#because this game would be perfect if not for the negativity bred by the people who play it

[takamoris]

Don’t fuck with us FFXIV Fans- We don’t even like the game.

[caithyra]

Mean (Old) Girl

Sometimes I wonder if I read these books wrong (I know that they sort of blended into one, grey mass and somehow mixed with bits and pieces of Dragon Age, Witcher, David Eddings and a bunch of other inside my head because I was reading them too fast while playing games and reading other fantasy books with similarities, on top of historical fiction as well), but I do remember when I began disliking Olenna Tyrell and checked the internet to see if anyone else caught it. I saw no one discussing the topic in question so of course I make a post about it, enjoy...

Anyway, first, here have a quote from a prepubescent, resentful, little sister thinking the worst about her older sister and would have rejoiced if there was one part of her that wasn’t "perfect”:

Sansa had a grace to blush. She blushed prettily. She did everything prettily, Arya thought with dull resentment.

Then here have the quote from the grandmother of a “romantic” rival who wants her to betray her abusers, risking death, for the grandmother’s family’s benefits:

“[...] No, don’t blush, with your hair it makes you look like a pomegranate. [...]”

It is the complete opposite of what we know about Sansa’s beauty, and comes on the tail of Olenna dispensing unfortunate truths/advice, thus setting her up as an authority in Sansa’s mind.

Here’s the thing, that sort of remark is one of those that can make a girl very self-conscious when it comes to expressing her emotions. Bad self-confidence is unattractive and if a girl is taciturn, she is at best, boring, but Sansa is too pretty to be boring, and her reserve would instead be taken as her being ungracious and a frigid b*tch. Her manners would, in other words, make her unattractive, whereas confidently displaying emotions is very attractive.

Like, imagine this instead:

“No, don’t smile, with your crooked teeth it makes you look like a failed pugilist.”

We all know that it is extremely rude to tell people to smile and to not smile, and it part it is because it ruins people’s confidence in social interactions. It is also a favorite tactic of the more sophisticated mean girls in middle and sometimes high school to give backhanded “advice” to give the appearance of being greater people than they are when they are just being petty a-holes.

Here’s the thing, though: Sansa is Margaery’s very real, very dangerous, rival for being Joffrey’s queen.

In that first meeting the Tyrells bring up their great complex before Olenna’s put-down of Sansa: They’re jumped up stewards with no more right to rule the Reach than several of their bannermen.

Sansa, on the other hand, is the most highly bred, eligible lady in several generations and very close to inheriting both the North (with all its timber and fish and deer) and the Riverlands (Westeros’ secondary bread basket after the Reach). There isn’t even a drop of lowborn blood in her for hundreds of generations (if ever, unless magical beings like Wargs and Children of the Forest from the mythical ages counts).

She is also, we are told, the most beautiful, eligible noble lady of her generation, evident even when baby-fat face and an undeveloped body should disguise it.

Joffrey might not want to let that go, might back out of marrying Margaery for an attractive Sansa.

Even if he wants to marry Margaery, he might want to keep Sansa on the side. The problem is, of course, that Sansa is the ward of Joffrey and his Lannister mother and of too high status, breeding and power (once she inherits) for that to be acceptable optics to the world, and thus, unacceptable to Tywin Lannister.

If they would do that to Sansa, what would the Lannisters do to their other wards, such as young lords and heirs sent to squire and foster for them? (Well, we know that Cersei molests and grooms them if they’re close enough related to her, like she did with Lancel and Tyrek, but Sansa isn’t family so her treatment reflects, in a way, how everyone else will be treated.)

If Joffrey beds Sansa even once before his marriage is consummated to Margaery, Sansa will be queen to save the Lannisters’ reputation and pride (and future influence of other houses, which is what the fostering system promotes), the two things Tywin values the most.

So Olenna tries to essentially neg a 12-year-old girl to be less attractive. After all, they don’t know yet if Sansa still wants Joff (Sansa tells them in the next couple of pages what Joff has done), and if he wants her.

And because they’re questioning Sansa so insistently about Joff, we know that they have already confirmed with witnesses (not that there was a lack of them) how she’s been mistreated. Yet Olenna decides to attempt to destroy her confidence anyway.

That whole confession was actually a trap for Sansa as well.

It was to make her a co-conspirator with the Tyrells.

Because Tywin will ensure that the North and Riverlands’ liege is safely in Lannister custody, and preferably loyal, Sansa is all but guaranteed to inherit in the absence of her siblings from captivity. Tywin will kill all other Starks and Tullys and that will be that (and when the Freys return to the fold, it is his sister’s husband and children who will inherit the Riverlands).

If Sansa is an invested co-conspirator with the Tyrells, she will be loyal to them over Joffrey.

They also take pains to present themselves as a matriarchy under the Queen of Thorns (but which lord spent Robert’s Rebellion dining and partying while his opponent starved? Mace Tyrell, of course! It’s transparently an act, and notice how they always manages to worm their way out of sticky situations and into their winning opponents’ good graces? You can’t do that with an incompetent liege lord since Olenna’s gender and status as a widow would bar her from being there most of the time, so Mace would have to act on his feet) while claiming that their men are their obedient puppets.

This is because they already know of the abuse, that they retraumatize Sansa with by pressuring her to recount them. In a matriarchy like the Reach, a lowly boy like Joffrey could never! Lowly boys like the Kingsguard could never! Sansa would be safe there...

And House Tyrell would inherit the Riverlands and North through her (and perhaps even the Vale, depending on what Lorra Royce and the Arryns’ complete inability to have many kids means, especially with the Robin-Lysa-Catelyn connection).

House Tyrell would then essentially control something like 70-80% of Westeros’ food and firewood production while having a Tyrell Queen on the Iron Throne. On top of their heirs being descended from the oldest ruling houses on the continent.

In time for a 10-year-winter (of course, this was before it was clearly too late to bring in a last harvest from the Riverlands, and before the North was divided).

(Oh, and if King Robb against all odds win, presenting themselves as the saviors of Sansa and family by marriage... Well, remember how Mace remained a Lord Paramount after Robert’s Rebellion? How they returned to the Iron Throne after Renly? The Tyrells hedge their bets. Heh. I made a pun! ^_^)

Yeah, Olenna’s little barbs seem a lot less amusing, doesn’t they?

As does her desire to tear down an abused, little girl for her own benefits. And I haven’t even mentioned the Purple Wedding. Or everything else...

♪Little Melara Hetherspoon, who was such a fine friend fell down the well, and then there was fine husband Luthor Tyrell, down the cliff as well. If only they had known better, than to love those above, those their betters~♫

[yonojono]

The Imitation Game, now a social dilemma

The Imitation Game is another name for the Turing Test created by Alan Turing in 1950. It is a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equal to or indistinguishable from that of humans. With advanced technology, we have seen that almost anything can be hacked into and stolen while the victims are left unaware of the situation that has undergone inside their devices. If data is not being hacked into, chances are that the companies of the applications that they use on a regular basis, are stealing data and not for anything good. The Netflix Documentary “The Social Dilemma” which is a play on the title of the movie “The Social Network” which just so happens to be the biopic movie of this guy that you may have heard of called Mark Zuckerberg and how he creates this platform that you may have also heard of called Facebook. The documentary starts off with a touch of irony and a pinch of salt as a bunch of employees who worked or still work at a lot of the big shot companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram and Snapchat speak about circumstances that they faced at their respective companies. They had ethical concerns and were campaigning for ethical designs but at the same time, these are the very people that take advantage of the users’ psychology and work to keep them on their platforms for as long as possible such that it has become a battlefield for them to see who can hold the users’ attention the longest. This is quite concerning because of how fast technology is changing and becoming better by the day such that at this rate, people can might as well live inside a small box and look at screens of social media platforms all around them, day in and day out. 

 However, it is important to address this issue in countries apart from the US as the social dilemma focuses mainly on the audience from the US. It shows a parallel storyline where siblings in a family are struggling to disconnect their personal, offline lives from the virtual one. In countries like India, China, South Korea, Japan and many other eastern and third world countries, there is a huge cultural difference as opposed to the west. Especially when it comes to children doing well at studies, it is quite common for eastern parents to be authoritarian and do whatever they have to do so that they do not have any distractions around them and focus on studying. Having said this, it does not mean that the west does not have the concept of strict parenting or that the east does not know how to go easy on their kids, but the fact is that an Indian parent spends on helping their kids with homework is 12 hours per week whereas an American parent spends 6.2 hours per week on an average. Most of the Generation Z Indians did not have access to technology and social media as the concept of mobile phones and touchscreens did not arrive in India until much later than it did in the US. Albeit there may be some people that do get carried away in the world of virtuality, a lot of the people still know how to draw the line between social media and reality because they have a lot more to be worried about in real life than on social media. Blame it on the education system or on the strict parenting, children are still worried about scoring well even in their preliminaries, let alone their board examinations. We see them studying day and night to make this happen and most of them do not get to have mobile phones until much later in their lives, beyond an impressionable age. We only see the negative side of the coin when it comes to these things but if the coin could be bothered being flipped over, maybe there is a positive side to it after all. It is very probable that people do not get influenced as easily as the document portrays it and that maybe there’s a slight exaggeration about how people believe everything that they see on the internet. 

 But the fact that big tech conglomerates have been taking advantage of people who use their platforms and have been influencing people in the worst ways possible is not moral. We see terrorists and crime insinuators being bred at homes because of the propaganda that these companies have been feeding them. A lot of lives have been impacted because of this and it is about time that they take responsibility for what they have been doing and for what? A few measly bucks. An example for this is the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. In 2018, the world was shaken when they found out that Facebook and a political data analysis firm called the Cambridge Analytica were the perpetrators of a massive data breach. They obtained and used the data of millions of users without their consent to their advantage. Hundreds of thousands of users had signed up for a survey called “this is your digital life” which they might have thought, sounded harmless, at the time. But Facebook allowed the survey to take all the data that the users had entered and played the psychology card to get people to vote for the politician, Donald Trump. His institute paid Facebook to get the data of users regarding their political preferences. As shown in the documentary, users are shown as puppets being controlled by imaginary people literally behind the screen and are shown only what the companies want them to see. AI has advanced to a level that can show human-like behaviour and knows what humans want to see and uses methods to show it and more to them. But the big tech conglomerates exhibits behaviour similar to that of a child having newly discovered a toy that it constantly solely wants to play with and shows no interest in absolutely anything else. Unfortunately, the toy is the actions they take that can affect emotions, behaviours and actions of the user in real time, which they monetize and exploit. This is not just limited to people who can possibly do no harm, it has an impact on deranged people who end other people’s lives for their extremist causes. It does not just bring people closer and make the world smaller, it may possibly end them as well. 

 With COVID-19 plaguing the world, forcing people to be indoors and isolate themselves, it took a toll on their mental health. Without technology and social media, people would not have been able to get any work done from home or would not have been able to stay connected to their loved ones. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that social media has done a lot of good and was intended to connect people from different parts of the world for each other’s benefit. It was not created with malicious intent and none of the creators thought of how it could have a totally different face to it than what they imagined. People decide that their self-worth revolves around something as inconsequential as the amount of likes and views that they get on social media. They make careers out of being an influencer and millions of people all around the world struggle to achieve the façade of perfection that is displayed on screen. It has insinuated to put down a lot of the viewers’ selfconfidence and self-esteem which in turn affects their mental health.

 People are having their freedom and right to decide taken away and they don’t realise it. However, with the help of the documentaries like “the social dilemma” and “the great hack”, they are finally aware of how deep the problem goes and just how serious of an effect it can have on people’s lives. Social media is not just seen as a tool that brings people closer to each other anymore. It is seen as a destructive weapon that could cause a lot of damage to a community, instigate hate crimes, terrorise people and ruin mental health. It would be impossible to lead lives without social media in this day and age because it causes a great deal of good and a great deal of harm at the same time which is why it is about time that we, as users, become more mindful and aware about giving our time and energy to the platforms and if we actually need to use it as much as we do now. We need to reflect on ourselves and think about what we say on social media as it can leave an impact on other people as well. Now that we know the adverse effects that it can have, we need to spend more time with real people than we do online. We can very often forget that everyone displays a persona on screen and that it is not a true reflection of a person. There is a lot more to life than a mere screen on a device. Humans should strive to become a real life indicator of the Turing test and identify what is real and what is imitation

[airadam]

Episode 142 : ...If You Hear Me

"We all need...some fresh air."

- Tobe

This month has been pretty exhausting, but I did have some good ideas for this episode, and once I hit stride with the recording I decided to try and keep the pace up and get it released on a weekend day! The selection has turned out to be heavy on artists who are no longer with us, but left us some great music to remember them by. Get yourself comfortable and press "play"...

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Evidence ft. Raekwon and Ras Kass : The Red Carpet

How is this track ten years old already? Time has flown since the 2011 release of "Cats & Dogs", the second solo Evidence album after four LPs as part of Dilated Peoples. While Evidence is an excellent producer in his own right, the reins here are taken by his future partner in The Step Brothers, The Alchemist. He further shows his confidence by bringing in California's Ras Kass and Raekwon from the Wu to guest, both legendary MCs, and holds his own next to both. A great collection of talent to kick off the show!

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : What's Real? (Instrumental)

I just had to go back to "One Of The Best Yet" for another Preemo beat! Definitely get the instrumental release if you can, especially as you get the previously-unreleased "Glowing Mic" as a bonus cut.

The Notorious B.I.G ft. DMC : My Downfall

As I say on the voiceover, it feels weird playing a good chunk of Biggie's catalogue given how he ultimately died. This track from "Life After Death" is a perfect example, and feels like a mix of the creative writing he was famed for and maybe a realisation of exactly how much negativity swirled around him even after he had made the transition from the streets to the music industry. The legendary DMC of RUN DMC guests, only on the hook - but he does it well.

Agallah : Slaughter

Just a few bars, just a taste, as I needed something to bridge a track with no instrumental outro and the other with no open bars on the intro! Big respect to Agallah though, who has been putting in work since the mid-90s and will probably have yet another new project out by the time I finish typing this sentence. Find this beat on "Propain Campain Presents Agalllah - The Instrumental Vol. 1".

Sean Price and Small Professor (ft. Rock and DJ Revolution) : Refrigerator P

Heavy business! Ruck (Sean Price) and Rock, formerly the duo Heltah Skeltah, reunite on this killer from the "86 Witness" LP. Small Professor makes the beat dramatic, and DJ Revolution seasons the mix with his trademark super-sharp cuts.

Fred The Godson : Presidents

The Bronx-born-and-bred MC Fred The Godson sadly passed away last April at just 35 - one of the relatively early US casualties of COVID-19. During his lifetime, his catalogue consisted of some highly-rated mixtapes, but only after his death do we finally hear his debut album, "Ascension".  This track of course is built (by Hesami) around the same sample as Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" as Fred expounds on the drug game.

Broke 'n' English : Tryin' (Calibre Mix)

"Tryin'" was one of the standouts on the 2007 debut LP "Subject 2 Status" from this respected Manchester crew. Both Strategy and DRS have a long-standing history in the drum & bass scene, and so it made sense that the remix of this track would be handled by someone like Calibre. Sharp, crisp drum action and a smooth bassline drive this one along, with DRS' vocals being woven in as a refrain. You can hear in this one track how DRS then went on to make several excellent D&B albums - his vocal versatility allows him to shine on any production.

Marco Polo : Cindy

The "MP On The MP" (see what he did there?) beat tape is inspired by a Youtube series he was doing, and features a host of new and unreleased beats. Marco Polo is one keeping this style of production alive, which I'm thankful for.  I still think of him as a "new" producer, but he's a veteran with over fifteen years in the industry!

Le$ : Out To Cali

Le$ is a great MC to go to if you want lyrics about just living life and having fun - almost like a Curren$y, but without the extreme high-end references. Right here, he's going to Cali, buying some weed, riding around, and enjoying the view - sometimes it doesn't need to be more lofty than that. Mr.Rogers goes to a familiar sample as a basis for the beat, and if you want more, the whole "Summer Madness" will give you these vibes - and exercise your speakers in the process.

O.C. : What I Need (Keelay Remix)

The "Smoke & Mirrors" LP is a bit of a forgotten one for many, but I really enjoyed it, and when acapellas became available, it was expertly remixed by the Sole Vibe crew out of San Francisco. The classic soul sample (which you may recognise from tracks like "Deeper" by Bo$$) is the foundation, with a heavy kick and skipping hi-hats providing the rhythm. O.C. never lost a step from his first LP, and he's never afraid to put his feelings out there on wax.

Sadat X : Stages & Lights

This is one of those tracks I was stunned to realised I hadn't already played on the podcast, so here it is at last! This Showbiz-produced cut from the 1996 "Wild Cowboys" LP, Sadat's solo debut, was also a B-side on the "Hang 'Em High" single - but definitely stole the show. If you ever find the original sample, you'll be amazed at how Show plucked that one small piece for this beat!

Phife Dawg : Thought U Wuz Nice

Killer B-side action from Phife Dawg, on the flip of the Superrappin "Bend Ova" 12", with J Dilla on the bouncy production. Still can't quite believe that both of these icons are no longer with us.

Saib : Beyond Clouds

The Chillhop label seems to put out endless amounts of beats from producers specialising in sounds inspired by greats like J Dilla and Nujabes, but with their own spin. This one comes from the "Chillhop Essentials Fall 2020" compilation, one of any number that are perfect for soundtracking study, work, or just a lazy day!

213 : Run On Up

That beat by Tha Chill and the delivery of "Shut the f********ck up and ruuuu-uuu-uuuun" by the late great Nate Dogg is enough to make this an absolute classic in my ears, but the full picture is even better. Way before "Doggystyle", "The Chronic", or even "Deep Cover", 213 was the group formed in Long Beach by Nate Dogg, Warren G, and Snoop, before any of them had got their big breaks. Years later, after all of them had become stars in their own rights, it was heart-warming to see them reform for the "The Hard Way" LP, from which this is taken.

Sporty Thievz : Angel

The Sporty Thievz deserve to be remembered for more than "No Pigeons", as much as we enjoyed the whole thing at the time. The "Street Cinema" album may not have quite lived up to the name, but there were some solid cuts on there, and this was one. Produced by King Kirk of the group alongside Ski, this track has all the foreboding, and while the singing on the hook may not be Marvin Gaye level, it absolutely works here.

Jean Grae : My Crew

One of the great underrated MCs - not because her skills are in question, but simply because not enough people know her! She's in fine early 2000s form on this cut from the "Bootleg of the Bootleg EP", produced by China Black. Straight boom-bap, and she cuts through with clarity and dexterity. Jean Grae raps, sings, produces, acts...one of the true talent of the culture.

Bronx Slang : Just Say No

New single from Jerry Beeks and Ollie Miggs, who have really been on a hot streak the last couple of years. It's nice to hear some protest music in an era that really calls for it, and if this is a marker of how good the upcoming second album is going to be, then you need to reserve a space in your crates right now! Jadell on production brings an appropriate heaviness to the track, no lightness on the beat!

[Ron Browz] Big L : The Heist (Instrumental)

All these years and I'd never looked to see who produced this beat from Big L's posthumously-released LP "The Big Picture" - come to find out it's one of Ron Browz' first credits. He's much better known for "Ether" by Nas, which came in 2001. The vocal version of this track is what the name suggests, a robbery tale, and you can hear the sound effects that punctuate the narrative still here in the instrumental.

Tobe Nwigwe : Fresh Air

Tobe Nwigwe and his collective (including his wife Fat and his producer Nell) have been quietly on the rise for a while, but in very recent times their profile has elevated noticeably. "The Pandemic Project" is a short six-track album from last year, and another quality addition to the catalogue. This man is an amazing MC, and Nell's often-unconventional beats are the perfect canvas. Don't sleep! 

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[lassieposting]

Do you have any thoughts on Lilith?

I do!

pure headcanon below the cut

- Lilith was modelled on Goddess - at the time, God’s idea of the perfect woman. She’s very beautiful, and she had a gentle side, but she’s also teeming with things that hover on the positive/negative character trait line; she’s stubborn, headstrong, short-tempered and very, very clever. 

- Adam didn’t stand a chance tbh. He’s one of the dullest people ever to live. He loved Lilith to distraction, but he was - essentially - a lazy personality vacuum. He couldn’t keep up with her wit or her sense of adventure, and she did not appreciate his assumption that because he was the man, she would be submissive to him. 

- As the human woman she was created to be, she was actually pretty likeable, if a bit intimidating and bitchy. She was one of those who didn’t suffer fools gladly and could have a bit of a cutting tongue. Adam got the sharp end of it on a regular basis. 

- She was actually banished from Eden not long before Samael was kicked out of Heaven, but because of the way time works differently in each plane, by the time Samael arrives in Hell, Lilith has been there for thousands of years, building her little empire. 

- She’s also one of the things that made Samael and God start fighting in the first place. Sam supported her right to make her own choices re: whether she wanted to be with Adam. God took it as a personal insult that she didn’t think his creation was good enough for her and, as he’s prone to doing at that point in his life, throws a tantrum about it. 

