after Sarah's sixteenth birthday and hadn't been back since. She hadn't even returned for the birth of her first grandchild—She'd recently been cast as a lead in one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals and just couldn't come for a visit at such a critical time—and although Sarah had assured her that she understood, she didn't. Not really. But her mother had always been career-driven that way. It was why she'd chosen to walk out on her own daughter in the first place.

Her thumb finally stopped bleeding, and Sarah resumed chopping vegetables for the beef stew she was throwing together for dinner tonight. It was her day off, which automatically made it her day to cook. She didn't really mind cooking, but she did wish Karen would take herself off somewhere else. Like grocery shopping or over to the neighbor's house for a few hours of gossip. She really wasn't in the mood for company at the moment.

The glimpse of dark yellow caught her eye, reminded her of the thick manilla envelope teetering on the corner of the kitchen table. It was still unopened even a week after its arrival, but she knew what it contained. Divorce papers. She and Augustine had been separated for eight months. The moment she'd found him in bed with that woman (whose name she still didn't know, nor did she care to learn), she'd packed a suitcase for herself and her daughter and left straightaway for her childhood home.

When she'd married, she had moved only a few miles away—practically within walking distance, really—and in all this time she hadn't returned to her own house even once. She was afraid to, afraid of what she might yet again walk in on. Besides, it wasn't even her house. Augustine had already owned the place before they'd gotten married, left to him by some deceased relative or other. It had been an inexpensive and convenient solution at the time, and the house was beautiful. A lot like the one she'd grown up in, with plenty of room inside and a big backyard outside. And the beloved park where Sarah used to act out so many of her fantasies was still completely accessible. It was the perfect place for raising a family, exactly what a newlywed couple with their first child already on the way needed. Sarah had never imagined she'd be in danger of losing it someday.

She'd even left the family dog there, for which Katie had yet to forgive her, but Karen wasn't fond of large, hairy animals, so he'd had to stay behind. Sarah could only hope her husband remembered to feed Ambrosius on a daily basis. He could be so scatterbrained when he delved into his work, teaching mythology courses at the university where she'd met him. He'd only been a student teacher back then (more like an errand boy for the established professors, he often joked). It had practically been love at first sight for her. He was cultured. Handsome, charismatic, and very grown-up. He, in fact, reminded her a great deal of Jeremy, her mother's boyfriend, whom she'd had something of a crush on in her younger days. And, if she was being completely honest with herself, he reminded her a little of a certain other handsome, charismatic gentleman she'd once known. One who'd run her through one of the most magical and exciting adventures of her teenaged life, and then vanished from it forever.

Sarah gave herself a mental shake before her mind could wander further into dangerous memories. That had been practically another life, almost like a dream. And she was the only one who remembered. Toby had barely been two years old, much too young to remember anything about the Labyrinth. And although she used to tell him stories about her unusual friends and their adventures, he was almost thirteen now and much too grown up for silly fairy tales.

At least her Katie still enjoyed them, Sarah thought fondly, although she supposed it wouldn't be too much longer before her daughter decided she was also too grown up for such things. She'd always been more of a practical, sensible child; she took after neither of her parents in that aspect. Sarah told stories of the Labyrinth more for her own benefit than for Katie's. Just to make sure she wouldn't completely forget the people she'd met during her brief time there, whom she hadn't seen since before Katie had been born. Since before she'd even graduated high school.

For awhile, Hoggle and Sir Didymus had visited every few nights, speaking to her in her world through the small vanity mirror that somehow connected theirs. Ludo also would join them every once in awhile, his large shaggy body filling every inch of the wooden mirror frame. Frankly, it had looked uncomfortable, being all squished together like that. Sarah had often invited them through to visit in her bedroom, as they'd done that first night, but they always politely refused. Something about transporting between worlds requiring a lot of magic, and Jareth might get wind of their little visits and be … not so happy about it, considering.

Sarah had always suspected the Goblin King already knew about their visits—he seemed the type to know everything about everybody, after all—but she never pressed the issue. Ludo really was rather too large for her cozy bedroom, and she hated having her space invaded by anyone, even good friends. So, she'd been content to chat through the mirror with them, relating events of her (relatively dull and normal) life, and listening eagerly to their stories about the events in theirs. Didymus did most of the talking on these occasions, as he was the best storyteller of the three and, besides, once the excitable little fox knight really got going, it was hard to get a word in edgewise.

It was these stories that Sarah repeated to her little brother and, later, to her daughter (with a few added embellishments of her own). Toby had loved them, and so did Katie, and Sarah wondered if maybe she ought to write them down sometime, put them together in a collection for either of the children to pass on to their kids when the time came. And in this way she could be sure that her dear friends would never, ever be forgotten.

Even if it seemed like, for all accounts and purposes, they had completely forgotten about her.

After a couple of years, happening so gradually that she'd hardly noticed, Sarah had come to realize that her friends' visits were coming less and less. Daily visits that occurred three or four times a week became three or four times a month. Then twice a month. Then once or twice every few months. When she pressed for reasons, Hoggle had been rather vague, but he'd always been a terrible liar and she knew that, although he'd assured her things were fine and dandy in the Underground, all was not well in his world. When she grew more insistent that he tell her what was going on, however, he became defensive and edgy, told her in no uncertain terms that it was best she keep her nose in her own business and out of his. And that had been the end of it.

If Sarah recalled correctly, that had also been one of the last times she'd spoken with the grouchy little dwarf.

Not that she was willing to just sit back and take his advice, of course. She was far too stubborn to let the subject go so easily. But she had no idea what she could do to amend the problem. For starters, how could she even reach the Labyrinth again? The mirror seemed to be a portal, but only from their side and she certainly didn't possess the magic to use it. The only sure way she knew to reach them would be to call upon Jareth. And given how things had turned out the first time that happened, she wasn't about to tempt the Goblin King's wrath by invoking his name a second time. Besides, the only thing she had to wish away was herself, and she wasn't about to put her life into the hands of someone whom she was certain hated her now. For breaking his pride, at least, if not his entire kingdom.

The only thing she could do in the end was just sit back and wait and hope that her friends might come back someday, and try to ignore the sharp sting of rejection their disappearance had wrought.

Perhaps, Sarah thought, as she loaded chopped vegetables and beef into the crock-pot to simmer, that was where it had all gone so wrong. Perhaps if she hadn't been so desperate to cling to her tenuous grasp on the Labyrinth and its inhabitants, she never would have enrolled in those weekend mythology courses at the university, hoping to learn about something in regards to the Underground. Perhaps stories of its king? Or even its denizens. Or, dare she say, some ancient method of traveling to and from that world.

And if she hadn't taken those classes, maybe she never would have laid eyes on Augustine Harrison Bradshaw. No matter that he was already twenty-seven to her mere seventeen-and-a-half years, and well into adulthood; Sarah had begun to suspect by this point that she was attracted to older men in general. Especially tall, gorgeous men with blond hair and intense eyes and mysterious auras. First Jeremy-the-actor. Then—grudgingly admitted—Jareth (who was a friggin' faerie king for cripes sake!), and now her mythology professor.

What had been even more astounding was that he'd seemed to like her back. At least, well enough to take her virginity and knock her up after only their sixth date, which had been to celebrate her eighteenth (and first legal) birthday. Sarah scowled darkly, stabbed the tip of her knife into the cutting board hard enough so it stood upright, wobbling slightly from the force. She winced and hoped Karen hadn't noticed. Her stepmom tended to be as particular about her expensive kitchen appliances as Sarah used to be about her bedroom.

As she began cleaning up the counter, she heard the rumble of a school bus slowing in front of the house, pulling up to the curb on squeaky breaks to unload its passengers. She glanced at the clock with a smile. Three-thirty on the dot. Never a moment late. A minute later the front door burst open and Toby's jubilant shout of "We're home!" resounded through the house.

"Shoes off and coats hung!" Karen reprimanded before her son could forget and leave his things in a heap on the floor, as he tended to do. The scuffle of activity, and the sound of feet pounding up the stairs; that would be Toby, Sarah mused, probably off to catch his favorite cartoon on the small TV set up in his room. A lighter step caught her attention as a little girl bounced into the kitchen, backpack dragging on the floor behind her. She grinned and made a beeline to Karen, threw her arms around her in a hug. "Hi, Grandma!" she chirped. "Guess what we did in class today? Ms. Julia gave us notebooks and told us to write our own story about what we like, and we have to draw pictures for it and everything." She withdrew her hug and stepped back, a thoughtful frown on her face. "I don't know what I should write, though."

"Well, what do you like?" Karen prompted.

Katie shrugged. "I like school." Her face lit up. "And I like your sugar cookies!"

Sarah laughed. "I think that's a hint for a snack, huh?"

"Mommy!" Katie abandoned her grandmother to throw her arms around her mother's waist and grin up at her, chin pressed to her stomach. "Can I have a cookie?" She offered her best puppy expression through eyes that were just like her mother's, and Sarah mussed her fine blond hair, which was in serious danger of unraveling from its long braid. "You can have two cookies," she bargained, "if you promise to offer one of them to your uncle."

"Okay!" Katie nodded emphatically, and although Sarah knew Toby would probably never catch a glimpse of that second cookie, she decided not to call her on it. Katie was just too adorable, and she realized, right then and there, that it was worth it. Whatever had happened in the past, her foolish decision to marry Augustine when he'd proposed not too long after learning she was pregnant (and she knew that he'd only done it to save face, if not his career). Whether or not her marriage did, indeed, end in shambles, in a far too similar fashion as her parents' … it was all worth it, because she'd gotten a beautiful little daughter out of the deal, and unlike her house and everything in it, Katie was one hundred percent hers, and nothing was ever going to change that.

Sarah sighed, glanced again at the envelope on the table. The one with her name typed in neat, impersonal print on the label in the middle—along with her parents' address, not her own—and the neat, impersonal name and return address of an unknown lawyer on the top left-hand corner. It was funny; she'd never realized lawyers even put return addresses on things like this, offering a modicum of privacy for their clients, perhaps. But maybe Augustine had insisted his lawyer do so, just to mess with her. Just to let her know in no uncertain terms that he was ready to end this farce of a marriage and go off and have affairs with as many women as he liked, guilt-free.

