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butterflywithsass · 1 month ago

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Things I Wish I knew living on my own

This is gonna be pretty short at the moment (I'll add more later) because I haven't been living on my own for very long and I think there's still plenty that I still have to figure out. I'm also drunk as I write this so this might be rambling.

This is gonna be chock full of really obvious stuff for most people but stuff that really confused or stressed me out when I did it. It's also gonna have that obvious stuff that's not so obvious because no one really talks about it until you are on your own and you haven't the first idea how to start.

First things first. Money. You're gonna need it, so look up a bank that is in your area and look into the process of setting up an account. Some banks have this online, sometimes you need to walk into the bank and do it in person. In both cases, make sure you have a passport, birth certificate, or other ID on you, as literally everything you know about your financial state prior to this. Ask your parents if you need to, or someone who knows this, because they are gonna ask a lot of questions. Once you've got the account set up make sure to confirm your ID. I set up an account online, and since I forgot to do this step, I have now had my account deactivated and I need to start all over again. Don't be like me.

If you're in a foreign country like me, make sure you understand how the currency works, and set up a method to transfer funds without having to pay the tax every time. Set up an app like Wise or something similar so people can transfer you money and you can move it to your bank account. Make sure you have a rough idea of how much something is worth in each currency. I'm still adjusting to using pounds, and things would look really cheap until I realized that a pound is worth slightly more than a dollar.

Services. I mean stuff like wifi and tv and stuff. If you're a student, than your wifi is fine, just make sure you set it up right. Euroroam is a bitch, so make sure you google how to do it right and just follow it step by step. Ask for help. Just ask someone. I'm so serious. Another thing I'm struggling with is TV. In the UK you have to have a license for BBC iplayer. Don't listen to your British friends when they say you don't need it. You do. If you don't have it you will get prosecuted. I don't wanna get prosecuted. It's super easy, even if it's kinda expensive, and hey, you get access to everything BBC. Just google tvl.co.uk and something will turn up. You can use that super handy bank card you got when you signed up for the bank account.

Transport. buses, trains and shit. First of all, make sure you download all the apps and inform yourself on how they work. It's gonna be confusing especially if your an American country hick like me so nows the time to learn. Get the maps. Get the bus schedules and routes. Pin them on your wall. Also, There's often some super cool discounts you can get if you sign up. Where I am in Scotland at the moment there's such a thing as a YoungScot Card, where you can get bus fair free if you're under 22. If you're not in Scotland, chances are there is something like that if you look. Transport can add up. Don't get Uber or a Taxi unless it's your only option, in which case, GET THE UBER. It's better to pay a butload of money for transport than be stranded somewhere alone. Your safety is more important than money.

Printers. You will need them. Often, there will be documents that you need to sign on paper, and so a printer will be needed. Google places where you can get things printed. If you are a student, make figuring out how to print things at your campus library a priority. I'm about to invest in my own printer just so I can skip this process because it's exhausting.

Voting. Just because you're not in your own country, doesn't mean you shouldn't vote. I'm from America, and care very much about the results of the next presidential election. If you're already registered to vote, try and get an absentee ballot.

Which brings me to mail. Get some stamps, and make sure they are the right ones. There will be postcard stamps, and mail stamps, and international stamps. Get the international letter stamps for your ballot and put them on because mailing is not paid for outside of the US. Then fucking mail it! (I'm swearing at myself so I remember to do this part when I'm sober)

Phone number. You will need a new one. Get an Esim card (should be in your settings if you have an iPhone) Make sure your friends have your new number and test it out to make sure it works when you're in a new country. One thing about Europe, is that the old buildings really suck for phone reception. Also, if you want to make this simpler and can't remember numbers very well, use Whatsapp or Instagram to message people.

Mess. You may go into this with certain ideas of granduer when it comes to personal organization. Be real. You won't be any more organized or tidy on your own than you were with other people. Just make sure that the essentials are accounted for and forgive yourself for the rest. Keep a drawer or a basket for all that important shit like bank statements or that letter that says they're opening an investigation because you haven't bought a tv license so it's all in one place and you don't lose anything. If it's urgent, pin it on your wall (get a bulletin board for this). Do your laundry. If you have your own washing machine and dryer, good for you. I don't, so figure out how the system works with the communal washers and get on that. Once again ask for help. Wash your sheets. Wash your pillowcases. WASH YOURSELF.

Hygiene. I hate it too, but it will make you feel better about yourself if you are clean and your teeth are brushed. This is the first thing to go when you feel in a slump. I know. I hate showers. I hate brushing my teeth, but not doing it makes my self-esteem go down the drain and my depression goes on a victory lap. Just do it. If you can't do anything else on this list, or you feel like everything is too overwhelming, do this. It will make a lot of other things feel doable.

Food. Okay, scratch that. This might be the most important thing. I am currently making a late night dinner of dried mangos and wine because I didn't have the motivation do get dinner tonight which is a prime example of what not to do. Because now I'm drunk and hungry. Get a fucking fridge! Get a microwave! Go to the grocery store and buy food. Even if it's ramen or mac and cheese. At least it's food. At this point, don't worry about eating healthy, just eat. Since I'm not allowed a mini fridge or a microwave, I have to time my meals so I get into the dining hall on time which results in this... So if you're in a similar case, set alarms for meal times, and GO TO THEM! If you miss it. Find a place that has cheap takeout that you will eat as a fall back option.

Groceries. Find a grocery store that has the things you need, and see what kind of membership or regular discounts you can get. You will need it. Don't worry about buying too much food, or buying too much junk food. If you're gonna overspend on something, better it be this and not something else. Eventually, you will get a sense of what you actually like to eat and what you don't. But for now, don't be afraid to buy something just to try it because it might become your new favorite food. Make a running list on your phone of what you need to buy and don't worry about overbuying. If you buy something you don't eat or don't want, give it away! Your neighbors or classmates or friends might want it and food is always a good way to meet people and form connections. At my old school, I became known as the one who would always have a bag of storebought cookies on me in class if anyone was hungry and didn't have any other options. I was proud of that reputation.

Don't restrict your space. It can get easy to walk the same path every day, and never venture outside of the area you know well. But every so often, try and use that bus pass you got, and go a little further afield. Just wander. You don't have to have a goal. Just explore. Living in a new place is the perfect time to do this. I recently ended up in a random church just because the gate was unlocked and the door was open. I ended up accidentally eavesdropping on a late night discussion of eleventh-century catholic manuscripts or something I can't remember and came home with a pamphlet for the catholic church I'm never going to join but it was an experience. Make awkward conversations with the people you haven't met before because maybe you'll end up crushing really hard for her even though she's straight and has a boyfriend and you'll spend the next week hopelessly pining but at least it will be something to mark the passing of time, creeping at this petty pace from day to day. Maybe the way she describes how she's learning to dissect cadavers and the way her eyebrows tilt will inspire you.

It's okay to be lonely. It's hard to adjust to living in a new place. Especially if you're a student at a new school. It may feel like everyone is making friends but you. That may be true. You may find that your neighbor has already met a guy and they are really cute together, and they no longer really want to hang out with you. You may find that the person you connected with really well now longer remembers your name but that's okay. It is a superpower, knowing how to be comfortable on your own. It's something you must learn before you can make a lasting connection with anyone. Those people who are making friends so fast are doing it because they are afraid to be alone. You aren't afraid.

