#basic surplus male

[viciousnoodles]

[comicaurora]

Following off of, but moving away slightly from all the Fate talk: If you were to write a ‘King Arthur but female’ story, how would you go about it? What would you look for in such a story?

I can think of a couple ways I'd do it!

First, the easy part. Sword in the anvil/stone, whosoever draws it forth is the rightful king of England. Well shit, that little peasant girl just pulled it out like it was nothing. Hail to the king, any objections can be directed to The Indomitable Soul Of Albion Herself.

Or, if ancient England accepting a lady king is too much of a stretch, Merlin has a habit of helping people out with magical disguises. If necessary - and if it would be fun from a story standpoint - our peasant girl of Secret Noble Heritage could get a magical disguise that lets her appear male. Could even go full fairy tale and do something like having her appear as her true self at night, and King Arthur during the day. If we really wanted to blend it, we could let her female identity be Morgan le Fay, Merlin's student with an affinity for dark times. However, doing that would spoil the potential gay drama of letting Morgan be a powerful villainess who learns Arthur's true identity early on, and that might be too good to pass up. And since Arthur's eventual destiny is to be taken to Avalon by Morgan to sleep until England's greatest hour of need, that gets Cool Layers if we let them have a whole enemies-to-lovers thing going throughout.

Arthuriana is extremely loose in the canon department anyway, so while there are touchpoints I'd want to hit, we'd have a lot of freedom of movement in how we'd hit them. This would basically just add layers of characterization to how Arthur would handle the various adventures she gets into - especially if she feels the need to obscure her identity from some or all of her knights. There's a surplus of damsels in various folktales that could be Arthur stuck in her secret identity due to Magical Hijinks.

Unfortunately, Guinevere's foundational role in the story almost always involves her sleeping with dudes who are not Arthur, and since the overall story of Camelot is a tragedy whose downfall is brought on by a schism in the royal family, we might need to keep that for thematic consistency. And it takes on layers if we stick with the "Arthur's public identity, at least at first, is a Dude" thing, because - shocking as this may be - some people actually aren't even a little bit gay, and if Guinevere ended up politically wedded to Arthur only to learn that her husband is in fact not her preferred gender of lover, she might not be jazzed about that.

Other than that, let the cool swordfights and quests remain unchanged and I think you've got a good recipe for episodic character drama.

[rwby-soh]

“Always Armed”

Sex: Male

Race: Human

Height: 5’9”

Age (circa 99 AGW): 17

Aura Density: Below Average

Aura Reserves: Average

Aura Color: Dark Green

Semblance: Transporter

Weapon: Hephaestus

Scarlet’s childhood friend and the son of Emerald and Mercury. Has an interest in weaponry, particularly firearms and explosives, and prefers to use a basic but exceedingly well-maintained front-loaded machine pistol named Hephestus as his weapon of choice. His Semblance, Transporter, grants him the ability to summon objects into his hands, provided that he’s already previously touched the object in question, that the object he intends to transport isn’t a living thing, and that the transported object isn’t larger and/or heavier than himself. Additionally, Transporter is a one-way street, only capable of summoning objects, not dispelling them. In combat, he utilizes this ability to have a near-endless supply of ammunition of all varieties, grenades in both military surplus and homemade flavors, knives of every shape and size imaginable, and other items such as caltrops to harass opponents from mid-range and support his teammates, alongside recalling items such as his and his teammate’s weapons. Due to his Semblance’s specificity and his penchant for tinkering with exceedingly dangerous materials, he’s a bit of a neat freak. He stores the vast majority of his possessions in a small warehouse near Beacon generously provided by Dr Pine, that also serves as a clubhouse for SJJL, BGEL, and their other friends.

[see-arcane]

I'm trying to put 18-19th century literary vampires into categories, like tragic/tormented, romantic, vengeful, mindless/zombies, seductive, cunning, pure evil/sadistic, obsessive. And sorted into gender and places of origin (mainly German, French, English (incl Irish writers)) to see if there is a pattern for each. Might not find any, but I do want to categorize each vampire regardless.

Might even do one for their lovers and/or targets, too, some are benevolent, some malicious and punished, some terrified and unwilling, some ignorant but willing, one is Jonathan Harker (terrified and unwilling and then fully knowing and willing)

Do you think such a task would be interesting? From the vampires you do know about, have you noticed things like if the tragic/tormented ones outweigh the pure evil ones and so on?

It sounds interesting and handy for the classic vampire lovers out here!

In my experience, the most sympathetic tragic bloodsuckers in that era amount to those in Dracula (Mina and Jonathan as nearly-turned, Lucy and the Dracula crew as euthanized), "Clarimonde" (herself), Carmilla (also herself, though mileage can vary depending on how earnest you think her feelings for Laura really were), and every example in, "The Family of the Vourdalak" (due to the premise that vourdalak vampires are forced to prey exclusively on loved ones). But more often than not, vampire lit of the period had them being evil. And very often being a hot undead lady going after an aghast young man.

Though there are obvious exceptions--the original seductive male vamp and serial killer, Lord Ruthven, of "The Vampyre," and more wicked matronly figures like "Good Lady Ducayne" and "Mrs. Amworth,"--I've run across a surplus of examples where the setup amounts to 'Hot Evil Vampire Babe Seeks Stalwart Youth to Prey On.' Because while the phenomenon hadn't exploded as it would in 20th and 21st century vampire stories, using the undead as desire-based pressure release valves in literature was a good cover for scratching certain non-Victorian-principles-approved itches. As long as the vampire = evil, the vampire could also = seductive. Basically the narrative shorthand for 'oh no I sure hope this powerful bloodsucking dom demon doesn't put me in a trance to drink and/or fuck me into also being an immortal evil sexy bloodsucker ha ha' <- said every guy* behind the typewriter.

