#de normes

[philosophybits]

As for us, whatever the case may be, we believe in freedom. Is it true that this belief must lead us to despair? Must we grant this curious paradox: that from the moment a man recognizes himself as free, he is prohibited from wishing for anything? On the contrary, it appears to us that by turning toward this freedom we are going to discover a principle of action whose range will be universal.

Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity

[blueprxde]

Skincare Routine

[manitapaleta]

Sorry I'm late, I had this clear vision once of Lark in this very specific blue and pink cat apron the reads "Coffee Right Meow" and he's baking and for whatever reason he's holding a knife. Do with that what you will

Sorry IM late answering this ask lol also I forgot abt the knife part lol sorryyyy

Slightly younger lark and sparrow with a baby norm !!! Now I wanna draw all the kids as babies

[mopcycle1000]

I'm reading The Vampire Lestat right now and I knew Marius embodied the West as a continuation of ancient Greco-Roman values and that Anne Rice thought this was a cool and good view of history but I was NOT prepared for how mask off the colonialism and racism gets.

Like he just says that?? He says that after explaining that Rome and the West could never accommodate evil dark vampires the way the East does. He says that after explaining how his slaves waited for him while he robbed an Egyptian temple of its writing because he was the only one (with his epic Roman knowledge and values) who could be trusted to understand and protect them. (And that's all cool because it was after Akasha and Enkil actually Asked him to take them out of Egypt because it was too backwards and they knew he was enlightened! It's not colonial violence when the narrative validates it!) He says this while white Europeans are in the process of inventing the concept of race to justify the continued murder and subjugation of black and brown people. I'm honestly going to be sick. How are there people defending this guy. It's genuinely impossible for me to read this as anything but a criticism of these values (he says this while owning slaves!!! he says this while still killing people every night!!! but he's Better because he feels Guilty about it and he only kills Evildoers so actually he's doing the world a favor) except the narrative bends over backwards to justify how He Is Right Though. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

He wished he could have taken the writing off the walls!!! His slaves are just there!!! Imagine writing this and NOT intending for it to be about colonial violence except insofar as colonial violence is Good, Actually. Tears in my eyes. I knew factually that there are in fact many people who genuinely believe in the all encompassing Civilizing Goodness of the Roman Empire and how it enabled Enlightenment Values and this is really what this book has been building up to for hundreds of pages and yet I still just was not prepared for it to get so.

[serpentface]

i'd love to hear more about the akoshos! i'm sure they'v been brought up more than twice, but tumblr's search function is the enemy of knowledge :')

Yeah so the akoshos gender role is a long standing practice in the Wardi cultural sphere that has ancient roots, existing in both Wardi and Wogan spheres (I'll mostly be talking about the modern Wardi context here). Its ancient precedents were varied and often broader in description, often encompassing people designated male who present and live as women and/or engage in sexual/romantic relationships with men (and usually involving additional cultural roles beyond just being an Identity).

In the modern context, it is a gendered space where someone designated male at birth performs expected presentation and social roles of women. In terms of Wardi convention, this usually involves braiding the hair, wearing veils while outdoors, longer robes or skirts, wearing non-unisex jewelry, and behaving under the myriad of feminine social conventions. Most akoshos experience strong social pressure to shave any facial hair (and will often be seen as 'overmasculinized' if not).

Akoshos will be referred to with the ‘she’ pronoun and other feminine gendered language articles and titles (with the exception of being called an 'akoshos-husband' if married to a woman).

Being akoshos is regarded as being dual-gendered- having a 'male’ body capable of penetrative roles while otherwise socially performing ‘female’ roles. This is ultimately conceptualized as being physically male and spiritually female (quite literally in the sense of having a female soul incarnate into a 'male' body). They are considered a polar opposite to eunuchs, who are regarded as de-gendered and neither male nor female. Their role is not regarded as a personal choice but to be an aspect of their nature.

This role has some religious connotations, being seen as an imperfect human approximation of God's dual-sexed nature, and a few specific rites and minor priesthoods are exclusive to akoshos. (In deep theology they are imagined as metaphors of the living body of God before the initiation of the death-rebirth cycle, lifting the foundation of the world and inseminating the seas to create humans, while eunuchs can represent the dead body of God in sacrifice and the initiation of the death-rebirth cycle, being severed and divided to grant the world life and form) (This is not going to be a common line of thought for the everyday person though).

