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alpaca-clouds · 5 months ago

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On Santa, the Christkindle, Krampus and Frau Holle

Let me tell you Americans something – because I know that most people on this specific hellsite are in fact American, while I am not. I am European. German, to be exact, with some Asian roots, according to my mother. And a few days in a rather useless attempt to get a bit into the Holiday spirit, I watched the movie “Red One”. An American friend already noted, how he was aware that in the finale of the movie, it does not make a lot of sense to save Christmas, given not everyone celebrates Christmas around the world, and how also a couple of countries have the presents out on January, 6th, on the Epiphany. Which, yes, is true.

When I watched the movie, though, and got to the place, I messaged that friend: “By the way, do you know that Santa does in fact not bring us the presents in Germany? Or most of Europe, in fact. Oh, and also, Krampus is in fact not really the Anti-Santa or Santa’s brother or some shit, but that goes back a whole lot further than just Christianity.”

On the next day, though, I could not help it, but think about the entire thing. Because I was not quite sure whether I had some cognitive bias about Krampus – or if my gut feeling was right. And that got me down a long, long rabbit hole.

So, my dear Americans, let me regail you with Christmas stories from Europe, and why Krampus has more to do with white men being butthurt than anything else. Alright? Alright!

Christkindelein, Christkindelein

Now, I will not go too deeply into the entire Santa thing. Just know: Yes, St. Nikolaus is in fact connected to Christmas traditions all over Europe. However, in quite a lot of European countries, like in Germany, St. Nikolaus only comes on December 6th, where he will bring a bit of chocolate, and maybe some socks. No big presents. Those are for Christmas.

So, why does Nikolaus come on December 6th? Well, this has to do with Saints’ Days in the Catholic calendar. Basically: Every saint in the Catholic canon has a day dedicated to them. And yes, we have more than 365 saints, so yes, several saints will usually share a day. St. Nikolaus, the Turkish bishop, has his day on December 6th, hence this is the day when someone dressed as a somewhat more historical St. Nikolaus will appear in German kindergardens and schools. And also in some other countries. (Not all countries celebrate this.) That will usually look something like this.

Now, Germany will have the presents on Christmas Eve. Not on the morning of December 25th, but the tradition was originally for the family to go to Christmas (like a literal mas) on the evening of December 24th, and then come home for a good feast and presents, because the presents had been “delivered” while the family was in the church. But no, they were not delivered by St. Nick, but by the Christkind, the Christ Child. And generally speaking in most of the Catholic areas of Europe it tends to be either the Christ Child who delivers the presents, or the Magi – in those areas of Europe where the presents get to the kids on Epiphany.

And yes, there are absolutely a lot of families in Europe today, who have not a strong religious tradition, and hence just use Santa, because American Imperialism is a thing, and most movies the kids are aware off use Santa. After all those families will usually not go to Church for the literal Christmas and… Well, what difference does it make.

However, I should not that it is generally not a thing over here – even in those families that were taken in by American Imperialism – to put out cookies and milk for Santa. That very much is an American thing. Please, dear Americans, just do not assume that something that is a traditions with you folks gets done the same everywhere on the world. Because in fact, very few things Americans celebrate are celebrated the same way anywhere else (outside of Canada, I guess).

But this is actually the less interesting part of this little essay.

No, I actually wanted to talk with you about Krampus.

Krampus is not Santa’s Brother

Now I will tell you something, that has surprised all my American friends: I never heard of Krampus until I was 18. Never once was I aware that Krampus was a thing that existed, despite me being from Germany. Shocking, right?

Because here is the thing: Krampus does not originate in Germany, but in Austria. And specifically the Krampus tradition originates in Styria. Which once more is the moment I will remind my dear Castlevania fans that: Yes, indeed. Styria is a real place. It is a region within Austria. And to be exact it is the region in Europe that was Christianized the latest. (Please mind: Yes, there were other region that were not-majority Christian later, but those got Christianized before, but were taken over by Muslims afterwards. Meanwhile Styria was only Christianized majorly in the 12th century. Mainly because it is an area that is so high up in the mountains, that pretty much everyone until then who tried to forcefully Christianize failed.)

And when I was 18, I moved in with my then boyfriend, who lived in Leoben in Styria. So that year was the first time, that I ever heard of Krampus, because there was a lot of Krampus related stuff happening in Styria. Mainly there was a Krampuslauf pretty much everywhere on December 5th, so in the night before December 6th, before St. Nikolaus came. And yes, as you might be aware, the story about Krampus is usually about how he will take the naughty children and kidnap and eat them in some way or form.

In Austria meanwhile this looks like this: A whole lot of men dress up with creepy masks, run through the streets, and hit people with whips. A very Castlevania holiday indeed. Yes, usually some bullshit happens, because of people are anonymous some bullshit always happens, right?

And for my whole life I have always wondered: While I was living in Austria I noticed a whole lot more references to Krampus in American media. I chucked it up to be a cognitive bias. You know, when you learn about a new word for example, you notice it a lot more being used. So I shrugged and went on with my life, not really thinking about this again. Until that conversation a couple of days ago. And this time… This time I could not help myself. Because I was like: “I am pretty sure the Krampus tradition is older than the St. Nikolaus tradition in that area. So it is probably not a Christian thing.” But I also kept thinking: “Is it though?” Mainly, because during this years @fluff-cember I also wrote a story about Perchten, and I could not help but notice one thing: Krampus has an awful lot of similarity to Perchten.

Mother Holde and Perchten

Hey, you. Americans specifically. Do you know the story of Frau Holle? Because while I know you might probably not be familiar with a lot of European folklore, there is a good chance you at least will know the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm.

If you don’t, don’t worry. I will give you the short rundown. (Mind you, like with all fairlytales, there are about 10 different versions of this story going around. Because those were oral stories first.)

The short version however is like this.

A miller looses his wife and marries anew. And his new wife has a daughter from a previous marriage. Now they have two daughters named Marie. And like it goes in those fairytales, the stepmother treats the Marie from the old marriage very poorly, especially after the father dies. However, this Marie is a diligent child. She will do all her chores without complaining. And one day she is send to spin yarn at the local well. However, her spindle falls into the well – and when she tries to fetch it, she falls into it as well. However, instead of being stuck in the well, it turns out she gets basically isekai’d into another realm, where an old woman meets her, introducing herself as Frau Holle. And she offers this Marie to help her with her chores, and if Marie does so, she will be rewarded. Marie, being the diligent child, obviously agrees. And she does the chores, that unbeknownst to her actually allow the season on earth to move on properly. Part of it is to beat out the pillows and blankets, making it snow on the world. And after a while, Frau Holle is very impressed with her, and showers her in gold, before sending her back home. Now, the stepmother finds this child now rich and golden, and asks her where she got all that gold. And Marie, being the diligent child, tells her. So the stepmother tells her own daughter to do the same. So this daughter will also spin by the well, drop her spindle, fall in and get isekai’d. And indeed. It happens. However, this Marie is lazy and not at all diligent. And after a while Frau Holle has enough with her, and instead of with gold, she showers this Marie in pitch and sends her back.

And then there is this moral about being a diligent girl and diligence being rewarded and stuff.

However, Frau Holle actually goes far, far back into German, and especially alpine mythology to the goddess Holde, Berchte, or Perchten.

Now, we have a pretty good idea from mythological research, that Berchte (to be translated as “the bright one”) was probably very related to Frigg from Norse mythology, just with some adjustments given that this was a goddess who was prayed to in the alps, rather than Scandinavia – and mythology will always shift to reflect the area people live in.

But yes, Berchte was – from all we can reconstruct – always linked to spinning, and to the midwinter holidays. After all, most cultures did celebrate the solstices in some way or form. And it seems that indeed Berchte was connected to bringing gifts during the solstice, but also with punishing lazy and naughty children and servants. While we do have little written evidence for this in the pre-Christian culture (because they wrote down very little), we know that Berchte was said to roam around during the Christmas holidays, after these areas got Christanized.

And while Berchte would both appaear as a pretty young woman, and a motherly old woman, there seemed at some point a shift to happen. And when she came to punish those who had been lazy or naughty, she would appear as a monsterous woman with goat horns, who more commonly was called Perchten. (Still same word root though.) It is not quite clear whether Perchten at that point already was a different being from Berchte – or just a slightly varied name for a different incarnation. But however it happened: Over the next few centuries the Berchte worship died out, but Perchten survived.

Perchten and the Angry White Men

Now, here comes the interesting bit. Because we have written evidence of Perchten going as far back as the 12th century. And we know that even after Christianization of these area, Perchten stayed around. And in fact, it became a tradition for the women to dress up as Perchten during the Christmas celebrations (which back in the day lasted for 12 days, as you might know) and play tricks on everyone, who they perceived to have been naughty.

And… Well, here is the thing. We do not know how it happened. But one of the current theories is, that simply some men were like: “Why do women get to have all the fun?!” And kinda wanted to make a male pendent for Perchten. Which ended up being Krampus.

