#like some people want information about their families that the tests can provide and that’s great

[mrazfellandco]

dna testing continues to drop the biggest bombshells on families

[starmosaics]

Mars in the 8th house pt. 1/3

I'm splitting this into parts because there's a lot to cover with this placement.

A person with an 8th house Mars doesn't just share anything with anybody, they'll test you and make sure that you can be trusted before sharing anything about themselves other than surface-leveled things. From the outside, an 8H Mars person seems distant, kept, shut off, and mysterious; they're an enigma. Many people feel intimidated just by being in the 8H Mars person's presence. People want to desperately figure this person out or pinpoint something about them, but just simply can't. The reason 8H Mars people are so guarded is because they most likely have faced life-altering pain or traumatic experiences at some point in their lives, commonly due to death or betrayal by other people. They can be incredibly hesitant or totally reluctant with trusting and opening up to others. They tend to keep people at arms length and might have paranoid thoughts about getting close to people because of their trust issues and reluctance to let down their guard. They are incredibly hypervigilant people and it takes a long time for them to express their vulnerabilities.

These people are naturally investigative and are great at researching and absorbing information. They're like sponges when it comes to obtaining details that reveals the truth. They love digging things up beyond the surface, revealing the truth, and bringing things to light. They want to understand things on a much deeper, intellectual level to reveal secrets and to solve cryptic and hidden messages. They either are great sources themselves or provide great sources for others and will always show up with the cold hard facts. I worked with a girl who had an 8H Mars and she did so much research on employee's rights to dig up what illegal things our management was getting away with. She obsessed over it for months and was fixated on "exposing" the institution we worked for. I am also friends with a guy who does scientific research at his school as a job who has an 8H Mars. I have an 8H Mars and am deeply invested in astrology.

These people are wonderful friends, family members and partners, and will always be the first responder when someone they care about is in a dire situation. They're also the best person to be with when in a dangerous or life-threatening situation. These are the types of people to remain calm and collected to ensure that whatever is at hand is taken care of. During an emergency, they're the ones to brainstorm and come up with a plan to execute; they're incredible strategists. This is most likely due to having dealt with a lot of dangerous or traumatic events in their lives which caused them to be able to respond to other people's situations with a much more steadfast approach.

Most of the 8H Mars people I've met had a weird relationship with their sexuality in their teenage/young adult years and lost their virginity at a later age compared to their peers. People may objectify 8H Mars folks or perceive them to be more sexual than they are (ex. being told that the 8H Mars person looks like they have a lot of experience with sex even if they don't) because these people commonly ooze sex appeal. Something about them makes people feel incredibly drawn and magnetized to them. I knew someone with an 8H Mars who was a stripper and did sex work. She also had a sugar daddy which I would associate to be an 8H topic (shared/gained resources from another, Mars covering sex). I too have considered doing sex work for quite a while now. 8H mars people may like more rougher and primal sex such as BDSM. The bedroom is where the more darker parts of themselves are revealed. They may also enjoy exploring different kinds of kinks rather than having plain or vanilla sex. Despite people thinking 8H Mars folks are sexually progressive all the way, these people actually need to have an emotional/spiritual connection to those they engage sexually with, otherwise they will feel like something is missing during sex and that the void they're seeking to be filled cannot be reached. Unfortunately, I have also known many 8H Mars people who have faced a form of sexual victimization.

In the next 2 parts, we'll cover certain transformations these people may undergo in their lives, mental health and psychology, life and death situations, struggles within intimate relationships, and "taboo" topics these people might enjoy. If you have an 8H Mars let me know if this resonates :))

[star-anise]

The thing about "parents' rights" and "protect the children [from hearing that other ways of life than ours are possible and okay]" is that it is literally, in the purest sense of the word, patriarchy.

The word literally means "rule by the fathers". We're generally used to hearing it describe how adult women can be dominated by adult men. However, that's not where patriarchy ends; feminists have been less eager to address how within that system, women can exercise power and domination of their own through the traditional gender roles of motherhood. Their maternal rights to power and dominance may have traditionally been lesser than paternal ones, but they were never less than their minor children's. Even single-mother or female-only families can be, in this sense, patriarchal.

Patriarchal families are a complex system that grants parents complete legal and practical control over nearly every aspect of their children's lives. The patriarchal family controls where the child lives, who takes care of them, what rules they have to follow, how they are educated, who they associate with, what healthcare they receive, what religion they practice, and whether they can work or control any money they earn or that is given to or for them.

Normally discussions of patriarchy are a lot more abstract. But right now it's very concrete and real: we are fighting to limit the family's control over children on issues where we can observe that families sometimes tend to make decisions that are bad for the children's welfare or that disrespect their human rights.

Whether a minor child can get an abortion. Whether they can receive gender-affirming care. Whether it's okay to lie or coerce your child to ensure they follow your religion. Whether they deserve to be educated about factual histories or scientific theories that are necessary to understanding the world around them. Whether they deserve to learn accurate, age-appropriate information about consent, setting boundaries, how their bodies and the bodies of other people work, what a normal range of gender and sexual identities look like, what healthy or unhealthy relationships look like, and what sex is, how it works, what its positives and negatives are, and how they might navigate the world, whether or not they ever want to have it.

Hell, on some levels we're still arguing about whether it's okay to hit your kids, or whether children have the right, similar to the rights adults have, not to be assaulted or abused.

Because there are a LOT of people who say: No. Parents should have 100% control over any or all of those issues. If the parent says no, the child is not allowed to do or have any of those things, and nobody else should be allowed to interfere and provide them to the child without their parents' consent.

Pointing this out often results in parents saying, "Oh, so you want just ANYONE to be able to go up and talk sex with kids? You want kids to be able to decide to jump off cliffs with nobody stopping them???" As though parents are the single protective force in the universe, the only thing standing between their child and the ravages of absolute chaos.

On the contrary: most of the time the argument is for children to receive care and guidance from adults who are monitored to ensure they treat children in safe and appropriate ways, who have spent many years studying the best and most rigorously tested of our collective understanding of how to prepare children for happy, healthy lives.

And we are arguing against people who believe that the only important qualification needed to refuse children that kind of care is to be ranked above them in their family hierarchy.

In conclusion...

Fuck the patriarchy. Children have human rights too.

[vaspider]

I want to learn more about Jewish culture and history after a recent Ancestry test confirmed my family are Ashkenazi Jews, but the process is daunting with the state of misinformation and antisemitism in the USA. How can I start if going to a synagogue and asking is just not an option? (Comments and info in tags are welcome)

A few places to start. :)

I have tried to provide a basic, broad selection of sites across a number of different strains of thought within the Jewish world. None of these links are an endorsement of a particular site, publication on that site, or point of view on that site. We're Jews: we disagree strenuously about deeply essential things & are still one people.

I really hate that I have to say these things, but every time I post about Judaism at all, someone comes through like they think they're Encyclopedia Brown or some shit, trying to sniff out what I 'really mean' by what I post. What I mean is that these are basic resources. :)

[twopoppies]

Sorry to go back to Bg but I'm convinced Louis team was intending to let it fade into irrelevance until nobody remembered it until B's sugar daddy exposed her and he/his team did what they always do and overreact instead of using it and backdating the whole thing they went in the opposite direction and pushed to try and cover up the fact he had nothing to do with the kid for years. ( just like with larry,, there was no reason to do all that it just made people more interested in them) all they've done with it is made a bigger mess that's going to be MORE sus and make MORE people look deeper into everything when it finally ends or more likely gets exposed (disclaimer: i dont want him to be exposed it's just the fact is the bigger the lie the harder it is to keep 🤷‍♀️)

Yeah, I agree that Boobgate seemed to be the turning point. I don't think it was entirely an overreaction because they could have course-corrected if so. They haven't yet and it's been two years at this point. I really think there's some kind of legal issue he's trying not to get caught in. There's no way Sony would take the fall if the truth came out. It would all fall on Louis.

