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thepersonperson · 3 months ago

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The Reproductive Horror of JJK Part 1 (The Loss of Bodily Autonomy)

Part 2

Notes before we start.

1) This analysis deals heavily with topics of nonconsent, grooming, abuse, reproductive manipulation, and pregnancy. Please proceed with caution.

2) This post was inspired by @hermitw

3) I will be mainly using the TCB scans for the manga because of their accessibility.

4) Written as of JJK 265.

(Click images for captions/citations.)

Preface

This was written with the assumption you've also read these other analyses:

Thoughts on Sukuna and Kenjaku’s relationship as of JJK 258.

Please give it a quick glance at least.

Quiet Horror

Jujutsu Kaisen is a unique piece of horror writing to me because the most upsetting aspects rely almost entirely on implication. Immensely triggering topics such as sexual abuse and rape are never shown, only implied. I personally have difficulty consuming/cannot consume media that depicts these kinds of things graphically, which is why JJK’s framing of it intrigues me. Rather than being sent into a panic, I find myself deeply unnerved. I’ve decided to call this “quiet horror” since I don’t know how else to describe it.

The quiet horror of JJK has been there since the start—the dehumanization, the loss of autonomy, the idea someone’s body does not belong to them and therefore ok to use… It’s right there in your face starting with Yuji becoming Sukuna’s vessel. But the horror is not just that those things occur, it’s that hardly anyone recognizes this as a problem.

These insidious ideas are persistent across the narrative and accepted. And its primary victims are the female characters.

Misogyny

The fascinating thing about misogyny in JJK is how it is rarely outright depicted. Characters will talk about generational abuse spawned by it, but we never actually see it in action until Naoya. And even that is mostly implied.

That’s how it is in real life too. When people experience overt misogyny, it’s often when they’re isolated. For example a family gathering where the men leer at girls and say horrendous things is witnessed by only those attending. If one was never around this, the only way they’re made aware of it is by a victim discussing it.

And this is exactly what happens with the Zenins.

What’s troubling about this exchange is Momo laying out everything wrong with systemic misogyny and that’s it. She offers no solution to it because she has none. Nobara is told, this is reality and you need to accept it.

Mai falls into the same defeatist trappings, angry at Maki for trying to do something about it.

You can’t really hold this against her. She’s been abused to an extent Maki wasn’t aware of and Maki is the only person Mai can lash out at without consequence.

To be clear, it is heavily implied that Naoya molested her. Some of the first words out of his mouth are him sexualizing his underage cousins. And later as a curse, he taunts Maki for being an adult with Mai.

It’s easy to dismiss this as Naoya mocking Mai for not reaching adulthood. However, Mai has incestuous thoughts about Megumi and Maki (seeing them as her first crushes per the fanbook), which can be a very unfortunate side effect experienced by incest victims (huge content warning for the linked source). Combine that with the knowledge of Naoya’s earlier sexualization and the implication is heavy.

Mai’s abuse is not the only one framed this way. Naoya’s mother is without a face or name. The only hint of her abuse is the word いっぱい (ippai) which means many. Naoya has many older siblings who aren’t named. He is the next head before Gojo’s sealing due to his Cursed Technique (CT) being the same as his father’s. From this it can be inferred his mother was treated like livestock and used by Naobito until she produced a worthy heir.

Rika’s character profile is included here because her story is much like Mai’s—her abuse at the hands of her father is heavily implied. Her intense dislike of older men, being aware of predatory gazes as a child, and even using that for manipulation—these are all traits child victims of sexual assault may display (huge content warning for the linked source).

It’s hard to pick up on these things unless you’re in the know. But it is there and it is consistent. …And most of the cast doesn’t do much about it. Maki and Rika are different in that regard. They react to these transgressions violently, killing their abusers (and in Maki’s case the enablers too). Neither of them are in the wrong for doing so. It’s just really sad that they had to take matters into their own hands because no one else would stop it.

Hidden in Plain Sight

The misogyny female characters experience is very subdued and never graphic. Creepy behavior towards them is never shown outright, it’s all implied. We don’t see Naoya leer at Mai, we hear him discuss her figure in her absence. (I think that’s what helps make this less triggering. We don’t have to see them be victimized.) The same cannot be said of the male characters.

