#pardon that I don't have citations here

[ramblingandpie]

HOKAY SO On the "Pie watches DS9 for the first time" tour, tonight I'm going to ramble about something that's been in my head since I watched it, just, stuff percolating.

Major spoilers for season 3 episode 13, "Life Support," under the cut.

So part of the reason I am loving DS9 is Julian Bashir. They really did say like "Ok take some of Pie's favorite tropes and also favorite areas of academia and roll them up into one (1) repressed twink." And I love that for me.

So for those who don't know me IRL or, like, well over the internet, I fucking love bioethics. It is my jam. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't even know that "clinical bioethicist" is a job that some people can do until I was in my mid-30's and I don't have enough formal philosophy training to get into a good bioethics grad program. I am an attorney and I work in healthcare regulation, which is close enough, I guess. I've written huge research projects about the history of the eugenics movement on aspects of modern health law. I'm also an MPH student. If I win the lottery and can then not worry about money but just do what I love, that's probably what I'd go back to school for. So, like, when I say that bioethics is my jam, I also am not just being an armchair philosopher. Am I the level of a clinical bioethicist? No. Have I done full bioethics consult simulations? Yes.

And, yes, I do have some spoilers for Dr. Bashir And Bioethics And Maybe Why He Cares So Much About Patient Autonomy and hot damn they really did take my favorite tropes.

AND HO BOY did this episode give me a lot to chew on.

Basically, there are 4 "pillars" of clicial bioethics. Patient autonomy, beneficience (the benefits of treatment), nonmaleficience (do no harm), and justice (what's right for everyone involved [not just, like, patient family, but also things like medical supply rationing]). Patient autonomy is HUGE and IMPORTANT and the biggest thing is like... allowing patients to make their own choices with as much information as the patient can have, even if that choice is "I don't want to know." Which presents difficulties. BUT here, Bareil was like ok yes doc tell me everything ok yep I'm choosing to take this course of action that means I'll probably die. Because it's important to me and my values. Which. LEGIT.

AND THEN I got worried because my man Bashir was like I have concerns but it's your call, dude. AND THEN HE WAS LIKE HEY WINN I NEED YOU TO LIE TO THE PATIENT????

NO??? Don't lie to the patient, Bashir! I'm so disappointed!

... UNTIL he was like "Because you benefit politically if he dies you're not a neutral informant so fuck you." And then I was like OH SNAP!!!! Because! One of the ultimate goals is to try to distill what the PATIENT wants, not what the folks around them (who might have ulterior motives) want!!!! So ok yes in that case you might be like "Hey I need you to balance what you did by doing this other thing so that the patient can look at the situation as a whole without a third party trying to get something out of THE PATIENT'S DEATH."

So basically that episode was like crack to me THE END.

[dragonmasterhiccup]

The Roman gave a long sigh and ripped up the citations.

"You're a bit of a celebrity in this neck of the woods, Mr. Haddock. You know, I was there when that pair of viking twins arrived and almost blew up our shrine to Mars. We held them for a few days, and they just would not shut up about you! Eventually, we did some investigating and found out they were telling the truth and we sent word back to Rome. I know we're pretty far from the capital and dragons aren't that big of a problem there, but his Eminence likes to keep his ear out for allies."

He handed a card to Hiccup, fully filled out and notarized with a wax seal. "Here's your permit. You can apply for a more permanent one at the embassy in town, if you'd like. But this should cover you if anyone asks." Then he became stern. "But you've got to go easy on the speed."

Hiccup's face took on a look of surprise as the guard spoke, becoming apologetic at the mention of the twins. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "Yeah, sorry about that...I know they can be a bit of a handful. They mean well, they just...they don't always execute it well."

Taking the card, he flipped it over in his hands, taking note of the wax seal. Tucking it into his armor, he shook his head, "I don't think that would be necessary, but I'll keep it in mind, thanks..."

Shrugging casually, he reached forward to pet Toothless' head. "Easier said than done, I'm afraid. Night Furies are one of, if not the fastest dragon species out there. Once you're in the air, it's hard to hold back..."

Tilting his head, he gave the man a lopsided grin. "Have you ever ridden a dragon before? We could take you for a quick ride, if you'd like...

Blinking, he came to a realization. "...actually, come to think of it, I don't think I've caught your name...?" This guy was pardoning him from breaking a law, (albeit unknowingly), but the least he could do was get the man's name.

[akaessi]

Since you have an education with Scandinavian folklore, I'd be curious to hear if you have any book reccomendations on Scandinavian Folklore? It's a topic I adore but I find that sources are a bit of a struggle to dig up.

