#most of that history is just european history

[enwoso]

Hey, I have a request, you can write it for Lessi.

Well, she and Yn are together but no one knows about, only their families and Less's teammates. Yn is a reporter.

So when, for example England won the world cup, they were over the moon and Yn has to interview her, so when they were talking and almost the interview was over, Less was like fuck it, and kiss Yn, so obviously everyone was watching them.( Like Iker Casillas and her wife, I don't know if you know about it) and after that, you can write whatever you want, like Less's teammates teasing her, or Yn teasing her girlfriend.

SECRET OF US | alessia russo x reader

masterlist

the stadium was electric, england had just won the euros — again. they were back to back winners. the roars of the crowd echoed across the pitch.

alessia stood in the middle of the pitch, an england flag wrapped around her shoulders, taking it all in as her heart raced, her body drenched in sweat and pure adrenaline.

her neck feeling heavy with the weight of the gold medal around her neck but nothing could compare to the pride which was swelling in her chest.

the blondes teammates celebrated around her, hugs and laughter flowing freely, but alessia's eyes were scanning the sidelines until they found what they were looking for — you, standing poised with a microphone.

you were broadcasting live, for sky sports. you out the corner of your eyes caught your girlfriend's gaze giving her a subtle smile, but it was one that spoke volumes.

no one knew about your relationship with the blonde — at least not publicly. your families knew, of course, as well as alessia's teammates both club and country as they had both made it their mission to tease alessia mercilessly in private.

but away from that tight circle, your relationship was a well guarded secret. you both had agreed on keeping things private, not wanting your growing career in sports journalism to be overshadowed by being 'alessia russo's girlfriend' that and it was nice not having outsiders opinions on your relationship.

but tonight as you waved your girlfriend over for a post match interview, alessia felt something shift inside of her.

she wasn't just proud of herself or the team; she was proud of you too. proud of the way you had supported her every step of the way.

you voice was warm and steady as you introduced alessia to the live audience. "i'm here with alessia russo - now two time european champion." you paused with a grin, "alessia first of all congratulations! how does it feel to know you've made history tonight, again!"

as alessia listened to your words spoken so softly but with such reason as her heart skipped at the sight of you so close — your cheeks slightly flushed and your bright eyes as well as the way you would unconsciously twist the cord of microphone in your hand.

unable to resist, alessia brushed her hand against yours as she took her place in front of the camera. you sending her a quick but knowing look as she maintained her composure.

"it's unbelievable," alessia smiled, her voice slightly hoarse from all of the shouting and cheering she'd done in the past hour. "honestly i don't even have the words for it right now. this is everything we've worked for, everything we've dreamed of — it's surreal"

you nodded, your professionalism impeccable even as your eyes softened filled with love, "and what about the team? what is the secret to the lionesses success?"

a chuckle fell from alessia's lips as she reached up to adjust the medal around her neck, "this team is special and we've got the best players, the best staff and most importantly the best bond. we really are a family"

as you asked the next question, alessia's attention dropped for a moment to the hand which you had resting at your side, fingers lightly tapping against your leg.

alessia's mind trailed to thinking how many times she had held that hand through so many highs and lows, felt its comforting squeeze before each big game and now she wanted nothing more than to reach out for it again.

the interview continued for another minute or two, you asking insightful questions that everyone in the public wanted to know — alessia answering with a mix of humility and joy.

but as the interview began to wrap up, alessia felt a sudden overwhelming urge to share a moment — not just with you, but with the world.

you asked your final question, "so what's next for you, alessia? a celebration with the team, i assume?"

alessia's grin turned mischievous as your brow furrowed slightly, you'd seen that grin once or twice before. "oh there'll definitely be a celebration, but first-"

and without thinking — or maybe too much thinking — alessia stepped forward and cupped your face, kissing you.

the roar of the crowd doubled, the interview having been being shown on the big screens around the stadium. cheers and gasps filled the air as you froze for a split second, your microphone slipping slightly in your hand.

but you then melted into the kiss, your free hand reaching up and resting gently on your girls' waist.

alessia pulled back just enough to rest her forehead against yours, her thumb brushing against your cheek as you both caught your breath.

your cheeks were flaming but the sparkle in your eyes was a mixture of love and disbelief. "lessi," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the noise of the crowd.

alessia turning towards the camera, shrugging her shoulders with a cheeky look on her face, "guess the secret of us is out now"

the feed cut back to the studio, but the damage, or rather the magic, was already done.

every social media exploded within minutes, clips of the kiss flooding every platform and news article, side by side with captions like: 'russo pulls a casillas!' and 'new power couple on the block!'

the two of you began to walk down the tunnel most of the team already back in there as you both walked along hand in hand, alessia relucantly letting go of your hand as she sneaked another kiss in before going into the locker room. you walking off to attend to other media duties.

as alessia walked into the locker room, still slightly breathless from the kiss, and the other ones she snuck in from being on the sideline to being metres away from the locker room door. the teasing from her teammates started immediately.