Ui Ui is a character that makes most people extremely uncomfortable because the grooming he experiences is in your face, pedophilic, and incestuous. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as a ruthless capitalist, Mei Mei exploits her brother this way for the sake of money.

Through warped affection she has convinced a child that his body belongs to her and that he is only to use it for her.

What makes this situation go from bad to worse is that everyone around them just tolerates it. The most opposition we see to this relationship is Yuji side eyeing them. Otherwise people are more than happy to look the other way and even enable it by paying for their services.

This contradiction is especially glaring when it comes to Gojo, who very much is against the enjoyment of youth to be stolen away from his students. Why does Gojo pay for and tolerate this woman who is very clearly preying on her brother? Is it because Ui Ui seems happy with situation?

Well, I think it’s because he’s used to it too.

To acknowledge that what Mei Mei is doing as wrong and intervening would be admitting to himself that he was taken advantage of as a child. It’s not like it killed him, you know? He’s strong and he’s beautiful. Everyone wants him for his body. That’s just how things work.

In the fanbook Gege says that Gojo can never be fully honest with a woman. And that is a response to the question: “He (Gojo) seems to be aware of his own handsomeness, does he want to have a partner?”

It’s a bit concerning that Gojo is avoidant with women while having a history of them attempting to prey on him as a child. It doesn't help that in the Gojo Booklet interview, Gege reveals that Gojo would apparently be a sugar baby to someone much older than him if he didn't have to be a sorcerer.

The framing of these scenes as comedic is very uncomfortable. It’s a bit too similar to how male victims are portrayed in real life too. I’m not sure if this is intentional on Gege’s part, but regardless the result for me is horror. These terrible things are happening and nothing is being done about it.

Ui Ui and Gojo are taken advantage of by these adults because of what their bodies can do for them. This is a recurring theme in JJK not much different from how the women and girls are treated by the men of the Zenins. All of this stems from dehumanization that results in objectification.

I’ve said before that Gojo and Sukuna are twin flames. And in this aspect they’re very similar I think. Something awful happened to Sukuna right in our faces and most of the readerbase didn’t take it seriously because he’s The Strongest and a man.

This is sexual assault point blank. A naked person forcibly put her body against Sukuna and he didn’t want that to happen. And just like everyone else, Yorozu did this because she wants Sukuna’s body for herself.

It’s framed like a joke, but the horror persists. Sukuna is going catatonic here in part because losing means entering a marriage he has no interest in. The implication here is distressing��Sukuna sees this as losing his bodily autonomy and being raped for the rest of his life. Likening that to death is understandable.

Hopefully you can see the pattern now. Sexual assault and exploitation is commonplace in JJK. It’s just subtle enough to make people vaguely uncomfortable without making them realize it’s ongoing theme. That’s the quiet horror of JJK.

The Dehumanization of Vessels

Vessels represent everything that makes my skin crawl in JJK. Someone’s body no longer belongs to themself—it’s a thing, a container that is for someone else to use. They aren’t even afforded the dignity of their name most of the time, being referred to as Someone’s Vessel by others.

Itadori Yuji

It goes without saying, Yuji’s dehumanization is the most blatant. He’s called Sukuna’s Vessel by most of the people around him and slated to be executed for the crime of existing as it. The other teenagers around his age are taught this dehumanization by those much older than him.

It’s absurd. Despite Yuji being born with and living in this body of his for 15 years, it’s suddenly not his. All because Sukuna “tainted” it.

And look at this declaration from Uraume: “Whose body do you think that is?!”

They phrase this as if it was never Yuji’s to begin with.

On some level that is true, Kenjaku created Yuji to be the perfect cage for Sukuna. Uraume didn’t know that the time Yuji was literally bred into existence by Kenjaku to be a tool, but it’s interesting nonetheless. It’s even more interesting that Kenjaku is not the only one guilty of claiming a child’s body from birth for use by an adult. Tegen has a whole bloodline that gives them vessels for consumption.

Star Plasma Vessels

Amanai Riko is introduced as The Star Plasma Vessel while naked in a tub. Symbolically this is striking—she is a blank slate that can only be projected onto. Clothing reflects a person’s lifestyle, personality, and tastes. Riko being denied this in her introduction demonstrates her lack of autonomy.

