#its also not mutually exclusive for the record

[onlyfangz]

i very rarely get uppity about my interests, but there really is a difference between enjoying lore olympus, pjo, hadestown, epic, the song of achilles, hades game, etc., and actually enjoying greek myth.

[didnt-hear-idsb-live-again]

You don’t email them? They’re doing their best lol

that is an absurd thing to say when it is a commonly known fact that people wait 2+ months in good faith and then TN refuses to give a refund because it'd been too long so it no longer lives within their refund policy

[puppyeared]

i spent years asking myself why it felt shallow if i gave my ocs a design or personality that felt cliche or oversimplified and just now i remembered i watched hetalia in middle school

i feel like. theres designing a character with certain themes and motifs in mind, and then theres making a gijinka for the water bottle on my nightstand

[communistkenobi]

“transphobia hurts us all” is an analytical statement. It is making a claim about how a specific bigotry operates in the world, and its supposed analytical value is in revealing something about transphobia that appears on the surface to be counter-intuitive - “while you might think transphobia only hurts transgender people, that isn’t the case; it hurts cisgender people too.” The follow-up to this statement, sometimes implied and sometimes explicit, is a moral imperative - transphobia is a social ill that hurts us all, so we should seek to get rid of it.

This analytical-moral chain of logic isn’t unique to this statement; a lot of analyses of the social world come from a broader desire to “figure out what to do.” When we investigate a social phenomenon to uncover its inner workings, and in this investigation we identify the scope and impact of the harm it causes, we are in a better place to understand how to reduce harm in the world. Of particular interest in this investigation of transphobia is highlighting its illegitimacy - if transphobia also harms cisgender people, this is evidence of its illegitimacy as a social force in the world. We have uncovered some fundamental contradiction in the workings of bigotry, and this contradiction provides a rational ground for us to oppose it. Of course transphobia is irrational and must be opposed; it harms other groups of people who are not transgender.

This is also why people object to this statement on analytic grounds - disagreeing with the argument that transphobia hurts everyone is a critique of analysis. Importantly, it is not a dismissal of empirical evidence; we can see many direct real-world examples of cisgender people being targeted for transphobic abuse, such as cis people being attacked in bathrooms for “looking transgender.” A critique of the claim that transphobia hurts us all is a methodological critique, it is a critique of analytical framing; we are operating from the same set of social facts, but reaching different conclusions. The reason for this is because we are using different investigative and theoretical tools in our analysis. And these differences are not trivial; how we define the social phenomena under investigation directly informs how we understand the facts in front of us.

So first, we must settle the problem of definitions - what is transphobia? Simply defining it as a hatred of transgender people is insufficient for all parties. If it does indeed also hurt cis people, then this definition doesn’t do us much analytical good. Where do we go from here? Perhaps a better place to start is to investigate its origins - what assumptions does transphobia operate from? Where do those assumptions come from? This is where we start getting somewhere. Transphobia draws its core assumptions from cissexualism - the belief that there are two mutually-exclusive and irreconcilable sexes, sexes which are immutable and biologically hard-wired, meaning that it is a difference in human beings that exists independent of the social worlds that human beings build. This idea is bound up in many forms of power, one of which being patriarchy; yes indeed there are two sexes, and one of them is better than the other. And because sex is hard-wired, then patriarchy is likewise a simple fact of nature. These assumptions are also bound up in reproduction; one sex impregnates (this is the powerful sex) and one sex gets impregnated (this is the weak sex). These ideas and assumptions structure much of our social world, being embedded in many social, political, and economic institutions, from family to labour to dating to census records to political office, and so on. 

Transphobia is thus an output of these logics - if sex is biological, and sex determines your place in society, then attempting to change your sex means you are thwarting the natural hierarchy of human beings. You are either trying to rise above your station, or abandoning your post. Either option is grounds for punishment. Why would you go against nature? How dare you?

So, transphobia is a bigotry that comes from cissexualism. We could investigate further where cissexualism comes from (and indeed those investigations are taking place), but for our purposes we now have a much more analytically rich definition. Transphobia is a social technology of discipline; it performs a regulatory function for the continuation of cissexualism, much the same way that misogyny is a regulatory apparatus of patriarchy, and homophobia is a regulatory apparatus of heterosexuality. These bigotries perform a very ‘rational’ social function; they reproduce existing forms of power by policing their borders and brutalising anyone who does not behave in accordance with their logics.

We now return to the original question: does transphobia harm everyone? This question now feels methodologically inappropriate, because we are ignoring the role cissexualism plays in producing transphobia. This is as absurd as describing homophobia without mentioning heterosexuality. The question should instead be: does cissexualism harm everyone? The answer of course is yes - we can see how cissexualism produces the social conditions for people to assault someone in a public bathroom for “looking transgender,” for an adult to force a child to report what their genitals ‘really look like’ so they can continue playing soccer, and for a billionaire to spend the latter half of her life dumping money and resources into political legislation that makes it more difficult to, among other things, correct administrative mistakes on your birth certificate. 

But because we are now talking about cissexualism, it is much easier for us to see how its violence is differentially applied across groups. Cisgender people can point to their cisgenderism as grounds for being exempt from transphobia - “don’t target me, I haven’t done anything wrong! I’m following the rules!” Their societal position as cisgender allows them to argue that they are illegitimate targets, that they are being unfairly treated. This animated much of the surrounding discourse around Imane Khelif - I can’t believe JKR is targeting a real woman! Can’t you tell she’s biologically female? Here’s her birth certificate to prove it, and anyway, don’t you know it’s illegal to be transgender where she lives? 

This is a defence that transgender people cannot mount for ourselves - we are by definition fraudsters in the cissexual regime of gender, we are abandoning our stations, we are perverting nature. And in this difference we come to see that it is not transphobia that harms us all, but cissexualism; we are all subject to scrutiny under cissexual surveillance, but cis people can generally pass the test. Transgender people cannot. 

This distinction also has implications for the second sequence in this investigative chain: what do we do about transphobia? Again we see that this call to action is methodologically inappropriate - you cannot “deal with” transphobia in society while leaving the cissexualist structure that produces it intact, in the same way that getting rid of misogyny without first getting rid of patriarchy is impossible. You cannot get rid of an output without destroying the machine that produces those outputs. This is also where many cis people, even those who count themselves as trans allies, become uncomfortable; abandoning the idea of a metaphysical property of being, hard-encoded into their DNA, means abandoning a whole host of other ideas about identity, about social organisation, about institutional operations. Even minor reformist calls by transgender people, such as removing sex markers on birth certificates (which determine your ability to access all kinds of administrative and civil services), is met with intense hostility by cissexuals - how will we run our hospitals, how will we raise our children, how will we track population data, how will we do anything without sex markers? You people are insane! Look how you deny reality! What is wrong with you freaks? Why can’t you just be happy with the way you were born? And on and on, ironically refusing to concede the fact that states, hospitals, child care, and census data are not natural facts of the world and can be changed. Because if those things can be changed, perhaps sex is not this monumental biological destiny after all!