Don't overcomit. Sometimes, you might feel so guilty about not donating to a freind's program to help survivers of domestic abuse in africa that you offer to design a website for them. But yuu're swamped. You have three essays due next week and you need to have an opinion about Homer's portrayal of Ithaka and you're terrified every second you spend not working on your essays, so that yiu ccan't relax even during breaks because you're constantly thinking you're behind but now you have to design a website. Don't fucking do that, What were yoy thinking you fuckin idiot. Just give your freind the money and tell her you can't do it.

Keep in touch with people. Don't fall off the map. There are people you love who are still out there. Your gramma wants to know how you're doing so give them a call, but not when you're drunk that will just make her anxious. Call your freinds from your old school. Ask them how they're doing. When tey tell you they're going on a date be happy for them and don't think bout how single you are. Fuck.

Invest in your projects. Don't forget what you love. Join that Good Omens fanfiction group even though it's one of the few things that you're not obligated to do. Don;t forget your hobbies. Watch the thing that David Tennent was in even though you don't have any prior interest in true crime and watch yourself fall into another spiral of hyperfixation.

Read Shakespeare. Relate so hard. Spend an inordinate amount of time memorizing the Yoric soliquiy from Hamlet. Spend a fortune on tickets to see David Tennent play Macbeth in the west end. Let it be your light. The only thing you are looking forward too at the moment.

You'e on your forth glass of wine. You havent neber been this drunk before becuse you are a syupid American who has just moved to the Uk unserpivused. and you're stressing about exams. You were supposed to be working.

Goodbye!

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ineffable-opinions · 7 months ago

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School Culture & Male Androphilia in Japan

[This is part of a series on Takumi-kun 6. The aim of this piece is to discuss the origins of student culture and male androphilia & how it plays out in Takumi-kun series.]

Takumi-kun series is an early BL novel by Shinobu Gotoh with an enduring legacy. It is also an on-going work as we follow Takumi-kun and others beyond their student (gakusei) days and into adult (shakaijin) life.

Takumi-kun series is mostly set in an all-males boarding school Shido Academy. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, pre-modern Japan has a long tradition of male androphilia[1], much of which was age-stratified, class-stratified or both and involved strict/normative inserter/insertee dichotomy. BL has inherited (such as in seme/uke dynamics) and bastardized (such as with younger seme/older uke pairing) traditions of male androphilia in its tropes. Let's discuss a bit of the history before diving into how Shinobu Gotoh plays around with the setup of boarding school male-male sexuality that emerged in the Meiji period.

Part 1

[ Main resource used for this part of the write-up is the chapter titled “Toward the Margins: Male-Male Sexuality in Meiji Popular Discourse” from the book Cartographies of Desire: Male-Male Sexuality in Japanese Discourse, 1600-1950 by Gregory M. Pflugfelder. ]

What Review of Senryu From Meiji Japan Reveals

Meiji period Japan saw transformation of Japanese customary male-male sexuality ‘within the newly established framework of a centralized nation-state’.

…male-male sexuality, which had enjoyed a prominent and respectable place in Edo-period popular texts, came during Meiji times to be routinely represented as “barbarous,” “immoral,” or simply “unspeakable.”

The marginalization of male-male sexuality can be traced through its representation in senryü verse composed during that period. In post-Meiji Restoration popular humor Yoshichö districts of Edo well-known for organized sex work was no longer associated with the kagema or male sex worker. Instead, it was associated with female geisha, mirroring the 18th centuary decline of kagema teahouse and their shutdown by local authorities'. Once mainstream male-male sex work had to go underground and faded from popular memory.

Just as old customs were forgotten, new ones emerged in senryu of 1880.

Two figures […] associated with male-male sexuality were the bantö and detchi—clerk and apprentice, respectively, in a commercial house. The bantö wielded considerable authority over other employees, and had been portrayed in senryü since the Edo period indulging his lechery with young male coworkers. The detchi, on the other hand, may be seen as the merchant version of the priestly chigo or samurai page boy: male adolescents for whom the favor or disfavor of senior males might have significant consequences for their professional advancement.

Meanwhile male-male sexuality involving Buddhist priests went from being considered ‘a lesser transgression than fornication with women’ and a ‘contradiction between the priest's personal indulgence and the ascetic ideals of his religion” to an “emblem of “ancient evils” (kyühei) in dire need of reform’ and ‘a criminal offense’.

Following period saw state regulation of representation of sexuality in media (print media, theatre and paintings - artist Kawanabe Kyösai’s erotic drawing of Meiji oligarch Sanjö Sanetomi & a male foreigner landed him in jail; not much different from jailing of ero BL creators in present day[2]) and a shift in popular discourse that deemed that male-male eroticism has no place in the “civilized” environment of Meiji. Male-male sexuality was further marginalized through silence resulting from ‘state censorship, editorial discretion, authorial inclination, public taste’, etc. Meiji journalists continued reporting on male-male sexuality but adopted a tone of moralistic outrage and condemnation.

In the demarcation of civilized behavior, male-male sexuality was relegated to ‘the Japanese past, the southwestern periphery, and the world of adolescence’.

Japanese Past

‘Male-male erotic practices lay in the past’ which was seen as ‘a backward and “feudal” age, whose institutions and customs Japan must abandon in order to achieve “civilization.”’

Meiji era authors depicted male-male sexuality with historical backdrop (such as samurai society of the Sengoku and Edo eras) that would excuse their representation in the name of historical accuracy. [This is in contrast to say depiction in cinema which has largely avoided depiction of nanshoku with exception of Taboo (1999) and Kubi (2023).]

Pflugfelder gives a couple of examples:

Higeotoko (Man with a Beard; 1890–1896) by Köda Rohan – very shonen ai about the whole thing – involved light hand-holding and fade to blank.

Kagema no adauchi (Kagema's Vendetta; 1899) by Jöno Denpei –about a professional “love boy”. As a person born in 1832 Jöno was familiar with male sex workers like the protagonist from his childhood. But the practice has thoroughly disappeared from the cultural fabric by 1899 that Jöno had to introduce the protagonist whose profession was “disgraceful” “from today's perspective” and his gender identity ambiguous.

Marginalization of Male-Male Sexuality Was Japan's Southwestern Periphery

Centered around Kagoshima prefecture (the former domain of Satsuma), the region encompassed various parts of Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. During the Meiji period, it was popularly believed that male-male erotic practices were more prevalent here than in the rest of Japan. Other than the obvious geographic distinction, there was a social reason too for this distinction. It was believed the region was a stronghold of old customs with lasting imprints of samurai class and the high concentration of warrior families. Satsuma had customary homosocial groups with strict sex-segregation practices such as hekogumi and gojü until the Restoration.

Male-male erotic interaction […] was reportedly common within such groups.

