#even though they BOTH suffer under racism...

[fite-club]

if being killed isn't a big deal, then you're fine with being killed? you'd rather i come to your house and bash your head in with a crowbar than misgender you?

(1st off, i am a trans man) personally, it makes me slightly uncomfortable when other trans men center their own experiences. don’t get me wrong, we have a right to talk about our issues, but i can’t help but feel like there’s a victim complex going on when some guys say that TERFs are “just as dangerous” to trans men or that baeddelism is a relevant issue (while brushing the misogyny and toxic masculinity in the ftm community under the rug). the fact that you made a post about trans unity and the first ask you got was about how trans men aren’t supported enough by trans women? but like, is that true? is it not ALSO an issue that trans women aren’t supported enough by trans men?

Okay, I hear you, and I acknowledge that I (unfortunately) have fairly limited experience with trans men but I don't know if I like the idea of discounting what they have to say as "a victim complex."

They just want to be heard. And I think they have a right to be upset, given how little representation trans men are given in media. I never saw any discussions on transmasc issues until I came to Tumblr. Never saw it on YouTube or Reddit. Online leftist circles--and even online trans circles!--don't talk about trans men! So, y'know what? If they're being a little melodramatic about their issues, maybe it'll off-set the lack of any knowledge of their issues in the first place.

And also, I think toxic masculinity and misogyny are sort of part of being a man, right now? Which certainly isn't to say it's inherent to men, but society does encourage it. That's what I think should change about being a man. This goes back to societal misandry, I think. Toxic Masculinity is just a manifestation of societal forces that encourage men to behave in unhuman ways, and I think it would be immature of me to expect trans men to perfectly avoid that, in their pursuit of masculinity.

Gender is a performance. We are all looking for the role that makes us most comfortable, but the baggage attached to the roles isn't something you can side-step so easily. Cis people have an advantage on this front, in that they are capable of proving their masculinity or femininity via means other than pure performance. Society *expects* them to be men or women and that means they can gesticulate towards genitalia whenever they're called into question. (They don't always do that, and it's sort of transphobic when they do, but the ones who are comfortable with themselves might say something like that, all the same)

A trans man will uphold toxic masculinity the same way that a trans woman will submit herself to misogyny: it is in pursuit of the perfect encapsulation of the role. Unless we feel like we adequately perform the role inherently, we are inclined to tolerate--and ergo embody, to an extent--the negativity present in the roles we desire.

I believe that lowering the standards for who can be seen as valid in masculinity will alleviate quite a bit of misogyny, whether that misogyny be among transmascs or cis men. So, in saying that, I hope I also illustrate why I'm quick to jump to their defense while also tacking on my ideas about societal misandry and its toll on men.

On the subject of whether or not transfems actually don't support transmascs...I guess I wouldn't really know. I'm not in trans communities because I don't live in a place where that kind of community could show up. I imagine this problem is being blown out of proportion a little bit, but the ask I think you're talking about did say that it was sort of a Tumblr thing? And internet discourse is just...fuckin...so unbelievably shitty. So I'm not too worried about it.

I mean, I'm not going to immediately assume any transfem I meet is inherently misandristic or otherwise bigoted towards transmascs, but I'm still gonna go to bat for transmascs if they get shit-talked, y'know?

[fragiledate]

Le destin et un fil rouge (click for qualité svp)

[radiantmists]

i didn't want to add this to the post because it would add a bit too much seriousness to a good meme, but i do think it raised an interesting point. because obviously kaladin didn't forget that racism existed in that moment, he was confronting one of his primary oppressors, the guy who betrayed him multiple times over specifically because he was darkeyed.

what kaladin does forget in that moment is the pervasiveness of racism, and the extent to which it's baked into his society's institutions. and i think it makes a lot of sense for kaladin specifically to forget that (even though he absolutely knows it intellectually)!

because kaladin has always been an 'exception'. his father was a doctor, much higher nahn than anyone else in the town. kaladin is as close to literate as an alethi man is allowed to be-- more literate than adolin, presumably than elhokar. marrying the child of the citylord and having lighteyed children-- theoretically 'escaping racism', though of course that wouldn't have worked out too well in practice-- was not only thinkable but likely, unlike the false hope of defeating a shardbearer that others cling to.

before roshone, kaladin did suffer from racism-- but less than others, and in a way where he was led to believe that it was escapable and conditional.

and many of the worst things that happened to him went against the rules of alethi society. roshone was corrupt, and should never have been promoted. kaladin was immune to the draft due to his apprenticeship, and tien was young enough that choosing him was taboo if not forbidden.

similarly, tien being sent to the front lines was the sort of tactic that 'honorable' alethi norms like the codes of war would have considered reprehensible.

and of course when he saved amaram and defeated the shardbearer, the rules of society dictated that he be rewarded; i imagine choosing to give the shard to amaram should, from an honorable man, have been rewarded with pay and retirement for his men or something similar.

kaladin's enslavement was not just dishonorable by alethi social norms, but illegal.

and the kholins, up to this point, have signaled commitment both to the law and to those alethi social honor codes. and while they (especially elhokar) have been casually prejudiced, they've also welcomed the idea of kaladin as the captain of the cobalt guard, suggesting that they aren't so racist that they can't sometimes see reason.

kaladin not realizing the boon was only for lighteyes was a little naive of him, but him expecting the legal system to work for him-- when he took the issue directly to someone who knew him, respected him, and owed him the lives of his whole family-- is very understandable in the light of his experiences.

kaladin is the kind of person from a minority who was raised genuinely thinking that if they behave well, they might experience some prejudice, but no door is truly, systemically closed to them. he's had some knocks to that belief (and is kind of a suspicious person), but in the first part of words of radiance the world seems to be trying to reassure him that not all lighteyes are (too) racist, that the system is not (inherently) unjust, that he's simply been the victim of some of the more prejudiced fringes of lighteyed society.

and then the rug gets pulled out from under him.

because no amount of familiarity or respect will make elhokar side with him over one of the good old boys, no accomplishment will allow a darkeyes to challenge a lighteyes, and no amount of good behavior or education will make kaladin white lighteyed.

but a shardblade would.

...right?

i think this and the immediate aftermath, with adolin giving kaladin a blade and him giving it to moash, could have been a really interesting examination of that idea, because i don't think that lighteyed society would have smoothly accepted either of them. even by rhythm of war, we get hints that kaladin occupies a weird social place where he technically has a lighteyed rank but he seems to have a complicated relationship with 'other' lighteyes (obviously made particularly weird by him being a radiant and because most of the lighteyes he interacts with heavily are also royalty, but he doesn't quite seem to be equals with most of them).

but i don't think sanderson quite understood the experience he was writing about with kaladin, and he set out to write a series about an apocalypse. and so kaladin's complicated-- but not unrealistic-- perspective on alethi casteism will go unexamined.

[thehollowwriter]

Listen ya'll I know I'm literally the one who decides to make Finn and Silas cookie cutter sharks, but I'm ngl, at the time it was just cause I Iike cookie cutter sharks. I didn't realise it was accidentally thematically significant until later *wheeze*

Just a warning for discussions of cannabilism, fantasy racism, bullying, and some shark skull pictures under the cut. Also pretty pretty please read this for cookie cutter shark stuff, it's not very long XD

A big part of both Finn and Silas' lives (plus Morrigan's) was being percieved as more monstrous, animalistic, and dangerous, and even parasitic, partially due to Silas being from the Abyss, and partially because they don't look as human as other mers.

I have a hc (mostly because of Azul's backstory tbh) that throughout the many centuries of coexistence, human cultures and standards began influencing those of the merfolk.

Over time, more human looking mers (ones that look like your typical human idea of a mermaid e.g Ariel) came to be viewed as more civilised and desirable, while your more "animalistic mers" (such as Jade, Floyd, and Azul, tho even they still look quite human) that are a harder pill to swallow for humans came to be viewed as animalistic, stupid, and dangerous.

Essentially, the former were pretty fantasy creatures, and the latter were horror movie monsters.