Now, please consider two things: 1) There is a theory too, that Krampus might have been influenced by Ottoman and Balkan mythology, though this connection is kinda hard to source, though it would explain the origins of the name. 2) In northern areas of the Germanic people, St. Nikolaus was already celebrated and had a companion, who was indeed punishing the naughty kids. Servant Rupert (Knecht Ruprecht). However, this companion was not monstrous like Krampus, but just a guy in a servant’s uniform and with a whip made of twigs. Simple as that. It still might have been an influence.

One way or another: Ethnologists are very, very certain that Krampus did come to be as a reaction to Perchten and the Perchtenläufe, which also explains the visual correlations between Krampus and Perchten.

The first written sources we have for Krampus showing up only go back to the mid-17th century, but historians assume that this tradition started in the late-16th century. But the exact details are fairly hard to pin down.

It turns out, though, that my very subjective experience of not noticing a whole lot of Krampus stuff earlier was very correct. Because… this tradition kinda got lost mostly during the 19th century. Like, sure, some places still had a Krampuslauf of some sort, and had Krampus come with St. Nikolaus during the celebrations, but for several reasons (one of them being that the Krampus just appeared too pagan) the tradition mostly got lost for a long, long while.

White People and their Lost Culture

And this brings me back to me never ever hearing anything about Krampus until I moved to Austria about 15 years ago. Because when I was in Austria, everyone told me that, yeah, sure, this Krampus thing is totally an old tradition. And heck, many of them might not even have meant to lie to me, given they were themselves fairly young. But indeed, the widespread comeback of the Krampuslauf actually only started in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Again, no, it was never a fully dead tradition, but it had petered off over the centuries and only was a thing in very few places until Styria came into the problem, that a lot of western European nations generally have to struggle with: “Well, Christianity got pushed onto us during the middle ages, and we actually do not fucking know a whole lot about our culture before Christianity, do we now? So if I do no longer align with Christianity, what the heck is my culture?” This need to have a culture of their own clearly also was influenced by the influx of immigrants and the racist reflex to be like: “Hey, this is our culture” in comparison.

And so… someone stumbled across the entire Krampus thing and was like: “Welp, this certainly does feel kinda pagan, doesn’t it?” And so Krampus was brought back, and within a couple of years became a tradition pretty much every place in Styria participated in, before it even spread to other parts of Austria.

Which brings me back to being a little alpaca standing in Austria and being like: “Huh, I never heard of it.” And then seeing horror movies themed around Krampus spring up, tilt my head and wonder: “Wait, was this always a thing?”

The answer is: Nope. Nope, it wasn’t! American references to Krampus in media go only back until 2004, and actually the big push to include Krampus in western media only happened in the early 2010s. So no, it was actually no subconscious bias on my side. It was true. Krampus was actually fairly new and the reason I never noticed this before was, that it simply had not been a thing for very long, when I came to Austria – and that indeed American media only started to broadly include Krampus in the early 2010s.

Which brings me back to the most important thing this rabbit hole has taught me: It was actually not my subconscious cognitive bias! HOORAY!

So, what about St. Nikolaus?

Let me finish with this: St. Nikolaus has been a figure who has brought treats and presents to children and servants (I cannot stress the later part enough) at least since the 11th century, probably already earlier. The historical figure that inspired this tradition goes back to the 4th century, obviously, and the way St. Nikolaus has given out presents in Europe for the most part was related to the legend around the historical figure. And yes, from all we know, the tradition of giving St. Nikolaus some sort of other person who accompanies him and at times is responsible for punishing the evil kids and servants might go back at least until the 12th century. Those servants of St. Nick have had a whole lot of names in a whole lot of different areas, and talking about them all would let me write at least a small novella here.

And in a way, I am somewhat sad, that the one of the figures who somehow managed to get picked up by Americans is actually Krampus – and how very much divorced from the cultural context he originated it became.

I guess in some way it is fitting, given that of course the American version of St. Nikolaus is also very much divorced from any cultural context he once had. It is simply the thing American culture does: Divorcing things from their cultural context. I mean, I am gonna be mean here, but I am gonna bet that I know more about the bible than pretty much 95% of American Christians, given how Christianity came ot the US and is taught there to this day. Again: Fully divorced from the cultural context.

And still, I wish it would not be that way. It would at least make Holiday movies a whole lot more interesting. Be it the ones about Santa dealing with Santa actually being a brown man, or the ones about Krampus dealing with my horny boy originating from men wanting to have a horned representation as well, while running around the alps during the winter months.

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writingquestionsanswered · 1 year ago

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I’ve been reading some craft books and online posts about the world building because my story is an urban fantasy set in present day US, in a fictional town, and theres not a secondary world where the fantasy happens, it’s all in the real world, except the magic is a secret that only certain people know about, but all of the resources I find about world building only talk about fantastical worlds that exist by themselves and not the kind of more subtle world building that I’d have to do. Do you have any tips?

Guide: Creating a Fictional Town in the Real World

Step 1 - Choose Your Location - There are two ways to go about choosing a location for your fictional town. One is to go the "Springfield U.S.A." route, ala The Simpsons, and be vague about the specific location (borough, parish, district, county, region, state, or province) and instead give a broader geographic region... "the East Coast," "the Pacific Northwest," "Central Canada," Northern Scotland," etc. The other option is to go ahead and put your fictional town in a specific location. Just figure out where (for example, somewhere outside of Des Moines, Iowa) and go to Google Maps, click on satellite view, then start zooming in on big empty areas. Choose a place big enough to fit a town. Yes, in reality it's probably farm fields, pasture, or someone's property, but that doesn't matter. You don't have to actually show it on a map. It's just a plausible spot to build your town. Now you can measure how far it is to other places, you know what highways to take to get to it. You can even do street view to get the lay of the land, see what the landscape looks like and try to envision the buildings there. You can also use what's there to create parks, popular recreational areas, and anything else your town needs.

Step 2 - Choose Your Inspiration - Even when you're creating a fictional town, it's still a good idea to use a real town (or two, or three) from that general area as inspiration for your town. For a fictional town in Des Moines, I would zoom in on the map to find a nearby town of similar size... like Elkhart, then I can take a look around to see what it's like. Just looking at the map, I can see they have a couple of churches, a couple baseball fields, a very small main street/downtown area with a couple shops and restaurants, a post office, a few different neighborhoods, and a cemetery. This would be a great model for a small fictional town outside of Des Moines. And, as I said, you could look at a couple other sand combine them. Once you have your inspiration town/s, you can walk around on Google Maps street view, go to the town's web site, watch a tour on YouTube (if one exists), or look up pictures in Google Image search.

Step 3 - Start Planning - This is the really fun part! First, you might want to draw a basic map of your fictional town using your inspiration town/s as a guide. This doesn't have to be a pretty map... just a basic line drawing to help you envision where everything is. Think about some of the basic things this town might have, like the ones I listed in step two, and any other things you might want your town to have, like maybe a library, a hospital, a city hall, school, and maybe a movie theater. It might even be helpful and fun to put together a collage of pictures to represent your town so you've got something in mind as you write about it. You can even choose representatives for specific locations in your story, like your MC's house, school, and their favorite hangout.

Step 4 - Naming Your Town - Start by looking at the kinds of town names that surround your town. Look for common naming conventions... suffixes like -ton, -ville, -dale, -burg, -wood, -field, etc. Words in a particular language, like a lot of French-inspired town names, or towns with geographical terms (lake, hill, valley, river, canyon, gap, etc.) My guide to Naming Locations has additional tips.

Step 5 - Populate Your Town and Give it a History - Last but not least, make up a little history for your town, again, using surrounding towns as inspiration. Who founded it? When was it founded? What's the town's main industry? What are the people like in this town? What jobs do they have? What do they do for fun?

Here are some other posts that might help:

Five Things to Help You Describe Fictional Locations Setting Your Story in an Unfamiliar Place WQA’s Guide to Internet Research Happy writing!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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weirdstrangeandawful · 27 days ago

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I was super lucky to grow up in Canada's capital and go to school a couple blocks from Parliament because, let me tell you, sitting in on the House of Commons is absolutely worth it as hell. And you can just do it. My friend and I would simply skip class and go visit and other times we'd hang out in the gallery after class and listen in.

If you're looking for drama, question period is where you're going to find it because that's where the most contentious issues are brought to the government so that's when most members of the public show up.

But I highly recommend sitting in on random other bits. Some things you get to hear and see:

Petitions. Parliamentary petitions have to be brought in front of the House and then responded to in writing within 45 days. Most petitions do not lead to meaningful change so most people don't see what gets brought up let alone the knee-jerk reaction members have to it (as much as they try to hide it) and they get disheartened. Most petitions actually do get a reaction from members!

Debates over bills and motions that pass easily. It's so easy to read the news or watch question period and think that members are incredibly polarised and hate each other to bits but many things just make it right through with incredible politeness.