… the martial ethos of the samurai class slowly dissolved under the pressure of social change and “civilized morality.” Contemporary observers correlated the deterioration of shiki or “warrior morale” with a decline in male-male erotic practices.[3]

During the Meiji period, southwestern region (Kagoshima in particular) was known for its male-male sexual practices. These practices were seen as regional peculiarities, distinct from the mainstream culture centered in Tokyo. The southwestern region was viewed as a “feudal” backwater, and the association of male-male erotic practices with this area underscored their perceived “uncivilized” nature. Instead of being seen as a universal practice [the way shudo was percieved], male-male sexuality was considered a “folkway” (füzokü) surviving on the cultural margins of a newly “civilized” nation-state. In the 20th century, sexologists further marginalized these practices by diagnosing regions like Kagoshima with a hereditary condition called “regional same-sex love” (chihôteki döseiai). This effectively contained male-male sexuality within specific geographical and cultural boundaries.

Moreover, from Kagoshima men’s regional identity imperial navy and seafaring got associated with male-male eroticism in Meiji Japan.

male-male sexuality & the world of adolescence

… the sexual object in shudö had always been defined as a young male. In Meiji popular discourse, as in that of the Edo period, it was generally understood that youthfulness formed one of the conditions of male-male erotic desirability. More and more commonly, however, the desiring party too was presumed to be an adolescent, older than his partner as a rule, but neither of them yet an adult.

‘Adolescence (seishun) as an “institutionalized moratorium between childhood and adulthood” [allowed for a] social space where adult standards did not fully apply’. This also allowed male-male sexuality which had gained the status of uncivilized behavior to be excused as ‘youthful folly’.

Institutions of formal education were around since Edo period and so was male-male erotic practices in them. Not only that but also ‘violence between rivals in love’. Following the Restoration, schools mushroomed throughout Japan with an added emphasis on education as a vehicle for social mobility. Students, tasked with future nation building, were expected to be diligent in their study and to stay away from sexual diversion. Male-male sexuality in schools were not just that in discourse of the day but was inextricably linked with ‘shifting definitions of masculinity, regional and political rivalries, and the ongoing “civilization” of morality’.

Mori Ögai - father of Mori Mari who wrote the first BL

Two terms born out of Mori Ögai's 1909 novel critiquing naturalism[4] Wita sekusuarisu (Vita Sexualis) köha and nanpa were used in discourses surrounding male-male sexuality among students. The term köha (translated as “roughnecks” by Pflugfelder and “queers” by Kazuji Ninomiya and Sanford Goldstein) referred to students who eschewed interest in male-female eroticism instead engaged in male-male sexual relations. This was in contrast to their nanpa (translated as “smoothies” by Pflugfelder and “mashers” by Kazuji Ninomiya and Sanford Goldstein) classmates.

[These are penetrator roles but not fixed categories. Students did move from one category to another even in Mori's novel. "Boy" (shonen) who were penetrated could take up penetrator role later on.]

“Smoothies” […] did not tuck up their sleeves or swagger about with menacing shoulders like their “roughneck” peers, but instead dandified themselves in silk kimonos and white socks (tabi) in order to win the favor of women.

In Mori’s school köha student were mostly from Kyushu and southwest Honshu prefecture of Yamaguchi while nanpa were from northeastern region. This regional distinction shows up in Tsubouchi Shöyö's novel Tösei shosei katagi (Spirit of Present Day Students; 1885–1886) wherein Kiriyama Benroku a quintessential köha is a native of Kyushu who wears coarse garb and is contrasted against his classmates womanizing peers not only by his leaning towards samurai ideals of masculinity but also by his interest in his companion Miyaga.

The köha-style of masculinity was modelled on engaging brute strength even in erotic dealings. Moreover ‘the strict age hierarchy that prevailed in student society constrained the very notion of consent, since junior males were in principle supposed to obey the dictates of senior schoolmates.’

In such an environment, male-male sexual practices often took a predatory form, with younger students providing fodder for older ones.

However, there were also non-forced köha-shonen sexual relations too.

Mori describes, for instance, a set of crude hand signals whereby a “boy” could consent to or refuse a senior male's overtures; subtler forms of seduction involved treats, favors, and the prospect of “special protection” (tokubetsu na hogo) by the older party.

Meiji newspapers was eager to cover köha violence wherein the older students who preyed upon “beautiful boy” in the streets of Tokyo and other Meiji cities or fought over a “beautiful boy”. They stood to gain readership especially those from middle- and upper-class who were likely to send their kids to boarding schools. It also fit well in the political context with journalistic crusade aimed at male-male sexuality & exploitation as a “Satsuma habit” in a time when ‘domination of the national government by the so-called “Satsuma clique” (Satsubatsu) faced mounting criticism’.

The portrayal of köha by journalists in post-Restoration Japan led to a strong association between male-male sexuality and adolescence. This association was so strong that any discussion of male-male sexuality would inevitably reference student societies and dormitories as common places for such relationships. Furthermore, accounts of school life often highlighted the culture of male-male eroticism as a distinctive feature. This is evident in memoirs by several notable figures such as Ösugi Sakae (himself a former köha), Iwaya Saza-nami, Ubukata Toshirô, as well as in literary works by Dazai Osamu, Hori Tatsuo, Kawabata Yasunari, Mushanoköji Saneatsu, Origuchi Shinobu, Satomi Ton, Tanizaki Jun’ichirö, and Uno Köji.

Chigo-nise ties (that is, erotic relationships between junior and senior youths) were reportedly common [in Kagoshima] as late as the 1940s, while student memoirs and other accounts describe similar attachments in schools outside the region. With the twentieth-century rise of the notion of [döseiai] “same-sex love,” however, popular representations of such relationships would come increasingly to focus on their psychological features, rather than on physical predation of the Meiji type.

The other half of the ‘asymmetric dyad that made up a male-male erotic relationship’, the sexually penetrated partner, is referred to as ‘shonen’ (boy) in student lingo. By then a mix of inherited knowledge from various arena – Japanese past, classical Chinese, and contemporary forensic pathology – entered public discourse such as seen in Kömurö Shujin's Bishönenron (On the Beautiful Boy).

In Kömurö Shujin's work, the primary effect of this paradigm was to bring to the fore the psychology and physiology of the “beautiful boy” in a manner that would become increasingly common as the century progressed. Kömurö Shujin cited an impressive array of Western authorities on “same-sex love,” most of them doctors or scientists who believed that the “passive” partner in male-male intercourse differed from others of his sex on the basis of certain mental and physical peculiarities, both inborn and acquired. At the same time, the author's understanding of Western sexology was filtered through a set of native assumptions, emerging in a form that often differed in telling ways from the intentions of the original theorists.

Masculinity of wakashu was rarely ever problematized during Edo period. But with the medicalization of male-male sexuality led to attribution of “effemination” with “passive” partner put forth by Western sexologists as Richard von Krafft-Ebing to gain traction in Japan and persist.

[Parallels can be found in bishonen (beautiful boy) stock in BL deemed feminine by readers unfamiliar with the bishonen aesthetics. For example, misattribution bishonen Ayase even when contrasted with feminine Someya in No Money. This also extends to treatment of seme/uke dynamics as though it is a reflection of heterosexual pairing when it is in fact a pairing of two different masculine aesthetics, not to ignore the misogynistic, xenophobic and colonial conception of men who do not fit into specific masculine aesthetics being deemed unmanly/feminine.