The actual word ‘akoshos’ stems from a role in traditional all-male Wardi theater, for actors who specialize in female roles (with no connotations on their gender/presentation in daily life). The occupying forces of the 2nd Burri empire took this performance-specific word and used it as a catchall for dual-gendered members of Wardi and Wogan peoples, with this (in addition to separate Wardi tribes gradually assimilating/being assimilated into an indistinguished nationality) eventually resulting in the linguistic loss or obsolescence of most pre-existing titles in favor of 'akoshos'.

While they are accepted as a specific gendered space (seen as a normal part of the cultural framework, rather than ‘failed’ men or otherwise deviant), they are subject to stigma and disempowerment as a non-male gender in a patriarchal sphere. They are grouped with women in terms of class status and are similarly denied certain legal rights (sole property ownership, self-representation in court, subordinate statuses to husbands in inheritance, legal independence from a familial patriarch, etc).

It is, like most other gender roles here, a fairly rigid gendered space that one can ‘fail’ at or shamefully deviate from. The fact that akoshos are so accepted as part of society is part of what makes this role equally rigid to manhood or womanhood. An akoshos is expected to perform female roles and presentation consistently and as culturally required, and strong deviation from female gender roles (with exceptions for some sexual roles) is treated with much the same disdain as for men and women 'failing' at their own gender.

People generally do not Want their perceived sons to turn out as akoshos, and will often find it an unfortunate lot that a female soul has incarnated into their child's male body. The framework of society heavily revolves around the fundamental importance of the family, preserving and propagating one's family and honoring their name. Children are, in many ways, functionally assets, with their marriage securing a family's future and further descendants, and the success and stability of one's adult child (typically only attainable in marriage) allows for parents to be cared for in old age and to receive necessary and proper rites. Akoshos, in many ways, cannot fully support this framework. They cannot perform expected patriarchal roles of sons as primary heirs, inheritors, and and carriers of the family name and legacy, nor can they function as daughters to be given in marriage, being incapable of pregnancy.

As such, many akoshos lose direct support from their families and on average tend to occupy disenfranchised societal roles. (This is NOT universal though, you’ll find plenty of families that continue to fully support their akoshos children throughout life). Akoshos living in cities often develop microcommunities with themselves and other notably disenfranchised women (often sex workers) as means of self-support.

Akoshos can take on certain jobs ostensibly exclusive (or predominant to) women, including some esteemed fields. Many find work as midwives, and are allowed into certain all-female priesthoods (particularly as physician-priestesses), though they are not accepted as Odonii. A couple of Usoma-Hittibe (the unmarried eldest sister to a king or emperor, outranking a queen or empress) known in history have been akoshos.

While akoshos are not '''useful''' assets in marriage (which is usually arranged, and in many ways a political or financial agreement), they are unique in that they Can legally and officially be wed to both men and women (and will be referred to as an akoshos-wife or akoshos-husband, depending on the gender assignment of their partner). Marriage is otherwise exclusively between men and women, the concept of it existing in other capacities is regarded as an absurdity, given its predominantly reproductive role.

An akoshos taking on a 'husband' role to a woman is not ideal in a practical arranged marriage (especially as, in having a woman's denial of many legal rights, they may find it difficult to perform a husband's role of supporting a family), but these arrangements are biologically capable of producing children, which is of some benefit. Akoshos-wives are less common, as these unions cannot produce a pregnancy and thus cannot fulfill the reproductive role that marriage largely exists to facilitate. But unlike an akoshos-husband, an akoshos-wife is fully capable of performing all Other roles expected of a wife. Men will sometimes remarry akoshos after they have already acquired children through a previous marriage, at which point the akoshos-wife can fully inhabit the expected non-reproductive roles of a wife and mother.

Akoshos also have a significantly larger degree of sexual freedom in comparison to those designated women and ESPECIALLY to men. They are still subjects to strict standards of 'appropriate' libido, but are socially permitted to take on any sexual role with partners of any gender. (An akoshos receiving penetrative sex is not 'shamed' like a man is, as they are in part women and that is their lot (including the spiritual pollution seen as inevitable for women via penetration). An akoshos performing penetrative sex is also acceptable (though any receiving male partner is 'shamed'), as they are ''''physically men'''' and this is also their lot). A woman who is 'disproportionately' interested in sex with women may be regarded as overmasculinized or having an excessive libido, but an akoshos exclusively interested in women will not usually draw scrutiny (again owing to their conception as being both male and female).