*With the exception of "Good Lady Ducayne," written by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, you'll notice all of the aforementioned stories are written by men. You will also notice that "Good Lady Ducayne" is also the only story in which the vampire figure is an old crone and not a voluptuous tempter archetype. I'm sure this means nothing.

[aronarchy]

Anthropologists and philosophers have asked whether agriculture could have been the tipping point in the power balance between men and women. Agriculture needs a lot of physical strength. The dawn of farming was also when humans started to keep property such as cattle. As this theory goes, social elites emerged as some people built up more property than others, driving men to want to make sure their wealth would pass onto their legitimate children. So, they began to restrict women’s sexual freedom.

The problem with this is that women have always done agricultural work. In ancient Greek and Roman literature, for example, there are depictions of women reaping corn and stories of young women working as shepherds. United Nations data shows that, even today, women comprise almost half the world’s agricultural workforce and are nearly half of the world’s small-scale livestock managers in low-income countries. Working-class women and enslaved women across the world have always done heavy manual labour.

More importantly for the story of patriarchy, there was plant and animal domestication for a long time before the historical record shows obvious evidence of oppression based on gender. “The old idea that as soon as you get farming, you get property, and therefore you get control of women as property,” explains Hodder, “is wrong, clearly wrong.” The timelines don’t match up.

The first clear signs of women being treated categorically differently from men appear much later, in the first states in ancient Mesopotamia, the historical region around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Around 5,000 years ago, administrative tablets from the Sumerian city of Uruk in southern Mesopotamia show those in charge taking great pains to draw up detailed lists of population and resources.

“Person power is the key to power in general,” explains political scientist and anthropologist James Scott at Yale University, whose research has focused on early agrarian states. The elites in these early societies needed people to be available to produce a surplus of resources for them, and to be available to defend the state—even to give up their lives, if needed, in times of war. Maintaining population levels put an inevitable pressure on families. Over time, young women were expected to focus on having more and more babies, especially sons who would grow up to fight.

The most important thing for the state was that everybody played their part according to how they had been categorised: male or female. Individual talents, needs, or desires didn’t matter. A young man who didn’t want to go to war might be mocked as a failure; a young woman who didn’t want to have children or wasn’t motherly could be condemned as unnatural.

As documented by the American historian Gerda Lerner, written records from that time show women gradually disappearing from the public world of work and leadership, and being pushed into the domestic shadows to focus on motherhood and domestic labour. This combined with the practice of patrilocal marriage, in which daughters are expected to leave their childhood homes to live with their husbands’ families, marginalised women and made them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse in their own homes. Over time, marriage turned into a rigid legal institution that treated women as property of their husbands, as were children and slaves.

Rather than beginning in the family, then, history points instead to patriarchy beginning with those in power in the first states. Demands from the top filtered down into the family, forcing ruptures in the most basic human relationships, even those between parents and their children. It sowed distrust between those whom people might otherwise turn to for love and support. No longer were people living for themselves and those closest to them. Now, they were living in the interests of the patriarchal state.

This is interesting.

[wrappedinamysteryy]

🌷 All about Zakaatul-Fitr (Fitraana)🌷

by Asma bint Shameem 

1️⃣ What is Zakaatul-Fitr?

Zakaat al-fitr (also known as sadaqatul Fitr or Fitraana) is an act of worship that is obligatory for every Muslim, young or old, man or woman, if he has enough wealth for himself and his family for one day and night, on the day of Eid. 

He must pay one saa’ of a local staple food to the poor Muslims on behalf of himself and for EACH of his dependents. 

🍃The scholars said:

“Zakaat al-fitr is obligatory for every Muslim, to be paid on his own behalf and on behalf of those on whose maintenance he is obliged to spend, if he has wealth surplus to his and his dependents’ needs for the day and night of Eid: one saa‘.”

(Islamqa Fatwa # 207225)

🍃 Ibn ‘Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam enjoined zakaat al-fitr, a saa’ of dates, or a saa’ of barley, for EVERY MUSLIM, slave or free, male or female, young or old, and he enjoined that it be given before the people go out to the prayer.” 

[al-Bukhaari (1503) and Muslim (984)]

So if there’s a family of 6, for example, the head of the household must pay Zakaatul-Fitr X 6. 

2️⃣ WHY do we give Zakaatul-Fitr?

First of all, Zakaatul-Fitr is given because it’s an ORDER of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam to ALL Muslims. 

Secondly, the reason why we give Zakaatul-Fitr is because it’s a purification for any mistakes or shortcomings that we may have had in our fasting. 

🍃Ibn ‘Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam enjoined zakaat al-fitr as a purification for those who fasted from idle or obscene talk, and so as to feed the poor.”

(Abu Dawood 1609; hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood)

3️⃣ How much is one saa’?

🍃 The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“What is meant by a saa’ here is the saa’ of the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam, which is four times the amount that may be held in the two hands of a man of average build.” 

(The Standing Committee For Academic Research And Issuing Fatwas, 9/364)

This is equivalent to 2.1 kilograms according to Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen and about 3 kilograms according to Shaikh Ibn Baaz. 

The difference is because a saa’ is a measure of “VOLUME”, and not “weight”. 

And different grains have different weights. 

So it’s better to err on the side of caution if one can afford it and give 3 kilograms. 

4️⃣ Zakaatul-Fitr as food or money?

Zakaat al-Fitr is supposed to be paid in the form of the usual local staple FOOD, according to the majority of the scholars. 

That’s the default. 