"about time!" ella hollered, throwing a towel at alessia's head. "thought you were gonna keep us sworn to secrecy forever"

alessia taking a seat where her things were, taking a sip of the drink which had been left in her cubby, chloe smirking holding up her phone to alessia, "you've gone viral, less. the internet is having a field day!"

others joined in on the teasing as they watched alessia squirm it setting in on what she'd actually done, on live national tv...

leah grinned from her spot in the locker room, "you've really pulled an iker casillas, less! full on national tv smooch"

that got some giggles going from the team as they began to imitate kissing noises earning nothing but a groan from alessia as she buried her face in her hands.

but the smile tugging at her lips easily betrayed her, "i never planned for it to happen- it just happened" she shrugged.

her teammates exchanged knowing looks before bursting into laughter, their teasing giving way to genuine smiles.

you eventually found alessia back in the hotel lobbey, scrolling through her phone with a bemused look on her face. you didn't say anything at first, instead just quietly slipped yourself to sit on her lap, placing your head on top of hers.

alessia immediately reaching for your hand as she treated your fingers together

"so," you smiled after a moment, your voice was soft but teasing, "that's one way to make our relationship public!"

alessia moved slightly so that you were now facing each other as she placed a kiss to your cheek, "i couldn't help it. you- you just looked so.. perfect. and i wanted everyone to know"

your expression softened, though your lips twitched with amusement, "your lucky i love you, lessi. otherwise i'd be very mad about the fact i've got ten producers texting me about an 'official statement'"

alessia winced, "too much?"

you laughed, tucking a bit of her loose hair behind her ear as you hand moved down to rest on alessia's chest, right over her heart. "maybe a little. but i don't mind. it's kind of romantic.. in a chaotic sort of way"

"chaotic? me?" alessia teased, feigning offended as she pecked at your lips.

you rolled your eyes but you couldn't help the smile that appeared on your lips, "you know this means we are never going hear the end of it right? the girls are going to milk this for years to come and i'm never doing another interview without the topic being brought up"

alessia shrugged, her other arm slipping around your waist as she played with the hem of your shirt, "let them talk. as long as i've got you then none of that matters"

you expression softened further as her words which were laced with just pure love, your voice barely above a whisper, "you've always had me"

alessia smiled lovingly as she leaned in, capturing your lips in a slow but tender kiss. a one that spoke a millions words and showed just how in love and infatuated with one another.

as you broke apart, alessia rested her forehead against yours, her hand cupping the back of your neck.

"and i always will," alessia murmured.

for the first time that night, the chaos of the day melted away, leaving just the two of them—inseparable, unshaken, and utterly in love.

[lee-the-goat]

Feeling like giving this post a round 2, so here we go!

Go back to Poland

Everybody's favorite phrase that's definitely okay to say about other groups too! I've been thinking about it a whole bunch again, and I felt like saying:

Americans and Canadians, are you willing to "go back"? No, not as a "gotcha", genuinely, one of your favorite mouth-diarrheas to spout about Israel is comparing it to your own colonial pasts. Are YOU willing to up and leave back to Europe? I know your demographics, you can definitely afford it, you have no excuse to stay in north America where you're a foreigner.

Do you even know what you've built your lives on top of?

Hey Californians, are you familiar with the 100 or so languages that were spoken in the lands you live in today? Yep, all critically endangered or extinct, California used to be a hub of diversity, containing dozens of distinct language families, which means this diversity has persisted for thousands to tens of thousands of years before being absolutely decimated just so that you could all speak English there, how bout that eh?

Hey Oregonians, Washingtonians, and British Columbians, are you familiar with the rich textile culture of the peoples that used to live in your lands? They had a whole dog breed that grew wool they expertly crafted fabrics out of, are you familiar with them at all?

Hey Southwesterners, are you familiar with the Pueblos and their masonry traditions? Anything beyond their famous cliff dwellings? Do you even know how significant such house building practices are when thinking about the technological advancement of cultures, and where they would've gotten if their civilization wasn't destroyed?

Hey Midwesterners, are you familiar with the old copper complex of your area? The artisanal metal castings made by the natives? Some of the best use of metals in the entire western hemisphere!

Hey anyone between the Midwest and the gulf of Mexico, are you familiar with the Mississippian culture? Their cities? The most complex settlements north of of the Rio Grande! An absolutely marvelous civilization, comparable to many of the most notable archeological complexes we love studying in the old world!

Hey eastern Canadians, do you know about the Iroquois confederacy? You'd think something called that in the very same land you live in would be a notable aspect of its history! What about it?

Hey Americans and Canadians on the east coast, do you know anything about the people who used to live there? As the first victims of colonization in the United states and Canada, some of them died off so early we barely know anything about them! Wild!

Do any of you fucking know how much was destroyed for your countries to exist, countries whose existences you perpetuate by living there and barely trying to do anything meaningful relating to the natives? All of 'em wild n' free horse savages you imagine when you think about the natives? Not what was there originally, not for all of it anyway. That was the post apocalyptic world of an entire continent decimated by disease brought on by European. Ripe and ready for the taking I guess!