Silas especially suffers from this due to being from the Abyss, and though his reputation is somewhat better than when he first came to Atlantica or during the time Morrigan died, he's still viewed as:

1. A creepy, violent cannibal just waiting for a chance to grab the next good hardworking citizen to devour, despite the fact that he hasn't eaten another merfolk in almost thirty years

2. A parisite (leeching off Morrigan, taking other people's money) despite the fact that he's self supporting (Can't be entitled to your dead husband's money or belongings when you aren't legally married bc you don't legally exist 🤷‍♂️ so it all goes to your shitty in-laws who hate you)

However I would be lying if I said that parisite imagery didn't work for Silas. Hell, his UM is parasitic in nature to reflect the life he jad to live in the Abyss, and even my idea for his OB phantom is the plush shark gorging on the ink bottle (and maybe the "cap" of the bottle puncturing the phantom's head and sticking out the other side like it ate too much)

His quiet nature, job as a butcher, and few ventures into public lets rumours run wild, which doesn't work out well for either him or Finn. And that's not even touching on the fact that when he does talk to others, if they're not acting like he's gonna suddenly lunge at them, they talk to him like he's stupid ("This is a phone, see!" Type behaviour yk) and only seem to take him serious when he copies Morrigan's more upper-class way of talking.

Finn, although certainly not treated anywhere near as badly as Silas, isn't free from coming under fire either. He may be treated with a very odd form of pity due to being raised by "someone like him (Silas)", but that's drowned out by being seen as a creepy problem child that upsets and scares his classmates. He's always been indirectly told he doesn't act "normal" and that something is "wrong", which is often blamed on either Silas or Finn's "nature."

Finn is largely avoided by other merfolk, whether it be fear of him attacking (mixed with a fear of the feeling the ghosts get others) or being lured by him to Silas, as some rumours went. Some children are banned from interacting with Finn or Silas entirely. For those who are more daring, they're quickly put off by Finn's unusual silence and "weird" or gross interests.

There are few who try and tease or bully Finn, and fewer who do it continuously, but those who do mostly target Finn's appearance (fat, "ugly" teeth, "ugly" shade of green, claws, too small, etc) and behaviour ("creep", dumb, too sensitive, weirdo, "doesn't talk/doesn't talk right", etc) or take advantage of his size to try knock him around (this ends poorly)

Cookie cutter sharks themselves are technically parasites, but not in the way people think. They are not true parasites, instead they are facultative ectoparasites. Although they do engage in parasitism, they don't depend on it to survive and do in fact hunt other sea creatures such as squid, like other sharks do. However, most people only know them as parasites that only feed off bigger creatures, similarly to how Silas (and by extention, Finn) is viewed.

Not only that, but cookie cutter sharks used to be called "demon whale biters" before they got their current name. It fits pretty well with Finn and Silas being seen as monstrous/demonic despite being extremely unlikely to attack anyone unprovoked and just want to be left alone.

Cookie cutter sharks are largely acknowledged to not be very pretty either. One of their nicknames is the "cigar shark" due to apparently looking like a rolled up cigar, and an article even described them as "ugly pencils" at one point. Their teeth aren't considered pretty either. I've actually got good pictures of cookie cutter shark skulls here:

Funnily enough, people do like more well-known sharks and even find them more pretty or even cute. Even their sharp and dangerous teeth are more palatable in a way since they appear more "neat" and appealingly organised.

This again fits with Finn, as Ariel-like shark mers are regarded pretty highly and found to be cool, strong and attractive (though this would probably be due to more acceptance of those kinds of mers in the recent past) while Finn's seen almost like a little freakshow of sorts.

So yeah that's my lil symbolism(?) ramble of the day lol

Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly @jovieinramshackle

@galaxies-and-gore @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @officialdaydreamer00 @krenenbaker

@offorestsongs @kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops @inotonline

@1dont-really-know @kazumify @minteasketches @elysia-nsimp @skrimpyskimpy

@casp1an-sea @offorestsongs @tixdixl @poisoned-pearls @the-trinket-witch

@ramshacklerumble @ghostiidasponk @thegoldencontracts @sillyslipperybananapeel @cloudcountry

@skriblee-ksk @twstinginthewind @lumdays @theolivetree123 @natsukishinomiyaswife

@authoruio @jewelulu @raguiras @moonyasnow @skibidibabygirl

@quartztwst @yuizenihaswriten @devosin @oya-oya-okay @b0njourbeach

@kirans-wonderland @jovieinramshackle @lumdays

@coffinkissez

@tixdixl @distant-velleity @ramshacklerumble

[thesuntookgoodcareofme]

Been seeing a lot of discussion on rgu and race(and racism) recently which I think it's great. I plan to do a coherent little analisys on it some (not near) time, but for now, there's this thing that has been on my brain since my first watch;

About Akio, that has all control overs Ohtori being a brown man, and Anthy being the sufferer of all oppression not only for being a girl, but also clearly different in the academy for being brown (suffering with what can really be interpreted as racism, because of the constant sexualization, objectification and villifying of her). It's a contrast between the two siblings that has to do i'd say with the inherent links of types of prejudice: misoginy, racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism go ideologically and systemically hand in hand.

Anthy is a brown girl that endured the thousand swords of humanitys hatred, prejudice. She carries with herself the open wound of all the girls under patriarchy, but not just this, she is vulnerable. A trafficked brown queer teenage girl victim of systemical abuse. And although the anime 'focus' its themes on gender, still, we can clearly pick up on multiple adding interpretations of Anthy as the representation of girls of marginalized groups.

Akio is not vulnerable, as he is an adult, an authority figure, the patriarch (and almost its god, when he paints himself as Dios) of ohtoris system, the academys Headmaster. But he is a brown man that, as we know, is also a marginalized group. And Akio, despite his positions as both teorically Dios and symbolically Lucifer, is also inserted in his own system. He is not the owner of Ohtori, and pardon me if I mix up the titles and positions names i'm vry tired, he's being a substitute to the actual guy, Kanaes father. So, even in this position so high of authority, we can see that even he has to play his own game and fall beneath someone with more power than him. Because that's how hierarchies and patriarchy works. And it makes me remember of when we see his and Anthys backstories:

So now, the part I've been thinking about since ever:

The place where Anthy and Akio stay is a wooden cabin with hay, which is similar to the ones that were built in america in the beggining of colonization. I apologize deeply, but I forgot about the name of the structure and the name of the article that discussed Anthy being brown, but I'll link it if I find it again. Anthy wears this very humble red cloth, that is indubtly more simple than Dios and the peoples clothing. It shows the beggining of ostracization. Dios clothing is white and similar to a tuxedo like the crowd is wearing, and anthys is red just like the rosebride dress.

For me, that seems to show us how the man and woman gender hierarchy is a colonizer idea.

Anthy dresses in a piece of cloth of the same colour of her bridal dress, because her as a brown girl is not a princess, not worth of value, a witch, and only valuable as an man serving object. And Akio, being now categorized as a man, even though he'a a child, dresses in a white tuxedo similar to the ones worn by grooms. He's higher in the hierarchy, but still used. And when Anthy helps her brother herself, despite being the lowest in the worlds hierarchy, the crowd attacks her and it consolidates the system that Akio knows dives fully into, as the master, but also not unharmed; at least from when he was a kid.

[dreamwatch]

Let The Bodies Hit The Floor

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest

Day #26 - Prompt: Tour Date | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: M | CW: racism, violence, use of the C word| POV: Gareth | Pairing: None | Tags: mosh pits, rough gigs, fighting, band vs the world, run on sentences

These shitty little bar gigs are a curse and a blessing, honestly; like some set up for a shitty joke - what happens when you throw four hundred people into an underground bunker with no air conditioning? They take their clothes off and drink too much. Badoomtish!

It’s hot as satan’s balls backstage, and his shirt didn’t even make it to the stage with him. The thing about gigs in small venues that you don’t get in big venues (he imagines, he’s never played anything with more than six hundred people and they were the openers, it wasn’t even full), is that you can see them. Like, they’re practically on stage with you, you can see their eyes, see them moshing, watch how they get progressively sweatier, their hair plastered to their heads and faces. It’s visceral. It’s what The Hideout could never give them. Gareth has never felt more alive.