🍃Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“At the time of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam we used to give one saa’ of food, or one saa’ of dates, or one saa’ of barley, or one saa’ of raisins.” (al-Bukhaari) 

🍃Shaikh Ibn Baaz said:

“It is not permissible to pay the value in money, according to the majority of scholars; this view has the stronger evidence. 

Rather it must be given in the form of food, as the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and his companions radhi Allaahu anhum did. This is also the view of the majority of the ummah.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 14/200)

So the basic principle is that Zakaat al-Fitr it to be paid as FOOD. 

But you may give it as CASH to an organization or an individual who will then distribute this in the form of “food” to the poor. 

🍃 Shaikh Muqbil said about this issue:

“They send it (Zakaatul Fitr), even as money, to a trustworthy man who will buy for everyone a Saa’ of grain or raisin or dates or cottage cheese. [That was ] a good notification.”

5️⃣Timing of Zakaatul-Fitr 

Zakaatul-Fitr is due on the first of Shawwaal BEFORE Salaatul Eid. 

But it’s permissible to pay it a day or two earlier, especially since a lot of people are giving Zakaat al-Fitr to organizations and it takes time to distribute it. 

The recipients should receive this Zakaat al-Fitr before salaatul Eid. 

🍃Ibn ‘Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam enjoined zakaat al-fitr as a purification for the fasting person from idle and obscene speech, and to feed the poor. 

Whoever gives it before the prayer, it is zakaat al-fitr, and whoever gives it after the prayer, it is ordinary charity.”

(Abu Dawood -hasan by al-Albaani)

However if you’re giving your zakaatul Fitr to a person or an organization who will give this to poor people then it is permissible to give zakaatul Fitr earlier in the month so that the money reaches the recipients in appropriate time.

🍃 Shaikh ibn Jibreen said;

:

“It is permissible to give the price (of zakaat al-fitr) at the beginning of the month to an agent who will buy (zakaat al-fitr) and deliver it to deserving people at the time when it should be paid, which is the night before Eid or two days before that.”

(Al-Fataawa Al-Jibreeniyyah Fi’l-A’maal Al-Da’wiyyah Li Fadeelat Al-Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah Ibn Jibreen, P. 33)

6️⃣Local or overseas?

It’s better to give zakaatul Fitr locally.

But it’s allowed to send Zakaat al-Fitr overseas if it’s more needed over there. 

🍃 The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“It should be given to the poor Muslims in the land where it is given, but it is permissible to send it to the poor in another land if the need is greater.” 

(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 9/369, 370)

🍃 Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“There is nothing wrong with sending zakaat al-fitr to another country on the grounds that there are no poor people in one's own country. 

But if that is done even though there are poor people who need it in one's own country, then it is not permissible.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/question no. 102)

7️⃣ Can I give zakaatul Fitr to my poor relatives?

Yes as long as the person is a poor Muslim, he or she is eligible to receive zakaatul Fitr.

And you would get more reward because you would be upholding ties of kinship as well.

🍃 The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Charity given to a poor person is charity, but charity given to a relative is two things, charity and upholding the ties of kinship.”

(al-Nasaa’i, al-Tirmidhi- saheeh by al-Albaani)

However we’re not supposed to give zakaatul Fitr to those who we are obligated to spend on.

So, for example, the father cannot give zakaatul Fitr to his son or his parents.

🍃Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

“It is permissible to give zakaat al-fitr and the zakaah of one's wealth to poor relatives, and indeed giving it to relatives is better than giving it to strangers, because giving it to relatives is both charity and upholding the ties of kinship.

But that is subject to the condition that by giving it he is not protecting his wealth, which would be the case if the poor person is one on whom he is obliged to spend.

In that case it is not permissible for him to meet the other person’s needs with any of his zakaah, because if he does that then he is saving his wealth with what he gives of zakaah, and that is not permissible or allowed.

But if he is not obliged to spend on him, then he may give his zakaah to him, and in fact giving his zakaah to him is better than giving it to a stranger, because the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Your charity given to a relative is both charity and upholding the ties of kinship.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen 18/question no. 301).

And Allaah knows best

[maddilynmuse]

Worldbuilding Wednesday!

I’m a huge fan of worldbuilding, especially fantasy worldbuilding. I’ve actually been working on some this week, making at least a basic culture for the protagonists to run into.

So here’s a few tips and tricks I use to give me a starting point! These are probably going to be geared towards original settings.

Resources: What do they have a surplus of? What do they lack? How do they address the lack or make the most of what they have too much of? Do they trade? Or find other ways around it?

Neighbors: Are they isolated, or are they surrounded on all sides? If isolated, are they like that by choice or by sheer geology? How they respond to new people? Curiosity or hostility? If surrounded, how do they deal with other people? Are they friendly? Traders? Or are they war like and holding their ground through fire power? And, of course, nomadic cultures will likely have their own quirks. Do they travel out of necessity? To trade? Spiritual reasons? Several of these?

Hierarchy: Are we going for a caste system, a monarchy, straight up socialism, or something else? If you’re working with non-humans, feel free to add in some throwbacks to their biology. Maybe deer folk have males fighting to be top buck. Maybe psychic people are super egalitarian since they can sense each other’s needs. Maybe the merchants have the power! Or the church. This can be a background detail or a part of the plot.

These are just a few aspects, but some of my favorite to play with. Hope this helps!

[weatherman667]

Humans Are Semi-Monogamous

Something that is almost completely lost in modern speculative fiction.  While we say that Humans are naturally monogamous, we have never actually been monogamous.  We are instead semi-monogamous.