And just like how the Kyoto kids were groomed into dehumanizing Yuji, she is groomed into dehumanizing herself by the adults around her. It’s ok that she’s a vessel and someone else will use her body to live because it’s for the greater good.

Those aren’t her true feelings though. Deep down she wants to have her body and her life. And an adult still winds up taking that away from her.

Isn’t it interesting how Gojo does this same song and dance to himself as The Strongest? Knowing this history and his adamancy towards Yuji’s autonomy (especially in the light novels) is all the more heart wrenching.

But this didn’t start with Yuji, it started with Riko. …on Tengen’s orders.

It’s strange that the individual taking away the lives of hand-picked young girls would be this considerate, right?

JJK never tries to frame characters as completely evil at all times. I appreciate that because it makes depictions of abuse far more realistic. We don’t see Naobito abuse his wife or enable Naoya, we see him half-drunk fighting like a pro without openly antagonizing Maki. If you didn’t know about the Zenin Clan, he’d just be a funny old man. This dichotomy is often why abuse victims aren’t believed. The people they tell only know the good side. And someone who is capable of that goodness can’t possibly be that bad.

It’s the same way for Tengen. They’re not a creep that salivates over young girls, they’re a calm and reasonable individual who has convinced themself and many others that these actions are necessary. Yuki is the only person that calls them out for how screwed up this all is.

Before Gojo, she was The Strongest. And before Riko, she was the Star Plasma Vessel. Her body and her life was going to be given away in service to someone much older than her under the guise of a necessary evil perpetuated by religion. She rejected that and escaped her fate by becoming uncontrollably strong.

Yuki has every right to be this angry. What Tengen is doing is very messed up. All kinds of excuses and softenings are made for them, but in the end they are using the bodies of young girls to sustain themself. That’s why it’s all the more horrifying that these girls’ souls are still present and coherent enough to speak.

I really like that Yuki won’t let Tengen know what they’re saying. She’s right to assume that Tengen will just excuse whatever comes from it. However, the fact she’s this angry implies those voices aren’t anything pleasant.

Incarnation

The horror of being trapped in a body that no longer belongs to you doesn’t just exist for Tengen’s Plasma Star Vessels, it’s the very foundation of Kenjaku’s vessel incarnation. Which of them came up with this idea is first unknown. They ultimately do the same things to vessels but for very different reasons.

Incarnation works on two layers of screwed up:

1) The host’s soul is suppressed to the point where the invader cannot detect them.

2) It’s next to impossible to return them to who they were once before.

Following the quiet themes around sexual assault, this bears an uncanny resemblance to victims dealing with the aftermath of such an event. Your body no longer feels like it belongs to you, becoming invisible to those who favor the perpetrator, forever tainted after being used by another.

And following the quiet themes around misogyny, this becomes reproductive horror. A body stripped of autonomy and permanently changed after being forced to give someone else new life—Incarnation is a visceral depiction of forced pregnancies.

Pregnancy Horror (Kenjaku)

I think it’s deliberate that mothers in JJK are hardly given faces or names. That’s all a misogynistic society wants them for anyways. Their bodies are to produce someone worthwhile. A tool for those in power to use for their own ends.

Our first introduction to this is Kamo’s mother, who despite playing a central role in his life, remains unnamed. She gives birth to a worthy heir of the Kamo Clan and is immediately discarded.

Thankfully Kamo eventually abandons his clan in favor of supporting his mother. Learning a hard lesson from Maki, he seems to conclude that clans existing through misogynistic practices cannot be reformed into a place for women.

And this misogyny of the Kamo Clan’s is historical. Enough for Kenjaku to take the place of Meiji-era Kamo Notoroshi to commit the most heinous sexual abuses known so far. And despite this history, the modern Kamo Notoroshi is named after him. Another awful secret known by those in power that is never fully condemned since they ultimately benefit from treating women like broodmares.

Death Painting Wombs

The Kamo Clan’s greatest sin is the coverup of Kenjaku’s actions as Kamo Notoroshi. I’ll be going much more into depth with its severity, be warned.

We’ll start with the facts. The faceless and nameless mother of Choso and his 9 brothers was raped by Kenjaku and a cursed spirit 9 times and had those fetuses aborted 9 times.