- In the time it takes Sam to end up in Hell, Lilith has bred with the demons that were already down there and become a pretty fearsome warlord in her own right. Her stronghold is Dis, which is in the sixth circle, and she’s one of the most powerful leaders on the infernal plane. 

- The other is Asmodeus, who’s actually an eldritch demigod-type creature rather than a true demon, and his home turf is the city that will eventually become Pandemonium, Lucifer’s capital. Lilith’s been stuck in an unwinnable war with him for centuries; she’s got more warriors in her personal army, but he controls more territories, and has more subordinate clans he can draft fighters from. They’ve been fighting it out forever with no actual resolution. 

- Lucifer actually meets Lilith in Hell; Maze, on her first survival test, brings her mother a real living angel as her prize, believing he’s valuable enough to get her apprenticed under her mother’s best warrior. Lucifer goes with her willingly - he basically fell for Lilith’s freedom, so he believes she’ll be an ally and help him. 

- She does not. Hell has twisted her. She’s become cruel and power-hungry and completely without mercy, because that’s how she’s survived. He spends a few miserable years as her prisoner, and it’s a period of his life he won’t talk about; even Maze knows better than to bring it up. It’s why he refuses to have doors in the penthouse. Billions of years later, he still hates feeling shut in. 

- Maze - small and runty and very much kicked around by her sisters - befriends Lucifer under her mother’s nose. He’s kind to her, even when he’s hurting, because at this point it’s not in his nature to be cruel or lash out and he’s very lonely. She teaches him Lilim and her loyalties gradually shift and eventually she frees him and they flee the city together. Lilith has never forgiven her for this.

- Maze and Lucifer end up spending many, many thousands of years in the ninth circle, where Asmodeus is teaching Lucifer magic and Maze is training in his army, so they’re well out of Lilith’s reach. The next time she sees either of them is when she wakes up with an army at her gates and a loudmouthed demon screaming up that the one true devil of the infernal plane is inviting her to parley. Naturally she’s a bit miffed. She considers herself the one and only queen of hell.

- She’s not an idiot, though - far from it. She’s got thousands of spies in her employ, and she’s heard the stories; Lucifer took over Pandemonium in one of the most bloodless coups in living memory, has apparently done away with her arch-enemy, and has basically been on a conquering spree ever since. Clan leaders bend the knee and get a position of respect and authority in his court, or he torches their compounds and leaves no survivors. And his “Hand of the King” type demon is her own daughter, who knows her city’s every weakness. If she fights back, he’ll annihilate her children and leave her city a smoking ruin. Very pleasantly, over a glass of what passes for wine in Hell, he tells her that she’ll have as much fun in his dungeon as he did in hers. 

- So she surrenders, and he makes her one of his advisors, and lets her rule from her own seat because it keeps her out of his way and gives her enough power to keep her happy for the most part. Every few thousand years she’ll try to kill him or take his throne, because she’s adamant that the “only an angel can rule hell” saying is Luciferian propaganda, but he doesn’t really mind. It keeps life interesting. 

- They’re sickly sweet with each other, massively passive aggressive - think of that married couple at the PTA meeting who actually hate each other and can have a whole conversation that’s just thinly veiled insults - but there’s a grudging respect there on both sides. They’re both foreigners who don’t belong in Hell who survived by doing a lot of the same things, most of which they’re not proud of, and they both know a worthy opponent when they see one. A lot of the political power games Lucifer deals with in Hell come from Lilith; she’s the only one down there cunning enough to actually be truly threatening. The one real difference between them is that Lilith sacrificed her softness on the pyre of daily survival; Lucifer has managed to keep his alive.  

- Also, he won’t tell her what he did with Asmodeus and it’s driving her batty. 

[evabellasworld]

I Give You My Heart

Chapter 3

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

13+ and above for cursing and mild violence

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Summary:  When Riyo Chuchi’s life was threatened, Commander Fox and Jedi Knight Ava Lira and Eva Bella Young are assigned to bring the senator back to her home planet Pantora, where she will be safe from harm. But when the assassin knows her whereabouts, it’s up to Fox, Lira, Eva, and Riyo to work together and stop the assassin.

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Scratching below her chin, Riyo stared at the checkerboard as Fox glanced at her, tapping his fingers on the lamp table. She moved her eyes around the board and focused on his chess piece, which the queen. According to her knowledge, the queen is the most powerful piece in chess and could eliminate hers if she’s not careful.

Chess has always been a favourite game, especially when she’s playing with her parents. Her mother, who was descended from nobles, would emphasize the importance of playing chess and how it is applicable in life, especially law and politics.

“In your career, you must learn to study your opponents in order to push yourself to success,” Riyo recalled her advice. “If you give away your position, they will take advantage of you and pounce on you like feral dogs when they see the chance. That is the first rule of law and politics, never open up your vulnerabilities to others, no matter how nice they seem.”

It was ironic, really, because Riyo finds herself opening up to Commander Fox, despite her mother’s warning when she delved into politics. He was no politician, only a soldier bred for war. He doesn’t take bribes or cheat or even tell a lie just for his personal reasons. No, that’s not Commander Fox that Riyo knows. The Commander Fox that she knows was honourable, brave, and honest, and right now, he’s waiting for her next move in the game.

“Are you going to move or what?” Fox groaned, resting his face on his palms. “I’ve been sitting here for hours, waiting for you to move your chess piece.”

“My apologies for keeping you waiting, Fox,” Riyo let out a chuckle as she moved her pawn sideways, taking the queen out of the game. Fox’s eyes widened as he watched Riyo placing his chess piece beside her on the lamp table, with the other pieces that she had taken from the board.

He grunted as he desperately counted his chess piece that was left on the board, with only his king, his knight, his bishop, and his rook spared, for now. Since this was the first time he’s playing this game with someone else, it’s no surprise to him that he would lose to a senator, who was born at the rice farm and was formally educated at a prestigious law school.

Despite that, Fox is determined to win this game, even when the outcome is not in favour of him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath as he pushed his rook forward, pushing away one of her pawns. “Your turn, senator,” he reminded her, giving her a cocky grin.

Riyo could only let out a mischievous grin as she moved her queen sideways, facing his king. “Checkmate,” she declared, making Fox’s smile disappear. “You should move your king to a safer place.”

Fox blinked and sighed sheepishly as he moved his king one step away from the queen, only for Riyo to gestured her head at his chess piece. “My rook is a few steps away from you.”

“Goddammit,” he whined as he moved his king to his right, only to notice her knight, that could ambush him in an L-shaped. Fox felt a drip of sweat on his forehead. With nowhere for his king to move on the board, the only thing he could do now was to admit defeat towards his opponent, who he also finds intelligent, something that most senators, besides Senator Amidala and Senator Organa. “Alright, Riyo, you won. Congratulations on your victory in chess.”

“Why thank you, kind sir,” she smiled to herself, as she placed the board away, adjusting her legs that are buried underneath a thin blanket. “You were good too, just need a bit more practice, yeah?”

“I guess you're right,” he got up, helping her to pack the board game for her since she needed plenty of rest from the blasts. “Anyways, how are you holding up so far? Good, bad, or neutral?”

“More on the bad side, unfortunately,” Riyo sighed. “I can't help but worry about my friends, especially Bibi. I want to wish that she was alright, but at the same time, I feel like she may not be able to make it through, considering the blast was...well, intense.”

Fox tightened his lips as he sat beside her and squeezed her hand, much to her delight. “I understand where you are coming from, Riyo, but worrying too much won't do any good to you. You need to relax if you want to get better as soon as possible.”

“I know, Fox,” she squeezed his hands back. “But I can't help it, especially since it was rather unexpected.”

“Yeah, it was. I didn't think that the assassin would be smart enough to put a bomb in the Senate building, especially if it's a tripwire, you know. We're trying to figure out how did that person snuck in, or how did they set the bomb, but so far, there was nothing.”

“It's a shame, huh? There are people willing to let go of their morals just to gain some credits, even when they know they are in the wrong.”

“Yeah, it is. I guess assassins and politicians are no different, except for their willingness to get their hands dirty. While bounty hunters and assassins would openly admit that they killed someone, senators cower when things don't go their way, no offense to you, Riyo.”

“None was taken, actually,” Riyo chuckled. “You have a good point there. It is unfortunate that those same senators who swore to serve their people are the ones who won't hesitate when they accept luxury gifts in exchange for selling off their soul.”

With all the talks of negativity between the both of them, Riyo felt like changing the subject instead just to ease her worries about Bibi, whom she heard she's in a critical condition from one of the nurses that served her with kindness. “Anyways, how are you and your siblings? I heard from Lip that your duty as a Coruscant Guard has expanded. Is that true?”

“Yeah, it has,” he nodded. “The Chancellor wanted us to take most of the Senate Guards' duty since there was a spread of corruption within their ranks.”

“I hope you are getting yourself a good rest, Fox,” she advised him. “Yves told me that she caught you dozing off in your office a few nights ago. Are you alright?”

“Well, the Chancellor gave me a massive pile of paperwork yesterday for me to complete them by this week. I ended up dozing while I was doing half of them, and then Yves woke me up.”

“Oh dear, please don’t overwork yourself, Fox. You need to rest if you want to perform well in your job.”

“I just can’t help it, Ri. If I don’t get all of my paperwork done, then I have to deal with the consequences of the Chancellor himself, and you know how he is.”

“He is particular in every paperwork we sent,” she sighed. “And if it's not perfect, he'll ask us to do it again, until he is satisfied with his answer. But he won't say it directly to your face, though, he would be-”

“Subtle about it,” he finished her sentence, letting out a chuckle. “Yeah, I know how things work when it comes to the Chancellor.”

“At least he's tolerable, unlike most senators I've worked with.”

Fox doubted Riyo's words, but then again, she is a sentient being. The Chancellor puts on a charade and acts all nice to the senators and the Jedi, but when it comes to the Corrie Guards, well, things could have been worse for him and his siblings.

Before he could utter a word, his comlink beeped, prompting him to pick it up. “Lip, anything so far?”

“Sir, you have to get Senator Chuchi out of here,” the trooper warned him. “There is an assassin in his hospital.”

“What the-” Fox exclaimed, springing out from his seat. “Where is he?”

In a moment, there was a red dot pointed on Riyo's chest, prompting him to shield the senator in his embrace. The windows shattered as the wall was shot with a sniper rifle.

Riyo finds her breathing turning rapidly as she holds her grasps around Fox's arms, praying that she doesn't get hit by her killer-for-hire.

It felt like a second to be discovered and almost get her own life taken away. She could do nothing but to get herself to safety and hope for the best. But at the same time, she worries about Fox.

What if Fox gets himself killed while he catches the killer? She thought as she saw the nurses rushing inside her ward, wondering whether she is alright.

“The killer is in Level 39 of the Enterprise Tower,” Fox commed his troops. “All squad, set your weapon to stun and reprimand this suspect immediately.”

“What about you, Commander?” Riyo asked, addressing him by his rank.

“I'll be taking you to safety, Senator, now come on.”

[sage-nebula]

Scrawlers you’re not gonna leave the fandom are you? I know a lot of people who are dropping Pokemon altogether because of this National Dex fiasco, which is really upsetting. Personally even though Pokemon’s main games have been in a slump lately I always stick with this franchise in the hopes that things will turn around but I know not everyone is that optimistic. I’d hate to see you leave because your passion for these games something I’ve always loved but it’s your choice in the end.

Your timing for this ask is spot-on because I was just about to make a post about it, haha.

Short Answer: No, I’m not going to leave the fandom.

Longer Answer:

Pokémon is not just a fandom for me. I usually express this through two separate jokes (“Pokémon is a way of life” and “Pokémon is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter”), but I honestly mean it in all seriousness. I have loved Pokémon for 21 years. Pokémon helped me overcome bullying (though my fists also did that) and make my first friends (my fists weren’t involved here) in elementary school. Pokémon was my go-to escapist fantasy during the hellish life I had in my childhood and adolescence due to parental abuse at home. I bred my arcanine so that my platonic soulmate would have a way to still be with me even after her death. Of course the arcanine is not the same as having the real, breathing dog, but it’s the best I can do with what I have. The original Pokémon overture brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. It’s the one fictional world I would want to live in, without hesitation.

That isn’t something I can let go of, or leave behind. Pokémon is way too special to me for that. It’s not something that I could replace with another monster series (hence why things like Yo-Kai Watch hold no appeal to me), or another game series. The idea of dropping the Pokémon games forever from here on out is painful to me. I pass on lesser Zelda titles all the time if they don’t look like they’ll be fun or interesting. I do the same thing with lesser Sonic titles. But Pokémon? The fact that the Let’s Go games were main series games that were such trash and that threatened in ruining the main series forever (which it seems they’ve succeeded in doing since no one listened and everyone bought them new anyway) upset me deeply. For the first time since 1998 I didn’t buy a main series Pokémon game. Sure, I saved $60, but it really, really hurt and upset me that I couldn’t be excited at the launch of a new main series Pokémon title. To be fair, I wasn’t excited for Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon either, but I still bought and completed Ultra Sun because at least it didn’t carry the threat that if it sold well the rest of the franchise would be negatively impacted. Let’s Go Pikachu / Let’s Go Eevee did carry that threat, and have now made good on that threat, and so I skipped them to do my part to try to save the franchise that I have loved with all my heart since I was eight years old.

But I alone wasn’t enough.

Masuda Junichi has given several different reasons why the National Dex won’t be in Sword / Shield, but every single one of them is nonsense. 

“We don’t have time,” he says, but not only would no one mind if the games were delayed if it meant making them better, but they could always patch in non-Galar pokémon later, and everyone would be fine with that since Home won’t be released until some time in 2020 anyway. 

“We’re making all the models unique and over 800 is too many,” he says, but:

Scorbunny’s kicking animation is the exact same as Buneary’s (pretty sure it was Buneary; maybe it was Bunnelby, but still)

The models they created for X / Y were future-proofed, meaning that they were already fully rendered 3D models that just weren’t being shown in the highest possible resolution on 3DS. They don’t have to remake models for all the old ‘mon, just the new ones.

They have walking / running animations for every single pokémon through Alola that they just haven’t used, meaning that so much of the work is already completed.

They could just upscale pokémon for Gigamaxing, and could have done the same for the Totem Pokémon in Sun / Moon, but apparently they don’t know how to do what is honestly a rather simple thing to code because they chose instead to make brand new models for the Totem Pokémon and likely the Gigamax one, and also created brand new models for NPCs for completely unnecessary reasons (e.g. they made a brand new Lillie model for every area she appeared in, which bloated the amount of models in the game for no goddamn reason), something which was found in the Sun / Moon datamine. If there is a lot of work to be done, it’s because Game Freak is purposefully choosing to work harder, rather than smarter. All this, despite the fact that they hired a programmer specifically for consoles about two years ago.

“We care about game balancing,” he says, but not only has Masuda in particular been adamant about killing off the competitive scene (removing things like the Battle Frontier because he thinks players will find it to be “too hard,” removing EV training from Let’s Go, and so on), but the only reason why having certain old pokémon in the game would throw off game balancing worse than in previous gens is because the Galar pokémon have stats that are just that bad, which spells bad things for competitive play in these games anyway. These games which, mind you, were supposed to be for us, the core players.

“We want to stick to a regional theme and will pick pokémon that apply to the widest base of players,” he says, meaning that only popular ‘mon and Pikachu are likely to make the cut.

“Having 800+ ‘mon is very intimidating to players,” he says, which is what ties the blame back to Let’s Go and its sales. Let’s Go only had the Kanto ‘dex (+Meltan) because they didn’t want Go players to be intimidated by the large amount of pokémon typically available in a new game. Of course, we all knew this logic was flawed back when that was announced: If Go players would be intimidated by the national ‘dex in Let’s Go, how was limiting it there supposed to help them get used to it in Sword / Shield? Well, now we have our answer: Masuda never intended to give it back to us. He always wanted to limit it, because he doesn’t want the core players to play the games anymore. He only wants the Go fans to play.

Here’s the thing: The majority of my One True Team™ is already confirmed to be in the Galar ‘dex. Charizard, Arcanine, Espeon, Umbreon, Mimikyu, Kanto Raichu, and most likely Lapras are all going to be in. (I say most likely, because a Lapras regional evolution was in the leak that has been spot-on about things such as Nessa and Gigamaxing so far, so I would be very surprised if Lapras wasn’t in.) The only ones who are still up in the air for me are Furret and Midday Lycanroc. So the issue here is not what I personally am able to bring over. The issue is the principle of the matter.

See, here’s the thing: I’m lucky because most of my One True Team™ are pokémon that most everyone likes. Everyone loves Charizard. Everyone loves the eeveelutions. Mimikyu was a surprise hit. Arcanine, while less loved than Ninetales, is tied to some cool east Asian mythology and so is unlikely to be cut, and so on. But not everyone is in the same position I’m in. My best friend’s favorite pokémon is Scolipede. Her second favorite pokémon is Kabutops. How likely do you think it is those two will make it in? And if they don’t make it in Gen VIII, how likely it is do you think they’ll return for Gen IX? 

Every pokémon is someone’s favorite. For everyone that hates Trubbish or Vannilluxe, someone out there loves them. And to say that those people shouldn’t be able to bring the ‘mon they’ve raised for generations over to this new region, even eventually—and to double down and say that every single new generation will be like this from now on—is unacceptable. During the press conference that aired the week before the Pokémon Direct, they said when announcing Home that the purpose was to allow us to stay connected to the ‘mon that we’ve bonded with over generations. They know that there are those of us out there who have brought pokémon up ever since the Game Boy generations, and they want us to continue journeying with them. They made it sound as if we could use Home to transfer our pokémon to Sword / Shield, and now they’ve yanked that away from us. They’ve gone back on their word. They lied not only to their fans, but to their stakeholders, during that press conference, and if you were watching Nintendo’s stock around the time the Treehouse video was airing live, their stocks took a dive as a direct result.

And while this is the thing I’m most angry about, it isn’t even the only thing. They also announced during the Treehouse that they’re not only removing the National Dex, but that they’re also removing Mega Evolution in favor of Gigamaxing. This one actually does impact me directly, because I bred and raised my Charizard around the fact that I would Mega Evolve her into Mega Charizard X. I painstakingly hatched hundreds of Adamant Charmander. I EV trained her so that her stats would be perfect. I gave her a moveset built around ‘Zard X. And now, even if I can bring her over to Galar, I won’t be able to Mega Evolve her because the Key Stone and Charizardite simply won’t be available in the game. This, despite the fact that they have the assets for it thanks to Let’s Go. There is absolutely no reason to remove Mega Evolution when Mega Evolution’s assets are already available in a game on this system. There is no excuse. They’re just doing it anyway, because they want everyone to focus on their shiny new mechanic, and demonizing Mega Evolution apparently didn’t do a good enough job of that in Gen VII. (That said, they’re also removing Z-Moves, so apparently they weren’t too attached to those either.)

I just … I can’t support this. I cannot support any of this. It kills me. I feel incredibly conflicted, because there is a lot in Sword / Shield that I still am excited for. I love a lot of the new pokémon, such as Corviknight, Zacian, and Yamper. I like several of the new trainers we’ve seen. I think the region looks gorgeous. But I don’t want to give Game Freak and Nintendo money for any of this, because that will make them think that what they’re doing is a good idea. Just like with Let’s Go, where Masuda said that if those games sold well they would shape the next twenty years of the franchise (which they did, and they are), I don’t want to reward them for poor decision making.

So I’ve decided to buy Sword used. 

When you buy a game used through Game Stop or a similar store, the store gets every single cent. Nintendo and Game Freak see none of it. I still want to play these games for the features I like. But I do not, and will not, support Game Freak and their asinine decision making. So while I might not be able to get Sword on launch day (though we’ll see; I’ve seen used games in Game Stop on launch day before), I’ll be able to get it soon enough and play it in a way that just doesn’t support Game Freak or what they’re doing. I’m only one person, and as we saw with Let’s Go, my lack of sale isn’t going to be enough to stop the train wreck. But if the severe backlash they’re facing now isn’t enough to do it (last I checked, the Treehouse video had 13k Likes in contrast to 24k dislikes, and angry hashtags about this are trending in both the west and Japan on Twitter), then I want to contribute in any way that I can. I love this series too much to just passively support every bad decision Game Freak makes that lessens not only my enjoyment, but also the enjoyment of so many others.

So no, I’m not leaving. I will always love Pokémon. And if Game Freak and / or Nintendo decide to listen to the backlash and backtrack this decision—say, make a statement saying they’ll patch in all the rest of the pokémon later, and hopefully even give us Mega Evolution back—then I’ll happily go back to buying a new copy of the game on Day 1. But until then, I’m buying used from now on. They don’t deserve my money if they’re going to act like this. And again, I alone won’t make a difference, but if there’s one thing that Pokémon has taught me over the years, it’s that that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.