“Transphobia hurts us all” is an analytical statement that advances a set of cissexual assumptions about the world, and as a consequence, it is severely limited in its value for advancing a moral imperative about how to resolve the problem of transphobia. It is not a neutral statement, nor is one that is helplessly subservient to “the hard facts.” We know those facts - describing them is the role of the social scientist. Whether you are in a laboratory or on the street, you are doing social science by analysing social phenomena. And when you say transphobia hurts everyone, you are doing a poor job of it

[darkmaga-returns]

Why has the CIA been Hiding the JFK Files for 62 Years?

24 November 2024 by Larry C. Johnson 64 Comments

Now that all of the principals who were alive when John Fitzgerald Kennedy was murdered in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963 are dead, there are only two reasons — neither mutually exclusive — to explain why the complete files have not been released — 1) The CIA is implicated in the assassination and/or 2) A country with influence in the United States is implicated.

While many have speculated that the CIA is hiding evidence that Cuba was involved, the CIA has no reason, in my judgment, to withhold evidence of Cuba’s guilt. I have shied away from pursuing the various JFK assassination theories, but I recently came across a video by Ryan Dawson that suggests a credible reason for keeping the files from the public — Israel is implicated.

What!!!??? That was my first reaction. But then I listened and examined the evidence proffered by Ryan. There is certainly some smoke that points to Israel and members of Jewish organized crime. Why would Israel be involved? Let me summarize Ryan’s argument — the Kennedy’s represented an existential threat to Israel:

1 Prior to the assassination, the Kennedys wanted Israel inspected for nuclear weapons. The CIA had collected evidence from Dimona indicating that the Uranium Israel was processing had been illegally removed from the US Nautilus project via NUMEC (i.e., Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation). 2 John and Robert Kennedy supported Palestinians right of Return. 3 President Kennedy directed Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, in October 1963, to require the Zionist Organization of America to to register as foreign agents. 4 JFK along with France’s Charles de Gaulle, who also survived an assassination attempt, supported Algeria independence. 5 Robert F Kennedy was prosecuting aggressively Italian and Jewish mobsters. Many of the Jewish mobsters played a direct role in providing Israel with weapons prior to and after Israel’s establishment as a country in 1948. Jack Ruby, aka Jacob Rubenstein, was involved with the Italian mafia.

This does not prove that Israel or some of its agents helped kill Kennedy, but there is circumstantial evidence warranting further investigation. This would not be the first time that Israel attacked the United States. Just ask the survivors of the USS Liberty. However, this provides one reasonable explanation for why the CIA wants to keep the files locked away.

Keeping the files secret no longer makes sense. President Trump is now on the record, vowing to release the files. Let’s see if he keeps his promise.

[starzct]

☆ . 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 [𝗡𝗘𝗪!]

( 💎 )  ⸻ #𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗭 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧. ( TW ... misogyny & mistreatment ) BY 99KITSCH, on NOVEMBER 4, 2024.

OLIVE,  AIQING,  EMI  and  RAON  took  to  social  media  in  a  joint  statement  this  morning  to  announce  their  departure  from  their  group,  SEVENTEEN.  the four female members making up the group's subunit, QUARTZ, have  spent  the  last  SIX (6) MONTHS  on  hiatus due to arising conflict  between  their  companies.  their  last  schedule  as  SEVENTEEN  members  was  the  final  day  of  the  FOLLOW  TOUR  on  MAY  26,  2024,  in  YOKOHAMA,  JAPAN.  their  fanbase,  CARATS,  started to get concerned with the lack of transparency when QUARTZ missed SEVENTEEN'S performance at LOLLAPALOOZA BERLIN.

❛❛  Hello.  This  is  OLIVE,  AIQING,  EMI  and  RAON.  After  long  discussions  with  our  teams  currently  at  both  our  companies,  we  have  mutually  made  the  decision  to  terminate  our  exclusive  artist  contract.  We  would  like  to  express  our  gratitude  to  CARATS  who  have  loved  and  supported  QUARTZ  and  SEVENTEEN  over  the  years.  We  also  hope  you  continue  to  cheer  on  us  as  we  prepare  a  COOL,  NEW  IMAGE  through  a  collaboration  with  Netflix  on  November  17.  Until  now  this  has  been  QUARTZ. ❜❜

QUARTZ  first  made  their  way  onto  the  stage  in  various  pre-debut  videos  KNOWN  AS  THE  GREEN  ROOM  from  early  2013 - 2015.  it  was  not  long  before  the  group  stole everyone's  hearts  with  their  unique  talents upon debuting as individual members of SEVENTEEN.  while  everything  was  total  bliss  at  the  beginning,  it  did  not  take  long  for  the  fans  to  ark  up  about  unfair  treatment  between  the  female  and  male  members  of  SEVENTEEN.  QUARTZ  UNIT was made  to debut  to  appease  the  fans  with  the  repetitive  discussion  of  MISMANAGEMENT  compounded by their ongoing demand by the general public. every  so  often when SEVENTEEN or THEIR COMPANY would be in HOT WATERS, QUARTZ  coincidentally  would  be  given  another  comeback.  well  that  is  atleast  what  user @/17211182026 on twitter has theorised relentlessly.

a  REPRESENTATIVE  from  QUARTZ'S COMPANY, STARGIRL  announced,  " QUARTZ  is  currently  going  through  a  re-brand  as  they  enter  a  new  era  at  JUPITER  RECORDS. "  this  was  followed  up  with JUPITER  RECORDS  releasing  new  official  company  profiles  for  the  group,  with  Y2K-stylised  pictures  heavily  inspired  by  the  trend's  unexpected  return.  QUARTZ  were  previously  known  for  their  REFRESHING  BLEND  of  GENRES  and  CONCEPT  but  this  new  move  signifies  an  ever  fresher  start  for  the  girls as they chose to sign with JUPITER RECORD'S subsidiary, STARGIRL once again.  JUPITER  RECORDS  are  yet  to  comment  on  whether  the  members  will  be  adopting  the  QUARTZ  name. however,  KNETS  sleuths  noticed  the  company  applied  for  several  trademarks,  suggesting  this  move  has  been  on  JUPITER'S  mind  all  year  long.

but  that  wasn't  the  only  surprising  thing  this  morning.  OLIVE  reposted  a  very  iconic  meme  to  her  INSTAGRAM  story  with  the  caption,  'Monday  Mood'.  this  image  of  NICOLE  KIDMAN  after  finalising  her  divorce  has  done  its  rounds,  and  NETIZENS  are  lapping  it  up,  but  it  appears  CARATS  are  speculating  the  reasoning  behind  this  post.  this  comes  after  a  parents  of  one  of  the  members  revealed,  "There  has  been  tension  going  on  between  companies  for  quite  a  while  and  I  think  in  the  end  it  really  impacted  the  relationships  the  girls  built  with  the  other  members.  Just  from  talking  to  my  daughter  this past  week,  I  know  she  will  be  much  happier  away  from  that  awful  company.  Good  riddance!". we are looking forward to what OLIVE, AIQING, EMI and RAON reveal in their very first documentary as a group, "DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER!".