Charming, handsome men like that were all the same, she supposed. Jeremy had eventually abandoned her mother in London … or maybe her mother had abandoned him; Sarah really wouldn't have put it past the woman to move on to greener pastures when she got bored. She'd done it once already, after all.

As for the Goblin King, well… Sarah really didn't want to think about his conquests. He was immortal, after all. He'd probably lived long enough to have had thousands of them by this point. And who knew how many children he might've fathered as a result? Sarah knew next to nothing about him. Hoggle and Didymus never brought him up, and she'd always been too shy to broach the subject and inquire after his health or something, afraid it might raise suspicions and possibly a little teasing. A guy like Jareth, after all, was way out of the league of any human being, much less an inexperienced teenager such as herself.

"Where are you going?"

Karen's question snapped Sarah out of gloomy thoughts. She realized with some surprise that she'd unknowingly picked up the envelope and had been headed out of the kitchen, following her daughter. She blinked and pondered for a moment, sighed in defeat. "To my room," she decided. "I've got some reading to do, I guess. Call me when dinner's ready, okay?"

Karen offered a sympathetic smile as she watched her stepdaughter walk dejectedly away. This was, after all, what she'd been trying to get her to do for the better part of a week now. She knew from experience that this sort of situation was devastating, but Sarah couldn't keep avoiding the responsibility of dealing with it, if only for Katie's sake. The sooner she faced facts and got the whole messy business over with, the sooner she could get her and her daughter's lives back on track and into some semblance of normalcy.

Karen sat back and sipped her coffee, watched the minutes tick by, and wished it was six o'clock so her own dear Robert would be finished with work and come home. Suddenly, all she wanted was curl up in his arms and remind herself—and him—of just how lucky they both were for everything they had.

Chapter Two

#Labyrinth #romance #Sarah&Jareth #set in the future #so au?

10 notes · View notes

newsmanmdgn · 4 years ago

Text

Bill Barr Bombshell!

Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson puts the hammer on Former Attorney General William Barr

(CNN) A federal judge this week rejected the Justice Department's attempts to keep secret a departmental opinion to not charge former President Donald Trump with obstruction at the end of the Mueller investigation, calling the administration's lawyers “disingenuous.”

The department had argued in court that the largely redacted March 2019 memo was legal reasoning that helped then-Attorney General William Barr make a decision about Trump. But federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she believed Barr and his advisers had already decided they wouldn't charge the President with a crime before he got the written advice, and the memo was partly strategic planning instead of legal reasoning — and therefore could be made public.

CNN Politics

He lied. Plain and simple. “Disingenuous” is federal judge-speak for “You're a lying bastard and you really should not have done that in MY COURT!”

Bill Barr BOMBSHELL!

More here and here. Rachel Maddow had a very detailed breakdown of what transpired when Barr whitewashed the Mueller Report.

youtube

Ex President is still banned from Facebook

Facebook��s Oversight Board upheld the social network’s decision to ban Trump

Facebook’s Oversight Board on Wednesday upheld the social network’s decision to ban former president Trump four months after the Capitol riot, but also faulted the social network for making a decision without clear criteria.

Facebook banned Trump indefinitely following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, citing posts that it said encouraged violence.

In its decision, the board agreed that Trump’s comments on the day of the insurrection “created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible.” They pointed to calling the mob members “patriots,” “special,” and telling them to “remember this day forever.”

However, the expert panel also took issue with Facebook’s “indefinite” suspension of Trump, calling it “vague and uncertain.” It sent the decision back to Facebook and said it had six months to clarify Trump’s punishment and come up with a response that fits its known rules. It found Facebook didn’t use standard procedure in making its decision, and that the company had no published criteria for suspending a user indefinitely. The typical response for posting comments inciting violence is to remove the comment.

Washington Post

If you want a free 30-day subscription to the Washington Post, be the first to comment on this blog post the words “Yes, I want a free 30-day subscription to the Washington Post (copy and paste).” Make sure you leave a good email address because that's how I will contact you.

Liz Cheney is still a Republican and still the daughter of Tricky Dick Cheney

So I would not trust her, ever. But she's right (of course) when she says the 2020 presidential election was not stolen.

The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system.

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) May 3, 2021

But it doesn't matter to the rabid MAGA Deplorables: They want her gone, saying she can't possibly stay on message if she doesn't agree with the idea that Trump got cheated.

(CNN) Rep. Liz Cheney's days as the No. 3 in House GOP leadership appear to be numbered, with speculation growing about her replacement and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy contending she has failed to do her job in driving the party's message to take back the majority.Cheney has grown increasingly isolated within her conference amid her feud with former President Donald Trump, a battle that intensified after she was one of just 10 Republicans who backed his impeachment on a charge of inciting the January 6 insurrection and as she's called out his lie that he actually won the 2020 election.

CNN

More here.

I have to admit it's fun watching the snake head eat the snake tail.

U.S. birth and fertility rates in 2020 dropped to another record low

Births fell for the sixth consecutive year to the lowest levels since 1979, the CDC said.

The U.S. birth rate is so low, the nation is “below replacement levels,” meaning more people die every day than are being born, the CDC said.

Source: CDC via CNBC

I guess we can blame Obama for this, since the precipitous decline began on his watch. #ThanksObama.

Two Asian women stabbed in downtown San Francisco

Authorities arrested a man who they say is suspected of stabbing two Asian women without warning in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday.

Officers were sent to 4th and Stockton streets shortly before 5 p.m. and found the wounded women, who were taken to a hospital, according to The Associated Press. There was no immediate word on their conditions.

Witnesses told KPIX-TV that a man clutching a knife was walking down Market Street when he approached a bus stop, stabbed the women, and then walked away.

Police didn't immediately indicate whether the women were specifically targeted or whether the attack might be a hate crime.

USA Today

Let's get this trending on twitter: #ThanksTrump

The Pentagon is tracking an out of control Chinese rocket expected to crash into Earth

Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Astrophysics Center at Harvard University, told CNN, “the risk that it will hit you is incredibly tiny. And so I would not lose one second of sleep over this.”

Because the Pacific Ocean covers so much of the Earth, the debris will likely splash down in Pacific waters somewhere, he said.

McDowell also adjusted the time period when the debris is expected to arrive to between May 8 and 10.

CNET

The Good News: Most of the rocket will burn up in the atmosphere.

The Bad News: Bits and pieces could still fall on your house.

You have rocket-re-entry insurance, right? (Running to phone to call insurance agent…)

The article was originally published here! Bill Barr Bombshell!

0 notes

justjessame · 4 years ago

Text

Babysitting Butcher Chapter 47

“What’re you watching?” Billy came up behind me in our home office, his voice breaking through my earbuds and making me jump an inch out of my chair. “Sorry, didn’t mean to spook ya.” His lips against my forehead made the tension ease from my body.

“I must have been more riveted than I thought.” I hit pause on the video, and sat back. “Just thought I’d prep for meeting Ryan.” I’d been watching one of the stop motion videos Ryan had made of one of Becca’s favorite movies. “He’s talented,” I offered, smiling up at Billy, “I can’t think of many kids under ten who can use Legos to make a complete remake of ‘Dances with Wolves.’”

“Becca always loved that stupid flick.” He shook his head, a sad smile lurking on his lips. “You were watching a movie he made?”

I nodded, and pointed at the computer screen. “Yeah, he made a bunch, all non-violent movies. Clearly an outlet his mom wanted him to have. A good one, a way for him to be creative without being-”

“Without him tapping into his powers?” Another nod from me. “What’re you worried about, Ronnie? Really?”

I considered how to explain without freaking out Billy Fucking Butcher to the point he’d go commando mode. “Vought went completely opposite from where it went with Homelander with Ryan.” I pointed out that they created an entirely false, safe community for him and Becca. A cookie cutter, normal place with bland people, with a bland school, and with bland hobbies. “Becca wanted so badly for her son to have a normal life, a safe and happy life, Billy.” I rarely used her name and it felt strange on my tongue, but I wanted him to understand why I needed to see that Ryan was in a good place. “I’d love to say that whomever Mallory was told would keep him safe is a good fit, but let’s be realistic, he’s being held by our government. If Vought has some shady shit going on, do you honestly think that the US government is always on the up and up?”

“You’re worried that he might be being what, Ronnie, what are you worried about?” He wanted me to name it. To put it in exact words, but I wouldn’t, not only because I didn’t know for sure, but also because I didn’t want Billy to make a hasty decision that couldn’t be undone.

“I just want to check on him, Billy, that’s all.” I stood up and moved into his space, where he’d perched on the side of the desk, stepping between his legs and looking up into his face. “I want to make sure that your promise to Becca is being kept, that’s all.” And for the most part, that really was it. I just worried, in the pit of my stomach, that it wasn’t.

I managed to watch three of Ryan’s Lego stop-motion film adaptations, getting Billy to watch “Terms of Endearment” with the promise that I’d reward him heavily. I also was sworn to secrecy about the glassiness of his eyes at the end of it, because the pollen count was clearly high, it had nothing to do with the show, nothing at all. I also went over some of the other videos from Becca and Ryan’s time before Homelander and Billy found them.

I wanted to know what Ryan’s schedule with his mom had been like. The day to day, their special rituals, how they interacted, how they communicated. This was important because, even after Homelander unveiled the reality of the world at large to Ryan, Becca and Ryan were still a duo. Even when he took Ryan away, even when Stormfront tried to weasel her way into his affection, Becca was still his foundation. Knowing how Ryan was reared by Becca would help me when I met him because it would help me gauge how he was dealing with the changes in his situation and circumstances. How was he handling it, how were his powers manifesting because of it?

I also had Frenchie get me a tiny gadget that I didn’t want traced through the office or the usual channels. It had come to me while we were having our party and Annie sat across from me at dinner. If Vought chipped The Seven, then why wouldn’t they do the same to Ryan- the FIRST known child born of a supe. And if that chip had been removed by his new guardians, why wouldn’t our people put one in. My own experience showed me that it was more than likely that he was wired to the gills, even if he had no clue, so I had a gizmo that was more or less like an app on my phone that would tell me if he was and would act as a jammer should that become necessary.