[margaret-vanzin-blog]

(natalia dyer, female) MARGARET “MAGGIE” VANZIN, the BROKEN BIRD, is NINETEEN and a SOPHOMORE. SHE is majoring in LITERATURE. In addition to being Quentin’s FAMILY FRIEND, they are part of the Imperium Society. MAGGIE was probably selected because SHE WAS A DANCE PRODIGY AND A SOLOIST OF A PRESTIGIOUS BALLET COMPANY. They remind me of PRECISE ANGLES, TREMBLING HANDS, WELL-WORN POINTE SHOES, & THE COOL EVENING BREEZE. (tara, 21+, est, she/her)

hi! i’m tara. i’m a slut for dark academia, secret societies, et cetera, so this is my exact preferred wheelhouse. i’m really lucky i saw this rp in the tags this morning. below is an intro to my darling Maggie. 

sorry for the length lmao but I wanted to make sure I had her whole history straight. feel free to skip down to the personality subtopic if you like.

trigger warnings for self harm (though in a non-direct way?).

Chapter 1: Messy childhood™

She was named for psychologist Margaret Floy Washburn, and she uses Margaret professionally but often goes by Maggie.

I think she’s 5th out of the 6 Vanzins?? (Vanzin squad, if that conflicts with what you have already, let me know)

Adpoted by Moira and Yakov Vanzin as an infant, she never knew any other life than what the psychologists provided. Due to her seemingly advanced spatial awareness as a baby, they decided that her specialty would be dance, and they bred her for ballet. She began training almost as soon as she could toddle around on two feet.

Most of her childhood was spent sequestered in the dance studio her parents had built in their house. Her teachers crafted a strict schedule that combined the Vaganova method with the Cecchetti method, honing her strength and elasticity.

Maggie has always been pliable, a puppet in the hands of her trainers and her parents and whoever else wanted to mold her. She was never asked whether she wanted to do ballet, but she never argued, either. She never considered that an option.

By age eight, she was splitting her time between training and home and dancing in the corps de ballet of the Bolshoi Ballet. Sometimes, as the ballets they performed didn’t have roles suited for someone as young as Maggie, the company’s choreographers would adjust the blocking specifically to allow her exquisite talent a chance to shine within the company of much older dancers.

As she was growing up, she saw how talented her siblings were, both intellectually and physically. And much like some of them, her main goal was to live up to her parents’ expectations - and really, to avoid being the only disappointment. But as she grew taller, and her body proportions shifted, she found it harder and harder to keep up with the level of performance that was expected of her. The jumps and spins required different physics now, physics that she hadn’t had the time to figure out. 

This is true for all ballet dancers, not that she would know; she never got much of a chance to spend real time with any of the others. She was whisked in and out of rehearsal spaces and performance halls and had no opportunity to befriend anyone even remotely close to her age, other than her siblings.

(And even then, I imagine she saw very little of her siblings, despite how much she may have wanted to spend more time with them.)

Chapter 2: Shit falls apart

Because she began struggling for the first time in her life, by around age fourteen, she saw herself as a failure. She slept only a scant few hours a night, too restless and overcome with worry to be able to fall asleep. Her intense diet regimen had become even more restrictive, and she began numbly ingesting only the food that was strictly necessary for survival. Yet she still had to work three times as hard as she ever had before, and it was driving her towards a nervous breakdown. 

She thought about speaking up about the pressure she was under, telling her trainers or her parents, but she was terrified that either they wouldn’t take her seriously or that they wouldn’t care. Besides, other people - including her siblings - could handle the pressure, so shouldn’t she be able to, too? Plus, it was obnoxiously cliché, the dancer suffering from a work-related mental breakdown. She resented herself even more for it.

Around the same time, the Bolshoi promoted her to become a fairly regular soloist, on track to become a principal ballerina in the next few years. The record for the world’s youngest prima ballerina is nineteen; Maggie’s trainers projected she could reach it earlier than that if she put in enough effort. As expected, pressure only mounted.

At eighteen, she was indeed offered a contract to sign on as a principal. The media celebrated: youngest ballerina ever offered principal position with a major company. Her parents were delighted, and under their watchful eyes, Maggie signed on the dotted line.

She began funneling money out of her personal savings account, the equivalent of a few hundred dollars at a time.

Five weeks later, with trembling hands and skittish eyes, she offered the equivalent of ten thousand dollars to one of the other girls who’d just gotten expelled from the corps at the last company cut, in exchange for staging a hit-and-run. Not enough to kill her; just enough to take her out of the game. The other ballerina took the money, went ahead with the plan as arranged, the incident occurring in the back alley where they were sure there’d be no cameras, just as Maggie purposely left the theatre late one night. 

An injured Maggie called for the paramedics, the impact of the car and her fall having broken her right leg and wrist, among other minor injuries. Enough, and more, to take her off pointe shoes for a while. 

When they found her (and for some time afterwards), she was an absolute sobbing wreck, mostly out of shock and disbelief that she actually did what she did, though everyone took it as devastation that her ballet aspirations had shattered along with her leg. Moira and Yakov were livid about the accident, but there was no way of tracing the vehicle, and the culprit went unpunished. As of now, no one knows that Maggie orchestrated it herself. The ballerina who hit her is still part of the company, though they haven’t spoken since. Maggie wishes she should send the girl a thank you card but doesn’t want to risk contacting her. 

Was this slightly overdramatic? Oh, for sure. But it was the only way she could think of to get out of her situation and finally be able to rest without outright quitting or admitting defeat. To this day, she faces conflicting feelings of both guilt and relief over her decisions in that regard. 

Chapter 3: Ashcroft

After having lost so much muscle in her right leg during the healing process and weeks on crutches, she was in no place to begin intense training again. The Bolshoi graciously released her from her contract until she could regain full range of movement through physical therapy.

Her parents, having added the “youngest principal ballerina” to their collection in name if not in deed, agreed to allow her to attend Ashcroft with her older siblings until her full range of motion has returned. As principal ballerinas are often in their mid 20′s-early 30′s, the Bolshoi Ballet then also agreed to let Maggie not just attend university through her recovery but attend until her university graduation, before officially re-joining the company.

There was no need for her to major in dance, since she already has a position waiting for her (a position which she’s dreading, knowing what happened when she was under pressure last time). So instead of studying dance at Ashcroft, she found herself… free to choose. She’s never been able to do that before. Arbitrarily, she chose literature, since she can read at the very least - she’s not particularly made out for academic study, like Florence or some of her other siblings might be, but she’s still happy to have a life outside of ballet, at least for a little while.

When she was invited to join the Imperium Society, she joined. It didn’t matter much to her either way, but she didn’t think she had another choice - and besides, her siblings were in it already. She would always follow in their footsteps, no matter where that took her. 

Quentin’s death was a shock - especially after learning that he was stabbed and poisoned. He was a fairly close friend of some of her siblings, she knew, even if she hadn’t known him as well. But she’d still known him; plus, the murder of someone in their society didn’t do much to set her mind at ease. 

Personality

Anxious. Despite her calm eyes, her anxiety is visible in her twitching fingers and her slightly warbling voice. I imagine that if her parents noticed, they never cared; if her siblings noticed her anxiety, and they ever said anything to her, she would have pretended she was fine. The only time she’s not nervous is when she’s on stage, because she knows that’s what she was made for. A stillness takes over when she dances - and while she hates ballet for how it affected her mental health, she can’t help but appreciate the sense of peace that it gives her physical body in the moment. 

Obedient. Except for her one (arguably major) act of disobedience, which still remains a secret, she doesn’t have any experience saying no or arguing with others. She’s definitely more of a follower than a leader, and she’s as pliable as ever. This can be a positive or negative, depending on the circumstances.

Naive. Probably because she’s had very little social interaction with people outside of her family, she usually can’t discern when people are telling the truth or when they’re lying. Though some of her siblings have gotten her semi-used to recognizing sarcasm, at least.

Kindhearted. The ballet world is cutthroat, but the only person she ever really felt competitive against or vitriol towards was herself - not anyone else. Despite outsiders viewing her as almost robotic in her perfection, if they ever got the chance to know her, they would be surprised by her gentle voice and pleasant, mild demeanor.

Potential Connections? 

I’d like her to make some friends, though the level of friendship can vary. I can also see her being really easily taken advantage of by someone she thought might be a friend.

She’s never been to traditional school & she literally can’t do math of any kind, and knows only movement-related physics, so she’s going to need some tutors of some sort, I’m sure.

She needs someone to be a social influence on her, whether good or bad or somewhere in between. Introduce her to the meaning of “fun.”

Romantic connections? She’s never had time for any before? Another dancer kissed her backstage once but it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and nothing came of it. God, Maggie would be such a romantic disaster.

I’m also really looking forward to plotting with her siblings and figuring out their dynamics, oh man. 

I’m up for pretty much anything with her, tbh!! 

[surveysonfleek]

907.

Is popularity a social disease? if it matters that much to you, then yes, it’s a social disease. Would you want to be a hippie? not really. i respect the lifestyle and culture, i’m just not into it. In college, were you ever given exams with extremely broad and deep questions such as, ‘Why?’ or 'What is truth?’ it wasn’t a ‘what is the truth?’ type situation, it was more about what our opinion on the topic was. Have you knowingly destroyed an endangered plant or animal? nope. Did your parents bronze your first pair of baby shoes? i don’t think so... i’d know if it still existed if they did.

Do you check for a train when crossing tracks in your car even though the arms aren’t down? there aren’t many train crossings in my city tbh. i’ve never actually crossed one after all these years of driving. Is there gossip going around about you right now? i don’t think so. i live a pretty drama free life these days. How many comic strips do you read daily: none. If you were hiding from a burglar, would you hide in the closet or under the bed? under the bed i think. What do you most commonly use milk for: drinking or cooking? cooking. Who should provide the condoms in a relationship: the man or the woman? both should be responsible but the man should definitely always have some. imagine being the woman and always having to provide that? Are you ever afraid that people hate you and they’re just acting like they don’t? haha it’s definitely happened before. When you’re crossing the street with other people, do you ever feel a need to get to the other side first? nope. i just walk in the clearest path possible. Should people be able to go to college without a high school diploma if they score high enough on entrance tests? i mean, i think so. everyone has a right to an education. i don’t think entrance tests would be that easy either. Would you be embarrassed if people could hear you talking to your pets? haha no. If elephants were bred to a smaller size and sold as house pets, would you want one? it’d be a cool idea but probably not. Do you refer to people as 'dude’? no. Do you remember the last time you wrote a 'snail mail’ letter? haha nope. i’m assuming it would’ve been a greeting card though. Do you think beards/mustaches make men look older than they actually are? not particularly. Are you usually the one to initiate sex with your significant other? my boyfriend and i are pretty equal in this situation. When you’re having trouble burping when you feel like you need to, does patting yourself on the chest seem to help? haha no. i just do it. Do you have your wallet with you right now? yes. If it ever came down to a final battle between good and evil and you knew that evil was going to win, who would you fight for? i’d stay away as far from this battle as possible. i hate getting involved in conflict. Do you feel guilty when you borrow money from your parents? haha yes. Do you constantly have times where you have no money and then earn a lot of money and you don’t know what to do with it? no. my money always goes to bills etc. Do you always see yourself as the protagonist in the story of your life? of course. it’s my life. Can you drive by a car accident without staring? yes. i’ll have a quick glance but this shit causes soooo much traffic, even on the lanes going the opposite way. it drives me nuts. Do you find it a challenge to congratulate your opponent who just beat you in a game or competition? haha yes. Do you think that no matter how cold or heartless someone seems there is always at least one thing in the world that they love? yes, definitely. im sure 99.9% of people have a soft spot for something/someone. Who is worse: Someone who doesn’t repay a loan or someone that steals your CDs? someone who doesn’t repay a loan because i don’t own any cds haha. Why do you think so many homosexual men still go without condoms: because they don’t know of the dangers, or because they don’t care? both tbh. When you think about morality, do you think more in terms of good/bad people, or good/bad actions? actions. Which of these female comedians is funnier: Ellen Degeneres or Margaret Cho? i haven’t seen much of magaret cho’s stuff so i’ll just say ellen. Are you scared of dying alone? yes. dying in general. Are you most comfortable being treated by a doctor of the same sex as you? of course. Do you take daily walks? nope. i mean i walk everyday but i not like for exercise. Are there some slang terms you refuse to use? i hate the slang ‘litty’ lol. so cringy. Do you have a favorite pen that you use all the time? haha no. i have ones that i prefer writing with but i don’t have one fave. Have you ever changed an adult’s diaper? no. Do you think it’s dangerous or a good thing when two very depressed people start to date each other? dangerous. it’ll either go one of two ways. down a spiral of negativity if they’re feeding off each other’s problems or positive if they find true happiness within each other.

Do you know a game that is very stupid, yet very addicting? most iphone games haha. i’m totally guilty on this. Do you plan on having your children Christened/Baptised? probably.  Would regularly seeing videos of you interacting with people significantly improve your overall human effectiveness? that’d be cool. i think it’d work lol. Have you ever misspelled 'misspell’? i haven’t ever had to use it much. Have you ever stayed up for more than 24 hours to study for an exam? nope. Have you ever been in the back of a moving truck? yes haha. When you were young, did you know some pop stars were gay? probably. Do you have control over how much peace there is in your mind? sure. If you got a backstage pass at a concert, would you feel better than everyone else? um, yes duh.  Is your microwave any other color besides white? it’s black. Would you prefer a bagel or an entire breakfast in the morning? i’d prefer the bagel as long as there’s cream cheese. Do you think that couples that elope have a better chance of staying together? every couple is different. i’m not one to make a call on this. Do you know of a frozen dinner that tastes good? ugh, not at all. i hate them. Will public restrooms no longer be separated by gender in the near future? probably. If you do not eat red meat but eat fish are you a vegetarian? isn’t that a pescatarian? When you discard a piece of paper, which of the following are you more likely to do: rip it apart in pieces or crumple it? i’ve done both. if it’s a confidential document i’ll rip it up. Do you wear your pants and shorts above or below your waist line? above usually. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a sex change operation? yes. i’m assuming it’d be a mentally and physically draining experience. as long as they’re happy though. Do you call margarine 'butter,’ even though you know the difference? haha nope, i’ll call it margarine. Do you bathe less when you are depressed? yes. Should the ASPCA and RSPCA ban the practice of kidney transplants in cats, since cats can’t give consent for the surgery? i have no knowledge on this. Would you ever drink from a bowl or cup made out of human bones? probably not. just a creepy feeling. Does your car normally smell good? i guess so. i’m obsessed with air fresheners. Do you think 9/11 will be the worst thing you will see in your life? i mean it’s up there as one of the most memorable news stories of my childhood. but since i wasn’t there in person, i’m sure there could be worse things i experience personally throughout my life. Do you tend to do more research for school or papers at the library or on the internet? internet. Do you have an outfit you wear that makes you feel like a star? haha no. i’m yet to find the perfect outfit. You are working at McDonald’s frying meat. Your manager is being a jerk and you are ticked. A customer comes in and orders a 20-piece box of nuggets. Out of anger towards your manager, would you pack 20 or more, or 19 or less in that box? 20 or more. the customer didn’t do anything, why should they suffer? Once you’ve made up your mind about the kind of person someone is, can anything they say or do change it? yeah, it’s possible. Is there a single person whose whole existence you might be interested in studying? not seriously. a quick google search will do lol. Do you think that cuddling with a member of the opposite sex, with no intention of sexual relations, is cheating? i think it’s odd. why would you be cuddling someone that wasn’t your significant other in the first place?  Which would you be willing to give up the internet for: world peace or immortality? world peace. i cbf being immortal if it means i can never go on the internet anymore. Are you a redneck? no. Do you think by 2050 there will be flying cars? i wouldn’t be surprised. Should politicians be allowed to have a private life? sure. Do you avoid going over to other people’s houses because it makes you feel uncomfortable or out of place? omg yes. i don’t mind it but i always feel so awkward. i’m just so comfortable in my own home, i’d prefer my friends coming over instead. If someone you don’t know too well puts you in the buddy list of his or her profile, would you be suspicious, or would it be OK that he or she did that? depends who it is. Do you have a trash can in every room of your home? most rooms. Who said “I love you” first: you, or your partner? me lol. Do you ever lay down and watch a movie, only to fall asleep in the very beginning and wake up when the movie is over? all the damn time. Do you say 'thank you’ before leaving a store, even though you may not have purchased anything? if someone’s helped me out, then yes definitely. Would you approve if your significant other wanted to have a nude painting done? sure. lol. If there were nine guilty people and one innocent, and they all had to be together, would you put them all in jail or set them all free? depends on the crime. Is your pet also your best friend? of course :) When the toilet backs up, do you call someone to fix it or do you do it yourself? i try to fix it myself. then i pass it on to my parents and then plumber if need be. Have you ever recited a love poem to your significant other? nope. Would you rather be 'all head and no heart’ or 'all heart and no head’? i’d rather be all heart and no head even though i’m probably the opposite. Are your teeth discolored? slightly. When you were a child, did you make or buy your Halloween costumes? mostly make thanks to my mum. Have you ever seen a movie and liked it but upon further viewing come to like it a lot less? nope. If your father was a minister, would you want him to preside over your wedding ceremony? nope. i’d want him to be my father on my special day, not as a minister. Would you prefer to watch porn or a really good comedy? comedy. How long did your longest phone conversation ever last? over 24 hours but technically it was on skype. Do you put your initials on everything you own? no. Do you like or dislike people based on who else likes or dislikes them? no. even with a bad rep, i’d figure them out on my own. Do you have a friend who you hang out with only when there is nothing else to do? haha no, that’s mean. Which is harder: calculus or trigonometry? i hate them both. Do you often find yourself correcting your parents? when it comes to technology...always. If you could stop aging at a certain age, do you know what that age would be? 25ish. Do you more often eat off of real plates or paper plates? real plates. Have you ever had tape over your mouth? i tried it out myself as a kid. haha. If you encountered someone you totally didn’t know and he or she seemed to tell you the solutions to your uniquely specific problems without having been told what they were, would you be more thankful or freaked out? i’d freak out. i’m skeptical about everything. Would you rather eat a raw egg or a scoop of raw hamburger? omg neither. Do shy kids tend to grow up to be freaks? whaaat? not at all. When you put on a shirt, do you button up or down? i button down. Do you scent your letters when you write to a special someone? haha yes, i did it years ago. Is punk influenced more by music or attitude? music. actually idk. Did you ever start a thread that got at least 40 posts? yes. Can you recall the ending of the last story you read? nope. Have you ever had your head stuck in an unusual place? no. Do you have any weird or funny local slang? haha yes. chat, ceebs etc. When you come online, is there always one person you look for? back in the msn days, yes. not anymore. Do lava lamps make you sick looking at them? i never had one, so no. i find them fascinating still. Will Hollywood ever run out of ideas for movies? they’ve already run out. i feel like everything is a remake of something these days. Does P. Diddy telling everyone that he is the new Frank Sinatra make you want to roll your eyes? haha he could not be serious. Do you think the state of the global environment will be better or worse in 50 years? wors. Do you eat dinner in the dining room or in the living room? both. Which Mike Judge cartoon do you prefer: Beavis and Butthead or King of the Hill? neither. never watched them. Have you ever fallen off your chair in public? no. When sleeping, do you face the doorway or have your back to it? face it. Do you find poetry that expresses pain and suffering to be more intriguing than other types? i hate poetry. Do you only pretend looks don’t matter because you’re ugly yourself? haha i don’t pretend. looks matter to an extent. Do you find limericks to be funny and clever or annoying? funny when i was a kid. Do you think you’d be capable of representing yourself in court rather than hiring an attorney to do it for you? no. When you flirt with someone, is it obvious or more subtle? awkward if anything. Which character do you think weighs more: Jabba the Hutt or Fat Bastard? idk lol. Do you think couples break up mainly because of differences they can’t resolve or because they have found someone new? it’s possible to simply fall out of love without having someone else in the picture. Do you reread things that are written well? yes. What hurts more: getting poked in the eye or biting your tongue? poked in the eye. Do you prefer merry-go-rounds or ferris wheels? ferris wheels. better views. Which do you prefer: original or flavored Tootsie Rolls? original. If you had three children, would you rather have two boys and a girl, or two girls and a boy? two girls and a boy. Is having a threesome basically approved cheating? if it’s approved, it’s not cheating. Is it a turn off to you if the woman has a deep, manly voice or if the man has a high, pre-pubescent voice? no. Have you copied (or “ripped”) your entire CD collection onto your computer? yep lol. Do you have buns of steel? i wish! Did you use floaties on your arms when you were learning to swim? yep. Did your first ever snog involve French kissing? no. there was a lot of pecking involved first. Do you know a person who is physically unattractive and yet a flirt? haha yes. Are there a lot of programs on your computer that you don’t know how to use? yep. like half of the adobe cs. Do you live in an uncomfortable environment, such as where you feel you cannot be yourself? nope. If you had discovered a body on the side of the road would you see if it was still alive? i’d be scared shitless but i would and call emergency. Does punishing everyone for the actions of the few get us closer to utopia? hell no. Can you finish an entire 2-liter bottle of soda by yourself in a single sitting? no way. i’d feel like shit. Have your parents ever forbidden you to play a certain type of music in their house? nope. Since you reached dating age, have you been single for more than three years? nope haha. i’ve been taken for most of my dating life. When buying shampoo or soap, do you choose one because of what they put in it, or because you like the smell? i buy based on what they’re supposed to do to my hair. Have you ever had writer’s block? never really had to write since uni, so no.