Not ALL akoshos would be trans women or otherwise transfeminine in the contemporary LGBT+ context (though a probable majority are). This role is also the only one that allows for people designated male to have open and mutualistic romantic/sexual relationships with men (eunuchs can as well, but this is not the most attractive route for obvious reasons), and the only role where one can marry a man, so it may appeal to some who would be considered cis gay/bi men. The role could attract a variety of people for a variety of reasons (a minority could even be cis and het), and conversely not all trans women or nonbinary transfeminine people would be comfortable or self-actualized in the akoshos role. It's culturally specific, just one representation of the myriad ways people conceptualize, reject, or transcend sexuality and gender.

[callilemon]

HOLD ON HOLD ON YOU WETE THE ONE WHO DREW VANITAS IN THE BLUE DRESS WITH THE STARS?? THE ONE FOR THAT FANFIC WHERE VANITAS DISGUISED HIMSELF AND OMG ITS DELICIOUS 5 STAR MEAL✨️

YES I DID DRAW THAT 😮‍💨😀

it was such an honor draw that piece for laced up corsets! ���

[ot3]

the fact of the matter is that given the current state of both the art industry and the legal landscape of copyright/ip law, there will not ever be legislation around AI image generation that restricts companies while benefiting independent artists. rather than pushing for formal legal weigh-ins on what does or does not qualify as theft by generative outputs (i still think there could be something to be said about what companies are legally allowed to input into their generative models) we really just need to continue to. well. use our brains.

i may be in the minority in that i believe there are plenty of ways to use generative models as a tool in your artistic process (rather than being a replacement for an artistic process) that doesn't infringe on the work or livelihood of your fellow artists. and rather than wasting energy on trying to shove this genie back into the bottle, which, will not ever happen, we should work on publicly discussing where these boundaries lie. and we should also, without question, continue giving major shit to companies who are using AI generated images to avoid paying artists.

[tswwwit]

The newest installment of the Cult AU was so amazing and gratifying! I do have to ask about Dipper's reaction when Bill suggested that next time he hide *in* his bed - should we assume that Dipper just truly doesn't think there's any possibility that Bill would want him like that, or does it potentially reflect some truly non-existent sex ed within the cult? Did the cultists have relationships like that within the cult?

I hope you post this AU and your other shorter works on AO3, id love to be able to bookmark and comment.

Thank you for your kind words!

Dipper's reaction was mostly because the cult had sub-par to non-existent sex ed. Though to be fair, even if he was aware that Bill was, ahem, an option, he definitely wouldn't think there's any way he'd want Dipper like that.

[useless-catalanfacts]

Yesterday was the 91st anniversary of the Normes de Castelló ("Castelló rules"), also known as Normes del 32 ("rules of '32", because they were approved in 1932). These rules were tue agreement on how to spell the Valencian variants of the Catalan-Valencian language. They expand the spelling rules for the language that were approved in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in 1913, adding the characteristics of the Valencian dialects and words based on the spellings used by the notorious Valencian writers of the Valencian Renaixença literary movement.

Nowadays, Valencian is again under attack. Right-wing, Spanish nationalist political parties are in power now in the Valencian Country and cutting down on the language rights of Valencian people and where the language can be used, imposing Spanish as the public language instead. The social use of the language is also threatened by the historical discrimination against speakers of the Catalan-Valencian language, who are still routinely denied care in the public healthcare system, in many places can't access an education in the native language of the land because policies favour only Spanish, face discrimination in social media and leisure environments, and often have to hear that their language is useless or makes them sound "rural", "provincial" and "uneducated" and that the only way to be respected is to speak Spanish. Despite all of this, Valencian is alive and enjoys a rich culture, literary and musical traditions important since centuries ago and very lively nowadays.

To commemorate the 91 years of the "Castelló rules" and to show that we are alive and won't surrender our language and culture to those who wish to see us dead, many Valencians have gathered in the streets of the city where the rules were signed, Castelló de la Plana. In the photos above (posted by som_ppcc, Plataforma per la Llengua and Escola Valenciana) you can see this rally and the Valencian tradition of muixeranga.

[newsfromstolenland]

Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet has amended his law project, Bill 19, regulating youth employment in the province to allow children under 14 to work in agriculture, provided the business has a maximum of 10 employees.