I’ve been on about the loss of bodily autonomy so I’ll be focusing on the abortion process itself. Historical abortions were incredibly dangerous things. Though they varied by region, a lot of the methodology converges.

I will quote the favored methods in historical Japan directly from this article:

“Natural methods included drinking poisonous substances or herbal concoctions, all of which lacked a scientific basis. Many had adverse effects. Other means included acupuncture, cold water immersion, and vaginally inserting sharp objects such as burdock roots to break the amniotic sack.”

Kenjaku is someone that does not care about others’ suffering since everyone is just a thing to be played with. I doubt the victims of these experiments were offered any pain relief. Choso’s mother was made to endure one of these methods 9 times.

When Mahito feeds one of the fetuses to a man, we can see that it is slightly smaller than their palm. Here’s a helpful guide for the size of a fetus by week based on the size of a fruit.

I think a lime or lemon best represents the size and shape. A palm sized fetus is somewhere around 12–16 weeks old. Methods that involve inducing a miscarriage via ingesting medicine or poison decrease drastically after 8–12 weeks. (I’m basing this off the abortion pill that actually works.)

Kenjaku wanted to make sure the fetuses remained intact, so inducing a miscarriage by puncturing the amniotic sac to trigger labor-like contractions was most likely the chosen method. I’m not sure if Kenjaku can use Reversed Cursed Technique (RCT) on others to heal them, but that would allow for C-sections to be possible too.

It takes several weeks or months to become pregnant again after a miscarriage. Let’s standardize this as a range of 2–24 weeks. (Based on the earliest known conception at 2 weeks and the recommended conception time of 6 months.) Choso’s mother endured this without pain management 9 times.

12–16 weeks of pregnancy.

2–24 weeks for conception.

9 Times.

She endured these rapes and abortions ranging anywhere from 126–360 weeks or 2.4–6.9 years.

I’m harping on this point because unless you know the details, this bit gets glossed over. The struggles of those who are pregnant both willingly and not are often downplayed or kept out of sight. Whatever symptoms she had for the first trimester of pregnancy (0-12 weeks) were repeated without support and knowing it was to be terminated 9 times over.

Here is a list of possible symptoms for the first trimester from the Cleveland Clinic.

Sore Breasts

Nausea: "Morning sickness is one of the telltale signs of early pregnancy. Despite its name, it can last all day and all night."

Mood Swings: "The sudden rush of hormones may put you on a rollercoaster of emotions. You may alternate between feeling anxious or scared to excited or weepy within a span of 30 minutes. It may be helpful to talk through your feelings with a friend or your partner.

Fatigue

Frequent Urination: "Your uterus begins to grow to support the pregnancy. It may begin pressing on your bladder, causing you to need to pee more often."

Acne or Other Skin Changes

Mild Shortness of Breath

I do not blame Choso for only referring to this as Kenjaku toying with his mother. The full breadth of her suffering is not something her child should have to bear.

Kenjaku repeats a similar kind of trauma for every incarnation born of a human made to swallow an object. Their bodies don’t belong to them anymore—they’re just hosts to the life of someone they never wanted to have.

To what extent the incarnated know they will be inflicting this harm on others is unknown. It’s just very uncomfortable knowing that Kenjaku created this method in a way that makes the violation of bodies mandatory.

Tengen

This obsession with forcing pregnancies onto others does not end with incarnation or the death painting wombs. Kenjaku’s absorption of Tengen is a culmination of these experiments.

Tengen is turned into a pregnancy. Who we’ve established to be hosting a mass of young girl’s bodies. The yonic imagery is incredibly overt for this process.

Tengen is put into a womb that resembles a vagina before becoming a fetus. Kenjaku’s Domain Expansion (DE) contains the literal decapitated heads of the pregnant. (More faceless women being used for their bodies.)

The DE name itself refers to Garbhadhatu which is the Womb Realm in Buddhism. You could translate this as all-enveloping womb.

What this symbolically means, I have no idea. There is, however, a consistent, misogynistic disregard for consent and the bodies of those who can bear children when it comes to Kenjaku. And that’s horrifying.

Sukuna

Initially Kenjaku bears the Merger pregnancy using the stolen dead body of Geto Suguru. So even though Kenjaku consents to this pregnancy, the person whose body is being used for this doesn’t get to have a say in it.