I felt like a conspiracy theorist, but something about Ryan’s situation, the more I thought about it, the more it felt worrisome. Billy, after careful consideration, was coming with me, but wanted to stay out of sight. He promised me that he didn’t feel homicidal toward Ryan, but he wasn’t up to a face to face just yet. Having him close by would be enough, for now. And knowing that the rest of the supes were diverted with their own distractions kept my blood pressure down, for the most part.

Nondescript. That’s how I would describe the neighborhood and housing development that Ryan’s new guardians chose to take up residence in. Every house seemed to be identical to the one next to it, and honestly, from what I’d seen of the fake Vought community that he’d been raised in, it had more character.

“This is,” I sighed, as Billy grimaced while he drove down the boring street. “Bland.” Maybe they thought bland kept a supe calm? Or maybe government guardians made shit wages and adopting Homelander’s offspring isn’t exactly lucrative, who knew?

We pulled up to a house that was forgettable, and Billy sighed. “So much for staying out of sight.” No trees, no bushes, this was the worst place I’d ever seen for recon. Which made some sense, if you considered supes trying to sneak up to abduct a kid. “I’ll wait here, Ronnie.”

“Alright,” I turned to see that he was staring at me like he was willing me to stay in the car. “I’ll be fine, Billy.” Leaning closer, like a magnet he met me halfway, our lips brushing. “I love you, don’t go crazy. Play a game on your phone or something.” He snorted and I got out of the car.

The sun beat down on the grass, which was surprisingly green, but there wasn’t any added color of flowers, nothing lined the walkway, there weren't any decorative touches added- no chairs on the porch, no flags, or wreaths. Nothing that would mark this house from any of the others. They didn’t even have a welcome mat. Shrugging, I pressed the doorbell and waited. And waited. Finally I heard the muffled sounds of footfalls on the other side of the door, then the clicks and snaps of locks being turned, before the door opened a sliver and a bright blue eye blinked out at me.

“Hello?” The voice was quiet, hoarse, as though it was rarely used, and I smiled benignly.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Veronica Taylor,” let me in, I thought. “I have an appointment to meet with Ryan.” Open the damn door.

“Right,” the door shut, but instead of reopening all the way, I heard muttering on the other side and then again the blue eye in a sliver reappeared. “Do you have ID?” Couldn’t fault that caution, but I did have to question why it took a second person reminding this one to issue it.

Smile starting to twitch, I pulled my badge free, along with my office ID. “Here,” I held it up for Blue Eye to see, along with whoever might be behind her, but out of reach so she couldn’t grab it. “Now, may I come in for my appointment with Ryan?”

Again the door started to shut, but again there was a whispered conversation and I was starting to lose my patience. “Whose in the car?” Damn it. I sighed.

“My driver, William Butcher.” Blue Eye, who’d reopened her slat to ask blinked before her eye went wide. “That’s right, same last name as Ryan. Now may I enter?”

The door opened only wide enough for me to slip inside, and on the other side was a slender woman, the owner of the blue eye- I was happy to see that she had two of them. And a man who demanded I submit to a pat down. Rolling my eyes, I sat my briefcase down, and stood with my arms out and my feet shoulder width apart. Once he was convinced I wasn’t packing heat, I was led into a surprisingly bright and airy living area.

In fact, aside from the blandness of the exterior, the entrance was beautifully laid out and decorated. Large screen television, the art on the walls was both bright and yet also simple, the house was comfortable and lived in, but well appointed as well. Told to make myself comfortable in the family room, Blue Eyes went to fetch Ryan, while her male companion stood watch over me.

“I do hope you know that as a psychologist, I have to ask you to leave the room when Ryan and I sit down together,” I offered, as I took a seat where I could keep my eye on the guard. “It’s a violation of doctor/patient privilege, you see.”

“He’s a minor,” the man grunted, and I grinned.

“Do you want me to throw my full weight around?” My head was tilted in challenge as Ryan was led into the room. The man huffed at me, but he led Blue out and I waited until I felt they were at least a reasonable distance out of eye sight. “Hello, Ryan.” He was staring at me like he wasn’t fully committed to trusting me, which was good. Ryan needed to learn a healthy level of distrust in the real world. “My name is Dr. Veronica Taylor.” He stepped closer, but well out of reach and I wondered if he’d learned a new reason to distrust.

“I thought I heard you say Billy’s name.” I smiled and nodded. “Is he here?” He looked slightly hopeful and it broke my heart.

“He’s outside, in the car.” His eyes dropped to the carpet and I took a deep breath. “Would you sit down with me, Ryan?” He shrugged and I tried again. “Billy and I want to make sure you’re doing well, that you’re-”

“If I’m not, would he-” he stopped, but I’d heard it, the slight break in his voice and I felt a clench in my heart. “He wouldn’t want me to come live with him, would he?”

Shit, I thought, that wasn’t a question I’d prepared for. “Come sit with me, Ryan, let’s talk about why you’d want to live with Billy instead of with Mr. and Mrs.-” Fuck, what was Blue Eyes and whatshisname?

Leaving Ryan in the brightly decorated on the inside, but bland as vanilla pudding on the outside house was the hardest thing I’d done since I left the clinic after Homelander’s failed attempt to murder me. Hearing that he wasn’t mistreated, necessarily, but that he also wasn’t being cared for so much as he was being lived with was bad enough. Remembering the gadget I’d asked Frenchie for, I’d run a quick scan and felt bile rise up when I realized that not only did our government chip the kid, but they hadn’t removed Vought’s. Why would they leave those trackers in?

Saying goodbye to this little guy, a kid who idolized the man I love and who shared his last name, was harder than anything I’d ever thought possible. Harder than walking into a clinic and having Homelander’s parasite removed. Harder than slipping in and out of consciousness when the rejected Compound he’d had me injected with tried to self-destruct me. Harder than when I thought Billy might one day see me as someone he would have to snuff out.

Ryan wanted to know if I’d be back, and when, and if I’d know if he could leave with me? And I wished like hell I could tell him something worthwhile. I knew I had more research to do, more files to delve into, including who Blue Eyes and Mr. Personality was, not to mention just what this neighborhood really was and how Ryan’s life was outside of that house.

As I slid into the car, before Billy could ask a single question, his thumb was brushing a tear away that I didn’t even realize was falling. “Do I wanna know how fucked up it is?” I shook my head, feeling like I couldn’t even start to put it into words and suddenly the sobbing that I hadn’t done for any of the shit that I’d had handed to me from supes came out in a rage and Billy pulled away from the curb, murmuring his love to me, as his hand held mine and he drove us home.

#billy butcher x ofc #the boys #alternate universe

0 notes

lilaswordsandthings · 7 years ago

Text

Terminal/Chronically Ill Characters in Literature & Media (A Writer/Survivor’s Perspective)

As someone who has struggled with chronic health issues and has also lost friends and family to variations of the same condition I was born with, characters that are like me and my loved ones, and relationships similar to those I had with the people I’ve lost are something that I naturally gravitate towards and pay particular attention to. However, I find that it’s so rarely done well… so let’s talk about it.

For the structure of this post I’m going to be talking about 4 examples, two bad examples, and why they’re so flawed, and two good examples and what they got right that the others didn’t.

For some reason, writers seem to find it difficult to pull off a (main or important) character with a chronic or terminal illness, especially when that character has some kind of relationship with a character who is either healthy or somehow medically better off.

Usually, what we get are things like Me before You (I apologize right now to anyone who enjoyed that book/movie but I really didn't) or Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, (which I liked but I still feel like it was a bad portrayal of what I'm talking about).

Now let me fully explain why these portrayals fail epically.

In Me Before You by Jojo Moyes the character William has been severely and permanently injured and is now wheelchair bound. He also wants to die. Yes, you read that correctly, this character has literally given up to the point where he can’t wait to just end it and there is no amount of effort by those who care about him that can convince him that his life is still worth something. This is problematic for a couple of reasons but firstly because he’s a horrendous example for anyone who either has been injured that way or knows and cares about someone who has. Secondly, he’s a total 100% STATIC character. His outlook doesn’t change in this story, at all. At the beginning he wants to die, and by the end the people around him have given up trying to change his mind. I mean, I get that he’s not really the main protagonist here, Louisa, his caregiver/girlfriend is, but that actually makes it worse! Not only do we have a completely static secondary main character; but we have a defeatist protagonist who literally gives up trying to save the man she supposedly loves. What kind of thematic message was the author trying to send here? I just…can’t get over how messed up this is…

Now, as I said above I personally enjoyed Nicola Yoon’s novel Everything, Everything and its film adaptation. However, I did have issues with it in terms of this topic for several reasons.

1. Bad research. This was largely corrected in the film (or at least glossed over enough that it wasn’t really noticeable) but the Main Character Maddie’s illness, as described in the book, is not SCIDS (Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome), they tell you she has SCIDS but in terms of what they’re actually describing? It is actually presented as matching an even lesser known disorder called Mass Cell Activation Syndrome. When I first read it I tried to rationalize it as (spoiler alert) being that Maddie’s illness isn’t real and is a figment of her mentally ill mother’s mind, her mom can make up her own rules and boundaries in terms of Maddie’s condition and this was yet another subtle hint at the hidden truth. However, honestly, I don’t think the quality or accuracy of the book lends itself to Yoon pulling that off quite this well if that’s what she was going for; and it’s a shame.

2. She’s not really sick! This goes off of my last point but the fact that she turns out to have been fine this entire time cheapens all the drama and risk that came before that revelation, including her relationship with the novel’s male lead, Ollie. Which is why it’s a terrible portrayal of that kind of relationship, because the barriers and hoops they have to fight their way through to be together just *poof!” disappear. That’s not life! Since Mass Cell Activation Syndrome can appear and/or change at any moment and spontaneous recovery is at least theoretically possible, we really could have had something if Maddie had actually had the condition that was actually described in the book and you know, really had it at some point but then her mom kept it going because she’s incredibly paranoid and not right in the head. Sadly, however, no… that’s not what we got.