They’re the last on tonight which is just fucking, like what? How is this happening? How are they getting anywhere? It’s insane and he loves it, and fuck you Taco Bell, he’s never going back. But that means with no air conditioning these lunatics have all been drinking for hours, and you can see it. They’re getting rougher, people aren’t just pushing and shoving because it’s fun now, they’re doing it because some of them are drunk and angry.

It shouldn’t be exciting. It feels wrong, like he’s watching an arsonist flicking the spark wheel too close to a gas pump, over and over, and it’s probably okay, maybe, but one spark. It just needs one spark.

Jeff ends up throwing his shirt into the crowd within five minutes, he knows Matty and Eddie will just tough it out; they’ve both got their reasons not to but it boils down to the same thing. And Eddie suffers more than most; his temperature regulation is fucked since all that shit happened a few years back, he’s brittle and pained in the cold, boils if the thermometer rises above seventy. He’s got his hair tied back, same as Gareth, and they keep more water coming for him. It’s not much, but it helps.

The gig is good, Gareth can feel the rivulets of sweat running down his back, his face, the crack of his ass when he stands up. And he can see Jeff’s back right in front of him, glistening under the lights, defined muscles that weren’t there back in high school when he was carrying a few extra pounds. Touring and living cheap has made him lean, loading and unloading amps has built strength. He’s growing his hair out, sides shaved, locs a work in progress on top. He looks fucking awesome. 

The problem with some of these little bum fuck towns is that they like metal just fine, satanism who now? Fuck it, thrash the fuck out of us. But black people? Not so much. Mostly it’s not overt, it’s the vibe, the looks, a thing they have to be careful of, and, bar some nasty words being spat at them, so far they’ve walked away. Angry, disgusted, but with all their own teeth.

It’s how it affects Jeff, though, that’s what’s upsetting. He gets introverted, ruminates on it, which like, he gets (but he doesn’t, he knows they’ll never really understand). Where Eddie would usually have to tell you everything about everything, taking you on the journey of where his brain started to where it ends up, Jeff sits on things, he’ll come up for air when he’s good and ready. And even when he does come up for air he’s not sharing with the class, not all in one go. It’s Matty that’s there first doing the unpicking, soothing the verbal cuts and bruises. Gareth’s never been able to figure that one out, Matty being kind of cold sometimes, but he caught a snippet of conversation one day — 

“— cunts, every last one of them. One day you’ll be breezing through here in our tour bus, we’re not even gonna stop for a piss in this sewer, and you’re going see that racist cock sucker at the side of the road with one tooth in his head and his dog. And then you’re gonna notice he’s married to the dog—“

— and Jeff had laughed, like belly laughed at that, and Matty strikes again.

So this show is fucking something else, and that spark is getting closer and closer to the gas and then whoosh, up it goes, there’s an actual fight in the crowd. They keep playing, there’s blood in peoples teeth, he’s that close, but fuck it and then he notices it really kick off and then he can’t hear Jeff anymore and when he looks up he’s gone, what the fuck, locs flying into the audience. Gareth’s gone, over the fucking kit, can hear the cymbal stands clatter to the ground, but now he’s in the crowd and like, what the fuck is he actually doing here? And he gets a punch to the head and he punches back and then he’s being yanked back on the stage by Eddie and a security guy, and Matt has Jeff, but then a guy from security punches Jeff, like he dragged himself into the crowd, and Matt is like in this fucking dudes face, and Gareth watched Matty break someone’s nose a couple of years ago, he’s got it in him, but Matty shoves the guy away. And like… what do you do now?

There’s this vicious sound, a scream of anger from the amps and it’s Jeff. They all get the memo, Gareth picking up his cymbals before climbing back behind the kit and he doesn’t even count them in, they’re already in, already off. And like fuck the crowd at this point, they’re playing with fury and everyone’s going to listen. And maybe it was excitement, maybe it was some racist fuck, but whatever, their ears are going to bleed for it.

Okay so... A/N if you're interested.

Title from Bodies by Drowning Pool (a song all about mosh pits!)

Inspiration for this came from two places.

1. There was a game going round yesterday - your first gig / last gig. My first was Anthrax at the Camden Underworld in 1993. Small basement gig, getting kicked in the head by stage divers, all that good stuff. It just reminded me there was a time I went to places like that to see metal gigs and it just sent me down a 'oh fuck I am so old and i used to be so cool' spiral.

2. Related, my husband showed me a video of a Nirvana gig where Kurt threw himself into the crowd, and once he got back out he was punched in the face by a security guard, and oh boy, how fast Dave got over those drums. And Matty getting into it with the security guard is a straight rip of Krist doing the same in the video.

Also - Gareth POV and mostly about Jeff because I didn't write for their prompt days and I felt bad. :(

[notalotjust4ever]

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[olderthannetfic]

https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/736464662612344832/httpswwwtumblrcomolderthannetfic735990124795#notes

I based the language used in (both) asks on how the author had written on her social medias before during and after her books became available, and her stances to the things she herself believes in. As in, the author herself has called herself a diaspora, she herself calls herself 1st/2nd gen diaspora. From what I remember she was born as diaspora but mentioned that she spent most times in her home country so she herself used the 1st/2nd gen label. The author is an American diaspora though, if that means anything.

All my arguments about her book come from how the author put herself and her writing on a pedestal, mentioning herself how she'd use her status to write, with a standard she herself decided should be the goal. I can definitely understand how some people got the idea that I held "higher expectations of a POC authors writing when it comes to racism" or something because I didn't make it clear where my criticism came from, but no I did not do so because of her background.

It's a case of "I'll criticize people who claim they're a better writer while punching down on everyone else for doing it wrong, and then claiming they'll write a book that's going to tackle the issues of racism/sexism/queerphobia/ableism much better than any other books out there, with an incredibly progressive main character and hold them to the standard they themselves set up but within the book. But then ends up not only failing, but unironically making the lead have an unquestioned racist view. " ... Just read the other follow-up submission, I explained with more detailed what the issue in the writing and framing was. https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/736443105288519680/httpsolderthannetfictumblrcompost73599012479#notes

It was a very "I'm not racist but..." part of the story. Like I said, it could have been a really good exploration that even people who're progressive can still hold prejudicial views and then realizing they hold them, especially with how hard it sticks out amongst the rest of the story. But it just wasn't and it felt like the authors own views were reflected in how she wrote. And with how casually it's just left unquestioned in the book it really leaves a bad taste. I will even admit that at first I was intrigued and thought this was going to be a part of the leads journey. It wasn't.

This was a case of the author basically saying "Everything I believe is reflected in this book" all throughout, and then really messing up distancing the artist from the art by her own design.

On the American accusations: I'm not American and I don't live in America, but I also am a diaspora in the current country I live in. Only thing I would give you is that we don't use "diaspora" but that's more because I don't live in an Anglophone country, and the word used here is a synonym for "foreigner". I thought it was fairly obvious I have ESL syndrome lol. English isn't even my second language more like E3<L

In fact, if you hadn't been raised by this US-centric mentality of "there's whites and then there's POC and these are the only two kinds of categories in the world," you'd know that EVERYBODY hates EVERYBODY.

Not American. Still not under any illusion that that's the case. I've read history books. Really not understanding where you got the idea from that I had from my one description of specifically ONE person's writing. "Racial and ethnic hate is not something that only people born with blonde hair, lily-white skin, and light blue eyes can make others suffer through." Yay, we agree on something. As in, I 100% agree with you on this. I know I could probably just drop the name of the author and the books. But honestly I did some contemplation and there are two things that make me not do it. I'm just an anon, I have no reputation or name to keep clean or uphold, and I've been on the internet long enough and experienced enough of the absolute senseless dogpilling creatives get especially these days with how popular review bombings are, direct attacks and other harassment, and the not good environment social media has created for creatives misstepping, which includes twitter/x, tiktok, and youtube. Even if I believe that out of 100 people on here none would go and do that, the 101th person might decide to be an ass about it. The second reason, and the main reason I didn't just mention the book from the start is that the author herself has removed most mentions of her books on all her social media, they're still available but since it seems she's removed herself from her own writing I'll just respect it.