It's so obvious how little of a shit you all actually give about the natives when we take a look at what you actually do for them, 99.9% of you would rather spout hate about Columbus as your token contribution to the native communities. What about donating money? They surely could use some of it to fund their insanely poor education funds! What about petitioning to turn some reservations into states? Surely the Navajo-Hopi one at least is big enough to qualify, Right? How about learning an indigenous language and contributing to its literary and educational body of texts? I know that's not an out-of-left-field suggestion, because people tell us that we should've assimilated to the Palestinians when coming here! It's the least you could do.

20% of Israel's population is Palestinian Arab, and that's not including the west bank and Gaza. Not to mention other groups either. And those Israeli Arabs speak their native language freely, and get an education in it, and they have their own schools in Arabic (not segregated! If an Arab wants to enroll their child in a Jewish Hebrew speaking school, they can). Their culture is intact and lively, meanwhile your native cultures are a pathetic shadow of their former selves, a shriveled up remnant of once great civilizations, and none of it is their fault! Makes anyone with even a shred of knowledge about anthropology curl over and cry. And that's not to mention that you came there as colonizers with nothing to do with the land, for the opportunities to steal and exploit, meanwhile Israeli Jews have a well established and proven genetic, linguistic, and cultural basis for being there, they came there as fucking genocide refugees (not just the holocaust), and Palestinian culture has actually influenced Israeli culture substantially! Can you say the same for your state?

And the thing is, I don't even hold most of it against you! To put it quite bluntly - I am better than you for it! I know better than to tell people who have lived somewhere for generations and built a life for themselves to just up and fuck off to somewhere else. I don't want you to vacate north America, but if you want us to do the same, you're delusional and this should precisely demonstrate why. You could, however, put even the slightest bit of effort into raising up their cultures and languages and giving them autonomy and self determination, would freeing up at least one state be possible?

Anyway, if you think Israel is at all comparable to your countries you're a pathetic excuse for an academic or activist, and if you think Israel is worse in any capacity, and therefore needs to do things that you otherwise don't, you've frankly got to be clinically insane.

"Israeli Jews are foreigners, not indigenous peoples"

Like, not really but, can we just talk about stupid it is when reading between the lines?

Because when Israel gets labeled as colonialist almost no one actually thinks specifically about the west bank settlements or something, it's about Zionism as a whole, aka the "let Jews move here" movement, as implied by throwing in the word white for seemingly no reason.

And here's the kicker, you do realize you picked quite possibly the dumbest strip of land on the entire planet to say that about, right? It's not some pristine isolated culture like the damn Greenlandics or aboriginal Australians, it's one of the single most diverse places in the world prior to the age of European exploration. Everyone has been here, Persians Greeks Assyrians Egyptians Romans Arabs Ottomans yada yada sure, but going way beyond actual imperialism being the famous holy land™ it has attracted inhabitants and visitors from all quarters of the known world, and it shows in the ancestry of Palestinians themselves and the demographic makeup of the cities. To have the audacity to say certain groups of people "don't belong here" (let alone the fucking JEWS) has got to be one of the dumbest things one can even dream of doing when concerning themselves with actual society-collapsing colonialism.

[benzodiazepinica]

The murder that started a World War

true crime in history

The Great War represents a rupture from a classical world to a contemporary one. Most of the empires fell, giving origin to republic systems.

Before World War (I), Europe lived through a great era, the Belle Époque, a period of prosperity for most countries. Germany and Italy just emerged as Nations after their unifications, and the rest of Europe enjoyed the power they had exploring Africa and Asia.

However, imperialism turned on a problem. The dispute between capitalist countries for lands in the African and Asian continents for the exploitation of wealth, generated problems between the great powers of the time. Each Nation wanted to expand more and more, wanted to dominate more and more, to show itself strong and stand out among the others

Not only that, but economic disputes led to feelings of pride and anger between countries. Germany, a newly formed nation at the time, quickly became a great power. It was highly industrialized, with several colonies on other continents and even surpassed England, which was the greatest economic power at the time. Past territorial disputes also directly affected the conflict: the French and Germans fought over the land of Alsace-Lorraine, which was rich in minerals. The Russians and other nations fought with Germany over oil and other minerals that were abundant in the Middle East.

The French people's feeling of revenge was heightened by having lost the Franco-Prussian War (a war in which small territories formed Germany and took French parts for themselves). Other countries from Europe also were "mad" with Germany because Germany was becoming very powerful, which angered them, as the Germans threatened the sovereignty of other countries and were also a new country.

All the European powers were at odds with each other and defending themselves and also planning to attack. They all knew that something bigger was coming, something beyond what they could have imagined, so the countries began to invest in war arsenals and invest in defense, hoping that some major disagreement would happen so that they could actually declare war.

In this scenario, a nationalist movement gained strength among the Serbs, who sought the union of the peoples of Slavic origin who lived in the Balkans and, because of imperialism, were under the rule of Austria-Hungary. The objective was to form Greater Serbia, as a kind of new country. Russia, a very large country, was clearly interested in controlling the Balkan region, so it supported this move in order to remove Austro-Hungary from the region and then take over there.

One of these nationalist organizations gained prominence: The Black Hand. It was in this context that the figure of Gravilo Princip emerged.