This lack of honest and positive representation for people with chronic illnesses, the spectrum of form and severity even a single condition can take, and the relationships between the chronically ill and those with a different health status than them, fortunately, is beginning to improve. Two of the best recent examples of this that I can think of are John Green’s novel The Fault in Our Stars, and the Manga Your Lie in April originally created by Naoshi Arakawa and brought to life on screen by A1 Pictures and the stunning voice talents of both the original Japanese and English dub voice casts.

The Fault in Our Stars by author and YouTuber John Green is a beautiful story about two friends turned lovers who find meaning, support, safety, and even hope in each other when the universe seems to be conspiring to take everything else in life away from them, because well…cancer can do that… I loved reading and watching these two interact and the best part about it is that neither is defined by the hand life has dealt them, it has profoundly affected who they are and how they see themselves and the world, as of course, it would, and it continues to throughout the novel. However, we always see this in the context of who they each are, it never becomes who they are. That balancing act of being honest about what situations like that do to people is what is missing from so many works that attempt this kind of story and this is a great example of when it’s done right. There is, however, one that I feel is even better.

Your Lie in April originally written in manga form by Naoshi Arakawa is easily my one of my favorite series of all time and is probably the best example of chronic illness/relationships. Let me explain why.

Plot Summary

For those of you who haven’t seen/read it, let me give you a ballpark idea. Kousei Arima was once a competitive pianist and child prodigy, trained, brutally, by his abusive and terminally ill mother. Once a great pianist herself, she is now weak, wheelchair-bound, and running out of time, so she brutalizes her only son mentally, emotionally, and physically in her rush to train him to play the music exactly as written, knowing that this will allow him to succeed on the competitive scene and thereby support himself after she’s gone. Soon after his mother dies Kousei suffered a breakdown under the pressure and after that day, gives up music almost entirely until he meets the beautiful and vibrant Kaori Miyazono. Who is a violinist but plays with a freedom and grace that Kousei has never seen before, and it is her constant prodding that brings him back to the stage. Kaori however, has a secret. She has been diagnosed with an unnamed terminal illness that, as the story progresses, gradually robs her of her mobility and coordination and becomes an increasingly prevalent threat to her life.

Kaori is where this story really shines in terms of our topic because her journey with her illness is among the most human and genuine portrayals of a situation anything close to hers, that I’ve ever seen. For a few reasons:

1. Kaori is more than her illness. Again, we see how her illness has affected who she is and how she sees the world and her place and purpose in it, but it is never her defining feature. We also see who she is apart from it, her love of sweets, her upbeat and freewheeling personality, and of course her obsession with music.

2. How she copes: She’s had this illness for most of her life but the gravity of her situation doesn’t really sink in until she’s thirteen or fourteen and catches her parents crying in the hospital waiting room. To quote the Anime: “That’s when I realized I didn’t have much time.” And the moment she realizes this, she hits the ground running, determined to make the absolute most of every minute she has left, so that she can die with as few regrets as possible.

She doesn’t run from her illness, she keeps it from her friends until it becomes obvious for their sake, she fully accepts the reality of her situation and does what she can to make the best of it. This includes wanting to do something good for someone that’s going to matter, in the form of dragging Kousei out of his emotional funk.

That said, she’s not an angel by any means. She doesn’t suffer in silence the entire time, there are moments even before her friends find out that we see the cracks in her façade. We see her cry, and lament, and break down, and towards the end even start to give up. Even then though, unlike in Me Before You she doesn’t give up to the extent that she’s unreachable, all it takes is a kick in the pants (not literally) from Kousei and she renews her will to fight and go on as long as she possibly can. To quote the anime again: “Maybe I’m just greedy, but I want to dream again.”

3. The Ending: In the end of course, Kaori dies, the show takes a no holds barred realistic approach to the situation, there’s no miracle cure, there’s no misdiagnosis, nothing to save our heroes from the inevitable tragedy that will tear them apart. Unfortunately, as I know all too well, such is life. In life sometimes there are no magic answers, no way to save the day, only the harsh reality to swallow. The fact that this series was willing to attest to that, just makes it all the better.

4. Kaori X Kousei: Over the course of the story we see Kaori and the progression of her illness mainly through Kousei’s eyes and the tumult of emotions he goes through in reaction to it is not only realistic but beautifully done. At first, he notices little things here and there, her collapsing after their duet, how thin she is, the more obvious her illness becomes the more apprehension he feels at the possibility of losing yet another person he’s come to know and love. At one point, he even avoids her for a time, unsure of what to say or do, which while not the most admirable reaction, is a totally normal and human one.

Kaori sees him struggling emotionally and laments ever getting involved, wondering out load during one of his visits if it would be better had they never met, and giving him license after her impending death to forget all about her and forget everything they’d shared. By the end though, Kousei decides he could never do it, and chooses instead to cherish Kaori’s memory and let her continue to drive him forward in music and in life.

This last point is very, very important because this a question that everyone has to ask themselves at some point. Was it worth it? Is it better to love and to lose than to have never loved at all? What both positive examples have in common is they answer that question with a resounding YES!.

So what have we learned? We all know that one-dimensional characters are neither interesting nor realistic and should be avoided at all costs. An illness or disability does NOT warrant an exception to that rule. Or the rule about avoiding static or passive characters either. It’s nuts that we seem to somehow think it is.

#character development #writing #anime #review #writing advice #relationships #romance #media #culture

6 notes · View notes

marcjampole · 7 years ago

Text

If you want mainstream media to like your book on American decline, blame the 60’s. Fantasyland latest to do so

It seems as if no social critic can get a fair hearing in the mass media unless she-he blames it on the sixties. If you Google the expression “blame it on the sixties,” you summon up references to a wide range of articles and books in which experts and pundits blame a variety of current social and economic problems on changes in the attitudes, customs and mores of the 1960’s. My perusal of the first three pages of search results found the 1960’s and early 1970’s faulted for the rise in child abuse, our economic decline, political correctness, the vote in the Electoral College for Donald Trump, the increase in obesity, crime and growing drug abuse.

You’d think that most of the sixties-haters would be religious and social conservatives, because, say what you will about that decade, it did witness the sexual revolution that led to more open attitudes and greater social acceptance of sexual rights for women and all kinds of sexual experiences between all kinds of people. But as it turns out, a substantial number of sixties critics are self-flagellating liberals, you know, pundits who claim to be liberal but butter their bread by always blaming liberals for their own predicament. For example, after the election, a slew of Democrats blamed Clinton’s loss on the Democrats depending too much on “identity politics,” i.e., caring about civil rights. With friends like that…

The latest liberal self-flagellator to blame the sixties for the deplorable state of the world is novelist and journalist Kurt Andersen, in his glib and often superficial Fantasyland. Anderson’s description of today’s American Fantasyland is attractive and largely accurate. The insidious spread of fake news; the new level of lying by politicians; the basing of social and economic policy on disproven or bad science; the great numbers of Americans who believe in demons, the absolute existence of a god with male features and/or a literal interpretation of the Judeo-Christian genesis myth; the large number of adults whose lives revolve around electronic games, comic book superheroes, cosplay and other escapist fare; the climate change deniers, the evolution deniers, the birthers—these snapshots of the irrational are but a sampling of the evidence that Andersen musters to show that current American society is based on lies and myths, that we surround ourselves with fantasy.

Andersen is also right when he asserts that fantasy has played a major role in American society since the search for the Northwest Passage and the Salem witch trials. His history of irrational thought in America reads like an outline or a greatest hits list: each major figure in an irrational movement or trend gets a paragraph or so. For readers who want to delve into the long history of irrational thought in America, Fantasyland can serve as a syllabus that sends you to the right people and primary sources to read.

But the third part of Andersen’s thesis—that the sixties marked a turning point, after which instead of being a peripheral trend, irrationality took center stage—is dead wrong.

In sixties terminology, Andersen’s mistake is to conflate “do your own thing” with “believe your own thing.” Yes, a lot of people believed in some pretty weird stuff in the 1960’s. Like the First (1730-1740) and Second (1800-1860) Great Awakenings and the Roaring Twenties, the sixties saw an uptick in interest in the occult and the irrational. But lots of the doing of your own thing in the sixties and early seventies involved overthrowing old myths and lies and asserting the truth of empirical science, such as the anti-Vietnam War, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, Gay Rights, environmental, anti-nuclear, organic gardening and sustainable living movements. All products of a very rational sixties. And in every case, it was the government or the majority of those with influence who were living in a fantasy.

Andersen takes particular note of the rise of the Pentecostal movement and televangelism in the 1960’s. True enough, but morality is not inherently contra-factual. Morality motivated a lot of the antiwar activists and poverty workers. Remember, too, that a Christian left and right wing have existed in this country since at least the abolitionist movement got its start. Even if we accept the core beliefs of the Christian right wing that have persisted for at least 140 years, a rise in a concern for moral issues doesn’t in and of itself suggest the society is entering a fantasyland. I can be against a woman’s right to control her body for moral reasons and still be living in the real world. I enter Fantasyland only when I believe that an abortion causes future health problems, that life begins at conception or that vaccines cause autism.

All of society bases part of its existence on fantastic notions, typically related to ethnic superiority, national character, religion and the convenience of rich folk. Certainly since Columbus made his voyages, religious and irrational beliefs have harmed the United States. Our economy before the 1860’s was largely based on the myth that Africans were inferior people who needed the white man’s guidance and therefore benefited from slavery. What about the medical, economic and social impact of the myths that led to the anti-marijuana laws of the 1930’s? TR, Henry Cabot Lodge and William Randolph Hearst shoveled a lot of bull hockey at Americans to build support for the Spanish-American War and our later atrocities in the Philippines. I would like to prove that the inflection point at which belief overran rationality was during the Reagan era, when so many edifices of lies were built and then used to justify horrific policies; lies and myths such as welfare queens, supply side economics, the failure of government, the failure of public schools and the benefits of the unimpeded free market. But reading history books like Stephen Kinzer’s The True Flag about the Spanish-American War epoch and Matthew Karp’s This Vast Southern Empire: Slaveholders at the Helm of American Foreign Policy about pre-Civil War U.S. foreign policy demonstrates that the Bush II and the current administrations aren’t the first times the United States has been run by a band of reality-denying ignoramuses guided by myths with no basis in reality and representing a sizable minority but not all the people.