Tbh I gave enough info in my opinion that someone could probably find the books if they made a real attempt. The issue I mentioned has been handled by some of the people who reviewed the book.

--

As always, saying the name of the book will get people arguing about whether they agree with this interpretation of this book.

Not sharing the name will get people remembering either the last time some sanctimonious author was annoying or the last time some clueless reviewer missed the point, depending on which has annoyed them more recently.

[boreal-sea]

Hello ! I saw a post of yours where you said that "the radical feminist -> TERF -> NAZI pipeline is very well documented" I'm looking for things exactly on that subject, do you have receipts and stuff like that ?

The radical feminist to TERF to NAZI pipeline isn't so much a pipeline as they are both sitting in the same sewer called "bioessentialism", which is in and of itself a fascist belief system.

Summary: belief in gender bioessentialism is an open door to being convinced of the authenticity of other forms of bioessentialism like racism and antisemitism and ableism, and the people promoting those things are NAZIs. Many radfems already believe some of this shit, and you can find it on their blogs.

(I'm going to use man/male and woman/female interchangeably a lot here because to a lot of these people, those words mean the same thing)

---

Bioessentialism is the belief that there are traits about people that govern your behavior and are baked into your genes, your chromosomes, and your hormones.

According to gender/sex bioessentialism, women/females are inherently weaker than men/males and men are inherently more violent than women. Biologically, men can't help but want to dominate women. In "nature", this creates a "natural" hierarchy with men on the top and women on the bottom.

Gender/sex bioessentialists believe there's absolutely nothing we can do to stop men from doing these things, because these behaviors are not a result of someone's upbringing, they are baked into their very being.

(radfems hate this hierarchy, and patriarchs love it, but they both agree it exists and is immutable)

If you are a radical feminists and you believe this, it's basically impossible to not become transphobic. Men are horrible evil monsters! Being trans isn't real, therefore they must be doing it on purpose to "invade women's spaces" and "fetishize female suffering".

Trans people are so hated by bioessentialists because they are defying the natural order, "playing god", and perverting nature. Some radfems are pro-eugenics - quite a lot of them think that trans people deserve death instead of life-saving care, even when they simultaneously view us as mentally ill.

There are some fringe beliefs that come out of this. A few radfems promote "female separatism", that is, entirely separating society into females and males. Some radfems literally want all males to die out, though admittedly this group are a fringe minority of radfems, so they don't really reflect the wider radfem movement. But it's a natural extension of their beliefs.

---

Bioessentialism is, of course, crap. It's also racist and ableist, among other things. But it produces a hierarchy, and that's what these people want. And that's where the NAZI shit comes in, because NAZIs are also bioessentialists, and they apply it to race and ability and a bunch of other things on top of gender. You know - smart rich abled white men on top, white women just below them, then disabled people and Jews and people of color on the bottom, etc.

Notably, the only people who get to have "real genders" under white fascist bioessentialism are white people. This is why so many of the "gender markers" you'll see transphobes talk about seem really racist: because they are. They define womanhood based on white Eurocentric beauty ideals, and anything that deviates from that is "masculine". It's why white TERFs so often accuse women of color of being "men" - because they're racist! Also, a lot of white radfems are extremely racist towards men of color.

This shit is easy to observe if you go on their blogs - A lot of them will be openly antisemitic on their blogs, especially right now. They will use marginalized women as a front to be openly racist towards men of color, or to be Islamophobic, or antisemitic, etc. They don't actually give a shit about those women though, and will turn right around and falsely identify a woman of color or a Jewish woman as a "man" whenever they feel like it.

A lot of them are fully willing to align themselves with right-wing/ conservative celebrities and politicians if it means advancing their transphobic rhetoric. In the USA, they'll even go so far as to align themselves with the "alt-right", which is the USA's current fascist party. "Well known" radfems have been seen on talk shows with these jerks.

Also, right-wing men love the gender bioessentialism of radical feminism. Women are weak? Men are strong? Hell yeah! Conservatives/ right-wingers/ fascists eat that shit up. They LOVE it. Bioessentialism is literally the core of the patriarchy because it is how they justify the hierarchy of men on top, women on the bottom.

The only difference between men who love the patriarchy and women who are radfems is what they think the solution is: radfems advocate for female-lead cultures or female separatism or male genocide, while the men who love the patriarchy think women would be happier if they all stopped being feminists and accepted their natural position in the hierarchy: on the bottom.

But they both believe in the hierarchy produced by bioessentialism.

Do I have research papers or screenshots? No. But it's not hard to observe this stuff in radfem and terf circles for yourself.

[terrence-silver]

hi! what do you think it would be like, a relationship between the old man! terry and his daughter, who is a black, mixed, teenager girl... i always imagined that, as has already been said in your blog about his xenophobia, i would like to know more, especially how he would react, especially because being his daughter would not save his daughter of suffering racism, or any other type of violence.

---

Terry Silver himself is pretty racist, this is undeniable.

Hate to pretend he ain't.

But, Terry also has this thing where he's an undeniable hypocrite with immense double standards he's undoubtedly entirely aware of and even cocky about because he makes the rules and rules are what he makes them when he makes them; meaning that he's fully capable of being xenophobic to a member of one race, ethnicity, group, creed or what will you and then in the same vein being nonironically the most devoted person towards the exact same kind of person provided this person is someone aligned with him. Someone in his corner. Someone he cares for. Someone his. You're either with him or against him and that's that on that. He deals in absolutes.

It's not right. It's not fair.

But, whoever said Terry Silver's a well-balanced individual with good ethics?

For example, man's fully disrespectful towards Mr. Miyagi but maintains a fairly understanding and even respectful relationship with everyone related to the Korean Dojang he studied under back in the day. Doesn't like the Vietnamese because he waged war against them. Doesn't like Mr. Miyagi because Terry feels the old man and his twerp student gave John Kreese and Cobra Kai a hard time (a transgression worthy of immediate revenge), not withstanding the fact it's an old injury and prejudice going back to World War II --- America dropped a bomb on that part of the world and Terry's willing drop another, figuratively, for old times sake. Doesn't mind Sensei Joe at all, even though he very much minded another Okinawan decades ago --- but, unlike that one, this Okinawan is his friend. Emphasis on the his. Or at least, so Terry thought. Has a reverence towards Koreans in ways he doesn't towards the members of the same race, in the broader sense. So, what's up with that? They're all Asian, though. Shouldn't he despise them all equally? Difference is, he perceives some of them to be in his corner and some of them in the opposing one and when you're in an opposing corner to Terry Silver, I'm afraid all bets are off regardless of your roots. He will then use every weapon in his arsenal, even racial prejudices. And suddenly, out come the slurs.

In short, such would be his relationship with any Biracial child he'd have.

Or hey, a Biracial partner.

Everything his is the most hallowed, important valuable and prized subject of his loyalty imaginable and while he's not racially blind to the fact his own kid is mixed (he's fully aware) the man just cannot be impartial and he's king of all biases. He's not shortsighted and he doesn't have tunnel vision --- he just doesn't give a damn about offering olive branches towards people that he isn't involved with. That aren't in his camp.

Again, you're either with him or against him. No middle ground.

He'd be entirely capable of dishing out a world of pain if someone racially disrespected his kid, but man would be entirely willing to do the same thing he'd kill because of to someone else and he'd do both with a smile on his face, somehow managing to be the biggest advocate and ally to a singular individuals and also simultaneously the most bigoted person ever, so go figure that one out.

[larsisfrommars]

Wild Wild Reviews

The Night of The Inferno

Overall Score:

Story: 3/5

Dame: 4/5

Villain: 2/5

Gadgets: 5/5

Disguises: 2.5/5

Bonus Points: Gay Subtext: 1/5

The Yikes Dated Factor: -3/-5

Score: 14.5/25 (58%)

Tier: D

Next Review

FULL REVIEW UNDER CUT

The Story

It’s a pretty straight forward plot that introduces most of the core elements of the show fairly well. We’ve got our inflable and courageous James West, our over the top villains, our femme fatale and our gadgets but it feels as though the story is missing a limb. That limb of course is Artemus Gordon. Yes Ross Martin is there playing counterpart to Robert Conrad but he doesn’t really seem like the Artie we know and love yet. He’s less intelligent marvels at inventions that given the later context of the show he could’ve (and probably did) build himself, and lets Jim do the detective work. His disguises aren’t a big focus, and he’s noticeably more of a coward than he is later on. Luckily they fix all this almost immediately but between this and the casual early 60s racism this episode suffers a bit.