I'm not an attorney, but from what I can understand, falsely claiming to be a parent on a birth certificate can lead to serious legal consequences. At the federal level, there is no specific law criminalizing falsely signing a birth certificate, but this type of fraud can have various legal repercussions based on state laws.

False Information as Fraud: In California, knowingly providing false information on a birth certificate is considered a form of fraud, and the state may impose both civil and criminal penalties. California law treats falsely establishing paternity as perjury if done knowingly, which can be a felony with significant fines and potential jail time.

Paternity Presumption: In California, when a man signs a voluntary declaration of paternity, the law presumes he is the legal father. If he later claims he is not the biological father, he may face legal complications, especially if he signed the declaration while knowing he was not the biological parent. Depending on the state, this can be classified as a misdemeanor or felony offense with penalties including fines, imprisonment, or both.

Federal Involvement in Fraud Cases: If the false claim is part of a larger fraud scheme involving benefits, such as falsely claiming dependency benefits, federal charges could apply. For instance, fraudulently claiming a dependent on tax filings (if connected to a fraudulent birth certificate) could lead to charges for tax fraud or other federal offenses. I doubt Briana is filing taxes claiming Freddie as a dependent, but Tammi and Brett may be. Or Louis might be required to do it but isn't. I have no idea, but it's something to think about.

Consequences Beyond Criminal Penalties: Falsely signing a birth certificate can also have serious civil repercussions, especially in cases where paternity or custody rights are contested later. Courts may impose penalties, order repayment of child support or benefits fraudulently obtained (ie: requesting government assistance), and adjust parental rights or responsibilities (would this affect who has the right to care for Freddie and make decisions concerning his well-being?). Additionally, Louis' ability to keep his US Visa (thus being able to visit/tour/work in the US) could be compromised if he were found tp have committed fraud.

(If there are actual Family Law attorneys out there, please correct me if I'm wrong)

This is not to say he is stuck forever. But I think he needs to establish that he THOUGHT he was Freddie's dad for a long enough time to then have a DNA test and prove that he's not, but he can't appear to have known the whole time.

This, IMO, is why fans are better off just shutting up about it right now because constantly pointing out the pregnancy discrepancies, or how much he didn't do in those first five years, probably makes things more difficult for him.

[andhumanslovedstories]

hey here's another question that I've been thinking about for about a week with no particular breakthrough. I'm so much on the healthcare side that all my advice is on that side. Dude, I read academic articles for this and didn't come up with anything particularly useful. That's why I'm answering this publicly, so other people hopefully add something useful. (Also I know you said you're not looking for opioids. I'm gonna talk about opioids anyway they certainly affect perceptions of chronic pain. In your case, try making clear early on that you don't want opioids.)

I'll say some things that I've noticed from my work to maybe provide some insight into healthcare's side of the exchange. I'm not saying this is the way things should be, I'm giving advice based on how I see things are. I wish I could say this wasn't the case, but when there's a pain medication standoff, the two ways I've seen it work out best for a patient are:

A third party advocates for the patient. (like family, nurse, social worker, different specialist, patient advocate, etc)

Change in caregiver.

I don't like those as the top answers, but that's what I've seen and it's consistent with a lot of the accounts I encountered. There is also a third way that the pain medication standoff can quickly end in a patient's favor:

3. New evidence (new symptom, imaging, vital signs, lab test, etc) forces a reexamination of how we're thinking about the patient.

This is also the "oh shit they seem worse" method, but it can also be "we have gained new information that re-contextualizes the information we already knew." This is like hey the xray came back, your whole bone is dust, or hey your blood pressure is now significantly higher, or hey oops your appendix exploded.

In all three cases, something new happens to change the dynamic. This works for healthcare providers operating in good faith because someone comes in fresh and/or the new dynamic causes the healthcare team to do a new assessment and cost/benefit analysis with this updated information. This works for healthcare providers operating in bad faith because they are either removed from the situation or put in a position where giving pain medication is less onerous than not giving pain medication. I genuinely, genuinely believe far more healthcare employees are operating in good faith rather than bad faith, although the end results can look the same from the patient side. This means I think that far more people are swayed by additional information that makes pain management have more benefit and less cost.

I don't know how actionable any of this is from the patient side unfortunately. I don't love being like "my advice? wait till shift change, see if you can shake it up." Bring someone to the emergency department with you if you have someone available, preferably someone prepared to make a fuss on your behalf. If you don't have a third person, see if you can get one. Hospitals can have patient advocate as a job. If they aren't available, is there someone on your healthcare team that seems most sympathetic? Try asking them if they have any advice. They might be able to give you some, they might advocate for you. Be careful about badmouthing staff to other staff and avoid compliments to one member of the team that relies on insulting another member. You don't know the relationships at play, and it's sort of like how you shouldn't trash talk your old job when interviewing for a new job. You may be completely right in everything you're saying, but being like "my boss was a crazy asshole who refused to recognize my work," doesn't come off as objective. It can undercut your credibility and introduce hostility into the conversation where it is not productive.

I'd also be prepared to talk about what you already tried to relieve the pain. Again, with you I'd mention upfront that you don't want opioids because they don't work for you. Then say what you have already tried at home before you came in (tylenol, ibpurofen, heating, ice, exercises, stretching, shower, other meds, etc) and the effect of both the pain (can't sleep, makes you nauseated, had to call off sick from work, aren't able to be a caregiver to someone, etc) and your already attempted interventions (no significant pain control, symptoms got worse, called PCP, they said emergency was the next step, etc). If your condition is chronic, compare it on the pain scale and the functionality scale to your baseline. (i.e. "I'm always at least a 3 out of ten on the pain scale, but it doesn't usually leave me bedbound." "Normally Symptom improves after Intervention At Home, but that didn't work this time.") Something that can make providers hesitant is if opioids, benzos, or other powerful drugs are the first and only thing a patient says will help and they're unwilling to try anything else, so sometimes demonstrating flexibility with your pain plan can signal "I'm not here for oxy to sell, I'm here because I want my symptoms to stop (and, if relevant, figure out what is causing them)."

Also if you can and feel safe doing so, consider providing feedback to the hospital. Nothing changes without something documented.

[valla-chan]

The more I think about The Ring / Ringu 's story, the more I realize that the reason why it seems bizarre to treat Sadako/Samara as the villain is because... It sort of is.

This post contains spoilers for the Japanese movie, the American remake, and the original book of "The Ring/Ringu".

In the American version, Samara is implied to be a demon child; some sort of abomination brought into the world by irresponsible parents who wanted a child but we're not able to conceive. (See the queer undertone?) Her parents had no special abilities in any way.

Samara herself was being tested for ESP (extrasensory perception) at a psych ward, due to her deliberately "wanting to hurt people" seemingly for no obvious reason other than her being evil, maybe with a bit of parental neglect sprinkled in that has the undertones of it being "understandable" under the unique circumstances. It always felt like a sort of overly reductive view of the character, and a bit unfitting as to why she would create the tape seemingly as a cry for help, but then revealed at the end, ah, no, she is indeed just evil, look at her angry face!

This does not satisfy me.

In the original Japanese version of the movie, Sadako's mom is the one being tested for ESP. Sadako— who is shown to be a strange looking, moppish, unkept girl even in her oldest memories here (unlike in the American version where she is portrayed very much like a very deadpan but otherwise normal child)— uses her own ESP to kill a heckler in the crowd who is becoming critical and standoffish with her mom and the ESP doctor, Dr Ikuma. It is explained at some point that she is a demon child creating by her mother yearning for the sea too much. She is killed by Dr Ikuma after studying her, rather than her parents.

This one seemed to touch on something interesting, but it's nowhere near as interesting as the information the book provides on the matter.

Ikuma is her father.

Sadako and her mother's relationship and plot is a fair bit different from in the films, based on what I've gathered online, but it boils down to the same ideas. Her mother had ESP, Ikuma encouraged her to show off her powers, and in the process discovered that Sadako's were even more powerful, and proceeded to study her. This is where things begin to really diverge.