I can read English, Norwegian, Danish (and tentatively with a lot of struggling and swearing) Swedish, so don't worry too much about the dreaded language barrier too much. :>

Hello hello! Thanks for asking! Pardon the late response as well, I wanted to compile a decent list as best as possible! Apologies in advance that I couldn't find easy links for most of them.

Introductory Books:

Vaesen (2013, originally in Swedish) by Johan Egerkrams (I have an English translation by Susan Beard). A beautifully drawn catalog of common Scandinavian folklore creatures. The downside of this book is the lack of direct source quotations and/or super in-depth folkloric analysis. Still a lovely easy read to familiarize yourself with some creatures!

Scandinavian Mythology: An Annotated Bibliography (1988, English) by John Lindow. Simple guide to Scandinavian mythological terms. If I'm remembering correctly, it focuses more on Norse mythological creatures (such as gods and giants) but also features explainers for folk belief figures.

Scandinavia Folk Belief and Legend (1988, English) by Reimund Kvideland and Henning K Sehmsdorf. A very detailed (and chunky!) book that focuses on folkloric beliefs and "old wives' tales" within Scandinavia. It has a lot of citations and references to folklore catalogs, which can then be used for further reading! Also, nicely organized to focus on generalized motifs.

Grimm's Fairy Tales (original German Title: Kinder- und Hausmärchen) by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812, German but with widely available translations.) While not exactly specifically Scandinavian Folklore, the Grimm brothers and their folklore collections did great work within the field of Germanic folkloric studies and comparative religious/folklore studies. (And if you're a linguist too, we love love love Jacob Grimm) Anyways, there are a million versions of these tales, some very watered down but if you're looking for a chance to read them here's a link (in English and German). The site is a bit clunky and doesn't have ALL the tales. But a good portion of them are available to read. It's good to familiarize yourself with these in general because of the motif commonalities in folklore studies.

More In-Depth Books:

Old Norse Mythology-Comparative Perspectives (2017, English) with Pernille Hermann, Stephen A. Mitchell, and Jens Peter Schjødt, eds., with Amber J. Rose. 2017.  An anthology of scholarly articles focusing on discourse within the field of Scandinavian (Norse) religion and folklore studies. Lots of different authors and scholars, some with incredibly specific article focuses but others with more broad analysis and literature reviews. If you need a link, Harvard University seems to have one and it should work if I link it here.

The Norns in Old Norse Mythology (2013, English) by Karen Bek Pedersen. This book hyper-focuses on the Norns within the larger context of Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. I highly recommend this book for people who are confused by the various female supernatural figures and their various names and titles. Though it has a specific focus, it is still helpful for overall studies on dísir, nornir, vættir, etc.

Folklore in Old Norse: Old Norse in Folklore (2013, English) edited by Karen Bek Pedersen and Daniel Sävborg. A relatively short book that focuses on literary and medieval textual criticisms about current scholarly trends within the field. Very helpful for understanding scholarly trends as well as bodies of thought in the field of Scandinavian studies--which is always useful for students and newbie researchers!

Witchcraft and Magic in the Nordic Middle Ages (2011, English) by Stephen Mitchell. This book can be helpful in its discussion about the ambiguities between folklore, religion, magic, and witchcraft within the Scandinavian context. It references a lot of primary sources as well as historical sources commenting on said primary sources. It focuses mainly on the transition between Norse paganism to Christianity in Scandinavia but still, I think this book serves as a helpful introduction to understanding how folkloric practices change throughout time for various reasons.

Additional Miscellany Sources:

Motif-Index of Folk-Literature....(6 vols. revised and expanded from 1952-1958, English) by Stith Thompson. This is the compendium for folklore studies and is one of many folklore motif catalogs. Very helpful for understanding folklore in a broader comparative context. Unfortunately, it's very hard to find copies of the volumes, at least for me, but there is a digital link here.

Old Norse Folklore: Traditional, Innovation, and Performance in Medieval Scandinavia (English, 2023 pending release) (edited?) by Stephen Mitchell. This book isn't out yet so I can't comment too much on its content! But in the field, we are waiting to read it! According to the synopsis, it is an anthological book that will feature essays (mainly theoretical) that focus on the transition of mythological and folkloric material in the medium of orality. Hopefully, this book will serve as a good guide to understanding how to connect orality theory (in broader Scandinavian lit. studies) to folkloric motif studies (in Scandinavian folklore studies).

Some Scholars I Recommend:

Pernille Hermann, PhD. Focuses a lot on memory studies and literacy in Medieval Scandinavia. Writes in English and Danish.