☆ . 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 !

( +342, -56 ) this is like when zayn left one direction all over again. ( +294, -187 ) OLIVE will always be THAT GIRL !! ( +256, -101 ) OH I know that company is up in flames rn. aww so sad !! ( +243, -112 ) i hope the girls are healing & happy !! ( +215, -76 ) makes me so so sad to think abt how my babygirls will only been known for their male counterparts </3

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[st4rshiptr00per]

look LOOK ok i was joking before but the more i think about it the more real Ms Flood being Iris/an Iris Wildthyme expy is to me like I've fully convinced myself at this point.

like i have SUPPORTING EVIDENCE it MAKES SENSE to me. its not gonna happen but also after that fucking finale i am willing to believe anything...

FIRST of all RTD took so much stuff from the books during his first run, including having River as she is originally written as a Bernice expy (proof he would take characters from extended universe media) and the whole time war coming straight from the eighth doctor adventures (proof he would take inspo from the EDAs). THEREFORE....iris originally being from the EDAs means shes within his purview. so its not impossible and im not TJLCing myself and you cant accuse me of such

point number two -> i think her introductory book (Scarlet Empress) has a lot of thematic resonance with this first season re: all the stuff about stories, narrative, audiences, observation, etc. been a while since i read it so its not as fresh in my mind but theres a Lot going on in that book about stories, and about the form of Doctor Who itself, about it being a cyclical, self-referential thing that endlessly iterates on itself. iris literally retcons herself into the doctors life by telling him about adventures theyve gone on together that he swears never happened, until he finds himself remembering them. the story comes from the POV of an unknown and unseen audience going through her various recordings and writings of the events. reality is created from fiction. reality is made slightly more fictional. the artifice of the Entire Series isnt necessarily addressed, but is sort of gestured at with nodding and eyebrow wiggling. all in all, very fitting, i think.

and as for what we've seen of Flood so far we can certainly check off addressing the audience, being rude in a familial sort of way, boozing it up, knowledge of TARDISes, and swag fur coat outfits. also VERY much of note is her suitcase covered in travel stickers of places the Doctors been, which is again totally in line with how Iris is written in Scarlet Empress, existing in a sort of parallel, not-quite-mutually-exclusive canon where she was the one who did all of the big things the doctors done, while acknowledging that he has also been responsible for the exact same events. and if you really want to get crazy you can take the Prominent Old-Style Double Decker Bus with Suspicious Numbering in that one post-apocalyptic scene in the Devil's Chord.

anyways if anything happens that could even make it look like im a tiny bit right i will become unmanageable.

[atamascolily]

This was one of the pages from Rebellion Production Note that I spent a lot of time studying when I was writing my big Homulilly essay, and it's kind of embarrassing because I was so focused on Drosselmeyer and the shadow box on the right that I completely missed the significance of everything else on the page. To be fair, at that point, I hadn't watched the Eternal recap movie, so I didn't recognize the end credits in the upper left box, or the salamander filigree in each corner.... but now they jump out at me so vividly and I wonder how I never noticed them before.

As its name suggests, the Production Note contains a lot of images from the production process that never made it into the final draft, but I have to say that the suggestion that the Eternal end credits are playing out on Homura's "stage" (capped with a salamander, no less) makes my jaw drop, especially since it's only visible in this "zoomed out" sketch. It also makes the similarities between this and the framed Nightmare portrait/stage (which I'd noted in the post linked above) even more obvious... they really are the same stage!

In the finished film, we also get a closer look at the shadow box section, which shows a variety of symbols, including the goblet holding Homura's soul gem in the real world. Now this is where things get interesting, because its inclusion makes perfect sense on a non-diegetic level (i.e., as foreshadowing of what's to come), but begs the question how did Homura "know" to include it?

There are two possible answers to this question and they are not mutually exclusive:

Homura is subconsciously aware of her situation, and thus these elements appear in her world even without her direct knowledge.

Rebellion is a story staged by someone (presumably Homura, though there's at least one other possible candidate) after the fact, just like we see in the Production Note with the Eternal end credits (which are narrated by a witch because of all of the witch runes).

In addition to the goblet, there's also 3 different kinds of flowers, a butterfly, a key, a match stick, a grief cube, a syringe, an equestrian on a horse, a bagel/doughnut, a record, a blimp, and what appears to be a man wearing a woven straw raincoat. I'm not sure about the last one, but most of the others appear somewhere in the movie, so they probably all mean something to Inu Curry even if it's not obvious to me at the moment.

The text to the left reads "Owari", meaning "the end".... both in the sense of the end of a story and the end of a life, in keeping with Rebellion's twin fascinations of storytelling and suicide. Also note the lace curtains on the bottom of the lefthand "stage," with runes identifying Homulilly, plus the red yarn that encloses Hitomi when the Nightmare takes over.

Also, I notice that Drosselmeyer is dressed very brightly, like a fool or a jester, in keeping with his role as an entertainer. I wonder about the medals pinned to his chest and what they mean.

In the movie, the shadow box works by turning gears... and for a moment, you can see the world turning behind the machine as we literally glimpse what's behind the "curtain". As in the Production Note, the salamander is on top.

View of the stage from the front. Note the curtains on the inside, and the window shape. Among other things, there are scissors, a horse, and a wheel.

Close-up showing a falling gear (like the snowflakes that will come later), the moon, and a lump that appears to be a strawberry.

Wide shot showing that the stage on the left in the Production Note is the version that made it into the finished film. Even without knowing anything about who these characters are, you can tell they don't belong because they don't match their surroundings.... they are literally drawn in a different style.

Suffice to say that this scene in the film, combined with the additional details from the Production Note, makes it clear what Inu Curry thinks is going on here... which has some tantalizing implications going forward.