Monogamy is an incredibly powerful concept that is the entire reason Human civilization is so successful.  This is one of the main reasons behind the Wage Gap.  The Wage Gap is not between Women and Men, but between Married Women With Children and everyone else.  Never married women without children actually make more than their male peers.  Two things happen when a couple gets married and has kids:

The mother needs / wants to take time off to take care of her children.

The father starts working more.

Single men tend to only work as much as they need to to survive.  Men with a wife and children make much more prudent life decisions, work harder, specialize more, etc.  So, by having every man marry, you basically double or quadruple their productivity.  They are much more willing to take up arms to defend their culture.  Basically turning them from grass eaters to meat eaters.

So, what does the Semi mean?

Humans, in the safe, modern world, are born 51% male.  The overall population is 51% female.  In the far less safe world, men die far more quickly than women do.  This creates a massive population imbalance.  If we had strict monogamy, they could never become mothers, and we would be idiotically throwing away their fertility, which is suicide to a population.  For people who think we’ve evolved beyond such quaint notions, pretty much every modern country has sub-replacement fertility.  We’re literally dying out.

If we accept a general principle of monogamy, then someone has to take up the surplus women.  This is usually the wealthiest men.  Rome put a stop to polygamy, not for any Feminist reasons, but to prevent squabbling between heirs.  They had more than enough squabbling between heirs, even with monogamy.  The women are then switched to something like kept mistresses.  Biblically, infertile women could also offer their hand maidens to take their place in baby making, and so a lot of this was taken up by the servile class.

i.e. lords would hire maids they could fuck, and then pay them off to take care of their bastards.

In Islam, it could be interpreted as taking the privilege of the upper classes cand giving it to the masses.  The problem with this is that in many Muslim countries ONLY the rich can have wives.  Because would often be the fourth wife to a rich man than the only husband to a poor man.  This creates a lot of surplus that don’t meaningfully contribute to society.

This isn’t me moralizing, or saying I support one thing or another.  This is instead focused on Speculative Fiction.  In Speculative Fiction, if you create a different society, you have to take this into consideration.  And this is something that is almost always ignored in Speculative Fiction, which is one of the main reasons taht Matriarchies always fail in fiction.

I can only think of two times when Matriarchies were done well:

Mass Effect:  Salarians:  They completely changed the biology of the species, and because of that the society changed to follow.  (Before anyone tries to say Asari, they only have one sex, so calling it a Matriarchy is technically accurate, but meaningless).

My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic:  All they had to do was make the males (stallions) less ambitious.  They also made Friendship to be literally magic, which means that the conscientiousness of females (mares), plays a much more important roll in societal unity.  And this creates a justification for why the Alicorn Princesses are always female.

Outside of this, most matriarchies have absolutely no idea what they are doing.

Before anyone says we have traditionally had Matriarchies:

They have a female ruler, but the family unit is still patriarchal.

They are completely ineffective.

This is because in Humans, Matriarchies are not, and cannot be successful.  Without enforced monogamy to give men skin in the game, men do not act constructively for society.  Our attempts to artificially remove men’s place in the family has produced absolute bedlam.  The primary indicator for failure, (crime, drugs, etc.), is fatherlessness.

[the-good-spartan]

Food for Warriors.

As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to break down the contributions to the mess in a way that would include more general information about the diet of Ancient Spartans, and by extension, the agriculture of the region. Yes, these are only details in a much bigger picture, but what is more important to we humans than the fuel that sustains us?

Cartledge, in his regional history of Lakonia (to which this post is heavily indebted), writes that Lakedaimon ‘…constitute[s] one of the most fertile and desirable pieces of land in all southern Greece. Soil, climate and man conspire to yield and garner sometimes two harvests of grain in a single year.’

To reiterate the contributions required, as listed by Plutarch:

‘Each member of the mess would contribute every month a medimnus of barley-meal, eight choes of wine, five minas of [goat or sheep] cheese, five half-minas of figs, and in addition a small sum of money for fish or meat. Besides, anyone who had made an offering of first fruits or had been hunting sent a share to the mess.’

So let’s break that down a little. 

Barley and Wheat:

“a mediminus of barley-meal…”

Until the fourth century BCE, Barley was widely preferred to wheat in Lakedaimon. This may have been due to technological disadvantages over other regions but was undoubtedly also basic taste. By the fourth century wheaten loaves were being contributed to the mess, though it was noted by Theophrastus (early fourth century BCE) that the Lakedaimonian wheat was particularly light.

A mediminus (73 or 74 litres) of barley per month was much greater than the living ration for a single male, at least if we base our workings on what was provided to the men on Sphakteria in 425 BCE. The expected contribution annually (82 medimini) might have fed up to 6 or 7 men. 

The surplus was either eaten by the citizen’s oikos (household) or put into a public store. I personally favour the theory of a public store, as the boys in the agoge were provided a small ration which had to come from somewhere.

There’s also the possibility that teachers might have required reimbursement, provided they came from outside Lakedaimon - a theory put forward by Ducat which I strongly disagree with. I see absolutely no reason why the tutors wouldn’t also be Spartans and part of the system - which seems logical for many reasons...

Anyway - I’m getting sidetracked. Ducat’s ideas do this to me. 😅

There is no information on how the grain made it from field to mess, but there may have been a central mill at Alesiai, called the Grindings. 

Grapes:

“…eight choes of wine…”

Both Lakonia and Messenia have the right conditions for viticulture, though Messenia is particularly suitable. They’re a labour intensive crop and require greater control of the conditions than other crops.

Five ancient vine growing districts names are known: Oinous, Dentheliatos, Karystos, Onoglos and Stathmis. These districts, where these can be located, are in perioekic territory though, rather than Spartan lands.

I have tried and failed to discover how much ‘eight choes’ is in modern measures.