Interestingly, Miki Koichiro the director (and screenwriter) of Pornographer, Given, Zettai BL, Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu etc. is well versed in the male androphilic traditions (among other queer traditions). We can see him using the term “shonen” when instructing the young actor playing Mob-san’s brother’s friend who has a crush on Mob-san. His usage was perfect, proving that he knows what he is doing.]

Part 2

Relics of traditional androphilia in Takumi-kun series

The norm or at least the expectation is that senior students (senpai) pursue pretty boy (bishonen) juniors (kouhai).

This is what outsiders expect even within the universe the novel series is set in as is seen from the conversation between Gii, his best friend Akaike Shouzou and Namiko (Shouzou’s girlfriend) in Sorera Subete Itoshiki Hibi (Those Were Precious Days), a part that never got live action adaptation.

This plays out in Takumi-kun series in various ways. There are two notable bishonen in Takumi-kun’s batch: Gii with his exotic beauty and the princess-like Takabayashi Izumi. In case of pursuit of Gii plays out in a pretty straight forward manner. He is relentlessly chased by seniors who are interested in Gii and their numerous attempts at wooing him.

Takumi-kun 4 - Gii & Sagara

Notable pursuer is Sagara Takahiro who was in the third year when Gii joins Shidou. Sagara as the school president organized many recreational events hoping Gii would participate and they would grow closer. But Gii refuses to participate except for in the final one which took place in Sagara’s absence, the Shinto Shrine Hunt event that is depicted in Takumi-kun 6. Even though the pursuit plays out straight forwardly, it come to nothing since Gii is not there to be pursued. He is there to pursue Takumi-kun.

In case of Takabayashi Izumi, he turns his most ardent pursuers into a band of followers. This obedient little group of lackeys help him to stir up trouble for his love rival Takumi. Moreover, Takabayashi is one of Gii’s pursuers. This pursuit also doesn’t yield any result as Gii doesn’t entertain any pursuit.

Thus, both bishonen of Takumi’s batch subverts expectations surrounding bishonen by being pursuers.

Takabayashi’s plot gets further complicated when he falls in love with Yoshizawa Michio. Their pairing is that of weak seme x weak uke type – both are reluctant to actively pursue each other and requires external intervention to set their ship in motion.

Meanwhile Misu Arata wishes to be the target of his senior Sagara Takahiro’s affections. He actively participates in Sagara’s events wanting to get close [and they do get close as schoolmates] but Sagara is only interested in Gii.

Takumi-kun 4 - Shingyouji & Misu

Misu’s plot further deviates from the pursued bishonen track when a junior (Shingyouji Kanemi) pursues and eventually gets together with him in a clear inversion of the norm.

Takumi is also pursued by his seniors. Aso Kei’s pursuit is depicted in Takumi-kun 6 while Nozaki Daisuke’s attempts at courtship is depicted in Takumi-kun 1.

Aso Kei is the only one Takumi is comfortable interacting with apart from Katakura Toshihisa (Takumi’s best friend). Aso’s pursuit is aided by Gii who wholeheartedly wishes for Takumi’s happiness irrespective of whom he gets together with. Gii creates opportunities for Aso and Takumi to meet by delegating library duty to Takumi when Aso is around thus getting them to interact. Aso’s courtship fails and he takes it out on Gii by showing off – he lies to him that Takumi agreed to shrine hunt with him. When Gii notices that Takumi doesn’t reciprocate Aso’s feelings, he decides to actively pursue Takumi and turns from Aso’s enabler to rival in love.

Nozaki Daisuke’s pursuit of Takumi plays out within the senior pursuing junior set up. Another classic trope is that of love rivals fighting over a bishonen with both literary and in real life precedents. This is evoked in a race between Gii and Nozaki in Takumi’s name from Takumi-kun 1. Here the love rival’s competition is complicated since Gii is a bishonen who is fought over by many others (Takumi, Takabayashi, Nogawa Masaru*, etc).

* Nogawa Masaru is not depicted in any of the movies as far as I can remember.

Even though the novel series is called Takumi-kun series, there are many parts that doesn’t involve Takumi-kun and some of them are exclusively from the point of view of other characters. All in all, Takumi-kun series is like an anthology of many many love stories involving characters who are directly or indirectly connected to Takumi-kun. There are other stories involving younger pursuer and older pursued with all sorts of seme/uke arrangements. Here are some that I can recall right away:

Even guys who are not androphilic such as Akaike Shouzou gets pursued by seniors (Shibata Shun in Shouzou’s case). But these courtships are doomed from the get go.

Younger guy pursues older – senior & junior, teacher & student, etc.

senior x junior pursuit abandoned to establish senior x senior romance (Moriyama & Shibata) or junior x junior romance.

senior x junior romance sometimes end in heartbreak. (Takumi-kun 2)

senior x senior relationships are abandoned in pursuit of senior x junior relationship.

Sometimes seniors employ their seniority to retain power imbalance. (Misu and Shingyouji)

In case it is not clear, who pursues who has got nothing to do with who is seme, uke or riba and vice versa. Since the novel series involves many pairings, we get to see all sorts of seme/uke/riba dynamics (if we are to call it that given Takumi-kun is a June novel).

Footnotes

[1] I prefer using male androphilia because queerness is a bit too vague and in most case in inappropriate since it was the norm. Academics usually use male-male sexuality, male-male desire, male-male eroticism, etc. Male androphilia must not be confused with the narrower term homosexuality.

[2] Danmei author Tian Yi and her companions were sentenced for 10 years for profiting from obscene content on male-male sexuality.

[3] while the courting of “beautiful boys” was a “barbaric custom” (banpü), domain authorities during the Edo period had tacitly encouraged it as a means of preventing young men from going “soft” (nyüjaku) through erotic involvement with women (joshoku).

[4] In the Company of Men: Representations of Male-Male Sexuality In Meiji Literature by Jim Reichert (199-208)

Takumi-kun meta series

1.Trailer plus

2.School culture and male androphilia in Japan. (you are here)

3.How does the movie compare with the source novel?

4.How does the movie compare with previous adaptations?

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lindsaywesker · 3 months ago

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Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day.

We have now reached a new low. This is where we’re at: people of colour – workers and students – are now being offered the option of staying at home if they don’t feel safe. This is where we’re at. British-born, lived-here-all-their-life people of colour are now being given that choice. That is how bad things have got. That is how low our society has fallen. Dictated to by far-right thugs. Not protestors. Thugs with swastika tattoos and a poppy in their buttonhole. Don’t they realise British soldiers died fighting the swastika?

So, this is the new normal? It’s pretty sad. Some foreign countries have even issued government warnings, telling their citizens NOT to travel to the UK. Not good for the tourist industry. Not good for our global standing. Having left the EU, many foreign countries are still laughing at us.

Those ‘protestors’ that broke into Greggs and Shoezone and the phone shop, don’t they know how that’s going to affect their ability to get a job or travel abroad? Probably not. Looting is never a good career option.