The Dame

Our woman of the week is Suzanne Pleshette!

Most of us young’uns know her as the witch Yubaba from Spirited Away and/or Zira from Lion King 2. However she was a very accomplished TV actress before that! I think she does a fantastic job as Lydia Monteran!

She and Jim have history which is always a fun gimmick, and certainly way more fleshed out than the parade of other women in this series. She’s got her own illegal business and lots of personality, a classic femme fatale. She just doesn’t have a lot in the way of complex/personal motivations and doesn’t really affect the plot with her direct actions, which is why she isn’t a perfect score.

The Villain

Our villains of the week are Nehemiah Persoff and Victor Buono!

Now I don’t know Persoff from anything other than Papa from American Tail. His character bordered on caricature/hammy but I am honestly shocked to say that he was WAY more entertaining to watch than Victor Buono of all people?! He was very animated and had a lot of fun lines. Meanwhile Buono (who I know as the unhinged King Tut from Batman) was both chronically underutilized and the crux of the more dated and problematic aspects of this installation of the series. Generally though these villains lacked the camp and ridiculous plans/motivations that I love the series for. So I’d say they’re a little subpar overall

The Gadgets

The gadgets were PHENOMENAL in this episode. If it has a real saving grace it’s the gizmos, a cornerstone of what makes this show work. We get an introduction to The Wanderer, West’s notorious toolbox boot heels, and a really fun Chekhov’s Gun scenario with the self-defense measures built into the billiards table! Excellent visuals and gimmicks that will carry on throughout the series.

The Disguises

The disguises were… eh. Which makes sense for the pilot but also it’s a shame, considering just how much it becomes an integral part of Ross Martin’s multi-faceted performance as Artemus Gordon. We get him as some sorta grave robber/carpet bagger that seems to exclusively exist to be silly at Jim’s expense, and a brief appearance as a Mexican beggar. Only one really makes sense for the story and we see it for all of two seconds.

The Gay Subtext

(Don’t ship it? Skip it!)

So long as Artemus and Jim are in an episode together the Gay score will never be 0. That being said they haven’t established a rapport, or even Artemus as a solid character yet. So is absolutely bottom rung for subtext in a given episode to me. Artemus frets over Jim a little and musters up his courage in spooky environs but that’s about it.

The Yikes Dated Factor

I’m giving this a solid -3 because yes there are more sexist/racist episodes than this but there are also LESS racist/sexist episodes of this show than this one. The only reason this doesn’t get a worse score for the yellow face is because it was part of the villain’s ploy, so they technically didn’t have a white man playing a Chinese guy. It was a white guy pretending to be Mexican pretending to be Chinese, which is almost funny, almost. But then, we got a couple white guys playing Mexicans which (there are plenty of people in the Latine diaspora who are white.) still runs into caricature and colorism issues. The baddies are all foreigners sometimes pretending to be different foreigners with some casual orientalism. But hey! At least the Spanish wasn’t gibberish!

[praeteritus-memories-muses]

Name: Alastor R҉e҉d҉a҉c҉t҉e҉d҉

Series: Hazbin Hotel

Continuity: Animated series

Age: 30's (physical appearance)

Height: 5'11"

Birthday: R҉e҉d҉a҉c҉t҉e҉d҉

Date of death: 1933

Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana

Orientation: Hetero demiromantic | Asexual

Species: Demon

Occupation: Radio Host (human life) \ Facility manager of the Hazbin Hotel (currently)

Parent(s): Unnamed mother (deceased) / Unknown father (deceased)

Bio:

(TW: Cannibalism, racism, religious themes, etc etc)

Born as a mixed race man in Louisiana, Alastor lived with his mother in a quaint cabin close to the bayou. Due to his mother's race, she was never able to find proper work and so they both grew up without a penny to their name. Even more infuriating for a young Alastor was that his father was a wealthy privileged man in the city who refused to acknowledge Alastor and his mother.

At some point when his mother was ill, he became so enraged over the neglect and abandonment of his father that he murdered him and buried his body in the Bayou, all without his mother's knowledge. This gave Alastor his first taste of murder and he craved for more, so he chose to secretly find more to fulfill his hunger.

Teaching himself to speak with a Transatlantic accent, to "pass" while being a Creole man, Alastor would eventually earn a spot on a radio show in the 1920's. He became VERY popular with his charisma and singing voice, but secretly he would murder his competition in the newly born radio industry or the homeless growing from the stock market crash in 1929. At some point, desperately craving meat, he snapped and started to eat his victims.

By the time the Great Depression was in full swing, Alastor became a full on cannibal serial killer and was eventually caught by the police. He was trying to run away when he was caught dragging a body, only to be chased down by police dogs and shot in the head by a local farmer who mistook him for a deer in the middle of the night.

Alastor would die and make headlines as a cannibal murderous radio host, while his soul was dragged to hell.

Due to his status when he died, as basically a celebrity, he became a powerful demon in hell and quickly climbed up to Overlord status. In hell, he hosts a radio show and remained in high power for centuries.

When Vox entered hell, as a television game show host with origins Alastor could care less about, he tried to take him under his wing as a fellow entertainer but they had a falling out over their differences in the changing mortal world. Vox believes in progress of technology while Alastor believes things should stay the way they are. Particularly, Alastor HATES television and will only watch silent films of his era.

He's not completely alone in hell though, as he's best friends with Rosie and gets along quite well with most of the other Overlords for the most part. He is noted for getting along with women more than men, as he believes women are more polite than men and he grew up a mama's boy so he was more used to the company of women.

Known as the radio demon, he would make deals and steal the souls of hundreds of foolish demons in hell, including Husker and Nifty who he has metaphorically chained to him.

Except, seven years ago, Alastor mysteriously disappeared and entered a contract with an unknown individual who has Alastor chained to a leash as well. Desperate to undo being someone else's minion, he decided to work for the Princess of Hell in order to use her power to undo his contract.

Alastor is VERY charismatic and always smiling, believing that you're never fully dressed without one, but is also extremely sadistic and manipulative. He has no plans to ever redeem himself and doesn't think anyone is capable of things like redemption, simply working as the hotel's facility manager just to watch people suffer. There are glimmers of the Louisiana boy raised by a loving mother, but it's hidden under pure evil that not a damned or living soul has managed to see.

[kyndaris]

When the River Meets the Sea

I don't tend to hype up books or signal boost ones I like too much but, as you, dear readers know, there is a series I've stumbled upon in recent years that I am most enthusiastic about. Why it isn't a TikTok darling is a mystery to me. The cover is GORGEOUS, the plot a work of GENIUS and the characters are some of the most lovable I've ever set my mind's eye on. Don't even get me started on the world-building!

The work of fiction, of course, is none other than the Rook and the Rose trilogy by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms. AKA M.A. Carrick - the pseudonym they chose to write under.

From the moment I cracked open the first book and stepped in the city of Nadezra, I was spellbound. Quickly, I came to love the world within those 600 or so pages. But if I have to shout out one character who resonated strongly with me, it would be Ren.

Hers is a story many may know. An orphan with no name trying to eke out a living in an unforgiving city.

While many fantasy authors these days tend to make their protagonists thieves or assassins or royalty in disguise, Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms went a different route. Yes, Ren is a thief and con artist but she isn't a character living on the fringes of high society. Instead, she throws right into the political machinations of the gentry and find a way to put her name onto a noble family register. Along the way, she makes new allies, finds love and gets adopted into a loving family. And all through the use of her silver tongue and skill at pattern-reading.

As such, she's a refreshing protagonist when so many are either hyper-sexualised (although she isn't afraid to use her feminine wiles to her advantage) or turned into another stoic caricature of what people think a strong female protagonist has to be. In all honesty, it's probably how she relies on her wit rather than brawn to win battles that won me over.