Gravilo Princip, his revolt, his courage: Where could this lead?

Born in Oblej, Bosnia, Gavrilo was the son of Maria and the postman Petar, both of Serbian descent. When he reached the age of 13, Gavrilo decided to live in the capital, Sarajevo, to continue his studies. Initially, he joined a military institution, but later chose to enroll in a technical course in administration. In 1910, Princip decided to finish his intermediate education in Tuzla, a city in Serbia.

When Gavrilo lived in Serbia, the representation of the Pan-Slavist ideal was carried out by an organization called “Unification or Death”, also known as the “Black Hand”. With each passing day, the young student became more and more emphatic in his sympathy for nationalist ideals and his unwavering devotion to the mission of ending Austro-Hungarian influence in the Balkan Peninsula. To this end, Gavrilo believed it was necessary to end the life of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In June 1914, Franz Ferdinand was on the streets of Sarajevo inspecting the activities of the Austro-Hungarian military forces. Concerned with demonstrating superiority, Franz Ferdinand chose June 28th for the inspection, the date on which Serbian national day is celebrated.

Attentive to the Archduke's official visit, the Black Hand offered pistols, grenades and approximately two months of military training. During this period, Gavrilo excelled in shooting and Nedjelko Cabrinovic was one of the best grenade throwers. When the long-awaited June 28 arrived, Gavrilo and his companions spread out strategically along Appel Quay Street, one of the streets crossed by Franz Ferdinand's entourage.

While the Archduke was driving in the car with his wife, a first assassination attempt was made. A young man threw a grenade at the car, but the driver managed to dodge it. This young man, Cabrinovic took a dose of cyanide and threw himself into the Miljacka River, following orders from his superiors. His suicide attempt was also unsuccessful. The poison did not have the desired effect and the river was not deep enough for him to drown. As a result, the terrorist was arrested by local authorities and his accomplices decided to disperse. It was then that the Archduke and his wife insisted that they change their route and stop at the hospital where the injured from the attempted attack were being treated. Then they could return to the palace.

It was 11 a.m., and Gavrilo was in a bakery when the entourage carrying the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire began to pass him. More than that: when the royal car practically stopped in front of him, it began to be pushed in another direction manually. Realizing that this was his best chance to go ahead with the plan to assassinate the nobleman, the young Serbian student pulled out his pistol FN model 1910. As he later revealed, he had not even aimed before shooting. On the contrary: he looked the other way. Despite all this, however, he was able to shoot both the archduke and his wife fatally. Ferdinand was hit in the jugular, while Sophia was shot in the abdomen, and both died within half an hour. The archduke's last words were in response to the count who was traveling with them.

At his trial, Gavrilo Princip stated: "I am a Yugoslav nationalist, aiming at the unification of all Yugoslavs, and I do not care what form of state it is, but it must be free of Austria." Princip was spared the death penalty due to his age (19) and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was imprisoned in Terezín Fortress, where he received a life sentence, but died a few years later of tuberculosis.

The trigger for a great war

Although Serbia itself stated that the government was not part of this terrorist attack, Austria-Hungary, with the support of Germany, declared war on Serbia because of the event. This was the trigger for a conflict that had been "postponed" and expected for a long time. The nations, all in conflict and disagreements, were already armed and prepared for anything that would be worthy enough to start a war, such as, in this case, an assassination. Some nations with similar interests joined together, thus forming the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy) and the Triple Entente (United Kingdom, France and Russia, defending Serbia).

The First World War, a true massacre

The war took place on the European continent and, apart from the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain, all other European countries participated in the war. Some American countries, such as the United States of America and Brazil, later entered the great conflict.

developments of the War

In the first months, the troops' strategy was to move and occupy the fronts, since the war began in June 1914. The first phase lasted 6 months; it was in 1915 that the direct and most violent attacks began. This first part was marked by movement and attempts to occupy territories, such as the Battle of Morne, where the Germans came within 40 meters of Paris.

The second phase is marked by the popular trenches. The forces on both sides were very balanced, the solution was to dig trenches and from there try to advance or maintain the position on the ground. The trenches were used for both attack and defense. They had fences 2 meters or more deep. Between the trench lines there was a space called "no man's land". Passing through this area meant being shot at from all sides. In fact, sticking your head out of the trench could cost a soldier his life.

The attackers would drop bombs from their cannons or the aviators would machine-gun the enemy lines. Poison gas, such as mustard gas, would also be used. This action would last for hours or even days. Only after this, this first massacre, would the officers order the soldiers to advance towards the enemy trench, where they would fight with the survivors of the attacks. Even then, the success of the attack was not guaranteed.

To meet the needs of the war, industries were forced to develop. The demand for weapons promoted intense industrial production and, consequently, the improvement of products. Machine guns, bombers, tanks and submarines were created.

To support the walls, it was necessary to shore up the wood with earth. Living conditions in the trenches were terrible, as they were flooded with snow and rain. The soldiers lived with corpses, lice and rat infestations, which led to the spread of numerous diseases. There was not enough food for everyone, nor water. Bathing and quality sleep were also completely scarce.

