#if only for the fact that it was for most of a century being identified as LEIGH HUNT instead! yeah right

[britneyshakespeare]

You versus the guy she tells you not to worry about

[mermaidsirennikita]

Sadly, the Wuthering Heights furor has also led to people (many of whom, let us be real, simply dislike the book or otherwise only think of it when it's brought up) to discourse about the content of the novel versus the wrongness of Emerald Fennell's choices with regards to the movie, which of course, has opened up the classic "IT'S NOT A ROMANCE! IT'S NOT A LOVE STORY! BAD PEOPLE! HATE STORY!"

... Which is... also a bad take.

First off, to be very clear, "Romance" is not inherently "genre romance", which is the thing I blog a lot about that was solidified in the latter half of the twentieth century (and which, no doubt, was influenced on some level by WH as much as Jane Eyre, Austen novels and so on). Wuthering Heights is a romance, it's just not a genre romance/romance novel. And indisputably, Wuthering Heights is a love story.

It may not be a love story you like. It may not be a love story with a happily ever after (though I will say—this is one of the few books where I think it's pretty debatable, as "wandering the moors as ghosts", if that is what happened, is kind of... what Cathy and Heathcliff would've wanted... and their ultimate desire was to be TOGETHER, regardless of whether or not it damned them, so is it an HEA in their freaky minds? Maybe so lol). It may ALSO be an abuse story in which the lovers act horribly to each other.... though, I gotta say, MUCH WORSE to literally everyone else in their lives than they do to each other...

But it's a love story. That is one of several things it happens to be. The entire novel is driven by this central love story between Heathcliff and Cathy—a love that is, contrary to what a surface-level reading or reading by word of mouth would imply... very much mutual. I've already gone on about how Cathy Earnshaw is not Heathcliff's victim the way Isabella Linton is, and how Cathy is very much as involved in the love affair as he is. But truly, while their individual internal struggles are the framework and what keeps them apart in many ways—Heathcliff being a man of color and subject to racist abuse, Cathy conforming to society and classist pressures when her natural temperament is very much not of society—what propels the story is this romance.

Because they are supposed to be read as extremely similar, and as two people who do not truly identify with anyone but one another. They're supposed to be read as like minds. They're supposed to be read as thwarted. Some of the things those two say about each other and to each other are legitimately some of the most romantic lines I've ever read.

I mean, are they also kind of sick and wrong? Sure! But I do find it kind of rich to see people who are totally fine with reading dark romance wring their hands over the public at large interpreting Heathcliff and Cathy's relationship as an epic romance. I don't have an issue with anyone enjoying either! But. Let us be real. Part of why y'all are even enjoying work like that is the standard that books like WH set, and the fact that WH does speak to the lure of the dark and the tragedy of people who are super imperfect... and also super in love... continuously fucking up their own lives (and the lives of basically everyone around them) in this push-pull of denial and desire.

When people say "HOW COULD ANYONE EVER INTERPRET THIS AS ROMANTIC?" I just have to question... did you read the book? Because even if it's not for YOU, if it's not romantic TO YOU, surely you can see why other people (me and mine lol) read lines like these and go, "Wow, romantic":

“Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”

(fun fact: I do have a part of the above quote tattooed on my body and I'm very happy about it)

"My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it."

"Hush, my darling! Hush, hush, Catherine! I'll stay. If he shot me so, I'd expire with a blessing on my lips."

[said when her damn husband is almost at the door lol]

"I’m not wishing you greater torment than I have, Heathcliff. I only wish us never to be parted: and should a word of mine distress you hereafter, think I feel the same distress underground, and for my own sake, forgive me!"

"'Heathcliff, dear! you should not be sullen now. Do come to me, Heathcliff.’

In her eagerness she rose and supported herself on the arm of the chair. At that earnest appeal he turned to her, looking absolutely desperate. His eyes, wide and wet, at last flashed fiercely on her; his breast heaved convulsively. An instant they held asunder, and then how they met I hardly saw, but Catherine made a spring, and he caught her, and they were locked in an embrace from which I thought my mistress would never be released alive..."

"Kiss me again; and don’t let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer—but yours! How can I?"

[Read: she is the murderer he is talking about. He's saying she doomed herself to death a long time ago, and he hates her for it. While also crying and kissing her lmao]

They're sickos! Nobody can argue otherwise. But that does not mean they're not in love, and it doesn't mean this isn't a love story, and wagging your fingers at people who read this as the obviously destructive love story this is and find it romantic... doesn't change that.

And the thing is that the book makes it pretttyyyy clear that even if Heathcliff and Cathy has assholery programed into their personalities, WITHOUT the contexts of how they were raised and the society that expects them both to conform to prescribed roles, they would probably just... be together. Like, they victimize people, especially Heathcliff. But they are also victims. The book isn't about a critique of two people Emily Bronte dreamed up; it's a critique of the CIRCUMSTANCES by way of Gothic, subversive melodrama. At the end of the day, their feelings, however passionate they are, are not inherently subversive. Their feelings are NATURAL. But they're twisted and contorted into something ugly through circumstance and the characters' responses to those circumstances.

For Heathcliff, A LOT of those circumstances that did twist him are in fact out of his control. Which is why we hate that casting, right?

But all that said, a love story being dirtybadwrong and about Bad People doesn't mean it isn't a love story, lol. Again—we don't even expect genre romance to be about good people.

Like. Yeah. We know Heathcliff and Cathy are assholes. You're not breaking new ground with that take. The book is still, in many ways, about those assholes being in love.

[enchanting-chit-chat]

Beetlejuice's Backstory and the Black Plague 💚🕷️🥀💀 PART 1

I went and watched the new Beetlejuice movie twice already, can’t wait to share my thoughts! I’ve decided to make a series of posts mainly dedicated to people that are curious about the Black Plague era and BJ's past life. Join me for a historical dive that might make you appreciate Tim Burton’s work even more!

Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for the 2024 movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Premise

In European countries, we often study the Black Plague in schools. In Italy specifically, the disease spread multiple times throughout the Middle Ages, with the two worst pandemics occurring around 1350 and 1630. The first one alone spread in many countries and caused a total of 20 million deaths - a THIRD of the population of the whole European continent at the time.

However, the 1630 outbreak is the one we know about the most, thanks to author Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873), who described it meticulously in his masterpiece, ‘I promessi sposi' (The Betrothed): This book is one of the most important works in Italian literature. Although it is a novel, it is often treated as historical evidence because Manzoni actually shaped the story referring to archival documents and chronicles of the time.

Introducing: Monatti, the corpse carriers

In his book, Manzoni recalls a group of people called 'monatti' - the only ones allowed to practice public services such as collecting the dead and washing roads during those hellish times. This concession was motivated by the fact that monatti were considered immune to the disease.

However, they were feared and hated by the rest of the population, because they often misused their ‘privileged’ position: they were untouchable. They often extorted money from the living and stole the belongings of the dead and the sick alike, without repercussions. What made them special was the fact that monatti typically gained immunity after surviving the disease themselves.

“Farewell to Cecilia,” one of the most heart-wrenching moments in Manzoni’s novel, beautifully captured by Francesco Gonin.

In fact, the Black Plague typically spread in three ways: through skin contact (bubonic plague), lungs (pneumonic plague) or blood infection (septicemic plague). The Bubonic form was, and still is, the most common and had the highest survival rate, though it was still quite low. It was easily identifiable because it caused the lymph nodes to swell and become infected, forming characteristic 'buboes'.

It was believed that if a plague victim survived five days, the fever would subside, and they would recover within two weeks. This is what usually happened to the monatti. Similarly, Renzo, the protagonist in Manzoni’s book, recovers, though he never becomes a public worker.

Now, let’s dive back into Beetlejuice’s backstory.

Amidst the eerie glow of moonlight, he's depicted among corpses, at night, behind a wagon, stealing from the dead that were just thrown into a communal pit by plague doctors.

Notice how he’s directly touching the bodies with his bare hands, without any protection: usually, that was considered a death sentence.

In Manzoni’s book, there is a character that meets their end in a similar way, simply by touching the clothes of an infected person. During that era, the danger was so great that people used to burn the bodies of the plague victims along with their clothes, beds, and other possessions.

It is also worth mentioning that, during plague outbreaks, some city governments (particularly in Italy and Poland) imposed strict limitations on the movement of people and goods. In some areas, a nighttime curfew was also enforced (Yes, we invented the lockdown centuries ago!). Under those circumstances, being caught outside your own house at the wrong hour could mean instant death. But guess who had the freedom to roam as they pleased? Yes, monatti and plague doctors (and those with special permits).

Conclusion: Beetlejuice wasn’t just 'a humble grave robber', as he claims. He was definitely a plague survivor and, most likely, a monatto.

The fact that this scene was unveiled and narrated in Italian during the Venice Film Festival further convinces me that this is the correct interpretation of the sequence.

So, what do we think? Have you ever heard or read about The Betrothed before? Anyways, if you liked this analysis, make sure to check out PART 2, in which we can delve even deeper into Beetlejuice’s mysterious past!