Karen Bek Pedersen, PhD. Focuses on in-depth discussions of fate motifs in Norse sagas and mythological texts. Also frequently focuses on female folkloric figures in Scandinavian religion. I believe she writes English and Danish.

Daniel Sävborg, PhD. Focuses on comparative literature studies and somewhat psychological looks into Norse literature and motifs. Writes in English and in Swedish.

Stephen Mitchell, PhD. Focuses on various genres of Norse/Nordic literature with interests in magic, mythology, and legends. Writes in English, I don't know if any other languages.

Thanks for the ask! Hopefully this is helpful! 🖤

Most of the books are in English, since these are the texts my classes focused on specifically and my program is taught in English. It might take me a bit longer to find (throughout my laptop files) the non-English ones we read! As always, research carefully! There are a lot of people with no academic background writing in this subject and getting popularized. And there is also a danger of people using this subject to promote false and dangerous ideologies. (ahem Nordal).

[0player]

A personal account of detransition, reasons for it, and pain points with the community

So, on this hellsite, I am going to address a spicy topic. I'm not sure I should, but I believe I am not alone and it is a virtue to speak up.

I must preface this with saying that I wish no one harm, nor do I impose choices on others. I wish to be seen and to let others feel seen.

I'm a 26-year-old MtF dentransitioner (a desister, more accurately). (Pardon my oldschool language, but there is clarity in it which the modern lingo lacks). I have comorbid(?) ADHD with strong autistic traits, but I wouldn't call myself autistic - this is just a manifestation of ADHD and poor socialization.

My decision to detransition is not one made out of self-hatred, or "internal transphobia" as some might claim. I stay every bit as feminine (which is not very) in my expression. I desisted because I - and frankly, I'm not alone - have been systematically mislead about benefits and drawbacks of these procedures.

Let's start off with a banger I found today, which tipped my scales. Here's a study that simultaneously purports to alleviate detransitioning fears, and is so starkingly bad at it that it is still cited by far-right haters: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/107/9/e3937/6572526

This study finds a desistance rate close to 20% in natal males (amab) and 30% in natal females (afab), but puts a positive spin on it. "More than 70% continue with the treatment!" What it omits, and what every endocrinologist worth their salt will tell you, is that those who don't often walk away with severe reproductive dysfunction, depression, and hormonal imbalances. And that's not even taking the Bottom Surgery into account. (See below). That 30% number may seem awfully high, but it checks out among those with whom I kept company in my young adulthood. Rates up to 10% have been suggested by studies before.

This is not the topic that you can bring up in a polite society, much less inside The Community. The Community is hardened by years of fighting war trolls from 4chan, evil witches of TERF, and dissenters in general.

The Community will tell you that every dissenter is a plant. The Community will delete posts of detrans/trans regret pains on suspicion of nothing from relevant subreddiys, then proceed to defend the decision by saying the posts are no longer there, so the posters must be trolls. There's absolutely zero genuine discussion being fostered about actual neccesity and efficacy of, let's face it, invasive care - facts are weapons in the Culture War on Trans Folk, therefore inconvenient ones must be silenced.

I recently saw a post making rounds, clsiming yet again that regret rates of "bottom surgeries" (SRS, or genital reassignments) are less than 1%. Another brings up that this is literally less than for heart surgery - on top of being implausibly small for any invasive surgery - but this is then framed as the evidence for wonder and neccesity of care. Needless to say, there's nary a cited source in sight. Indeed, I've seen the 99%/1% claim many times on what looks like powerpoint slides, never with a citation.

The numbers you can find on PubMed are less fun. Immediate rates of complication is, by different accounts, from 25 to 50 per cent (I am a hypocrite and providing no sources, searching PubMed isn't hard and you get a fuller picture than if I gave youa single link). The most frequent one is tissue degeneration - essentially graft rejection - in about a third of cases. Even in the best case, neogenitalia are numb (because nerve healing, insofar it occurs at all, takes about a decade), floppy, cause urination problems and are frequently inflamed. Nevertheless, the operations are advertised (even by surgeons, who should know better) as giving you "fully functional" genitalia, and popular hearsay would have you believe that you get a cool cyberpussy which is a hundred times better. It's not. Plastic surgery is appearance-only, functions are limited and incidental, and operations have no standard procedure.

When I last brought it up in my trans chat, the first person to reply did so using a phrase "I know you masturbate to axe-wounds on Reddit, but..." It didn't get much more civil than that.

This is far from atypical, btw. Much can be saud about transfem communities recently eschewing any reflection on learned toxic masculinity, or, indeed, making themselves less of a man outside or inside - the work can be relegated to magical hormones.