Due to the Russian Revolution, Russia abandoned the conflict, signing a peace agreement with the Germans. The United States, until then "neutral", joined the Triple Entente. Because it joined at the end and was located on another continent, nothing too devastating happened to them, which even led to them becoming a world power during and after the war.

In October 1918, the situation in Germany was dire. The Austrians and Turks had surrendered, Italy had switched sides, and the Triple Entente troops were close to German territory. The German population began to protest against remaining in the war. A civilian took power in Germany and signed the surrender. In 1919, the victorious nations called a conference in Versailles to ensure peace in Europe and punish Germany, which, having been the last to surrender, was considered guilty of the war and forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty defined that Germany should pay a high financial indemnity to the Triple Entente, and guaranteed that Germany would lose overseas territories and would be demilitarized. The Treaty of Versailles officially marked the end of World War I.

Interesting facts about the First World War

The conflict is the sixth with the highest number of deaths in history.

The Spanish Flu was responsible for the death of approximately 1/3 of all military personnel who lost their lives during the war.

Dogs were widely used as messengers, carrying orders to the battle fronts through capsules that were attached to their bodies.

World War I sparked the development of plastic surgery, and the first blood banks were also created during the conflict.

In December 1914, soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force heard German soldiers entrenched in Frelinghien, France, singing Christmas carols and saw that officers had placed small lanterns and Christmas trees along the trenches. The men of both armies began exchanging messages, and the next day they all agreed to declare an informal truce, spending the day in each other’s company. During the truce, the soldiers exchanged gifts, played football and took photos together. The day has become one of the most emotional memories of the First World War, a moment when enemies allowed compassion to triumph over political differences.

[231025]

are bts' future spouses foreigners? ✷

... because of the lack of content in the past days and weeks sorry i wanna talk about a very hot topic in the community: i will talk about were the fs might be coming from/what "vibe of nationality" they're giving off based on the past tarot & intuitive readings i've done. let's go~

• the only ones that give me strong korean vibes are seokjin's (probably from a traditional and more or less wealthy korean family) and hoseok's fs (from a normal middle class korean family). both typical korean facial features/skin tones and natural dark/black hair (but both color their hair in lighter colors, seokjin's in brownish tones and hobi's in more unnatural light colors)

• there is also a high likeability for yoongi's fs to be korean but they give me general east asian vibes, so they could also be chinese! or taiwanese but maybe living in korea! OR a korean who travels a lot and is more "internationally involved" (like having foreign family members etc). also east asian appearance, very fair skin, dark blackish hair, dark brown/black eyes

• i lowkey think namjoon's fs is asian or at least has such an ethinicity (because of their appearance) - maybe like singaporean or indian (etc) but it feels like they were raised in an english speaking country with colder weather and serious people - specifically the uk!! or maybe ireland. they surely have a lot of experiences with being abroad and/or with traveling! dark brownish hair (probably with bangs) + dark brownish/blackish eyes + natural warmer skin tone

• i find jimin's fs really interesting/surprising! they are very likely a foreigner. i strongly get a feeling that they could be slavic or just be from any of the balkans countries or like south/east european countries - ex. romania, albania, serbia, italy or turkey. also, i think that they'll already be involved with south korea somehow - like being able to speak korean, having studied in korea or just living there already. they have this slavic beauty look, naturally darker hair and darker eyes, lighter skin color but a warm skin tone (ex. olive), non asian facial features, piercing eyes, full lips

• for taehyung's, i also believe they're a foreigner. like jimin's also probably european but more so from one of the western or central european countries - specifically those that are known for their history with wars and are labeled as wealthy countries like france!, england, germany and austria. they really give off european chic vibes. they're probably from a (upper) middle class family. Brownish or dark blonde hair, normal to fair skin, green/brown/blue eyes

• and last but not least jungkook's fs: funnily enough his fs is the most difficult to define - the energy is not very clear. they are also foreigner, for sure. but from the vibes, there are three possibilities - west asian (arabic), south asian or maybe latin american - which is very broad (i know) but the following countries stick out to me: ecuador, colombia, venezuela, and saudi arabia, armenia, yemen, azerbaijan, and india. they have natural brownish/black hair, dark brown/black eyes and darker/tanned skin. they seem to have a strict/conservative family (strong cultural influence)

i hope you guys liked this :) i'll try to do more readings in the future but i'm still quite busy atm

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Lyn Julius

The burning of a Christmas tree by gunmen in the Syrian city of Hama is a sinister portent of what minorities might expect under the evolving situation in the country.

The dominant group in charge, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has sent out messages reassuring religious and ethnic groups that they will be protected. It blamed “foreign fighters” for the tree burning, but can HTS be trusted? Its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has jettisoned his nom de guerre and his Kalashnikov rifle, preferring to be known by his real name of Ahmed al-Sharaa. Projecting his new image of moderation and respectability, he has donned a suit to receive visiting diplomats. The United States has recently scrapped a $10 million bounty on his head.

Is it being too hasty?  HTS is an Islamist group with roots in Al-Qaeda and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, United Nations and European Union.