But we already know how upsetting that is. We’ve seen how much this has pissed off Gojo Satoru who blames himself for his loved one’s defilement. What’s not being discussed in depth is Sukuna’s being inadvertently made a victim from this.

Sukuna’s fingers, a cursed object explicitly made by Kenjaku, are able to create cursed wombs. Since these fingers were created long before the death painting wombs, it appears that Kenjaku’s first attempts to birth evolved humans started with him.

Note how the finger bearers have 4 eyes, just like Sukuna.

I’ve been over why Kenjaku would target Sukuna and how Sukuna does not desire relationships or progeny and how his strength has prevented Kenjaku from forcing that on him directly. What I’m trying to draw attention to is how this appears to be the start of Kenjaku trying to workaround his boundaries without getting killed.

Knowing the extent to which Kenjaku is willing to turn others’ bodies into breeding stock makes the fact Sukuna’s fingers are essentially capable of birthing powerful curses very alarming.

Kenjaku didn’t stop there. The binding vow between them was still made to produce these cursed objects and the context of its formation is still missing. The other culling game players make it very clear Kenjaku either manipulated or tricked them into becoming cursed objects. There is not a single named character Kenjaku didn’t betray in some fashion after misleading them with false promises.

For Sukuna, Yuji being a cage instead of a vessel already indicated Kenjaku was not being honest with him. I think there’s more to it than that though. The details of the Merger and what activates it are something Sukuna and Uraume do not fully understand. Kenjaku tries to explain a little bit to them, but they both shut it down.

And without knowing the full breadth or implication of their binding vow, I don’t think Sukuna expected to be forced into a pregnancy that requires birthing.

I appreciate that Sukuna falls victim to this manipulation despite being the strongest. It goes to show that anyone can experience the loss of bodily autonomy.

Itadori Jin & Kaori

His identical twin is not spared of this reproductive manipulation either. Jin is manipulated into having a child with the corpse of his wife who is piloted by Kenjaku. But I want to take the time to give Kaori the dignity Kenjaku has denied her.

Even if Kaori wanted a child, there is no meaningful way for her to consent to this pregnancy. I’m not even sure if Jin fully understood there was someone else wearing Kaori’s body. There is a real possibility she didn’t want a child to begin with. We just don’t know since everyone except her gets to discuss it.

She’s exactly like Choso’s mother here. Her body no longer belongs to her and she has no spoken dialogue. Her personhood is denied on introduction. What she was like or what things she aspired to is treated as irrelevant—she’s just another woman Kenjaku used and discarded like a tool.

Visceral Femininity

Bloodborne is a game about. Well it’s a game that happens at you. There is little plot or reason to the Lovecraftian horrors that drive you and the characters mad. But when you examine the fragments of lore hidden both in plain sight and on item descriptions…you go insane.

There are patterns though. Seemingly unrelated pieces of this ethereal puzzle can be stitched together with a keen eye. Someone made a video on it and concluded it was about motherhood.

After watching this perspective, this reading seems obvious. With all the disjointed umbilical cords, births, abortions, and blood. It’s a proper reproductive horror.

To me, JJK resembles Bloodborne in that way. And after I was granted the eyes to see, I’ve noticed that this body horror has been here as early as JJK 0.

In fact JJK 0 and first chapter feature female characters being groped by curses. (Sometimes the word Geto uses for violated can be translated as rape.)

Motherhood, and everything that causes it, is something JJK uses as a vehicle to discuss the undiscussable—bodily autonomy and its loss for exploitation. Rather than presenting it as something we’re familiar with, it’s a symbolic, pervasive theme in how the bodies of others are seen as tools for those in power.

The organs and bodies of those who can become pregnant are twisted into things that inflict pain. In the case of Naoya, he quite literally becomes a cunt that torments the surviving twin of the girl he molested.

And his hand sign references a deity who manipulates bodies in the womb, changing females to males.

It’s never quite stated outright or even properly addressed by the characters, but you still feel that sickening pit. There’s something fundamentally wrong with the way things are. Why is so little being done about it?