Ikuma gets sick from trying to unlock his own powers leaving Sadako to grow up away from her family. And she does grow up, unlike in the films. She grows to 19 years old before returning to Ikuma in his mental ward after a heartbreak and deaths caused by her powers. There, she is raped by a different doctor, who discovers she is intersex (with the present of both male and female genitalia), and is so disgusted that he throws her down the well. Sadako, in her remaining days, developed the smallpox that this doctor unknowingly carried, amplifying her death curse into a physical virus.

Okay can we talk about the fact that she is intersex.

Like holy shit what. NONE of the media of her other than book seems to find that worth mentioning. NONE of the other media finds her adult or teenage life worth mentioning. ALL of the other media treats her as an inherent evil. Even in the books, it is mentioned that she wants to be reborn normal, but is unable to because she is intersex. Not because she is cursed or has ESP, but because she is intersex!

An actual queer character, with an actual struggle, trying to live her life to her fullest despite everything in her life taking her away from the people who cared for her. The HIV parallel to the smallpox the doctor gives her. The fact that her last dying effort is to tell the world her story, and curse the world that wronged her with having to experience her pain. And what becomes of this in the later Movie versions???

Saying outright that she is a demon child.

Implying that it's better that she died, and that her story would be better forgotten.

Her parents shown as irresponsible and secretive for adopting a child they were never 'meant to' be able to conceive.

Portraying her as a faceless monster even as a child, or as a demented and unlovable freak.

Portraying her with ungrateful, evil intent even while alive.

Portraying her viral potential as something inherent to her as a freak, rather than as something that someone else unknowingly inflicted onto her that she must bear.

...

Portraying her the exact way that real queer/ND people are treated all their lives, through all of modern history, childhood to adulthood, all in an effort to create something from her character that doesn't have to discuss her intersexuality. Even her parents, turned from people destroyed by the societal reception and health issues from their ESP, into people who bring the devil to Earth for the crime of wanting a child when they cannot have one.

All leading right back to exactly what created the curse in the original. The trauma of queerness. All erased and paved over in order to create a more palatable villain out of a child who couldn't help it. Showing through the obfuscations created to hide it, if you know how to see through it. It's not even to say the book doesn't have those themes, but it is obvious that great care went into scrubbing this element from her character in the popular culture, while amplifying its effects on her.

No wonder it feels bizarre to treat her character how the movies do. They removed the central element that explains everything.

And no wonder we relate to villains so much. So much of the time they are us.

So much of the time their motivations are to tell their own stories, to have others understand their pain, to show the world how it treats people like them. And as soon as those ideas are marketed to a mass audience, the victim becomes the villain, and the point is buried under enough layers to make the people who would have thrown her down that well feel good about being part of the society that destroyed her in the first place.

I hope we remember that when we see a real queer person being demonized for relating to a reprehensible character.

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Alto/Wolff

The Others... and a secret

Note in advance: this episode contains a bit more text than in the previous parts. But it was important because it answers a few questions that some of you may have already asked yourself.

Nick went outside with Morgana and closed the bedroom door behind him. Then he took a few steps and leaned against the wall. “Thanks, I probably couldn't have done it on my own"/ ”like I said, it would have been better if I'd been informed earlier that she was expecting a child. Worse things could have happened”.

Nick paused for a moment before continuing. “You lack the means to properly examine the pregnant ladies in the city…"/ ”Mh, that's correct, yes. Above all, I don't have an ultrasound machine, there are so many things that could be detected and ruled out with it…"/ ‘It won't be long before… you'll have one of those machines at your disposal’ / ‘What do you mean?’/ ‘I've requested one’. Morgana was shocked and curious. “But where, by whom?"/…

“From people out there somewhere. I asked them for it. “/ “What… What kind of people are they?”/ “Hh… Some who have had me firmly in their grip for months. And it's up to me that… That nothing has happened here so far"/ ‘Mr. Alto…’/ ‘I value you as a very loyal person, Dr. Wolff, not just as a doctor’.

Morgana looked at him skeptically “You want to confide something in me and I'm not allowed to tell anyone, am I right?”/ “Yes, not yet. I'll talk to the people here soon, when I've got the hardest part over with"/ ‘and that would be?’. He looked at her seriously with tired eyes “Is there something you're particularly attached to, Dr.? What's the most important thing in your life?”/ “A few things. My own life, my husband, my child… My friends”.

“That's quite a lot. For me, it's been money for as long as I can remember. I learned early on how to get it, how to invest it wisely and how to spend it wisely. But money… It's also a tool you can use to manipulate people. Now I'm the one being manipulated. I have a lot of assets, it's not small. And that has gotten through to these people”

Morgana tried to follow and understand what Nick was telling her. “So… they want your money?"/ ‘All the valuables I own…’/ ‘And why don't you give them what they want?’. He took a deep breath. “Would you just give away something you've worked so hard for all your life?”. Morgana's voice became a little louder, as she seemed to understand what this was all about. “honestly, what do you have to lose except your money?"/ ‘hh… I know what you're getting at, Dr. Wolff’.

“You probably think now, just like my wife, that I'm stubborn. Yes, I am. But they also said that if I've given them everything, we won't get any more help from them…"/ ”What help have we had so far? We haven't seen any of it…”. Nick found it increasingly difficult to speak as his conscience began to torment him, “We were selfish, I…”. Her voice became more insistent. “Now tell me!"/ ‘They provided us with food and we weren't supposed to give any of it away’/ ”What…why?”

“Because there are other sick minds sitting there who want to know… how long the people here can get by without help and food now. So… Not only do they want all my assets, they also treat the people here like guinea pigs. When that meteor storm came and destroyed everything. That was just the right opportunity for them to test how humans cope in extreme situations…"/ ”Please what? I'm… Completely confused, excuse me”. Morgana had to sit down.

“They just wanted to leave us here to our fate? And you're going along with it, Mr.Alto?”. Nick couldn't look her in the eye. “They said if I lifted a finger, they'd stop supplying us"/ ”What supply? We…"/ ”For me, my family. As I said, the whole thing was an experiment”. Morgana was stunned. „And , how do they know what's going on here? Are there cameras here?”. He shook his head. “No, we should only ever observe and report. Gerhard and Nancy…"/ ”They should be spying on us, am I right? My God, that's really sick!”.

Morgana had to process the whole thing first. She was angry, surprised, many feelings overwhelmed her . “How… How did this contact even come about, Mr. Alto? How…”. Morgana hadn't really paid attention to it at first, because she had been looking after Vita the whole time. But she remembered this device in the bedroom. “Is that a Transmitter? Where did…”. Nick collected his thoughts again and tried to explain everything to her in detail. “The day before it all happened… I took it from the town hall because I wanted to do some restoration work on it. Actually, it was just an exhibit.”

“Now I remember, it was there in a bigger glass case in the foyer". He nodded. ”actually, it belonged in a museum long ago. Be that as it may. After the initial shock of the impacts was somewhat digested and we realized that the internet was down, I came up with the idea of getting the thing operational. Unfortunately, I just didn't know how to find a frequency. And then… they found me”.

Morgana had many questions running through her mind. “How did they contact you through this device? How did they know which frequency to select? How…"/ ”Believe me, I've often asked myself these questions too. Someone seems to have known that I have one of these devices. I just wonder who the hell it is. Maybe someone from here?"/ ‘That's nonsense!’.

Nick stood up and took a few steps across the room. “Why nonsense, Dr.?"/ ”Well, first of all, I don't think anyone else here has such a device except you. And I'd put my hand in the fire for every single person here. Who would come up with something like that? I would never voluntarily put my friends, my family or anyone else in the city I live in at risk. Do you understand?”.