The most out of tune rendition of Happy Birthday I have ever heard in my life. Poor Geoff Regan (amazing Speaker) had Happy Birthday sung to him by the entire House. Yes, they put forward a motion and he upheld it. No, they cannot sing. No, I don't think they even all sang it in the same language. Yes, he looked distressed.

The bit after question period. This is really interesting. The last time I went happened to be during the NAFTA talks in Trump's first term when Chrystia Freeland was Minister of Foreign Affairs. There is a mass exodus of MPs after question period officially ends but I remember being especially impressed by the sudden civility and complexity once the crowds left. Suddenly, with Freeland sitting mostly on her own against a few passionate opposition members, it was a lot easier to focus on the questions being put and the answers. I learned a lot.

Your MP. I lived in Ottawa at the time so my MP was there pretty consistently (I am no longer her constituent but I still appreciate her immensely) so I got to see what role she played in the House. I got to see who she was sitting next to, what she too notes on, who she whispered to, etc. So much goes on behind the scenes and you can get glimpses just by sitting in. If you're outside Ottawa and want to see them in person, just ask them when they'll be physically in the House so you can plan your trip.

Talk of dolphins. Maybe. Okay but seriously, you get to see talk of bills that have like nothing to do with you but are super interesting. I got to hear discussion on the protection of dolphins! I know like nothing about dolphins but neither did these MPs! It is so nice to hear things that are extremely contentious but not directly attacking you. You get to realise that hey, these people don't actually hate every population they don't have a stake in.

Some notes on accessibility:

I actually haven't gone back to Parliament since I moved out west so I haven't actually been there since the renovations started and the HoC got moved to West Block

From my experience, you basically have to go through airport security to get in since the 2014 shooting and, after the recent incident, I expect it's even tighter so keep that in mind

If you need to see a certain member or side of the House, you will need to sit in the opposite gallery. It is really difficult to look down at the side you are sitting over.

I haven't been since I've used mobility aids that have required more space but my recollection is that the seating in the gallery was similar to a movie theatre (I can't remember if there was any specific accessible area)

For hearing, it was impossible to hear for even hearing people and they know this so they have devices connected to your seat like a bar of plastic similar to a bad rendition of a landline telephone earpiece (think large plastic bar with speaker). You can switch between direct feed, French, and English and possibly a few other modes that I can't recall though I don't think they were other languages. My Deaf friend with CIs and I (HoH, pre-HAs) struggled but got by. I don't know if they've improved this since they moved. I hope so.

Email your MP if you want to go. This is your right and this is their/their assistants' job. If you are unable to attend and they will not assist, that is a constitutional and probably procedural violation.

Also CPAC exists but, I'll be honest I haven't used it so I cannot comment on what that misses (I may look once the election happens and Parliament is back in session and update but no promises)

#weird strange and awful politics #canadian politics #canadian parliament #question period #house of commons

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darkmaga-returns · 3 months ago

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By Erwin J. Haas MD MBA January 31, 2025

Two months ago President Trump announced his ambitions to enlarge the United States.

Specifically;

In Latin America, Trump wants to retake the Panama canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico and bring Mexico to heal. This superficially evokes the Monroe Doctrine but more cogently involves controlling South America with its economic, political and migration problems.

Parenthetically a lack of rain in Central America may make the Panama Canal become unusable for modern navigation. In recent years hundreds of ships wait daily to cross between the Pacific and the Atlantic side even as they are unable to carry a full load. Maybe US technology and money might help.

The Chinese are buying up portions of South America and gaining economic sway in that area. Trump frets.

The coast of the United States roughly equals that of Mexico on the Gulf. I suppose Trump’s meaningless change in wordage is harmless.

To the north, the Greenland and Canada annexation schemes mention acquisition of natural resources like oil, minerals, lumber and fishing. Greenland is on the shortest route between Europe and the USA. The island can be used to spy on the Russian Northern Fleet as it enters the Atlantic.

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bantersnatch · 2 months ago

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hello dont mind me picking your brains here but what kind of wedding venue do you think the david/vic wedding would've taken place... or even a specific location... (this may or may not be for a fic)

this feels like you walked into my house and asked what kind of knife i want you to stab me with. this fic that may or may not exist is going to hurt me so badly. i cannot wait.

some options, keeping in mind 1. the host both went to college in california and lives in california now, so likely got married in california (???), and 2. i personally don't really see them getting married outdoors:

a "classic" church wedding with a reception at a secondary location (maybe a beach or something i don't know what californians do)

a hotel (to help accommodate out of state guests, which presumably any family of the host's that showed up would be) (i also think there's a level of sterility and control to this option that would appeal to the host)

generally, something either very luxurious or very cost-efficient. it could go either way for me depending on the host's mood at the time as well as how much david was willing to capitulate to their ego (this is potentially his third wedding? he's maybe wealthy? he took their name? there are a lot of factors at play and it's going to depend on your characterization of him)

some further options, without the california assumption:

a church (part two, midwest edition)

a hotel (part two, midwest edition)

a destination wedding -- maybe in canada? the host shares enough dna with real-vic that the canadian of it all is seeping through, but the host explicitly calls themself 'american' a couple times so maybe they're just a fan of canada without being a resident. consider the toronto area or the vancouver area for potential locations.

if we ever get canon on their actual wedding venue it might well be as a punchline, so going with something unhinged wouldn't be out of line depending on the tone you're going for with the story :}

happy writing! i'm very excited to see what evils you cook up <3

#vip #asks #anonymous

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clove-pinks · 1 year ago

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A delightful part of the Fort Meigs museum is this dress-up area for children, with child-sized replica clothing for different groups present in 1813, and an illustrative mural on the wall.

The soldier at far right is labeled Native American but looks more Shawnee specifically, and is from Tecumseh's Confederacy. The British redcoat is from the 41st Regiment of Foot, who were deployed to Canada in 1799 and saw action throughout the Niagara region and the old northwest. I like that the fatigue dress at far left shows the US forage cap, although I think the long, tasseled style was also in use.

19th US Infantry uniform looks correct... Ohio militia maybe not so much? All US War of 1812 state militia are always depicted in that stupid hideous frontiersy get-up, especially if they're from "western" states. I think it's supposed to imply that they did not have standard uniforms like a professional army. An extant Ohio militia uniform in the museum looks nothing like this, however!

This wool militia coatee was worn by Thomas Armstrong at Fort Meigs in 1812-1813. His militia company was raised in Lisbon, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border. Typical of the problems with state militias in the War of 1812, most of Armstrong's company returned home before they even reached Fort Meigs, because their terms of enlistment had expired.

It was an emotional experience to be so close to an extant uniform! Armstrong does not appear to have been small in stature, from his coatee, and the waist is not small, although clever tailoring with the dolman-style buttons and piping makes it look more pinched-in. (Remind me to show you the absurdly wasp-waisted War of 1812 uniform from Kentucky). More civilian fashion influences can be seen in the long coattails.

#war of 1812 #fort meigs #military history #us army #redcoats #state militia #uniforms #napoleonic #dressed to kill #ohio #us history #old northwest #1810s #fashion #dress history #extant #thomas armstrong

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imstillhere-butallislost · 1 year ago

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Testosterone gel vs shots, and why I switched

Testosterone gel is gel that is applied topically to your body, and I was on this for over a year.

In September, I switched to intramuscular injections done once weekly.

I'm going to explain my dosage and why I switched methods! This may not apply to you, this is my specific experience.

I was very happy with testosterone gel when I started. I was on 1% gel, starting at one pump and moving to 2 pumps. Each pump was 12.5 mg of testosterone I believe.

Gel was really easy to begin with. You have to keep it and the area you apply it on your body away from animals and children and others who might not want extra testosterone on them, but this was not a problem with me. The gel is daily. This helps if you need to do something daily to get it into your routine.

The gel also takes very little time to put on, it is the same consistency of hand sanitizer. It's honestly really foolproof to use, it's very easy and consistent. I noticed some changes within the first couple of weeks! (I have a timeline posted on this blog)

The gel also gives you a very consistent dose of hormones each day, which was definitely good for my mental health.

The cons of gel for me started around summer when It was warmer and putting on gel and then wearing long sleeves over it just was not fun. Going hand in hand with this i also got a boyfriend and did not want to get gel on him accidentally.

The daily nature of the gel also wasn't helpful if I was going to stay the night somewhere because I would need to bring a bottle of gel if I wanted to put it on first thing in the morning, or I could do it when I got home but risk forgetting to do it. Daily gel became a slight hassle with my new routines.

Gel was also so so so very expensive. I'm in Canada and have no insurance. The gel was around 200 dollars monthly.

My levels were also not where I wanted them to be on the gel. This may have been solved if I went on a higher dose, but the higher dose would cost more money that I do not have. This may not apply to you if you have insurance. Male testosterone levels are between 10-35 nmol/l. I was at 3 nmol/l after over a year on testosterone.