Until then, have a fantastic week! ✨

[yikes-kachowski]

A piggy back off your last ask! Your AU has me all excited. I'm curious about Zuko and Katara's tenure as monarchs? How did the people receive her as their fire lady?

Also your art is amazing!! Can't wait to see more 🥰❤️

This au is very detailed lol, so if you have questions feel free to ask. Just understand that @shalheretical and I have named lots of places in the atla world.

We’re going to break this into three parts: one on notable events in Zuko’s tenure as Fire Lord; one on Katara’s accomplishments that relate specifically to duties she performed in relation to being the Fire Lady (she did other things outside of it); and a final note on the reception of an outside minority woman as the Fire Lady.

PART I

Immediately after the complete and unconditional surrender of the Fire Nation, all military personnel who are not directly involved in civil administration are recalled back to the Fire Nation—though they must find suitable local replacements and return as soon as possible. The Gaoling Agreement of 101 AG saw the repatriation of 1.3m Fire Nation occupiers from everywhere in the Earth Kingdom but the northwestern Gansai region. Because of this, and a late Azulon policy of Development First, Industry Now, which had 75% of all Fire Nation agriculture halted in favor of industrial development and had most food being imported by way of colonial extraction, the sudden population growth and the fact that they had to move factories and warehouses to start farming again, saw that 53 percent of the Fire Nation was experiencing starvation, and that 16 percent was experiencing acute starvation—5 percent experienced famine. This would be at its worst for the first four years of Zuko’s reign—known as the Rice-Rations Years—but it would only truly stabilize in 110 AG.

A near-complete shutdown of the archipelago’s ports until 103 AG exacerbated this problem. However, this was to prevent, as much as possible, the 3.5m individuals identified as war criminals/accomplices to war crimes from escaping to “safe havens” such as Jinyala, the Si Wong, or Whale Tale Island. No one was allowed to leave the ports without a written order by the Fire Lord. The nascent Earth Kingdom Navy helped patrol Fire Nation waters; these sailors, along with some Kyoshi Warriors, also helped inspect ships leaving Fire Nation docks for potential stowaways. The Earth Navy would stay until 104 AG.

The Boiling Rock was used to hold Tier 1 and 2 war criminals until the Omashu Trials began. After this, the Boiling Rock would be shut down. Non-political Fire Nation prisoners would be moved to more humane prisons; non Fire Nationals would be extradited back to their home nations. Captives—such as Hama, Tyro or the Boulder—were repatriated from the work camps they were imprisoned in.

Shrine consolidation was a Sozin policy of putting all shrines under direct monarchical control and turned over for use of the state religion—Agniyo, the religion of the ethnic majority (Shiboshi) Fire Nationals. Zuko begins a policy of Great Reversal, where these shrines are returned to their traditional stewards. The Intranational Sovereign Rights policies is the parent policy of the Great Reversal. The Fire Nation is home to 98 ethnic minority/indigenous groups (including the Sun Warriors and the Bhanti), with 106 recognized languages and dialects apart from Hokugo (the state language). These are all put under Special Status, where extra government protections and provisions are made to protect traditional Fire Nation diversity. Specifically, local councils are approved to use state funds to protect Status minority religions, languages, ecology/land, food, dance, and arts. The Sun Warriors in particular are given greater autonomy and sovereignty over their ancestral lands.

In 107 AG Zuko made an official declaration to renounce the millenia-old belief that the Liufeng dynasty is in any way divine, or descended from Agni. In apology for these centuries of disrespect towards Mother Agni, a new shrine in the capital of Kazanshi is announced; it is officially completed in 125 AG, and dedicated in 126.

Zaibatsu, vertically integrated business conglomerates, are dissolved; the businesses are put under monarchical control, and their assets are partially used for reparations paid towards the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom. (Aang turned down reparations outside of help rebuilding Air Temples/shrines, and protections on sacred Air Nomad land, such as areas in Gansai and Whale Tale Island.) Land was seized from landlords and nobles, and sold to their serfs and tenets for extremely cheap prices. This is open to anyway once all serfs and tenant farmers have their share, which leads to some immigration from especially the southern Earth Kingdom.

Starting in 103, all war criminals are prosecuted under Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe officials at Omashu, which only ends in 119 AG, due to the thoroughness of the prosecution. Some critics from the Fire Nation claim that no Fire Nation representatives presented an unfair bias, and Why can’t it be held in the Royal High Courts? Zuko maintains that the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe are a lot more merciful than he would be. Note: Iroh volunteered to be tried for the Siege of Ba Sing Se and his March on the Si Wong, even though King Kuei offered him immunity. He was given a postponed sentence of ten years; during this time, he would stay in his tea shop, and most of the money he made would go to helping Go Shi Wai, one of the worst-affected places of the war.

Gansai, later the United Republic, holds the largest number of Fire Nation settlers. This is due to an early Azulon resettlement policy, wherein ethnic minorities in the Fire Nation were resettled in Gansai and away from the imperial core, for Azulon’s All-Shiboshi Empire dream (the officials that ruled them were still Shiboshi, though). There are nearly 4m settlers living there; and since they’ve been outside of the Fire Nation for at least a generation, they are the least willing to move. Gansai was made independent in 115 AG through a referendum that went through every village, town, city, settlement in the region. Many Earth Kingdom citizens still consider this a humiliating capitulation to the Fire Nation, and resent King Kuei for allowing this.

Serfdom and slavery were abolished in the Fire Nation by 105 AG. Looted wealth is confiscated from the noble class, and repatriated to their home countries. The royal coffers do the same. Since the power of the noble class was severely weakened by these moves—and the removal of the zaibatsu system—many enraged nobles would attempt government takeovers—whether through the legals means of an Agni Kai, or through nine different assassination attempts from 105 AG to 127 AG. These, by the way, would only lead to legislation that weakened the noble class even more.

The Fire Nation educational system was technically reformed, though specifically. Zuko was looking to return the institution to its prewar systems, with some amendments. He took a lot of care for educational reforms, because he considered it ground zero for deradicalization policies. Teachers were screened and replaced when necessary; there was a national recall on textbooks, and Zuko commissioned a completely new curriculum. The military education of children from 11 to 16 stayed in place. The national examinations that gave people opportunities to work in government positions were opened up to the merchant and former self classes.

Protections and rights for same-sex couples are restored. Abortion is made legal. Funding goes back to the arts. Overall, Zuko’s policies mark a return to the cultural pursuits from before the war—especially in the arts, education and religion.

PART II

Once again: these are her activities that relate to her acting (somewhat) in capacity to traditional Fire Lady duties. However, a lot of her actions—even when acting as Fire Lady—are outside of traditional royal involvement, which is noteworthy. It should also be noted that she is not a part of the legislative body of the Fire Nation in any capacity, nor is she in any way given any sort of powers of making policies at an official capacity. To me, this doesn’t really matter, because I personally don’t think she’d be incredibly interested in dealing with Fire Nation legislative proceedings anyway, and it’s way more straight forward for her to just tell Zuko what she thinks would be a good idea since he can just enact it immediately. Not that she never influences policies through cooperation with Parliament, just that she normally chooses not to.

She specifically is known for her deep involvement with charity and patronages. She tends to focus on issues involving the homeless, youth, drug addictions, the elderly, environmental protections, illness and minority rights advocacy. It’s due to her nearly weekly visits to hospitals and health clinics across the Fire Nation (and sometimes abroad) that Katara gets very specifically interested in serious and terminal illnesses—the care of their patients, prevention and destigmatization. She’s especially famous for initiating physical contact towards patients with leprosy, to prove that leprosy could not be easily transmitted through casual touch—such as hugs and handholding.

She is president of the Taiyang-jie Childrens’ Clinic in the capital. She is a patroness of the Natural & Geologic Historical Society in Lopyang. She is president of the Royal Academies of Healthcare, Sociology & Philosophy, and Music & Theatre. She is president of the Gojiki Child Association, a charity to care for vulnerable tribal youth. She also works with the National Leprosy Trust, the Fire Nation Centre of Minority Dance and Theatre, and the Imperial Phoenix Hospital.

She was integral to the founding of Taqqittiavak, an international medical association, inspired by witnessing the calamity of war, and how there’s often not enough medics for the wounded, who are often left to suffer and die. She is a patron of the Three Nations’ Doctors League, a similar organization, though Taqqitiavak works in conflict zones, and 3ND in humanitarian crisis zones. She specifically works with them in an anti personnel landmine campaign. Her work directly leads to the signing of the Qiue Treaty to create an international ban on the use of landmines.

She makes regular lengthy visits to the Ruzuro-yeiji Hospital in Kemkami, where she specifically helps in the care and comfort for patients who are seriously or terminally ill—something royalty had never done before. She is a patronesses to the Imrani Cancer Fund, an international charity dedicated to cancer research.

She is the founder of Tunnganiq, an association dedicated to research and care for mental disabilities, especially those acquired in war or in accidents. She regularly supports efforts in the advancement of mental healthcare, institutional reform, and the stigmatization of all psychotic and neurotic disorders. She (and Toph) opened the Centre for Disability and the Arts in Republic City.