If we, as I do, place primary blame for the growth of the American Fantasyland on the increase of lies and myths knowingly perpetrated by the news media, we can’t really locate in the 1960’s the inflection point after which fantasies begin to dominate the media and, by inference, American society. Since the original scandal sheets and yellow journalism of the Gilded Age, mass media has been growing inexorably, and as it does, so has the ubiquity of advertising, the focus on celebrity and the increase in myths being presented as truth—in commercials, by televangelists, well-funded rightwing think tanks and rightwing television and radio, on alt-right and UFO websites, in social media and fake news. Let’s look at some of major events in the history of media’s creation of Fantasyland: yellow journalism emerged at the end of 19th century, free market commercial radio developed in the 1920’s, the first radio evangelists started broadcasting in the 1930’s and 1940’s, the rise of commercial television and the beginning of the right wing creating alternative distribution channels for their myths occurred in the 1950’s, the federal law that allowed companies to own more TV and radio stations passed in the 1980’s, rightwing radio was born in the 1990’s, the Internet was the 2000’s, the Citizens United decision in 2010. You get the idea.

Why then blame the 1960’s? We would have to read into Kurt Andersen’s heart to know the answer as it pertains toFantasyland. I am, however, quite confident that the larger phenomenon of blaming the 1960’s (and early 1970’s) for every social and economic ill since then results from the mass media applying a screen: Blame the sixties—we like it; blame another decade—reject the article! For the most part rich folk who like the status quo own the mass media and the companies which support media outlets with advertising. While rich folk include a spectrum of beliefs from left-leaning to ultra-right (there are very few socialists of any ilk among this group), they mostly lean right and mostly want to protect the prerogatives of the wealthy.

And they don’t like the true story of what happened in the sixties: It was the absolute high point for equality of wealth and income in U. S. history and the high point of union power (if not of union membership, which occurred in the 1950’s). While not the inflection point for American irrationality, it certainly was for the movement to provide equal rights in courts, the marketplace and workplace to all Americans—plenty happened afterwards, but the turning point certainly came in the 1960’s with the maturing of the Civil Rights movement and the start of other inclusion movements. The 1960’s thus represent the start of the threat to the special position of white males.

In other words, the real “evil” of the 1960’s is not that it created an American Fantasyland, or that it led to a decline in morals or educational standards or the work ethic. No, what the mass media hates about the 1960’s is that for a few brief years we saw a way to institute a true social democracy in a fairly equitable society with a fairly level playing field, kind of like the model developed in Europe after World War II. The Reaganites saw another way, but to make it work, they had to denigrate the real ideals of the sixties—government spending to solve social problems, a level playing field that did not favor individuals of any group, the importance of ending poverty and giving people a hand up, enlightened stewardship of natural resources, a foreign policy not dependent on America bullying other nations. These core beliefs—all based on facts and science—contradict everything the right stands for. Thus the desire, even today, to blame everything on the 1960’s.

I stopped reading novels about writers or university teachers about 30 years ago. I think it might be time to stop reading books that blame the 60’s.

#mainstreammedia #60s #american decline

1 note · View note

peaceful-politics · 5 years ago

Text

The “Pro-Life” Party Does Not Have a Monopoly on Morality- Especially the Pro-Life Party of Trump

By: Kaylee Williams

7/20/2019

Donald Trump has secured a voting base among evangelical Christians, in spite of the fact that he is antithetical to basic Christian values such as humility and compassion. This, I presume, is a result of his manipulation of the pro-life movement to galvanize socially conservative Christians. People across the political spectrum share sadness and reservation concerning a difficult issue that many Trump Republicans claim a monopoly on morality for. The fact remains, however, that illegality does not bar behaviors from occurring, and victims of abuse must reserve the right to make peace with their creator however they see fit, not be coerced into taking desperate measures as a result of government mandates. This holds especially true when considering that abortion bans will disproportionately affect poor women who don't have the financial means, backdoor channels, and legal representation of women the likes of....let me think....Stormy Daniels?

I find it difficult to contain my exasperation with a man who I believe to be so utterly God-less using a sensitive and complex issue for political utility. Let’s be honest about the hypocrisy of Donald Trump, once outspokenly pro-choice, all of a sudden championing the unborn. I implore you to ask yourself: who would be more likely to encourage their sexual partner to have an abortion- Barrack Obama or Donald Trump? Trump is two years younger than his (third) wife’s father, leaving me to question if Mr. Trump courted Melania for her impressive conversational ability or for less holy desires. Trump has been with numerous porn stars, has children with multiple women (all of whom he is alleged to have cheated on), and is on tape bragging about grabbing women by their genitals. Now I personally don’t care about any of this; frankly, if he were a champion of universal healthcare, putting an end to the private prison system, and abolishing the Electoral College, I would likely vote for him in spite of his personal indiscretions. I simply cannot, however, fathom the cognitive dissonance required of Christian conservatives to hail Trump as the chosen one - someone fit to represent Jesus’s teachings and mobilize his agenda. Conservative Christians the likes of Pat Robertson have sanctioned a hitman. Trump is not David; he is Goliath, and he’s been contracted by wealthy televangelists who have more in common with the Pharisees Jesus opposed than Christ himself. Obama has been married to only one woman with whom he shares both of his children. There is no indication that he has ever been unfaithful to his wife, and excluding those which Fox News or Trump himself engineered, has not been linked to any major scandal. I ask again: who would be more likely to encourage their sexual partner to have an abortion? Yet who between the men publicly denounces a women’s right to choose? Who between the men has sought to address the systemic reasons for abortion, such as limited access to contraception?

One can be personally (not politically) pro-life, as I surmise Obama was, yet grasp that the architects of these newly introduced abortion bans (most of them Trump’s allies) are hypocrites. Republicans are often, after all, accused of Christian hypocrisy. They are criticized for their support of Trump’s immigration policies, for example, which encourage the blatant mistreatment of illegal aliens who, according to one doctor, are living in “torture facilities” (Marshall, Metz, Zac, 2019). Trump Republicans respond with assertions that their indifference is a result of their desire for sovereignty, rule of law, and economic stability. When pressed on why they habitually scapegoat welfare recipients and the poor to distract attention from corporate exploitation, they respond arguing that handouts dissuade hard work and promote complacent reliance on government at the expense of working people. When confronted with rates of uninsured Americans or the monetization of human health, Republicans persistently vilify universal health care, a feature of virtually all other developed nations, as “socialized medicine” and attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Trump’s cohort of socially conservative Republicans present the following counterargument: how can you accuse us of lacking morality when you allow for the slaughter of the unborn, or in more common vernacular, infanticide?

Excuse this public service announcement, but infanticide is not legal and those who claim that it is are modern-day propaganda ministers who hardly have the interests of women or children in mind; rather they are leveraging people’s sense of morality for political gain. Yes, the Reproductive Health Act passed in New York did permit late term abortion….in cases where the life of the mother is threatened OR fetal abnormalities would ultimately end the unborn child’s life within days of birth; the fetus would have to be deemed “non-viable”. Any baby who is in fact born alive is not euthanized, but rather given post-natal care immediately. If infanticide is happening in this country, it has not been sanctioned by law and certainly is not supported by Democrats. I encourage anyone who doubts me to read Senator Liz Krueger’s responses to frequently asked questions regarding the RHA. (https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/2019/liz-krueger/faqs-about-reproductive-health-act).

Furthermore, some-though not all- pro-life Republicans manipulate the issue of abortion to appear as though they are of higher moral standing. Democrats, through their reckless liberality and moral relativism masked as progressivism, are willing to slaughter the most vulnerable population among us. Leftist organizations, they charge, disseminate propaganda allowing women to believe that their choice is somehow morally permissible and establishments providing abortion, namely Planned Parenthood, are masking their nefarious agenda behind female reproductive rights. What about the rights of unborn girls they plea, or boys whose gender is no fault of their own?

To many political civilians (those not in public office or in elite roles) this appears to be the ultimate Trump card of argumentation, an atomic bomb of infallible reason dropped on liberals everywhere, causing those too stubborn to change their minds to desperately crawl into their safe spaces and mourn their defeat.

I will not pretend as though these emotionally charged arguments are of no import to me. I was raised by a religious family, attended catholic school until grade eight, and went to church weekly. At age twelve I wrote a scathing essay in defense of the pro-life movement, though in hindsight I find it rather peculiar that a class of mostly pre-pubescent kids would be prompted to not only contemplate such an issue, but have their opinions of it mechanically engineered. I am outnumbered in my family by Republicans, and while my grandmother has democratic leanings, her devotion to Catholicism and belief in protecting the unborn often preclude her from voting for liberal candidates she would otherwise support. Given my upbringing, the institutions within which I have been socialized, and my privately held feelings about having an abortion personally, one would expect me to be an ardent pro-choice advocate and a constituent of a reliable voting bloc, yet I am neither. To clarify, I personally oppose abortion, I wouldn’t encourage a loved one to have one (though I wouldn’t love them any less), and I earnestly desire for abortion to become a vestige of the past. How then does my moral compass, my decision making apparatus, permit me to hold such passionate, unwavering pro-choice sentiments?

I believe there are many ways a person can be effectively pro-life, but I remain unconvinced that legislatively interfering with a women’s right to choose is realistic or morally sound. People can call it moral relativism, but I don’t see how pragmatism and compassion should be-or can be- mutually exclusive, and I am equally unconvinced that a victim of rape or abuse should receive their reproductive directives from a legislature comprised disproportionately of white men (i.e. Alabama), the historical ruling class of America. I’m not advocating for “reverse discrimination” –if that even exists- but the optics here are hard to ignore. I don’t have a crystal ball that allows me to discern men in Alabama’s true motives, but to me the abortion bans sweeping the country reek of government intrusion, a diminishment of boundaries between church and state, and white male supremacy (I’ll elaborate on this later for all my conservative naysayers).

