#and when I speak German you can tell I'm from the south west

[jupiter--dream]

What a day man

If I had a euro for every time a fucking tourist family decided to scream at me for something I have no power or say over... (Add another euro every time an old guy makes some incredibly strange comment about me.)

Just. British tourists are fucking everywhere, and they're so, so disrespectful. Mass tourism is dreadful. I keep getting tiktoks where everyone is talking about how they're all vacationing in Spain and just. Where do we go if every building is being bought to use as a bnb?? I don't mind tourism, I just wish tourists had an ounce of respect.

A guy yesterday had the balls to tell me that he's paying a lot of money to live in Spain so that I can have this job. A month ago a guy told me "he was surprised that despite Spain being a rich country, barely anyone spoke English" and just. Spain has five official languages and you can study up to SIX in regular school (Spanish, whichever regional language you have, English, French is always available as an optional class, and if you study humanities you must take Latin and Greek classes) LIKE how many languages do YOU speak???

Other tourists at LEAST try to communicate in broken Spanish, they KNOW your average Joe doesn't speak German or Russian or Italian. But BRITISH tourists?? EVERYTHING is catered to them. EVERYTHING is for them. I'm so tired.

I'm the only person in my workplace with a C2 level in English so I have to take care of most of the talking.

Just. I'll be real and just say that I hate how English has become the lingua franca of the world. How you can't expect to achieve relevancy without speaking it. How I go online to hear about everything and anything to do with the US and then look away from my phone to deal with British tourists wearing "I <3 Benidorm/Mallorca/Madrid/Toledo/Granada" shirts.

I can barely get people to care about my first language and now I have to talk to people who don't even care about Spanish? Who don't try? Who throw an "Hola" and "Gracias" and then look puzzled when I speak Spanish? Who can't differentiate between the culture of the south, north, east and west of the country? Because I assure you, you will NOT find bullfighters and flamenco dancers and paella in proximity.

Do they know about Valencian? Catalan? Galician? Euskera? Basque? Do they know about Turrón? About the centuries we spent as Arab territory? Do they know? Do they care? Would they like to know?

Touristic cities are a paradox of being SO Spanish it's uncanny and also having not a single ounce of Spanish in them, it's all english breakfasts and italian/chinese/indian/etc restaurants and souvenir shops.

I saw a slideshow of a British guy taking pics posing next to "tourists go home" & "end mass tourism" graffiti and had to take a break from looking at my phone for the rest of the day

[mask131]

With all that is going on and happening since last year, there is something I have grown very angry at. How people use the term "Western" or "West" left and right without even understanding what it means - or worse, using it knowing what it means but hoping others do not.

Take every time people start saying on this accursed website "Do not trust Western media" or "Do not listen to the media of the West". What do they actually mean? That's something you should ask them.

Because the terms such as "West", "Western", "Western culture", "Western media" are now frankly outdated and meaningless terms. They were here for the colonial era and for the Cold War - but somehow, whereas nobody uses "East" anymore, everybody keeps using "West".

I remember how someone online kept referring to the West, and since I'm from France, excluded it from the conversation. I was a bit baffled so I asked them what they meant by "West" - and in their mind, the "West" was a term for North America exclusively. I had to explain to them that, technically speaking, Europe was also part of the "West" - because when for example Muslim etxtremists from the Middle-East or Putin's propagandists said "The West is the enemy", they definitively included Europe in it, and because of all sorts of reasons and past events and the way things are taught worldwide, the "West" usually designates America and Europe.

And yet things are not so easy - because in Europe itself, there are still leftovers of the old Cold War divide between Western Europe and Eastern Europe. In fact, it is a point of contention - some considering we should keep this old Cold War divide to highlight the cultural and political differences, others preferring to treat Europe as a whole. And take Southern America - not many people today who speak of the "West" think of referring to Southern America, and yet... It is located in the "West" and its countries are part of the "Western" countries.

So you already have this whole mess where for some people the "West" only means the United-States, for others it means all of North America but nothing else, for some it means the whole American continent and that's it, for others it means United-States+Western Europe, for another group it means North America and Europe... Everybody has different limits and considerations for what is the "West".