I'm going to go there, too. Call me a lookist, a transphobe, a bitter fuckup. Maybe I am. But imma say out loud:

Hormones will not make you pass. Also, passing is a real, non-arbitrary thing.

The Community, right now, will not tell you that you do not look like your desired gender. It is considered rude, sometimes hateful, and a general faux pas. I absolutely get the reasons for this, and I used to stand behind and to perpetrate those reasons. However, after seeing more and more people changing their documents and getting bottom surgeries before getting to shave their neckbeards, I realize that might not be a good thing.

As an ADHD person, I am often confused about things. As a troubled person, I was often confused about myself. I thought that if I hayed myself and liked girls and feminine things, then I must become a girl to love myself. I now realize that is not true. I am lucky to make my realization before making truly irreversible decisions, and am content with minor health complications as a price of self-discovery. Still, I know some who paid a steeper price, and I wonder how many more will.

I leave you with a link to Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine, which I found today, for most succinctly putting most of the talking points I wish I could express myself. They're the reason I'm bothering to make the post at all - by myself, I'm not a very persuasive person. https://segm.org/Dutch-studies-critically-flawed

[harlockauxillia30k-blog]

Uncategorized Record IDD-C

[From an Army Data Vault, Terra]

General Strom: Doctor.

Dr. [Medicae] Vale Halleck: General, another of your colonels go insane?

Gen. Storm: No. Its about a captain I've kept an eye on.

Dr. Halleck: Really? Such a low rank. Unless its a ship captain.

Gen. Storm: No, a ground pounder, Captain Harlock, 2nd Centauri Star Rifles.

Dr. Halleck: Alright, lets get started. Have a file?

Gen. Storm: Here, but I can do you one better. Out of curiosity, i had a single psych evaluation written up, and listened into a single in-unit briefing via probe.

Dr. Halleck: This again.

Gen. Storm: Listen, my worst fears were confirmed, by both that medicae and the recording. I have before you a gentleman I think could lose his composure any day now, and when an officer cracks, people die.

Dr. Halleck: *whistles* was there a typo on this age?

Gen. Storm: He really has been around that long. The man is older than something like a quarter of the space marines alive today, maybe more. He's older than me for the emperor's sake.

Dr. Halleck: Looks hold up for that age. Juvenat, I presume. Pretty heavy dosage as well if his organs arent failing... Oh, but they're close.

Gen. Storm: Im not here about the physical, and your not that kind of doctor. Read more.

Dr. Halleck: So as I'm skimming this, I'm guessing your looking for a reason to axe him right? That's what this is?

Gen. Storm: I'm looking for a reason to get him mustered out, give him a couple of years of peace before the juve withdrawl kills him. Something. His service record is otherwise outstanding. Has he won every battle? No. But I'll be damned if theres barely any real actionable citations against the name listed here, outside of a few unsubstantiated allegations, and I'll be twice damned if he hasnt lived through some terrible shit. Pardon my language.

Dr. Halleck: But you think his mind didnt?

Gen. Storm: I'm saying no ones mind can. This guy has got to have PTSD like a motherfucker. i don't know why he gets out of bed in the morning. The emperor made the astartes for damage like this, we aren't built for it. But even then I'd just shrug and put an eye on him to see if he shows any signs. Nah, what's going to make him snap is his command element.

Dr. Halleck: You're a general, if their colonel is trash sack him.

Gen. Storm: He's weak but he hasnt done anything wrong. A lot of weak men get command positions. It doesnt mean we can strip rank so casually. You make enemies that way out on crusade. Things happen. Maybe the next day you wake up a lieutenant colonel all of a sudden.

Dr. Halleck: I don't buy that for a second. You have sacked colonels before.

Gen. Storm: I've sacked fuck-ups. This guy hasnt made any move he hasnt covered up well yet. But he has dragged this captain through hell on a cheese grater for reasons I cant fathom.

Dr. Halleck: Seems its a centauri noble thing. Apparently he started a little feud with some important family.

Gen. Storm: Yeah, something like EIGHT centuries ago! Who gives a shit anymore, Vale? Can you remember the hot takes from eight hundred years ago?

Dr. Halleck: So why the bad treatment?

Gen. Storm: Thats what I'm hoping you can answer, because right now, I'm looking for a way to rip a colonel's wings off, and give an old warhound a peaceful put-down.

Dr. Halleck: I'll look into these more. This reads like a biography of the great crusades- the entirety of them. Just one question, why are we bothering, exactly? It's just a captain and colonel in the Auxillia. They wont last long.