[frigid666]

this was originally a response to a post asking why there was so much pushback against separatists when the bulk of female abuse is done by men, specifically in intimate relationships.

accepting "niche" experiences women have had that would make them hesitant or skeptical about ideas like separatism is critical to improving the flow of engagement with separatist ideas. most normie women do not have specific trauma involving ousting/ostracization from feminist communities, but many of feminist women do. specific users have written about being mistreated and vilified by various feminist communities, and i have known of several women who were also harmed greatly by their feminist communities; through vicious in-person harrassment, cyber bullying, or being abandoned when they got outed to their larger local mutual aid/action community as "terf" and none of the other radfems had the courage to publicly defend them. these experiences are real and often catalysts for life-long distrust of feminist groups. "trashing: the dark side of sisterhood" by jo freeman [×] is a great short read about a second wave feminist's personal experience with a feminist community's widespread hostility towards her. this piece isn't specifically about separatist groups, but its helpful to illustrate that misconduct is present in all types of feminist groups, there's historical record of it, so there's no point denying it.

something i think many separatists fail to fully appreciate is that a lot of (radically) feminist inclined women may actually feel the hurt of a rejection/mistreatment from a women's community much more severely than the usual mistreatment from a mixed-sex community because they expected the women's community to be a safe space for them. whereas they have no such expectation from a mixed-sex community. we always discuss the unique power female comraderie and community have, but then it must also be acknowledged the unique harm it can cause when something goes wrong. i have seen women completely lose faith in the idea of finding real feminist community, they were so burned by the level of immaturity and bad faith they encountered. there's a certain ability many feminist-inclined women have to show resilience against male and non-feminist female transgressions that is missing when it comes to responding to the transgressions from feminist communities. the hurt is magnified by the base values we all ideally share. if holding someone to their purported values, being called a sexually charged insult by a man is less hurtful and hypocritical than by a woman who is supposed to be above such behaviors, for example.

experiencing such maliciousness firsthand, through a friend/mutual, or simply reading through the writings feminists from older generations have left for prosterity often doesn't inspire a lot of faith in similar contemporary communities. i don't mean that in the "women are all catty and will betray each other, they can't be real friends" way. i mean it in the "women (including those with feminist values) are human, and so we are susceptible to perpetuating the same community dysfunctions that everyone else does (i.e. gossip, name-calling, losing touch w reality, sophistry, tunnel vision, rape apologia, etc)." these are all behaviors i and others have observed from separatists. most women don't find such things inherently more tolerable just because it's an exclusively female group doing it rather than a mixed-sex group. the internet is an artifice to a certain extent, but i think it's fair to say that the level of anonymity a platform like tumblr provides enables masks to slip. many users interpret the nastiness that comes from a lot of users in the separatist niche as the mask slipping - "so this is how they really feel" - like thinking it's ok to use sexually- charged insults, thinking it's ok to degrade/mock women who participate in new age religious practices, thinking it's ok to accuse lesbians who deviate from certain scripts of secretly being bisexual, thinking it's ok to dogpile politically inconvenient rape victims, the list goes on. i don't think it's fair to paint an entire group using its worst behaviors, but it's human nature to do that. one bad apple and such. particularly when an entire community is comfortable allowing such bad actors to exist in the spaces, dictate topics of discussion, and influence popular opinions. im glad sespursongles was mentioned, bc her writings are immensely important to the strain of separatism that's popular on here, yet she was extremely vile towards bisexuals, harboring immense disdain for us, and put blame almost exclusively on bisexual women for the continued existence of patriarchy and the failure of modern radical feminism in her writings.

there are bad arguments against separatism and separatists, no doubt, but there's also a lot of valid concerns and hesitations about joining such communities that i dont think can in good faith just be waved away as incurable man-obsession. "king kong theory" by virginie despentes has been critical in my own understanding of why many women may never find the idea of female separatism compelling.* within this bubble, it actually doesn't matter that it's only an argument in a niche tumblr community; most everyone in radblr is engaging with the ideas here in good faith, engaging with separatism as a serious proposition, and that's why it is often opposed with a lot of passion.

*while despentes does not ever use the term "female separatism" in the book, she engages with the idea indirectly in this passage:

the importance of this passage to me isn't that i find my own opinions about rape represented in a way i hadn't before; to be honest, i still don't fully know how i feel about these sentiments other than that to hold them, one must very careful and deliberate, because i can see them easily veering into very harmful rape apologia territory. instead, it was revelatory to me because it presents a perspective about the looming threat of male violence (particularly from a lesbian woman whom it is hard to argue does not have a comprehensive understanding of feminism and also has 0 investment in men as romantic partners) that hadn't considered prior to reading this book. many women will simply never prioritize blanket self-preservation over the possibility of adventure and freedom of mobility that can only currently be experienced by living in and moving in a mixed sex society, and choosing to allow or tolerate men in their lives. we must accept how feminist women appraise certain aspects of their own lives.

[mrs-monaghan]

i do actually have massive issues with the tone of this post [mrs-monaghan/720032101019353088/taekook-always-lead-in-fancam-views-because-their] minimising jungkook’s achievements (and tae’s for that matter but you can’t talk about him here unless to hate on him otherwise you’re accused to be a tkker). explain to me why it’s so important that jimin’s songs do better than jungkook’s? why is it not relevant when jungkook’s fancam is the most watched on tiktok but like crazy catching up to dreamers is so important? why were all jkkers actively tweeting about jimin surpassing jk’s record to 1b streams? never jk surpassing jimin in anything? jk’s achievements are never discussed by jkkers yet you defend jimin like your life depended on it. show me the last time you praised jk that wasn’t for his dick or what you think he does to jimin. jkkers never talk about jk as an individual without it relating to jimin yet jimin is praised on the daily like it’s your job.

Your main issue about me being a Jikooker and seeing JK as a shipping tool 👇🏽

I made my stand clear on this issue here

Here i once again praise both men because I support both and said JK will indeed break Jimin's records

I can't shut up about JK breaking Jimin's records

And lastly I dare you to tell me that this here isn't me being on JK's corner.

Your other issue about Jikookers and I talking about Jimin surpassing JK. Because he has??? And we are only talking about the records Jimin is breaking Because currently he's the only one between them breaking records?? He's the only one between them who's dropped an album so we are keeping up with FACE and it's achievements. When JJK1 drops and me and other Jikookers aren't praising him and talking about his achievements then by all means go off. But as it stands JK hasn't done anything. There is no album to talk about. Left and Right is making noise sure but anything it wins goes to Charlie poop. I want JK's own music where he gets the awards, he gets the credit.

Whatever you have seen on tumblr or on twitter is not my problem. I am not ALL Jikookers. I am Shaz. And me as Shaz love BOTH Jimin and JK. I root for both Jimin and JK. I can praise JK's dick and still praise his achievements. Those two are not mutually exclusive. I resent this accusation and honestly fuck you with a cactus.

And fuck you for having an issue with us defending Jimin like our lives depend on it. He's the one who's always gotten fucked over my the company not JK. What is there to defend JK on when he gets the royal treatment while Jimin doesn't? Even today with their individual fancams coincidentally Jimin's own is the only one that only had a link. All the other 6 had their photos. This can affect views because the human brain is attracted to imagery more than just words. They only just fixed it like 2 hours ago. This is something so trivial and normally no one would give a shit. But when this shit keeps happening to Jimin over and over people can get triggered over the smallest shit. Thus why PJMs made a big deal over a simple cake. A cake that Jimin wouldn't have eaten anyway coz of his diet but why can't he get what others got?? Even after he achieved something that hasn't been achieved since the 1960s?? He wasn't just the first Korean but the first Asian to get a number 1 on BB hot 100 since the 60s and what did BH do for him to celebrate this? Fuck all. And u wanna be mad at us for defending him like our lives depend on it.