For the shots, I've been on intramuscular shots since September. I take .25ml every week. There is 50mg of testosterone in each injection.

My levels have already went up into the male range although I haven't experienced many further changes yet. I'm at 23 nmol/L.

I only have to worry about doing my shot one day a week, and I could have chosen to have those farther apart but I feel like my mental health would suffer if I did them too far apart.

I don't have to worry about gel rubbing off onto anyone or anything like that.

I pay nothing for my testosterone as my local insurance covers it.

The WORST part about doing the injections is... actually doing the injections. It hurts sometimes, and the times it doesn't I'm anxious about it hurting. It's stabbing a needle into your own body, it's difficult.

This makes the shots unpredictable. Unlike the gel, the shots can hurt sometimes and not other times. If predictability is important to you, maybe don't go for shots.

I do understand that the more you do it the better you will get at choosing the correct spot to inject, but for me it's been really hard not knowing if I'm going to be in a lot of pain or if it will not hurt at all. I'm not even a person who is afraid of needles or pain, it's just hard to do it to your self. That being said, it has never been so bad that I've missed an injection before.

That's all I got for now, ask me any questions you need too!!

#t gel #testosterone gel #testosterone #hrt #ftm #ftm hrt #testosterone shots #t shot #hope this helps anybody #Dan talks

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pseudotsugas · 4 months ago

Text

man. i really try not to "but why does this not discuss settler-colonialism?" every single piece of fiction i encounter that's set in north america because that is a very good way to just prevent myself from ever enjoying any popular media again. but.

with what i have read so far of the southern reach trilogy, it feels like suuuuuch a huge missed opportunity that these books' conception of wilderness and its relationship to civilization so far seems to involve absolutely no consideration of that (recent and presently ongoing!) history, or of indigeneity as a perspective in general.

like i'm not done the books yet, maybe it'll wrap around in a way i find satisfying. and like obviously a lot of how the setting works is pretty open to interpretation, and there are productive readings you can do there that could more directly tie the Area X situation to histories of colonial dispossession and not just a vague idea of "human disruption of the natural world". idk i really really love these books and i see a lot of myself in them, and as seems to be the case with so many things it feels really weird to see this huge gaping hole in their worldview.

idk this train of thought came about because i just finished Authority and i'm thinking a lot about Rock Bay. and even moreso thinking about the real area that Rock Bay is apparently based on, an area in which i myself have done a fair few intertidal biology surveys. and while the location of Rock Bay obviously isn't supposed to match exactly 1:1 with that of Port Renfrew BC (for one thing, it's vaguely implied to be drivable to within the continental USA's road network rather than on an island in Canada), i was struck by how the biologist's rocks' described location 20 miles north of town puts them right around the mouth of the Nitinaht Narrows. This location is pretty significant! To vastly oversimplify: the Ditidaht Nation had their primary village near this spot until as recently as the 1960s, when they were forced by a variety of government and industrial pressures to move inland, clearing the way for the coastal areas to be turned into the national park that they are today, and whose remoteness JVM is leveraging here to support the biologist's characterization. There are, currently, efforts by the nation to try to reclaim more control of the area and move some families back through a long-beleaguered treaty process.

and while the specifics of the real place may not apply in the fiction, in general these narratives re: the origin of wilderness seem like pretty relevant context for both Rock Bay's brief portrayal in the book and even moreso Area X itself (I'm just less personally familiar with the colonial history of the gulf coast so it didn't hit me as immediately). the power held by the biologist - to fully immerse herself in a landscape, to give herself over to it and become part of its processes - necessarily must contend with the fact that those processes already include human culture and technology, and always have. and at this point, having finished 2 out of the original 3 books, i truly just have no idea what the books think about any of this, and that feels really weird. again, maybe it'll get there in Acceptance or Absolution!

(if i were to be very very uncharitable, i might call Annihilation a fantasy of settler self-indigenization that manages to completely excise even the *idea* of indigenous people from the equation. i think presenting that as a genuine take is maybe a bit too huge of a reach even for me, but. it sure is a feeling that nags at the back of my mind every time i find myself identifying with the biologist.)

#not making this rebloggable because these opinions are not fully formed yet. also i do not want to be misconstrued as #'cancelling' what are ultimately very good books and which - again - i have not finished reading.#also i am sure others have had these discussions before; i have read exactly zero critical writing about this series.

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sabyfangirl · 2 years ago

Text

Alone

After the brothers had a huge argument, Chris accidentally fell out of the Tortuga and into canadian woods in the middle of a snow storm, leaving his guilt-consumed brother to go looking for him with the help of the team.

After another successful creature rescue, the Tortuga team had decided to head North America, Canada to be more specific. Unfortunately, the timing was not the best since there had been serious ice storms and blizzards in most of the areas, forcing the gang to stay inside the Tortuga for what they planned to be a "short period" of time, which quickly turned into days - driving the Kratt brothers insane.

"Martin, turn that racket down! Can't you see I'm trying to read?" Chris yelled from across the room. He was reading a book in his hammock - about science and biology - while Martin was playing the guitar on a floor cushion.

"Well I wanna play my guitar, I gotta do something to keep myself from getting bored!" Martin replied moodily, strumming even harder this time.

They both stared at each other angrily.

From the other side of the room, the girls watched as the tension between the brothers intensified.

"Oh, the storm outside is nothing compared to the one inside," Aviva sighed exasperatedly, Koki nodding her head.

"Yeah, I've never seen them fight before, like ever!" she pointed out with a disappointed tone.

"It's really not like them, we've been cooped up in here for so long it's making them crazy!"

After bearing the sound for one more minute, Chris had enough. "Will you stop playing for just five seconds?!" he snapped.

"You're not the boss of me, so no," Martin said with all of his chest.

"That does it," Chris slammed his book closed, "I'm going to the garage where I can be alone," he shot his brother a hard look from the corner of his eyes.

Martin, barely looking up, simply shrugged. "Whatever," he scoffed while tuning his guitar. Aviva and Koki shared unhappy looks as Chris disappeared out of sight.

"Enough is enough." Martin looked up to find Aviva looking down at him, Koki right beside her. "What has gotten into you guys?" Aviva started.

"You've been fighting over small things lately, and it's getting worse," Koki persued, a firm look on her face.

Martin layed down his guitar and got up. "Oh come on, he's the one who started it!" he said defensively.

Aviva and Koki gave him the uh huh look. He kind of felt as though it was his fault, but wouldn't admit it. He walked by the girls only to accidentally sit on a particular switch.

In the garage, Chris was looking for a good spot to read in peace. "Argh, why does Martin have to be so annoying," he let out with a frustrated tone.

He eventually sat down against a pile of boxes.

"At least he won't be bugging me here," he buried his face in his book... but couldn't bring himself to focus on reading. He looked up and sighed deeply.

"Maybe I should-"

Suddenly, the garage hatch opened right in front of him.

"Oh no!" Chris yelped as he got sucked in, his hands grasping the edge of the hatch as he held on for dear life, having let go of his book as it disappeared into the darkness.

Other objects flew past him, but just as he thought he was going to make it, he got hit in the face by one of the boxes, sending him falling out of the Tortuga.

"AAAH!"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was, you gotta talk things out with Chris," Aviva insisted.

Martin looked away, arms crossed, but deep down he knew he had to do the right thing. "Okay fine, I'll go and apologize to him," Martin sighed in defeat as he reluctantly made his way to the garage, Aviva and Koki sharing delighted expressions.

"That's more like it."

"Chris," Martin called out as soon as he entered the garage.

No answer.

"I know you're in here somewhere, I just wanna talk-" he stopped short when he noticed the garage hatch was wide open, and Chris was nowhere to be seen.

His stomach dropped. "Chris!" He ran over and looked down from the hatch. It was like staring at a black hole, only being able to see endless snowflakes, but no sign of his brother.

"No..." He stood there for a moment, processing what had happened.

"NO! CHRIS!" Martin cried out, but it was pointless.

He then rushed back to the main room. "The garage hatch is open! Chris is gone!"

"WHAT?!" Aviva and Koki looked stunned.

"But how?" Koki looked over her shoulder. "Someone sat on the switch," she glared at him.

Martin's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. Just a moment ago he felt angry, but now he was consumed with guilt.

"And it's freezing out there!" Aviva paused and slowly turned her head to look at Martin. "...What was Chris wearing?"

The question caught his breath. "Nothing but shorts and a sweater..." Martin's voice trailed off as he gradually felt himself panicking on the inside.

Noticing this, Aviva grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard. "Martin focus, we gotta go back and find Chris." Martin took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll go tell Jimmy to turn back and let him know what's going on," Koki dashed to the pilot room, leaving Martin and Aviva looking at each other with concerned eyes.

"Oh, brother..."