 Goats and sheep:

“… five minas of cheese…”

Goats and sheep were grazed on the stubble following harvest or on the terrain between the arable land (which makes up ~ 20% of Lakedaimon), and the totally barren mountains.

It has been argued that Messenia was turned over from grain production to pasturage for goats and sheep after it was conquered, so we might imagine the Messenian helots as shepherds rather than strictly farmers. They did still have crops though, as attested from multiple instances of burning fields during raid by Athenians in Thucydides.

Besides the contribution of cheese, the goats and sheep would have provided skins, wool or mohair, animal fat, and to a minor degree, meat.

 Figs

“…five half-minas of figs…”

Figs in this part of the world have two harvests a year. The first crop in June-July is eaten fresh, while the second in August – October is dried.

They probably required irrigation of some kind, though Aristophanes refers to the small size of figs from Lakedaimon, so perhaps not.

 Foods not on the Contributions List:

The Lakedaimonians were the first people in Greece to anoint themselves in olive oil for exercise, which suggests an abundance of it from an early date. There is no question that olives were eaten throughout the Classical period. 

As far as vegetables go, Theophrastus mentions lettuce and cucumber. Legumes were the food of the common-man, and might be made into a porridge of mixed pulses - perhaps pea, lentil, lupine and vetch.

As for meat and animal products:

There was honey, of course, from as early as the eighth century onwards.

They were famously very fond of black broth, made from pigs' blood. This was a Spartan delicacy. 

Migratory quails were perhaps netted at the foot of the Tainaron and Malea peninsulas, while chickens provided meat and eggs.

Fish was probably caught by perioikoi then sold to the Spartans, who are attested eating it in the mess - though I have to say, I like the idea of Spartans having a day fishing on the banks of Eurotas with spears - even if there’s no evidence whatsoever to suggest this happened.

The below image is the interior of a Lakonian cup from the seventh century BCE showing a scene purportedly of Cyrene (modern Libya) but surely drawn from the world around the artist in Lakedaimon. Note the nets, presumably for fishing.

Finally - Boar, hare and dove were definitely hunted by Spartans - which brings us neatly to the final heading of this post.

Hunting

Cartledge suggests a very specific hunting ground for the Ancient Spartans: 

‘Central Taygetos seems to have been largely uninhabited in antiquity, when it was used by the Spartans as a hunting-ground.’ 

He goes on to explain that this was the region known as Therai, on the lower eastern slopes of the central Taygetos.

As per the above, they hunted hares and ringdoves, but the main prize was the boar, and it is fairly certain that this activity was at least sometimes considered religiously significant, perhaps as a coming-of-age activity related to Artemis Orthia.

I’m going to share this bowl yet again (but at least a different photo) because it shows a boar hunt in progress, with the younger man wearing a pelt stained with blood - suggesting this is a ceremonial activity. The boars are visible on the right. 

(I also like the idea that the fish at the bottom is a suggestion that fish might also be hunted - but that may just be me dreaming again.)

A few final notes around hunting that I find interesting:

They hunted with javelins, spears and perhaps nets. They were notoriously opposed to bows and arrows. 

They had a special breed of dog for hunting, the Lakonian hound, which were good scenters. 

Horses, dogs and provisions were made available on demand to all Spartans when they were going hunting, though horses were probably owned only by the rich.

Being back late from hunting was one of only three valid reasons to be absent from the evening mess meal.

Here’s a Lakonian Hound to see us out (c. depicted in 500 BCE by the Euergides painter.)

[silverspleen]

I have an OC question, any girls?

I mean yes, but I won't apologize for my blatant bias towards male characters. But it's very present.

You'll like Titan best I think. She's a Warhammer 40k OC, and the daughter of an Inquisitor who settled on an agri planet with a farmer lady he liked. Titan is his genestealer mutant daughter, she was born looking uncannily human and didn't develop her genestealer traits until she was older, in direct contrast to normal 1st gen genestealers. Basically this girl hit puberty and started growing extra limbs and weird armor and huge fangs. She's also significantly larger and smarter than normal, and has some mild psyker abilities. After her parents passed away she used her extensive knowledge of inquisition tactics (thanks dad!) combined with her genestealer canniness to take over her planet and start inserting her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren into every aspect of planetary life.

Spooky South wise, the same setting Jake and basic bitch no AU Silas live in, I have Eliza, Friday, and Lillian.

Eliza is werecat James' ghost girlfriend/sugar baby. She helps both James and Silas out mostly for selfish reasons (they're hot and she want to bone them, also they get into SO much shit it's entertaining). Her attitude toward being dead is like "ooooh guess I can do what I want now >:3" and is a huge party girl and fashion diva. She's the brunette with branches and flowers growing out of her partially skeleton face that I've posted here a few times. She has notably powerful ghost abilities and can control plants to some degree as well.

Friday is the like, classic angsty monster hunter, her husband got killed by supernatural nonsense (James again) and she didn't handle it well and is basically in a very deep "dig two graves" revenge mindset. She spends basically all of her time prepping to hunt and hunting, mostly using surplus military gear, hunting gear, and sports equipment. She mellows out a little after she gets like... found family to hunt with.

Lillian, is the Found Family to hunt with that Friday gets, she was Silas' old cop partner but their paths almost completely diverged, he got so corrupt that he was bored with standard cop corruption and moved on the full criminal, and she got so bone-deep tired of official law enforcement corruption that she left the force completely. She's basically a private investigator now and works/lives with with Friday as her like... platonic life partner and they investigate supernatural stuff. Silas used to have a crush on her, but Lillian is very ace and he was savvy enough not to make it weird, it was just one more secret for the pile. Lillian (and their third team member Johnny) is the like "let's not be hasty and just randomly execute supernatural creatures" part of the team and basically took the knowledge of the supernatural existing with nothing but grace and patience.