Like others, I remain politically pro-choice largely because I do not believe that anti-choice legislation will exponentially diminish rates of abortion. In the United States today, approximately one in four pregnancies will end in abortion according to the Guttmacher Institute (2019). While I’m sure this may dishearten even some pro-choice advocates, it is important to consider the nature and prevalence of abortion before Roe V. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized the procedure nationwide. While scholars can’t offer precise figures on abortion rates prior to 1973, given the fact that the procedure was not only illegal but often considered socially undesirable to admit, it is estimated that 20% to 25% of pregnancies ended in abortion before Roe V. Wade, as cited in a 2019 NPR interview with Karissa Haugeberg, assistant professor of history at Tulane University. According to the editors of History.com (2019), in the 1950s and 60s alone “the estimated number of illegal abortions in the United States ranged from 200,000 to 1.2 million per year, according to the Guttmacher Institute.”

So what were these illegal abortions like? Karissa Haugeberg explains that about 200 woman died “officially” each year from methods of “self-inflicted induction”. In other words, women physically injured themselves or consumed dangerous chemicals in attempts to end their pregnancies and in doing so inadvertently killed themselves. Other woman turned to the undercover market, seeking out doctors who risked their livelihood and even personal imprisonment. Today in countries where abortion remains illegal, such as Chile and El Salvador, Michelle Oberman (2018) writes that “abortifacient drugs have become so readily available…. that it has become impossible to enforce abortion bans”- which leads to me to my next point.

An additional reason that I remain a reliable pro-choice voter is my belief that eliminating abortion would likely create prosecutorial loopholes which allow for poor and minorities to be disproportionately affected, as Oberman (2018) explains is the case in countries where it remains outlawed. Just weeks ago an Alabama woman, Marshae Jones, lost her unborn child as a result of being shot in the stomach. She was later indicted on charges of manslaughter for allegedly provoking her shooter, who received no charges at all (Brice-Saddler, Horton, 2019). Many perceived this to be indicative of what a post Roe V. Wade America might entail for women of lower socioeconomic standing. Unlike the poor, women of means will always have access to abortion. Sometimes, they will even receive encouragement from “pro-life” congressmen themselves. It is not my desire to smear any given member of congress, but a simple Google search will reveal the hypocrisy to which I refer

Equally concerning is the possibility that strict abortion laws could lead to patriarchal norms being reintroduced. Would rape victims now be forced to prove abuse? Would they face a statute of limitations for reporting rape? Would states even qualify rape as a legitimate reason for getting an abortion following the lead of Alabama, a state where rapists have paternal rights (Wax-Thibodeaux, 2019)? Would women whose lives are in danger be denied medical help because of zealotry permeating the medical system? Would miscarriages be investigated? Would desperate women who pursue an illegal abortion die or be imprisoned for resorting to back ally-procedures? Would the states currently proposing these abortion bans, states with some of the highest rates of both infant and maternal mortality, namely among women of color (Panetta, 2019), revamp their healthcare standards?

As a quick interlude, I certainly don’t mean to imply that men are solely to blame here. Many woman contribute to systems of patriarchy, often under a religious pretense or because their rung on the social ladder isn’t necessarily worth risking. Heck, over half of white women voted for Donald Trump in 2016 (Ruiz, 2018). Conversely, there are numerous men who, excluding circumstances in which they are personally responsible for a pregnancy, mind their business, who are supportive of prospective mothers, and who themselves would make better caretakers than their female counterparts. It was ultimately a female governor, Kay Ivey of Alabama, who signed a bill for which twenty-two male senators voted against exemptions for rape or incest. My primary grievance, moreover, is not with men. My main concern is government involvement (government actors being both men and women) in what should be a private matter.

Finally, one must wonder if the states denying abortions will offer affordable birth control and comprehensive sexual education, or if they’ll maintain antiquated philosophies surrounding sexuality thus causing teen pregnancies to rise and/or medically unsafe abortions to skyrocket? This may sound like a false dichotomy between prudence and pragmatism, but it should be noted that Abbey Johnson, creator of the documentary “Unplanned”, opposes birth control methods which do not consist of “natural family planning” (as cited in her 2018 interview with Mary Rose Somarriba).

Trump himself attempted to: “restrict the ability of some women to get birth control at no charge because their employers object on religious or moral grounds” (Goldstein, 2019). As Pam Belluck (2018) explains in her article titled “Science Does Not Support Claims That Contraceptives Are ‘Abortion-Inducing’”, there is not credible evidence of abortifacient effects from contraception upon which spiritual groups should be asserting their religious liberty at the expense of others’. Furthermore, the sexual revolution has long passed and the vast majority of adults will have pre-marital sex, as will adolescents regardless of their state legislature’s willingness to educate them or their parent’s willingness to guide them appropriately (on using condoms to prevent against STDS, healthy relationships, methods of contraception, etc.). It is imperative that those who wish to end abortion on both sides of the political spectrum approach sexuality through the lenses of modernity.

If pro-lifers sought to convince me against abortion (as sensible people define it) they succeeded, but I’ve also lived a privileged life and I refuse to thrust my personal views on the world at large. That is dangerous, ineffective, and belittling of women whose burden I have never carried and whose pain I have never known. Like many of the voters Trump secures through his professed stance on abortion, I’d truly love to see its end. However, I do not believe that barring safe and legal access to the procedure is an appropriate way to get there. It’s not practical and it’s not compassionate (as I see it). How about we destigmatize sex between consenting adults/adolescents, offer first rate sexual education nationwide, make medical advancements so no woman would ever again face a health crises related to pregnancy, offer birth control 100% affordable and accessible to all people post-pubescent, and make advancements in science so as to ensure that this birth control is not 99% but 100% effective in order that every young woman might reach her full economic potential? Making abortion illegal won’t make it cease to exist outright; it will only cease to exist as a medically safe procedure that can be discussed openly without fear of legal prosecution. People of good faith mustn’t be swayed at the hands of God-less man using their religiosity for political expedience.

It is my sincere hope that well-meaning Christians follow the example of Jimmy Carter. One of our most outspokenly devout presidents, Carter sold his peanut farm after winning the presidency so as not to risk perceptions of impropriety. He can be traced to no major scandal and has always responded to criticism with tact and decency. He remains a proponent of internal church reform, namely the ordainment of women as priests, yet as president staunchly supported the separation of church and state. He has never invoked what many people insidiously refer to as “religious liberty” to discriminate against gay people, even stating: “Jesus would approve of gay marriage. Carter elaborated: “I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else and I don’t see that gay marriage damages anyone else” (as cited by Birnbaum, 2018).

As it pertains to abortion, Jimmy Carter’s stance reveals not only his deep intelligence (as evidenced by his capability to discern nuance) but his steady moral barometer. He does not conceal his personal reservations in an effort to conform to party expectations, but rather differentiates what his spiritual predilections are concerning abortion from what he believes the government’s role is in legislating reproduction. He plainly states: “I have a hard time believing that Jesus would approve abortions unless it was because of rape or incest or if the mother’s life was in danger. So I’ve had that struggle….. but my oath of office was to obey the Constitution and the laws of this country as interpreted as the Supreme Court, so I went along with that” (as cited by Birnbaum, 2018). Carter, while vocal about his apprehension to condone abortion during his presidency, rejected the creation of a constitutional amendment which would ban it. Instead, he sought to minimize the prevalence of abortion as much as possible. Carter stated during his third presidential debate with Gerald Ford: “I think abortion is wrong. I don't think the Government ought to do anything to encourage abortion, but I don't favor a constitutional amendment on the subject. But short of a constitutional amendment, and within the confines of a Supreme Court ruling, I will do everything I can to minimize the need for abortions with better sex education, family planning, with better adoptive procedures. I personally don't believe that the Federal Government ought to finance abortions, but I draw the line and don't support a constitutional amendment. I honor the right of people to seek a constitutional amendment on abortion, but I won't actively work for its passage” (as cited on ontheissues.org)

Moreover, Jimmy Carter does not seek to make people feel warm and fuzzy as a way of gaining political constituents. He does not conflate the issue of abortion with women’s rights alone (although that is certainly one dimension of the debate) and is himself an ardent feminist who has used his position of power to enhance the rights of women both domestically and abroad. He expresses personal reservation, as is his right, but demonstrates respect for rule of law and when given the opportunity refused to support a constitutional ban on abortions, instead working vigorously to minimize the perceived need of women to seek them out. Jimmy Carter is a real disciple of Christ, not an imposter who claims to revere him for political support.

I’d like to conclude by sharing a Facebook post I recently came across. A now adult woman reminisces on the abortion she had as a teenager, and the painful circumstances which led her to terminate her pregnancy. I implore all self-proclaimed Christians to read the post, which I attached below, but to first consider this. During his life, Jesus showed mercy to prostitutes, thieves, and murderers (even his very own); he did not condone or encourage recidivism but empathized with people in desperate circumstances and forgave those who demonstrated humility before God. Christ loved the down-trodden and wayward souls of society. He encouraged his disciples to provide aid for the poor, to welcome foreigners, and to tend to the sick. Furthermore, I ask my fellow followers of Christ to ask themselves this. Would Jesus, who shared with us the beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan, condone Donald Trump’s treatment of Ilhan Omar? Would Jesus permit the mistreatment of migrants at the border? As I see it, how we are treating these immigrants is disgraceful, antithetical to Christ's teachings, and cannot be displaced through making flaccid arguments about sovereignty, safety, and economics. A policy of family separating does not enhance national security. Demonizing people fleeing desperate circumstances on the world stage is not pragmatic or economically advantageous. Making it virtually impossible to claim asylum status and reducing aid to countries from which these migrants are originating is not shrewd, but rather completely counterintuitive to U.S interests.

Who is better at emulating Jesus’s teachings? The publicly pro-life Donald Trump and his ardent supporters on the religious right the likes Franklin Graham? Graham, a prominent Christian evangelist, responded to Jimmy Carter’s acceptance of gay people by stating: “He is absolutely wrong when he said Jesus would approve of gay marriage. Jesus didn't come to promote sin, He came to save us from sin” (as cited by Warren, 2018). Graham even described the Equality Act as catastrophic (Badash, 2019).

Equality!?! Protection from discrimination on the basis of what one does with their own body or who their sleep with in the privacy of their own home! Yikes! Say it isn’t so, Franklin!