The Fash tried to go to Liverpool, Birmingham and Nottingham last night. Outnumbered. Tried to go to Walthamstow. Shut down. Tried it on in Brighton. They just laughed at them. Young Muslims marched through Accrington in Lancashire and the locals came out of the pubs to embrace them. Ultimately, The Fash are a very vocal minority. In the major cities, we know what we’re doing. We don’t need your help.

Yesterday, I had a lovely walk in my local park. As you know, temperatures are slightly down, so it was great walking weather. I feel healthy. I am so, so lucky. To be this age and be this healthy, I am bloody lucky. I definitely do not take my good health for granted. I’m not an athlete but, within myself, I feel very good. How blessed am I?

Have a throbbing and thrusting Thursday (with hopefully a few thrills through your thoroughfare?) I love you all.

#mixcloud #mi soul #dj #music #new blog #lockdown #coronavirus #books #weekend #democracy #radio

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anxietywriter · 1 year ago

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characters in college

uhhh I refer to my own experiences as an american undergraduate in case your character is also pursuing a higher education and uh american

i put in some info about the american education system and grade levels/ages at the bottom in case you find you need it!! ik it's confusing 😭😭

joining a club together with a friend just to participate in something for the good ol' resume while still hanging out. also can meet new people! it's nice though, each meeting means that they both carve out even just a little bit of time out of their schedules to attend the meeting and hang out (mine usually last an hour from 6-7 pm and are all on campus)

accidentally saying scrotum instead of sacrum. in front of the whole class. and the professor.

some classes go for as long as three hours and will be more in the evening, like start at five and end at eight. THAT BEING SAID, lil cute when it's dark and rainy and a character doesn't want to walk back to their dorm alone so their classmate escorts them back and even shares their umbrella.

kids at the back of the class getting away with everything still exists and it's great. imagine being in class and suddenly you see the group at the back of the class disappear for like an hour and they show up with fast food unnoticed by the professor. the dynamics. the lil road trip for a snack.

the group of friends that all stay up until 1am together in the library or something. whether it is to study for a big exam, finals, or to complete a jigsaw puzzle that must be absolutely done TONIGHT. and they're all sleepy and leaning on each other and mumbling incoherently to themselves. then they basically just have a sleepover.

registration. the only thing we will wake up early for. classes are filled on a first come first serve basis, you can add or drop certain classes but people need those classes. so imagine being surrounded by like three devices, all with the registration website pulled up, just to sign up for the classes they need before it gets full.

no but I think it's really cute actually when friends in the same class immediately go to lunch or dinner afterwards to hang out as much as they can before they have to go study or sleep. there's something domestic about it.

they're cooking in their apartment for a friendsgiving! something simple. well it should've been. but they're an awful cook why did their roommate let them near the stove. the small fire got bigger and now the whole building is standing outside and the firetruck is there. They bring publix fried chicken to their friendsgiving instead.

it is the middle of the night at like midnight and suddenly you can hear the voice of Freddie Mercury singing from the room next door. impromptu karaoke singing back when you open your window. perhaps even a duet.

making abominations in the ceramics class that fit within the criteria of the assignment. like, they're technically good, but visually they're like frankensteins monster.

one time my roommates professor said the f-slur in class as an example of a word meaning different things in different regions. Kind of a side eye moment lmao. foreign exchange student saying words that mran different things here? like the uk's cookies are our biscuits. but their scones are also,,, biscuits but different. their rubbers are erasers, ours are,,, condoms. also be aware that some languages have words that sound like a word that might be inappropriate in English but that does not make the language inappropriate y'know? don't be a jerk <3

seeing your classmate dressed casually in class for like the whole year. then the final comes around and it's a presentation, everyone comes dressing somewhat formal or even business casual. and hmmm that one classmate dressed up quite nicely. like damn what are these feelings,,, they're the same person what is happening, this is their fault they're hot

K-12 (refers to kindergarten to twelfth grade, education up until the person turns 18 usually)

failing a grade or being held back means they stay in the same grade level for another year and redo the work (this in turn means that they'll be a little older than their peers. i've known of people as old as 24 in high school completing their education)

Grade Levels K-5 (elementary, kids usually start at 5 years old and end at 10/11) 6-8 (middle school, they're usually 13/14 at the end) 9-12 (high school, by the time they graduate, they will be 18 for the most part)

9th grade: freshman (14-15) 10th grade: sophomore (15-16) 11th grade: junior (16-17) 12th grade: senior (18)

College/University is referred to as a secondary education college- from what i understand, meant for a 4 year degree or an undergraduate degree university- can complete a 4 year degree here and more (typically meant for further schooling beyond the initial 4 years) referred to as a graduate degree

Different types of degrees (from what i understand??): Associates (2 years), Bachelor's (4 years- most common), Masters (6 years), Doctorate (7+ years)

#prompt list #writing prompts #story prompts

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ecologyalike · 1 year ago

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Debt at the heart of the growth paradigm

Before industrialization, much of the world’s population lived in a society with very low per capita economic growth rates. In the 1930’s with the invention of econometrics, economic growth became a symbol of a modern state, and an aspirational goal of the nation to demonstrate progress in comparison to other nations.

However, sustained economic growth comes with an immense social and ecological cost. There is little doubt that increasing pollution and waste generated by the growth economies threaten the well-being of future generations. Likewise, the overuse of the world’s natural resources is eliminating the possibility of people in the majority world achieving the same levels of income as people in high-income countries.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

If the problems of the hegemony of growth are obvious, what is creating a “growth trap” so hard to escape?

In today’s economy money is primarily created through the issuance of loans by the private banking sector. Most of the money circulating in the economy is created by private banks. When a person gets a mortgage to buy a new home, the bank creates a deposit account with an equivalent amount of money in the ledger (no new money is printed). However, this deposit is equivalent to other types of money, in fact over 99% of total transactions by value in the UK are bank deposits! Only a fraction of the money is physical cash created by the state.

The problem with this type of money production is that we need to maintain a high level of loans to have money circulating in the economy. Understanding how money is created in the modern economy, and the role of debt in the process of money creation, helps to understand one of the key obstacles to escaping the hegemony of growth.

At the individual level, dept economy means that people must constantly work more than they consume, to be able to pay back their loans. Having a shorter working week, and earning less, is not an option if one needs to pay back a home mortgage or student loan. It is difficult to reduce private debt in the absence of growth.

Likewise, in the non-growing economy, the country governments struggle to pay down their public debt and may need to cut spending on education, health care or other social services. Particularly low and middle-income countries, with large debts issued in foreign currency, are often unable to invest in public infrastructure without taking more loans.

In the worst case to manage their loan payments to international creditors, they must resort to privatising the state assets such as electricity production or drinking water, exposing these “public goods” under speculation of private markets, and making them too expensive to most of the people in the country.

If all loans would be paid back, there would not be money in the economy.

Dept drives growth, which in turn is necessary to avoid financial crises. High levels of public debt mean that growth is the only option to manage the loan without hurting the people living in the country. Likewise, high levels of private debt mean that people have no option other than to continue to contribute their labour to the growth economy.

However, in the current financial system, private banks continue to issue new loans for profit, without any consideration of whether these loans contribute to the economy operating within planetary boundaries or advance equality and social justice.

And while banks and asset mangers cash in profits, the circle of more debt and demands for more growth goes on and on and on….