She is the patron of the Fire Nation branch of the Nutaraq Appeal, an international organization dedicated to helping pregnant women and new mothers in need around the world.

Katara (and Sokka) launch the International Child Bereavement charity, which seeks to support the children of: military families, children orphaned by war and conflict, children of suicide victims and children of the terminally ill. She and Sokka are also patrons of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center in Republic City.

She supports the Laiyi Fund, which is a parent fund to several smaller charity organizations that give accommodations and social assistance to the homeless, and campaigns to destigmatize homelessness worldwide. In general, Katara is very vocal and active in her support of homeless populations, and to end the conception of homelessness being a moral failing in the Fire Nation, especially by regularly working with the homeless directly, without any official means of protection. She supports the Just Homes Initiative in the United Republic, which seeks to “just house them” with no strings attached.

She was awarded the Freedom of Omashu Award, the highest honor in the Southern Earth Kingdom for her humanitarian efforts—as well as the Ba Sing Se Citizens’ Award and being awarded a gold medal in a healthcare conference in Piriyakheri.

PART III

To be honest, her marriage to Zuko really wasn’t a huge deal to most peasants in the Fire Nation—they were so far removed from royal life, that who the current Fire Lord is hardly mattered, let alone who the Fire Lady is. The middle class, especially in major cities like Kazanshi, Kenkami, Lopyang and Kimosaki, and the noble class (especially, much to her embarrassment, Mai’s family, the Keohsos—where the brides for the Fire Lord are traditionally found) were the most vocal in their disapproval of the idea of there being a foreign bride. What if the Fire Lord abandons them (a population that’s starving and struggling) for the South Pole? What if she roadblocks courtly promotions only to Water Tribe immigrants that will surely be used to replace the ethnic Fire Nation population? What if their heir is a waterbender, of all things? Most ire was reserved for Zuko, either way. The Fire Lady is hardly a consideration, at this point in time—the role is prestigious solely because she is the wife of the Fire Lord, who actually matters. Katara is who gives the position prestige and reverence beyond that, through her compassion, altruism and humanitarian efforts, which kind of gave the role of Fire Lady an entirely new role in greater Fire Nation society, outside of just running the household and being the head of the royal family, which doesn’t really affect regular citizens.

Besides, nobles who didn’t know better than to keep it to themselves were pretty readily dismissed from the court and removed from the Caldera—a hugely humiliating experience.

Their wedding is a big deal. Some agitators try to say that they’re wedding, in 106, is a flagrant extravagance when the whole nation is suffering—this is still more of an attack on Zuko, than Katara. The wedding, though a big royal wedding, is mostly used to help lighten the air for the population—it’s an excuse to be off of work for a week, to have fun celebrations, to be with family, to keep up with royal fashion, etc. It’s a reprivement.

Katara becomes somewhat of a fashion icon—not the biggest, by far, but especially her jewelry, accessories and hairstyles take the country by storm. It’s big enough that she’s able to auction off her old clothing and her own beadwork projects for thousands, which she would then donate to places she felt needed the most help. She alone is responsible for making smiling—especially smiling with your teeth—popular in the Fire Nation.

A lot of people really idealized her as a mother, with the way she was regularly seen walking her kids to and from school, and around the capital. She would participate in parent-student events in school, and was known to very rarely use nannies. Unlike other Fire Nation noblewomen, she never once used a nursemaid. She very regularly took her kids on holidays to the Southern Water Tribe. Non-racists in the Fire Nation really admire her dedication and loyalty to her origins and native land/practices. Racists thought she would teach her kids to look down on the Fire Nation and only care for the preservation of her homeland and culture.

A lot of people—especially older, more traditional folks—also thought she acted unbecomingly for a Fire Lady. She dresses casually in deels when not working in an official capacity, regularly goes off to do things without following royal protocol, smiles and waves to crowds and in photos. A lot of people criticize her speeches as being emotional and, occasionally, even hysterical. Her willingness to act outside of capacity and to do things that should be beneath her—in public—was especially condemned.

But overall, she’s been pretty popular from the beginning, and definitely went down as at least one of the most beloved Fire Ladies in history. If not the most.

[mello0cat]

Himmel x Herbalist elf reader

➳ Afab reader A little angst, Little fluff, Himmel is a little ooc, feminine pronouns (sorry!), Not proofread! Timeline: shortly after defeating the demon king Maybe a little inaccurate as I'm only on the beginning of the 6th episode

➳ *little A/N*

Reader is a elf who is proficient in identifying plants and had learnt some magic to enhance or modify plant growth.

Sorry if the grammer or writing is bad, I'm a little new to fanfic writing,it may feel a little rushed and short, feel free to give me advice, Enjoy <3

Credits to @strangergraphics-archive for the line divider and @mochikofi for the idea to write a fic

A silent Meadow, filled with colorful flowers, the ruins of some ancient fort sits in the center lost to time... The rest of the party had run off somewhere....

The elf was sitting on a piece of fallen rubble, examining a small blue flower and various other plants she picked up on the way

Himmel walked up to the elf, taking a deep breath. After much time debating with himself he had made up his mind, he coughed to get her attention. she was caught off guard and stood up turning to him

"Hm? Is something wrong, Himmel?"

"Nothing... I wanted to give you something"

He placed a flower crown on her head. She tilted her head in confusion, letting out a small "Huh?", She looked at the flower crown on her head and smiled, reaching out her hand to his hair with the blue flower...

As soon as the flower came in contact with his hair, small vines grew from it, intertwined with eachother and more of the flower sprouted all tangled into a small flower crown

He was quite suprised and in awe, the flower looked like blue-moon weed, his favourite flower which used to grow in his hometown, before he could reply, she spoke with a soft smile

"Thank you, for the flowers, they're quite beautiful"

"your welcome, afterall the flowers I pick are the most beautiful"

His voice was smug, but inside he was a mess, he wanted to confess all that he felt for her through the years but he still hesitated, he could feel his face turn hot everytime he looked into her eyes....She noticed something was wrong with him, she reached up to touch his forehead to check for a fever

"Are you feeling okay? your forehead is warm..."

"I-I'm fine!.... really...."

He grew red at the contact, she tilted her head in concern, removing her hand

"Are you sure?... Did you touch any poisonous plants?"

"Wha- No!! I'm fine... look I want to confess something...."

He hesitated before looking at her, holding eye contact, she looked concerned about him

"You do know you can tell me anything... "

He sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder

"Look,..... I... I may have come to develop feelings for you... I love you, okay? For a few years now, More than a friend, a party member, Anything!"

She froze as if all time had stopped, her face faltered, no response...

"Hey!... Please just give me a answer, I'll take it no matter what..."

his tone was desperate, almost pleading her just for a single word, his heart filled with anticipation

She simply looked at the ground and took a deep breath

"....Himmel... you know how this will go right?.... "

"I don't understand... What do you mean?..."

He was confused, looking at her for an explanation, he couldn't help but feel a sense of.... Dread

"Himmel... you're a human, I'm a elf... Time passes way differently for the both of us... I live for thousands of decades if not centuries, while you get a couple more decades, and I'm on the constant move, you wouldn't be able to keep up with me as you grow old while I still stay the same...."

He felt a pang of hurt in his chest as you say those words. he had never thought about that before, the fact that elves lived so much longer than humans, and that he had such a short life in comparison...

"....if we get together... It's going to be full of hardships...."

He listened to her words, he was determined...he knew of the hardships that would come with being in a relationship with you, but he couldn't help but to be selfish... Afterall he loved her, truly

"But... I know, I know it's going to be tough... but I dont care... l dont care about the hardship..

He took a step closer to her

I just... I just want to be with you, no matter what..."

He stepped forward holding her hand, looking at her in the eye, his tone sincere

"...even though it's going to be quite a hard time?"

"I dont care how hard it's going to be...I would go through any hardship, just to be with you..."

He nodded his head, his determination evident in his eyes. he spoke firmly and surely

She considered it for a moment

"If you are truly ready for it... I'm willing to give this a try.... I'll love you as much as it hurts me to watch you wither away with time...."

"It doesn't matter... as long as I get to spend whatever time I have left with you… I'll live happily knowing you love me...."

he could hear the sorrow in your voice, and his heart ached at the thought of the time that you would have to live without him

She looked up at him with a smile

"It may be a small time for me, to you it's a life time..."