....or could it be that pro-choice politicians the likes of Barrack Obama are actually better representatives of Christ than the hypocrites on the religious right? I, for one, do not fear for Barrack Obama, or Jimmy Carter, or even Tara Dove (whose post is provided below) on Judgement Day. Donald Trump, a man of immense privilege who leverages his power over the vulnerable…well, I am not so confident.

This picture was taken a month or two after my abortion. I was 16 and in an incredibly abusive marriage. You see that wrap on my hand? My wrist was sprained because he threw me out of our bed and onto the floor, to "sleep like the dog you are." When I had my abortion, I still had braces on.

When we found out I was pregnant, no one was happy and I felt like dying. There was no question. The pregnancy would be terminated. His parents paid.

We had to cross state lines and he was speeding (he got pulled over and you can bet I was punished for that). At the clinic, he got angry because he wasn't allowed in the back with me. I was punished for that too.

Because I terminated my pregnancy, I was able to leave him and cut all ties later. I was able to get a restraining order. I was able to move, go to college, have a career, and start a family on my own time. Because I terminated my pregnancy, no child was raised with an abusive father.

Also, as I found out with my planned pregnancy some ten years later, I have a clotting disorder that, without medical intervention, has a high chance of killing any child I carry (I've miscarried twice and my daughter's placenta was clotting at 39 weeks) and throwing a clot in me (I've had one DVT already). This would not have been known when I was 16.

Having an abortion saved my life, in more ways than one. I have not and will never regret it.

#YouKnowMe #IAmNotAshamed #1in4

Works Cited

Abortion. (2019, July 01). Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/united-states/abortion

Badash, D. (2019, July 17). In Insane Diatribe Franklin Graham Calls Equality Act 'Catastrophic' and Warns if Passed US 'May Never Recover'. Retrieved from https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2019/07/in-insane-diatribe-franklin-graham-calls-equality-act-catastrophic-and-warns-if-passed-us-may-never-recover/

Belluck, P. (2018, September 07). Science Does Not Support Claims That Contraceptives Are 'Abortion-Inducing'. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/health/kavanaugh-abortion-inducing-contraceptives.html

Birnbaum, E. (2018, July 09). Jimmy Carter: 'I believe that Jesus would approve of gay marriage'. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/homenews/news/396058-jimmy-carter-i-believe-that-jesus-would-approve-of-gay-marriage

Brice-Saddler, M., & Horton, A. (2019, June 28). A pregnant woman was shot in the stomach. She was charged in the death of the fetus. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/27/pregnant-woman-was-shot-stomach-she-was-indicted-her-babys-death/?utm_term=.393e088b1a94

FAQs about the Reproductive Health Act. (2019, February 19). Retrieved from https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/2019/liz-krueger/faqs-about-reproductive-health-act

Goldstein, A. (2019, January 14). Judge blocks Trump effort to roll back birth control mandate nationwide. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/judge-blocks-trump-effort-to-roll-back-birth-control-mandate-nationwide/2019/01/14/abba97e4-181f-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73_story.html?utm_term=.4d14463f720f

History.com Editors. (2019, March 27). Roe v. Wade. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/roe-v-wade

Jimmy Carter on Abortion. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Jimmy_Carter_Abortion.htm

Marshall, S., Zak, L., & Metz, J. (2019, June 23). Doctor compares conditions for unaccompanied children at immigrant holding centers to 'torture facilities'. Retrieved July 19, 2019, from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/doctor-compares-conditions-immigrant-holding-centers-torture-facilities/story?id=63879031

Oberman, M. (2018, May 31). What Happens When Abortion Is Banned? Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/31/opinion/sunday/abortion-banned-latin-america.html

Panetta, G. (2019, June 01). The states passing strict abortion bans have some of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/states-passing-abortion-bans-have-highest-infant-mortality-rates-2019-5

Ruiz, M. (2018, November 08). Will White Women Voters Ever Be Who We Want Them to Be? Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/white-women-voters-conservative-trump-gop-problem

Somarriba, M. R. (Ed.). (2019, March 18). Abby Johnson on the Benefits of Natural Family Planning. Retrieved from https://naturalwomanhood.org/abby-johnson-interview-former-planned-parenthood-director-nfp/

Warren, S. (2018, July 12). Franklin Graham: President Carter 'Absolutely Wrong' on Jesus Approving of Gay Marriage. Retrieved from https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2018/july/franklin-graham-says-former-president-carter-is-absolutely-wrong-nbsp-on-jesus-approving-of-gay-marriage

What Abortion Was Like In The U.S. Before Roe V. Wade. (2019, May 20). Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/05/20/725139713/what-abortion-was-like-in-the-u-s-before-roe-v-wade

0 notes

mythicalmythology · 6 years ago

Text

Country Nights pt.1

Summary: Summer spent in Tennessee is hell when you’re in love with two people at once

Fandom: PJO/Percy Jackson; AU universe where there are no gods, monsters, etc.

Characters: Kristen Jackson, Nick di Angelo , Daniel Grey (OCS)

Pairing: OTP3- Nick/Kristen/Daniel

Rating: M; NSFW, swearing

Word count: 2035

AO3: here

It’s a humid night again, the same as last night and the night before. The big oak trees rustle in the light summer breeze and there’s the slight crackle of electricity in power lines that stood a few hundred yards away. There’s not a cloud up in the starry night sky and moon shines brightly on the earth below. It’s a beautiful sight all around, everything is absolutely stunning right now in this moment.

But nothing compared to the man in front of Nick.

There’s his tousled golden brown locks that are tucked into a bun yet left a few strands here and there out of place. It’s his ruggedly handsome face that up close you can see the stubble starting to come in, the strong jawline he had and even just the scar that was faded across his left eye added just left Nick’s heart swooning. Daniel Grey was a man that Nick would gladly do anything and everything for if it meant to see him smile. Their relationship grew and change over the many years they knew each other, they settled into an mutual respect and fondness for one another. Though he wished it didn’t have to be that way, he wanted more, he craved more. It had taken him far too long to admit his feeling to Kristen and now he struggled with Daniel too. It’s hard being in love with your long time childhood best friend and her boyfriend.

“Hey! Hello earth to Nick! You listenin’ to me there?” Nick blinks a few times as a hand is waved in his face. He’s brought back to reality and remembered that him and Daniel had been sitting out back on the old tree swing under the large oak tree. Daniel had said the swing had been here since before he was born.

“Oh sorry did you… ummm what were we talking about?” Nick stammered as he sat straight up, realizing he had been leaning up against the younger male, Hell he practically had his legs over the poor boy— though he didn’t seem to mind— all that was left was climbing on top of him and make out with him while they’re at it.

Definitely wish I was right about now, Nick thought to himself.

Daniel laughed, it was the most god damn beautiful thing he’d ever heard. It was so deep and full of joy and comfort. He even had dimples show up too when he was laughing too hard. “Boy I swear your memory is worse than my grandmas and she ain’t even that old! I asked ya if you was wanting to head on in yet. Getting mighty dark out, darlin.”

Oh fuck, Nick thought as his heart skipped a beat at being called “darlin”. It made his cheeks turn red and stomach feel like it had knots. He wondered if that was just a slip up or not…

He sighed as he turned away from him and stared off into horizon. Nothing but the farmland that belonged to Daniel’s grandmother and had been in the family for over hundreds of years. He shook his head no, he didn’t want their time to end. He didn’t want their alone time to end. He should just tell him, rip off the damn band aid and just tell Daniel how he felt but how the hell were they going to keep up a long distance relationship? He lived back here in Tennessee, him and Kristen were going back to New York. It made his head spin and only a short time to figure everything out.

“Nick…” a tender warm hand graced his cheek and his head slowly turned to look back to Daniel. Those soft blue eyes looking sullen, a frown tugging at his lips. The glow of the moonlight mixed with the soft light from the back porch. Both their knees brushed against one another and his other hand lingered on his thigh. “Somethin is the matter here. I see it, hell you ain’t even telling Kristen anything and I know how close you two are… I hope you can see me the same way you see her.” Daniel averted his eyes and slowly started to draw his hand away from his cheek before he stopped and let it still linger there lightly, his other hand squeezed his thigh just a little bit more. His eyes returned back to looking at him.

Nick was the one now to tear the gaze away and slipped away from his touches. ‘See me the same way you see her,’ fuck did his head spin and stomach feel lightweight hearing the words. He did see him the same way! That was the issue here, he was head over heels in love with him and her. But god damnit he had to be such a fucking southern gentleman. That sickening sweet southern hospitality that didn’t exist in New York just made him swoon. He stood with his back to Daniel, arms folded closely to his chest as he felt his heart hammering in his chest, a tremble even passed in his body that’s how much this killed him.

“That’s the problem, Daniel…” Nick said after a long moment of silence. “I shouldn’t.”

Nick swears he can hear the younger boy’s heartbreak.

“The hell that suppose to mean?” Daniel’s voice cracks holding back the pain and hurt. “The fuckin HELL does that mean Nick?! You ain’t gonna even tell me why?! You just gonna keep me at arms length cause why? What the fuck did I do to you!?” Daniel’s strong hand clasps him on the arm but Nick pulls away and turns around. He sees tears pooling in his eyes, they look so beautiful when he cries. Nick felt his chest tighten and hands grow shaky as he steps back when Daniel reaches for him again.

“Daniel you just… you wouldn’t understand okay? You didn’t do anything it’s my fault.” He sounds so meek, feels so small. He can’t have an attack in front of him, not again. He turns to leave and just walk off into the night, just run off and lay in a damn cornfield until the morning light. Love was so messy, so confusing and scary how the fuck did everyone make it seem so easy? He felt like someone had come and kicked him in the stomach and pressed a searing hot knife to his heart.

Love was such a beautifully tragic story, at least Nick’s was…

He doesn’t make it very far before Daniel grabbed hold of his hand and yanked him back. Boy was the younger male strong—he was a football player after all— as he was powerful. He can’t even be bothered to turn back and face him as he tried to steady his breathing and calm himself down. Daniel’s hand felt hot against his clammy skin. He felt the trembles in his hand and his feet draw closer, desperate for answers. There was always a pull back to this boy.