And even beyond that - while one can agree that in terms of history, politics and culture there is a sort of common ground or common link between all those countries (thanks again to events such as colonization and the Cold War, which strongly divided the world), in truth, in the actual matters, in reality... To treat the "West" as a sort of single-minded one block sharing one same culture and one same goal is completely stupid and very ignorant. Everybody knows that North America and Europe do not share the same culture or the same laws. North America is not just the United-States but also Canada, which is definitively NOT the USA. Europe is comprised of dozens and dozens of countries with their own national specificities, and if all European countries were alike, there would never have been all those wars that kept dividing the continent between East and West, North and South, Center and the rest, Latinized and Germanic, Catholic and Protestant... And Australia is also technically the West! Try to tell me that Australia and Italy or that Canada and Spain are both acting the same way, out of the same goals, with the same views of the world and the same culture, and you become a laughingstock.

It is identical to if someone starting re-using the term "the East" or "Eastern media". Are you ready to mix together and mash into one Arabian countries, Russia, India, China, Japan, and more? Are you going to tell them the media of all these countries are saying the same things, spreading the same lies, sharing the same truths? Are you going to tell me that they all are similarly aligned in a political way, or that they have one shared culture? I mean come on! Think, people, before using stuff like that.

I can accept people using terms such as "East" and "West" when it comes to describing historical events or the development of cultures in the past - again, these words are needed to describe for example how the Cold War unfolded. But they are definitively not working in any way to describe the actual realities we are living in, and the events we are going through - and only self-centered ignorants (like those Americans who claim that if the USA fell the West would stop existing - hello, Europe is still there, and we're still considered the "West") or those paranoid fanatical extremists of religion or politics (like Putin's crusade against the entire "West", aka everything that is not Russia, and his desire to restore the "East", aka invade and control all neighbor countries) keep using these terms as if they still had an actual reality.

[abalonetea]

Heyo! So I'm like suuuuuuuuper lost on like all of your WoW posts lol. Would you mind giving me a basic run down of your characters pretty please?

hey! of course! i’ll be honest, i’m still making and fleshing out a lot of the character, but this is a pretty quick and basic run-down of what I've got so far! thank you for the lovely ask!

this is missing a few of the characters that aren’t super fleshed out yet, and yes, this is my largest cast out of the CHP series!

_-_-_

Wings of War is set during the early 1970′s, in an alternate history that allows for some advanced technology, the inclusion of Intent, and the addition of wings being a natural part of some human��s forms. 

it follows four teams (fluctuating numbers between five and eight members at various points) who have been hired by the Guiding Star Corporation. their job is to “develop advancements in technology, human endurance, and product testing” which, as it turns out, means that they fight to the death in endless matches, brought back to life using what’s known as a Respawn Machine.

the teams (north, south, east, and west) are shipped between ten different bases, scattered across several different countries. this represents the ability to pick different maps in most fighting, pvp, or 1st person shooter games. 

on each teams, there are specific roles that the GSC are looking to have filled. each team has a “building” class, for example, which creates the titles of Builder, Maker, Techie, and Engineer. the “sneak” class consists of Assassin, Spy, Rouge, and Thief. each class can only be filled by someone with a specific set of traits, which results in, essentially, total reliance on GSC.

two teams have wings, and two teams don’t. i’m still working on filling out all the roles and creating all the characters, but here’s a basic run-down of what I have so far!

_-_-_

Adele Adler - the handler, the woman in charge. She runs relay between all four teams, doling out missions, handling issues that arrive on and off base, and acting as go between for the Teams and the Council. she’s supposed to keep her distance between them, and had managed that for all the teams before now, but...the men are growing on her! she has a surprising soft spot for most of them, and finds herself more and more willing to turn blind eyes on their shenanigans.

-

Jeremy - West Team’s “fast class”, this boy is a Speedster through and through. he has a short temper, a severe anger problem, and briefly made a living running drugs out in Boston. his weapon of choice is a chunk of wood with some sharp nails in it, and he can hit harder than you would think. runs his mouth a lot but is the only person on his team with any ability to understand the words take care of yourself.

Joshua - West Team’s Sharpshooter, and originally from New Zealand. lives in a camper just inside of the perimeters of the base. anti-social and with no interest in changing that, he took on the job because there’s a very large bounty on his head that Adele promised to get rid of.

Feliciano - the Rouge of the West team, he tries very hard to make himself look proper and put together but usually fails. had a bad reputation going when he first started, because he was pretty sick and just Not Feeling Socializing, but it’s easy enough to see that he’s a good guy these days. a former bodyguard.