[itsmooglepom-blog]

How I Learned to Not Hate Myself (And Other Women)

I grew up in the 90’s, and like most other millennials, I flourished in a unique and unusual time span also known as “The Age of Technology.” With the revolution of the internet and the explosiveness of the media, it was (and still is) easier than ever to spread thoughts, notions, and ideas.

During my most formative years, I was a huuuuuuuuge “Tomboy.” Imagine: A small girl who fancied video games, comic books, action figures, and computers as opposed to the expected barbies, baby dolls, purses, ponies, and/or anything else obnoxiously pink. Don’t worry- Even as a romp I had my fair share of stuffed animals, too, you can ask my mom. She had a hay day when she finally donated them all to the Salvation Army, believe me. Not many girls were very nice to me when I was in elementary school. The majority of my friends were boys. I saw girls as these mean, catty creatures I didn’t understand. I avoided them and refused to associate myself with them. I was DIFFERENT. Even at a young age, we’re taught to compete. And in this competition, I wanted nothing more than to WIN. Even from as far as I can remember, I didn’t want to be like “other girls.” Being like “other girls” meant you were bland, boring, and outright insufferable. It meant you didn’t have any ideas of your own and you conformed to a predictable stereotype. Girls were seen as weak and incapable. If you did something “like a girl” it was seen as an insult. And, of course, I did not want to be insulted. Why would I want that? I had a lot going for me, I already didn’t like the same things I thought other girls liked, so I was good.  …Right?

These impressions became fundamentally etched into my being. They allowed me to be “The Cool Girl™” and quickly I adopted the moniker of “One of the Guys.” Because, to me, being (like) a guy was way more desirable than identifying as a girl. Sometimes, I would even say things like, “Aren’t you glad I’m not like those other girls? They’d be mad if you said/did xxxxxx thing. But not me.” I was an obelisk of obscurity, a commodity to be coveted.

Latching on to those sentiments was so easy for me. I didn’t have a great history in dealing with other double x chromosomes; it just fit like glove. Throughout junior high and high school, I had a handful of female friends, but only clung to those with similar interests. I recall very distinctly feeling both a sense of jealousy and superiority toward other girls simultaneously. Jealousy because I suffered through unsurmountable insecurity as a teenager, and superiority because I was nestled in the perfect presumption that I would always be better or smarter than them collectively. These were thoughts that existed somewhere deep, down in the darkest reaches of my being only to resurface later in life.

As I got older and matured, I found myself in some questionably abusive relationships. Often, I would agree with their misogynistic tendencies and somehow blame myself for the mistreatment I endured. These types of relationships became a pattern, resulting in a few different things: -Me hitting rock bottom in terms of dealing with my own self-esteem.

-My hatred for other women reaching an all time high.

-The eventual realization of how and why I was wrong all along.

These realizations started in my early twenties. Becoming an adult was exceedingly difficult for me, because I already had so much mental and emotional baggage I lugged with me. Around the age of 22, I started getting over an eating disorder I had been battling. Anorexia was a problem of mine that stretched from my teenage years to my early adulthood. And, admittedly, it’s all because of misogyny.

The magazines, the ads, the books, the posters; every where you looked, there was a thin, beautiful woman in your face. That was desirable. That was what I needed to be. What I needed to maintain. Sometimes, I would eat only a small sandwich and a banana in a day. Other times, I would restrict myself to oatmeal and juice. I kept justifying why I wouldn’t eat to make myself feel better. “Oh, I’ve been so busy with work. I didn’t have time to stop and eat.” I’d be with guy friends and they’d see an overweight woman jogging and it was open season. “Haha. Look at that fatty!” They would cry out, laughing.

I felt a knot in my stomach, it didn’t feel right to judge her. I mean, she was trying! Look, there she is! Making an effort!

“At least she’s running, though!” I replied, vehemently trying to defend her.

“Yeah! Running to go eat a donut, I’m sure.” One of them would bleat. I knew that feeling. I spent endless hours at the gym doing cardio to punish myself for a single cosmic brownie I didn’t have the will power to say no to. I would run and sweat and sweat and run, until my face was numb. Sometimes, I saw double. I remember looking in the mirror, blacking out, and waking up on the floor with a bump on my head. I was so dedicated to confining myself within this small body. I wasn’t allowed to take up space. Eating less and working out more was the answer. My overall health didn’t matter as long as I was “desirable.”

Fitness and gym culture became a large influence on my day to day life. One of my other more prominent epiphanies resulted from a common argument: “Why do girls wear makeup to the gym?” At first, I assumed it’s because they want “attention.” They must be there with a full face of foundation, perfect eyebrows, and contoured cheeks because they NEED constant validation. I mulled it over and realized that my views were a result of internalized misogyny. Not everything women do is a performative action to appeal to men. Women wear makeup for a plethora of different reasons. And the fact that I wanted to knock them for it was simply out of jealousy. I wasn’t brave enough to wear makeup to the gym, nor did I ever look as good as they did while doing it. Why did I even care in the first place? What caused me to be so brash? Why did I want so badly to dislike someone for something so simple? I became honest with myself and the answers flowed in. As a result, more topics of scrutiny  began to arise. Dress codes, for example: I used to think that women should cover themselves as to avoid negative attention from the male gaze. I recalled the abuse I dealt with and how I was called a whore, a slut, a skank, you name it, for wearing a skirt, a tight shirt, and eyeliner. When discussing sexual assault or rape, people say things like, “Look how she was dressed! She deserved it!” trying to place blame on the victim as opposed to the perpetrator. I thought of myself, as a victim of rape and assault. I thought of how my abuser tried to make it my fault and how I reflected those actions unto others in the same situation. The fact of the matter is, a lot less rapes would happen if a lot less people would stop raping other people. Period.

My early twenties consisted of working in a largely male-dominated industry. I was often the butt of jokes, the target of blatant sexism, and a victim of harassment. A lot of my male coworkers expected me to balk to this behavior, but I was growing ever tired of the constant barrage of backhanded remarks and unwanted advances. I was accused of working at a video game store to “impress men.” But, I wasn’t. That wasn’t my intention at all. I loved video games. I always had. Yet, now, somehow, I had to PROVE that I loved them and that it wasn’t for attention. I saw myself as the woman in the gym with makeup, the one who wore it just to wear it, but got accused of doing it for someone else. Everything was starting to make sense to me. All of these circumstances were linked. My hatred toward women was more of a coping mechanism than anything else. It let me feel better about myself and provided me with a false sense of security. What I kept forgetting is that *I’m* also a woman, no matter how much I try to set myself apart. I couldn’t justify the disdain.

Ironically, fitness also acted as a significant step in my healing process. I connected with women who power lift and dare to look “masculine” without fear of judgement or ridicule. I learned to eat and treat food and respected my body as a vessel of my mind, as opposed to a temple of temptation. I started lifting weights and doing yoga. It was for me. Not for anyone else. And it felt great. I started wearing compression shorts, not to show off, but to be comfortable in my movement. Each time I would stretch them up my waist and walk out the door, I would recall how I used to see women who would wear them and think to myself, “How wrong was I!?”

What remains constant is that women can (and should) like what they want, but it never comes without ridicule. Ridicule is a reaction that is bred from one of three things: envy, projection, or insecurity. People are so ingrained to automatically have contempt for anything a woman does. Society takes any and every chance it gets to paint women in a negative light and perpetuate the terrible stereotype that has become commonplace. When you start seeing women as people with value, and not as objects, competition, or second class citizens to scorn, you become more satisfied with yourself as a result.

Internalized misogyny is a very real thing. It’s what caused me to see myself as less of a person due to my gender, develop an eating disorder, allow myself to be abused, and convinced me that I should act a certain way just so I could be called “cool.” That’s right, I used bigotry against other women just to gain brownie points with other people. And I’m not proud of it. What’s important is that I admit it, and hopefully my honesty will influence others to understand how easy it is to fall prey to this phenomenon.

Women are wonderful. Women are powerful. And there’s nothing to be ashamed of if you’re a woman.

[republicstandard]

The Dark Vision Of Renaud Camus

“The Game Of Global Domination”—the motto of the board game Risk

“They are dismantling the sleeping middle class.  More and more people are becoming poor.  We are their cattle.  We are being bred for slavery”---from the movie They Live

“Once the science of management had been perfected and everything was reduced to a unit of production it was perfectly natural that they turned their sights to their final prey, man”

Renaud Camus has gained fame and notoriety for his theory of the Great Replacement, for suggesting that perhaps Jews might not be the best interpreters of French Culture, and for being prosecuted right and left for saying sensible things about African immigration.  The Great Replacement is of course the hallmark of his work but it is only one component, and he possesses an even darker and more dystopian vision of our future, a future run by a hostile and malevolent elite clique managing the world, managing the “human park”, a neo-feudal system with full rights of ravage and no obligation of the honorable.  In short, he has a theory of the case.

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His vision shares much with that of William Pierce’s idea of the New World Order. Pierce pointed out that in 1999 then NATO commander Wesley Clark gave voice to the emerging feudal overlords, the “we” being the most important part of what he said, and few grimmer words have been spoken:

“There is no place in modern Europe for ethnically pure states.  That is a 19th Century idea, and we are trying to transition into the 21st century, and we are going to do it with muti-ethnic states”

Pierce himself outlined the vision when he said that:

“The New World Order schemers have the ultimate aim of creating a homogeneous population of coffee-colored serfs---docile, predictable, and interchangeable”

Camus takes up this vision and shows how it operates, what the crime is, and who it’s perpetrators are.   He calls what they’re doing Global Replacism, the elites’ creation of a Global Slum which they will rule from their feudal redoubts, rule the docile serfs, who in the end will be dispensed with entirely, hence the catch phrase “genocide by substitution”--substitution is the means, genocide the goal.

In describing the global ruling class Mr. Camus cancels the distinction between the so-called democracies and the authoritarians indicating that they are but differing sides of the same global coin, they are all one overlord class seeking  to exercise universal rule and global domination:

“The torturing Chinese dictatorship and the self-liberating Western democracies reveal the same background, the generalized surveillance, the aspiration to the total control of the sections of the human park of which they respectively manage.”

In the future it will be humanity itself which will be the central obstacle to the dreams of our elites.

It is the “human park” that they are after, the relegation of human beings to zoo animals, penned in, livestock, serfs, slaves.  The central means by which this is accomplished is “Global Replacism” the reducing of everything to units of production that can be interchanged with anything else.   This happens on a global scale:

“For better or worse, everything is being replaced by something else: something simpler, more convenient, more practical, easier to produce, more at hand and, of course, cheaper. Las Vegas displays a fake Venice in Nevada, Spain establishes a mock Las Vegas in Castilla, China has its own Paris near Peking — a much safer place than the real one for the traveler and for the local dweller alike.”

His ultimate vision is dark indeed:

“Men, women, women's football ... The Clique presents this as a progress of equality, therefore of democracy. This is a progress only of Undifferentiated Human Matter, the industries of man, of the scraping of the species in standardized liquid for the plastic cans of the global slum.”

So if one were bent on the creation of a neo-feudal system, complete with dishonorable rights of ravage, a global slum, of global substitution, global replacism, of genocide by substitution, extermination, how would one go about it?  What are these crimes?   Who are these criminals?   And what judgment?

RACE

The first way the Replacist Power operates is by means of race-mixing, race-mixing in the sense of miscegenation  (the flood of ads showing black men and white women coupling) and race-mixing in the sense of mixing the races together, multi-racialism, multiculturalism (the famous French vivre ensemble “living together”).  Camus insists that anti-replacism is a humanism, and that he is for the preservation of all races in their indigenous, pristine, and original form.  So like the Dalai Lama he would say Europe is for the Europeans, Tibet for Tibetans etc.  But elites know that there is an unimaginable strength in these primordial identities and hence their desire to break them up via race-mixing, to demoralize and disorient the peoples of the world so they can offer no resistance.  They want to pick us off, one free white man at a time.

The nominal belief in the non-existence and the equality of the races preceded World War 2 but it was the negative reaction to Hitler’s racial nationalism that allowed it to prevail wholesale. To paraphrase Peter Brimelow the entire ideology of the modern left, of the official anti-racism as dogma, is the posthumous revenge of Adolf Hitler.  Camus believes that the turning point came in the 1970s:

“I am convinced that the termination of the concept of race in the 1970s was the moment which made everything that followed possible; and made (almost) impossible any resistance to what was to happen — mass immigration, invasion, colonization, ethnic substitution.”

“The dogma of the inexistence of races, proclaimed in 1970s, is the credo quia absurdum of both anti-racism (in its second phase) and global replacism. It has much in common with the Roman Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.”

The not so subtle sleight of hand is that if races don’t exist then there can be no objection to their mixing, because there’s nothing there to be mixed, nothing mixing, so of course it’s not a problem for a country to be inundated by different races, to be subject to racial swamping, because, of course, that’s not what’s happening---because races don’t exist.  Such is the absurd logic foisted on us to such an extent that is has become official ideology, unimpeachable dogma.

The title under which belief in the non-existence of the races goes is “anti-racism”, the evil teaching of our time.  Like it’s progenitor, human rights, anti-racism is inherently genocidal.  As a hatred of war led to the Second World War so anti-racism has led to the racial swamping of France, Europe, and America.  Anti-racism and it’s offspring, tolerance and diversity, is what has made everything possible.

“Anti-racism plays exactly the same role leading to the Second Occupation and its Collaboration, as pacifism did to lead to the First Occupation and to it’s own Collaboration. One cannot want to step out of history and at the same time pretend to remain free.”

And if there is one thing that the Ruling Class knows except that the races don’t exist it’s that these non-existent entities are all equal (even as some of these things that don't exist are more equal than others).

EQUALITY

“Equality between parents and children has destroyed family and transmission. Equality between teachers and students destroyed the School. Equality between citizens and non-citizens has destroyed the nation. The equality between Christianity and Islam destroys France.”

If anti-racism is the official ideology of the Ruling Class, the Replacist Power, the belief in equality is it’s evil twin.  Equality is the official dogma of Human Rights which, as such, are inherently genocidal. Equality is a leveling of all distinctions into the great digested mass of undifferentiated human matter (UHM).  It is an industrial process of liquefying meant for easy handling and for best storage.

“The principal ideal involved is equality. The principal interest at work is normalization, standardization, similarity, sameness — needless to say, equality is the condition to those.”

“Do you know that every time someone proposes to abolish a border, between nations, between peoples, between civilizations, between races, between classes, between genres, between genders, between levels, this person works for Human Nutella?”

Camus calls any indication of inequality “ideological bad news” which is the one thing the Ruling Cass is unable to bear.  So thorough has been this brainwashing and this indoctrination that it is impossible even to think anything other than equality:

“The conceptual apparatus of our time do not allow, by chance, for the conviction that men and women are not equal, or, for that matter, that there is any statutory, or natural, inequality. It is impossible to think that, just as it is impossible to reach by car a fishermen village which is not linked to the hinterland by any road”

The famous Old Republican John Randolph said “I love liberty, I hate equality”.   Camus feels much the same way:

“I believe in the equality of nothing—except by chance, or by a sometimes legitimate coup d’État of the law. Equality, as soon as it leaves its legal and political bed, destroys everything it touches — vessels, ramparts, cities, men — as Æschylus said Helen of Troy did. Equality between parents and children has destroyed the family, transmission, civilization. Equality between teachers and pupils, or between good pupils and bad pupils, has destroyed schools, teaching, knowledge. Equality between high culture and entertainment has destroyed culture. Equality between citizens and non-citizens is destroying citizenship, states, nations. Equality between century-old local traditions and mores and imported ways of life and foreign traditions will leave nothing standing, or worth standing, of any nation. In France and in Europe, equality between Christianity and Islam spells death for French culture and European civilization.”

Thus equality is a dissolving agent, an evil homogenizing scourge which wrecks everything in it’s path, liquefying it, cutting it down and cutting it down to size. Equality is the path of least resistance, the path of genocide.

And equality takes the lead in the creation of what Camus calls undifferentiated human matter (UHM), an eradication of all differences, everything reduced to a common denominator in a flat standardized mass.  It’s also what he calls Human Nutella, something liable to be easily and smoothly spread across the face of the earth.  For the Replacist Power wants nothing more than to do away with, to abolish all differences, between nations, peoples, cultures, races, sexes, because they know that nothing presages the totalitarian like Global Humanity.

“Who does not see that the incessant appeals for more equality, between the sexes, between ages, between souls, between classes, between races, serve in fact only to better grind down man, to make him more homogeneous and standardized, for the industries of the UHM?”

And, of course, we see that massive push for “gender” equality, for trans rights, for the denial of biological sex, for men in women’s sports, for hormone blockers, for boys being girls and vice versa.  Rooting out the most fundamental of all natural differences is the most fundamental of their wishes:

“It is becoming more and more evident that the Replacist Davocracy and its Clique now consider the question of races as outdated just as they planned. It is the question of the sexes which it now wishes to settle and, like the preceding one, by disappearance, fusion, UHM.”

What they did to the races they want to do to the sexes, make them disappear.

When man is ground down, when he is but an equal mass, he becomes defenseless in the face of slow if relentless assaults by the Ruling Class.

Concomitant with the denial of race and the ideology of equality comes the wholesale attacks of the root of everything, of culture itself, of civilization, for the small replacement heralds the big one like the sea water receding precedes the tsunami.

SEVERING THE ROOTS

Camus is a prolific author; two of his books are called, respectively, The Small Replacement and The Great Replacement.  In his theory the small replacement is what he calls “deculturation”, the end of culture, what T Lothorop Stoddard called “the revolt against civilization”, the creation of an anti-culture, an anti-civilization.  It is the attack on high culture and replacing it with the low, it is an attack on the classics and replacing them with Gender Studies.   It is a universal daze, a kind of stunning of the cattle, and the small replacement heralds the big one like the sea water receding precedes the tsunami.

If you want to destroy a people you destroy their heritage, you destroy their history, you destroy their classics, their past, their heroes, their culture, their language, their literature; perhaps in the end you leave them only with their eyes so they can witness their destitution.

Recently we have seen Mark Zuckerberg’s sister attack the Western Classics, no less a personage than Meghan Markle has suggested that we “decolonize the curriculum” and of course as far back as the 1980s at Stanford anti white zealot and too slick by half race impresario Jesse Jackson made the infantile chant “hey hey ho ho western civ has to go” which set Peter Thiel on the road to anti PC.  And of course Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who had some reason to know, said that if you want to destroy a people first sever it’s roots.

Mr. Camus calls this severing the “small replacement”, that which heralds the big one the way the sea water receding precedes the tsunami. The small replacement is the eradication of standards, the erosion of taste, the disqualification of distinction, the outlawing of discrimination.  It’s a world where seventy year old thinks nothing of dancing as if they were twelve.

His prime culprit, at least in France, is sociologist Pierre Bourdieu.  Mr. Bordieu came up with the novel idea that people with educated parents tended to be more educated, determined that this was unfair, and solved it by recommending that no one become educated.   An ill educated mass of people equally ill educated is at least equal.

“Bourdieusians and pedagogists in French and other educational systems, whatever they might have wanted to do, have in fact operated along exactly contrary lines. Since they could not insure that the non-inheritors would inherit, they made it sure that the inheritors would not.”

“He (Bourdieu), at least, and, I imagine, most of the innumerable disciples he has had in France — where they have been running the educational system for forty years —, and in the world, wanted the privilege of children with educated parents put to an end, as a privilege, by being offered to all children.”

Of course what you offer to everyone you offer to no one.  For Camus there has to be privilege, there has to be inheritance, there has to be transmission, there has to be lineage, and distinction, discrimination, taste.

“The hereditary class (and it must be a class) has a privilege, it’s privilege, namely culture, won’t always be transmitted: there will always be failures in transmission. For that reason it has to be partly renewed with each generation: lineages dropping out, lineages coming in. But it has to remain partly hereditary.”

When the lines of heritage and the roots are cut the message of our ancestors can’t get through, no longer speaks.   It’s like a plant that has been uprooted and is living synthetically with chemicals above ground.

“History of equality and its ravages, history of the industrialization of man & Undifferentiated Human Matter, history of the end of lineages & transmission, the perpetual present, the anti-inheritance. Needless to say, these three stories are one story, the story of anti-history”

“The educational system has radically collapsed, cultural transmission is in shambles.”

“Civilization of first names, collapse of the school systems, failure of the transmission, teaching of the forgetting, blocking of the inheritance in the name of equality, end of the lineages, presentism - prelude to the end Time, the end of time.”

Culture gives way to entertainment and, though it hasn’t the right, still calls itself by the name. Camus uses music as his prime example, from high to low, from classical to Pop, from Beethoven and Bach to the banality of Beatles, and from there an even steeper and more  precipitous decline on to the unholy abomination called rap, and says that more than anything contemporary popular music is black music, is the imposition of blackness into the heart of the European peoples.