The city of Nadezra, too, is a the perfect microcosm of many issues our current world faces when it comes to the divide between ricfh and poor, white and black. True, the Vraszenians are more akin to gypsies rather than, say, African-Americans or Indigenous Australians but their struggle is similar. Nadezra, after all, is the holy city of the Vraszenians, conquered by the Liganti (a light-skinned race with many of their attitudes reflecting that of the Western European gentry although their names were very Italian-esque).

In the history of the world, it was the Tyrant King who first took control. Though he died centuries ago, the city of Nadezra, has, however, remained in the hands of the Liganti. Their control of the city remaining tight due to the influence of special medallions charged with the power of a Primordial.

While the third book in the trilogy, Labyrinth's Heart, manages to resolve these issues by the end, I thought it poignant the authors made it clear the racism and institutionalised disadvantages the Vraszenians faced hadn't completely vanished overnight. House Traementis, while being more open-minded to befriending Vraszenians and granting them contracts was still trying to unlearn many of the prejudices they held.

Still, the fact Ren is of mixed heritage and that she saved the city numerous times with Vraszenian, Liganti and mixed blood Nadezrans allies was an important step towards equality and making a fairer multicultural society.

It also helped this was a fictional fantasy novel where such problems can be more easily resolved. Nevertheless, I liked the inherent message within that diplomacy rather than violence is the key to navigating differences. Of course, for it to work, both parties need to approach the thorny issue of past grievances in good faith. Nothing would get done if people held onto old grudges instead of setting such things aside. That isn't to say compensation shouldn't be paid to those that have suffered.

I'm sure in the world of Nadezra, there is still many things that will need to be addressed but I'm also appreciate of the fact the conflict between the two races wasn't so black and white. In fact, the extremists among the Vraszenians were also a threat Ren and her allies needed to manage.

But while racism and the impact of one's cultural and socio-economic status play large roles in the narrative, I felt the crux of The Rook and the Rose trilogy, was the theme of family. If anything, given it's a trilogy with three main characters it revolves around, I'd say it was a fitting theme given the Tricat numinatria represented family as well as the number three in the world's lore.

And who would have thought this fantastic story would all come from the two authors playing a table-top role-playing game?

Certainly not me!

Which is why I would like like to see these books being boosted more on social media. Be it BookTube (thank you Reads with Rachel for showing off Mask of Mirrors) or Booktok. After all, can you imagine this wondrous and colourful world being turned into a TV adaption? Just the set dressing and costume design has me salivating given how much attention Alyc Helms has given.

Now that Shadow and Bone and its spinoff Six of Crows has been cancelled, what better faux European world to have fun in? When you also mix in the brooding Rook and the scheming Vargo, the cast of characters are set. The Rook and the Rose is one part Game of Thrones, one part Bridgerton high society (at least, I assume that's what Bridgerton is all about. I've never watched it) and one part Lies of Locke Lamora/ Six of Crows. Viewers would get to see the inner workings of the nobles and how Ren manages to disrupt their very conservative views by showing off her arms without sleeves! And then, maybe in the same episode, we could see how the other side lives as Ren dons the disguise of a szorza to figure out why children are disappearing in the city.

Heck, you even have the terrifying zylzen to be your creepy CGI enemies Ren and her allies will have to do battle with!

And then in the second season, you get to enjoy a nice cruise on the river before the plot embroils us all into a secret cult!

It just makes sense!

Throw in the very liberal view when it comes to LGBTQI+ relationships and you have a WINNER!

Please, anyone, if you're a TV producer, I'd really like to see the Rook and the Rose as a television series. Can you just IMAGINE the playground the writers could have with this world and setting? It's CRIMINAL not to adapt it to the silver screen.

Anyways, that was my many cents take on a trilogy I stumbled upon at my local Kinokuniya and immediately fell in love with at the first sight of the cover. And while I'm sad Ren's story has come to an end, I would like to dive back into the world Marie and Alyc have created to see what else the world has to offer.

Like Seteris!

Or whatever adventures Alsius might be having in the Realm of the Mind.

I'll miss you, Mr Peabody.

Someone, anyone, please draw me a picture of a green spider wearing gloves. I beg of you!

[booksandwords]

100 Tales from Australia’s Most Haunted Places by Ben Pobjie

Read time: 4 Days Rating: 5/5 Stars

The quote: For as long as human beings have been dying, they have been turning into ghosts. Or maybe they haven't. That's the great thing about ghosts: nobody knows if they're real, so they are endlessly entertaining, like Bigfoot or Elon Musk. — Introduction

Warnings: We are talking ghosts here and it often takes bad stuff to create a ghost. So some warnings: death, murder, suicide, torture, racism, classism and ableism. Among possibly other things.

Okay, I should probably start with where I stand on ghosts real or not. My stance on ghosts basically comes down to a quote from a book "I'm not sure whether I believe in ghosts, but two centuries worth of suffering has to leave a mark." (Billy, The Little Wartime Library). In Australia's case, it's not two centuries our Anglo-Saxon history doesn't go back that far but the point stands. Essentially I'm not above believing in ghosts because of human suffering.

I'm very glad I read this. Ben Pobjie has a fantastic sense of humour (he is a comedian, so massive shock that), and that sense of humour lands in all the right places to keep the mood where it should be. Some of these tales are truly dark, the humour is necessary to lighten to mood. Though I did find myself wondering what was with the (joking) hate on Tassie, and to a lesser degree South Australia. Don't get me wrong I laughed but I found myself curious. I found this to be quite informative in its own way. I have an interest in anthropology and this scratches that itch. It tells stories of everyday people and even ghosts are a part of that field. Some warnings for content death and murder are possibly to be expected in a book about ghosts, it takes death to create a ghost and suicide and torture are others that may be unsurprising. Other warnings that might be less obvious include racism (because you know Australia), classism (because British Empire) and ableism (because 19th century everything). Ben Pobjie is not an author I'd read before, though I do want to read more.

I appreciate the introduction it sets the tone and engages the reader. Pobjie gives his potential reasons for the belief in ghosts. They're pretty on point. The first entry is important, it is the one that grabs the reader and sets the tone. Nurse Kerry, about Aradale Lunatic Asylum, is the right choice. She is perfectly distressing. Not that her patients are sunshine and rainbows. The Bushranger Hotel feels like an odd choice to end on. But it does reference something Australia is known for, Bushrangers (in specific Ben Hall and Jack Dunn) and leaves the reader with a friendly and helpful ghost in the Quirks. The two of them are the right kind of entries to bookend the book. They balance well asylums and pubs are both common in the book, even more so when you look at them as a place of incarceration vs a place of rest and relaxation. I did find it to be quite well organised. The places that had multiple entries were spread out, the types of ghosts are varied and not repetitive in their order. Each chapter is two or three pages long with a relevant title, either the ghosts name, the location or a joke, under that is the geographic location by town and state. If the location isn't in the title it is usually in one of the first two paragraphs. It all just works so well.

Some quotes and comments. It's not for all of them but there are quite a few.

• Frederick Carr was hanged in 1929 at Adelaide Gaol. He's an oddly jovial ghost despite the injustices against him. He was hanged for the murder of his wife Maud. He's presentation has changed over time. Going from faceless to having a face and no one knows why. I just like that he's not angry.

• There is an intriguing dichotomy to the young ladies of Young & Jackson's the nameless ghost and Chloé. One is highly celebrated and prized while the other is nameless, lost and alone.

• The former denizens of the old convict settlement close in around you, insistent and suffocating, as soon as you arrive. If you can't hear them, you can feel them: the souls of thousands of the tortured, the abused and the murdered. The very air is weighted and perfumed with the pain and anger and sadness of a place built specifically to inflict those things. — I love this quote okay it's just so visceral. I like the way Port Arthur is managed. There are only a couple of brief examples. It feels like a yeah of course there are bloody ghosts here. It was a place of death and misery. (p.11, Ghosts of Port Arthur). Much the same thing is done with The North Head Quarantine Station, though there the story of the Gravedigger's cottage.