A BBC reporter asked al-Julani if Syria would become another Afghanistan for women, and he said there was no reason to ban women’s education. He did not specify if they would be segregated. When asked if he would ban alcohol, however, al-Julani hedged, saying it would not be up to him but to a committee of legal advisers. He was not asked about his jihadi past.

To understand what the future might lay in store for minorities, look no further than the treatment of Christians in Idlib province, which slipped into HTS’s control about 10 years ago. Properties were confiscated and religious rituals restricted, although there was more freedom in recent times, one Christian told the BBC.

The system has been plagued by corruption, nepotism and arbitrary rule and is policed by militias who are only answerable to themselves.

According to a report by the Atlantic Council published in 2016, the judicial system in Idlib “is akin to jungle law, in which the powerful use it to impose their rule on the others. The military factions use the judiciary to encroach on civilian affairs. Traditional Islamic concepts like sharia and ijtihad (freedom for judges to make new rulings not based on precedence) are exploited to eliminate armed groups’ enemies and reinforce the control of militants and their associates.”

Judgment in a case depends on whether you can influence the judge. “The law has turned into a weapon to settle scores, imposing the rule of military factions, and undermine civil institutions,” said the article. “The situation under Bashar al-Assad’s reign was not much better, the only difference is that extremist groups rely, at least theoretically, on Islam and sharia law to justify their arbitrary rule.”

So, what might happen to the minorities now? The Alawites, the ethnic group to which the Assad family belonged, are the most vulnerable to revenge attacks.

The Kurds are already in HTS’s sights, as their aspirations to self-determination are diametrically opposed to those of HTS’s Turkish patron.

Syria’s Christian community has dwindled from 11% to 2% of the population in the last 15 years. They could find themselves as subjugated dhimmis under sharia law.

Indeed, their fate could mirror that of the Jewish minority, whose tragic story has barely been told—until now.

A Jewish population of 30,000 in 1948 has declined to just three people. A new report by Justice for Jews from Arab Countries charts the extinction of this millennial-old Jewish community, which suffered decades of human-rights abuses, torture and dispossession. It puts a figure on their material losses at $10 billion in today’s prices. If taken together with the losses of Jews in nine other Arab countries, the total could run to hundreds of billions of dollars.

Not only have the Jews lost their property, they have lost their roots and their history. The region is the poorer for having lost its Jews.

The Jews’ plight might seem marginal in the bigger picture, given that 500,000 Syrians have died in the country’s brutal civil war. Now that Assad’s Syria has been revealed as a slaughterhouse, one could argue that minority rights are a luxury that only democracies can afford. But state abuse of its minorities did, and can still, degenerate into the abuse of everybody’s rights. The treatment of minorities is the litmus test of the health of a society.

It is too late to save the Jews, but the Christmas tree burning is a wake-up call. The global community must not just stand by: It should keep a close watch on the treatment of minorities, safeguard the Christians’ right to practice their religion and hold Syria’s new leaders to account for the slightest deviation.

[peekofhistory]

You said about buying their own hanfu in one of the last asks. Is it really ok for non chinese people to buy it?

Where I live we are usually so preoccupied with cultural appropriation that I'm afraid to somehow cross the line.

Omg, thank you for asking this question, it's a really, really good one (I live in Canada and this is also an issue that pops up here).

In the daily life world, what I would recommend is do what feels safest for you. I know some people can take this sort of stuff to extremes, so protect yourself first. If you feel that wearing Hanfu as a non-Chinese person is going to get you attacked (in person, online, anywhere) then it might not be the best idea.

If you're just buying and not wearing out, buy away~!! No one knows what you have in your closet. Or you can always wear it around the house or in your backyard. You can also kind of..."take it apart". Like, wear a Hanfu top with some dress pants, or a Hanfu skirt with a regular blouse. You're less likely to attract attention that way.

In my own, personal opinion, though, I honestly have no issues at all with anyone wearing Hanfu on 2 conditions: It's not worn to mock or bash the culture. It's not worn with the intention to claim ownership of the garment.

I don't care if you wear it solely because it's pretty clothes, I don't care if you love Chinese history and culture and have a PhD in it and Hanfu is part of the package, I don't even care if you just happen to want to wear it for Halloween, as long as there's no malicious intent behind it I personally have no problems at all.

If you actually come to China and wear Hanfu, I can guarantee (yes, guarantee) that NO Chinese person will attack you for cultural appropriation. In fact, the opposite is MUCH more likely to happen in that Chinese people (in China) will LOVE that you are wearing Hanfu. That you show interest in our culture and history, that's very exciting!

I lived in Japan for several years for work and I wore kimonos once in a while there. My Japanese friends and colleagues had no issues with it, in fact they LOVED it (one of them even gave me a kimono from her family's collection). While traveling around I saw lots of non-Japanese people going to professional kimono studios to get done up and then visit tourist sites for photos, no one gave them any issues, no whispers, no side eyes, nothing but excitement to see visitors enjoying and participating in their culture.

I also used to like Lolita fashion, which is inspired by European historical clothing. No one in Canada had an issue with me wearing that sort of thing, even though my physical appearance is clearly not from Europe. If I ever go to Versailles, I plan on a full Marie Antoinette dress and hair and I'll stomp anyone who tries to tell me I can't.