Maybe there are Jikookers out there who don't see JK as anything more than Jimin's lover. But that aint me. But yes, you will find more shipping posts on my blog than achievement posts because that's what this is. A shipping blog. I am here for Jikook's relationship so yes, its what I will talk about the most. I also talk about the Jungkonda alot because yes, man has a big dick and I wanna talk about it. And so what if it's more interesting to me?

And incase you hadn't noticed I answer asks. I don't make my own posts.

You wanna see JK math then go follow JK data accounts that only post about his music and achievements. I will mention these things occasionally but I'm primarily here for the Jikook relationship. I'm sorry if you misunderstood but I hope that's clear now. That also goes for Jimin. I definitely talk more about his relationship than I do his achievements. Why aren't you mad about that??

Just say you're a JK solo and go.

[ananxiousgenz]

Still bored?

If so

Ramble to me about why u like malevolent (and like the plot and stuff)

I love it when my friends (and mutuals) infodump

omg yeah ofc!!! I'm not bored anymore but I love any opportunity to share something I'm interested in :)

so basic plot line of malevolent bc i feel like the blurb you find online doesnt do a good enough summary: Local Detective (Arthur Lester) Loses Eyesight To Potentially Evil Entity (Later Known As John Doe) Which Killed His Detective Partner And Now Must Go On The Run From The Cops While Solving A Cold Case From Years Ago And Avoiding Eldritch Horrors Along The Way

its honestly pretty scary, like much more scary than tma, but i got used to it pretty quick. anyways, i digress. some things i love about this podcast:

the soundscaping is INCREDIBLE. like listen to this podcast with the best pair of headphones you own bc you will feel like you actually are arthur lester with a lil demon man whispering in your ear, and you can almost pinpoint the direction and distance of the sounds you're hearing!

also the concept of it is brilliant! john doe eventually ends up acting as arthur’s eldritch seeing eye dog and describes everything he sees, which is a totally fascinating concept. when you start a podcast, you are, in essence, blind, so to have a narrator describing everything you see as the main character explores a new environment is very clever

I also love the overall message of this- exploring what the definition of humanity is in the most brutal and bloody circumstances. it's about how loss shapes us and breaks us and how the things we love make us whole. it's heartbreaking and grieving and hopeful and beautiful all at the same time and I love it!!

also this podcast is made by JUST ONE GUY. all one guy!! he does the writing, recording, voice acting, soundscaping, producing, composing, you name a part of podcast production and this man has done it!! while this does have its own issues (episodes come out once in a blue moon, the cast is almost exclusively male characters, etc), harlan guthrie is an absolute mad lad for producing a podcast of this scale and quality all on his own!! I'm so impressed!!

anyways, all this is to say that malevolent has me fully hooked and I cannot wait to find out what happens next :))

[raayllum]

like i’m used to having unpopular fandom opinions (which, in most fandoms, has boiled down to either 1. actually liking the canon content or 2. seeing the fault lines years ahead of time and then being disappointed but not surprised when shit goes off the rails), it does not bother me.

but it does baffle me how butt hurt i’ve seen people get over CHET. calling me and others who enjoy the theory dumb, or that it’s a theory for “gimmicky hacks” and would ruin the show if it happened (end quote), or that it’s completely misconstruing canon or built entirely off theme (as though tdp isn’t deeply thematic, anyway) or that my track record of predictions is terrible (it isn’t; i’d say it’s surprisingly good overall but like with any amount of theorizing, there’s definitely plenty of misses too and just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks). 

and i’m not going to counter any of that by saying it’s 100% - or even 20% likely - to be canon because as i’ve also said many, many times, it might not be. maybe the key isn’t even something aaravos wants. maybe callum still does something under possessive coercion. maybe none of it comes back in s5 and it’s saved for book 6: stars, instead. maybe the key is only on rayla’s shoulder in 4x02 to emphasize stella’s connection to the star primal. maybe rayla and aaravos’ foil relationship doesn’t go further than setting them up as callum’s two, mutually exclusive paths. maybe CHET does happen but it’s not about freeing aaravos, thus knocking it down a peg thematically with the “freeing” motif.

and it’s not as though CHET doesn’t let callum figure out and even use the cube. he’ll have to put the pieces together (literally), it could have more than one purpose, and there could be an arc of reclaiming it (making it actually his key, as opposed to aaravos’, which would really fit with themes of ownership and well, reclamation and progress). maybe callum’s curiosity / paranoid pursuit of magic is what leads to rayla being in aaravos’ clutches in the first place, if you really want to reaffirm those 1x04 parallels; maybe both his best friend and his brother are in harm’s way. 

but it’s like. even if the pieces don’t fall this way, CHET is 1) still the only theory i’ve seen, 2.5+ years in, that actually answers the questions of what the key is, how it may be used, and how it may operate in Callum’s arc other than giving him some kind of magical power up, 2) accurately tailored itself to the game motif that s4 made more overt, and more than that, a game that Callum is destined to lose, 3) accurately tailored itself ahead of time to the light and dark motif in Callum and Rayla’s arcs, and 4) all the set up like

“I smashed your primal stone.”��“Accidents happen.” “On purpose.” “I’m sure you had a good reason.” “I did, I really did!” (2x02) / “But Rayla, the whole world is like a giant primal stone.” (2x09) / “Guess it wouldn’t be the first time I accidentally on purpose destroyed a rare magical artefact.” (4x02) 

This is the game room. Cube should be in there. / You wait here for a minute, couple minutes. However long it takes, I’ll go find a key. / [Insert Rayla being shown as a toy] / It’s a toy, probably a piece from a children’s game. I hope it was worth it to you, putting everyone else’s lives in danger. (1x04) / It’s a glow toy (1x05) / [Becomes a literal glow in 4x04] / “He said it was a key, but a key to what?” “You practicing magic, or are you losing to Bait at a game of rolly-cubes?” (2x07) / [Callum with the cube as a literal game piece] / Already tainted by darkness, and destined to play right into my hands. (4x04) / They aren’t games. They’re tests. (TDP shorts) / But violence tests us. In a twisted way, it converts us to its cause. (4x03) / Those who fail tests of love are simple animals. (2x09)

The way the 1x04 inversion (Rayla gets taken, boys rescue her, she finds the cube / Rayla gets taken, boys rescue her, Callum gives up the cube) is even more on track with Kim’Dael being in S5 and presumably the reason elves are seen as bloodthirsty in the first place. 