Lucas - the Techie, and originally from Sao Paulo. he loves sugar sweet coffee, and has a prosthetic leg that’s fueled by Intent and a rare mineral. a technical engineer, meaning he uses Intent to make new technological advances. can talk for hours if you hit a subject that he likes.

Deiter - the Doctor of West team. he’s a good man, though he tends to have extremely manic episodes that are not helped by the incredible amount of upper’s he can often be seen taking. lost everything when the city he lived in was blown up during WW2. fiercely protective of his team-mates.

James - known as the General of the team. fought in WW2. suffered a severe head injury that still affects him today. a kind man with a lot of personality, and a love for animals. if you tell him something, he will likely forget it. don’t hold it against him, because he’s already doing that himself.

-

Tony - the Runner and local loudmouth of North team. you cannot pay this boy to be quiet, and he’s both stupid as a bag of bricks and also incredibly intelligent. from New York, where he had a lovely stint robbing the Italian mafia blind with his husband, Rizzo, until they were both shot up and picked up by Adele.

Rizzo - the Demolitions Expert of North team, and actually pretty adorable if you can get past the fact that he’s incredibly crass and has no filter between mind and mouth. Hopelessly in love with his husband, even if no one else realizes they’re married. he will burn water if you let him cook, so maybe best if you don’t.

Werner - the North team’s Medic. he’s absolutely batshit, but has a good heart. was running a black market ring in the country side when Adele found him, though he was originally from Oslo. couldn’t speak anything but German and Norwegian before coming to work for the GSC. has two pet rats.

Francois - served as a spy in WW2, and currently the North team’s Assassin. has a HEART based injury with a lot of the same symptoms as tuberculosis. was picked up by the GSC with an offer of as-of-unheard of medication. sardonic, and prone to cracking jokes that most of his team don’t pick up on.

Loto - the Archer, and a member of North team. from the Louisiana bayous, and great with a cross bow. has an old coonhound that sleeps in bed with him, but who Loto claims to hate. often forgets that he needs to actually go to the kitchen and get food, and that the food he needs is easily available.

 Braeburn - the Mechanic, and the longest running member of any of the active teams. has a prosthetic arm. really fond of sweet tea, and more idea of what’s going on than he’s willing to let on. bound up in so many contracts, it’s literally woven into his Intent.

-

Elias - the OG title, Soldier, and a member of South team. fought in WW2, where he briefly met Francois before being shipped to Poland. was discharged after being severely injured, and lived homeless on the streets for a while with BJ. originally from Canada but ended up in America during his discharge due to an error on his papers. suffers from brain tumors caused by extended exposure to Iradium in the war.

BJ - the Hurricane (class title will change, I just needed a placer, oops) of South team. left an abusive home at fifteen and has been on the streets since. took a contract with GSC to get Elias medical treatment. dyslexic, and often described by his team as “being a lot”. uses a steel pipe for his preferred weapon. loves talking and telling stories.

Olek - the Firepower of the team, literally. can probably punch you hard enough to get a KO, but fights with an Iradium powered flare-gun that does serious damage. from Russia, with a strict I won’t tell you anything about my past policy, and a bizarre fondness for bears. great at giving hugs when you’re down.

Jakob - the Maker of the team. has a highly advanced prosthetic eye. losing the vision in his other eye. the guy who picked up BJ and Elias. has a real morality struggle between the job he does, and his own views on Mercy. probably needs a hug more than he lets on.

-

Scout - the Scout of East team, and yes, he does think that’s funny. grew up the oldest of six kids, with a single mother. started doing deals behind the schoolhouse to bring in some extra cash, and it got out of hand when he got older. has severe ADHD. can and will count cards if you play poker with him. no common sense.

Jane - the Guard of East team. unofficially fought in WW2. a big softy, under all that gruffness. suffering from major hearing loss, and with the habit of virtually never taking off his helmet. a pretty shy guy, and any kindness sent his way will catch him off guard.

Christophe - the Spy of the team, he was drafted into the Korean War, where he served a grueling eight months before being attacked by military trained dog-horses and sent home. a chronic insomniac who never settled back into civilian life, and has an abysmally childish sense of humor.

Ollie - the Arsonist of the team, he was living homeless in Daytona before Seamus found him. has horrible decision making skills and a pretty rough past, and considers the base home near instantly. his self-care skills could use some boosting, and he tries really hard to not mess things up.