In a snow-covered forest, lay an unmoving body. Suddenly, weak moans started to escape him. The green Kratt was slowly returning to the world of living, the soft but horribly cold touch of the snow making it harder for him to get up from the ground. He gritted his teeth as he sat up and brushed the snow off his clothes before he looked around with blurry eyes; it was pitch dark, with nothing but the harsh winter wind howling in his numb face, snowflakes dancing around him. Part of him was actually grateful he had landed in soft snow. Cold but soft. Though he wished there was such a thing as warm snow, as silly as it sounded in his head. In a shiver, he wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to stand up, almost failing at it. He was so cold, acknowledging that his attire wasn't suitable for the weather. His skin felt like it could easily rip any moment. His teeth chattered so badly, the vibration could reach his brain. A thought suddenly came to him; he dug his trembling hand in his pocket...only to find that he didn't have his creature pod on him. He must've lost it during the fall.

Fantastic.

He squinted his eyes as he tried to spot anything that might be useful; the boxes that accompanied him during his fall were mostly wrecked, some were even sticking out of sharp branches, like marshmallow during a campfire. He swallowed hard as a chill went down his spine. It could've been him.

"This is g-great," he muttered to himself, trying hard not to panic. He had no clue where he was nor for how long he was out cold, all he knew is that he couldn't stand there for too long. "G-Gotta f-find sh-shelter." He picked a random direction and dragged his feet in the thick snow.

"Land the Tortuga right here, Jimmy!" Aviva pointed at a clearing, which could be seen thanks to their searchlights.

"Righty-o!" Jimmy landed the Tortuga, slow and steady.

With no time to spare, the gang got geared up and ready to go out on the search. They all headed to the garage and decided to take the Creetera - Aviva had modified it to make it move through the toughest of conditions, including snow. With Jimmy behind the wheel, Koki next to him and Aviva and Martin in the back, they took off to find their brother and friend... Before it was too late.

"We're coming, Chris."

Everything around him felt cold, vicious, biting and blinding. The wind was roaring in his ears, he had snow in his hair and he was shivering badly. The black and brown thorns wrapped around the forest, almost like teeth waiting to tear at him. Each trudge felt longer and harder than the last. He was getting colder and weaker. He couldn't stand it anymore. All he wanted was a warm bed and a soft blanket, and to think that he had all that and more not long ago. He stopped and looked down at his hands: his fingertips were already turning blue.

Blue.

Martin.

Part of him wanted to blame him for everything, but the other just missed him so badly. He could even hear his voice echoing in his head.

Well I wanna play my guitar, I gotta do something to keep myself from getting bored!

The random cracking sound of wood suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. His eyes danced around to spot the source of it, when they landed on what seemed to be... a hut.

Wait... A HUT!

Slowly but surely, he made his way to what he considered to be the perfect shelter, but when he got close enough, he began to have doubts; the hut was pretty small, so small that not even a horse could fit in it. It had no door, and even with all the snow, he could still tell it wasn't very solid.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Without another thought, he bent his head to enter the hut. It was dark and he could hardly see, but at least he no longer had snow blowing at his face. He walked deeper into the hut, until he found a corner where he sat down. His numb hands touched the ground and he felt smooth, humid grass, which was more preferable than snow. A shaky sigh escaped his chest as he looked around him. A bit of dim moonlight pierced through the cracks and holes, creating a somewhat comforting scene. A weak smile crept across his face, but it faded as soon as he remembered his misery. He also remembered the moment he fought with his brother.

Will you stop playing for just five seconds?!

That does it, I'm going to the garage where I can be alone.

Alone.

Now he was truly alone.

He felt a small tear forming in his eye, but he held it back. He wondered if the crew noticed he was gone yet. He hoped they were already looking for him, having no idea how long he could possibly last out there. The weather was bad enough, but the lack of clothing made it far worse. He calculated the possibilities and the chances he had to survive. He felt his breathing getting faster as the realization hit him. He was freezing. His whole body ached from the cold. He already recognized the early signs of hypothermia; he felt numb, sluggish and his heart rate and breathing had increased. He knew that by staying completely immobile, his symptoms would only get worse. But just as he had the idea of getting up and walking around a little, he heard the loud booming sound of snapping wood right outside, then-

BOOM.

"Stop!" Martin cried out. Jimmy immediately smashed the breaks, and the Creetera came to a halt. Everyone turned to look at Martin who was pale as a sheet.

"Martin?" Aviva approached him, concerned. "What's wrong?

Martin slowly looked up at her, a petrified look on his face. "It's Chris," he swallowed hard.

"What about him?" Koki raised an eyebrow.

"He's hurt, I-I can feel it." He placed a few fingers on the side of his head.

The others exchanged worried looks. "You think you might know where he is?" Jimmy asked.

"N-No," Martin shook his head, still staring into the void. "All I know is that he's hurt." He then looked at them, distress painting his face. "We need to find him fast!"

"We will." Aviva placed a hand on his shoulder. "We promise."

"Uhh, guys," everyone's attention turned to the ginger guy. "What's that?" He pointed at something sticking out of the snow in front of them, illuminated by the headlights.

Martin was the first to hopp off. He went over and pulled the object out of the snow, letting out a loud gasp.

"Martin, what is it?" Aviva knelt beside him.

"It's Chris' book," he managed with a trembling voice, eyes fixated on the title.

"Wait, that means we're on the right track," Aviva said. "...Martin?"

You're not the boss of me, so no.

"Martin?" Aviva shook the blue Kratt. "Snap out of it!"

"It's all my fault," he muttered.

"What?"

Martin looked at her dead in the eye. "This is all my fault. It's my fault Chris is lost out here, it's my fault that he's probably hurt and it's my fault that-"

"Hey, hey, hey..." Aviva cut him off, her voice calm and gentle. "None of this is your fault, we'll find your brother." She grasped his shoulders in a comforting way. "Everything's gonna be okay," she smiled reassuringly.

With glassy eyes, Martin gave her a thankful smile.

"We better get moving," they heard Koki say from behind them. "If he landed here, Chris most likely would've taken...that path." She pointed with her finger, before heading back to the Creetera, followed by Aviva and Martin.

The ringing in his ears grew larger and larger...before it stopped. He gasped as his eyes flung open. The pain was so intense. He tried to move, but his body screamed in response. He put up a shaky hand to his throbbing head, and flinched... He looked down; blood. He felt crimson flowing from the side of his head. Cuts and bruises were all over his body, but he was in too much pain to notice. He then stared at both hands with wide eyes. No!

At that moment, tiny splinters of wood started falling in front of his face. He looked up to find, to his utter horror, a HUGE tree trunk that had burst through the roof, having completely destroyed half the hut. The damage was indescribable. And since the tree trunk was only a few inches above him, Chris used all of his remaining strength to crawl away from it. Oh, the pain was immeasurable. He finally made it to a safer corner, sucking in his fragile, frozen body. He couldn't feel his limps anymore. He then looked at his hands one more time...and his eyes filled with tears. It felt hopeless. He could feel himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness. He clenched his achy chest, his breathing shaky and unsteady. He just wished he could've seen his brother one last time, just hear his sweet voice, or feel one of his hugs.

"M-Martin," his voice was weak and stained with agony. "Help..."

Then the world around him turned black.

Help.

Martin gasped at the familiar voice echoing in his head. He clenched his chest. "Chris?"

"Jimmy stop!" Aviva let out as soon as she noticed. "Martin?"

"He's near, I can feel it." Martin looked around frantically. "Over there!" He pointed at a strange structure in the distance.

When the Creetera got close enough, the crew gasped at the sight. "A tree fell on this hut!" Koki exclaimed.

"Whoa, that's some serious damage," Jimmy let out in awe.

"You don't think...?" Aviva's voice trailed off.

"Only one way to find out." Martin hopped off the vehicle, not forgetting his bag. "You guys stay here, it's too dangerous for all of us to get in."

The crew nodded. "Be careful," Aviva said.

Martin took out a flashlight as he entered the half-demolished shelter. As he walked deeper, he noticed the trunk sticking out of the ceiling, the sky vomiting snow all over. Then, he noticed an unmoving form in the corner. His eyes widened as he held up the flashlight with a trembling hand. When his eyes landed on him, he felt as though he was stabbed in the heart.

"CHRIS!" he cried out, throwing away his flashlight and dropping on his knees. "No, no, no, no, bro, wake up, it's me, Martin!" his voice was filled with despair, holding his face close to his. He then grabbed him by the shoulders and almost shook him, but didn't. He had to remain calm for his brother's sake. He noticed the dry blood on his face, already getting an idea of how it happened. If the trunk were a person, he would've punched them so hard. He then noticed the state of his hands and gasped quietly.

Frostbite.

He gently leaned in and pressed an ear against his chest, holding him close with his arms as he closed his eyes. "Please, please, please..."

...

Thumb. Thumb.

A faint heartbeat. It was shallow, but very much there.