Plato said that when the music changes the gates of the city crash but when it changes to black music the city itself disappears.

“Those rhythms, generally binary, military, insistent and disquieting like the obstinate sound (boum-boum, boum-boum, boum-boum) of an artificial heart in the operation room of a hospital, are themselves largely inspired, if only through jazz, by African musical traditions. Those also manifest their influence directly, in Europe, without the detour by the United-States but unfortunately through commercial filters which are as many philistine adaptations, if not downright treasons, of what would be, all things being equal, African “classical” music.”

“Music in the new sense, combined with dancing, can be seen, through its huge success in all classes and all ages, as a rising back of Africa in the European body.”

This is an abrogation of culture that ends up in nonsense, in baby talk, in babble, in anti-culture, non-culture, non-civilization, savagery.

“Such ascent is obviously made much easier by the highly noticeable infantilization which has been provoked by general deculturation and which so curiously coincides with the growth of violence and brutality in daily social relations. It seems the more people call themselves by their first names on their first encounter, use baby talk even in a political or official context (ministers or other officials speaking of moms and dads, les mamans et les papas, even in public speeches or official appearances), turn to a flabby and namby-pamby way of expressing themselves, replace manners by the expansive expression of a no less conventional good will—in short shorten if not abolish the distances between them (or so they think), the more the common space is becoming a place of constant aggressive and often criminal behavior.”

Glory was replaced by fame, and fame by notoriety, becomes gossip and finally insensibility and senility.

“The said dictatorship and the Small Replacement (of high culture by popular culture) is never so evident as on the days when a pop star, even a minor one, dies: national programs on television are entirely dedicated to them, all other news disappear, and the general consensus is that the dead artist, who may very well have had no importance whatsoever in the life of his cultured contemporaries, was a life companion for the entire people.”

“But if men and women have to be prepared for general interchangeability, distances between them must be abolished as much as possible, and individuals must be deprived of all the social protections that étiquette, grammar, private property, race, sex or nationality could offer them against global replacement.”

It is the classic case of Frantz Fanon, of how colonial subjects are subject and subjected to:

“Expropriation, spoliation, raids, straight murder are accompanied by a ransacking of cultural systems, or to the very least make the enabling conditions of such ransacking. The social landscape is disrupted; values are flouted, crushed, gutted.”

The small replacement precedes the bigger one, the severing of roots, the weakening of culture, the abandonment of rules, the loss of standards, the abandonment of the past, the end of discrimination, the abolition of taste, the killing of heroes, dead civilizations, worlds washed away.

And this decultured culture, this babble of chaos, is of course made available instantly everywhere, and though if someone had a drinking problem you would not recommend they put kegs and a tap in their basement, most of us walk around with devices eternally hooked up to a fetid, open, global sewer.

What they have now is a raceless mass of equal humanity without a past. This creation lacks distinction, distinction between the races, distinction between the sexes, distinction between each other, distinction of any kind, it is pure product, a ground down Inhuman Nutella ripe for being spread smoothly across the face of the earth, ripe for Global Replacism, they have been prepared to be victims of an enormous crime, ritually prepared.

THE CRIME (GLOBAL REPLACISM)

The powers that be want more power and they ask themselves: who's stopping us? And they conclude the only ones in the way of total global domination are the national populists and they notice these tend to be white folk wedded to tradition, so they do all in their power to destroy them, including allying with the left whom they must regard with chilling contempt

“Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) is the common inspirer, for all practical purposes, of nazism, soviet communism and global replacism. What those three have in common is totalitarianism, concentrationnism, standardization, managerial gestion of the human park.”

“Faux, simulation, imitation, ersatz, simulacrum, copies, counterfeiting, fakes, forgeries, lures, mimics, are the key words of modern human experience. Stone masonry is being replaced by ferroconcrete, concrete by plaster, marble by chip aggregate, timber by PVC, town and countryside by the universal suburb, earth by cement and tar, seaside by seaside resorts, mountains by ski resorts and ski lifts, paths by hiking trails, nature by land-use planning in expectation of economic spinoffs, real people by B&B hosts, clients by friends, friends by clients, culture by entertainment and the leisure industry, exercise by sport, sport by the Olympic Games, the Olympic Games by big business, business by corruption, corruption by doping, literature by journalism, journalism by information, news by fake news, truth by fallacy, last name by first name, last name and first name by pseudonyms, intimacy by familiarity, hearts by artificial hearts, every part of the body by spare parts, history by ideology, the destiny of nations by plain politics, politics by economics, economics by finance, the experience of looking and living by sociology, sorrow by statistics, residents by tourists, natives by non-natives, Europeans by Africans, White Anglo-Saxons by Afro-Americans and Latinos, mothers by surrogate mothers, men by women, women by inflatable dolls, men and women by robots, robots by robot-like humans, peoples by other peoples and communities, humanity by post-humanity, humanism by transhumanism, man by Undifferentiated Human Matter (UHM)”

Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) was a direct descendant of a traveler on the Mayflower, descendant of abolitionists, White Anglo-Saxon-Protestant, the father of scientific management and the efficiency movement. It is on his works that rested the unprecedented surge of affluence in the 20th century.  He was a machine worker who turned man into a machine, into a unit of production. He is the Isaac Newton of work, and he has blood on his hands.

“Frederick Winslow Taylor is the central figure in the history of Replacism, or pre-Replacism.   Although he is certainly not a figure of comparable intellectual scope, he is to replacism what Marx is to communism.  That, of course, is an enormous responsibility.  As writes his most recent editor, “Frederick Taylor has blood on his hands”.  I certainly agree with that: not only blood but sweat, tears UHM (Undifferentiated Human Matter), not to mention mad cows and deaths by drowning across the Mediterranean.  And as he wrote himself, “In the past man has been first; in the future the machine must be first”.  In other words, man will be replaced by machines (robots, electronics, computers, numbers, statistics). From a movie buff’s point of view, global replacism is Metropolis + Modern Times + Soylent Green.”

“In the past man had been first but now the machine, the system will be first”

When a city is under siege the attackers are trying to reduce it, the Global Replacist power wants more than anything to be reductionist, to reduce everything, first to units of production, then to nothing.

“Taylor’s central concept is that of normalization, or standardization. Products, objects, instruments, machine parts will cost less, in time and money, and will henceforth yield bigger profits, if they are the same and can be easily exchanged with one another. Taylorization is always a process towards the same, the sameness of the world, it’s looking like itself (but, consequently, not being it). Standardization is a similarization, but this word has two meanings which, although very similar, must not be confused. Making things, objects, products similar to each other means that they will look and may be the same, but it also means that they won’t be exactly what they were, that to look or be like other objects, instruments, piece of mechanics or products they will have to be similis, copies, imitations, same as others but, by this very fact, different from their original version. Imitation, reproduction, factitiousness, are at the very core  of the Taylorian revolution, which amounts to nothing less than a second Industrial Revolution. Imitation for the sake of mass production, precipitating the era of mass reproduction so well observed and analyzed by Walter Benjamin (and so well exploited by Andy Warhol, Pop Art and Pop Music), is what made Taylorism particularly appropriate and suitable for the advent of the petite-bourgeoisie as the new ruling class, which it certainly helped to achieve”

Frederick Winslow Taylor has blood on his hands.   For once the science of management is perfected it becomes perfectly natural that human management comes next, the tailoring of human beings to fit the Replacist System. The future is too important to leave to humanity.

Global Replacism is the science of human management, of tailoring humans to meet the needs of the system and it’s rulers, for when the science of management had perfected itself and turned everything into a unit of productivity, it was perfectly natural that they would then turn their aim towards man.

In addition to reducing everything the Replacist Power wants to devalue everything, to strip it of value.  They want inflation of words and the currency of reality devalued, until everyone is pushing a wheelbarrow of worthless conceptual dollars through Berlin to buy some butter; and when that happens you can be sure soon there will be transvestites roaming the streets, and worse.

One thinks identity is fantasy, they can be what they dream, man-woman, straight-gay, black-white, a whim, the other thinks it's inscribed in blood, lineage, heritage, ancestors, one is rooted in the real the other takes it perilous flight from it headlong into a raving new world.

They can call a newly arrived person an American, more American than the Americans really, more American than the original, this newly made American, that all they lack is a paper, but really the ones saying that are Americans in name only, the only thing American about them is the paper.

America was created by words on paper and has never lived it down.

In America there is a constant battle over identity, there are those who think that America was based on a race, the white race, and the further one gets away from that origin the more perilous things become; and there are those who think it’s based on a creed (‘all men are created equal’, ‘dedicated to a proposition’, ‘make the world safe for democracy’, ‘a nation of immigrants’) that we are a proposition nation and that any border crosser who stands up on his or her hind legs and assents to the proposition (four score and twenty years ago!) is as American as any Daughter Of The American Revolution, or  more American, really, more original  than the originals. But if a national identity is infinitely malleable then there isn’t one.  Race is older than ideology and will always vanquish it.

Judith Butler is the reigning philosopher of the replacement, she says identity has nothing to do with time, lineage, history, heritage, ancestors, blood, but rather it’s as modern as tomorrow afternoon and often as unknown, and, as such, she has blood on her hands.

“To put it simply, once one accepts the idea that a man can become a woman just by thinking he is one, it is remarkably easy to be persuaded, for example, that England can become ‘other’ than the homogeneous home of the English.”---Andrew Joyce

To explicate this devaluing, this fake real, Camus uses the Platonic dialogue between Cratylus and Hermogene.

“For Hermogene words mean what their common users have decided they would mean, and nothing else; and if the same common users, or others, decide to change that meaning, then it will be changed, whether that pleases the speakers or not. Meaning is but a pure convention, a contract, a deliberation, a pact, an agreement.”

“For Cratylus, on the contrary, words are just as many survivors of time, and their letters and syllables have much to say about their signification and their long journey throughout the centuries. What they are and what they mean do not depend on some arbitrary decision, but on their origin, and on the origin of that origin, and on their endless run uphill in the nervous stream of history, like a salmon swimming counter-current towards the singing spring. Do words like French or British refer to an administrative stamp on some legal document, or to an ancestry, a long experience, a shared history, blood, race, love, culture, civilization?”

“Nouns and adjectives pertaining to nationalities are probably the best and simplest testimonies that for every given word there exists a mute and ferocious rivalry between its Hermogenian meaning — the superficial, administrative, official, legal, scientific, triumphant one, with its ID papers always in perfect order — and its Cratylian meaning, real, deep, profound, hard to explain, poetic and literary.”

“Hermogene, champion of stamping, and who has easier, simpler, more authoritative (be it only the authority of the law, or of dictionaries) ways of playing the game, or running the war, always wins. It is highly probable, though, that he has never won more than he is winning now, if only because a Taylorian world of normalization, standardization, general substitution, badly needs the power to name things and people pretty much as it pleases.  Quartiers populaires, in French, popular districts, refer to districts from which the original, indigenous people, have been expelled.”

And here we get to the crux, or next to the crux, of the matter. Global Replacism at it’s heart, not surprisingly, is about replacing.  It wants to replace something real with something unreal or at least with something virtual, to denature nature and deculture culture, to decivilize civilization, until there is nothing left, except their own fabrication.

“What is being French? What is being European?   Is it a physical reality inscribed in time, in history, in lineages, in verticality, in origins, in the origins of origins?  Or is it a pure convention, a treaty, a protocol, a rubber stamp?”

Judith Butler is the reigning philosopher of the replacement, she says identity has nothing to do with time, lineage, history, heritage, ancestors, blood, but is as modern as tomorrow afternoon and as unknown, and, as such, Judith Butler has blood on her hands, blood mixed with Nutella.

“In industrial and post-industrial societies, especially those where the main industry is the industry of Undifferentiated Human Matter, where man is the producer, product and consumer at once, there is no such thing as a genuine product. The product is what the industrialists say it is on the package. Name is all. And if the name vanishes, then the thing that was named is bound to vanish too.”

“Fakeal is the non-stop creation of the Industries of Daze, a colossal conglomerate which operates in three principal fields: schools, and the educational system in general, busy providing lessons in forgetfulness, the teaching of oblivion; mass dumbing down, operated by the media, the Press, television, the show business, advertising industry, keen to offer, as films and series do, permanent misrepresentations of everything, particularly of races relations, much more intense in their images than they are in reality, with crossbreeding given as an obsessive example, its omnipresence amounting, like all the rest, to uninterrupted propaganda; and, finally, drugs, of which it is interesting to note that, if the other two departments are still largely in replacist hands, this one, at least as far as distribution goes, is already the replacers’ reserved domain.”

If identity is infinitely malleable then there isn’t one, which is exactly what the Replacist Power wants, a nameless, faceless, raceless, sexless easily digestible mass, ripe for the picking, one free white man at a time.

One stampede’s cattle, to herd them into the pen.  Whenever anyone accuses the anti-immigrant forces of being heartless they will invariably accuse them of wanting to round people up. If you are going to shoot fish it’s best they be in a barrel.

“The victimization competition between slavery and concentration camp will soon be rendered meaningless, the two phenomena converging under the effect of the global Davocratic Replacism, which makes man an industrial product like any other, undifferentiated human matter.”

“The relations between concentration, replacement and space, especially space division, is also called attention to by the French philosopher and metaphysician Georges Gusdorf, whose thought, at times, reminds one of his contemporary Gunther Anders, the great theoretician of The Obsolescence of Man, to whom my own reflection is very much indebted.

“One could even say that one of the tragedies of our times consists of the increasing disqualification of human space.  The natural milieu is more and more obliterated, crossed out by the settlement of technique’s new milieu. Spatial structures tend to become more and more homogenous, the differences between the sites blurred by the growing monotony and uniformity of the ways of living.  All cities tend to look alike, as all houses, as do all flats, all lives as well as all the political regimes.  Modern uprooting makes men interchangeable.  For that matter the value of individuals seems to go down at the same time, as that of places, and the modern man is wondering with anguish whether there will soon be nothing but people being displaced in a concentrationnary universe”

With industrialization people left the rural spaces and moved to the cities, concentrating there, white flight moved them out into the suburbs but with more dark skinned people flooding in the last open, white spaces will be gone soon.

Of the change of people itself we have seen how it has become current for a simple reason, in the single magical word “replace” Camus found something devastatingly accurate, terrifyingly simple, and with tremendous explanatory power, it was like hitting the mother lode with the simple stroke of a pen.  Sound doctrine and a lapidary style have a lightening effect.

The Replacist Power engages in the racial swamping of the white countries for many reasons, for cheap labor, to deracinate the native stock, to create consumers, to drive down wages, to make housing expensive, to demoralize, all of which serve the purposes of the  eradication of the middle class and the creation of slaves, the creation of industrial slaves on an industrial scale.

“Never forget that the proletariat, etymologically speaking, is the class whose function it is to reproduce, to proliferate, to provide slaves.   The proletarianization of the world is the reduction of man to the status of a product, preferably industrial.”

“The Global Davocratic elites advocate the Great Replacement, supporting the change of the people and civilization for the sake of the industry of man, the economic system which produces the Undifferentiated Human Matter, the Human Nutella, spreadable at will.”

In Europe they have Eurabia in America we have the browning of America, it is always aimed at the Europeans because the ruling power knows that it is this people, this singular people, this once great people, this formerly great race, and this people alone who are capable of providing any resistance.   With them gone they will be playing the game of world domination with all borders down, with so many coffee colored slaves for their world-wide plantation, all of the rights of ravage---no noblesse oblige.

“The absences of the races, the absences of the nations.  Soon they will proclaim the inexistence of the species, allowing to be sent into the air with the goats, to put the camel in the Human Nutella and to reassure on the biodiversity.”

“If you can get it in your head that the goal is the abolition of every boundary, all distinctions, hierarchies, nuances, to obtain a homogeneous industrial material, man, undifferentiated human material, then everything will become perfectly clear.”

Human rights are their battle cry, but it’s human rights walking on it’s head, to commit a crime against humanity, to clothe genocide in the rhetoric of human rights, is quite a feat, to dress up tyranny as tolerance, enslavement as freedom, standardization as diversity, and genocide as the rights of peoples.

While the sleeping middle class remains asleep their plans thrive.

Raceless, sexless, genderless, totalitarian global humanity, decivilized, denatured, decultured, rootless, deracinated, demoralized, disoriented, equal, standardized, homogenous, concentrated, allowing them to take dead aim.

So if Global Replacism is the crime, this unprecedented crime, this crime against humanity of the 21st Century, then who are these criminals that no Nuremberg could ever possibly call to account?

THE CRIMINALS

For this unprecedented crime, and for the criminals, there will be no Nuremberg, for what tribunal could judge it?

So who are these criminals?  Frederick Taylor, for one, has blood on his hands.  In the White Nationalist movement the answer would be easy: Jews.  Jews were the Replacist Power before there ever was such a thing, they were the Replacist Power avant la lettre, as it were, but certainly sine qua non.  Camus rejects this identification out of hand and indeed the cry in Charlottesville of Jews Will Not Replace Us! occasioned him to release his only work on the Great Replacement yet translated into English, an amalgam of his various writings on the subject called, pointedly, You Will Not Replace Us!  Now perhaps if you could create an eternal media embargo and shoot him full of sodium pentothol he might admit that somewhere some way there was a Jew or two in the woodpile somewhere, but perhaps not:

“I was deeply shocked to learn that, during the notorious anti-replacist demonstration in Charlottesville, in 2017, next to the people who were shouting You will not replace us!, which, of course, I thoroughly and enthusiastically approve of, as the very cry against post-humanism, some, a minority, and a very small one I hope—I am very much accustomed to the ways of the mainstream press, and I know their delight in mentioning as central, in the actions of their adversaries, what was in fact totally marginal—were shouting Jews will not replace Us! It is not the Jews that are replacing you. Taylor was not a Jew. Ford was not a Jew, and indeed, as we have seen, he was highly anti-Semitic. Soros is, admittedly, Jewish, and he does play an essential part in global replacism, as have done, on a smaller scale and with much more limited means, many a Jewish intellectual, journalist, columnist or writer, red-hot promoters in their time of massive immigration, or mass migration. But this has perceptibly changed, fortunately (from my point of view); and the proportion of replacist Jews and anti-replacist Jews is now almost reversed. In any case, Jews are very much divided on that issue, which makes them no different from any other community.”

Who, then, does he consider the guilty?  He has many names for them: the clique, the hyper-rich, the Replacist Power, Davocratic Replacists, and, most usually and simply, the Davocracy (Macron being it’s foremost errand boy, having ended the traditional parties) Concerned as he is with lineages he writes:

“I have tried on several occasions to sum up (through tweets!) the genealogy of Replacism and its present marital status. It could run more or less like this: Replacism, the son of Antiracism and High Finance (themselves, respectively son of Egalitarianism and Anti-Facism, and daughter of Taylorization and Ultraliberalism, granddaughter of Industrial Revolution and Capitalism) marries Petite-Bourgeoisie, daughter of Democratization and Welfare State, grand-daughter of French Revolution and Proletariat. Several of those names are names of dynasties, that have been running for several generations. It is notably the case of Industrial Revolution, whose dowry provides the opulence of the whole tribe. Central here to the family tree is Taylorization, and, before that, plain Taylorism”

These criminals will always cry human rights, they dress up genocide in it’s rhetoric, which is a neat trick, this international gang of criminals, they have a hundred year plan; is it an accident that space travel is being privatized?  No mere government will ever restrain their boundless perfidy, they have insulated themselves in the prefect cocoon, they have denationalized themselves, slipped surly bonds of their birth, they have made a separate peace, and for these unprecedented crimes, these crimes against humanity, the crime sine qua non of the 21st century, they will never have their Nuremberg, no mere tribunal can deal with the enormity.

Another word for this international gang of criminals is the elite, the managerial class:

“The Replacist Power can also be described in Soviet terms as the media-political-industrial-intellectual complex, empowered by it's judge-like journalists, it's censor-like judges, it's industrial-like publishers, it's media-magnate-like industrialists, it's organic intellectuals, it’s backroom controls, it’s court sociologists.”

Their ambition is limitless:

“We can see the powers, and in this case the Davocratic Replacist Powers, arrogating progressively over all beings all the powers of the ancient gods, and especially the unique gods - hence their easy alliance with Islam.”

It is in short the entire ruling class, the “meritocratic” elite, the creative class, the rich, the hyper rich, the Davos Set, the symbolic analysts, the ones who control the perfected algorithms of the future.

“They all belong to the hyper-rich, and what the hyper-rich want is the uninterrupted mass production of the factories which churn out Undifferentiated Human Matter (UHM). Nothing else matters to them.”

Macron is the perfect poster boy for this set, the emblem par excellence, a Rothschild banker who ran as a technocratic managerial centrist, got rid of the parties and spoke indiscreetly of becoming Jupiter in his court of sycophants and minions:

“As for the other, upper, end of the economic and political spectrum, I think the media and the people did not pay enough attention to an innocuous remark of ex-president François Hollande about his much criticized successor Emmanuel Macron. Asked whether Macron was the president of the rich, Holland snapped:  “No, he is not the president of the rich (long surprised silence).  He is the president of the very rich”.