Seamus - technically the Gunner of the group, but he would rather just make a lot of bombs and use them instead. missing an eye, and has a lot of self-worth issues and a pretty heavy accent that his speech impediment doesn’t help. a drunk, but having Ollie around’s been proving to be good for him.

 - 

[beausbatons]

hi potentially ignorant question because i've always struggled with how to identify certain races/ethnicities (i'm latinx myself and it's still difficult to fully understand sometimes!) but would deus salve o rei be considered poc? i know not all brazilians are but also idk what makes a brazilian poc or white. thank you!

please look at the tags before proceeding to read my answer. i tagged a few possible triggers, but if anyone would like me to add more just send me an ask! the last thing i want is to hurt someone. also forgive any mistakes i may have made and feel free to educate me if i missed something.

hi!! im sorry, im gonna rant a lot because its not easy at all and you definitely shouldn’t feel ignorant especially because you are trying to learn. i am trying to learn too and the only conclusion i came to, based on my experiences and what i read about the subject, is that there’s no simple explanation. just remember that labels are given by people and people give labels a meaning (anscombe said that, not me), which is why us people who have mixed native american ancestry are mixed and south american people who have mixed native ancestry are ‘hispanic’ or ‘latino’, even though everybody was fucking colonized.

im really no expert either tbh especially for the fact that i only ever saw myself as a latina when i travelled outside brazil. because of the mess that was colonialism in south america, ethnicity, especially in brazil, is a really tricky question. the majority of brazilians are a mix between european (mainly portuguese, italian, spanish, german and dutch), native and west african. that excluding the immigrant waves that came after the first ones, like the japanese community, which is the biggest in the world outside of japan. that being said, i think bruna especifically is european, native american and probably a little bit black as well. her father looks mainly white, but could still be mixed from generations back and her mother definitely isn’t white. in brazil, generally, you are only considered not white if your skin is dark. i’m multiracial, even found out i have a little bit of asian in me, possibly from japan and it goes way back, but in brazil, im considered white. bruna would be considered white even though her mother is clearly not. ‘race’ is not the correct term here. my maternal grandfather is clearly not white and my mother looks just like her mother, with fair skin and red-ish hair, so she’s white. its really complicated and not something i feel like i can explain clearly. 

i don’t feel like i look white, but in brazil im white and i feel white, because i understand that i have privileges that are not shared with my black friends. and i didn’t feel like i was latina until i went to the us for the first time and people just looked at me and assumed they should talk to me in spanish. my great grandfather was a white-ass british man nAMED EDWARD MURRAY. i speak korean better than spanish. like bitch your sixth grade mediocre spanish is probably better than mine. and still, i experienced hispanic culture in brazil intimately. i watched a lot of tv shows and novelas from argentina and mexico and came to understand the differences between hispanic and latina. hispanics are people who are of mixed ancestry between the spanish colonizers and native americans in the determined areas they colonized. latinx is a term for someone from latin america, which i am too. i can’t tell you what hispanic is/feels like, because even if i do have spanish and native american ancestry, my country was colonized by PORTUGAL, even though i assume (again, this is a supposition) that hispanics feel hispanic not mainly because of their spanish ancestors, but because of the roots of their native cultures, which are NOT interchangeable and are widely different from brazil. 

so there are white people in brazil, there are black people, native people, asian people, middle eastern peoples, a mix between two of these peoples, a mix between all of these peoples, so i can’t say that everyone in deus salve o rei is a poc, but i can say that most of them are not entirely descended from europeans, even if it’s hard to keep track. it feels like every single person has a different ethnic background here. so for brazilian faceclaims, you have to search case by case. marina ruy barbosa, for example, is the actress who plays the main protagonist, a redhead named amalia in the show and idk if her family has mixed ancestry (if they have it’s minimal), but to me, she’s white, even though she is latina. i dont know how much use that is for you, and especially because in this community people are quick to throw you to the wolves, i suggest you search for help from someone who is better educated. i can tell you, though, that there is no definite answer. im sorry this answer got so huge. 

the general rule in brazil, especially in the entertainment industry, is that if you look white, you are white. that is completely fucked up, but if you understand the culture of racial privilege, it makes sense. i’m not saying it’s right, just that it’s the way things are treated here. the biggest tv channel did an indian themed prime time novela a few years back and none of the artists in the cast had anything to do with india, but most were tanned and not white-passing (even though a few did look white), so hey, you can totally be indian now and maybe we’ll give you a new ethnicity next time you have a role and no one will give a fuck.