Always.

“Nick please just… just tell me what’s goin on, darlin. Whatever I did wrong w-whatever it is I’ll fix it for ya I swear I—”

“Its because I like you, Daniel!” Nick snapped whirling around as everything just broke within him. Tears leaving his eyes finally and every raw, pent up emotion just flooded out from him. Nick was shorter than Daniel and found himself just pushed slightly on his tiptoes to come face to face. “You said you want me to see you the same way I see your girlfriend and there you have it! I love both of you! I’ve been in love with both of you and seeing you two together just reminds me that I can’t—”

Daniel’s lips pressed firmly against Nick’s. Its a rough, heated kiss that sends waves of pleasure through him. He feels Daniel press him up against the tree and his strong warm hands press against his hips holding him still. Nick broke from the shock of the kiss and found himself kissing back just as roughly if not more. The kiss is like fire burning between both them that only grows the more passion and lust they push into it. Nick had kissed a lot of people before but nothing compared to the kisses he’s shared with Kristen and him. Its powerful and raw that left him craving more.

He broke the kiss for a moment of air. Breathing heavily as tears dried against his cheeks and he sees the way some are still slightly falling from Daniel’s. He takes a shaky hand and gently wiped away the tears as he let his hand linger on cheek. Their bodies were pressed against one another , hips nearly grinding together and Daniel had moved his hands from Nick’s hips down towards his ass. Both chest heaving up and down as Daniel pressed his forehead against his.

“Daniel I’m—”

“Shut up… it ain’t gonna kill us if we kiss again, sugar.” Daniel went right back in for a kiss and Nick was lost again to his kiss. Nothing mattered in the world expect right now being with him; though he wished for Kristen to be here too… god how he’d love to have her pretty little pink lips pressed up against his neck and be able to stare into those intense green eyes of hers.

When they broke the kiss again Nick was left feeling tired and yet full of bliss. He swallowed hard as he ran a hand through his hair and watched as Daniel had button up and fix his flannel, his bun was looking a little bit looser and messier than it was earlier.

“I’m sorry…” nick choked out looking at him. “I-I shouldn’t have done that I’m… you’re my friend and Kristen she’s your girl and I—”

“Nick it’s okay,” Daniel said reaching out touching his arm but Nick pulled back. “Nick please let me just explain—”

He shook his head and tried to steady his breathing again. His heart hammering in his chest once more as the panic came flooding back. He pushed away from Daniel as his head spins and blood rushes into his ears. “Just… I need to go.” He turns and hastily walked up the back porch stairs and inside to the house, already standing in the kitchen where he came face to face with Kristen, sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and had a book open next to her.

Fuck.

She cooly set her mug down and looks at him with the slight pull on her corner lips but it’s gone before he can even think about what she’s smiling at. Did she see? She had to, she has to know.

“Watch ya… uhhh watcha reading there?”

Real fucking smooth there Nick, you dumbass.

Kristen took a sip of her coffee. He swears she’s smiling as she sips it but hard to tell as she sets it down. “The Sound of Fury by William Faulkner. Daniel’s grandmother told me I should read it so I have most of the evening. It’s an interesting read. I was waiting for Daniel and you to finish.” She doesn’t elaborate more, his heart squeezes a little in pain and drop to his stomach. Finish talking? Finish making out? He had no clue and she seemed so smug not saying more. None of this made him feel any better. Not one bit.

“Oh well, I’ll leave you to it. Sorry for keeping him so long I guess we just—”

“No, no. Don’t apologize, I don’t mind really. You two should do it again sometime.” A smile pulls at her lips as she takes another sip of her coffee. The back door opens and Daniel stepped in removing his boots immediately as he always did. He gave Nick such an apologetic look it could make angels cry. His manner changed when he looked to Kristen and smiled at her, coming over and kissing the top of her head.

“Yeah sure… I think I’m turning in. See you two in the morning.” Nick hastily parted away from the both of themand headed upstairs; behind him he can hear the two talking but the racing thoughts drown them out.

It was going to be one hell of a morning tomorrow...

(some dedications to @a-prince-in-disguise , @vithcytries @ysalle-astralore and @gr33kg0ds )

#pjo #percy jackson #my ocs #ocs #my writing #writing: old gods #percy jackson fanfiction #pjo au #pjo ocs #ashley i know your ass craves those poly relationships so here u go #country boy #i love you #this is gonna be a 3 parter oh FUCKING BOY #so in conclusion yee-haw

0 notes

queensflame · 8 years ago

Text

Is It Wrong to Write Cross Culturally? by Kat Rosenfield

Hello, Auntie!

I am an aspiring author who has been writing for forever. I am also a half-white, half-Hispanic girl (who passes as white) who loves world history and international cultures, and I want to travel the world someday. Thus, some of my stories take place in other countries and have multicultural characters.

A friend and I have been having a disagreement because of one story I've been writing lately. Long story short, it's a Romeo and Juliet-type story that takes place at the Indian/Pakistani border where a Muslim Pakistani man falls for a Hindu Indian woman. Also, one of the main characters is an LGBT character that struggles with being LGBT in India. I've been researching the histories behind the two countries and the cultural divides that they have, and I've been working on this story for two months.

My friend told me that it's not my place as me, a person who passes as white, to be writing a story that is so judgmental of two cultures (pointing out the xenophobia, homophobia, and misogyny in both cultures) that have been oppressed for decades by the British and are now dealing with high levels of poverty. She told me that even though I was doing heavy research on both cultures and wasn't just making caricatures of both, it isn't my place to tell a story about a culture I have never lived in or experienced—I would personally have no idea what it's like to be brought up in that culture, and I would be telling the story from the inherent perspective of a Westerner.

So I wanted to ask your opinion, Auntie. Would my inherent Western upbringing not make an accurate portrayal of the feelings and thoughts of an Indian or Pakistani person? I've always been so curious and enthralled by these two countries' cultures yet were repulsed by how they view each other, their women, and their LGBT community. I don't want to be racist, but I also want to give a voice to the people who don't have one in those cultures. Is it not my place to write a story involving cultures that I have not personally experienced myself?

Well, there's a fun thought experiment. So hey, let's try it! Let's just imagine for a moment what the literary landscape would look like if the answer to that question were that no, it's not your place—or any writer's, for that matter—to imagine the inner lives of characters who aren't exactly like us.

... Pretty bleak, right? After all, a world in which writers aren't allowed to step outside the bounds of their own lived experience is a world in which Pride & Prejudice doesn't exist (because Jane Austen was a lifelong spinster), and The Fault in Our Stars never gets published (because John Green isn't a sixteen year-old girl with cancer), and John Irving isn't allowed to write The Hotel New Hampshire. (That is, unless he has personally had sex with his own sister while wearing a bear suit. Sorry, John.) It means that you can say goodbye to the award-winning Holocaust novel Number the Stars, because Lois Lowry isn't Jewish, and William Shakespeare's entire canon is pretty much obliterated, seeing as he couldn't possibly understand what it was like to be an Italian teenager, or a Danish prince, or a sexually active forest fairy. Oh, and Hamilton? Yeah, that's not happening—as if some Broadway baby named Lin-Manuel Miranda is in any position to write a groundbreaking rap musical about an American icon who died two centuries before he was born. Pffffft.

All of which is to say, the claim that authors cannot write accurately or authentically about anything they haven't personally experienced is belied by basically the entire human history of storytelling. People have been pushing those boundaries for as long as fiction has existed, relying upon a combination of imagination, empathy, and research to fill in the blanks—and the belief espoused by your friend that writers should practice what amounts to artistic segregation (by race, religion, sexual orientation, and so on) is a comparatively recent trend.

And since you asked: It is also, in my personal opinion, not an especially great one—for storytelling in particular, but also for the world at large. One of the incredible things about art, whether it's literature or sculpture or music, is that it that doesn't live inside boxes that only certain people can open; it's uncontainable, and it illuminates our common humanity even with people who don't look or live or worship the same we do. Slapping writers on the wrist for attempting to see beyond the limits of their own experience runs counter to all of that… and to be honest, it also has a little too much in common, for my taste, with the "stick to your own kind" rhetoric you hear from white nationalists advocating for cultural purity.

That said, there is a salient point buried under your friend's assertion that it's "not your place" to write cross-culturally: namely, your Western upbringing means that you'll have to work harder to write accurately and and in an informed way about the lives of characters who live in another country, and it will make your story different in some ways from the story an Indian or Pakistani writer might tell, in the same way that an author from the Middle East might write a story set in the U.S. that takes a different, more critical view of American culture than we're necessarily used to. But that doesn't mean that there's no value in telling it; sometimes, a perspective can even be interesting and valuable precisely because it isn't coming from inside the house.

Of course, there is no guarantee that you'll accomplish that with this project. Like any artist trying to do something ambitious and unfamiliar, you'll either pull it off, or you won't, the worst-case outcome being that you end up with a real stinker of a story that feels preachy, shallow, shoddily crafted, and inauthentic… which is not a crime, though it might teach you some harsh lessons about your limits as a writer.

But even if you write the greatest star-crossed Indian-Pakistani love story of all time, it—and you—will still be subject to criticism by people who think you shouldn't have, which is why it's important that you come to your own conclusions about where your ethical boundaries lie. You asked for my opinion, and you've got it, but the real question is, what do you think? Is it immoral to write from an outsider's perspective about another culture? Is it possible for human beings on opposite sides of the world—or the political spectrum—to find common ground that transcends cultural barriers? Is it a writer's responsibility to be well-researched, accurate, respectful, and inoffensive—or some combination thereof? Is it permissible to write critically about communities, or ideologies, to which we ourselves don't belong? Why or why not?

Your answers to these questions can be anything; what matters is that you know what they are, and that you've come by them thoughtfully and genuinely. Having a well-thought-through position on issues like this won't insulate you from ever feeling conflicted about it, but it will make you more confident as a writer and more comfortable with criticism, including the kind of criticism you can simply disregard, because it stems from a worldview you fundamentally disagree with. Happy thinking, and happy writing.

#cross cultural writing #acotar fandom #anti-sjm #etcetera

29 notes · View notes