It's fascinating to me that most people actually living IN the country of question don't see others enjoying their culture as a negative thing. In fact they generally are more than happy to share because it feels GOOD that others want to learn about your country. (And by "most people" I'm talking 99.999999%, I'm only leaving 0.0000001% possibility because China has a lot of people so maaaaaaaaybe you miiiiiiiiiight find one person who has an issue if you interview EVERYone)

I feel like the word "appropriation" needs to be better defined to those who are either: a) Trying to claim something not belonging to their culture is theirs b) Mocking or ridiculing another culture

I had a really sad experience once where one of my good friends and I were shopping in an Asian mall together. She's a brunette, Caucasian. She saw a qipao store (those Chinese form-fitting dresses) and admired how pretty the dresses in the display were so I said why don't we go in and try some on. She said she can't because she's afraid she'll get accused of cultural appropriation (much like yourself). I was SO incredibly sad when she said that, I honestly wanted to cry.

I WANT to share my culture with my friends and others around the world, I WANT people to come and participate in it. But I also understood that with the political atmosphere being what it is, she wasn't comfortable wearing it.

Sometimes it feels like there's a bunch of people who aren't actually interested in our culture, never been to China, never cracked open a book about China, never learned anything about China except maybe what's on the news, very gun-ho to gatekeep who gets to enjoy our culture FOR us (I won't speak for cultures I haven't explored, but I got a similar sense while living in Japan). They mean well, but...I do wish it could be more nuanced so that not everyone simply trying to learn and enjoy a culture outside of their DNA gets attacked.

Then there's my group who have "Chinese" DNA but were either born abroad or grew up abroad most of their life (technically there's no "Chinese" DNA, Chinese is not an ethnic group, but you get the idea). We've been exposed mainly to the political atmosphere outside, but our reaction to this issue splits.

Some are like me, we're happy to share, we're happy to see others enjoying Hanfu, buying it, wearing it, learning about it, etc.

Some will react to this issue similarly as those who attack anyone and everyone who tries to wear something not in their own culture. I find this group scarier because, to a completely non-Chinese person, this group seems to hold a lot of authority on the topic. They have a DNA connection to China, surely they get the final say in whether or not non-Chinese people should be "allowed" to wear Chinese traditional wear. But again, there's no nuance at all. I once saw someone from this group attack a Caucasian woman on Twitter for wearing chopsticks in their hair. Like...??????????????? Who...CARES???? Either they simply liked the look or just wanted the hair out of their face, who CARES. They weren't mocking China or Chinese culture, they weren't claiming sticks in hair was an idea they invented, like...seriously. Then anyone in the comments who said it wasn't a big deal this person would pull the "I'm Chinese" card, but when I checked her profile she left China before she was 4. Yes, she's technically "Chinese" but just how much authority should she hold telling others who gets to participate in Chinese culture?

And honestly, if we're being really, reeeeeeeeeally strict about who "gets" to enjoy Hanfu... "Han" is an ethnic group in China (95% of the population), "Hanfu" means the clothing of the Han ethnic group. I'm 1/8 Mongolian (on my mom's side someone married a Mongolian wife), does that mean I also can't wear Hanfu? Or I get to enjoy 7/8 of Hanfu?? Like...do we have to start doing DNA tests before enjoying cultures? xDD

Anyway, that's my giant, long take on the topic. Congrats if you read all of it ^^;;

You can always come to China (I'm here on a visit :D) and we can wear Hanfu together~ A non-Chinese person wearing Hanfu out would be a star at all the sites, you'll get random people asking you for photos (I get non-Chinese visitors asking me for photos when I wear Hanfu out in China, you'll get all the Chinese people asking you for photos xDD)

Look at these lovely visitors enjoying their trips to China wearing Hanfu :D

[thewinegrannie]

Thank you for reminding me of this! If I can wax poetic a lil bit more:

- Eastern European countries dominate the lists of most rapidly declining populations. Emigration is high and immigration is low, everyone is leaving, and no one is arriving. Birth rates aren't enough - for many reasons - to make up that loss, and as people leave (read: when culture is lost), there's no political or societal will to encourage outsiders to come. (Culturally, I've grown up in this sort of environment and I find it so weird the fact we are actively dying as a nation just never gets brought up - I realised this years after I left which I think is telling). But, man, would this make sense in the Anderfels.

- What you're left with is those with less means, less openness, the wary and the paranoid, the religious weirdos. "Most devout Andrastians" and "most respectful of Grey Wardens" 👀

- And what this all ends up being is this mundanity in the face of death: going back to a village where every year there's fewer and fewer inhabited houses, and the forest inches closer.

- Genitivi writes there are parts of the Anderfels where bodies don't decompose (famously inaccurate but I enjoy the imagery lol). To see that preserved tragedy of your history (probably not venture too deep in such regions but maybe can scout the outskirts?). But if wood doesn't decompose, if lichens don't grow on stones, then that also presumably means some aspects of history are preserved from before the Blights. To look on that, to live with that without it tearing you apart has to harden you. Furthermore, what happens to those parts now the Blight is Over For Good?