He held her hand against his chest

"every moment I spend with you, no matter how short it is, it’s worth everything to me…"

[jewish-vents]

i am SO sick and tired of the usage of zionism amongst goyim. the obsession around this word in general makes me lose my mind because i don’t think goyim should be even using it, since they don’t get it and they probably never will. all they did was twist this word and turn into a fucking slur, as if it’s an insult. even people who are pro-peace and aren’t into the idea that israelis deserve to die avoid being associated with zionism like the plague, which is fine. you should identify in whatever way you like, but i feel like zionism has been taken out of context by goyim to an extent that the only definition this word carries is negative and evil. and while zionism does have different types, like the political one that people in the israeli government take advantage of, the core of zionism means no harm. all it means throughout my life in israel as a jew is supporting the existence of israel and that we have a right to live in our ancestral homeland. that’s literally it. nothing about violence, nothing about persecution, nothing about fascism, and nothing about palestine to begin with. goyim always assume for some reason that zionism = kahanism which just. isn’t exactly correct. like you should definitely oppose kahanism because it really is bad but ffs stop being so obsessed about a jewish movement (i’m talking about zionism not kahanism obviously) that has been around for more than a century. it traces back to our history and culture, you cannot separate it from our roots. not to mention the fact that this word is in hebrew, and this all just feels like cultural appropriation to me. they took zionism and destroyed the values it held, the struggle and the pain jews had to face during their years in the diaspora, they’ll never get it. we belong to zion, and nobody can take the connection that we have to this land away from us. no gaslighting, no propaganda, and no hatred will help these crybabies.

zionists are just regular human beings and aren’t monsters, they don’t want to kill children, and the majority stands against the fascists who sit in the israeli government. i wish everyone could just shut up already and normalize the fact that most people who identify as zionist want peace and two state solution as much as the next person does. extremists don’t represent us and for some reason goyim can’t distinguish that. it angers me so much

also seeing zionism on goyim’s dni criteria while they put it next to antisemitism will never fail to make me laugh. they think supporting the existence of the only jewish state is as evil as nazism, what the heck. like it’s okay to criticize israel but how come wanting israel to be destroyed into oblivion is cool and heroic exactly? or dehumanizing an entire group of people cuz idk… somebody on tiktok or twitter told you. i know it’s debatable, but antizionism = antisemitism and nobody can convince me otherwise. they will always treat us like scum of the earth

.

[cripplecharacters]

This is a bit of a generalized question, but I often find that the most difficult aspect of doing research for disabled characters is finding resources that don't just operate on the assumption that of course you will be getting modern treatments/surgeries/medications. This isn't always applicable in every setting, and isn't especially helpful when I'm trying to get information on chronic or progressive conditions that modern science tends to handwave away. (Specific examples I've struggled with are epilepsy, which most places just go "of course you'll go on an anti-seizure medication and just Be Fine Forever" and information about paralyzed hands from nerve damage that all the resources I found assumed the individual would just have surgery and Be Fine Forever.) How would you suggest finding resources for conditions that explain what having that condition is actually like?

Hi,

For historical fiction and fantasy fiction with a similar technology level alike, I tend to find resources by looking up “history of [condition],” as well as “history of [condition] treatment” as well as being more specific like “[condition] in the 19th century” or even the specific year. This won’t always or even often turn up a bunch of resources, but it can help get a good starting point.

This is often more effective along with looking up something more general, like “hospitals in the 19th century” to see what things they would vs wouldn’t be able to do or treat, and looking up specific symptoms and perhaps if you don’t want them to be treated because it’s not something possible in your world.

So if you’re researching the nerve damage you could look up “hand surgery in [time period],” as well as “permanent hand paralysis,” even if it gives you results that have a different cause from your character. It’ll give you another look into how someone would live with a particular disability.

Epilepsy in particular is one of the oldest conditions we know about; we even have descriptions of what can help us describe and identify epilepsy from as early as 1700 BCE. Hippocrates in the 400s BCE was one of the first to theorize it was a brain condition and non-contagious, but this didn’t pick up steam until about much, much later in the 1600s. Here is a research paper where I got much of this information on. (It’s not paywalled as of me writing this answer.)

On that note, research papers can be your friend, too, on how things have historically been seen and treated.

Usually you’re trying to find not only medical resources, but historian-based resources as well. Sometimes I find info in blogs that I then have to double check, but these can be really valuable once you do your fact-checking. And I will admit, it is not easy and you will have to sift through a lot of information and even some misinformation.

But I hope this can help point you in the direction you want!

— Mod sparrow

[merrybloomwrites]

I Hear Them Calling (Prologue)

Story Summary: Alpha Harry Styles and omega Y/N Y/L/N meet under less than ideal circumstances. Overtime their paths will cross and they will be drawn to one another in ways they never expected.

Chapter Summary: This first chapter is a quick prologue that sets the scene for the rest of the story. It gives some info on omegaverse so if you haven't read a lot of those stories before hopefully this acts as a good introduction.

Word Count: 750

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The history books all talk of a time when nearly everyone was an Alpha or Omega. Each gender had their expected roles in society. Each individual had their own scent, which they could be identified by. They would release pheromones that could affect others around them. They would mate, experience heats and ruts together, and create new pups.

Occasionally, people would reach their mid-20s without presenting as either Alpha or Omega. At first, these individuals would be outcasts, but over time they started to become a larger percentage of the population. That was when they earned the designation of Betas. They didn’t have scents, didn’t produce pheromones, and didn’t experience mating cycles.

As time went on, the number of betas grew until they were the majority. And now, in the 21st century, most individuals are betas. It’s rare that someone presents as an alpha, and ever rarer to be an omega.

This created new problems, since alphas and omegas were dependent upon one another. Or more accurately, omegas depended on alphas. An alpha could live a completely normal life without an omega. This doesn’t mean they were all happy to do so. A lot of the old-fashioned views and stereotypes had become obsolete, but many knothead alphas still felt entitled to an omega. These are the same people who still think omegas are subservient to everyone else and incapable of holding the same status as themselves.

Meanwhile, omegas have proven themselves to be just as capable at betas and alphas in all aspects of life. And while those societal expectations of them are no longer relevant, unfortunately, the needs of their bodies have never changed. Omegas require the touch, scent, and pheromones of an alpha. Lacking any of those can lead to a number of different ailments, the worst being touch deprivation.

There are many stages of touch deprivation, the most severe being nearly irreversible and potentially fatal. Luckily, there are a number of medications that help omegas live perfectly healthy and normal lives.

Most omegas will have a pill regimen that includes suppressants, soothers, and scent blockers. Suppressants ensure that the omega will not experience a heat cycle. Soothers are taken to prevent touch deprivation. They trick the body into thinking they’ve been in contact with an alpha. Finally, scent blockers prevent others from being able to smell them. This is especially important for omega safety since it allows them to blend in with the betas around them and not get unwanted attention from alphas.

Scent blockers are also frequently used by alphas, but some choose not to take them. They would rather broadcast their scent, letting everyone around them know their alpha status. Many also take rut suppressants, not wanting to experience a rut without a partner, or wanting to have more control over when their ruts occur.

This is the world that Harry Styles, alpha and famous musician, as well as Y/N, omega and virtual data analyst find themselves living in. They both hide their secondary genders from all around them, but that’s where the similarities end. He’s known by all for his music, movies, and modeling. Y/N, however, is content being known only by her family and her friend group.

Harry hides his alpha status from most people, deeming it inappropriate for his fans, and the whole world, to know such a personal piece of information. He also knows people will judge him based on this fact about him, and so only those in his closest circle are aware.

Y/N also hides her omega status from everyone except her closest family members and her two best friends. She does this for her safety, knowing that there are alphas out there that would harm her simply because she’s an omega. She’s heard plenty of horror stories of omegas being trapped or forced to do things because someone used their alpha voice against them, and they have no choice but to listen. She’s heard of omegas being forcibly mated by alphas and are now stuck with them.

Through some trial and error after she first presented, her doctor found a perfect medicine regimen. This allows her to live a completely normal and happy life, ruled only by her desires and goals, rather than ruled by expectations of her as an omega.

A completely normal life until her suppressants start to lose their potency, she attends a Harry Styles concert, and a knothead alpha in the audience sets in motion a series of events she could never have predicted.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Thank you so much for reading this! I've very excited to start writing the first chapter of this story. It's been living in my head for awhile and I can't wait to share it!