Martin breathed the biggest sigh of relief he ever had, tears welling up in his eyes. He felt like breaking down and sobbing right then and there, but he abstained himself. He quickly wiped his eyes with a sniffle, then dug his hands in his bag and took out a weighted blanket. He wrapped the fabric around his brother's delicate, frozen body, careful not to harm him.

All of a sudden, Chris gave a whimper which startled his brother.

"Martin, is it time to go to school?" his voice was inaudible, barely louder than a whisper.

Martin's heart ached. He gently picked him up bridal-style, his brows furrowing with inquietude. "No, bro, just go back to sleep," he whispered, but it didn't stop his brother from rambling, only making him even more worried. "Hang in there, Chris."

Back outside, the crew was patiently waiting for Martin to show up. Once he stepped out of the hut, Aviva and Koki gasped in horror while Jimmy let out a screetch at the sight of Chris hanging in his brother's arms, with his head all the way back, a sign of his body's complete and utter limpness, blood covering nearly half his visage.

"Is he okay?!" Jimmy cried out.

"His head's bleeding, he's ice cold and he's delirious," Martin said, almost mechanically, positioning his brother in the back of the Creetera, laying his head on his bag. Then he stole a glance at his hands sticking out of the blanket. "And his hands took a beating," he sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around. "Hey, he'll be alright." Aviva smiled warmly, Martin forcing a feeble smile in return.

"Step on it, Jimmy!" Koki earged.

Without a second to spare, Jimmy smashed the accelerator and the Creetera instantly took off like a bolt of lightning.

Soon enough, the team made it back to the Tortuga, the entrance wide open and welcoming.

Everyone burst in the emergency room, Martin carrying Chris behind them.

He layed him on the emergency bed, then rushed off to grab a piece of cloth to wipe off the dry blood covering his pale face. Koki took off his blanket and threw it away, then she opened an IV bag warmer to heat IV fluids up for Chris before administering it to him. Aviva filled up a recipient with warm water before placing it on the bed, then she slowly dipped Chris' hands in the liquid. He instantly let out silent cries, whimpering at the newly discovered pain. "Sorry Chris," Aviva said with a desolated tone, "I know it hurts but it's for your own good."

Just then, Martin walked up to him with a cool washcloth and knelt beside the bed. "Hang on, bro, this will only take a sec."

Just as he pressed it against the wound, Chris grunted, slightly moving his head to avoid the contact. Regardless, he continued the process. Just as he placed the bloody cloth away, Jimmy walked up with a pile of blankets, carefully covering Chris up as much as he could without touching the recipient or the IV needle. He was making a huge effort at hiding his discomfort from it all, being slightly hemophobic and all that. Finally, Martin took care of wrapping up the wound on his brother's head, finishing with the gentle brush of his hand against his cold cheek.

Dead silence. Everyone circled around the bed, contemplating.

"That's all we can do for now," Koki finally said. "We should all go get some rest, it's been a long night."

Martin pulled a chair close to the bed and sat on it. "You guys go ahead," he said, not taking his eyes off of his brother. "I'm staying."

"Martin-" Aviva tried to reason with him but was instantly cut off.

"I said I'm staying," his tone was harsh and intense. Aviva sighed in defeat, knowing there was nothing she could do to make him leave.

"Fine." She walked by him and sympathetically patted him on the shoulder, before exiting the room, followed by Koki and Jimmy.

They were alone. Just the two of them.

Martin looked down at his brother's face, his eyes were closed shut, almost in a lifeless way.

The memory of everything that had happened flashed before his eyes. He sighed heavily, rubbing his face. He hated himself so badly.

Just then he heard a timid knock on the door. It was Jimmy. He walked in with a mug full of tea in his slightly shaky hands. Martin turned around and tried to wear a small smile.

"Thanks, JZ." He grabbed the mug and the ginger guy made his way out of the room.

"No problem."

Martin looked down at his brother's icy face, the cold refusing to go away, and gently lifted his head before approaching the mug to his slightly open lips. Chris drank most of the tea which made Martin feel at ease, then he placed the mug on the side table and slowly lowered his head back on the pillow. He adjusted the blanket around his form as much as he could, his eyes twitching at his fingers dipped in the water.

Another sigh, this one filled with mixed emotions; he was scared, angry with himself, overwhelmed with relief. But mostly, he just hoped his brother would ever forgive him for not being there for him when he needed him. He wished he could've been there sooner, wished he could've done something to prevent this, but all he could do now was hope he'd recover and that his hands wouldn't suffer from permanent damage. The thought formed a lump in his throat. He reached out a shaky hand and brushed it against Chris' slightly warmer face, tears on the edge of his eyes.

"Everything's gonna be alright, I promise," his voice cracked. And before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face. He buried his face in his brother's chest, sobbing in silence. At some point, he drifted to sleep, a protective arm unconsciously wrapped around his brother.

Hours later, he woke to the sound of grunts, followed by a faint call. "M-Martin..."

Martin's head immediately flung up. He looked down at his brother's closed eyes. "Chris?" his voice was hopeful. "C'mon, buddy, wake up." He squeezed his shoulder.

Chris' eyes slowly started to open, not completely, but enough to look at his brother through half-opened eyelids. "Chris," Martin's voice contained a shred of relief, "Can you hear me?"

Chris stared at him weakly, before nodding.

At that, Martin sighed shakily then reached out to feel his temperature... A little feverish, but he was awake and that was all that mattered.

"How are you feeling?" Martin tried to fake a smile to bring comfort to his agonized brother.

Chris opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead was a dry cough, followed by a shiver. Martin looked at him with sad eyes. Chris slowly looked down at his hands to find that they were in a recipient full of water, also noticing the IV needle sinking into his skin, like a snake's fangs. His eyes widened.

"It's okay, bro," he heard his brother say with a tender tone. "You're gonna be fine."

Chris looked at him for a moment, then smiled weakly. He then gave him a familiar look. Martin knew what it meant. He leaned in and gently wrapped his arms around him, trapping him in a long embrace.

Chris sighed as he snuggled in his brother's shoulder. If his hands were free, he would've wrapped them hard around him and never let go.

Sniff. Sniff.

To his shock, he felt tears falling on his back. "I-I'm so sorry," Martin sniffled between his words. "This is all my fault, I never should've gotten angry with you."

Chris pulled away from the hug, looking into his brother's eyes. "I-I'm sorry, too," he managed with an unbelievably raspy voice, tears on the edge of his eyes. "I was s-scared, bro... I-I thought I'll never see you a-again, I..." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Shh," Martin wiped off the tear with his thumb. "Everything's gonna be fine now, I'm not going anywhere," he smiled warmly, his voice soft and reassuring.

Chris seemed to relax after that. "Thanks bro," he sniffled.

"You get some rest, I'll go let the others know you're awake." Chris nodded weakly and closed his eyes with a quivering sigh as Martin got up from the chair and headed to the door. He stopped, turned around to steal one more glance at his brother, smiling sadly...then left the room.

A few days had gone by, and chris was gradually healing; the hypothermia had completely gone away a few hours after his first conversation with his brother after the incident. His head injury was slowly getting better, and according to Aviva, he didn't seem to be having any internal issues that might've been caused by it, much to everyone's relief. All that was left was the frostbite. His hands stayed dipped in warm water 24/7, day and night, which was driving him a little crazy despite being told a million times it was the best way to treat it. He was mostly scared, however, that his hands would never get any better and that he would never be able to use them again. The thought always nearly brought him to tears, but thankfully he had his brother by his side to cheer him up and bring him hope, every step of the way. The older Kratt kept his word and never left his brother's side, he even went as far as reading him that book he had lost in the snow since he never truly finished it, and it always brought a smile to his little brother's face.

One day though, a miracle occured. Chris woke one morning, his brother sleeping beside him, his head resting on his bed, still sitting on that same chair. The sight always made a warm-hearted smile crack on his face. He always told him to sleep in his own bed but the stubborn sibling refused, not surprisingly. The green Kratt looked around the chamber, a bit of sunlight shining through the window and creating a golden string, his eyes following it until they landed on his hands. His hands. Something felt...different about them. He cautiously sat up to look down at his hands, still trapped under the water, and with slight hesitance, he slowly took them out, droplets of water raining on the cover as he approached them to his face.

He paused for a moment, gulped...then curled his fingers into a fist. His eyes widened, a short laugh escaping him, followed by a cry of joy and relief.

Martin suddenly came back to the world of living, he looked around frantically, still not fully awake. "Chris, wha-" He rubbed his eyes and noticed his brother staring at his hands with an exaggeratedly large smile on his face, his remaining sleep disappearing.

"Are you okay? What happened? Are you feeling worse?!" He shot him with a bunch of questions, Chris only laughing even harder.

"Martin, look!" He extended his hands for him to see; the frostbite was gone. Both brothers cried and hugged and sobbed for a while, they were just so happy.

"See? I told you everything was gonna be alright!" Martin cried, the smile on his face accompanied by matching tears.