#cactus yaps #I had a very hard time writing this. I feel like I scrub the skin off my skin and the flesh off my bones.#The trigger tag system on Tumblr sucks so I've listed everything out beforehand.#Filing this under posts that make it obvious I watched Elfen Lied at age 12.#jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #jjk meta #zenin mai #amanai riko #kenjaku #tengen #ryomen sukuna

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siriuslyobsessedwithfiction · 3 months ago

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How Shadow and Bone trilogy should've ended

The most popular solution in fantasy genre to an evil monarch seems to be replacing them with a less evil monarch and having trust that they will make things right. We accept this easily since the story is usually set in medieval times and the idea of forming a government seems unrealistic given the setting. But Leigh Bardugo lost the right to use that excuse when she decided to set Grishaverse in late nineteenth century/early twentieth century.

The setting

Leigh Bardugo was inspired by imperial Russia and decided to make it more edgy, giving it the nickname "tsarpunk" (God give me strength). The time period or the year is never mentioned in Grishaverse, but since it's closely based on the real world, I'll draw conclusions from the text. She might've specified in interviews, but most people never read all the declarations an author makes, so she should've made things more clear in the books. The world-building is frankly, rather flimsy, even for YA.

Most fans seem to think the story takes place in 17th/18th century. It does not. Even though the technological advancements can't be measured the same as in the real world since the Grisha are primary reason for it, cars and tanks already exist in Grishaverse. Even this doesn't make any sense because according to the text, Fjerdans invented tanks first, cars second and submarines third. In reality, the order of the events is the opposite: submarines (1620), cars (1886), tanks (1915).

The events in Shadow and Bone trilogy seem to be very loosely based on the death of Czar Alexander the third (1894), reign of Czar Nicholas the second (1896-1917), Rasputin's murder (1916) and the February revolution (1917) which ended monarchy in Russia.

2. The fictional world setting

Besides barely mentioned Wandering Isle and saints-know-whose Southern Colonies, we have Fjerda and Shu-Han with absolute monarchies, and then we have Kerch and Novyi Zem, which are framed as more "progressive" countries by the narrative. We don't know much about Novyi Zem, except that it's a newly established country with growing economy and doesn't have monarchy. Kerch is ruled by the merchant council (*cough* oligarchs *cough*) - also doesn't have monarchy. So why is it such an outlandish idea for Ravka to abolish absolute monarchy? It isn't.

3. The monarchy is only as good as the monarch

Monarchy had been causing more damage to Ravka than the Fold. Incompetent Kings waged and lost countless wars, emptied royal coffers and made a significant amount of soldiers desert the first army. Regular people lived in poverty, lack of education made them prejudiced and easily controlled, and no effort whatsoever had been made to integrate Grisha in regular people's lives. The Kings preferred them bunched up in one place in the Little Palace to better keep an eye on them (it's canon, the little palace was patrolled) or on the front lines.

"I’ve always cared about good work. Polnya’s had a line of good kings. They’ve served their people, built libraries and roads, raised up the University, and been good enough at war to keep their enemies from overrunning them and smashing everything. They’ve been worthy tools. I might leave, if they grew wicked and bad."

-Uprooted, Naomi Novik.

Ravkan Kings haven't been doing any of those things. But it's okay to keep the outdated tradition that does more harm than good because Nikolai is charming and better than his rapist father(who he gave a nice retirement and more servants to rape, btw)? What about his descendants?

Since it's always been that way, it should continue to be that way? Why is the change in status quo perceived as something bad?

"- Who invented this vehicle? The Frenchman asked between laughs, pointing to the postcart on which the sleepy "yamshtchik" was stupidly nodding. - The Russians, I answered. - I imagine nobody is likely to dispute the honour with them. I pity you to be forced to addle your brain and shake up your stomach on a thing like that.

- What's to be done? If the whole of Russia travels in this manner, why should I complain?

-That's why Russia doesn't advance more rapidly. God give you a safe journey. As for me, I tell you frankly I would not risk my life by getting into it."

-Ilia Chavchavadze, Notes of a Journey from Vladikavkaz to Tiflis.

4. Abolishing the monarchy would actually solve problems

If Nikolai really wanted what's best for Ravka, instead of putting himself and then an impulsive living nuke with anger issues on the throne, he would create a parliament, a council of sorts, where he would still be the head figure as the King, since the nation wouldn't immediately take the change well , and the members would be the Triumvirate and the nobles he trusted, like Count Karigan. Over the years, the flow of power would pass more to the council, and eventually the monarchy would be abolished and Nikolai's children wouldn't take the throne. Regular people would be given an opportunity to have an education and later, the otkazatsya part of council wouldn't consist of just nobleborns. A part of the council would always have to consist of Grisha, which would bridge the division between them and otkazatsya.