Nick took a deep breath and exhaled. “I'm sure you're right, who would put up with such macabre nonsense here?"/ ‘You said… you get deliveries, right?’/ ‘Yes, food and other things for everyday use.’/ ‘Where do these deliveries come from?’/ „Where? I don't know, but definitely across the sea. There's a landing stage somewhere far away. The things were unloaded there and we pick them up by arrangement.”

“By arrangement… Does that mean they were never there when a delivery came?"/ ”No. We never knew when they were going to deliver to us. We were only informed by radio when the delivery arrived and we could pick it up. But apart from the goods, there was no one to be seen there, the ship was usually gone by then”. Morgana put her hands to her head. There was just so much information she had to deal with. “hh, my goodness… My head is spinning and I… I have to get back to my child”.

“Dr. Wolff…"/ ”If I've understood all this correctly, it's up to you whether we survive or perish here. I don't know how long I can carry this secret around with me now. You should talk to the people here urgently. Otherwise… I will do it” / ‘I'll do it, I promise you, as soon as…’ / ”You'd better not promise anything. Good night, Mr. Alto!”. Morgana picked up her things and made her way home.

After Morgana had left the house, Nick stood in front of the closed front door for a moment. And as he said, he had already made his decision. But he still didn't know how to deal with the consequences. He shook off his thoughts for the rest of the evening and went into the bedroom. “ssh, don't cry, o.k., I just wanted to take a closer look at you. Come here… My son”..

Nick could hear his wife snoring softly. She was still very exhausted from the birth, which had dragged on for almost a whole day. “So we haven't thought of a name yet, have we? I have a cousin, Alfonso, but we're no longer in contact. I would like that, Alfonso…Alfi, hnhn”. As he looked at his son, a few tears welled up in his eyes. Yes, as Cy once said, a little one like that changes something in you. “We'll find a solution, Alfi… Somehow”.

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

End of this part

@greenplumbboblover😊

poses by @poses-by-bee & @inkwisteria

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

hi! I'm new to the beatles lore and I've been trying to catch up on an insane level of information for weeks. it's been fun but also heartbreaking 💔💔 anyways, I wanted to ask a couple of questions if that's ok? for example, I keep seeing this narrative that john was using yoko as some sort of weapon against paul... what was john trying to achieve by that I mean where does this idea even come from? according to this, john was hurting paul on purpose while he was singing him love songs in the studio asking him to be partners again (as in songwriting creative partners) WHAT WOULD JOHN ACHIEVE DOING THAT? also it sounds very one sided like paul is the most innocent in the break up eventho he was the one who came up with a secret album and a lawsuit. I don't know what to think. before knowing them I used to think lennon was in love and on drugs so he got so annoying to the point that he broke up the band but now...

Hi there! Welcome to the fandom! don't worry about feeling overwhelmed at first there is a LOT to take in.

I want to say, I do get the feeling you are somewhat mixing things up here, though I don't particularly blame you for being confused. (if not then sorry! just want to clarify as much as I can)

Tedious as it sounds, I find keeping a timeline in my mind (ideally, accurate to the month) helpful to provide some clarity regarding the breakup era specifically, so the period of 1968-1971. John's studio taunting you're referring to would have happened between mid '68 and mid '69, but Paul worked on his solo album (what I presume you meant by "his secret album", though it wasn't all that secret – John had already released solo music of his own by that point*) in late '69 and early '70. He filed a lawsuit against the others in late '70.

*I think you're conflating the album itself with the fact that, along with the release of McCartney (said album), Paul "surprise revealed" he had quit the band to the public, which the other band members, especially John, were not impressed with.

That being said, the events of the breakup are still convoluted at best, even to "seasoned" fans, I'd say. One of my main pieces of advice I can provide as someone who's been doing this for more than 3 years is get comfortable with not knowing things and with some of the actors involved doing something fundamentally irrational sometimes. They're humans, they don't always make sense and they won't always be forthcoming about why they behaved the way they did.

Which brings me to the narratives you mention: I say this as nicely as possible, but sometimes people want to tell themselves the best story rather than the most truthful one. It's more important to some that John is taunting Paul out of some twisted form of love than why specifically.

To answer your question regarding where this particular idea comes from, I would say: Paul has indicated that he felt John replaced him with Yoko (in whatever way he meant by that – some think it's sexual, some it's about creative partnership, or simply as a best friend); John's behaviour clearly and drastically shifted for the worse in mid '68, which is around the time he got together with Yoko, left his family, and started doing heroin; footage from Get Back shows John both all over Yoko and trying to reach out to Paul periodically.

There's probably more, but I don't know if there's much point in getting into the weeds of it right now. My point is: it's not the only valid theory, IMO, and probably not the whole truth if it is true, but it's not unfounded.

I think it may be a misstep to dismiss a theory because "what would John achieve by that?" Again, people are not always acting in a way that strictly makes sense, especially not people with the issues John struggled with. Some people might say John was testing Paul, trying to make him fight for him. Some might say John had an outright sadistic streak. Others that he was too out of it to notice the pain he was inflicting on others. I think it could very easily be a mix of all three. When dealing with human emotions, I personally think it's a mistake to assume things are simple and straightforward, which is why a lot of tinhattery turns me off. It very often feels like a blanket-statement self-confirming axiom, rather than a truly thoughtful and multifaceted argument.

My most condensed version of events would be: John became incredibly difficult to work with in multiple ways (including but not limited to bringing Yoko to the studio) by mid '68; Paul, for the most part, tried to accomodate him, to diminishing returns, while having his own longterm relationship fall apart and being completely in over his head running a brandnew business; Paul deals with distress by burying himself in work, the other three do not – this leads to further conflict, along with issues over creative control; the band decide they need a new manager type to help them out with their new business and provide the guidance they haven't had since Brian died; cue John wanting Klein and only Klein and massively distrusting Paul's "nepo" choice of Eastman + apparently not trusting Paul's belief that Klein was bad news; extreme resentment over money issues which are incredibly underrated by the fandom because at their core they are boring, emotionally, ensue; John decides he's "over" the band and tells the others he's out; Paul is destroyed over this (and everything that led up to it), spends months spiraling and recording his album; wanting to get this all out of the way, Paul finally breaks down and admits he's leaving the Beatles to the world and to the band itself, even though he had asked John to stay quiet about his own quitting the band months earlier; John (understandably, IMO, though I don't blame Paul exactly – this is what I mean by not everything makes perfect sense) assumes Paul is using the band breakup for PR and gets a hell of a lot angrier than he already is about the money stuff; John undergoes primal therapy which opens up about 43273289635298 wounds; John does an interview in which he spills his guts and tears down almost everyone in his life except Yoko; meanwhile more financial issues. I cannot overstate that those matter too, tumblr is just not a place where finance peeps hang out; Paul is getting more and more fed up with all of this and he, as a last resort, files a lawsuit to no longer be legally tied to the others.

I for the most part left out George and Ringo here* and I'm writing off memory here without re-checking sources, so take what I say with a massive grain of salt. My main point is that this shit is complicated and don't let people tell you it isn't.

*I'm of the opinion that John and Paul are at the center of the breakup, but they also aren't the be-all, end-all of it. But because in the end George and Ringo fell "in line" with John and you didn't ask about them, I decided to mostly leave them out.

[childofflamesandmoonlight]

Help with Deity Dossier?

I did the wonderful Deity Dossier spread by @thiscrookedcrown a few days ago, and while I already have an idea who this entity could be, I would really appreciate a second opinion.

Thank you so much in advance!

Here are the cards I drew (plus some of my notes):

1. The Entity: The Emperor

This represents the spirit, deity, or being in question. The card can be drawn or selected, depending on if you know the nature of the spirit or a card that could represent them.

Leadership

Authority

Reason

Structure

Discipline

Masculine power

Maturity

Responsibility

Stubbornness

Protector

Experience

Knowledge

Confidence

Strength

Dominance

Father figure, boss, older brother, teacher, patriarch

Mind over heart, clear thinking

2. Their History: Temperance

These are past deeds or dealings the spirit has had with either other people or you that you should know about.