I'm using my taglist from my other series (which I am still also writing for), so if you don't want to be tagged in this one please let me know! Also please let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

Taglist: @akkatz @pandeebearstyles @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite@theekyliepage@numafarawayglxy @booberry019-blog @hillzrry@ssareidbby @gem1712 @acesofspadess@houseofdilfs@shaquille-0atmeal-1@kissitnhekitchen @amateurduck @poguestyleskye@n0vaj3an@snwells@drunk-teens-doing-drugs ; @fdl305

[spacelazarwolf]

Saying that you come off as a zionist 'because of the way you frame Jews and Israelis' is kind of creepy when the primary thing you've been saying throughout is that violence against them by a terrorist group is bad. Saying Jewish lives are important and that Israelis don't deserve to die just for existing in Israel is zionism now apparently.

it’s bc she’s using “zionist” as a dogwhistle for “jew i don’t like” and “zionism” as a dogwhistle for “opinion about israel palestine that i don’t agree with.” which is unfortunately what’s happening with most discourse.

and the problem is, if you don’t know what the fuck zionism is, you cannot be antizionist. you cannot be anti something you do not understand. that’s why so much antizionism falls into antisemitism, because so much antisemitism relies on ignorance. if you truly want to be an antizionist, that requires doing your due diligence, reading zionist literature and educating yourself on the ideology and history, or at least just educating yourself on the basics using sources that aren’t just social media. to be an effective antizionist, you need to understand exactly what it is you’re opposing and why you oppose it.

i don’t personally identify myself as an antizionist for reasons i’d rather not go into, but i’ll give an example i’ve talked about before. political zionism is the desire for a jewish state governed by jewish people, sometimes with the added assumption of the state being under jewish law. i oppose this because 1. i don’t believe in the concept of states, 2. there are other people who live in the area besides jews who need political representation, and 3. jewish law only applies to jews, so trying to have a state that functions under jewish law essentially makes it a theocracy which i oppose.

the same applies to a lot of the buzzwords often used in this conversation: colonialism, ethnic cleansing, genocide, apartheid.

what makes what israel is doing colonialism? how is that complicated by the fact it was preceded, if not directly caused by, british colonialism? how is it further complicated by the fact the jewish people originated in that area and that there are populations of jews who have been there for centuries? do you know what the settlements are and what makes them a problem?

what makes what israel is doing ethnic cleansing? what do you know about the nakba? how much do you know about israel’s practice of denying permits and demolishing palestinian homes? how does the dramatic decrease in the number of palestinians allowed to work in israel contribute to this?

do you know what genocide means? do you know how it is different and similar to ethnic cleansing? are you familiar with the history or displays of palestinian identity being illegal in israel? are you aware of how palestinians living in israel are legally identified and how that affects their connection to palestinian peoplehood? despite the fact israel does not control gaza, hamas does, what tactics is israel using to worsen the conditions there?

can you define apartheid? can you describe the policies instituted by the israeli government that fall under the definition of apartheid?

and most importantly, can you find all the answers to these questions somewhere besides social media?

you cannot just use these words because you saw others using them. you have to know exactly what they mean and exactly how they apply to what palestinians are experiencing, otherwise your antizionism and your activism are worthless.

if you want to be an effective activist, you MUST be able to answer these questions, because if you can’t even describe the problem you will be a hindrance to the solution.

[evidence-based-activism]

Sex Differences in Serial/Mass Murder

I recently received an ask about a specific female serial killer, which I will be answering soon, but I wanted to make a separate post about serial/mass murder statistics for those who'd like a more generic discussion (rather than about a specific person).

For terminology: serial murder refers to the killings of multiple people over separate events while mass murder refers to the killing of many people within a single event. The line between these can be blurred in some cases (e.g., if a man shoots and kills his family before going on a "rampage" and killing many unrelated individuals is that serial or mass murder?), but that this the rough delineation between the two.

---

Serial Murder

Professionals working at Radford University and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) have developed an incredibly interesting Serial Killer Database [1]. It is likely the most (although not completely) comprehensive database of serial killers in existence. They have defined serial murder as "the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offenders in separate event".

There is an important note to their research: it can only identify known serial killers for which some record has been kept. (I'll explicate why this is important to keep in mind later. But, first some stats:)

They found:

Women make up only ~10% of all (identified) serial killers in history

The percentage of (identified) female serial killers has decreased over time and is lower in the USA compared to other countries

"Financial gain is the primary motive for women serial killers whereas enjoyment is the primary motive for men" (Also discussed in [2]).

"Male serial killers are much more likely that female serial killers to torture victims, mutilate the body after death, and engage in overkill ... [and] more likely to engage in necrophilia"

However, this data is likely skewed towards an over-estimation of female serial killers. As mentioned before, this data base includes only serial killers that have been identified and recorded. As a result:

The number of identified serial killers is much higher for recent modern times (i.e., 20th and 21st centuries) than for all the rest of history combined. (Specifically, there are only 250 recorded serial killers, out of 5752, before 1900). It is unlikely that serial killers are simply a modern phenomenon. Instead, it's most likely that (1) detection methods have been improved over time, such as the advent of modern forensics, (2) record keeping has been improved over time, or (3) both detection and record keep have improved over time.

The above supposition is supported by the difference in serial killer frequency between the USA and other countries. According to the report, ~64% of all serial killers are in the USA. They note, however, that "caution should be taken in reviewing this table as the number of serial killers by country is a function of the number of actual killers, the number caught, and the number reported by police or the media". It is again unlikely that the USA truly houses 64% of the world's serial killers, and more likely that better detection methods and record keeping has skewed the results towards the USA.

As a result of this, however, the percentage of female serial killers is likely inflated by this report. Female serial killers are less likely to kill strangers (a type of serial killing that is often detected and the killer often identified by modern forensics). They are also more likely to have visible benefits (i.e., the financial gain) than male serial killers, potentially providing a clearer link to their crimes prior to modern forensic methods.

In fact, the raw number of female serial killers has remained relatively stable over the recorded time periods (excepting a spike in frequency that was mirrored in the male serial killer statistics). This suggests that, rather than fewer/a smaller proportion of female serial killers being identified over time, the number/proportion of male serial killers identified has been increasing. This is reflected in the decreasing percentage of female serial killers over time.

To obtain a better estimate of the true proportion prevalence of female serial killers I calculated the proportion within restricted frames. Women make up:

~9% of all identified serial killers after 1900

~7.5% of all identified serial killers after 1900 in the USA

~7% of all identified serial killers over the last 50 years (since 1970)

~6% of all identified serial killers over the last 50 years (since 1970) in the USA

Given this, it's likely that the true proportion of female serial killers is closer to 6-7%.

For the interested, this review [2] and this article [3] elucidate the differences between female and male serial killers.

---

Mass Murder

I have previously made a few posts about the connection between domestic violence and mass shootings, but I'll expand on mass shooting statistics here with some interesting new sources.

First, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recently released a first of its kind report on "Mass Attacks in Public Spaces" [4]. The inclusion criteria they used was somewhat restrictive (only for 2016-2020, in the USA, harmed three or more people, in public locations). Despite this, the data is high quality, and carefully analyzed. Importantly, they found that 96% of the attackers were male.

Further, they found "nearly half of the attackers were found to have had a history of domestic violence, misogynistic behaviors, or both." (It is also possible -- even likely -- that, given the minimal attention paid to misogynistic biases by mass violence task forces, that other attackers had an undocumented history of domestic violence/misogynistic behaviors.)

Other studies with slightly different inclusion criteria find similar results:

Looking at public shootings with four or more victims in the USA between 1966 and 2017, found men were the attackers in 96% of shootings. [5] (Importantly, this analysis excludes familicides and mass shootings connected to organized crime/gang violence. Both of these types of crimes are also male dominated.)

"Familicide is almost exclusively a crime perpetrated by men." [6] (A hard statistic for this crime is difficult to pin down, it's certainly >95%, but many sources put it either at or extremely close to 100%.)

Another analysis looking at public shootings with four or more victims in the USA between 1976 and 2018, found 98% of shooters were male. [7] This source demonstrates the issue with restricting analysis to only public shootings, as over 80% of mass shootings during this time period were not public.

A final source [8] documents various tools attempting to track mass shootings and the differences between them. In summary, they find men were the shooter in 98% of incidents.

---

Ultimately, this indicates that in addition to accounting for at least 90% of all "normal" homicide perpetrators (post with data and [9] which indicates that the global proportion is closer to 95%), men also make up >90% of serial killers and >95% of mass murderers.

References below the cut:

Aamodt, M. G., Leary, T., & Girimurugan, S. (2023). Radford/FGCU Annual Report on Serial Killer Statistics: 2023 Radford, VA: Radford University.

Miller, L. (2014). Serial killers: I. Subtypes, patterns, and motives. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2013.11.002

Gurian, E. A. (2017). Reframing serial murder within empirical research: Offending and adjudication patterns of male, female, and partnered serial killers. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 61(5), 544–560. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X15598572

National Threat Assessment Center. (2023). Mass Attacks in Public Spaces: 2016 - 2020. U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security.

Capellan, J. A., Johnson, J., Porter, J. R., & Martin, C. (2019). Disaggregating mass public shootings: A comparative analysis of disgruntled employee, school, ideologically motivated, and rampage shooters. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 64(3), 814–823. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.13985

Karlsson, L. C., Antfolk, J., Putkonen, H., Amon, S., Da Silva Guerreiro, J., De Vogel, V., Flynn, S., & Weizmann-Henelius, G. (2021). Familicide: A systematic literature review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(1), 83–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018821955

Duwe, G. (2020). Patterns and prevalence of lethal mass violence. Criminology & Public Policy, 19(1), 17–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12478

Smart, R., & Schell, T. L. (2021). Mass shootings in the united states. Mass Shootings in the United States. https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/essays/mass-shootings.html

Homicide and Gender. (2015). UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Melanie Phillips

Jews — grotesquely designated in “victim culture” as an oppressor class — are the most victimised people on earth. Jew-hatred through the centuries has led to the persecution, attack and murder of millions. Today it continues at epidemic levels which are out of control throughout the west as well as in the Islamic world. 