References

Escaping Growth Dependency – Why reforming money will reduce the need to pursue economic growth at any cost to the environment by PositiveMoney

https://positivemoney.org/publications/escaping-growth-dependency/

Sovereign Money - An Introduction by Ben Dyson, Graham Hodgson and Frank van Lerven

https://www.insearchofsteadystate.org/downloads/Sovereign-Money,-An-Introduction-Dyson-Positive-Money-2016.pdf

#debt #degrowth #economy #money

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pure-ablution · 3 months ago

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How do you make and save money?

It’s mostly about increasing your income, and then reducing how much of that income you actually need to spend. This is what I do. Not all of it is technically allowed because of my university’s employment rules, but I haven’t run into trouble yet. It’s not always fun to live frugally, but it allows me to indulge in the things that matter to me.

Increasing income:

I receive a termly stipend as part of my scholarships, covering my rent and utilities and leaving me with a little money left over.

I work at least one shift at the student bar per week, and usually receive tips.

I do part-time paid internships during term-time, and full-time paid internships in most holidays.

I work for my university by taking shifts in the libraries, and working with admissions and outreach.

I offer myself for some compensated research trials and surveys at my uni.

I do online tutoring, mostly to foreign highschoolers whose parents are willing to pay a fortune for my university’s name.

I work freelance in translation services and proofreading in my native languages. This pays by the word.

I offer basic beauty services (waxing, eyebrows, etc.), styling and tailoring/mending services to students at a reduced rate compared to local salons and tailors.

I sell PDF copies of my notes and lecture transcripts to students on my course, and very occasionally write essays for a higher fee.

I babysit/pet-sit/house-sit for my professors, neighbours, and other local families I know.

I receive occasional cash prizes for competitions.

I have some music and poetry published, and receive a little bit of money regularly as royalties.

I sell clothes etc. on behalf of people who are too old or lazy to use online secondhand sites, and take a portion of the cost.

I sell a few printables and some of my embroidery and other handicrafts on Etsy.

I take on any little ‘odd job’ offered to me. Last week I was paid £25 as an extra in a student film production.

I have a few investments, and I withdraw portions of the interest already generated if I feel I need to.

My parents send me a small amount of money every month (something like £75) specifically for groceries.

Reducing outgoings:

All of my tuition is covered by my scholarships, plus a single airfare to and from home per year.

I get all my fish free from my neighbour, and I eat a lot of it.

I get all my milk free, in exchange for doing the eyebrows of the girl who runs the dairy near me.

I buy the rejected fruit and vegetables from the greengrocer’s at the end of the day for a discount.

I buy rice and beans in bulk from the international market a few miles from my house.

I cook everything from scratch at home. Most meals I make come out at less than a £1 spend per portion, because I buy in bulk.

I walk everywhere, and I have a Railcard for when I need to use the train.

I pirate books and movies, or use my university’s libraries. I never, ever pay for books.

I always shop in sales or usually secondhand, and I’m really good at using discount codes.

I don’t bother with fancy salons. I do most of my cosmetic work myself, or I go to independent aestheticians who work from their houses.

I get a friends’ discount with the dry cleaning shop I use, because it’s run by the local monastery and I know most of the monks there.

I don’t have any subscriptions or monthly payments to anything except magazines. My phone and laptop were bought outright for me as a part of my scholarship agreement, and I don’t have a car or any streaming services.

I have a black and white television (the licensing charge for B&W in the UK is significantly lower than colour).

I use a cashback app whenever I buy anything online. It’s only a small percentage, but it adds up over time.

I never buy alcohol. There are more than enough events with free drinks in a student city.

Saturday brunch was recently swapped to a homemade brunch, so now I no longer pay for any meals out at all.

Most of my cleaning products are homemade in the way my grandmother taught me. All you really need is bar soap, white vinegar, lemon juice and a cheap bottle of bleach in your cleaning kit.

I never, ever forget to use my student discount.

#ask-beauty

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highflysourcing · 3 months ago

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HighflySourcing: Your Partner in Navigating the Visa Immigration Process

In today’s interconnected world, the quest for global opportunities often involves navigating complex visa and immigration processes. Whether you're pursuing an education abroad, seeking employment opportunities, or planning to start a new chapter in a foreign country, the journey can be overwhelming. Enter HighflySourcing—a leading visa immigration consultant dedicated to simplifying your path to international success. In this blog, we’ll explore how HighflySourcing stands out in the crowded field of immigration consultancy and how their services can make your international aspirations a reality.

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HighflySourcing is a prominent visa immigration consultancy known for its comprehensive and client-focused services. With a reputation for excellence and a track record of successful visa applications, HighflySourcing specializes in providing tailored solutions to individuals and businesses navigating the complex world of immigration. Their expertise covers a wide range of visa categories, including student visas, travel visa, work visa, work permits, resume writing, and permanent residency applications.

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Every immigration case is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. HighflySourcing provide personalized advice tailored to your individual situation. They develop strategies that align with your objectives and help you understand the nuances of the visa application process. This includes advising on the best approach for your particular case and how to navigate potential challenges.

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#immigration #visa consultancy services #visaconsultants #visaservices #tourist visa #work visa #student visa #study visa #workpermit #visa #permanent visa #resume writing

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thessalian · 7 months ago

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Thess vs Refugee Issues

So apparently they're going to be rounding up as many of the refugees in this country as they can find, in kind of blitz attacks, in preparation for sending them to Rwanda. Which ... I mean ... it feels like an exaggeration to say "this feels like some Nazi bullshit" in this day and age, but the scary thing is that it's not an exaggeration.

It's getting more complicated and worse, too, because of the whole thing with Ireland being in the EU and Northern Ireland ... not. Because some have taken the risk of trying to get around how shitty the UK is being about refugees in small boats by going a little further and going to Ireland. Ireland is now saying they're going to punt them over the border into Northern Ireland because "they're not our problem", and the UK is going, "Only on the understanding that they're getting sent right back to France; hey, why don't you send them right back to France, since you're both EU?" and ... it's all too fucking complicated but people are playing this massive game of NIMBY with people who just want to live somewhere that they speak the language and won't be persecuted.

Seeing the accommodations for refugees who are sent to Rwanda ... it worries me. On one hand, it sounds pretty sweet, but ... there are a couple of issues I'm having. One - where are they getting the money for this? From us, one would assume, given that it's the UK's stupid project, so why don't they build something similar here? So I don't entirely trust it. I also don't like what I see between the lines of "They can go wherever they like; we're not keeping them incarcerated or anything!" Yes, it sounsd good, but ... like ... I feel like given Rwanda's history? They seem to be setting the stage for refugees just ... disappearing and for them to be able to say, "Well, we haven't been keeping them prisoner or anything; we're not responsible!"

I think the worst part is that the whole set-up gives one of two options for how to proceed: "We will help you live in Rwanda, or we will help you go back to your home country". Neither of those options sounds very good. Rwanda is away from friends and family, and is a strange country where they're only welcome to a point because some other government gave that country money to be rid of them, might have to learn a new language (though English is one of the languages used in Rwanda, along with French, Swahili, and Kinyarwanda, so I guess it depends on how widely English is used). Alternatively ... why the fuck would they want to go back to their home country? They risked their lives to run from it because staying there was worse!