Also I have various RP characters and character concepts that haven't been fully developed yet too so there's that.

Jennifer - RP character, a very normal teenage girl who's courier job basically got her involved in the supernatural and she cried into her iced coffee about it. </3

Ran - my Starbound character, a hylotl (alien amphibian people with a heavy japanese culture inspiration). I miss her and need to play again. She's very softspoken and kind and likes to stab things with the fart spear (toxic gas spear Q gave me that I adore).

"Mace" - in development, a mercenary who works escorts dinosaur embryos, she's got that "pathetic until she's super invested in a job and then becomes super efficient" thing going on. Ned to draw her more because I've been craving "dinosaurs and modern tech" stuff again.

Mother of Sin - big tiddy worm lady, a demon. Probably in the Spooky South setting if I can hammer her worm form down, though she's a little too fantasy leaning for the setting.

I keep trying to manifest another nasty trash dumpster girlfriend for Silas but so far nothing has stuck but it's always in the back of my mind.

I've also got monster lesbians but they're loose concepts and more just for drawing for fun. Plus some designs that need developing.

[whumpster-fire]

Okay I have to point out some of the nuances in this:

1: the rabbits straight up have a conlang and the Lapine language comes up frequently. To the point that several characters are referred to frequently by both the "translated" and "untranslated" versions of their names. E.g. Thlayli translates literally to "Fur-head," named for the tuft of fur on his head, but the text usually uses the more interpretive translation of Bigwig. Hyzenthlay = Fur-Shining-Like-Dew and has the same root of "Thlay." Fiver's "real" name is "Hrairoo," a combination of "hrair," the word for "many" and "-roo," a suffix meaning "little" (named for being the runt of a large litter). Another character, Pipkin, has the same suffix in his Lapine name, Hlao-roo."

(also note: "Hrair" is translated as "Five," "Many," and "Thousand" depending on the context because rabbits' language doesn't have words for numbers above four. Hrairoo is Fiver, but the mythical trickster figure El-ahrairah (roots: Elil (enemy, predator), Hrair, Rah (leader, chief rabbit of a warren) is translated as The Prince With A Thousand Enemies. Also also: the various animals that eat rabbits are colloquially referred to as "The Thousand" or "U Embleer Hrair" (the stinking thousand) depending on how vulgar a rabbit feels like being. Where "Embleer" is used as a curse but this usage is actually its original context because its literally meaning is the smell of a fox and many predators of rabbits in England are foxes or mustelids)

Like, the point here is that Warriors does the most basic half-assed job of naming things in feral-cat-understandable terms but just by mashing English words together whereas Watership Down absolutely nerds out about the fictional rabbit language.

2: To give the Clans some credit, not all the rabbits know things like "Hrududil don't chase you like normal predators, they usually follow their road and it's unclear whether they're even alive," and the rabbits are not only susceptible to freezing in fear in the middle of a road while dazzled by the headlights and noise of a car, but they have a word for it (Tharn). Hazel and Co mostly can't comprehend the idea of making a picture out of lines or dots and understanding this was unique to a warren that lived in close proximity to humans, and it takes an exceptionally smart rabbit like Blackberry to figure out "you can cross a river by standing on a large, floating object."

3: I saw multiple people bring up The Land Before Time in the notes so I am compelled to point out that the starting point for Land Before Time's naming conventions isn't just "they're prehistoric animals who don't understand things," it's that nearly every species there does not have a common name. Apatosaurus (or Brontosaurus), Triceratops, Saurolophus, Stegosaurus, Pteranodon, and Tyrannosaurus are all scientific names.

4: When rabbits from Watership Down Warren encountered a train, it was a fucking eldritch horror experience and it was described secondhand, IIRC by Holly, as a messenger from God. Although I think the Efrafrans were used to it since the "iron road" (not giving this one any credit as awkward xenofiction terminology because that one's used to refer to railways in real life) is on their turf (loosely, by Efrafra's very generous definition of "their turf", Efrafra patrols an absurdly large area for a rabbit warren because they are a fascist dictatorship that does this for military training / to reduce the surplus population of young males by sending them traipsing across the countryside for days which inevitably gets quite a few of them killed)

5: Watership Down refers to the ocean as "The Big Water" (note: in conversations between rabbits who have never seen anything bigger than a pond or small river and a seagull who when introduced can't speak Lapine at all and isn't very fluent in the local lingua franca he used to communicate with them), which whether coincidentally or not is the same term used in Land Before Time (again, as described by characters who have never seen or heard of it)

[lightboundhellhound]

btw (off topic as hell) if anyone has pokemon shield or sword i have a surplus of wobbuffets (both male and female) im willing to trade for a rattata or vulpix or basically any pokemon i don’t already have thank youuu

i also have a couple growlithes i can trade!!

[muskmelon-enjoyer-199x]

I genuinely enjoy reading candlepowerforums.com on occasion because it's just a bunch of middle-aged men who are really into flashlights and I respect that.

There's a lot of overlap with the knife guy and gun guy communities, as well as with the bushcraft and obnoxious-about-ultralight-backpacking ones.

It's always weird being in those sorts of spaces because they are generally VERY male and a lot of the time those guys are REALLY backwards thinking, but I also do feel a weird kinship with them.

I grew up in the country and carry a knife and a flashlight every day. I love outdoor stuff. I'm not averse to guns or hunting or any of that. I know how to make a shelter out of a tarp and start a fire with a steel and forage edible plants and all of that crap.