Balance

Moderation

Communication

Management of resources

Art

Healing

Testing the water

Patience

Two choices, two people, two sides of a conflict

3. Underlying Influences & Past Experiences: Four of Swords

Similar to Past, this represents influences that could be important to know. This may be an emotional thing rather than a past action. (Example: if previously betrayed by humans, a spirit is less likely to want to deal with humans.)

Inner reflection

Planning

Convalescence

Rest

Recovery

Solid foundations

Solitude

Self-care

Balance

Contemplation

Seclusion

Taking a break

4. Personality, Attitudes & Opinions: Four of Cups

General personality and/or how they think.

Depression

Self-indulgence

Denial

Turning inward

Moodiness

Lack of vision

Self-absorption

Escapism

Not seeing life's blessings and opportunities

Hiding

Discouraged, bored, dissatisfied, apathetic, unmotivated, weary

Having to find new motivation

Breaking the routine

5. Their Current Status: The Moon

Their current status. If a spirit is in trouble, this information would appear here.

Intuition

Deception

Imagination

Emotion

Fear

Illusion

Fantasy

Dreams

Genius

Artistic breakthrough

Confusion

Mystery

Subconscious

Uncertainty

Doubt

Losing your way

Darkness

Creativity

Magic

Inner wisdom

Lack of focus

Confusion

6. Their Health Overall: Page of Swords

The health of the spirit, deity, or being. (Example: A land spirit could be ill or ailing due to pollution.)

Vigilance

Diplomacy

Tact

Intellectual abilities

Talent

Youth

Messenger

Honesty

Truth

Integrity

Fresh outlook

Clarity

Cut to the problem

New phase in your life

New opportunity

Speaking up

Healing from past illness or injuries

Mental clarity to overcome challenges you face

7. Their Mental Health: Six of Pentacles

Their mental health or, possibly, their overall mood.

Generosity

Mentorship

Community giving

Hosting

Involvement

Charity

Sharing what you have with others

Needing help or offering it to others

Reaching out for help

8. What They Like To Do & Have Done For Them: Knight of Pentacles

This could be things they like to do for others, part of their sphere of influence, and/or things that could be used to connect with them or honor them. Think of this like hobbies or likes.

Patience

Long-term plans

Responsibilities

Slow progress

Financially conservative

Serious, dependable, experienced, mature

Parenthood

Love of animals

Financial success

Providing for others

9. Physical Manifestation: Four of Wands

Their physical health or how they could physically manifest. This is especially useful for finding out what deity is contacting you.

Happiness

Family

Unity

Blossoming

New life, new success

Prosperity

Celebration

Harmony

Engagement

Marriage, partnership

Completion of a project

Solidity, stability, security

Grounded

Resting

Recharging

Vacation

Peace

Radiant

Lively

Comforting

Confident

Joyful

Inviting, welcoming, sociable

10. What To Know: The Lovers

Things that are imperative for you to know. This could be used to see how working with this being could affect you in the future.

Love

Commitment

Partnership

Friendship

Attraction

Marriage

Unification

Communication

Trust

11. What To Avoid: King of Wands

Things that are imperative for you to avoid doing. Example: If a spirit hates blood, don’t give blood offerings. This could also be used to see how the spirit could negatively affect you in the future.

Power

Fire

Warmth

Charisma

Charm

Strength

Manipulation

Megalomania

Visionary

Rivalry

Spice

Popularity

Ambition

Greed

Selfishness

Tyranny

Being a bad leader

12. Positive Influences, Friends or Experiences: Six of Wands

What is helpful? What will help your relationship with them? This can be something that is not in the spirit or deity’s sphere of influence but still influences them. A deity might be one of fertility but their sibling could be a deity of war. That will somewhat play into how the spirit acts. Another example would be a spirit becoming powerful because a nearby coven is worshiping it.

Accomplishment

Recognition

Acknowledgement

Praise

Pride

Rewards

Being noticed

Achievements

Affirmation

13. Negative Influences, Enemies or Experiences: Five of Cups

Exactly as above, but the more negative side of things. What isn’t helping this spirit? What will not help your relationship with them? Do they feel used or not appreciated? The examples above also apply.

Negative thinking

Grief

Loss

Inclination to focus on the bad

Difficulty

Trouble letting go of the past

Former hardship, pain or heartbreak

14. Conscious Desires & Thoughts: The Hanged Man

What they want. This could be offerings or a general goal. This may be what they want from you. If they have an agenda they’ll admit to, it will be here.

Crossroads

Decisions

Potential growth

Discernment

Change

Letting go

Waiting

Sacrifice

15. Unconscious Desires & Thoughts: Nine of Cups

This is what they want but won’t admit to or what they don’t know they want. If they have a hidden agenda, it will be here.

Prosperity

Fulfillment

Good luck

Rewards

Bonuses and promotions

Happiness

Attainment of things they desire

Celebration

Wishes

Victory

16. Hopes: Nine of Swords

This can be a general list of hopes, a overall hope for the future, or what they hope to get from you.

Anxiety

Sleeplessness

Depression

Worry

Self-torment

Despair

Nightmares

Haunted

Guilt

Old wounds that have not healed

Stress

17. Fears: The Devil

This can be a general list of fears, what they fear for the future, or what they’re concerned about in regards to you or your life. 

Bondage

Failure

Obsession

Addiction

Depression

Materialism

Lust

Illusion

Temptation

Constraints

Harmful attachments, bonds and impulses

Bad habits

Codependency

[gf-seasons-zine]

Information About

As we count down the days for applications to open (April 1st!), we want to post some information about what to expect when you apply to be part of the Gravity Falls Seasons Zine! All of this information is on our carrd, but we thought it would be nice to post it here too!

And now, we are proud to present (under the cut)... What you need to know about the artist applications! (Cue Soos pressing the "applause" key on his keyboard):

General Application Rules

1. PLEASE tag your content!

The zine will be completely SFW and will not feature ships, but we understand some people may wish to submit ship art or content that might be less family-friendly in their portfolios.

All mods are 18+ but we don't want any surprises, so please describe your art in the boxes provided if required!

2. At least ONE of your pieces must be Gravity Falls themed or feature Gravity Falls characters.

We would particularly like to see your work of Ford, Stan, Mabel, or Dipper as the Pines family is the main focus of this zine!

3. Check your sharing settings!

If sharing a Google Drive folder link for your portfolio, please ensure your folder's sharing settings are set to 'allow anyone with the link to view'. You can test this on an Incognito browser or a browser NOT logged into your Google account to make sure.

Mods will NOT be able to contact every person who makes this mistake to ask them to a new link to their portfolio and it is very likely your application will just be dismissed.

Specific Artist Application Guidance

1.Please submit 3-6 samples of finished work that best represent your style (or the style you intend to create your piece(s) in and your ability.

2. NSFW works will NOT be allowed in the zine (this will be a family friendly SFW zine!) but you CAN put them in your portfolio. 

If your pieces require trigger warnings, feature ANY ships, or feature NSFW content there WILL be a space for you to write this on your form and we expect you to do so. All moderators are 18+ but we wish to avoid any surprises. 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding (Yes, we put this in twice- it's that important!)

3.We will judge pieces based on composition, colour and/or value, understanding of form and depth, and anatomy.

4.If you would like to be considered for making a comic for the zine, please include at least ONE example of previous comic work so we can judge how well you carry a plot, readability, style, and the layout of panels.

5. Both digital and traditional works are acceptable but traditional work must be scanned in high quality.

Stay tuned for more information about other ways to contribute! And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

See you soon!

The GF Seasons Zine Mod Team

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with Disney in any way. The zine will be a charity zine with all surplus going to charity- no one will profit from this zine.

CARRD TWITTER RETROSPRING

[team-sanvich2]

Is it Speeding Bullet O'clock? No?

Well too bad, I can't sleep and these two are in my head now, so, ENJOY!!