Callum’s bio in Tales of Xadia, a text that also mentions Leola, the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea (both now featured in S5) and the Flowers of Elarion (one of the only mentions of Elarion in the entire material, including “a fair exchange of beloved for beloved”) literally stating that he “value[s] those close to him more than anyone or anything” and that he’s “beholden to his inner circle, not some silly kingdom” 

Callum facing a “his loved ones or the world” conflict being one of the most common dilemmas that heroes face like, ever (Luke Skywalker, Aang, the Matrix, just to name a few), even disregarding the fact that TDP loves a good trolley problem ( “We kill one monster to save a hundred thousand people” “You keep calling it a monster” / “You let him live and you killed us all” / “You have two choices: you all die or just the evil, wretched human dies” / “I had to. I couldn’t let him hurt you”). 

The fact that exchange is intrinsic to the series, down to the transactional root of dark magic and the kids working to bring Zym home to his mother, hopefully, in exchange for peace, and is also the conceptual catalyst for Arc 2 with Claudia working to free Aaravos in exchange for him permanently reviving Viren. 

That it is increasingly unlikely that Callum will be able to avoid playing into Aaravos’ hands eventually and the key (and the game) being directly linked to that, and absolutely none of this is even touching on Callum’s parallels to Viren or that it’s been heavily hinted in interviews that Aaravos, an elven mage, was in love with a human and his main incentive for being evil is that he Lost them

Like I don’t know if Callum is going to run away to try and avoid hurting the people he loves in S5; he might try, and if he does I think it would be a one episode plot line because then he and Rayla would be having the same behavioural issues and the same corresponding arc, which could really be work or be too cluttered for what the reason wants to do. I don’t know if Callum will be forced to join team bad guy under possession or some other coercion by the end of S5. 

I lean towards no for both of those things, simply because for the first I feel like Callum will have enough of his own differentiated plot line going on, and for the second, while that would provide Callum potential (if not under possession) conversations with Aaravos, I feel like Callum’s major focus in S6-S7 will have to be connecting to other arcanum and possibly helping other people do the same. Those would be trickier to maintain if he’s separated from the main group (who then has to devote time to getting him back) as well as I feel like him and Aaravos’ thematic face off is stronger if Aaravos does underestimate Callum, and doesn’t think he’s legitimately special, and is then proven wrong because, well... “Your arrogance is so predictable.”

But again, I’m not saying that they couldn’t happen. Not saying there’s no base for it now or that one couldn’t be introduced by any means; TDP is very good at balancing reliable set up and pay off and also providing plenty of surprise curveballs along the way. Unless it is something that the show has made exceedingly obvious, like its portrayal of dark magic (which you can disagree with how its portrayed by all means, but you still gotta be cognizant of how the show has always presented it even if you disagree with the why) I think it’s perhaps not arrogant, but mean spirited to decide that you definitively know what is or what’s not going to happen and what theories are valid or even ‘okay’ for fans to enjoy. 

And if my theory is so Obviously wrong, why always take time to discredit it? Why talk about it at all? Because you personally dislike me, or because other people talk about it and you resent that it’s popular? Trust me, I get having fanon theories that drive you up a wall, especially when they’re prevalent, but those are ones that 1) have multiple canon scenes and whole-ass plot lines literally contradicting the popular fanon headcanon (hi the “nobody helps Katara with chores except Zuko” HC that was disproven 2 seasons before he joined the gaang) or 2) are the equivalent to me positing that Callum should die and that Ellis will obviously come back and be our primary mage character, for Some Reason.

And if it’s not that, I think you can cool your jets, just a bit. Cause I would be amazed and delighted to be wrong because that just means the show is going in a fun, expected direction, but I know there are people whose tiny little heads would explode with anger or embarrassment if I’m right, and ‘shockingly enough’ I don’t actually root for other people to be mad or upset over what happens in fanon or canon. There’s enough bullshit out there without that, thank you very much

[cloobert]

The Steroid Olympics

There's been some talk floating around online lately about The Enhanced Games, including an episode of the Trashfuture podcast I'd certainly recommend.

I've become fascinated--not because I'm a right-wing tech-and-immortality fetishist, but rather because of the specific and insidious way the project uses progressive language to hide its true nature. It's evil in a fascinating and specific way that leans on progressive language to do its dirty deeds.

First, I should explain the project. "What if the Olympics let every athlete do as many steroids as they want?" is the basic pitch. Going deeper, it's part of a certain subset of global capital's fascination with what's called here Human Enhancement: the search for immortality and transcendent physical power. It's also, importantly, a project trying to justify itself and in doing so get rid of the stigma around steroid use in sports (notably not the stigma around steroid use in, you know, HRT.) Also it's a for-profit project co-founded by a pharmaceutical CEO whose companies specialize in Human Enhancement fare.

Look at the tiles on the website:

Pay the athletes. Science is real. Enhanced inclusive language. We'll absolutely look deeper, but there's already a very present sense of what a good friend of mind called crypsis.

There's an almost convincing facsimile of progressive language here. But the tiger is lurking in the grass.

Let's enter some of these tiles. See how a camouflaged predator works.

This is immediately insidious. There's a rhetorical conflation between antivaxxers and anyone who opposes to doping here. And remember, this organization is selling the fantasy of "what if athletes juice so hard they were superhuman."

And then we get into the sloppy propaganda-history. It's a lineage more wrenched into place than discovered, and that makes no distinction between war, bloodsport, and sport in a more modern sense.

Bufotenin (not bufotein) is the DMT-anolouge you get from licking toads. Perhaps not the same, conceptually, as anabolic steroid use.

Moving on from the bad history, we have this:

Cherry picking science, in addition to simple lies. Remember, this is The Steroid Olympics. "When used properly" is mutually exclusive with "this is a sports body that gives prizes for every world record you set", right? No matter how much this talks about safety, the basic structure is unsafe for players. And to be clear, steroid abuse of the sort these games are about is *extremely* bad for you. Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America by Abraham Josephine Riesman, the excellent history of Vince McMahon and the Word Wrestling Federation, spends many a word on the awful ramifications of widespread steroid use in the WWF. Use of the kind that's necessary to become "superhuman" in the way this site sells is tremendously dangerous, and the site cherry picks research to hide this.

However, this part isn't the most egregious.

The crypsis, the hiding in the grass, becomes central in the Enhanced Inclusive Language portion.

This is the kind of thing that would go viral on here maybe 10 years ago. A single deprecated theory on etymology being sold as the primary one to create a specific narrative. The word "dope" does, in fact, come from the Dutch. However, per the Wall Street Journal:

Notice also the "black athletes are disproportionately accused of doping." This is, by all accounts, true. But the issue there is pretty clearly not that doping is illegal. It's racism. And racism that would not be addressed by changing the language around doping.

This will continue in the next post:

[tawakkull]

SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM: PART 2: THE ORIGIN

As the history of Islamic religious sciences tells us, religious commandments were not written down during the early days of Islam; rather, the practice and oral circulation of commandments related to belief, worship, and daily life allowed the people to memorize them.