The politicization of firearm ownership in the US has had an unfortunate impact on these sorts of communities, I think. Any online or IRL space even tangentially related to guns or hunting is basically toxic as fuck and unusable if you're female or openly queer or whatever else. There's a different kind of toxicity from the organic-granola-rock-climbing-type spaces, too. It honestly sucks, because it really doesn't have to be that way!

You're either in a space dominated by far right redneck men or a space dominated by rich suburbanites with expensive ultralight gear who play in the backcountry but disdain everybody that actually lives there (usually either for political or class reasons, or just a sense of being more cosmopolitan because they've had Thai food that isn't ketchupy pad thai). If you're in-between or neither, you don't get to participate in the discussion. You read the relevant review or whatever and fuck off.

It sucks! Because what if I want to wear camouflage unironically and carry knives and not act weird about hunting AND be gay and eat granola and birdwatch? Why does foraging have to be framed as either bushcrafting survivalism or cottagecore aesthetic hobbyism? Why does picking wild herbs need to be gendered and politicized?

Why do you have to assume I'll hate your duck hunting just because I prefer to watch them? Why do you have to assume I don't know anything about the more "redneck" stuff just because I'm queer?

I bought the 10 dollar military surplus fanny pack because it's gigantic and unbreakable. It's a dopey-looking digital camo (the old US army one that nobody likes, even for 10 bucks) and it weighs a little more than the 80 buck Patagonia one, but it's definitely better than the shitty off-brand one. Why does that have to be a political statement? Do I need to spend a day's wages on every little bit of gear that I use maybe once a month at most just to prove that I don't watch Fox News? Why do I need to pretend I like it ironically?

I like the flashlight forum though. It's a lot of the same men from the same crowds, but they overlap and generally just babble about lumens and bezels and strobe patterns and argue about what brands suck. Spicy opinion, but SureFire and other high-end brands can be bothersome for daily use because they run on expensive and harder-to-find CR123 batteries. Somebody can tell you that you're dumb because they last longer and you can just buy backups on Amazon. It's an argument about flashlights.

It's mostly just people discussing flashlights and occasionally being assholes to each other for having the wrong opinions about flashlights or being homebody collectors that don't actually use and abuse their tools. I like that.

I wish outdoor recreation wasn't so political and classist and gendered and sexualized and WEIRD

[linksubm-blog]

At what age are dogs most disobedient?

Embarking on the journey of dog ownership is an adventure filled with joy, love, and occasional challenges. One notable phase in a dog's life that can test the patience of even the most devoted owners is adolescence. In this blog, we'll explore the intricacies of canine adolescence and discuss at what age dogs tend to be most disobedient.

The Adolescence Conundrum: Much like humans, dogs go through adolescence, a developmental stage marked by hormonal changes and a surge in independence. For most breeds, adolescence typically kicks in between six months and two years of age, varying based on factors such as size and breed.

Testing Boundaries: Adolescent dogs are notorious for pushing boundaries. This stage is characterized by a surge in energy, curiosity, and a desire to assert independence. Consequently, your once-obedient puppy might start testing the limits of your commands and household rules.

Hormonal Influence: Hormones play a significant role in disobedient behavior during adolescence. Unneutered males may exhibit more challenging behavior, including increased roaming and a heightened interest in female dogs. Unspayed females, on the other hand, may experience mood swings and a stronger desire to roam.

Training Challenges: Adolescent dogs might show a temporary regression in training. Commands that were once mastered might be selectively ignored as your dog becomes easily distracted. This doesn't mean your training efforts were in vain; it's just a part of the developmental process.

Channeling Energy: Adolescence brings with it a surplus of energy. If not channeled appropriately through regular exercise and mental stimulation, this energy can manifest as destructive behavior or disobedience. Ensuring your dog receives sufficient physical and mental exercise is key during this stage.

Patience and Consistency: Patience and consistency are paramount when dealing with a disobedient adolescent dog. Understanding that this phase is temporary and providing gentle yet firm guidance will contribute to a smoother transition into adulthood.

Training Reinforcement: Reinforce training during adolescence. Brush up on basic commands and introduce new challenges to keep your dog engaged. Positive reinforcement techniques, such as treats and praise, are particularly effective during this stage.

While the adolescent phase can be trying, it's crucial for dog owners to understand that it's a passing stage in their furry companion's life. With patience, consistent training, and a good understanding of canine behavior, you can navigate this period with grace, strengthening the bond between you and your dog for years to come.

[the-library-alcove]

Here's the deal with this graph. It's basically two bar graphs set on their sides, one for males, sorted by age, and one for females, sorted by age. They're fairly simple to read. From this, we can see that the Gazan population has an annual birth rate of about 70,000 babies born per year, with approximately 280,000 children between 0 and 4 years old, and similar numbers between 5 and 9, and 10 and 14, and about 250,000 between 15-19*, and the adult population steadily decreases from there, due to lower birth rates when they were born, plus normal adult mortality rates.

The thing is, the adults are a smooth and steady decrease; there's no significant surplus of either gender in any age bracket, nor are there "dents" that signify a major mass death event or other event that inhibits births.

Compare that to Russia's population pyramid, or Ukraine's, where you can clearly see the effects of WWII even 80 years later due to the loss of so many men on the battlefield, and in the case of Ukraine, the Holodomor.

You can see that both Russia and Ukraine lost a lot of people, especially men, during the period between 1920 and 1950, and that had knock-on effects further downstream (like that dip around the 1960s), where the decreased cohort of new parents, as they came of age, had resultingly smaller families than their predecessors or followers.

Rwanda has a distinct dent in its pyramid due to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, both due to people being killed (with babies being the most vulnerable) and people not exactly having children in the middle of a war and genocide.