Riffle to the heart, and a bat to the knee.

Tagging @kombucha-enjoyer

"It is a simple mission I believe you can handle" the mysterious woman spoke from the TV Screen at both Team BLU and RED'S base, explaining their latest task...that was simply a made up plan to test the limits of the two she felt were lacking in their own ways in their fields. "Do this flawlessly and I shall take back my latest employee reviews of your performance, I know yhat family means a lot to you in particular, but it cannot be something you should LET take over your thoughts in this line of work, after all, you don't want them to see you in a casket once you're out of here, right?"

"Yes ma'am" both men said but at opposite sides of the territory.

Starting with Mick, the RED team's Sniper, a man of few words, takes his position and work very seriously, and won't let the opinions of others dictate wether or not he'll succeed in it. However, familial issues are hard to simply not ignore, specially when everytime you look into making contact, the people that were supposed to love you unconditionally now take every minute to criticize your choices, even if nowhere else was open for you, not even your dream profession.

As for Antonie, the BLU team's Scout, his own struggles were more direct, his father had been a victim of torture and experimentation at the hands of the RED Medic, his head had recently been retrieved from the enemy base, but his body remains unresponsive, Dell and Fritz are doing what they can to make sure their leader can go back to being his former self, even if their options were running low. Antonie had retrieved the head after discovering it in the abandoned hospital, Antonie brought him quickly to his team's Medic to wake him up from his coma, he was successful...but what is a functional head when there were no arms and legs to move around with it? Worst of all was that the Scout refused to see his own father wake up and visit him, it felt like it was his fault for getting himself killed by the RED spy, it was his fault for not doing enough, and it was his fault that his dad was almost lost forever.

"Here's the scene, in a abandoned Mann.Co field dubbed "harvest", a piece of important information was lost there due to my...late Assistant, Mr. Bidwell was his name, being too careless, but seems like Mann.co decided that moving him upwards in the company was the better option...But enough about old grudges, retrieve that document, Ms Pauling will be waiting to pick it up in the morning, you have the entire night to find it, I heard the enemy team has their eyes on it, do not disappoint me". The TV was turned off and both mercenaries went on their own to the abandoned field.

The Scout arrived on a scooter provided to him by Dell, he made sure to take his lessons with soldier to heart and explored the area for a back entrance, or at the very least, a hole on the fence. The Sniper however was more calm about it and simply drove over and parked somewhere he wouldn't be noticed, and immediately jumped over a fence, he searched the property on foot, taking note on his gut feelings, that he wasn't alone, but that in that very moment, he was being watched, prompting him to pull out one of his recent crafts, the cleaner's Carbine.

The Aussie man could take a few guesses on who it was that was stalking him, the enemy team was almost a copy and pasted version of his own, perhaps their spy was back in action, maybe the traitorous Dell was building some sentries to try a ambush, perhaps they sent over their Pyro, but he was not expecting that they sent out their own speedy "force of nature", as a couple of gunshots caught him by surprise, forcing him to crouch around the scene.

Antonie held similar thoughts, he was relived he wouldn't have to see the RED Spy again, or their Pyro, hell, he thanked whatever being was watching over the earth that it wasn't the Medic, but their Sniper? He had forgotten about their interaction, at least until he saw him again. Their last encounter almost repeated itself if Anotnie did not dodge a literal bullet from his riffle, what was worse? It was a quieter version. He needed a different approach, he knew the Sniper was aware of his presence, he knew he could get taken down ANY MOMENT, so what to do? He rummages through his bag, and finds a old friend, just what he needed.

Mick had settled in a safe zone that allowed him to view the entire property, every blind spot was now in his sights, that Scout would not get through him...Although, he thought about it for a moment, unless team Blu employed a new one, Scout was much different, maybe it was his countless encounters of being met with bullets, blades and explosions that made them pick someone more adapted to the job...Or he BECAME that someone, fact was that...it was too quiet, at least until he hit himself with his riffle thanks to a baseball hitting the tip of the lenses that were now broken, making him realize that this was the same Scout with the bloody sandman baseball bat.

He runs downstairs with his submachine gun in hand and from time to time he hears the running steps of the runner, he doesn't talk much, at least not anymore if what the Soy said was to be believed, he doesn't call much attention to himself, in fact it made it seem like he was merely part of the wind blowing outside, and he seemed to be more...experienced, perhaps team Blu found his match made in heaven, professional versus professional, and that was solidified by getting hit by a spiked baseball bat right om his back, making him bleed.

"AUUUGH! YOU BLOODY-" And he was gone again, thankfully, Ludwig was kind enough to lend him some spare medkits, after one sip from the bottle, Sniper gathered his stuff and changed the lenses on the riffle, and while doing so, he hears something climbing on the roof, he quickly tosses the ball back as a distraction and was met with the dark blueish shadow, who collected the ball and was ready to jump to the next roof, only almost get his foot shot, and the chase was on.

Antonie doesn't jump Into battle immediately, he runs off while delivering shots with the Soda Popper, it doesn't scare off Sniper from his spot, but he got his attention, signified by the many bullets that destroyed the walls of the wooden buildings. It was like both were stepping comfortably out of their comfort zone, Scout was using his speed in the means of blending in the darkness and not being noticed, and Sniper was now more on the move cause his only target knew where he was and was taunting him, but not in a way that felt like mocking, more like two similar minds playing a game of chess.

Eventually, both men run out of bullets, and thus, the chase has to stop and both meet at the center of the "Harvest". Their melee weapons were drawn, both shocked that they had the same idea of packing more than one blunt object, Antonie had equipped the Boston Basher, and Mick had a Prinny Machete, they give the other one look and charged towards each other like two Demoknights, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Antonie used his speed and smaller build to his advantage to slip through but Mick’s longer limbs were also a advantage and he pulled the younger male and almost gave his neck a second scar.

"Running around like a coward will get you nowhere!"

"Is called preserving energy Moron, you should try that since you seem to use most of it on headshots"

The Aussie man charges at him once more, "I am a professional with standards, I need to be efficient! Besides, at least I'm doing my part! You just run around and go back to your team with nothing!" He gets a punch on the stomach but blocks the bat with his blade.

"I am TRYING to Improve! And is not like any of them cared, and the only that did probably stopped after I ROYALLY SCREWED UP!" He gets pushed back but tries to strike the Sniper repeatedly, in the same motion, hoping to hit him.

"A price to pay in this industry! Those are still your coworkers! If you don't trust their abilities then you might as well not trust yourself!"

"Easy for you to say! You probably get praised a lot for, let me guess, sitting still, shooting asshats all day long, and having the most calm time of your life!" At this point, neither are using their weapons, seems like the fight became more psychological...or...it was a weird...bonding moment.

"Says the one that probably strokes his own ego that might as well be 12 feet tall!"

"OH I WISH! All I have is the weight of failure slowing me down! And my team underestimating me DOES! NOT! HELP!"

"WELL I WISH MY WORK WAS MORE RECOGNIZED! I have done plenty for those Poggers, and do I get a thank you? No! SLEEPLESS WEEKS OF SURVIVING ON NOTHING BUT COFFEE AND FISH CAKES ALL DOWN THE FUCKING DRAIN!"

"AND I WISH I WASN'T SUCH A BIG SCREW UP THAT I ALMOST LOST THE ONLY PERSON IN THAT FUCKING BASE THAT SEES ME AS A PERSON AND IS MY ONLY FUCKING FAMILY..."

"...family?" He dropped the Machete in hopes the Scout would trust him.

"...Look, we got off track...what are you looking for? Folders? Weapons? Food? Just grab it and get out! I'm...I'm not in the mood anymore..."

Antonie feels his shoulder grt grabbed, but not Ina way that felt forceful, it felt...warm...welcoming, he turned and saw the Sniper had taken off his hat as a sign of a truce,

"Please...I insist, you have no obligation to tell me the rest but...you fought good, dare I say this was the most fun I had in a while" he let's out a chuckle at the end, followed by the muffled giggles of the Scout, who finally takes off his gas mask.