“Macron is indeed, in my opinion, the best local representative on earth of what I have called Davocracy, the government of the planet by Davos, that Swiss ski resort where the Great Paymasters of the world, bankers and giants of finance, congregate once a year to decide how the planet should be run according to its best interest and theirs.”

“Macron is even, again in my opinion, the best example of the reality of direct Davocracy, the takeover by Davos of the management, without intermediaries, of the human park, to speak like Peter Sloterdijk. This implies the neutralization of the political strata which used to be the interface between the peoples and high finance: now Davos feels strong enough do to without this in-between body, unreliable as it always was.”

These rich masquerade under the guise of any political ideology which will suit them at the moment, they cut their fashions to fit the fevers of the moment, but their only ideology is themselves:

“The official political sympathies of the media, who are the principal instrument of ideological repression—journalists playing all the parts at once, informer, police officer, commissar, prosecutor, judge, executioner—of the Thought Police, are of no significance whatsoever.”

He sees these managers, however, as essentially using the left for their purposes, though there is no power on earth more in favor of open borders than Global Capital:

“Replacism is the implementation of an idea of the left, anti-racism, serving interests of the right, general interchangeability.”

Camus started out a man of the left, a novelist and literary icon, a gay icon, hob nobber with the Warhol set, an enabler of the small replacement (there’s blood on his hands for an in the spirit of the Cultural Revolution 1970s novel called Tricks about twenty-five random sexual encounters, the manual of the Small Replacement clearly specifies that however tenderly rendered eight is the absolute limit); and he still retains parts of this ideology, such as a concern with over-population and ecology; he also has libertarian streak a la Pym Fortuyn.  But whatever else he is he has officially migrated hard to the hard right, or at least he has created fellow travelers of the right, or become one himself, and birds of a feather are tarred together, and has gained the lasting enmity of the left.  As he has said he follows the truth wherever it takes him which is why the swastika follows him wherever he goes, it’s an unerring barometer; where truth has been the swastika follows.

He sees the left as deeply complicit with replacism, perhaps unwittingly so, perhaps cynically so.  We see this in the Bernie Sanders of the world complaining that open borders are a “Koch Brothers idea” and talking about the American working class and the prerogatives of nation states and then turning around and waiving in 80 year old diabetic grandmothers because he has to appeal to the freak show his party has become, deploring the ever laying one finger on one hair on the head of an illegal because, of course, he has no integrity and he wants to win.  It’s how capital, allegedly, famously even, of the right, is woke and takes the side of every far left cause, to beat us down.   It’s how antifa has become the jackboots of global capital. It’s how cultural Marxism led them to abandon the white working class in favor of fashionable and exotic pet minorities, and led them to strip away the substance of the middle class even as it imported global humanity to keep wages down and investors' profits up.  Corporations know that every body added means wages are a little lower, prices are little higher, land is worth a little more, houses are a little more expensive, and so they use global humanity as a hammer, to beat us down. The sleeping middle class is not sleeping, it’s dead, they breed us for slaves.  Corporations had a bad reputation so they decided to take up every deviant notion of the left to buy their silence, buy their complicity, rainbow flags, men in the restrooms with girls, fetus murdering in Georgia, they’re fully on board in the boardroom.  Kowtowing to fashionable minorities is not even a price to pay for getting a pass on shipping the jobs overseas, even as the barista with the green hair and the steel hoop in her septum waives them on.

When Ralph Nader was around corporations were execrated by the left, they had their Battles Of Seattle and their Occupy Wall Street, then in a change of breathless gall they acquiesced to them when Corporations abandoned White America and threw in with the most unholy thing the left could think up, buying their silence, when we were young we used to just call them weirdos and move on but now they are all decked out with their own ideology complete with corporate sponsorship.

“High Finance was an old lady of practically unlimited means but execrable reputation. She was well aware of being obliged, in a media saturated society, where one’s “image” is everything, to try and build a better one. Someone introduced to her Anti-racism, a popular young man of impeccable credentials (at that time)……..”

“Contrary to what one may have thought, those two (High Finance and Anti-Racism) soon discovered they had a lot in common, notably the hatred of segregation, discrimination, borders, frontiers and the like, everything that might lead to a distinction between human beings. They were also highly complementary. Anti-racism provided the couple with a good name and with absolute protection against all criticism: how could anyone criticize virtue, goodness, generosity, equality, fraternity between people from all walks of life? Finance provided it with money, power, total mastery of the media—all the more so that money and power, thanks to that unexpected union, had virtue on their side, which might one day come handy, and it did, to alleviate the qualms of a few idealistic or extremely naive journalists.”

The left love the rich now, and the rich love the left, in America the Democrat Party used to be the party of society’s downward falling and the Republicans of the winners, but the reversal of this in now almost complete.

“One could object here that the power or powers which want this state of affairs, the Great Replacement, global replacism, the industries of replaceable man, and who have chosen Macron to be their representative in France, the local governor for Davocracy, are probably the richest people in the world”

The left love the rich now, and the rich love the left, in America the Democrat Party used to be the party of the society’s downward falling and the Republicans of the winners, but the reversal of this in now almost complete.   Everywhere the rich and the left are in an unholy alliance.

In this way the Replacist Power sides with the "noble" causes that are strictly none of it's concern, selling slavery as freedom, tyranny as tolerance, sameness as diversity, genocide as human rights.

“The genius of the Replacist Davocracy is to make work incessantly for the interests of the hyper rich (the increase of the number of the consumers, the industrialization of the man, etc.) the progressive forces of left, the antifas, the beautiful souls ...”

“If the Left were what it believes itself to be, humanist and the protector of the humanity of man, it would stand up against the industrialization of human matter, the general interchangeability, all that the interests of the hyper rich demand, and that it actually serves.”

The elites, the clique, the powers that be, the left, who specifically is guilty of this unprecedented crime, this crime against humanity?

At times Camus seems to think it’s a machine that’s been wound up, an interplay of evil forces beyond any one person’s or one group’s control:

“Personally I have never imagined that a group of people with evil intentions congregated one day in some big luxurious executive room and decided that they would change the population of Europe for a cheaper one that would growth faster in quantity. I think it is more evil than that. Some people incriminate the Jews, others incriminate the European Union, some think Wall Street or the IMF are entirely responsible. There might be some truth in any of those assumptions, but I would rather think of some enormous, bizarre and complex processes, so intricate that no one can understand perfectly how they work and why, and no one can master and stop them once they are started. They are very much started. It is for us to break the machines which churn out men like other churn out cookies, or Nutella. The problem, as I see it, is not so much the replacement of men by robots as the replacement of robots by men, dazed machines made of flesh, covered in diplomas, extremely violent to one another but fundamentally obedient to the general plan.”

It is that most time honored of things: the Ruling Class, the meritocratic elite, the college professor, the aid worker, the NGO, the State Department employee, the public union employee, the newspaper editor, the fashion magazine publisher, the movie producer, the script writer, the CEO, the op-ed writer, the diversity czar, the barista with the green hair and the steel hoop in her septum,  they all are wittingly or unwittingly in favor of the Great Replacement, they work for it night and day.  That some do it out of what they consider to be humanitarianism is irrelevant; others do it from greed, or malevolence, but once a sound doctrine is in place these distinctions lose their meaning:  and humanitarianism can as easily be misplaced guilt, and all are foes in the friend/foe binary, so the perpetrators of the great replacement, of global replacism are those who are working for it, or who approve of it, or who ignore it when they should know better, or are blind to it, or who do nothing about it when they certainly could.  That there are generals and foot soldiers, collaborators, occupants, fools, traitors, quislings, opportunists, and more, will become less important over time, when the fatal trajectories converge.

“Governments — and not only governments: the Press, the media, intellectuals, judges — are not only coping with this state of affairs, as mere collaborators would. They have created it, either because they think it is right, because they think it is unavoidable, or because they have construed it as an instrument serving their own interest. And most likely they think it is right because they feel (wrongly, in the long run, as we shall probably see) that it is both unavoidable and in their interest. They are not collaborators, they are perpetrators (of the crime of ethnic substitution). And such, and so tragic, is the conjuncture in Europe today, as it is given over to invasion, chaos, Islamization and that worst of all genetic manipulations, the change of people, that all the words which try and describe what is happening evolve through the same three phases as collaboration, occupation, or colonization went through : at first they seem widely exaggerated  then they appear sadly adequate, and finally they prove sorely understated, embarrassingly inferior to the reality of the horror, guilt and grief they are purported to denote.”

The perfect crime is when the perpetrators can brand any one who objects a criminal.

After such knowledge, can there be forgiveness?

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JUDGEMENT

This is the general plan that they are obedient to, these are the perpetrators of the crime, but what judgment can be meted out?   What solution?  What’s to be done? Who will remember the people?

First, Camus is an anti-natalist.  Contrary to many white nationalists who want a proliferation of white people he sees nothing wrong with a slow decline in white numbers provided they can do so in relative peace, relative insularity, the peace of having that thing that seems the most evil to the powers that be, having a country to call their own.

“The state of the Earth requires population decline (and probably all others). The interests of the Davocracy require the permanent increase of the number of consumers.  It replaces declining races everywhere with proliferating races.”

If he has a magical word it is remigration, they have to go back where they came from, the should be famous French Degas!

“Without remigration there will be no liberation. Liberation (of conquered land, occupied country, colonized people) and remigration (of the conqueror, occupying forces, colonialist settlers) are one and the same thing.”

Conservatism has now long since passed it’s sell by date, there’s little to nothing remaining worthy of conservation, only a thorough, remorseless and unsparing and draconian rooting out will do.

“In a world that has become horrible - the global slum - I do not understand how one can be conservative. One must be a reactionary, that is to say, require polluters to clean up, vandals erased, wind turbines destroyed & invaders they must remigrate”

Anti-natalism, remigration, reaction: but what prospect for this is there?  Is not a long stalemate more likely? Given the sad state of affairs in the so called self-liberating democracies, what are the odds that this is not a chimera?  There may be a way, or several ways, but the will, thus far, is sorely lacking, and the media reigning official ideology exerts it’s deadening, monotonous and powerful effects:

“Mind Control has improved in unimaginable proportions. Information is everywhere; it passes into our utmost intimacy; we even produce it ourselves, for each other, and in the dictatorship of petite-bourgeoisie, as we have seen earlier, everyone is the dictator of all the others”

“Acceptance of the unacceptable is a mystery, unless one realizes that technological progress has made the industry of illusion and the manufacturing of daze infinitely more efficient than it used to be even in the relatively recent period of the Soviet dictatorship.”

“Davocratic Replacism and the UHM industries will give a new meaning to the old word of "autocracy": government by the government, management of the human park by robots (sometimes human), dictatorship without dictator other than the algorithm, to profit alone.”

In short, there is an ideological blackout, the truth is forbidden, criminalized, they have turned the neat trick of committing the perfect crime so enormous is it and anyone who says so is branded a criminal or a lunatic.  The people are perishing but talking about it is bad form.

If all else fails there’s always the old American social custom of self defense.

“In all the history of humanity rare are the leaders who have deliberately surrendered their country to foreign conquest and their people to the replacement. This crime is virtually unprecedented.”

Camus says anti-racism, diversity, tolerance is Hitler, but Hitler walking on his head. Silicon Valley introduced itself to America with a famous Super Bowl Commercial where they were hurling a hammer at Big Brother and his oppression but in an insidious twist of fate they've become the power that needs to have the hammer hurled at.   The ones who promised liberation have become the enslaving power.

The very ones who celebrate diversity are the ones who want to abolish all borders, all distinctions, all discrimination, all differences, between nations, peoples, cultures, races, sexes.

Perhaps the only hope is in accelerationism or in playing for time, and perhaps which doesn’t matter.  Eventually things will come to the sticking point, the number of whites will decline and the number of whites who flock to our banner will increase, and these fatal trajectories will converge in the twilight of civil war.

The national populist movements that have been cropping up around the world are in fact the last chance to rein in the present Ruling Class and prevent them from turning the world into what they want it to be, their private plantation.

“Population swamping or ‘demographic invasion’ is a different matter entirely.  It undermines the very identity of a nation or the people targeted by the swamping.  The major threat associated with it is that it might very well be irreversible.”

The signal word “irreversible” here is the headline, what grabs our attention, we all sense the end of something, the coming to the end of the line, the end of the story. That arch racist Jean Raspail wrote a sympathetic novel called Who Will Remember The People?  It is about the eradication of an indigenous South American tribe as the result of repeated encroachment and invasions, and he wrote it because as a humanist he knows that nothing on earth is sadder than to witness the passing away of a people, any people, or to witness the passing away of a distinct way of life.

We all know that ultimately we will need to take our destiny in our own hands, rise up, by political means or otherwise, and do so before the Power perfects it’s last algorithms.

If all else fails there’s always the old American social custom of self defense.

Against this fate of suicidal dispossession may the European peoples speak with one united voice, may they speak in clear tones and with wild cries of execration.

And soon, too, for as Mr. Camus reminds us somewhere we are not bereft of examples, Yugoslavia, Lebanon, South Africa; and their fate could be our fate in the future or, of course, tomorrow afternoon. And should such a fate befall us, as such, there will be blood on our hands

“Truth has a lightning effect, especially on an organism that has been confronted on a daily basis and for years, as the ideal of living together has been, to crushing and often bloodstained denials of its dearest convictions.”

from Republic Standard | Conservative Thought & Culture Magazine https://ift.tt/2Xv4q3D via IFTTT

[ninetyfivepercentdantomasik]

Welcome Back, Slivers

A Love Letter to the Hive from a Magic: The Gathering Player

I’ve been into card games since I was about 8 when Yu-Gi-Oh first came to American television. Around Middle School, I started hearing about Magic: The Gathering. Mostly from my fellow card game players. My main hesitance stemmed from a bad early exposure to it. Namely, being told it was better than the game I loved, the game I loved was stupid, and when I did learn the rules and give it a try my opponent gave me scraps to fight against a fully fleshed-out deck it had no chance against. So, not the best introduction to the game.

Years later, in college, I met a group of guys who I could play card games (still Yu-Gi-Oh) almost constantly with. As in, we literally played almost every day for anywhere from 2-9 hours. I have that group and card games to thank for making my college experience a fun one and keeping me out of trouble. Around Junior year, some of our players made the transition to Magic. Wary from my bad experiences with people who said it was the “better” game, I was resistant to join. In the end though, I trusted these guys enough not to take advantage of me and use this as an excuse to tear the newbie apart to feel superior. You’ll have to remember, at this point we were playing card games so much, we thrived on entertainment and whatever kept things exciting. 2 vs 2, 5 vs 5, 8 vs 8, 3-way free-for-all with each player using two randomly assigned decks from our combined collections, etc. If these guys wanted to keep playing, we had to go in expecting a good game. So they assembled me a deck from their spare Magic cards (Mono-Green, I believe) and we started playing. I rarely won, granted more from my own lack of strategy than anything.

It was still just hard for me to really get into the game with a deck someone else had made for me. So, in my spare time when they played more competitive games, I would go through their spares and look for anything they were willing to part with. A few things I had to concede to Magic over Yu-Gi-Oh was the quality of art on the cards. These cards looked like real paintings and fantasy worlds, not just increasingly buffed-up and armored combat monsters. As an avid doodler and fantasy enthusiast myself, I found cards I could enjoy just for the artwork, even if they weren’t particularly good (Twisted Image was and still is one of my favorites). These cards also had flavor text, little snippets of story info, references, or even jokes that Yu-Gi-Oh parted ways with around the time I turned 9. I started looking for an idea to build around, but since at the time my favorite fantasy creature was unanimously dragons, something which are rare and hard to come by in beginner Magic and thus very unlikely to be simply given away to a newbie, I had to look for something else.

I found a Sliver. This weird little critter with a pointy, eyeless head, a snake-ish body ending in two tails, and one clawed arm. Unusual, but it had an ability that I couldn’t ignore; it gave every Sliver its ability to bring a dead Sliver back to life. I kept looking and found a few more. Nothing special, just more variations on this simple design that all had one ability that they then gave to every other Sliver. It sounded perfect! At first my friends were pretty indifferent to my grabbing a couple Slivers among other things, but when it became clear I wanted to build a whole deck around them, the groanings began. See, what I didn’t realize is that Slivers have a nasty reputation among a lot of Magic players. Anyone who plays them will find themselves at the center of a lovely game known as “Everyone Kill the Sliver Player”. The reason is because, well, they work. Slivers, left unchecked, have a tendency to dominate the game and become unstoppable. Hence Sliver Decks are, while not officially banned, very hated.

Basic MTG 101; the way a Sliver Deck works is basically by playing as many Slivers as possible. Each one has a unique ability that it gives to every other Sliver. 1 Sliver has 1 ability, 2 Slivers have 2 abilities, 5 Slivers have 5 abilities, and so on. The math adds up fast. Storywise, Slivers function kind of like the Aliens. Operating via a Hive Mentality, directed by a Queen, existing mostly to hunt, eat, and multiply, often to the misfortune of anything else that happens to live in the world. They’re not actually evil, they aren’t bred for pure destruction like the Alien, they don’t kidnap victims to be implanted with baby Slivers that rip out your chest to painfully kill you. They’re more like ants. If ants were much bigger and did things besides bite. They’re just doing ant things and everything & everyone else just happens to be in the way. Hence, conflict.

I told my group I wasn’t looking to make some kind of monster. I was using scraps from their spares, almost nothing above a common rarity. Few of my friends even had any Slivers that could really be considered problematic, but the stigma and fear of runaway Slivers prevailed. There’s a Sliver for almost every single ability in the game, which means they can theoretically do just about anything. The terror of what that implies goes deep in a lot of Magic players, so I had to do whatever I could to prove to them I wasn’t trying to kill the fun of competition with a super serious deck.

I liked the idea of a simple design with several dozen variations from an artistic standpoint, and having a deck full of cards that each explained an ability or dynamic of a game I was still learning was extremely helpful. Their flavor text also crafted a simple enough story that I could follow without having to know too much MTG mythology. I loved Slivers because I thought they were cool, not because I thought they would win. So they became a sort of side project for me as I grew more & more interested in Magic. Eventually, my friends came around and started looking for other common Slivers in the spare cards of their friends and in card shops for me to add to my collection, wary not to give me anything too strong for fear of what might happen if the Slivers came fully online. I was happy with my little Black/White Sliver Deck. Crypt Sliver, Clot Sliver, Mindlash Sliver, Metallic Sliver, Plated Sliver, Armor Sliver, Lymph Sliver, Basal Sliver, Spectral Sliver, Frenzy Sliver, and the one nastier card my friends permitted me, Ward Sliver. Surprising everyone including me, the deck worked pretty well in our little group. It wasn’t unstoppable like my friends feared, but it was damn effective.

I have fond memories of the Slivers because it made the game fun for me when for so long it had just been a negative experience. They helped me get more interested in the game I now love and broke down a lot of barriers. My Sliver Deck reminds me of the days when I was still a new player and was collecting cards simply because I liked them. For that, the Slivers will always hold a special place in my heart. And nowadays, when I’m on a particularly unpleasant losing streak and my friends are getting a little too overconfident, I have a fully online Sliver Deck that reminds them how quickly the tables can turn. And they can hate it all they want.