But Gaza, and the Palestinian population more generally?

No dents, no major losses of cohorts, just steadily large families, with a marked increase in their population growth in the 1980s. This is not the population pyramid that shows any effects of genocide or really any major fatalities--so the claim that they've been under the effect of genocide since 1948 isn't supported by the facts in any way, shape or form.

~~~

*It is worth highlighting that this fairly clearly means that the high birth rate dates from nearly exactly when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip--and remember that they're fundamentalists who basically view women as being breeding stock and that any form of birth control or family planning is sinful and verboten. These two points are correlated.

You know, for a population that has, ostensibly, been under continuous genocide for 75 years...

It's pretty impressive that the Gaza Strip has the 40th highest population growth rate in the world, and the 6th highest in the Middle East, with 70,000+ births per year, and no visible "dents" in their population pyramid that would be expected if they'd, yanno, suffered a mass death event over generations:

It's almost as if, instead of "Israelis are the New Nazis", instead, it's closer to "The amount of effort Nazis spent on hunting down and killing Jews is equal to the effort Israelis are expending to keep Gazans alive."

[sporadicobjectunknown]

IVF Centre in Guwahati

Introduction

In the realm of medical advancements, the field of reproductive technology has seen remarkable strides, offering a glimmer of hope to couples struggling with infertility. Assisted reproductive techniques, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), have revolutionized the way we perceive fertility treatments. Guwahati, the bustling gateway to the Northeastern region of India, has emerged as a significant hub for reproductive healthcare, boasting state-of-the-art IVF centers that provide renewed hope to those longing for parenthood. This article delves into the landscape of IVF centers in Guwahati, shedding light on their services, impact, challenges, and the broader societal implications.

A Blossoming Industry

The rise of IVF centers in Guwahati is indicative of a larger shift in societal perspectives towards fertility treatments. Couples once left disheartened by infertility are now presented with viable options to realize their dreams of parenthood. With the advent of cutting-edge medical technologies, IVF centers in Guwahati offer a comprehensive range of treatments, addressing various infertility concerns. From basic fertility assessments to advanced procedures like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), these centers cater to a diverse array of needs.

Services Offered

IVF centers in Guwahati provide a plethora of services designed to guide couples through the intricate journey of assisted reproduction. These services encompass:

Fertility Evaluation: A thorough assessment of both partners’ reproductive health to identify the underlying causes of infertility.

Ovulation Induction: Stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, enhancing the chances of successful fertilization.

Egg Retrieval: Surgical procedure to collect mature eggs from the ovaries using ultrasound guidance.

Sperm Collection and Preparation: Collecting sperm samples from the male partner and preparing them for fertilization.

In Vitro Fertilization: Fertilizing eggs with sperm in a laboratory setting, followed by the transfer of the resulting embryos into the uterus.

Cryopreservation: Freezing surplus embryos for future use, reducing the need for repeated stimulation and egg retrieval.

PGT: Genetic testing of embryos to identify any chromosomal abnormalities before implantation, reducing the risk of genetic disorders.

Surrogacy and Donor Programs: Assisting couples with gestational surrogacy and donor egg/sperm programs when needed.

Impact on Society

The impact of IVF centers extends far beyond the confines of medical treatment. They are beacons of hope for couples grappling with infertility-related emotional distress. Parenthood, once perceived as an unattainable aspiration, is now a tangible reality for many. This transformation has led to the restoration of self-esteem, mental well-being, and the strengthening of relationships within families. IVF centers have also contributed to breaking down taboos around infertility, fostering open conversations about a topic that was once shrouded in silence.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

While IVF centers offer immense promise, they also grapple with various challenges and ethical considerations:

Cost: The cost of IVF treatment can be substantial, often limiting accessibility to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Emotional Toll: The emotional rollercoaster of failed attempts and the uncertainty of outcomes can take a toll on the mental health of couples.

Selective Reduction and Multiple Pregnancies: The practice of selective reduction in cases of multiple pregnancies raises ethical concerns about the value of fetal life.

Genetic Testing and Designer Babies: PGT raises debates about the potential for “designer babies��� and the ethics of altering human genetics.

Consent and Autonomy: Clear communication and informed consent are crucial, especially in cases involving donor gametes and surrogacy.

Addressing these challenges requires a delicate balance between medical progress and ethical considerations, ensuring that the pursuit of parenthood remains ethically sound and patient-centered.

The Role of Technology

The synergy between medical advancements and technology is pivotal in the success of IVF centers. Highly specialized equipment, sophisticated laboratory techniques, and skilled embryologists play a crucial role in the IVF process. Additionally, advancements in cryopreservation techniques have significantly improved the chances of success, as they allow for the storage and utilization of surplus embryos, reducing the need for repeated ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval procedures.

Beyond Treatment: Counseling and Support

IVF centers in Guwahati recognize the significance of psychological support throughout the fertility journey. Many centers offer counseling services to help couples navigate the emotional challenges that come with infertility treatments. These sessions provide a safe space for expressing fears, anxieties, and hopes, enabling couples to cope better with the ups and downs of the process.

Conclusion

The emergence of IVF centers in Guwahati has ushered in a new era of hope and possibilities for couples facing infertility. These centers not only provide cutting-edge medical treatments but also offer emotional support and a renewed sense of purpose. As technology continues to evolve, the landscape of fertility treatments will likely witness further advancements, potentially expanding the horizons of parenthood even more. However, ethical considerations, accessibility, and emotional well-being must remain at the forefront of this transformative journey, ensuring that the pursuit of parenthood remains a holistic and ethically responsible endeavor.