Thus it was easy to compile them in books later on, for what had been memorized and practiced was simply written down. In addition, since religious commandments were the vital issues in a Muslim’s individual and collective life, scholars gave priority to them and compiled books on them. Legal scholars collected and codified books on Islamic law and its rules and principles pertaining to all fields of life. Traditionists established the Prophetic traditions (hadiths) and way of life (Sunna), and preserved them in books. Theologians dealt with issues concerning Muslim belief. Interpreters of the Qur'an dedicated themselves to studying its meaning, including issues that would later be called “Qur'anic sciences,” such as naskh (abrogation of a law), inzal (God’s sending down the entire Qur'an at one time), tanzil (God’s sending down the Qur'an in parts on different occasions), qira'at (Qur'anic recitation), ta'wil (exegesis), and others.

Thanks to these efforts that remain universally appreciated in the Muslim world, the truths and principles of Islam were established in such a way that their authenticity cannot be doubted.

While some scholars were engaged in these “outer” activities, Sufi masters were mostly concentrating on the Muhammadan Truth’s pure spiritual dimension. They sought to reveal the essence of humanity’s being, the real nature of existence, and the inner dynamics of humanity and the cosmos by calling attention to the reality of that which lies beneath and beyond their outer dimension. Adding to Qur'anic commentaries, narrations of Traditionists, and deductions of legal scholars, Sufi masters developed their ways through asceticism, spirituality, and self-purification in short, their practice and experience of religion.

Thus the Islamic spiritual life based on asceticism, regular worship, abstention from all major and minor sins, sincerity and purity of intention, love and yearning, and the individual’s admission of his or her essential impotence and destitution became the subject matter of Sufism, a new science possessing its own method, principles, rules, and terms. Even if various differences gradually emerged among the orders that were established later, it can be said that the basic core of this science has always been the essence of the Muhammadan Truth.

The two aspects of the same truth the commandments of the Shari'a and Sufism have sometimes been presented as mutually exclusive. This is quite unfortunate, as Sufism is nothing more than the spirit of the Shari'a, which is made up of austerity, self-control and criticism, and the continuous struggle to resist the temptations of Satan and the carnal, evil-commanding self in order to fulfill religious obligations. While adhering to the former has been regarded as exotericism (self-restriction to Islam’s outer dimension), following the latter has been seen as pure esotericism. Although this discrimination arises partly from assertions that the commandments of the Shari'a are represented by legal scholars or muftis, and the other by Sufis, it should be viewed as the result of the natural, human tendency of assigning priority to that way which is most suitable for the individual practitioner.

Many legal scholars, Traditionists, and interpreters of the Qur'an produced important books based on the Qur'an and the Sunna. The Sufis, following methods dating back to the time of the Prophet and his Companions, also compiled books on austerity and spiritual struggle against carnal desires and temptations, as well as states and stations of the spirit. They also recorded their own spiritual experiences, love, ardor, and rapture. The goal of such literature was to attract the attention of those whom they regarded as restricting their practice and reflection to the “outer” dimension of religion, and directing it to the “inner” dimension of religious life.

Both Sufis and scholars sought to reach God by observing the Divine obligations and prohibitions. Nevertheless, some extremist attitudes occasionally observed on both sides caused disagreements. Actually there was no substantial disagreement, and it should not have been viewed as a disagreement, for it only involved dealing with different aspects and elements of religion under different titles. The tendency of specialists in jurisprudence to concern themselves with the rules of worship and daily life and how to regulate and discipline individual and social life, and that of Sufis to provide a way to live at a high level of spirituality through self-purification and spiritual training, cannot be considered a disagreement.

In fact, Sufism and jurisprudence are like the two schools of a university that seeks to teach its students the two dimensions of the Shari'a so that they can practice it in their daily lives. One school cannot survive without the other, for while one teaches how to pray, be ritually pure, fast, give charity, and how to regulate all aspects of daily life, the other concentrates on what these and other actions really mean, how to make worship an inseparable part of one’s existence, and how to elevate each individual to the rank of a universal, perfect being (al-insan al-kamil) a true human being. That is why neither discipline can be neglected.

Although some self-proclaimed Sufis have labeled religious scholars “scholars of ceremonies” and “exoterists,” real, per-fected Sufis have always depended on the basic principles of the Shari'a and have based their thoughts on the Qur'an and the Sunna. They have derived their methods from these basic sources of Islam. Al-Wasaya wa al-Ri'aya (The Advices and Observation of Rules) by al-Muhasibi, Al-Ta'arruf li-Madhhab Ahl al-Sufi (A Description of the Way of the People of Sufism) by Kalabazi, Al-Luma’ (The Gleams) by al-Tusi, Qut al-Qulub (The Food of Hearts) by Abu Talib al-Makki, and Al-Risala al-Qushayri (The Treatise) by al-Qushayri are among the precious sources that discuss Sufism according to the Qur'an and the Sunna. Some of these sources concentrate on self-control and self-purification, while others elaborate upon various topics of concern to Sufis.

After these great compilers came Hujjat al-Islam Imam al-Ghazzali, author of Ihya’ al-‘Ulum al-Din (Reviving the Religious Sciences), his most celebrated work. He reviewed all of Sufism’s terms, principles, and rules, and, establishing those agreed upon by all Sufi masters and criticizing others, united the outer (Shari'a and jurisprudence) and inner (Sufi) dimensions of Islam. Sufi masters who came after him presented Sufism as one of the religious sciences or a dimension thereof, promoting unity or agreement among themselves and the so-called “scholars of ceremonies.” In addition, the Sufi masters made several Sufi subjects, such as the states of the spirit, certainty or conviction, sincerity and morality, part of the curriculum of madrassas (institutes for the study of religious sciences).

Although Sufism mostly concentrates on the individual’s inner world and deals with the meaning and effect of religious commandments on one’s spirit and heart and is therefore abstract, it does not contradict any of the Islamic ways based on the Qur'an and the Sunna. In fact, as is the case with other religious sciences, its source is the Qur'an and the Sunna, as well as the conclusions drawn from the Qur'an and the Sunna via ijtihad (deduction) by the purified scholars of the early period of Islam. It dwells on knowledge, knowledge of God, certainty, sincerity, perfect goodness, and other similar, fundamental virtues.

Defining Sufism as the “science of esoteric truths or mysteries,” or the “science of humanity’s spiritual states and stations,” or the “science of initiation” does not mean that it is completely different from other religious sciences. Such definitions have resulted from the Shari'a-rooted experiences of various individuals, all of whom have had different temperaments and dispositions, and who lived at different times.