• There is something highly amusing about Pobjie not rant exactly but a paragraph that could have gone there about darkrooms being extremely spooky. I had never thought of it.

• Late one night, early in his residence, Bishop Trower awoke to find his bedroom awash with an unearthly light. The illumination emanated from a man who had, rather impolitely, entered his bedchamber without so much as a by-your-leave. — In the same chapter but a different point. There is something highly amusing about a pearl, The Rosinate Pearl, having vaguely homicidal tendencies. That (perhaps fictional) pearl has quite a high body count. (p.17, The Pearl Buyer of Broome)

• The Liftman is written in an interesting way. It's the only one written from a dual perspective and I like it.

• Under the laws of the time, suicide, or felo-de-se ('felon of himself' in Latin) was a crime equivalent to murder, — I knew this law existed but I never knew the Latin for it. What I found more interesting was that being found guilty of felo-de-se allowed the state to seize your assets. Francis Grote also has a pretty good ghost. (p.26, The Huntsman of Rostrevor)

• Catherine Spense broke my heart but she is exactly the kind of woman you aspire for your daughters to be.

• And to this day, every November, Campbelltown celebrates the Fisher's Ghost Festival, an event which brings together the whole town to celebrate community and ghosts. — This celebration is kinda weird to me, and I'm guessing a lot of others. Fisher has only had one appearance, unfinished business and all that. He's a bit different among this collection. (p.35, Fisher's Ghost)

• It could be that the sandhills themselves are simply replaying their own memory of the nightmare that descended upon them that chilly autumn night. — The feel of the unknown in the sandhills. It's different, and I like the imagery. (p.38, The Murdering Sandhills)

• I adore Albert Ogilvie so much as a ghost. He was a legend as a man too.

• Even in the olden days, when hanging people was more a fun family day out than a law-enforcement technique, slipping the noose around a female neck was something not done lightly. — This is about Martha Rendell and my response was essentially Jesus Christ you what? (p.43, The Stepmother from Hell)

• Marybank's protective ghosts are great. Allowing themselves to be heard but not seen by the occupants of the house, the descendants of the first family, the Fox's. But more than willing to reveal themselves to guests. It's a bit of a quirk among the entries.

• the Miracle House of Guildford in Western Sydney is fascinating. If you believe the story (and this one I am sceptical of) Mike Tannerous fulfilled his life goal to help people. I had to laugh when I read this entry though. Just days ago my mother and I were talking about canonisation in the Catholic church.

• The fact that Old Tailem Town was constructed Frankenstein-style, from historic buildings from elsewhere, means that it occupies a unique place among ghostly locations. Rather than being haunted by those who died on the spot, spirits have been trucked in from myriad other spots to rub shoulders on the pioneer village. — They are some pretty unique ghosts though. I do like the idea of a Frankenstein-style construction of a town. (p.75-6, Terror of Tailem Town)

• I am absolutely unsurprised that the Old Melbourne Goal is in here. The ghost of choice is Cell 17, a notorious and extremely physical ghost. I do quite appreciate Ned Kelly's silence on spectral matters.

• Quinn's Light is fascinating. But questions... I have questions.

• Indeed, as there are plenty of other spirits haunting the North Kapunda Hotel — hence its 'most haunted' appellation — the Man in Black likes to keep busy menacing them as well. It's a rare and particularly obnoxious ghost who devotes his time to spooking other spooks, but that's the Man in Black all over: a total jerk. — The North Kapunda Hotel is the place with the most entries. Dr Blood (no seriously his real name), The Man in Black, Sarah and Emily and her sister. They are all different and I like that are all here. The Man in Black is a total jerk and I kinda like it. (p.102, The Man in Black)

• But seriously: if you want to know how terrifying an old maternity hospital can be, just think about babies. Lots of babies. Crying. Screaming, sobbing, wailing. In the night. — Nope, nope, nope. How about nope. (p.104, The Evil Matron)

• I'd heard of George Grover, convict and all-round toss pot. But I didn't know he went ghost.

• Adelaide Arcade has more than a few ghosts, but us was the family case that got me.

• I'm honestly not surprised Mad Dan Morgan has a ghost and a nasty one at that. And that is two headless horsemen in Australia. What does surprise me is the lack of bushrangers with ghosts in general. It kinda gives a beaten by the better men or death wish to their life choices/ actions.

• George Ferguson Bowen had a well travelled and illustrious career. That his ghost settled in Brisbane makes me wonder... why?

• I appreciate the inclusion of the modern ghosts in The Road to Capalaba. I wish we knew their story. But in a way not having it is even better. Because they could be everyone.

• There are three chapters on The spooks of Monte Christo, with Monte Christo being a Homestead in Junee, New South Wales. They are all very different ghosts. The maid that found herself in a delicate condition was completely unsurprising fukn men in power. But it is Harold, Harold that broke me. Instead, going by the most cutting-edge medical and psychological advice available at the time, they decided to help Harold to live a rich and fulfilling life by chaining him to a wall. (p.140, ) Hahaha... NO. He was chained to a wall for 40 years. 🤬 No wonder he became a ghost. It was horrifying. The only shock is that he's a friendly ghost. As in he just was to make friends 😢.

• Melbourne's Princess Theatre opened in December 1886 and has been haunted since March 1888. That's impressive. I didn't know about the vacant seat tradition. Though it is hardly the only theatre with that kind of tradition.

• How have I never heard Elizabeth Scott's story before now (Poor Elizabeth Scott)? Hanged at the Old Melbourne Goal in 1863 for conspiring to kill her husband. She was married off to her husband at 13 (a little young even for the time) and of course, he was an abusive pos. The shotgun blast to his head fixed that malady (good). And because I can't resist.

• But there's something sweet and hopeful about the sight of Blanche and Dave wandering St Mark's together, because that's exactly what they are: together. Being a ghost seems like a lonely lifestyle, and all the moreso for a child. If these two youngsters, talked by tragedy and separated by six decades, have in afterlife found each other, their friendship might b cause for uplift in that grim and sombre place. —(p.178, The Cemetery Children)

• Sometimes the presentation of the ghost feels like true indication of the rest of their story. Like the milliner mourning her own death in the fashions of the day and in the art (trade if you must) that was her life.

• All countries have ghost stories, but only one turned a ghost story into its most popular patriotic song. Of course, 'Waltzing Matilda' isn't just a ghost story: it's also a cheerful tale of suicide and depending on your point of view an account of either justice or injustice done. —I really like all the falsehoods in the song but that original story should not be forgotten. (p188, And His Ghost My Be Heard...)

• I'm pleased there are ghost animals in here. Animals may be more disconcerting than humans.

• The hangings at the Old Windmill (Brisbane) in July 1841 were horrifying. If you want to hang someone hang them, not whatever that was.

• The current proprietors of the Albany Convict Gaol have, in the interests of giving their customers value for money in the frights department, adorned the rooms of the old building with a variety of dummies of frankly nightmarish aspect. They set them in chairs to stare at you so that when you turn to go into a room, you jump out of your skin and let out an embarrassingly high-pitched nose because there's some kind of deformed evil gypsy watching you with one bulging eye. —The book actually contains an image of one of the mannequins and they scare me more than any ghost in that place could I think. (p.242, The Black Hole) There are baby cries... baby cries in a convict gaol? I think not thank you. It's just so very wrong. The title The Black Hole is a sensory deprivation cell. Again no thank you. And I'm pretty sure they are still used.

• Oh man, the ghosts in Steiglitz outnumber the people... by quite a way.

• I did not know that Australia even had a monastic town, let alone that it had its own guardian ghost. New Norcia in W.A. was settled by Spanish Benedictine Monks in 1847. The ghost, known as The Blue Nun, is that of Sister Maria Harispe.

• The best known and most seen of Gaiety's cast of spirits is Ava, the theatre's proud addition to the pantheon of little-girl ghosts. — Honestly Ava sounds kinda adorable. She just kinda ignores people and goes about her business. (p.261, Ghosts of the Gaiety) There really in a pantheon little-girl ghosts. I'm just going to put a couple of them here. The little girl at Larundel Asylum is so heartbreaking, her music box would be disturbing though. The young girls at Spook Cemetery are horrifying. As much as more of these places would be great to visit not his one. You need nice hands. The last little-girl ghost we meet is at the Coach & Horses, she just wants friends, appearing mostly to children.