[checkyesifulikeme]

this is just me being emo over my boyfriend because a month or so ago we decided today’s our one year and i Love him so you don’t need to read this like at all but if you want to....b my guest! 

i never in 1 million years thought i would meet someone like dorian. NEVER. never never never. listen. the ~year or so before we met was my first time being single and feeling completely okay. feeling happier than i’d ever felt before just exploring my interests and making new friends and doing new things, i’ll always cherish that time because i really feel like that’s when i began to know me as i am today. i always felt so detached from who i was growing up. i never made many friends, throughout middle school i was almost completely alone save for my online friends who i love with my whole heart and am still friends with almost a decade later like.........what. but anyways i was so alone and feverishly rejected every aspect of myself that i felt made me so alone. i was too quiet, too shy, too anxious, too sad, too ugly, too hairy, not smart enough, not funny enough. i’ve criticized myself like this from as early as i can remember. on my 5th birthday i walked away from the little area in the park we’d cleared for my party and played alone by my favorite tree, probably pretending to be a jungle cat or something like that. only within the past couple of years did i realize that all of these things ‘hindering’ me are not actually hindering me at all. the only thing hindering me is my repetitive thoughts of “don’t be like this. you are *insert negative thing here* because you are like this. be like them. be like anything Other. just stop doing what You are doing.” and for a very long time i didn’t realize how damaging this was. i always looked up to my father as a child, like he could do no wrong to me i loved him so very much. but he used to be colder than he is now (he’s softened a bit w age/being w a pisces woman for 10+ years) so he had a very deadpan sense of humor and sometimes made remarks that dug deeper than i think he knew into my soft skin. my dad was never abusive, moreso just disconnected in a way many men are, i think. insensitive is a good word. and i’ve always been hypersensitive yet longed so deeply to be exactly like my father. calloused, but funny. able to pick up and play any instrument i wanted to. good at math. all of that! he built his own bass guitar. i think some of my intense obsession with self critique stems from that idealization of a semi-callous man from a very young age. i’ve always been deeply sensitive and easily bruised but i pretend not to be. i downplay my pain. i downplay my scars. i laugh while i tell stories of being blind-sided by my best friend all while i have a symbol of our friendship inked into the back of my arm (no i don’t regret it). i sat alone with the thought of my mother going to prison. i downplayed my pain. my ex cracked a joke about being my “new mom.” i went home and cried for hours.

but anyways. i’m so off track i really didn’t mean for this to turn into my life story but i have always been super self reflective as i said before. but ANYWAYS. dorian and i began talking after that year or so of being alone. i went from an abusive relationship i’d been in from ages 15-17 to dating an alcoholic 4 years my senior to dating his co-worker who i secretly couldn’t stand. and then i was alone and i was happy and i felt like Me for the first time since i was 15 years old. i was done running from sitting with myself. after said year went by i decided i wanted to say fuck it and just talk to some boys i thought were cute cause i knew i had it like that and was like let’s just be a silly lil ho! but that shit is hard first of all idk why boys do That like i was exhausted from it all bitch it wasn’t even fun. but anyways one of the boys was my Now bf dorian and i thought he was the biggest fuckboy like he exhibited prime fuckboy behavior. before that we’d followed each other for like over a year on twitter and i’d curved him twice so i didn’t rly want to DM him (i thought it would look suspicious of me or something) so instead i found his insta and followed it and played the Waiting game and it worked! we started talking and basically we had like the worst compatibility ever over text imo so i wasn’t that into it but he was cute as h*ll to me so i said fuq it baby! we ended up meeting a few weeks later when i drove 2ish hours up to his city with my then best friend to go to a *** *** concert (i will not expose who this is LMAO) so we had like. 30 minutes to meet beforehand and he was highhhhhhhh off his ass when he rounded the corner of the cafe we were meeting at bitch was toasted bitch was fried out his mind i’m telling U..and the entire time he just flamed my shit. and i literally could not tell for the life of me if he liked me or if he was just saying fuck it and doing whatever. oh also i bought him baby pink nail polish as a surprise because he’d mentioned missing having pink nails but he ran out of his polish so i was like ! on the drive up and stopped at a target to find him one (pretty big move for me TBH i’m so shy about people enjoying their gifts especially a STRANGER like..). but he liked it and i was happy. then that night we were texting once i got back to my city and we teased each other a lot but then the teasing turned into making actual solid plans for him to come stay at my house for a couple of days. i was extremely nervous as you can imagine like i’m a Woman and he’s a Strange Man from another City coming to stay in my Home but my crackhead ass did it anyways and i didn’t die and this all has a happy ending so! that’s good. great even. but yes he came down and stayed the night. the next morning while we were getting breakfast and talking was when i realized oh damn i might actually,,really like him? the night before i’d just felt sorta on edge and paranoid because i have a lot of #trama and don’t trust my own judgement very well due to prior abuse so i was just extremely on guard but my walls came down a tiny tiny bit the next day. we agreed on almost everything and liked a lot of the same stuff, like every other sentence was “me too!” to the point that i thought he was fucking w me just to impress me or something/i was worried he thought i was doing the same. we drove back up to his city that night w a friend of mine to go to Another concert (lana del rey, i’ll expose this one) and i just remember having this feeling deep in my chest. not even butterflies. like when you stick a marshmallow on a branch and shove it into the flames of a campfire and the fluff bubbles and pops and drips the coal below, coating it in a sticky hot glaze. that’s how my heart felt. i listened to the shadows by peter & kerry and chanel by frank ocean and passion fruit by drake (lmfao) and felt like a marshmallow perpetually engulfed in flames. i felt so happy i could cry. i felt a little scared too but mostly happy. that’s also something i’ve read before that always stuck with me. something to do with when you meet the right person it’s not supposed to feel like an excited delirious fit of insects in your belly it’s supposed to feel calm and warm and comforting. and that’s kind of how it felt. i don’t know if that’s a 100% worldly truth because i don’t believe there is ever any one right way of Experiencing anything but i just remember thinking about that quote sometimes and being like “huh.” 

after that initial feeling of falling in love it just kept going. we saw each other for 2ish days every week from then on, until he evntually moved down here at the beginning of august. we’d only been dating for 6 months but a combination of unexpected situations just sorta pushed things along rather quickly. but i wasn’t nervous. which was strange because both of my longer term relationships got a bit rocky around discussing our futures together. i always claimed to dislike thinking too far ahead but in reality i disliked thinking about being tied to said people in said way. but with dorian i just felt joy. we stopped at ikea “just to look” on the way down and bought a vegetable knife, a cat bed for winnie and wesley,  a collapsible tunnel they never played in, 2 giant asymmetrical mauve plates, tupperware with yellow lids and lots of other miscellaneous stuff we didn’t really need nor did we have the money for.

as hard as 2018 was for me i would never reverse a second of it. not for anything in the entire world. i slowly lost all of my high school friends. i slowly lost my mind a little bit too. but he stuck with me through every bit of it. i can’t even begin to get into every wild ass thing that went down throughout the past year but we stood together through it all and that feels so fucking good. i sat on the phone before we lived together and listened to him cry because the world is too cold and i cried with him because i was freezing. he picked me up and carried me home when i ran out of the house crying so hard my head was spinning and i couldn’t see past my tears after the end of one of my longest friendships. a man stared at us from across the street and i sobbed until i couldn’t breathe. 

we’re not perfect people and sure anything could happen. we could break up tomorrow. sure. believe me i know that anything can happen. like i said earlier, i have a sizeable matching tattoo with an ex best friend who i essentially thought i’d end up buried next to. but like i said earlier, no, i don’t regret it. and i would never regret love like this. but i also don’t think i will have to. never have i met someone who wants to understand me so fully. who loves me so unconditionally. who gave me the time to open up and decipher my thoughts and feelings and didn’t get tired of it. who helped me to realize that it isn’t me not functioning like ‘every one else’ that’s the problem, it was the self hatred bred from me believing that in the first place. acceptance. he accepted me as i was and i accepted him as he was. i remember saying i felt like i needed someone like me when it came to relationships. growing up i was very drawn to “opposites attract!” and sayings like that, most likely because of my self deprecating disposition, but after the end of my second relationship i knew i was wrong. my whole life i have felt misunderstood and disconnected and alone in my head and like the butt of every joke like a punchline on loop. he was the first person to ever really take me out of that. to sit there while i cried and babbled incoherently about how i just couldn’t put the words together to express why i was upset or tell anyone where it hurts. why i was anxious. why i was mad. i remember clearly sitting with him in my old apartment while my ex roommate/best friend was at work and  crying and saying i didn’t know how to ‘say it’ and him explaining back to me everything he’d heard from me so far and his interpretation and i cried and cried and cried and i felt seen for maybe the first time in my entire life. i don’t know what’s in me to make me feel so incredibly separate, and to in turn isolate myself out of this immensely penetrating sense of isolation, but he was the first to extend a hand and actually mean it. i’ve been too many people’s empty shell of a girl to project everything they wanted to see onto. it’s easy to do that with someone who rejects themselves because what is there to lose if you’re not afraid to lose it? i wasn’t perfectly healed when we met, i will never be ‘perfectly’ healed. he was not either and i do not expect him to be. i’m only 20 so really what do i know about life at all. nothing lmao. but i know that dorian is my fucking rock. and i’m his fucking rock. and if i asked him if he wanted to move to another city tomorrow and build a house out of rocks we collected on the drive there he would say yes. and i know i’ve never felt afraid with him. i know i’ve never felt demeaned or belittled or laughed at. i know we play like teething puppies who roll around and bite at one another but are always having fun and if one of us goes too far the play immediately stops and we lick each other in apologies and forgiveness and start our play again. i know we can say ‘i’m sorry’ without the slightest bit of hesitation or resentment because what’s the point of meaningless pride in all of this. don’t we hate that shit anyways? i know i stopped off the freeway and chased a dog with you and both of our best friends at the time a mile or so down the road but he just kept running farther and farther away until we eventually gave up on catching him. i know after that we drove back to my city holding hands and listening to the playlist i made you while we drove 80 mph through the inky black desert. i know i glanced over at you mouthing all of the words to a few of the songs. this is one of my favorite memories. the beginning of our love in it’s most raw form, to me at least. i know we texted each other paragraphs and you couldn’t pay me to take me away from those conversations. i know the entanglement of my volatile emotions and pride gets in the way of things sometimes but i also know when to cut it because that shit’s stupid anyways. i know our composite chart has our moon, mercury and venus in the 7th house and that made me smile because the girl on twitter who read sza’s chart said that was a favorable aspect for marriage. i know that i don’t really believe in marriage but i wouldn’t mind celebrating our love and making the playlist for the wedding and probably getting mad over people talking over “this part!” i know that you’ve never once discouraged me or limited me. i know that we’ve been through things together that would cause most to trip and break a bone or two, at least. but not once have i questioned my love for you. i’ve said doubtful things once or twice, but please understand and believe me when i say that it was only out of habit. isolation. i push back when things hurt. it’s easy for me to leap to worst case scenario in the blink of an eye. my formative teenage years were spent with someone who yelled at me and guilt tripped me and demanded and demeaned and demanded and demeaned and when i left for the second time they didn’t demand anything from me that time. it was a couple of hours later when i got a call from my mother telling me they’d attempted suicide immediately after leaving my house. i felt as collapsible as the tunnel our cats never used. everything i was afraid of came true. i’ve lived in fear for a very long time. you’re the first person to show me there is nothing to be afraid of and to love me with no strings attached. you just wanted to understand me as much as i wanted to understand you. you made me feel wanted, but after i’d began wanting myself, too. i’m just happy we met when we did, and i hope you are too. we’re both damaged in different places but maybe the damage only allows for more love to leak out and accumulate in our bloodstreams- just in different ways than we expected. i love you dorian. and i can’t end things i just ramble and connect and ramble and connect until i stop somewhere suddenly. i just love you i love you i love you i love you i love you. i know that i saw angel numbers before we ever met and that angel number turned out to be my life path number (which i found out about a year later). 333. 333. 333. 333. i know if you add 1 to either digit of my birthday you get your birthday (17 & 28). i know we both loved my chemical romance and fetty wap when we were younger. i know your moon is my sun and your rising is my moon and in some strange way that correlates to you telling the same jokes i’m thinking but don’t always have the energy or will to say. i know that i played you a song off the playlist i made for you before i told you it was made for you and you knew it and had sampled it previously and i thought you were fucking with me because it’s not a very well known song. i know that you texted me telling me you found the song and scrapped it and rewrote and recorded it for me and named it after the color of my nails. i know that you are everything i’ve ever wanted in love but could never put into words much like everything else i’ve felt deeply in this life. i know you don’t rush me at thrift stores because you like them as much as i do. i know you and you know me and that’s all i’ve ever wanted. i love you i love you i love you i love you i love you. 

--

The Shadows / Peter & Kerry

Relax my hands on the table Uncurl my fingers to reveal superficial indentations Crescent moon shapes mark the surface of my palms It's twilight: your shadows lurking over again Your shadows lurking over again Try to hinder foolish pride From shooting out my mouth like a gust of wind And blowing out your light All I want is you to shine And I'll wait here with you until sunrise I'll wait here with you until sunrise I'll wait here with you until sunrise I'll wait here with you until sunrise I am blinded by your light Your dark shadows always lurking behind you I am blinded by your light Your dark shadows always lurking behind you And I'll wait here with you until sunrise

[tumblunni]

Some more random thoughts and stuff for Completely Undeveloped Monster Petshop Game/I might end up calling it Moncrafter but I still don’t know if that sounds dumb or not. I NEED MORE NAME IDEAS!

* Monster Artisan? Monster Studio? Maybe try and think of other stuff that’s related to the alchemy crafting factor...

* And maybe there should be a catchy name for the monsters, rather than just calling them monsters? It kinda strikes me as something that’d make it TOO much of a Monster Rancher spiritual successor, yknow. That game kinda stands out in the genre for not having a name for the monsters! XD And I’ve decided that the origin of these guys is that they’re alchemically created familiars invented by rich folks with too much time on their hands. So maybe I should try and think of a more catchy way to say ‘homunculus’? Holms? Collect your holms! Craft your holms! Holm shop! Holm hugging! It could work! Also it’d kinda have a bit of sentimental attatchment for me, cos one of the hostels I used to live at was in Holmsdale Street. Homeless to holmfull! That place seriously saved my life. Alternatively, maybe ‘poppets’? Cos that’s cute sounding but it actually means the thing that pop culture calls a ‘voodoo doll’. They don’t really exist as part of vodoun religion, it was just a stupid stereotype that’s ended up engrained as common knowledge. Poppets were actually part of european and british superstition, so it sucks that nobody remembers this and you have people in those countries thinking of it as a big ol scary thing of someone else’s religion..

* I’ve been thinking about the creation methods for the holms, and thinking about it, and thinking about it SOME MORE, and seriously i’m practically writing actual petcare books in my head about these fictional critters!! I’m a lil grumpy tho cos we developed stuff a bit more and decided the plant dog would indeed have to be grass type, it’d be better to have something else be the main water type and just use the seaweed variant of the dog as the dual type crossbreed. Because it was REALLY CUTE imagining that idea of how you create them! Stirring a cauldron of magic potion until it clumps together into moss, and then refining and sieving it until you have a tiny barking marimo~ I can imagine that just a more traditionally elementally aligned version would be less endearing. Like a water type just pops out of the water and the rgass type grows in a regular plantpot. It doesn’t seem as fun as having to grow a sentient plant in a lil aquarium for dogs. ITS TWO THINGS! ITS TWO GREAT THINGS! So actually this makes me think about maybe if we make more of the creation spells involve different elements? And that could be like a positive set of elemental matchups, opposed to the negative ones in battle. So you could use your monsters to help make new monsters! And maybe the new baby dog picks up a good influence from its water type godparent, even though they don’t have any direct relation. Like, if you add fragments from parent monsters to the mixture, you get a fusion monster, but then the godparent could maybe add one extra skill inheritance, or maybe influence the stat build or personality values...?

* I was thinking that the maohs/whatever else I decide to call the grumpy fire fairies, well duh they’d be created from fire. So the alchemist crafts a candle with a special recipe, or maybe you have to write a spell in super small print on the wick? Yeah, that’d be cool, it’d be neat if they all had wildly different creation spells that all require different skills outside of just being good at magic. Hire a wandering calligrapher to assist in your pixie baking! Oh, or maybe with the positive elemental variations thing, perhaps light type monsters have really good calligraphy cos they’re the most Intelligence-specialized breed. Oh, or perhaps they’re good at helping to create dark types, cos they can cast more powerful shadows? BUT YEAH I imagined the fairy holms hatching in a weird cute way! The flame on the candle would burn continuously for several days, with the shape of the fairy growing in the centre. It would remain microscopic for 99% of its development, and then in the last hour or so the fire would blaze up to it’s full size! Keep sure to protect the workshop from this three minute doom bonfire, while also stoking it with coal so the baby grows up big and strong! By the time it subsides, you’ll have a fully formed child-sized monster, and probably half of a table left. :3 Also: imagine them chewing on logs instead of pacifiers!

* I had the odd idea that light types are created through song. Usually the holms require physical ingredients and some sort of recipe, but these ones get their reputation as holy creatures from the fact they come from nothing. There’s special hymns to summon them, and they have to be sung with enough skill, conviction, and purity of heart. So it still takes as much effort as other methods of alchemy, even though theoretically anyone could do it. Its even theoretically possible that you could summon a holy homunculus through ANY song, not just the special ones designed for that purpose. There’s tales of singing priests that’re just SO GOOD that holy beasts appear whenever they open their mouth! So they hold a vow of silence and only use this power in times of need. Though it could be considered a curse in other places, it’d suck to be a random opera singer and suddenly lose your career as a swarm of monsters divebomb the audience! And the even rarer ultimate tier legend is of the man who spoke words of such beauty that an angel appeared without even the need for song. Nobody has any record of this really happening, but it’s an enduring myth. The idea of finding that one perfect sentence that convinces gods to bend their will to you...! Or, on the other side of things, there’s the thought of someone whose intentions were so pure that even their most humble, inelegant plea for help could make the heavens cry. So yeah, a lot of potential in this idea of musical monster making~!

* Oh, and I think that after your song actually summons a light monster, they still go through the same ‘kinda like an egg without the egg’ phase that all the others do. Instead of being inside a candle or a cauldron, they’re just kinda... slowly phasing into our laws of reality. You can tell when a song summons a holy beast cos there will be a little glow in the air, like a snowflake frozen in mid-fall. And then it’ll slowly turn into a translucent outline of the monster, and then it eventually gains solidity and becomes fully aware. So they can be a little annoying because it’s completely impossible to move the egg once it’s appeared. You’re just stuck with this intangeable glowy blob that gets brighter every day- sucks if it appeared in the middle of your office! And it also means that it’s easier to accidentally create a monster. You might just not notice a speck of light that happened to land in an awkward place after your seemingly failed summoning. Then the poor lil thing hatches under the floorboards or something, and ends up wandering out all confused and becoming a scary stray monster in the woods! Homunculi aren’t really designed to be independant in the wild, they’re not merely domesticated but literally CREATED to serve humans... T_T

* OH and also the purpose of holy type holms is to be a ‘guidance’ familiar. They were crafted to be like an artificial computer that could potentially grow more intelligent than humans, and answer the great questions of the world. (Though, I mean, the equivelant of computers in an ancient magical civilization that has no idea what computers are!) These manmade angels are meant to be able to see into the future, and commune with the will of the real gods, and calculate things that aren’t humanly possible. They would be given seemingly high roles in society as advisors to great kings, with their opinions valued higher than any human in the country. But they had no real freedom, living their lives in cages with their only exposure to the outside world being their extensive programs of constant unceasing lessons in every discipline imagineable. Many of them would eventually snap under the pressure, leading to a reputation of the species as fiendish tricksters that live outside the boundaries of human morality and NEED to be restrained or else they’d be dangerous. This is likely why the rumours started of them being able to be summoned any time anyone speaks ANYTHING, with the implication that they might have existed forever and humans never really created them... So... yeah, they’re one of the few species of monster that’s actually seen some benefit from the art of alchemy becoming a hobby of the idle rich! Nowadays they’re just one in a million monsters that’re bred for status, with both their ‘holy’ and ‘demon’ reputations being long forgotten. And they get to see what it’s like to be pampered pets ^_^ Unfortunately, holy types are one of the longest living homunculi, so some elderly ones still remember those bygone eras and hold resentment towards humanity. Their secondary purpose of acting as living relics to the past... its kinda backfiring... (random idea for a boss battle, lol!)

[centralparkpawsblog]

All About Goldendoodles

https://www.centralparkpaws.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/What-is-a-goldendoodle-basic-breed-info-golden-retriever-poodle-mix-crossbreed-hybrid.jpg Yesterday, I had the pleasure of having lunch with my mom.

As always, the subject of dogs came up, and we started talking about Goldendoodles.

My mom currently has a 10-year-old Golden Retriever named Augustine (aka Gussie). 

We started discussing the possibility of her getting a second dog before Gussie was too old to deal with a puppy.

Gussie is a very young 10-year-old, but as time goes on, I am sure that her patience with younger dogs will eventually wear thin. 

I often think that a well-behaved mature dog can help make puppy training go a lot easier and smoother. I feel that dogs tend to learn faster from one another than they do from their human parents.

My mother is in her 70s and though she is still quite active, lifting a large dog in and out of a car is becoming more and more difficult.

Gussie is 64 lbs. So not a huge Golden, but far from small.

A smaller dog would be better for her, but my mom strongly prefers the Golden Retriever breed.

So, I suggested she look into a Goldendoodle since they are part Golden Retriever; plus, they come in a variety of sizes.

Enter the Goldendoodle

Because I love dogs and learning about them, I told her I would do some digging to see if the Goldendoodle breed would be a good option for her.

Since I “dogsit” for my mom frequently, I needed to make sure it was a breed that would also be compatible with my four-legged part of the family.

Any new dog coming into our family needs to be good with other dogs since we bring them to most family events.

In addition to being great with other dogs, the right dog for my mom needs to be easily trainable, get along with kids, and not too hyper, but energetic enough to go for daily walks. 

With my list in hand of what my mom was looking for, I jumped online to see what I could find.

Breed History

Of the different Doodle breeds, the Goldendoodle became popular in the 1990s following the boom of the Labradoodle.

A labradoodle, the goldendoodle’s predecessor

The first documented Labradoodle was initiated because a hypoallergenic dog breed was required for a service dog. 

After the successful breeding of the Labradoodle, the Goldendoodle became popular as an excellent hypoallergenic family dog. So, for all of the families wishing they could have a dog but couldn’t due to allergies, the Goldendoodle solved that problem.