"Yeah," Chris wiped his face, the amazing sensation of using his hands again washing over him. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

Martin gasped softly, smiling warmly.

After updating the others on what happened, Martin came back to Chris' room with some tea, his brother finally being able to hold his own mug. He then took out the book for Chris to grab.

Chris reached out his hands, but paused...then lowered them, seeming pensive. Martin looked confused.

"Actually..." Chris snuggled back on his pillow with his tea. "I like it better when you read it for me," he smiled.

Martin looked at him for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. "No problem," he chuckled.

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racefortheironthrone · 2 years ago

Note

Since you talk about labour issues a lot, do you have any tips or resources for organizing where there's little history of unions? For context, I work at a large-ish tech company (not a gigantic one or twitter, but one people would have heard of). I'm a SWE so I do okay for myself, but non-engineer coworkers do less so. I'm not sure what laws/orgs to look at because I'm in Canada working for an American corp. That's probably outside your expertise, but maybe you have suggestions where to look?

Sure! Before I give a list of recommendations, I do want to start by saying not to worry unduly about organizing in areas outside of those traditionally organized by labor unions; before the advent of industrial unionism, it was widely believed that the only workers who could be organized were skilled members of a craft, and that unskilled and semi-skilled immigrant factory workers couldn't be unionized. And the 1930s happened, and all of the sudden those exact workers became the bulk of the labor movement. After that, it was widely believed that public sector workforces, largely composed of women and racial minorities, could not be unionized - and the 1960s and 1970s happened, and all of the sudden those exact same workers became the bulk of the labor movement.

If you're working in Canada, Canadian labor law applies even to American corporations - but it's important to research the labor laws of your specific province or territory as well as the Federal code, because there are regional and industry-specific variations.

In terms of organizations to reach out to, you probably want to start with the Canadian Labour Congress, which is the main Canadian trade union federation. In terms of which Canadian unions have tech worker organizing projects, I know of CODE-CWA, and UFCW-Canada, but the CLC would know more than I do.

#labor #trade unions #labor unions #labor law #labor history

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bopinion · 11 months ago

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2024 / 24

Aperçu of the Week

"It is an old German disease that by pointing to the best of tomorrow, one does not do the good of today, and the bad of yesterday remains."

(Klaus Töpfer, former German Environment Minister and long-time Executive Director of the UN Environment Program, died last week at the age of 85)

Bad News of the Week

Biologically speaking, humans are just one of many vertebrates. And yet we consider ourselves to be the "crown of creation" - in other words, something better. And reserve basic rights for most other vertebrates. After all, they are "only" animals. I don't want to start talking about cruel animal husbandry or the ruthless repression of habitats here, even if this receives too little attention. Instead, I would like to talk about a species that would not exist in this form without human intervention: Pigeons.

Most of the populations that live in our cities today can be traced back to pets that were released into the wild. And have since been reviled as "rats of the air". And at the same time highly stylized as a symbol of peace, innocence and loyalty. Their phenomenal sense of orientation with the help of their magnetic sensory perception makes them clearly superior to us humans, at least in this respect.

Due to a lack of natural predators, pigeon populations are getting out of hand in some places (at least in the estimation of the top vertebrate). One proven effective method - albeit relatively costly - is the construction of pigeon lofts in which their eggs are replaced with plaster eggs. The inhabitants of Limburg, a town with a population of almost 40,000 in Hesse, evidently find this too laborious.

In a sensational referendum, the majority of Limburg residents opted for a, well, rather radical method of population reduction: a falconer is to lure the animals into a crate, stun them with a blow to the head and kill them by breaking their necks. Creepy. And quite medieval. But Limburg already existed in the 10th century. It's a shame that civilization there hasn't developed in line with the times in all areas.

Good News of the Week

There have been many international summits in the last few days. Including a meeting of the G7 in Italy. There was one real highlight that all participants were able to agree on - despite many differences in day-to-day political business. Namely, further support for Ukraine. This time it is less about the promise of military support and more about cash. Specifically, Russian money. State assets that are also held in accounts in the USA, Germany, Canada, France, the UK, Japan and Italy - and have been frozen since the start of the war against Ukraine.

Legally (as if that were the point) the assets obviously cannot simply be confiscated. But money continues to "work" even when it is frozen. By earning interest. And apparently Russian money earns a lot of interest. Because the G7 is now using the interest from frozen Russian state assets to finance a Ukraine aid package worth USD 50 billion. And money can be used in more ways than weapons. Because it can not only be used to buy ammunition. It can also be used to buy medicines. And pay bus drivers. And rebuild destroyed schools. Who knows, maybe there will soon be a "Vladimir Putin Primary School" in Kharkiv. Because he not only bombed it, but also rebuilt it with his money.

Personal happy moment of the week

I play Wordle. In English and German. And I score quite good. But winning at the second try is pure luck. But it's nice anyway, when you are called "Genius!". Even if it's just by an algorithm. There are weeks when this is enough for the personal happy moment.

I couldn't care less...

...that the UN Security Council has come out in favor of the plan for a ceasefire in Gaza. Because if any country gives a shit besides the US what the UN thinks or says, it's Israel.

As I write this...

...the European Men's Football Championship is underway. And Germany is dreaming of another "summer fairytale". When Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, a special, light atmosphere prevailed for the four weeks of the tournament, in which it was easy to forget the hardships of everyday life. Especially now, in this culmination of crises, that would be pleasant again. Even if it doesn't fundamentally change anything.

Post Scriptum

The AfD (Alternative for Germany / Alternative for Germany) member of parliament Petr Bystron - yes, as you can see from the name, there are also xenophobes with a migration background - is under investigation for money laundering and bribery. These must now be dropped, at least for the time being. This is because Bystron was elected to the European Parliament in second place on the AfD party list. And therefore enjoys immunity. At least until it is officially withdrawn at official request. It is absurd that legislators, of all people, should be above the law. Even if it is just a formality.

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jdenvs3000w24 · 1 year ago

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week 3 - Privilege

This week's readings sparked many conversations between myself and friends, in this course and not, mostly about the invisible backpack idea and the $100 race video. I found myself realizing by talking with friends that I had what some would consider to be a rough upbringing, at least relative to them. Most of the details I'd rather not put out on the internet for anyone to see, and I don't want this to be a pity thing anyway. I bring it up because I had a realization; that I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I want to be clear that I know there are others who struggled much worse than I did growing up. I am a Canadian-born, white, cis-gendered man, and I recognize there is a privilege to that. I just wanted to talk about how the race imagery really resonated with me. We're all running the same race in university, and in life, but some have to run longer and faster to reach the same point, and that's just how it is. There's no reason to resent the people ahead of you in the race and there is no need to pity the people behind you. We are in this race, or more so a journey, together.

To me, privilege is relative to the situation, but in general, it is characteristic of someone who has an advantage over another in some aspect due to a specific characteristic or experience. A common example is white privilege, where not only does being white in a nation like Canada shield you from being racially discriminated against but the laws of this country were often written in a way that benefits white people in particular. One could have privilege relative to another in a financial aspect, and because of that may have had more opportunities to play sports, learn skills, do better in school, get a higher paying job, etc. As a nature interpreter, we must recognize not only our own privilege but the privilege or lack thereof of our audience, to ensure they benefit from the experience we provide. While in general people who choose to go on a hike with a nature interpreter may want to be there, there's no guarantee they may have the experience or skills we might assume them to have. Therefore we must be mindful of the areas we choose to go to. Perhaps we want to cross a river by walking across a fallen tree. We might assume that since the water is relatively calm, even if someone were to fall in, they should be able to swim across anyway. But maybe one of the people we are leading never learned how to swim, making that river crossing an extreme risk we didn't account for.

The point of the matter is, everyone deserves to be treated equitably in an interpreter-led excursion. I’m curious to see if y’all have the same view as me, or maybe there's something you'd like to add.

Till next week

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the-calling-of-tales3 · 1 year ago

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Hello everyone, Welcome to The Calling of Tales, my name is Tayla, and I am currently 29 years old from Trenton, Ontario Canada. This is my first article and in this I am going to be doing the newbie tag question. With that let’s get started…

• Why did I start this blog?

Honestly, I don’t have friends who are interested in books and reading; they don’t even go shopping with me. So I feel alone in my reading journey and want people I can share these exciting books and world’s with, so I created an bookstagram account which has been amazing; but I want to do something more. So I’ve decided to try booktube and blogging.

2. What are some Fun and Unique things you can bring to blogging?

I’m not quite sure what I will bring yet, but I hope to bring my own opinion, and truth to these book from my perspective. I just want to connect with other bookish people.

3. What are you excited about for this new blog?

I’m excited just to start, and talk to all of you. To share my books and read and opinions the best I can. Once I find my footing in this area, then eventually I’d like to do give aways and maybe buddy reads. I know that I might be getting ahead of myself but, we will see how things go.