• Determinig whether the Royal Derwent Hospital, popularly known as Willow Court is haunted is a relatively simple process. Just ask the question, 'Is Willow Court Australia's oldest mental health facility?' If the answer is 'yes,' then OF COURSE, IT'S HAUNTED, YOU IDIOT. I mean, surely we know by know: if it's old and it once housed the mentally ill, there will be ghosts fizzing about inside it. — There is so much going on at this place nearly all of it bad. 'Asylum's abortion chair' is just three words that do not belong together here, unsurprisingly that chair has its own ghost. (p.263, Winston of Ward 5)

• It's interesting The Poinciana Woman echoes a few female folk tales globally. A huge injustice was committed against her I'm glad that the tale exists. Like so many of her sister tales she has become both a caregiver and an angel of vengeance.

• And they stare at you with their lifeless eyes, as if you say, 'As soon as you turn your back is turned, we are going to jump you and sink our mannequin fangs into your tender flesh like those statues from Doctor Who.' — I really did not expect a Faraway Tree. Yeah, they are pretty damn odd. Oh and we get this Doctor Who reference in the same entry as a treat. What other Doctor Who monster are we going to reference other than Weeping Angels. (p. 93, The Grouch Major)

[waterdeepthroat]

i've been having a lot of Thoughts about him so i'm gonna paste some denandras backstory facts under the cut:

Grew up in Menzoberranzan as an entertainer (lower-class male drow, but not a slave)- born Szin'eth (meaning “pleasure taken [by someone else]”)

Raised in Duthcloim (commoner district– known for brothels & The Bazaar) in Menzoberranzan (born 1296 DR, came to the surface 1433 DR)– came from Menzoberranzan up to the surface through Mirabar

Left Menzoberranzan after being held captive by House Tor’duis, scarred by all of the torment that captivity by a drow house usually entails

Came south through Luskan with dreams of joining Bregan D’aerthe to become part of some sort of male drow resistance movement– his expectations were certainly different than Bregan D’aerthe’s reality

Upon seeing how male surface drow act, and confusing drow society’s high regard of women with a desire to be one, Szin'eth decided to try to live as a woman (1435 DR)

He did several odd jobs as an entertainer (not a true bard, at this point being unable to wield any magic other than what his race allowed) as he made his way south over the course of several years, as Briziffyn (meaning graceful entertainer). He became uncomfortable with this by 1458 DR, and resumed living as a man (masculinizing his name to Bergafein, which shared the same meaning)

By 1480 DR,  Bergafein was left completely adrift– tried to study at a bardic academy and dropped out, faced plenty of casual racism, and even escaped kidnapping by House Tor’duis (meaning Mistresses of the Whip, the drow house that he last served/suffered under before escaping to the surface in the first place)

Made his way to Waterdeep in 1480, and became a gambler and wandering drunk, seeking out pleasure blindly in order to forget his past (and the discomfort he felt in his own skin)

Was found by chance at the Mermaid and Stars in Waterdeep (a gambling den) by the Eilistraeean priestess Luala (“bright seer”), who found him nearly drinking himself to death and brought him back to the Dancing Haven (the temple of Eilistraee in Waterdeep)

As he recovered from the considerable liver damage, Luala stayed with him as much as she could, and the two formed a strong bond. Bergafein wondered if this was the first time he’d ever truly had a friend. He mistook this for being in love with her, and offered himself to Luala. She rebuffed his advances but the two remained close. She told him she herself was once a priestess of Lolth, and once her drow house was slaughtered and she was forced up to the surface, she found redemption for the cruelty she’d inflicted on others as a Silverhair Knight. Luala was also disabled– something that should’ve marked her for death among drow society, but the circumstances of her birth allowed her to live and eventually claw her way to power. She noted that even by drow standards she was particularly cruel, seeing this as the only way to cement herself in the matriarchy

Fascinated by her story and still wanting to be near her, Bergafein tried to become a Silverhair Knight alongside her. However, he did not pass his trials, as a fairly new initiate of Eilistraee, and in 1482 DR, willingly underwent the Changedance to “better understand” both Eilistraee and his friend Luala

Over the course of a decade, Luala helped Bergafein (who, in 1483, took on the name Denandras– a name without meaning within the Forgotten Realms, as he wanted to distance himself from drow culture– coming from the Greek words meaning “not” and “man”) adjust to the effects of the Changedance. Functionally, Luala was around a level 8 peace domain cleric/level 4 college of eloquence bard, though in BG3 she’d likely appear as a Seldarine Drow life domain cleric of Eilistraee without bard levels. Denandras himself was never a Silverhair Knight, still favoring some of the more chaotic tactics he grew up with in Menzoberranzan and later honed in Luskan, a land famous for its pirates and tricksters, making him a rare trickery domain cleric of Eilistraee (despite trickery not technically being within her portfolio)

Eilistraee sent them south to Baldur’s Gate in 1491, having heard of a threat against Selûnites and Harpers in its outskirts (Eilistraee and Selûne were known for working together on occasion, both being goddesses associated with the moon– and Eilistraeeans had a longstanding tradition of either becoming or working closely with Harpers)

In late 1491 DR, Luala was captured by the Cult of the Absolute, and in order to strike fear into the heads of the Cult, Denandras briefly took on the name “Tav”, the name of an investigator who had come close to figuring out the Dark Urge’s identity while investigating a series of murders

In 1492 DR, Denandras discovered that Luala had been taken to Moonrise Towers– however, he never made it there, and was infected with a mind flayer parasite, which in turn weakened his ties to Eilistraee.

[blossoming-witness]

Feminists are censored from criticizing underprivileged men's misogyny under the idea that we are "justifying" discrimination and oppression against them. It's not just that we can't talk about misogyny within the trans movement, we are often criticized for pointing out the misogyny of men of color, homosexual men, or poor men.

There is this leftist argument that says that when women criticize underprivileged men, the men that see those women as part of their own group jump in to protect them, and place the underprivileged men as the Other. Analysis of misogyny within underprivileged groups is seen as "stocking the flame of tribal ideology", as if we were motivating "our men" to harass, discriminate and oppress the men that are not part of "our tribe".

That's were the accusation of "white feminism" comes from when radical feminism dares to position misogyny as an issue present in all groups of men regardless of them being poc, homosexual, poor, or anything else. We are seen as provocateurs of violence for criticizing groups that suffer oppression.

The issue with this point of view is that all kinds of women are participating in the criticism of misogyny within underprivileged groups, not only white women. Not only that, but often the criticism of certain groups comes from women that share a community with them, like black women criticizing black men, or poor women criticizing poor men.

Also, this line of thought implies that men listen to women and have a tribal mentality as a way to protect women in their "community", when women aren't seen as members of those groups, they are seen as objects to those groups. Even in the cases were men justify their discrimination of other men in their "protection of their women", like white men discriminating against black men "for the sake of white women", the women that are supposedly being "protected" are seen as objects in the possession of men in power, and suffer misogyny under the hands of those same men that are supposedly protecting them.

Another issue of these accusations towards feminists is that they assume that our criticism of misogyny within underprivileged groups implies that we don't believe those groups suffer oppression or discrimination. As if both realities couldn't coexist. A lot of feminists are fully aware of the issues with racism, clacism, homophobia, and more issues, and see themselves as marxists, anticapitalists, and gender critical. A lot of us are victims of various axis of oppression simultaneously, we're not only women and feminists, we are women of color, we are lesbians and bisexuals, we are as diverse as the men we are criticizing.

The fact that these forms of discrimination exist doesn't mean that misogyny doesn't.

And that's part of our issue with trans discourse. That even though we are coming from a leftist point of view were we are aware of the discrimination that people that break with gender norms suffer, we are seen as hateful for pointing out the misogyny that still prevails within the community of trans activists and advocates.

It's not about denying the discrimination they suffer, but acknowledging that this discrimination exists doesn't mean anything to feminism if those communities can't also acknowledge the work they still have to do regarding their own misogyny.