The proposed law, tabled in March, would limit the number of weekly hours Quebecers 16 and under can work during the school year to 17. It also sets the minimum legal working age at 14 — with some exceptions for jobs like babysitting or tutoring.

But Boulet's amendment would allow small agricultural businesses to be exempt from the new minimum working age and employ children as young as twelve.

[...]

This new exemption echoes the demands of employers, who asked for more exceptions to allow children under 14 to work.

But there are concerns over the agricultural environment being risky as injuries in young people are frequent. Some doubt the ability of Quebec's labour regulator, La Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), to ensure the safety of children in the workplace.

Full article

Tagging: @allthecanadianpolitics

[philosophybits]

Hegel tells us in the last part of The Phenomenology of Mind that moral consciousness can exist only to the extent that there is disagreement between nature and morality. It would disappear if the ethical law became the natural law. To such an extent that by a paradoxical “displacement,” if moral action is the absolute goal, the absolute goal is also that moral action may not be present. This means that there can be a having-to-be only for a being who, according to the existentialist definition, questions himself in his being, a being who is at a distance from himself and who has to be his being.

Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity

[inblackwoods]

After Martinaise, Back in Jamrock

[venture-through-the-mist]

Let’s Get Along, Even If Only for A Day

Operator Mag gets pulled into a very strange Rathuum. She finds herself enjoying it more than she would’ve thought

TW: None.

The fic begins under the cut. I hope y’all enjoy!

“He—No wait, that’s mine! Wha—“ I try to slap the hand away—a Grineer hand, I think—as it grabs at my weapons, roughly snatching the Nataruk slung across my back. I watch my squadmates, frowning as they seem to be rather unaffected by this, even as their weapons are taken as well.

“Chill, it’ll be fine. Here, you’ll be needing these.” I barely have time to turn towards the voice—a Volt—before two large objects are tossed my way. I catch one of them, a large gun, which is abnormally light. The hell kinda Rathuum is this? The other object, a bright orange ring, hits the ground and bounces a few meters away before falling onto its side. I walk over to collect it, mimicking the others as I place it around my Warframe’s waist. Suddenly, I hear Kela De Thaym, her voice projected over some sort of speaker.

“Hosers and Squirts, fill your weapons. Ah, stop complaining ya know ya love it.” I frown, my head tilting slightly as she slurs her words, her sentences stringing together as if they’re one. Why does she sound so…weird? I turn to the Volt, curious.

“Is she…okay?” They laugh.

“Yep. High as all hell, but she’s fine.” They turn to a nearby hole in the ground and I do the same. Some sort of liquid—is it acid? Some other toxic liquid?—suddenly starts spraying from it, and I jump back, startled. The others seem unfazed, and begin to remove the strange reservoirs from the tops of their guns, holding them towards the spray. I copy them, filling the cylinder before reattaching it to my gun. Still confused, I glance around as a whistle blows. 

“The fuck do I do with this?” This time, a Gauss responds.

“Same thing ya do with any gun: point and shoot. Good luck. Let’s get these fuckers.” With that, I notice a few Grineer Executioners running out into the arena, outfitted similarly to us, and my squad starts darting towards them. I notice a large, lumbering shape, quickly recognizing him. Executioner Nok. They’re a formidable opponent normally, and apprehension coils in my chest as I force myself towards them, not wanting to cower away from the unfamiliar combat. As I run, I misjudge a step, losing my footing for a moment as a spherical object rolls in front of me—what the hell is a floof doing on a battlefield?! That momentary misstep sends me right in Nok’s line of fire, and I wait for the stinging pain from whatever’s in the guns. But…nothing happens. The liquid bounces off of my Warframe, leaving a damp sheen behind, but it doesn’t start eating through the metal as I had expected.

“This is WATER?!” I accidentally shout, frozen in surprise. To my horror, not only do I hear a rasping laugh from my opponent, but the Volt shouts back, and I can just tell they’re smirking behind their mask.

“Yep! It’s meant to be fun! Relax!” I roll my eyes, glancing to Nok. They shrug, a pleased smirk on their face. They raise their gun again, but this time I’m prepared. I roll to the side, darting quickly around them—they’re slow, I remind myself, I can use that to my advantage—, and I finally aim the gun, pulling the trigger. A stream of water launches towards Nok, hitting its mark, leaving a splash of water right in the center of their chestplate. I stare in shock for a moment, as does my opponent, before they grumble, continuing towards me. I bound away, a laugh escaping me as I do so. Okay, this is fun. I dart around the arena, spraying the Grineer with water before quickly leaping away. Then, I notice a shape that’s smaller, quicker, than the others. Executioner Garesh, a former deserter with a seething hatred for the Tenno. I try to employ the tactics that have been working thus far, but he moves faster than I can shoot. Water splashes off of my Warframe as he lands shot after shot. I stumble backwards, finally falling into the shallow water beneath my feet. 