Antisemites deny this victimisation. They claim that the Jews invent it, “playing the victim card” to conceal their assumed misdeeds and exploitation of others. They believe that Jews use the claim of antisemitism to enable them to “get away with it”. And what exactly do they believe Jews thus “get away with”? Why, that the Jews are a powerful and sinister cabal with global power which they use to further their own interests and harm others — in other words, all the antisemitic canards about the Jews that are a vicious lie but which antisemites believe to be true. 

Such people also resent any evidence of antisemitism because they want to hate the Jews without being prevented from doing so by social opprobrium. They cannot tolerate the truth about Jewish victimisation because that would reveal themselves to be the disgusting people they are. They want to be able to hate the Jews while continuing to drape themselves in the mantle of moral virtue.

Proponents of “victim culture” have a further problem with the victimisation of the Jews. Using their own “victim” status as a social and cultural weapon, they can’t tolerate the fact that the Jews never play the victim card. 

Despite the ever-ending persecution the Jews have suffered, they have always picked themselves up and sought to transcend their pain and distress by making the best out of their lives and the lives of others. 

The only reparations they sought after the Holocaust were to secure the return of what was rightfully theirs and had been stolen from them. They have never demanded that the Catholic church, the British ruling class or the continent of Europe pay reparations for the centuries of persecution they inflicted upon the Jews. They have never assumed that the appalling way the world has treated them means that the world owes them a living. 

They just got on with building positive and productive lives. From the ashes of the Holocaust, they created the spectacularly thriving, life-affirming State of Israel. And in the war that has followed the barbaric atrocities of last year’s October 7 pogrom in Israel, where a terrible toll has been taken of the best and bravest who are still steadily falling in battle, a grieving and traumatised people under constant attack is continuing to display astounding levels of heroism, steadfastness and resilience.

Despite the fact that they have been so badly victimised, Jews choose never to “be” victims, never to live or behave as victims. Stating this fact drives antisemites mad. “But they play the victim card all the time!” they scream. To them, Jew-hatred is a self-serving fiction. They can’t acknowledge the moral necessity of identifying its unique and all-too-real characteristics. They can’t recognise the difference between truth and lies. They can’t stand Jewish resilience. All that matters is maintaining their own warped and malevolent narrative about a world they choose not to understand. And that, of course, is why such people hate the Jews, who show these haters up for what they truly are.  

[velvetvexations]

Even putting aside what a ridiculous comparison that is, I need it understood that the primary way transradfems engage with "material reality" is through movies from the previous century.

It's hypervisibility vs. invisibility. Trans women were openly mocked and trans men were ignored or just subsumed into a range of experiences for cis women. That's changing now that trans men are getting more spotlight than they had before, although it's still tilted in those directions.

But there was genuinely nothing transphobic about Chihiro's story and to say there was you have to prove his model was trans women and transitioning children when there is an extremely well-established category of AMAB people who present as girls in Japanese culture that is infinitely more talked about in pop culture over there. You have to insist upon the fact that he was ever connected to people who sincerely identify as girls in the first place. If this was America, it'd make more sense, but it is actually just genuinely racist to be told all that and still be like "well, but it makes me think of trans women."

This is why transradfems hate me, too. A trans woman disagreeing with them breaks their rules.

Especially the person who cannot stop fucking bypassing my block to screenshot my blog and then justifying it by claiming I do it, even though I fucking deleted those posts after she complained and have not mentioned her a single time since unless she did first.

Here's the thing: I DON'T THINK NOT WANTING TO ASSOCIATE WITH AGAB LANGUAGE IS UNREASONABLE AT ALL! But it's fucking projecting as fuck to say that people who don't like TMA/TME language must simply want to cling to AGAB. I mean, holy fuck, right? That's not what's being argued dumbass - but she can't think of any other way to divide trans people based on AGAB without referencing it in some way, so her ideal replacement is TMA/TME, that's the two kinds of trans people that exist, you're not AMAB or AFAB you're TMA or TME, this is so fucking masks off it's wild that other transradfems aren't mortified by her saying the quiet part out loud. This should just completely obliterate every trace of protest when someone points out TME is in practice exclusively used to refer to AFAB trans people and no one else ever, unless what she's actually saying is that AFAB trans people are so close to cis women that they might as well just by default be called the same thing and have no other way of identifying themselves when you talk about categories of trans people and their experiences.

But it's so intensely psychologically revealing. I don't think she's ever been misgendered a single time in her life. I don't think she's ever had even the slightest actual barrier to hop in her quest to live as a woman, because this oversensitivity where someone acknowledging transphobes see us as our assigned sex counts as them misgendering you? That's just not the behavior of someone who actually deals with these things in the real world. Or even online. Again, I get pedojacketed and threatened with actual cancelation from my actual career because I engage with actual TERFs. These people never do anything but moan about tee-em-ees misgendering them by discussing how the enemy perceives us. And she in particular is the most desperate to shut that out, because that is the only reminder there could ever possibly be a hypothetical obstacle to her claiming her girl card. I have zero doubt she lives in the queerest city on the planet and if she didn't have internet she would literally be unable to even conceive of transphobia as a concept. And she fucking hates me for not just being a trans woman who agrees with the transandrobros, but also personally identifies with my AGAB. The implication that it's possible for a trans woman to be okay with the term "male" shatters her self-esteem. That is the extent of "misgendering" she has ever faced and ever will face. Me identifying the way I do terrifies her, I have to be objectively wrong about claiming identification with my AGAB because she copes with insecurity by imagining a world where TERFs are right but instead of biology everyone's soul is either Male and Female and you can only be one or the other. Gender can't just be people figuring out who they are and the ways they want to express themselves and live their lives, that's not real enough for her, she has to be Trve Fymyle the way TERFs go on about, except instead of centering around wombs it's this weird vaguely spiritual concept that she forces everyone else to fit into because if they don't it implies her framework isn't the tangible reality she so desperately needs to feel valid.

And that's why she "needs" TMA/TME, because she reasonably wants to talk about the experiences of people who share her category but doesn't want to identify as anything that references what those experiences fucking are (e.g. having been assigned male at birth). And again, that's FINE. I GET THAT. THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. I CAN SEE HOW THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. But that doesn't mean TMA/TME doesn't also have issues and I'm sorry if she's having a hard time coming up with something else because it's difficult to navigate the inherent paradox of wanting to associate with something that unfortunately makes her feel bad to associate with it, but she needs to pick something else, and not say "weh the TMEs are making us change our language" as though (a) transradfems aren't telling trans men what language they can use for themselves and (b) it's impossible to come up with terms that don't explicitly make claims about the experiences of others and 100% defines them by suffering less.

And isn't it strange how other transradfems are insisting they have to call themselves CAMAB and CAFAB, but THEY aren't clinging to AGAB language? Weird, right? I mean there is a group of people insistently arguing that it is simply paramount that we use AGAB language, but they're perisex trans women stealing it from intersex people so I guess it's fine?

But I don't CARE. I don't like her and I don't want to look at her stupid blog and I sure as fuck don't want to report on it. I just wish she'd stop talking about me. I literally just want her to stop block evading me and telling people my identity revolves around wanting to suck up to TERFs*. I do not talk about her except when she talks about me. AND I'M STILL NOT EVEN NAMING HER.

When she complained about me screenshotting her posts, I deleted them. They got zero notes. Her screenshots of me have hundreds and she keeps taking them because she's fucking obsessed because she can't feel like a girl if someone else identifies a little differently than she does. I don't even screenshot other people if they have me blocked but I see other people debating their takes, I make a post that references no one with unspecified prompting. And I've never done even done that with her, not only because she keeps baselessly accusing me of harassment, but because she infuriates me on a level where I just sincerely do not like seeing her fucking content in any way for any reason.

God I fucking hate radfems.

*which she happily admits to knowing is a lie but is like "yeah well I say she's mean so I'm going to keep deliberately fabricating falsehoods about her"

Thank you. <3

I have enlightened another soul!

If you asked these people, ten times out of ten they would say detransition and rape are the worst things that can possibly happen to someone and murder is no comparison, but they'll see trans men talking about their sexual abuse to be like "wow so lucky you guys just have to LARP The Handmaid's Tale, but we get KILLED."

And it's like. Okay. But fuck off, though? It's fine to personally see murder as worse and to grieve more over that, ig, it's like, whatever, but to openly state that it's a PRIVILEGE to be raped and detransitioned makes my brain melt. It's like they are physically incapable of not putting down other trans people. It is the one single area of activism they engage in. That is the war they are waging. They don't give a fuck about trans rights because they live in privileged areas with supportive families. Their battle is with the TME trans people on social media.

lolllll

"I hate how misogynistic Velvet is, she's everyone's cumrag"

^actual thing actually said and believed by the TMA/TME tankies

Before anyone accuses this anon of saying transradfems are engaging in male behavior or whatever, I'll note as I always have that they're just as sexually predatory and entitled to the bodies of others as TERFs are. That is the actual comparison being made. The worst trans women are identical to the worst cis women. Diversity win.