Meanwhile, more and more refugees are being created - Israel vs Pakistan, Iran vs Israel, gods know how many others (there's only so much news I can stomach, I admit) - and nobody seems to care beyond yelling "NOT IN MY BACK YARD!" every time these people who lost everything but their lives need a place to stay.

And this country? They're now talking about cutting down on the number of international students allowed to come here. They just ... really, really hate foreigners right now. And I know they probably don't mean me - not even so much because I'm white, because the Polish population of the UK got so much horrific shit thrown at them in the time around the Brexit referendum, but because I'm North American. People still ask "What part of the States are you from?" because I think they forgot Canada exists. Despite being part of their Commonwealth, which ... kind of grinds my gears, but anyway. Point is that none of that "They probably don't mean me" helps. First, I'm angry as hell that they mean anyone when they're talking about cruelty to people who were not born in this country. But also? When it's everyone who wasn't born here - the families of healthcare workers, university students, anyone who doesn't make enough money? It's hard to avoid the idea that they do mean me. Especially since I'm not cis, I'm not het, and I am not healthy and fully abled.

I try pretty hard to look on the bright side of things, or at least focus on the small joys of my life. The latter works better than the former. The "bright side of things" is getting smaller and smaller every day, and ... yeah.

#Thess on politics

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bisluthq · 6 months ago

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Hi! I hope this isn't a rude question but from what I remember you live in South Africa, and I was super curious. Yesterday I read a post on reddit from a female solo traveler who was planning to travel for months, first landed in Johannesburg, spent two days there, felt super unsafe, cancelled her whole trip and went home. A lot of comments were saying it IS super dangerous there and she just did poor research. Is it really dangerous there? If yes, is it just Johannesburg or all over?

not a rude question! My take is, honestly, it’s as dangerous as you let it be. Johannesburg has some pretty dodgy areas which I wouldn’t recommend to tourists and it’s a VERY big city - just geographically/spatially not even talking about population - so I wouldn’t recommend for any tourists (solo or not) to go without a guide/group. I’d book in with a guide. It’s a REALLY cool place though - I know many Brits and Americans who actually preferred it to Cape Town and rated it on par with their safari experiences. There’s a lot to see and do, it’s vibey, the people are lovely. But if you try diy your itinerary/accommodation and rely totally on Ubers like yeah you can put yourself in some pickles. You do need a guide or to like be relatively local (I’ve spent a fair amount of time there for work and for my brother’s competitions and to go to my embassy and because I was very briefly seeing this girl who lived there when my ex and I were breaking up but sorta not broken up idk anyway I flew up there to see this girl a few times and I can honestly say I’ve never had any funny or bad experiences there. I liked it and felt safe but I’ve also lived in South Africa since 2001 and I have friends there so it’s really not the same as a foreigner going by herself). A weird thing multiple people have told me now is the train system there is nicer than Europe’s and I guess it is lol. It’s very on time and very clean and not like whatever is going on in France or Germany or the UK (side note I personally thought the Italian trains are great but they were def dirtier than the Gautrain system). So there are yk a lot of… really state of the art things about Joburg.

Cape Town is a lot safer and more “European” so easier to go with no plan/guide. I know sooo many women who’ve traveled here solo and had a rad time. Again, obviously be smart lol like don’t do dumb shit but that’s a good rule of thumb traveling anywhere.

I mean okay here’s a story - when my bf was in college (he’s American - or rather Californian which is its own thing but he was in college on the East Coast) he started dating this French foreign exchange student and that summer he took a summer school course in London in part to be able to see her more. Two of the girls on his course were friends of his from school so they were staying together and anyway these girls wanted to go to Paris for the weekend and see Paris and all and that worked well for everyone ergo they basically arranged a swapsie situation - his gf would come to him in London and they’d have the flat to themselves and these girls would get to use her apartment for free. All good. The girls were told very explicitly like what trains to use and when the last one leaves but they were partying and the guys they were with told them that actually there’s a later train and they believed them because cute French boys idk I guess and obviously it turned out there wasn’t a later train - obviously V knew when the trains to her apartment stopped running lol - so these boys and their girl friend offered to drive them back to the apartment, which they accepted, and then like the Americans invited them up like for a thank you nightcap and these people proceeded to badly SA the American girlies and rob my bf’s gf’s apartment. The girls obviously left to go home to the US immediately the next day and my bf’s gf broke up with him because all her shit was stolen lol because of his moron friends so she wasn’t happy with him. That’s a real story that happened - doesn’t mean I’ve ever felt unsafe in Paris though. I’ve felt like I’m overpaying for shit but I’ve always been… safe. I’ve actually taken the last train in Paris myself and it was totally fine even though I was not sober lol and the American girl *I* was with there (not romantically like we were just vibing together) also had nothing bad happen to her at all lol so it’s not even a dumb American thing. It’s like… bad shit sometimes happens.

Basically, my take is touristy South Africa isn’t unsafe tbh any more than any other touristy part of the world (if you go into really bad areas that’s different) but keep your wits about you dudes if you do decide to go and obviously feel free to hmu.

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nkadijp-blog · 6 months ago

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beardedmrbean · 1 year ago

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India has stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens amid an escalating row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

India said the temporary move was due to "security threats" disrupting work at its missions in Canada.

Tensions flared this week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India may have been behind the 18 June killing.

But Mr Trudeau said on Thursday he was not looking to provoke India with the allegation.

India has angrily rejected the allegation, calling it "absurd".

Speaking to reporters in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr Trudeau said: "There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country we need to continue to work with."

He said Canada was not looking to provoke India or cause problems with the allegation but is unequivocal about the importance of the rule of law and protecting Canadians.

Relations between the countries - key trade and security partners, and US allies - have been strained for months. Analysts say they are now at an all-time low.

India's government swiftly made clear the suspension of visa services also "applies to Canadians in a third country".

"There have been threats made to our high commission [embassy] and consulates in Canada," a foreign affairs ministry spokesman in Delhi said. "This has disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly [they] are temporarily unable to process visa applications."

He said: "India is looking for parity in rank and diplomatic strength between the diplomatic missions of the two countries. This is being sought because of Canadian diplomatic interference in our internal affairs."

Hours earlier Canada had announced it was reducing its personnel in India, saying some diplomats had received threats on social media.

"In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats," a statement said.

Canada's visa services remain open in India.

The two countries have historic close ties - and much is at stake.

How India-Canada ties descended into a public feud

Why are some Sikhs calling for a separate state?

Canada has 1.4 million people of Indian origin - more than half of them Sikhs - making up 3.7% of the country's population, according to the 2021 census. India also sends the highest number of international students to Canada - in 2022, they made up 40% of total overseas students at 320,000.

According to Indian government statistics, about 80,000 Canadian tourists visited India in 2021, behind only the US, Bangladesh and UK.

The row burst into the open on Monday after Canada linked India with the murder of separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was shot dead in his vehicle by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada's intelligence agencies were investigating whether "agents of the government of India" were involved in the killing of Nijjar - who India designated a terrorist in 2020.