4. Why do you love reading?

So I want to be an open and honest person on here, and I think a majority or readers read to escape. When I was young I went through a lot of bullying and other stuff and I Hatttted reading to be honest. But I eventually found a book Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong, at the time I didn’t realize it was a series, and it’s fourth in the specific bitten series. But when I read it, it was like a movie playing in my head, I could see all the words as beautiful images, and I was safe and free in my mind. That was comforting to me. So I continued to escape things that bothered me through reading.

5. What book or series got me into reading?

I just answered that, Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong.

6. What questions would you ask your favorite booktubers/bloggers?

Oo this is interesting….let see.

What are you favorite reads?

What do you wish you knew before you started your channel/blog?

Where do you all get your comfy chairs lol and how do you make your bookshelves so pretty 😍

7. What challenges do you think starting a blog will be the hardest to overcome?

I think the hardest thing for me, will be able to communicate my thoughts and feelings about my reads clearly. I’ve never been in front of a camera, talking to well you guys. And I’m quite socially awkward so I think overcoming my fear of communication will be difficult.

8. When did you start reading?

I started at at early age, and of course through public school, hated that because it was always school choice reads which I never read… if someone tells me to read something nope not gonna happen. So it wasn’t truly till highschool that I got into reading and enjoying it.

9. Where did you read?

When I was younger, always somewhere quiet like my room. Now I can pretty much read anywhere except a moving vehicle….

10. What kind of books do you like to read?

I read mostly fiction books. Rarely rarely non-fiction. I just prefer to escape into something that isn’t real rather than reading about real like things. I read a bunch of different genres though, mostly YA books, but some Adult and New Adult reads as well. Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Sci-fi, a mix of in between.

11. What does my book collection look like?

Chaotic; that’s the only word I can use right now. Book wise I think really good. I have a bunch of Kelley Armstrong, she’s my author; I’m trying to get all of her books. I have Sarah J. Maas, Bridgid Kemmerer, cassandra Clare, Colleen Hoover, James Dashner, J.k Rowling, K.A Knight, TJ Klune, Tracy Wolff and a bunch more. Look wise my bookshelves are a mess, recently my room has moved to the basement, and being renovated. So I haven’t set up my bookshelves for my new room. So my books are upstairs and just on random old bookshelves just in random spots. When I get my new ones set up I still don’t know how I’m going to put my books up, or decorate, so let me know below how you do your bookshelves. I might need some inspiration.

#read #reading #bookshelf #book cover #fantasy books #book nerd #bookstagram #booktok #old books #long reads

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jivvin · 2 years ago

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raving about DBH 'cause it's one of the few things that still bring me some emotion:

so i've been feeling seriously low lately, what's with all the ~recent events~ and all, and i've missed writing, as a process, so i thought, like, why not channel all this fear and dullness and dreariness into writing a dull, dreary, sad fic? especially since i've already got the base ready - an old sketch of a dbh fic, exploring the ending where Markus blows up the dirty bomb. it was supposed to be sort of a mirror/companion piece to This Fucked Up World, but i've never quite fleshed it out 'cause, just like TFUW, it was supposed to be super dark and sad, everybody dies, all that jazz, and back then (almost two years ago now actually) i wasn't really in the right mood for it - but now? a dirty bomb is not quite the same as blowing up a nuclear power plant's core, but close enough in my book, why not give it a go?

so i've gone through all of the in-game materials i've saved for it way back then, which is basically just one cutscene transcription, which paints a truly horrific picture: Detroit's fallen, lethal radiation for miles around, uninhabitable for decades, total evacuation, city belongs to the androids now, etc. and i'm like - great, lets do this, lets kill off the survivors too, bad endings for everyone (especially Markus lol), except one little stop first: gotta read up on dirty bombs to actually know what i'm talking about here.

i'm not gonna lie and say i've got a lot of them, but i distinctly remember receiving at least one comment on one of my dbh fics that went along the lines of "gosh, you should've written for dbh, it would've been so cool". well now, here is where i realize that neither i, nor anyone like me could've ever, possibly, written for dbh, 'cause that one little stop i've mentioned in the previous paragraph? didn't seem to appear to anyone on the game's actual writing staff.

"it's a dirty bomb, Madam President" + similar statement by the press - how the fuck would you know? this is not a nuclear bomb, there won't be a mushroom cloud or whatever, and the heightened levels of radiation could only be detected by specialists on the scene, if they even think to check for them (which is not necessarily), if they even get there (which is not likely given that the city is deemed "fallen" right away).

"this bomb released fatal levels of radioactive toxic waste", "the radiation level will be lethal for miles around" - a shipment of medical cobalt, small enough to merit so little guard to have been stolen practically without a trace? chances are the radiation levels would not be lethal even in the blast point, let alone for "miles around", and serious radiation exposure can be prevented by expedient evacuation. this is not a nuclear bomb.

"the city may remain uninhabitable for decades", "the military is evacuating all civilians in a 50 mile radius" - downtown and surrounding areas will surely be evacuated, and full decontamination will absolutely take months, maybe even several years, but the whole city will not be damaged. considering the explosion happened in the south end of the city, and depending on the winds at the moment of the blast, it might actually be Canada who gets the brunt of the air-disperced radiation. again, this is not a nuclear bomb.

"Detroit has just fallen" - this is not a nuclear bomb. the majority of the destruction will actually happen due to the regular, old-fashioned explosives used to blow up the cobalt, and even that is unlikely to get too many casualties in a downtown area at night, during curfew and the permeating android scare; definitely not enough to declare the city has "fallen".

another fun fact: both of the times it is stated the city has not only fallen, but fallen specifically into android hands, into "enemy" hands. "thousands of androids are taking to the streets" are also mentioned, referencing non-Jericho androids, no less. but in one of the previous chapters it's stated that, what with the mass recall and android death camps working at full steam, the couple hundred Jericho androids must be the last deviants of Detroit. where are these "thousands" coming from?

as a bonus to that point, if you've successfully completed the CyberLife Tower chapter for deviant!Connor, the President will also say that the deviants took control of a CL plant and "liberated over one million of androids stored there". one fucking million, carl. thats by several hundred thousands more than the entire fucking human population of the entire Detroit, and you gonna be telling me they, what, were just chilling somewhere in the basement of the CL Tower on that tiny-ass island? bitch, where?? why?? and where are they in the "good" epilogue then, during Markus's speech? the shot they give us at those words has a thousand androids, sure, led by Connor, but no more than that, and i refuse to accept there's actually "over one million" of them in there. (it's actually so easy to count them 'cause the're standing in these neat rows and lines, and are marching straight after Connor like obedient fucking machines, not the self-actualized deviants they're supposedly are, but that's another kettle of worms entirely, we're here for the dirty bombs today).

and, like, i know why it was done this way (i mean, i think i know, this is just my theory here). they wanted to have a Detroit Has Fallen To The Robots ending, and they wanted to have it quick - literally with the press of one button! - but they've cut so many corners on the way there, that the result is just a mess. they need to have the city freed of all humans, fast, - so they decide a nuclear bomb is the way to go; except, they can't handwave the androids getting a nuclear fucking bomb just like that, so they change the name to a "dirty bomb", while keeping all the desired destructive effects. (or, quite as possible, they simply assume a dirty bomb - since it's something radioactive too, right? - works the same as a nuclear weapon, and do no further fucking research at all). then they need enough androids to claim and hold the city afterwards - so they invent over one fucking million of new androids out of the fucking blue, and think it's a job well fucking done! god, they even show fucking Markus, with that fucking flag and all, who just before the explosion was surrounded by soldiers on all sides! how the fuck is he alive, and not fucking riddled with bullets the second those soldiers put 2 and 2 together and realize he's pressed the detonator, or fuck, just shot, as they were gonna do anyway??

but wait, there's more! just an extra layer of fun for y'all here.

so, by their descriptions, despite calling it a dirty bomb, they've essentially dropped a nuke on Detriot, to rid it of humans and leave it to the androids. but will it all work if one just mentally substitutes the dirty bomb for the actual nuclear bomb, as they've clearly intended?

and the answer is still no lol, 'cause one of the characteristics of a nuclear explosion is a massive EMP blast at the point of detonation, which would instantly fry all the fucking androids as well. they can neither have, nor eat their fucking cake! there's no cake at all, actually! it's just a mess.

so yeah, like, the point of it all is that, after doing this fucking research (which didn't even take me all that long and involved only simple google searches btw), i've lost all drive to complete that fucking fic i mentioned at the beginning of this rant, 'cause my suspension of disbelief for this scenario is just shattered completely. which is probably for the best tbh, can't imagine too many people lining up to read a fic where Hank slowly dies of ray sickness and Connor buries him only to then realize it was all Markus's fault, kill him, and order EMP drone strikes on the whole of Detroit lol. also, i've spent this fucking evening writing this whole thing out instead of stressing over the war and my own local impending radiological disaster, so that's a plus too, i guess. if you've actually read it this far - idk, man, i don't know what to tell you.

tl;dr - David Cage bad.

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