Gen. Storm: Because this auxillia was built on a promise. You fight for our emperor for a few years, you get a rank or a medal maybe, you see the universe and how shit it is, and you gain skills in case we or more likely your planet needs you- then you GO HOME. If we start keeping men on the line like this, what is our army going to look like after a few centuries? How human will we remain, if our entire existence is unending galactic war. That is what the emperor sought to stop. The Pax Imperialis is real- ive seen it in the men I get to send home to wives children and parents. And it is why I fight. Jan Harlock is an insult to that dream. I want to fix it. Right goddamn now.

[universalwalnut-blog]

Uncategorized Record IDD-C

[From an Army Data Vault, Terra]

General Strom: Doctor.

Dr. [Medicae] Vale Halleck: General, another of your colonels go insane?

Gen. Storm: No. Its about a captain I've kept an eye on.

Dr. Halleck: Really? Such a low rank. Unless its a ship captain.

Gen. Storm: No, a ground pounder, Captain Harlock, 2nd Centauri Star Rifles.

Dr. Halleck: Alright, lets get started. Have a file?

Gen. Storm: Here, but I can do you one better. Out of curiosity, i had a single psych evaluation written up, and listened into a single in-unit briefing via probe.

Dr. Halleck: This again.

Gen. Storm: Listen, my worst fears were confirmed, by both that medicae and the recording. I have before you a gentleman I think could lose his composure any day now, and when an officer cracks, people die.

Dr. Halleck: *whistles* was there a typo on this age?

Gen. Storm: He really has been around that long. The man is older than something like a quarter of the space marines alive today, maybe more. He's older than me for the emperor's sake.

Dr. Halleck: Looks hold up for that age. Juvenat, I presume. Pretty heavy dosage as well if his organs arent failing... Oh, but they're close.

Gen. Storm: Im not here about the physical, and your not that kind of doctor. Read more.

Dr. Halleck: So as I'm skimming this, I'm guessing your looking for a reason to axe him right? That's what this is?

Gen. Storm: I'm looking for a reason to get him mustered out, give him a couple of years of peace before the juve withdrawl kills him. Something. His service record is otherwise outstanding. Has he won every battle? No. But I'll be damned if theres barely any real actionable citations against the name listed here, outside of a few unsubstantiated allegations, and I'll be twice damned if he hasnt lived through some terrible shit. Pardon my language.

Dr. Halleck: But you think his mind didnt?

Gen. Storm: I'm saying no ones mind can. This guy has got to have PTSD like a motherfucker. i don't know why he gets out of bed in the morning. The emperor made the astartes for damage like this, we aren't built for it. But even then I'd just shrug and put an eye on him to see if he shows any signs. Nah, what's going to make him snap is his command element.

Dr. Halleck: You're a general, if their colonel is trash sack him.

Gen. Storm: He's weak but he hasnt done anything wrong. A lot of weak men get command positions. It doesnt mean we can strip rank so casually. You make enemies that way out on crusade. Things happen. Maybe the next day you wake up a lieutenant colonel all of a sudden.

Dr. Halleck: I don't buy that for a second. You have sacked colonels before.

Gen. Storm: I've sacked fuck-ups. This guy hasnt made any move he hasnt covered up well yet. But he has dragged this captain through hell on a cheese grater for reasons I cant fathom.

Dr. Halleck: Seems its a centauri noble thing. Apparently he started a little feud with some important family.

Gen. Storm: Yeah, something like EIGHT centuries ago! Who gives a shit anymore, Vale? Can you remember the hot takes from eight hundred years ago?

Dr. Halleck: So why the bad treatment?

Gen. Storm: Thats what I'm hoping you can answer, because right now, I'm looking for a way to rip a colonel's wings off, and give an old warhound a peaceful put-down.

Dr. Halleck: I'll look into these more. This reads like a biography of the great crusades- the entirety of them. Just one question, why are we bothering, exactly? It's just a captain and colonel in the Auxillia. They wont last long.

Gen. Storm: Because this auxillia was built on a promise. You fight for our emperor for a few years, you get a rank or a medal maybe, you see the universe and how shit it is, and you gain skills in case we or more likely your planet needs you- then you GO HOME. If we start keeping men on the line like this, what is our army going to look like after a few centuries? How human will we remain, if our entire existence is unending galactic war. That is what the emperor sought to stop. The Pax Imperialis is real- ive seen it in the men I get to send home to wives children and parents. And it is why I fight. Jan Harlock is an insult to that dream. I want to fix it. Right goddamn now.