"The feeling is mutual, good to see a Sniper that actually puts up a fight unlike Ke-..My Sniper"

"Hehe, and is nice to see a quiet Scout for once...I think that spot has a nice view"

"Lead the way then".

Once both were on the roof, Mick offers a bottle from the Medkit, taking notice of some bullets that left some cuts on the runner, he made a expression that looked outrageous after kne gulp.

"Why is this stuff so bitter?" Antonie said, while trying to find a label with anything written on it that could shed some light ton the Ingridients,

"Trust me mate, you DON'T want to know what they put in there, just chug it with your nose plugged" the poor guy follows his instructions, only to feel his nose burning up,

"FUCKING HELL! AAAH!"

"Pffff, HAHHAHA! Bloody hell, I can't believe you fell for that!"

"Oh haha, very funny...you wanted to talk about something or just mock me?"

The Sniper adjusted his posture and took a deep breath,

"You had mentioned family...I couldn't help but...find your situation similar to mine...my...relatives aren't that fond of my position"

"Well, at least they aren't here...As in, not in the base...cause...that's where my...Person is...and he went through a lot...it was my fault and...I can't face him! What am I supposed to say? "Sorry I tripped and got myself killed as well as getting a scar as a memento?!"...I...can't even look at him..."

"...seems like you are going through a lot"

"Says you, you put up a good fight but...I don't remember your team saying anything"

The Sniper scratches the back of his neck, "I might have exaggerated, is not that it NEVER happens...but I see your Sniper and think..."I want that"...tho I guess if he's actually some lazy asshat then I guess I shouldn't compare myself"

"Yeah...same...your Scout is...Loud but...the team at least acknowledges that he's there...and they don't seem so harsh on him too...weird how the other person seems to have it better"

"But you don't know the whole story...it is weird"

Both look at the night sky for a while, Antonie had also taken off his goggles as Mick did with his glasses, it took a hour but they eventually went back to looking for what they were there for, oddly enough, there were two safes there, they open it with their IDs and find the folders they were looking for, the weird part was both were copies, not the original.

Antonie decided to let Mick drive him back to his base along with his scooter as the gas was down to zero, both talked some more until they were close enough for Antonie to go back safely but also far enough so that Mick wouldn't get shot by the sentries.

This odd friendship developed more and more as both would randomly see each other during matches, Antonie accidentally finding where Mick is hiding to chat or to share some sandwiches or to even nap on the same spot. Other times, Mick would see Antonie looking over the territory and use the light on the riffle to show him where there's ammo and medkits.

It flew under the radar to both teams, even Anotnie’s father...but Ms. Pauling had other plans with that information, after informing the administrator, she tried to pull the same stunt she did with the RED Demoman and the BLU soldier, but no matter what, the two seemed to be back together, soon enough she just gave up as those two were selective on what to tell the other, and Pauling even has a feeling both men never believed her words.

Unlike her and the Administrator, Mick and Antonie seem to talk their loudest in silence...but also in each other's company, maybe this would inspire some old friends to reconsider their hate if they were to be found out...and maybe the lines of like and love would get blurry for the Blue Runner and the Red Silencer.

[blindbeta]

hello, I am in the process of writing a romance novel and to be honest, I had not considered the sensitivity of the topic, it was an idea that came from mindfulness exercises. I was struggling with a title and a Facebook group suggested the topic was inappropriate and I should have been more sensitive. Before I proceed I thought I would ask. The story synopsis: set in a future it has been generations since a flu like pandemic resulted in the subsequent generations were born blind. Through advancements in AI, hepatics devices…the human race continues. No super powers or anything is developed…just grit and science. The story is of a woman getting back into the dating world through a series of blind dates. Three dates are not successful due to issues of smell, touch, and sound. Finally connects with blind date number four. But he has a secret, he was born with sight that his family wanted to hide this information in fear of losing him to science research. The characters need to determine how to move forward. As I type this, I feel less confident in myself, but the story itself feels positive and I have really enjoyed exploring characters using only the other senses. Thank you in advance for your perspective.

Thoughts on a Character Hiding That He is Sighted

I want to provide a disclaimer that I cannot say whether or not you should write this, but I can give some thoughts about concerns or suggestions I have. You can decide from there.

The dating idea could be cute. I would suggest expanding on “issues of smell, touch, and sound” to include things like personality, beliefs, and wants out of a relationship. For example, she may want to travel in the future and the date expresses that he would never want to leave his hometown. While people can have compatibility issues revolving around senses, this is not exclusive to blind people. The focus on it may read as shallow or focusing too much on the fact that they use other senses and other less tangible interactions aren’t as important, when compatibility is determined by a various factors.

Additionally, because you are writing a genetic condition caused blindness in everyone, please remember that blindness is a spectrum. While I can go with a genetic condition causing blindness in everyone, I wonder what the spectrum of blindness would be like. For example, is everyone totally blind or can some people see light? Can some people see colors? Are there still other conditions that are worsened by genetic blindness, such as higher eye pressure? How does this influence vision? In the real world, most blind people can see, which sounds contradictory, but not when you acknowledge the spectrum of blindness. You can find various links about the spectrum here.

I mentioned this not because I think readers can’t suspend disbelief for the initial plot, but because of your character who hides that fact that he is sighted.

‘Sighted’ here refers to a person who is not blind. It is a bit of a misnomer, but this is often how blind people differentiate between people who aren’t blind and blind people with residual vision. Although we may jokingly refer to ourselves or others as sighted even if we aren’t. This is a distinction that probably only blind folks will understand.

Anyway, your character is sighted and hiding it. Is he the only one scientists would want to study? Or can there also be trials that people with residual vision can participate in?

The science part also brings to mind a few concerns.

First, the fear expressed by his family, such as losing him to science research, creates concerns of ethics and control in research. Coercion, kidnapping, bullying, and manipulation would all, at the very least, compromise any research. Additionally, this mistreatment is not limited to fiction. While science can be a wonderful tool used with respect and consent, this has not always been the case. If you have him as an unwilling test subject or hint at the possibility, you will need to be prepared to explore that.

The reason behind the research might need exploring as well. Are the scientists concerned with curing blindness or do they engage in research for other purposes? The way blindness is viewed, especially since everyone is blind, is also an element to consider.

In what ways will the world be different if, at this point in the story, everyone was blind for a few generations? How does your fully sighted character navigate the world? How does he feel about his sight? How does he view blindness?

With a story like this, my main concerns involve how blindness is portrayed in terms of avoiding portraying humanity as extra sad because they’re blind. This could be helped by the fact that they have been blind for generations. However, the idea of someone needing to hide being sighted also feels like it could go wrong to me, with him either being met with persecution or overly enthusiastic attempts to use him so that others can become sighted. Either of these options could result in negative portrayals of blindness that aren’t helpful or nuanced enough when we have so little accurate representation in media at this time. So I would suggest avoiding those options if you haven’t already.

[flowerandblood]

For now, due to the break that @black-dread took, I also decided not to publish new chapters for now, but I have something different and quite interesting for you, because it actually sounds like a story taken from a fanfic from the 19th century and this is about my great-great-grandmother, Rozalia.

I devoted my master's thesis to her (I illustrated a book about her life story) and I have been dealing with her story for many years because… I still have no idea who the father of her children, and at the same time, my great-great-grandfather, was.

Rozalia was born in 1876 in Masovia, at that time under the Russian partition, into a family of agricultural workers (people hired by farmers or heirs to work in their fields).

In 1886, her father died, and in 1894 her mother married Jakub, who was 40 years her senior, probably to provide any living conditions for her children (Rozalia had two other siblings).

In 1896, Rozalia gave birth to her first child - daughter Stanisława. She is unmarried, in the documents there is no information about the child's father.