It is a distortion to present the viewpoints of Sufis and the thoughts and conclusions of Shari'a scholars as essentially different from each other. Although some Sufis were fanatic adherents of their own ways, and some religious scholars (i.e., legal scholars, Traditionists, and interpreters of the Qur'an) did restrict themselves to the outer dimension of religion, those who follow and represent the middle, straight path have always formed the majority. Therefore it is wrong to conclude that there is a serious disagreement (which most likely began with some unbecoming thoughts and words uttered by some legal scholars and Sufis against each other) between the two groups.

When compared with those who spoke for tolerance and consensus, those who have started or participated in such conflicts are very few indeed. This is natural, for both groups have always depended on the Qur'an and the Sunna, the two main sources of Islam.

In addition, the priorities of Sufism have never been different from those of jurisprudence. Both disciplines stress the importance of belief and of engaging in good deeds and good conduct. The only difference is that Sufis emphasize self-purification, deepening the meaning of good deeds and multiplying them, and attaining higher standards of good morals so that one’s conscience can awaken to the knowledge of God and thus embark upon a path leading to the required sincerity in living Islam and obtaining God’s pleasure.

By means of these virtues, men and women can acquire another nature, “another heart” (a spiritual intellect within the heart), a deeper knowledge of God, and another “tongue” with which to mention God. All of these will help them to observe the Shari'a commandments based on a deeper awareness of, and with a disposition for, devotion to God.

[tellurian-in-aristasia]

In the mid 2000s, there was a Romantia revival that started from the em-ee-en in the MissMartindale Yahoo group wanted to be involved in the type of lifestyle Miss Martindale lauded in the pre-Bridgehead era.

They successfully hosted several meetups that seemed to initially include a few Aristasians that were left in the Yeek. Unfortunately, this group was, without a doubt, inhabited by at least one far-right fascist (and where there's one...). These types of counter-culture groups tend to attract opportunistic fascists, and Aristasian's unwavering dedication to outright ignoring Tellurian politics did them no favors in this case. They had their own yahoo group called Reality Dawns, and it's interesting to note that the first post is by an Aristasian who gave them some advice to start their community from scratch (and also attempted to distance Aristasians from their doings). This is interesting because it very plainly lays out, in few words, how Aristasians built their subculture. The following is that post:

Greetings. I suppose it would be usual for the founder or one of the founders of a group to write the first message. However, since this does not seem to have happened, it may be appropriate for an Aristasian to do the job. Let me begin by saying that although www.aristasia.co.uk is given as the "further information" address, this group was not founded by Aristasians and does not have the sanction of the Aristasian Embassy. Indeed, it is not the function of the Embassy to authorise non-Aristasian organisations of any sort. As a matter of fact, we do not even know who the founders of this group are - though we might hazard a guess! I mention this merely in order to set the record straight and to avoid any possible confusion that might otherwise arise. There has been some discussion among Aristasians of late about the question of what form a non-Aristasian (presumably mixed-sex) secessionist movement might take. There are a variety of problems confronting such a movement which would have to be considered - a variety of different approaches that might be taken, not all of them mutually exclusive - and while it is not the job of Aristasians to prodfuce the answers, we should be happy to share some of our deliberations. I think we can all agree that what is needed is a social and cultural alternative to the culture-meltdown of the Pit. Aristasia has begun to create this in a distinctly feminine way and will continue to do so. Other approaches will be needed for mixed groups. Let me launch with two notes that may act as talking-points:

You are creating - or continuing - a culture or cultures. You will need stories, songs, pictures - all manner of things to replace the barrage of the Pit with its mass-media and anticulture.

For you the concept of the Gentleman is going to be paramount. This concept is fundamental to what has been lost with the Eclipse. You are going to have to consider it carefully and measure yourselves up to it. I am an Aristasian and therefore a foreigner to you. I hope you will forgive a foreigner for venturing to attempt to start your discussion. What you are attempting is very important. God speed the work

[islamic-methodologies-made-easy]

When Islam was first introduced to the Arabs, it was not introduced as an exclusive religion; on the contrary, it was introduced as a message for all people throughout the ages. Hence, alongside justice, the sense of equality is extremely strong in the Islamic teachings. All people are equal in the sight of the Creator except on the criterion of piety. There is no superiority for any race or nationality above another. As mentioned earlier, our appearances and this outer shape that we call the body is not actually what Allah looks at, but it’s our hearts which He observes. Those who are most pious are His most beloved. Allah says in the Qur’an: “O mankind! Be pious to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from its kind He created its match, and from them He created many men and women, so fear Allah through whom you demand (Your mutual rights), and do not sever the relations of the wombs. Verily, Allah is ever an All-Watcher over you.” [The Qur’an (4:1)]. “O mankind, We have created you from male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest among you in Allah’s sight, are those who are most pious. Verily Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [The Qur’an (49:13)]. The above verses stipulate that all mankind are one family in Allah’s sight. It was His plan to disperse us into different nations and tribes to fill the planet entrusted to us so that we may learn different things, and exchange our knowledge through fair cultural interaction, not cultural subjection. Allah also stipulates that the noblest among all people are not Muslims, Jews, Christians, Arabs, Persians, Romans, etc., nothing of that sort; the noblest are the most pious. Some people are Muslims, they testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger, but their hearts are empty from the justice and piety of true faith. Islam is one thing and true faith is another. This is why we see a Muslim bribee, a Muslim thief, a Muslim criminal, etc. In the verse next to the one above, Allah says: “The Bedouins say, ‘We have believed.’ Tell them [O Muhammad], ‘You have not believed yet, you should rather say, ‘We have submitted to Islam,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, [Allah] will not detract any of your good deeds. Allah is most forgiving, ever merciful.’ ” [The Qur’an (49:14)]. Hence, unlike what most Muslims think, Islam is not the apex of faith, it’s just the doorway. Consequently, piety is not to utter the testimonies of faith, it’s a force linked only to true faith when it fills the heart. It’s a power concealed inside the hearts of believers and it always guides them to what’s fair and true. ‘Omar Ibn Al-Khattab is recorded to have said, “I swear by Allah that if non-Arabs come on the judgment day with good deeds, and we (Arabs) come empty handed, then they shall be worthier of Prophet Muhammad than us.” From the above we may conclude that the Islamic teachings stipulate that all mankind are “One Family.” Of course, being one family doesn’t mean that we should hate or fight each other. It means that we should be “kind & Just” towards one another. It’s true that under the stress of the world injustices we are suffering from today, some semiknowledgeable Muslims who don’t have enough understanding of Allah’s laws and Prophet Muhammad’s teachings reciprocate hatred towards non-Muslims instead of knowledge, but this is not from Islam. Actually, this contradicts the Islamic teachings in a manifest way endangering its doer to be misguided. Prophet Muhammad said in his farewell pilgrimage, “O People, your God is one, your father is one. There is no superiority for an Arab on a non-Arab, or for a non-Arab on an Arab, nor for a white man on a black man, or for a black man on a white man. Verily the noblest among you in Allah’s sight are the most pious.” [Recorded by Ahmad].