“Try not to do that, hm?” The Gauss—I still don’t really know who they are—sprints over, blocking Garesh’s escape route and hosing him down until he too tumbles to the ground. I jump to my feet, shooting back an indignant response.

“Yea, yea. Fuck off.” They laugh, and in a flash, they’re gone, already running to the other end of the arena. I smirk, propelling myself further into the center of the fray, where Executioners and Tenno alike dart and leap around, dodging streams of water. Kela’s voice shouts almost incoherently over the speakers every so often, though none of us really pay attention. I’m not keeping score, I don’t know if any of us are. Who cares who’s winning or losing? This is just fun. But, eventually all good things must come to an end, and that’s true of this strange ‘fight’ as well. The whistles sound, and a disgruntled voice echoes through the air.

“Bah! So you won this one. Best out of…how many have….” Kela trails off for a moment, before her enthusiasm is renewed, sending a shout through the arena that causes even her own Executioners to wince slightly.

“LET’S DO IT AGAIN, MEATSACKS!” An amused snort escapes me, and I hear a chuckle from one of my squadmates. 

“You all up for another round?” Three voices—including my own—respond enthusiastically.

“Hell yea, this is awesome.”

“Eh, sure. I don’t have anythin’ else going on.”

“Yep. Gotta show ‘em who’s boss somehow.” The joking tone from the Volt apparently reaches the ears of one of the Grineer, because before we can react, water splashes across their helmet. They laugh.

“Probably deserved that. I’m not wrong though!” A few slightly amused grumbles echo from the other group, though they busy themselves getting ready for the next round. We do the same, and for a moment, I just think about what’s happening. We’re…actually hanging out with the Executioners, a feat I’d never thought possible. I mean, not all of the Grineer want to kill us—the Steel Meridian and Kahl’s group prove that—, but the Executioners…well, there’s a reason they have that title. Kela hates us—well, I don’t actually think she likes most beings, but whatever—, and those who she chooses to be her subordinates generally share the sentiment. Maybe this gas leak isn’t a bad thing. I mean, sure, we’ll all go back to how it was once it’s fixed. But…maybe this shows that there could be a future where the Grineer and the Tenno get along. Probably not, a more cynical part of myself refutes. This is just one bright light in the middle of a blood-stained war that’s been going on for years. It would be stupid to think that a simple game can just…erase the tension and distrust and hatred from both sides. Yet, as the whistle blows to signal the start of the next round, as I bound towards the nearest Executioner, I find my mind wandering. If Kahl and the Meridian can work with us…A splash of water across my shoulder cuts off my thought, and I turn, quickly carrying out my revenge. Maybe we don’t need to think that far. For now, let’s just enjoy the moment.

[divinekangaroo]

Been reading the Sadeian woman after @normalbrothers mentioned it in relation to Diana Mitford, many thoughts but tumblr (and no computer on holidays) is. Poor format for those thoughts

That said, in a(n unrelated?) tangent, the books framing of the written pornographer’s role in reinforcing sexual dynamics/norms (and that this is why de Sade was at least worthy of analysis because he challenged sexual/gender/power dynamic norms) makes me wonder regarding the propensity (call it the dominance; the dominant minority) of readerfic these days (writ by women for women and using the 'self insert' motif to tackle first person POV) and how it’s recolonised fannish spaces back to a particular model of acceptable pornography through sheer flooding quantity .

“our Chr1s+ian (?) moral duty to reclaim queer pornography to reassert normative sexual dynamics between a man and a woman, or a man and a man, or a woman and a woman*” and clean up all that dirty sexual power gender role dynamic complexity etc etc etc there’s only a very limited range of acceptable incest to fetishise etc etc mumble mumble even gay readerfic back to hole and prod mumble mutter mumble

[partialbirthabortion]

Obviously major content warning for disordered eating

[duckyfann9871]

Hello tumblr if there i anyone out there who has also watched this anime from 4 decades ago I would love to interact because I e=am enjoying it way more than I thought I would and very much want someone to yap about it with