Usually, in such a situation, such a girl was immediately married off, but not Rozalia.

Rozalia gives birth to six more children: 1899 (Jacek), 1901 (Walenty), 1904 (Katarzyna), 1908 (Józef), 1913-1916 (Wacław), 1918 (Bolesław - my great-grandfather).

Rozalia dies in 1944 as an unmarried woman.

None of them had a father listed in the documents.

There were various rumors about who the father of her children was. My grandmother claimed that she overheard the adults talking about how this man was some kind of aristocrat.

But who?

For years I read parish and archive books, I found documents regarding the owners of the estate where Rozalia was born and the one where she later worked.

And nothing.

Everyone knew that Rozalia traveled to Prussia for work and that my great-grandfather was born in Bellshwitz.

However, no one from there matched the dates either, there were too many unknowns in the places where she was.

Me and my cousin took DNA tests and it turned out that we had a huge section of DNA in common with a German with whom I tried to link all of this with Bellshwitz, without success.

On Christmas, my grandmother and I called her cousin, Ignacy, son of Katarzyna, daughter of Rozalia, to wish him well. Even though I asked him many times to tell me about Rozalia, he maintained that he didn't remember anything.

During this conversation, when I spoke about her and this man again, and the fact that he was probably German, Ignacy said:

Yes, yes. We knew he had left and disappeared suddenly, but we didn't know where. When I joined the army, communist officers asked me: Why didn't you tell us that your grandfather emigrated to America? I replied: I had no idea about it myself.

I remember once, when I was still a little child, a handsome, elegantly dressed man came to our house, he didn't go inside, he noticed me playing with other children. He came up to us and asked which of us was named exactly like me. I told him it was me, and he held out his hand to me and said, "Greet your grandfather."

When I wanted to shake his hand, he put his hand under my mouth so that I could kiss it. I didn't want to do it and ran away. I never saw him again after that.

The situation he was talking about took place around 1936, probably whoever this man was, he left for America after the outbreak of World War II - the German aristocracy in these areas did not love Hitler.

I still don't know who this man is, but I hope that one day I will find out.

There are no photos of Rozalia, but there are photos of her daughter, Katarzyna, whom my grandmother said looked very much like her mother. Based on her descriptions, I took photos of myself as my great-great-grandmother, which I later used in the book as her portraits, which you can see at the top of this post.

[softeningmyheart]

The Internet is a Hostile Environment for the Truth and I Wish I Could Be Done With It Already, But I Can't

So often, I'll see things in my pinterest feed that say "Islam forbids X" or "You must do X in Islam" and it's just, some random person talking. Not a scholar of any kind, no references to the Quran, nothing. It could be true, but it could also be half-true, or it could be based on a weak hadith, or it might just be entirely made up. Without sources, there's no way to check.

It's really annoying because I end up passively taking in this information as I'm passively scrolling on my phone and then it's like, wait a minute, did a prophet even say that? Is that even in the Quran? Or is that just the opinion of a person out there who happens to be muslim? And there's no easy way to get an answer.

The nature of social media is so exhausting. Not knowing Arabic, it can be really hard to figure out what's true and what is a misunderstanding even when I have the proper source. Add in all the weird political agendas and cultural traditions that people may want to force onto you as a stranger and it just becomes a mess. But the nature of algorithms is that if you look at anything related to Islam, you will be fed more content about Islam, and the algorithm doesn't know or care what is correct.

You can't get away from it even if you try. It's so easy to just absorb information in passing and never stop to consider it deeply, and then end up with a completely false idea of how Islam views something. Meanwhile, fact-checking even the things you notice you are reading is a whole job in and of itself. Most of the time, I don't even know where I would begin to look to verify or debunk things. It's not like I can just casually read through the entire Quran in Arabic every time I'm wondering "Oh, is that really in there?" when someone claims something with absolutely zero source.

It's easy to tell myself, oh, I just won't listen to anything that doesn't have a source provided, but that's a lot easier said than done. Again, we scroll on our phone's absent-mindedly a lot of the time, and many times you'll end up reading things in passing that you don't even really notice you're reading. It just happens, and then the information makes its way into your subconscious mind without an ounce of critical thought. Then later, I end up with the inkling of "Hey, maybe I shouldn't do that," or "Hey, isn't this mandatory?" based on what I read... but I have no idea where I read it or what to do about it! I can't just do the opposite of every claim I see without a source, or I'm just as much of a fool because it could very well be true and I just don't know why yet.

Googling the questions can help at times, but sometimes it just leads me down the rabbit hole of deep scholarly debate that are overwhelming when I barely understand the surface level. I don't know how to digest and think critically about the level of thought and historical context that scholars are engaging with. I'm not well educated on Islam, I'm not well read in the Quran, I don't know the history of the area of the Quran was revealed in, and I'm completely reliant on others to translate for me.

I suppose it's all just a part of my test. It's just so confusing, and at times frustrating. I imagine having an offline teacher or tutor or even just friends and family who could guide me would solve a lot of these issues, but that kind of support system is just not a luxury I have at the moment. The very anatomy of modern social media is so hostile to the spread of accurate information though, and I'll be very happy when I no longer need to turn to the internet first in order to learn about Islam or connect with muslims.

[redrikki]

Teen Wolf Rewatch 2.08

Everyone is heading to a rave, but first everyone is doing some brainstorming and investing.

Stiles and his Dad have dinner (health food that Stiles brings). At first, Noah says he won't discuss it and then immediately starts showing him stuff and bouncing ideas. Stiles figured out things quicker than Noah and it's clear that this is not the first time they've done this. It looks like Mr. Harris might be involved.

Allison and her dad head to the morgue to guilt trip her into revealing what she knows. The price of greatness is responsibility, the price of knowledge is responsibility. Stiles said something similar last season in 1.06. The difference between Scott and Chris is who they see themselves as responsible for and who they prioritize. Scott prioritizes supernatural folk, while Chris does humans. Competing needs and all that. Scott with Deaton, Derek, and Isaac brainstorm a way to capture Jackson and whoever is controlling him.

Scott and Allison talk. She confesses that she told her family...just like they'd agreed to do in 2.06, but now it's bad. Scott tells her about the conversation with her mom, and says that they should pretend to see other people. Scott even suggests that she and Matt kiss...at least until they make out. Victoria sees, leading to her murder attempt. At the rave, Scott yells at Allison for doing all the things he told her to, just not according to the plan he never shared with her, but most importantly for not trusting him.

Noah gets fired and Stiles notices immediately. Back in 1.12, Noah was an elected sheriff, but suddenly he's an appointed chief of police. IRL, California sheriffs are elected and the only way to remove them is a recall election. In order to create drama, the show runners have created a dystopia where the will of the people can be overturned on the whim of an unknown power! Noah won't make himself feel worse by taking it in his kid like his father would have, even if it is Stiles's fault. Stiles won't tell Scott, even though he noticed that something is wrong.

The trap dance is super bisexual. How much control does Matt have? Can he see through Jackson's eyes? Does he tell Jackson how to do it, or just provide intent? Also fun interrogation that fails to get actionable information or save anyone even before the plan officially goes to shit when Stiles is forced to break the line.

The plot to kill Scott was actually pretty clever, making it look like something else. Then Scott tries something similar on Gerard in the finale. Victoria stays to watch and taunt Scott about how alone he is, only for Derek to run to the rescue and bite her.

Deaton already has the skill to lay the mountain ash, but insists Stiles do it. At the end, we learn that Morrell is in the know and disapproves of his handling...but won't handle it herself. They both know what's coming, but won't share. It all feels like a test. Deaton wants Scott to be the True Alpha and is grooming him and his pack for it.

Other thoughts: Deaton's metaphor about Stiles being the Spark becomes a whole thing in fandom, and then we learn that literally any human can do it. When Matt kisses Allison without permission, she tries to assure him it's okay before deciding that no it's not. Scott goes from angry and suspicious of Isaac to asking him to be safe.