India reacted strongly, saying Canada was trying to "shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists" who had been given shelter there. The Indian government has often reacted sharply to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan, or a separate Sikh homeland.

On Thursday, Mr Trudeau was pressed by journalists about what evidence there was that suggested India was linked to the murder.

He did not share further details, but said "the decision to share these allegations was not done lightly".

"It was done with the utmost seriousness," Mr Trudeau said, urging Indian officials to cooperate with the investigation into the killing.

A spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry said Canada has not shared specific information with India on Nijjar's murder.

"We have conveyed this to the Canadian side, made it clear to them that we are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us," said Arindam Bagchi on Thursday. "But so far we have not received any such specific information."

The Khalistan movement peaked in India in the 1980s with a violent insurgency centred in Sikh-majority Punjab state.

It was quelled by force and has little resonance in India now, but is still popular among some in the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK.

#nunyas news

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queerlyhalloween · 2 years ago

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Y'know how the joke used to be "right, winter holidays are coming to a close, now comes the travel adverts ready for summer" anyone else living in the UK noticed the MASSIVE, FUCKOFF amount of RAF/ Royal Marines/ Army adverts?! ...even more than previous years I mean...

Is this why they're starving us in cold homes?! Is this why they're killing the NHS?! Because recruitment's down?!

I've spoke briefly on this before but as a young kid I wanted to be a detective (too much copaganda on TV) I did a BTEC public services course from ages 13 - 15 and even over a decade ago cottoned on that something was wrong with it all* in addition to the way your rights are fucked about (so that you CAN'T back out when you realise you're being trained up to cause chaos abroad, to make your government richer)

They realised that everyone on my course was likely to peel off to their various services at 16/17 due to shit home situations (why I ended up deciding I'd be a miltary police officer in the navy, rather than a regular cop, to get away from my extremely abusive mother ASAP) so they kept telling us "funny stories" that weren't that funny... to me at least

But y'know what? After One Specific Story™️** I was like, hey actually FUCK this, and put up with my mother (WHILST SUICIDAL) for two years, got student finance, lived dirt poor and got a bar job living dirt poorer for 6 years

And do you know what?

I don't regret it.

Fuck me it was hard at points, thinking I could have had it "easier" but it's not worth your soul.

OR OTHER PEOPLES'!

It's not worth contributing to a system that murders the foreign, causes turmoil in their countries, then captures the refugees from those countries and cages them until they die.

All for the sake of fucking coin.

You are better than that. And if you are not? You can instantly become better than that trying to take out a tory MP and being killed in the process.

You think killing folks abroad is "fighting for your country"? Kill your local MP. That's really the meaning of fighting for your country.

DO NOT JOIN THE ARMED SERVICES

DO NOT BE A COP

POVERTY IS NOT AN EXCUSE

THERE ARE FAR BETTER/ EASIER WAYS TO AVOID ABUSE

*I have specific stories but I'm wary of talking about them online due to them making me traceable

**If you need "proof" #1: grow up #2 i could probably talk about this one if I keep any and all names away since it's about English soliders stationed in Derry during The Troubles, but see point * above

#i've been terrified of making this post #but have been trying for years #but it's worth talking about #uk politics

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mythologeekwriter · 11 months ago

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God this is horrifying

[Note: I am not copying the whole of these articles, please do read them, I'm just sharing the bits that I think illustrate why you should in fact read them.]

Five-point plan to cut UK immigration raises fears of more NHS staff shortages | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian

Cleverly told MPs on Monday that “migration is far too high and needs to come down … enough is enough”. He added: “Today I can announce that we will go even further than those provisions already in place, with a five-point plan to further curb immigration abuses that will deliver the biggest ever reduction in net migration. “In total, this package, plus our reduction in student dependants, will mean about 300,000 fewer people will come in future years than have come to the UK last year.” Along with raising the salary threshold and scrapping the “shortage occupation list”, Cleverly announced that social care workers would no longer be allowed to bring their dependants when they came to work in the UK. He also said people living in the UK – including British citizens – would now be allowed to sponsor family members to move to the UK only if the person living in the UK earned £38,700, up from £18,600 currently. Finally, the government is asking the Migration Advisory Committee to review the rules for those who have completed undergraduate degrees in the UK. A spokesperson for Downing Street called the package “the biggest clampdown on legal migration ever”. They added: “We believe this is a package which will enable us to significantly reduce numbers whilst achieving economic growth.” It forms one part of a two-part plan to reduce the numbers of people coming into Britain legally and illegally. This week Cleverly is likely to fly to Kigali to sign a new asylum treaty with Rwanda, with ministers ready to bring forward new legislation in an effort to finally kickstart the government’s Rwanda plan.

Families face being split up by UK plan to cut legal migration, lawyers say | Migration | The Guardian

Data suggests this could make it impossible for between 60 and 70% of workers to bring their family into the UK. The crackdown has caused concern among some senior Tory MPs. Alicia Kearns, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said on Tuesday she was worried the package as a whole risked dividing families. She told LBC: “It risks being very unconservative”. Madeleine Sumption, the director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: “This is definitely completely different to what any other high income country does.” Under the new rules, someone will be able to bring a family member into the country if they earn £38,700 year. If the partner is already in the UK, both people’s incomes will be taken into account. If someone does not qualify under those rules, they will still be allowed to bring in family members if they have sufficient savings. Under current rules that figure is £62,500, but the government is consulting over whether to increase it.

Lawyers and applicants say, however, that it has led to distress and confusion, with many families already in the process of applying for visas now unsure of what the changes will mean for them. Kelly Robinson, an American PhD student living in Norwich with her partner, Owen Sennitt, had applied for her spousal visa last week, confident Sennitt’s job as a local journalist would be enough to qualify for it. Now she believes she may have to return to the US after eight years living in Britain. “It is a real shock,” she said. “The entire life we have built is being taken away from us overnight.” Nick Gore, a partner at Carter Thomas solicitors, said: “This is devastating for many people that just about meet the existing financial requirements. There is a huge spectrum of people who are affected – some are on minimum wage jobs, others have started their own businesses. This will split families up.”

Thanks to James Cleverly, I may never live in the same country as my kids again | Claire Armitstead | The Guardian

When I mentioned their predicament to a lawyer friend he was dismissive, saying that middle-class families always found a way round these problems. Other friends suggested we remortgage our house to raise the £62,500 capital that was the alternative route to a spousal visa. But it would have to have been in their bank account for a minimum of six months before they even reapplied; this was time their soaring stress levels meant they didn’t have. And anyway, they wanted to pay their own way. The Home Office said any change to the capital threshold would be announced in due course. At the old salary rate, they probably would eventually have worked something out, but at the new one there is no chance. Their relationship will always be based on them both working, and while their combined income would very probably exceed £38,700 a year, neither is going to make that much on their own. My eldest and his partner are now happily settled, so wouldn’t want to move back anyway. The sort of social care work she does is more highly valued in Spain. Meanwhile, my Australian daughter-in-law is in the crazy bind facing citizens of so many of the UK’s former colonies: expected to bend the knee to the monarch of a British state that doesn’t want them. Australia asks the foreign partners of its citizens only to prove their relationship is genuine.

#uk politics #Juno talks

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