[thealogie]

Gotta preface it with ‘I’m not from the US, so obviously don’t understand lots about how election results affect everyday life of people living there’. Also, if I suddenly, still being myself, became a US citizen with a right to vote, I can’t imagine voting for Trump. Saying all that, I don’t think labelling half of the country, tens of millions of people, genuinely evil is very productive or even mentally honest.

I am from the part of the world, which suffered from both republican and democrat US administrations, and lately most of the geopolitical games resulting in tons of blood, have been played, obviously, by democrats. I have to say that I find their utter hypocrisy deeply disgusting. At least your republicans, how I see it, don’t even mask being monsters, they say it like it is. When two negotiating sides state their goals outright, it is possible to come to an agreement at least marginally better than when one side is always being two(3,4,5)-faced, making a point to wrap their actual goals (if they even know them) in pretty words about democracy while double-crossing their negotiation partner even before the ink has dried.

I know that you’re from Iran and are aware of how deeply destructive US foreign policies can be, increasingly so since the start of this century. With one caveat that Trump seems to be especially hostile to Iran, and a democrat would’ve been marginally better when it comes to the US policy regarding Iran. It’s not the same for all parts of the world though, so we might not all be unbiased observers here.

I know that foreign policy doesn’t decide US elections, I only wrote this longwinded nonsense to say that maybe there are solid reasons for half of the US to prefer Trump and reject the democrats, like for the rest of the world there are reasons for either. Economic, political, whatever. Maybe liberals should look into these reasons before dismissing millions of people as genuinely evil, like Hillary did in her time. Idk about you, but when she called half of the country ‘deplorables’ or whatever, no one I know and no one I read (not from US) felt sympathetic. It just sounded incredibly entitled and delusional, and plain dumb. And it looks like since Hillary democrats haven’t learned or even attempted to learn anything, it’s still ‘half of our nation is broken and evil and we can’t do anything about it’. But it’s not how people work, in my opinion. Yes, they might not care about minorities first, they might care about themselves first, but doesn’t it mean that politicians should identify their problems and offer solutions? Isn’t it how it works? Dehumanazing Trump supporters will only radicalize them more, isn’t it what in fact happened, and how it always works with people in general?

Idk about life inside the US, like I said, but how I see it, the only ones to blame here are democrats and liberals in general. If people in the world, and I’m sure inside the US, will see that they finally start addressing the problems instead of hiding behind empty rhetoric, if the level of hypocrisy and delusional entitlement decreases at least to some degree, the support for right-wing populists will also decrease, I’m sure of it. Because most people are not ‘genuinely evil’, but they become embittered and cruel when their concerns are continuously dismissed, things start to fester resulting in ugly political outcomes. I mean, I know you know all this, sorry for being so boring and longwinded. It’s just that I usually like your takes (I came for MASH and stayed for the neighbors as well), including political ones, but here I got a bit of a whiplash, sorry.

I appreciate this thoughtful note. You don’t have to like my takes for us to be on friendly terms. And to be clear I do forever and always blame democrats and liberals for not energizing the people who agree with them.

But as you say you don’t live here and so there’s no way for me to convey to you without asking you to spend months reading right wing political accounts here and talking to people here that a sizable number of the people who support this man are genuinely bad people and want me and people like me out of this country.

This comes from hundreds of personal encounters over the past 8 years and spending the past three months reading dozens and dozens of pieces of reporting that are like “I went to talk to voters in a small town, here’s what they had to say.” And the things you hear are: purge this country of immigrants, make America a dominating force in the world again, get us back to traditional values where women are popping out babies…oh yeah and also the economy would be better under him.

Like idk what you want me to call sexist, homophobic, white supremacists but I think they are evil. And I think it used to be that the Republican Party was more polite about all of these beliefs so I could understand people being disaffected and voting for them for reasons other than hating other humans but now we’re just saying the quiet part out loud and there’s no plausible deniability

[septembriseur]

...

Posting this without a real ending because I’m feeling extremely exhausted tonight:

I've been stewing over this. I saw someone I worked with in AFG, who now has a high level admin position in Iraq, posting on LinkedIn about "This is why I gave up my comfort and security... for my students!"

The same woman not only once stormed out of a meeting because I was talking about decolonization issues on campus, but also continually complained about the fact that she was required to sometimes leave the compound (in an armored car with full security escort) in order to visit the secondary campus, as she felt this was unreasonably dangerous and she shouldn't have to leave the compound at all.

The thing is that I don't doubt her feelings are genuine, just as a (different) white American professor was being genuine when she said (in an experience that I have written about elsewhere) that she did not think of herself as a Westerner because she had taught in the Middle East and Asia for more than fifteen years. At times I question whether my reaction is insane or naive. Am I crazy? Is it those people whose behavior is reasonable, and mine that's not?

After the meeting that the woman above stormed out of, the Afghan man who worked as the office secretary just outside the door to the room thanked me. But I have never been entirely sure if he was doing so out of pity, or if he was being sarcastic, or if he was sincere then why he was sincere.

I was listening to a podcast about Roger Casement the other day, and a historian (whose area is LGBT history) identified Casement's cruising for sex in Africa as one of the factors that led to his becoming enlightened/radicalized. One the one hand, that seems very dubious (see: twentieth century Morocco). On the other hand, I do think that that one of the most notable characteristics of many Westerners in the Global South is their lack of intimate relationships with local people. They cannot imagine a genuine relationship of any kind that crosses the boundary between local/international. I think that they find something inherently inappropriate about the idea. (Jennifer Fluri has written some interesting articles about social and sexual relationships of internationals in Kabul.)

[0mega-x]

My small essay on how I view France's perception of Joan of Arc and their relationship in Hetalia.

Almost as quickly as I joined Hetalia, I noticed how prevalent the story of France and Joan of Arc was and how it seemed Francis was so attached to her, almost like a lover. And while I do see a bit of how this could be, the attachment to her (and her specifically) that some parts of the fandom portrayed it has always been strange to me. So I'm going to go over the historical facts as well as the canon events of Hetalia involving Joan. Then I'll discuss how she was treated in French historiography and compare it to how she was treated in the fandom. Then, I'll go over my thoughts and headcanons about not only how the both of them interacted (if they did) but also how Francis thought of her after her death.

I. Who was Joan of Arc?

Joan was a farmer's daughter born in 1412 in Lorraine, during a time when France was at war with England, and losing, with most of its territory occupied by England or English allies. As the war started with a legitimacy dispute between the Kings of France and England, the crown prince of France had even been disinherited. At 13, she heard voices she identified to be God's command to save France by reinstating the King of France. She convinced the guy and set off for the Battle of Orléans (1429) which she won, a battle considered one of the turning points of the war for France, as she also enabled the king to be crowned.

She was captured a year later by English allies. She was tried and accused of heresy and witchcraft by the English and their allies, and the new king of France did not involve himself in it to not be associated with a heretic. She was burned at the stakes a year later in Rouen.

There was a rehabilitation trial put in place 20 years later.

II. The Hetalia episode (S2E15)

Lisa is an American tourist who visits the Mont Saint Michel in Normandy (the same region where Joan was burned at the stake). France stumbles upon her and is troubled because he seems to have recognised her. He offers her a tour, during which he tells her of Joan of Arc's story (and of the war in general) in admiration. When the topic of her being burned is brought up by Lisa, Francis confirms it happened in a rather stern tone (and he recalls the date perfectly).

He finishes by saying that he hopes all people forgotten by History get to be reborn and have a normal life, and that Lisa should be happy this time, confirming that she is implied to be Joan's reincarnation.

This episode shows us that, yes, Francis does look up to Joan in admiration, and has respect for her. Thinking of Joan makes him think about all the others who may have been tossed aside and forgotten. But I do find it a bit strange, considering Joan of Arc is not forgotten at all: she is the patron saint of France, was canonised, and is still taught in schools in France. Even before the 19th century, she was well-known, being talked about and sometimes brought up during conflicts.

III. The Hetalia strip

Joan was also brought up in the nonlinear strip "Big Brother France and That Kid" which gives another interesting insight into France and how he sees Joan. And it may explain why Francis says what he says in the anime.

He forgot about Jeanne until Napoleon mentioned her. Does he also forget other important people?

IV. Joan and French Historiography

In the following decades after the war, Jeanne tended to be occulted by historians. Working for the King, there was no way they would say he had been helped by a "heretic". Until the 19th century, she was occulted, as the contemporary fame that surrounded her and her death had faded away.

The XIXth century saw a surge in her representation. However, this was not a coincidence. Her figure was brought up similarly to the one of Vercingétorix, the Gaulish leader who fought Julius Caesar. She became a political tool, a symbol of French unity against a common enemy. She and Vercingétorix are prominent figures who rose after the defeat of the Franco-Prussian war against the German States.

She was taught in schools (which became free and mandatory around this time), contributing to her spreading in the general conscience of the average French person. Even to this day, I cannot tell you of one person who does not know who she is here.

Here is an example of how she was described in old French textbooks: "In no country can we find such a beautiful story as that of Joan of Arc. All French people must love and venerate the support of this young girl who loved France so much and died for us."