In addition to being hypoallergenic, Goldendoodles have the benefit of coming in a wide variety of sizes ranging from under 10 pounds to as big as 90 pounds.

Plus, the Goldendoodle comes in a variety of colors, too.

Types of Goldendoodles

The different types of Goldendoodles are categorized by their size.

There are four main size categories:

A miniature Goldendoodle puppy

Standard – The largest of the varieties.

Medium – The second-largest, usually the size of a medium to large breed dog. These are the only ones that are not in the Poodle size categories.

Miniature – These are fairly small and are the result of breeding a Golden Retriever with a Miniature Poodle. They are often between 10 – 15 inches tall to their shoulder.

Teacup, Micro, or Petite – These are the outcome of breeding a Golden Retriever with a Toy Poodle.

Physical Characteristics of the Goldendoodle

Size

Average Height[1]

Standard – Over 21-25 inches

Medium – 17-20 inches

Mini – 14-16 inches

Teacup – 13 inches and under

Average Weight

Standard – 50+ pounds

Medium – 36-50 pounds

Mini – 26-35 pounds

Teacup – Under 25 pounds

Lifespan

Standard – 10 to 12 years

Medium – 10 to 15 years

Mini – 12 to 14 years

Teacup – 12 to 15 years

Coat Types

There are four varieties of Goldendoodle coat types: curly, wavy, straight, or flat.

Though breeders can strive to produce Goldendoodles with a specific coat style, it is vital to point out that it is not an exact science and puppies of a diverse coat type can be produced in the same litter.

In addition to the style of the coat, the coats vary in texture and length.

Some dogs have silkier coats where other dogs have coarser hair more like the Poodle side of their genes.             

Coat color

White fur is also possible but is very rare

There are three primary colors Goldendoodles come in: red, apricot, and cream.

Less common color options are black, chocolate, or multicolored (aka particolored[2]).  

Much like the coat type of Goldendoodles, the color combinations that are produced from each litter can vary and include multiple colors.

Eye color

The most common eye color in Goldendoodles is brown.

There are a few anomalies in dogs with other colors such as blue or green, but this is a rare occurrence.

Nose color

Goldendoodles’ noses are black or brown.

Though like with all things Goldendoodle there are always exceptions, so a pinkish-brown nose is rare but possible.

Other Breed Names

There is a number of names the Goldendoodle is also known as:

Groodle

Double Doodle – This is a Goldendoodle mixed with a Labradoodle.

Teddy Bear Goldendoodles aka English Goldendoodle – These are English Golden Retrievers crossed with a Poodle.

Petite Goldendoodle – Miniature versions.

Personality Characteristics

Temperament

When people talk about Goldendoodle’s personalities, it’s usually to say how sweet, fun, and comical they can be.

They are happy dogs and love nothing more than spending time with their families and meeting new friends.

They are one of the most friendly dog breeds, but because of this, they make poor guard dogs.

In addition to adoring human companionship, Goldendoodles can often build quick friendships with other canine companions. Also, not only are they great in multi-dog households, but they usually get along with cats too.

Because Goldendoodles are so smart, they can be trained to live in harmony with a variety of creatures such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or even chickens.

Intelligence

The Goldendoodle is the result of two of the smartest dog breeds, so of course, these guys are going to be quite intelligent.

Because of their intelligence, they can often be trained to do different jobs like therapy or service dog work.

Trainability

Goldendoodles are one of the easiest dogs to train using positive reinforcement.

In fact, Goldendoodles love training as it is a combination of two of their favorite things: family and food.

They are sensitive dogs, so training cannot be punishment-based as it will cause your Goldendoodle to shut down.

This breed is one that strives to please and put a smile on their family’s face.

Exercise Needs

Goldendoodles need exercise like all dogs, but a daily walk is usually enough to keep them happy and healthy.

However, if you are looking for a dog who will enjoy weekend hiking and swimming, the Goldendoodle will have no problem keeping up.

Though Goldendoodles can be enthusiastic when meeting new people, mature Goldendoodles are not an overly energetic breed.

What Goldendoodles Excel At

Though the Goldendoodle is used as service dogs, the breed truly excels at therapy work.

The Goldendoodle’s friendly and sensitive nature makes them a fantastic choice to help the emotional needs of humans.

Therapy dogs can be found in a variety of settings:

A goldendoodle “hard at work” getting read to at a Paws to Read program Photo by Airman Valerie Monroy

Hospital

Nursing Homes

Counselors/Psychologist offices

Court Rooms

Airports

Libraries

People with therapy dogs can use them in their day to day professions, like counselors, or just in their free time, like volunteering at hospitals or libraries.

In addition to making fabulous therapy dogs, they can also be trained for nose work, agility for fun, flyball, and dock jumping.

Goldendoodles are happy, intelligent dogs, and there are few things they aren’t great at.

Even though they are great at several activities, they are best at being companions.

Just because Goldendoodles are capable of many jobs and games, they do not require specialized training or jobs to be happy.

Health Concerns

Although Goldendoodles were bred to combine the best traits of the two original breeds, the drawback of the Goldendoodle is that they also share negative genetic characteristics as well.

Some common health issues in Goldendoodles are:

Subvalvular aortic stenosis (heart disease commonly found in Golden Retrievers)

Hip dysplasia

Sebaceous adenitis (skin disease common to Poodles)

Eye diseases like retinal atrophy, cataracts, and glaucoma

Addison’s disease

Best Foods for Goldendoodles and How Much do they Eat?

Goldendoodles generally don’t suffer from any specific digestive diseases, though they can have sensitive stomachs when it comes to switching foods.

So ideally, feeding a diet that’s been enhanced with probiotics would be best. 

A primary factor when choosing a dog food is the size of the Goldendoodle.

For the Standard, a large breed dog food would be optimal, and for the mini and teacup, a small breed food would be the best choice.

Some food options for food would be:

Click the image for more info

Purina Pro Plan Savor– Contains Probiotics and would be good for any size Goldendoodle.

Instinct Original Small Breed Grain-Free Recipe with Chicken – Contains Probiotics, perfect for toy or miniature.

Core Wellness Grain-Free for Large Breeds– Enriched with joint support supplements, ideal for standard Goldendoodles.

You can find more options, and more in-depth info, in the article about what dog food is best for Goldendoodles.

Grooming and Maintenance

Although Goldendoodles are known for their lack of shedding, they still require regular grooming.

Goldendoodles can tend to become odorous unless bathed frequently, about every 3-4 weeks. Be cautious of over-washing your Goldendoodles as it can cause their skin to become dry and irritated. 

Special shampoos for Goldendoodles are available to help manage their fragrant nature.

Shampoos like:

Healthy Breeds Deodorizing Shampoo

Nature’s Miracle Supreme Odor Control

Pet Pleasant Lavender Oatmeal

However, if you have your dog’s haircut short, it will help to relieve some of the smell commonly associated with the Goldendoodle breed.

There are a variety of haircut options.

Not all people opt for a short haircut, there is no real breed standard for the cut, but it is encouraged to have the hair trimmed regularly to keep from mats forming.

Some of the common haircut styles are:

Goldendoodle Lamb cut – Shorter haircut, but not as tight as a true short haircut with rounded cut feet, soft cut around the face, and full fantail.             

Even Length Puppy Cut – The hair is cut to the same length on the body and face.

Teddy Bear face – Leaving the longer on the face yet, softly trimmed to give a rounder look.

Goldendoodles are higher maintenance than other breeds when it comes to grooming.

Breeding

The age at which it is best to breed a Goldendoodle depends on the dog itself.

Generally, smaller dogs reach sexual maturity before larger dogs.

Male dogs can be fertile as young as six months and female dogs reach sexual maturity between six months and two years.

Female Goldendoodles should not be bred until after their first season.

Some breeders believe it is best to wait until a female dog is at least two years of age before using them for breeding.

When it comes to the Doodle breeds, there are different generations which significantly impact the outcome of a litter[3].

The first litter of puppies from a Golden Retriever and a Poodle are known as F1. These pups are half of each breed, and though they are Goldendoodles, they tend to shed more than F2 puppies.

F2 Puppies are the result of breeding the F1 dog to a full-bred Poodle. The litter from this union creates a dog with less Golden Retriever traits and more Poodle traits, ultimately resulting a dog that sheds considerably less than other Goldendoodles.

How Many Puppies per Litter?

The average litter size for dogs is between 2 – 12 puppies.

The most significant factor in litter size is the size of the dog.

The general rule is the larger the dog, the larger the litter.

However, like in all things, there’s always going to be the exception to the rule.

So, for Goldendoodles, it very much depends on which of the varieties of Goldendoodle is being bred.

How Much do Goldendoodles Cost?

The cost of a Goldendoodle is dependent on a variety of factors. 

Generation

The reputation of the Breeder

Gender

Age

Color

Coat

Location

Though the cost of a Goldendoodle is important, is it is crucial to find a reliable and reputable breeder.

You can typically expect these prices:

Standard $1800 – $3100

Medium $1800 -$2500

Mini $2000 -$2500

Teacup $1000 – $3800

Where to Adopt or Buy a Goldendoodle

If you are looking for a puppy finding a reputable breeder is your best option.

If you aren’t sure where to start in locating a good breeder, contact your local vet clinic as they are a great resource in the canine community.

If you are looking to skip the challenges of puppyhood but would still love to bring a furry friend into your family, there are two great options.

The first option is to go through a rescue organization. Not all rescue dogs have behavioral issues; many dogs are given up because of a family situation.

The second option is to contact a breeder to see if they have any adult dogs for sale.

Breeders will sometimes have older dogs that were formerly used for breeding. Also, some breeders may have slightly older dogs that weren’t adopted from a previous litter or ones returned because they were not a good fit for that family.

Final Thoughts

After spending a substantial amount of time learning about Goldendoodles, I think that this would be a perfect breed for my mom.

They meet all of the criteria she is looking for: ideal size, easily trained, great companion, and makes friends quickly with both humans and canines.

Outside of looking at this breed for my mom, I think that this is a perfect option for new dog parents.

In fact, they are an excellent breed for most families or individuals looking to share their lives with a dog that is intelligent, friendly, and loving.

FAQs

Do Goldendoodles Shed?

Yes, but the shedding is minimal. Goldendoodles shed far less than most other dog breeds.

Are Goldendoodles a Good Dog?

Yes! They are a fun and happy dog breed.

What Health Problems Do Goldendoodles Have?

Because they are a combination of the poodle and Golden Retriever, they, unfortunately, share the negative health traits that are common to the original breeds such as:

Sebaceous Adenitis (skin disease common to Poodles)

Hip dysplasia

Subvalvular aortic stenosis (heart disease common to Golden Retrievers)

Eye diseases like retinal atrophy, cataracts, and glaucoma

Addison’s disease

Do Goldendoodles Bark a Lot?

Though they may bark from time to time, Goldendoodles are rarely known as barky or yappy dogs.

Do Goldendoodles Stink?

They can. Without proper grooming, Goldendoodles will have an unpleasant odor due to the oils in their skin.

Can Goldendoodles Be Left Alone?

Yes, Goldendoodles love and require human companionship, but can be left alone. However, if left alone too often, they may suffer from behavior and emotional problems.

At What Age Do Goldendoodles Calm Down?

8-14 months old for most Goldendoodles[4]. However, their love of meeting and greeting humans never really decreases, but with training their exuberance can be reined in.

Are Goldendoodles Smart?

Very! The two breeds that make up the Goldendoodle, the Golden Retriever and Poodle, are both on the top 10 most intelligent breeds list[5].

What Is the Lifespan of a Goldendoodle?

10-15 Years for the medium variety of the Goldendoodle[6]. The life expectancy for the larger varieties is on the lower end, so 10-12 years, while the smaller versions are at the higher side of the age spectrum, around 12-15 years.

Are Goldendoodles Cuddly?

Very! Goldendoodles love spending time with their humans and cuddles are top on their favorite things-to-do list!

Are Goldendoodles Hyper?

When Goldendoodles are younger, they are more energetic, and even a bit hyper, but with proper exercise and maturity, their energy level can be tampered down.

Are Goldendoodles Easy to Train?

Extremely! Goldendoodles love when their humans are happy, so positive reinforcement training is something they will excel at. However, it is essential to note that Goldendoodles are a sensitive breed and harsh negative reinforcement can cause significant emotional issues in this breed.

How Often Do You Bathe a Goldendoodle Puppy?

About every 3-4 weeks; bathing more frequently can cause skin issues and less regularly can cause bad body odor.

Do Goldendoodles like to Swim?

Yes. Both of the original breeds, Poodles and Golden Retrievers, are great lovers of water. Keep in mind they are more susceptible to hot spots after swimming, so it is vital to be sure they get properly dried off[7].

What Generation Goldendoodle Is Best?

That all depends on what characteristics you are looking for in a Goldendoodle. F1 Generations are 50/50 so more of the Golden Retriever traits can be seen than and F2. The F2 generations have more of the Poodle traits, including minimal shedding.

Do Goldendoodles Get Curlier with Age?

Goldendoodles curly coats come in stronger when they lose their puppy coats.

How Many Hours a Day Do Goldendoodles Sleep?

That depends on their age, but most dogs sleep at least 50% of their day.

 Resources

https://www.goldendoodleassociation.com/about-the-breed/sizes/

https://www.goldendoodleacres.com/colors/

https://doodleadvisor.com/which-generation-of-goldendoodle-is-best/

https://doodleadvisor.com/when-do-goldendoodles-calm-down/

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/pets/g4748/top-smartest-dog-breeds/

https://goldendoodles101.com/goldendoodles-and-golden-years/

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/treating-and-preventing-hot-spots-on-dogs/

The post All About Goldendoodles appeared first on Central Park Paws.

from https://www.centralparkpaws.net/pet-facts/goldendoodle-breed-information/

[sage-nebula]

Fire emblem or pokemon. For the ask please!

I’m going to do Fire Emblem: Awakening. If you want Pokémon, please send that in another ask! (And specify games or anime---it matters!)

My favorite parent-child relationship

Chrom and both Lucina and (male) Morgan. I know there’s a tendency in fandom to characterize Chrom as this bumbling, clumsy dad who has no idea what he’s doing---but in canon we actually see that he’s a loving, supporting father who can get stern when necessary (that cockroach incident), but also cares deeply about both of his children and tries incredibly hard to be there for them. While we don’t get to see as many interactions between Chrom and Morgan as I would like (we only get their supports since Morgan doesn’t get to be involved with the actual plot), I still do love the supports, and the potential that is there for drama and conflict given that, in some timelines, Grima!Robin spirits Morgan away in order to raise him to be her perfect little soldier. (I even have an AU in my head for a scenario in which that happened, but then Morgan later falls into the Shepherds’ custody. There’s quite a bit of strife, particularly since Chrom and Lucina are adamant about not harming him, but others such as Frederick and Severa feel that he’s a threat, and Morgan himself is quite messed up due to all of the years of psychological abuse that Grima laid on him. I’ve never written anything for it, but damn do I have it in my head.)

So yeah, definitely Chrom with both of his children. My family. ♥

My favorite sibling relationship

LUCINA AND MORGAN, HANDS DOWN. Man, words can’t describe how much I love their relationship! Aside from the supports being adorable, there’s potential for conflict and development here that doesn’t exist in Lucina’s other sibling relationships, and that potential lies in the fact that---over the course of the plot---Lucina attempts to kill their mother. Obviously she can’t bring herself to follow through with it regardless of what choice is made, but she still draws Falchion against their mother, which is something that I feel Morgan would have a very negative reaction to, particularly given how much he adores Robin. (Of course, he’s not allowed to participate in the plot and so we never see him find out, but even still.) I do think that this would all be smoothed over in that same scene (I actually wrote a fic of that once, but it’s no longer on Tumblr---I can repost it if anyone wants), but all the same it would definitely cause conflict and strife, and that conflict simply doesn’t exist if Lucina’s mother is anyone else.

There’s also the fact that Morgan has amnesia, which is something that I think would also add more depth to their relationship. Lucina remembers all of the horrors that existed in the Bad Future, and Morgan doesn’t---and in a way, I think Lucina would be grateful for this, that her little brother was spared the memories that give her nightmares and keep her up at night, that motivate her to keep fighting for a better future, while plaguing her with anxiety and vicious fear all the while. But at the same time, Morgan losing his memories of the Bad Future means that he also lost his memories of her, and I think that would hurt. He regains some over the course of the plot---he does remember her, at least to some extent---but many of his memories are simply gone, and since I imagine they were very close, I think that would probably hurt Lucina a lot, too. (And Morgan himself would feel guilty, even as she assured him that he shouldn’t.)

And then there are the AUs---some of which we even see in-game, such as in Future Past---wherein Grima!Robin takes Morgan away, and Lucina has to keep fighting on without her brother, and if the are reunited at any point, he has been abused and warped to the point where he’s actively trying to fight and kill her despite how badly she wants to save and protect him. God, the angst quotient is off the charts here, so on top of the two being sweet and loving, how could I not love this?! BEST SIBLINGS, HANDS DOWN.

My favorite family relationship (other)

I have to admit, though, that I really do love Chrom and Lissa’s relationship. Their supports, wherein he takes none of her self-deprecating bullshit about being a bad princess (and insists that she’s a great princess, and proves it by having her talk to the others around camp) is very sweet, and I love how we get to see them support each other throughout the game as well. To that end, I do consider Frederick to be a pseudo part of their family (in the way that Zazu is to the lions in The Lion King, kind of), and I love his relationship with them as well. Frederick is best family babysitter, by far.

My favorite friendship between two people

I’m really attached to Robin and Gaius in this regard, largely in part due to my headcanon that they were childhood friends from ages 12-15, though Robin doesn’t recall it during the amnesia. This, of course, causes some angst on Gaius’ part, but even setting that aside I just love the way they bounce off each other and I really enjoy the friendship, even if a large part of my enjoyment comes from that headcanon.

But that said?

I also really cherish Chrom’s friendship with Gaius! I think that Gaius is a very important relationship for Chrom, because aside from the fact that Gaius is his future brother-in-law Gaius broadens Chrom’s horizons while at the same time making no illusion to the fact that he’s not doing this for Chrom’s benefit, he’s doing it so that Chrom can stop inadvertently rubbing salt in existing wounds due to Gaius’ own low, underprivileged status. Chrom isn’t trying to be insensitive in his supports, but he is nonetheless---and Gaius makes it clear that his actions in showing Chrom the seedy underbelly of the world are to stop those microaggressions and open Chrom’s eyes to what he’s doing, while at the same time doing so in a way that isn’t as harsh of a shut down as he originally dished out. Gaius offers some reality to Chrom, in other words, and this helps Chrom grow as a person. I really enjoyed their supports.

My favorite friendship between a group

THE JUSTICE CABAL, OF COURSE! Specifically, Owain, (male) Morgan, and Cynthia. All of their supports are absolutely fantastic, and the amount of shenanigans that they can (and do) get up to are unreal. I actually still have an idea for a birthday fic wherein Cynthia and Owain give Morgan a Justice Cabal birthday (shenanigans GALORE), but I haven’t written it yet despite having the idea for several years running now. Maybe I’ll do that this coming May.

My favorite mentorship

Mmm, is there one? I suppose the closest is Robin and Morgan, with the way she tries to teach him various tactics and strategies even as he tries to surpass her. It doesn’t get very much focus, though.

My favorite rivalry

Hah, probably Chrom and Vaike, if only because I can’t think of another one, and Vaike is pretty insistent that Chrom is his rival throughout their supports. (Meanwhile, Chrom tries to pretend that he doesn’t reciprocate, but let’s be real . . . he does. He reciprocates a lot. That cooking contest proves it.)

My favorite hatred/antipathy

MMMMMMM, honestly? There are quite a few good ones that I could name (such as Chrom and Gangrel, for instance), but I think the one that catches my attention the most is the one between Grima and Chrom.

Like, honestly---Grima against the royal family in general could work, because obviously there is a lot of antipathy between Grima and Lucina due to the Bad Future, and between Grima and Robin due to the fact that Robin was bred like a prized dog in order to be Grima’s vessel---but I focus on Chrom because I feel like Chrom stands to have the most to lose here, particularly in a timeline where Chrom and Robin are married and have their children. If Grima possesses Robin, then Chrom loses his wife. If she takes Morgan, he loses his son. Lucina could die. Chrom himself could die, and in my Risen!Chrom AU, well . . . he meets a far worse fate at Grima’s hands. When you consider the fact that Chrom is the Exalt during the vast majority of the plot and the fact that he is the one that wields Falchion and carries the Fire Emblem, that also marks him as Grima’s primary enemy, even though Robin is Grima’s primary target. They’re not quite at foetp level for me, but there’s definitely a ton of antipathy there, and I think it’s quite fun to work with.

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon

The DLC chapters actually give us a lot of interaction between characters who don’t otherwise have supports, and so technically these characters do get to talk in canon, but I’m still angry that we never had legitimate supports between Lucina and Severa. There’s no excuse for it and I’ll never be over it, especially since Future Past heavily insinuates that Severa is Lucina’s second-in-command. There was no reason not to give us supports between them, IntSys. None.