- And yet, life goes on, in this sort of surreal space. A grandma wondering if it's worth leaving the village where she's spent the last several decades but where she's only now got five friends of which four are cats. A young couple joking they need to have three children, to make up population growth of their little unit. Thrillseekers and the entrepreneurial-minded, wanderers with patchwork spiritualities, people who are just taking it one day at a time in the face of So Much Casual Death.

Anyway, sorry, this works a bit too well for me now 😭

You know, I really don't think they ever came up with a coherent cultural idea for the Anderfels, but honestly, if we continue with their "Thedas is upside down Europe" thing, I think it would've been fucking great if they'd drawn on Slavic culture for the Anderfels. Chronically poor but culturally rich battleground, where everyone is used to everything sucking but somehow they persist in meaningful and beautiful ways? I feel like there's amazing material there.

[miraclemaya]

i do think it's funny that there is most definitely a non zero amount of people who like played a ttrpg like ars magica and that inspired them to learn more history

[hymnsofheresy]

what are your thoughts on your religion stealing every single one of its holidays from pagans? xo

That in order to relieve themselves of guilt and discomfort, white people create and believe narratives that deprive their European ancestors of any autonomy whatsoever. Casting their ancestors as victims of the church rather than active participants.

[zevranunderstander]

number #1 tactic that people use to not sound as racist as they are when they talk to black people: 'uhh so you AMERICANS need to stop pretending everything is about YOU. why should i know this im not from the us :/' (= is talking about like. a phenomenally internationally well-known black artist)

[austin-friars]

This post could've easily been made without being passive aggressive or strangely misogynistic in your referring to them as 'history girls'.

I understanding wanting to learn more about lesser known people in European history. Constantly, I'm told that Tudor history is a boring subject because everybody already knows about Anne Boelyn, Henry and his six wives, etc. And I too agree that there is more to Tudor history than those subjects. So many of the tudor couriters tend to be far more interesting than the royalty.

And those points can easily be made without shaming 'history girls' for being interested in female monarchs. That is so strange to say.

Especially when said monarchs have been the victims of misogynstic slander for years.

To this day, Marie Antoinette, a foreign Austrian queen is subjected to more ridicule, and scrutiny than her husband, the actual king of france, ever faces. Most people are just learning more about her.

And it's not lost on me how you, and most of the people responding to you are suggesting men that people learn about over women and female monarchs and that's just strange to me.

'History girls' being into female monarchs, is not hurting anyone. And if you want to look to others that aren't female monarchs, then do so without being passive aggressive and making this a gendered issue.

women already have a hard enough time existing in historical academic spaces, this sentiment is weird. and it's so funny that you are dogging on people for talking about Anne Boleyn, when Henry VIII is discussed FAAR more than Anne. But something tells me you didn't mention the fact that he, a man, was being overly discussed by 'history girls' or it would ruin the weird gendered point you were trying to make.

History is not just Marie Antoinette, it's more

I don't know about you, but there is a certain community of people in history that is starting to annoy me… I call them the "history girls" I don't know if you see but they are the girls who are only interested in Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, Empress Sissi (and sometimes the Romanov sisters) it disappoints me because I have the impression that they only know that about history, what is too bad is that these historical figures are interesting I'm not saying the opposite but everyone knows them, you tell a French person to name a historical figure he necessarily says Marie Antoinette and the same for the others, history is not that, history is thousands of characters who have marked life, I prefer characters that no one knows than characters about whom there are already a slew of books and films, I prefer to talk to people whose historical figure they don't know at all, it's much more interesting and it allows better know the history precisely…personally my favorite historical figure is Marshal Michel Ney who knows him apart from those who are interested in the Napoleonic era and specialists? no one…so who are your favorite historical figures that no one knows and who are more interesting than Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn and Empress Sissi?

[unopenablebox]

i admit that i find it a little bit frustrating how Wildly Astonished other antizionist jews act when i tell them my israeli jewish family have lived in the region since [some unknown length of time before 1800 when there start being records about it]

[just-wublrful]

not to be obnoxious on main but classic literature is not global literature. it's western literature at best

[frankensteincest]

reading about historical rape laws is so maddening bc most of them require the raped woman to make her appeal immediately after the event (blood and torn garments and all), prove that she is no longer a virgin with a physical exam, and never deviate from any details of her initial testimony no matter how many times she has to give it over the course of the case. and it would still be her word against the man’s, as judged by men. this was of course only for virgins of sufficient rank, with women of other statuses having even less hope of a coherent case. and it’s so maddening bc very little has changed with this process to this day. it goes beyond burden of proof, it’s just extended torture.

[screechingsandwichhologram]

my uninformed american opinion is that i will be calling it derry not londonderry because im american and therefore will always support ireland if its ireland vs the british.

(i wasn't even going to post this but i wrote a whole essay in the tags so i don't want to waste that)

[slicksquid]

I hate being on twitter for competitive splatoon because this shitass social media keeps showing me the most braindead takes such as “public health measures during the Black Death were better than the Covid-19 pandemic”