Her image and especially this figure of unity became almost inseparable from her historical figure. Today, she is often brought up by the far right (cues in Jean-Marie Le Pen's "Jeanne ! Au secour !") as this symbol of French unity against the common enemy, with the "French" and the "enemy"... up to their interpretation (spoiler: it's not the English).

"The defence of the country is the first of duties, but as it builds France, wars of conquest become legitimate. Most of the heroes presented to the children's admiration convey a warrior mentality, presented as a defence of the homeland against the invader. [...] Joan is the purest reference of popular patriotism." (Suzanne Citron, Le Mythe National)

V. Joan and the fandom

[THIS SECTION IS BASED *ONLY* ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE NAVIGATING HETALIA FAN CONTENT]

Now, I don't think most of you guys (at least from the side of the fandom I interact the most with) are from the French extreme right, so I doubt you associate her with this specific symbol. But you have to admit her rise to prominence has influenced the way Hetalia perceived her (and perhaps Himaruya as well). Why do I say that?

I feel like it's been toned down since the time I joined the fandom (either that or I just don't look a FRUK/Joan-related fanfics as much), but her bond with Francis occasionally felt... strange, like it was being pushed as the ultimate soulmate story. Francis being furious, even lashing out at Arthur when he learns of her death, him being really sensitive when May 30th arrives every year. It feels... strange. I haven't seen it with any other nation and a prominent figure in history. Not even Francis with another human (I guess because the canon did tackle Joan of Arc in more detail than for others).

This central place she is given in a nation's heart, seemingly almost venerated by Francis, I feel like it reflects how History (especially in French historiography) has portrayed her and given her this special place. It's just a small parallel that I noticed when I first got into Hetalia.

You could say many, MANY historical figures have been given special places, even in French historiography. I've even mentioned Vercingétorix here.

What do you guys think?

OH and by the way, do not take this part as meaning liking/doing content with Joan of Arc in this place as meaning it's bad to portray her as such

VI. My interpretation of how France and Joan interacted

This and the next part are my personal headcanons so feel free to ignore that if you're not interested.

Joan of Arc's story was widespread when she was still alive, and a lot of people knew of the girl who heard voices telling her to set out to crown the French king. After all, she did have a group following her when she went to convince the guy. Therefore, Francis DEFINITELY heard of her during her life.

Now, I am not sure if Francis would have actually met Joan. It implies he would have been there on the battlefield. I personally think nations get weak when their territory get invaded, so I don't think he did go to battlefields. However, Joan did meet with the French pretender to the throne. Perhaps, if Francis followed him, he would meet Joan as well. So yes, I think the two met and interacted.

Now as to how? Considering Joan's duty seemed to be towards the King (and therefore towards Francis), the both of them respected each other. To Francis, her courage might have been very admiring (after all, how many girls do you know just left their random-ass village and got a king to get crowned in the midst of a war).

Her victory against the English in Orléans did actually turn things over for France (=her role in the actual war may not be as exaggerated) as it was the sign that France could still win. So, in a way, Francis might have felt relieved and hopeful with her presence.

Now... her death. THE death.

When Joan was captured by the Burgundians and handed over to the Brits, the King did not do much to free her and she ended up burned. ANYONE would feel injustice hearing this, and so did Francis. I definitely do not think he would have gone "Bah, things happen, humans die", especially since this is not his attitude towards humans. But I do feel that he did not lash out either. It was an in-between. There was disappointment. How could such a beam of hope be abandoned to the enemies like that?

So, in a few words, admiration, loyalty, and a feeling of injustice and disappointment after her death.

VII. My interpretation of how France remembered and remembers her

Francis probably moved on with his life. He would maybe remember her from time to time, especially when the war was still raging (it went on for another 20 years), but by the Renaissance period, he may have just not thought about her much, in the sense that if you reminded him of his existence, he would remember everything, but that in his day-to-day life, he didn't reminisce much. After all, it would be a pain to have to always remember the people who saved you or did great things for you as a nation, and mourn their death anniversary.

When Napoleon arrived, he was reminded of her by him (as in, Napoleon mentioned her). That's when he remembered more often. As the 19th century progresses, he remembers others "like" Joan: Vercingétorix, Charles Martel,... He may be happy that those people get remembered again, but this comes with a political taint and historical romanticism. For someone like Francis, who actually LIVED history, this may have been bitter.

So nowadays, he finds himself remembering Joan more often (like the other historical figures) with a feeling of admiration and proudness. This, however, does not affect his relationship with England. I don't think Arthur himself burned her for one. Also, dang imagine if you had to hate or feel bitterness about every single nation whose people did something bad to a hero from your country. I'd be tired

Perhaps what Francis meant to Lisa was that he hoped that all figures who were tainted by History so much just get to be reborn as ordinary people whose lives will never be touched by History.

Conclusion?

This is a very messy essay and so will be the conclusion. I think that while Joan being more discussed than other historical figures in the Healia fandom is normal considering she is talked about in a strip and has a whole episode dedicated to her, I think that her portrayal in relation to Francis can be a little bit exaggerated, and I think that the way History had made her such a prominent figure helped in that.

I don't even know if I should call that an essay or just a series of thoughts.

[a-very-tired-jew]

The server closes, but the antisemitism it gave is forever

By the time this gets posted from my queue the Dropout Discord server will have officially closed/froze (May 26th, 2024). However, the looming freeze hasn't dissuaded any of the users in a particular channel from posting their wild conspiracies and outright falsities. Take this one that happened on May 24th.

Fig. 1. User states that Jews should be safe around the world and Zionism was invented by anti-semites (their word) to get the Jews out of Europe. Let's break down this picture. It's the same thing we have heard from goys time and time again about this entire issue. Jews should be safe around the world and we should make the world safer for them so they don't need Israel. Here's the problem...we've tried that multiple times. In fact, there was a whole ideology opposite of Zionism called Bundism that pushed for that very thing. Guess what happened? Bundists were exiled, tortured, imprisoned, cleansed, and killed. That's not to say don't make the world a safer place for us. We'd like it to be. But historically speaking, this sort of action hasn't been consistent. Now, the second part of their post: "Zionism was originally invented by anti-semites who wanted Jews out of Europe". Imagine being so confidently wrong in something. Not only does a quick fact check tell you you're wrong, but demonstrably so. The "Father of Zionism" is Theodor Herzl who helped formalize an ideology that was already present in Judaism. His actions were inspired by the Dreyfus Affair. If you don't know what this is, a Jewish officer of the French army was falsely accused of being a spy and imprisoned. The actual culprit was identified and the French army suppressed the evidence and acquitted him, he was not Jewish. Throughout this time there was rampant antisemitism in French society, which had previously been viewed as a liberal bastion of acceptance. If this place that intellectuals viewed as tolerant of differing views, creeds, religions, and so on could become virulently antisemitic, then were Jews actually accepted? That is the underlying thought that led to the formalization and creation of political Zionism as we know it (albeit in a very brief and generalized summary). Hell, this person probably doesn't even know what Labor Zionism is and it would probably break their brain. The most progressive societies in the world can say they're safe for Jews to exist in, but they will turn at the drop of a hat.

So when someone like this says that Zionism was made by anti-semites (and they're using the hyphenated incorrect term which is indicative of other issues) I can't help but think that they know next to nothing about the conflict outside of what they've consumed these past months. The likelihood is that this particular person has only engaged with antisemitic content because that misinformation they're spreading is something that only exists in those circles. It's antisemitic conspiracy wrapped in anti-Zionism. It's reminiscent of things the Soviets would say about Israel while actively killing the Jews in their country. They then followed it with this.

Fig. 2. Same user generalizes a whataboutism regarding safety for everyone, then specifically asks why no one prioritizes the Palestinians in these conversations. In this photo they ask why do we assume that the world is going to hate Jews forever? Because it has. Antisemitism is one of the oldest forms of hatred towards another group. Jewish history is marred with repeated incidents of cleansing, torture, imprisonment, exile, and killing. In no century has there ever been a time when Jews just existed peacefully with our own autonomy. And yet someone like this, who has shown their whole ass with their ignorance of what Zionism is and its origin, asks "why aren't we talking about the Palestinians in these conversations?" Because there is not a specific word that describes hatred of Palestinians like there is for Jews. Nor do they have thousands of years of history regarding that hatred. It's a false equivalency and a pitiful whataboutism to try and make conversations about antisemitism into something they're not. However, considering this user writes "anti-semite/semitism", I would not be surprised if they are of the "Palestinians are Semites" mindset (which myself and others have gone over in other posts, and even the server itself addressed months prior). We can talk about Palestinians and the dangers they face. We can talk about the rights and country they should have. We can talk about how other countries in the region keep them in camps and don't let them become full citizens. We can talk about all the issues surrounding them as a people. But not when we're talking about antisemitism, because it's not about them. The fact that this user is trying to make it that way and was not confronted in any capacity about their outright misinformation and manipulation says everything about the Dropout Discord Palestine channel that you need to know.