But no, who wants progress and democracy when we can have a cool slay queen dragon (an emotionally unstable vessel for an ancient being).

#shadow and bone #the darkling #grishaverse #the grisha trilogy #grishaverse meta #uprooted #naomi novik #ravka #alina starkov #nikolai lantsov #grishanalyticritical #historical setting

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spacelazarwolf · 1 year ago

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Saying that you come off as a zionist 'because of the way you frame Jews and Israelis' is kind of creepy when the primary thing you've been saying throughout is that violence against them by a terrorist group is bad. Saying Jewish lives are important and that Israelis don't deserve to die just for existing in Israel is zionism now apparently.

it’s bc she’s using “zionist” as a dogwhistle for “jew i don’t like” and “zionism” as a dogwhistle for “opinion about israel palestine that i don’t agree with.” which is unfortunately what’s happening with most discourse.

and the problem is, if you don’t know what the fuck zionism is, you cannot be antizionist. you cannot be anti something you do not understand. that’s why so much antizionism falls into antisemitism, because so much antisemitism relies on ignorance. if you truly want to be an antizionist, that requires doing your due diligence, reading zionist literature and educating yourself on the ideology and history, or at least just educating yourself on the basics using sources that aren’t just social media. to be an effective antizionist, you need to understand exactly what it is you’re opposing and why you oppose it.

i don’t personally identify myself as an antizionist for reasons i’d rather not go into, but i’ll give an example i’ve talked about before. political zionism is the desire for a jewish state governed by jewish people, sometimes with the added assumption of the state being under jewish law. i oppose this because 1. i don’t believe in the concept of states, 2. there are other people who live in the area besides jews who need political representation, and 3. jewish law only applies to jews, so trying to have a state that functions under jewish law essentially makes it a theocracy which i oppose.

the same applies to a lot of the buzzwords often used in this conversation: colonialism, ethnic cleansing, genocide, apartheid.

what makes what israel is doing colonialism? how is that complicated by the fact it was preceded, if not directly caused by, british colonialism? how is it further complicated by the fact the jewish people originated in that area and that there are populations of jews who have been there for centuries? do you know what the settlements are and what makes them a problem?

what makes what israel is doing ethnic cleansing? what do you know about the nakba? how much do you know about israel’s practice of denying permits and demolishing palestinian homes? how does the dramatic decrease in the number of palestinians allowed to work in israel contribute to this?

do you know what genocide means? do you know how it is different and similar to ethnic cleansing? are you familiar with the history or displays of palestinian identity being illegal in israel? are you aware of how palestinians living in israel are legally identified and how that affects their connection to palestinian peoplehood? despite the fact israel does not control gaza, hamas does, what tactics is israel using to worsen the conditions there?

can you define apartheid? can you describe the policies instituted by the israeli government that fall under the definition of apartheid?

and most importantly, can you find all the answers to these questions somewhere besides social media?

you cannot just use these words because you saw others using them. you have to know exactly what they mean and exactly how they apply to what palestinians are experiencing, otherwise your antizionism and your activism are worthless.

if you want to be an effective activist, you MUST be able to answer these questions, because if you can’t even describe the problem you will be a hindrance to the solution.

#ask avishai

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o-wild-west-wind · 1 year ago

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okay, here’s my actual thoughtful post: I get why people are upset about the finale…I really do. but I want to mention that there’s a bigger picture to this story that’s missing if you’re zooming too close onto Izzy as a character, and I’m honestly so grateful that the show stuck to the thematic arc it introduced in season 1 because, as per usual, it’s about the themes 🤌 and this show never skimps on the symbolism!!

so here’s the thing: the primary themes are toxic masculinity (& it’s opposite, queer joy); trauma; love as a healing force for the above; and, title alert—DEATH. because it’s so much more than a cool title!

now, Izzy has always represented something metaphorical about all of these points; most directly, he’s always represented masculinity, and s2 has been an arc of toxicity deconstruction. but crucially, he’s also represented all that for Ed, who is the deuteragonist of this show. because—don’t forget—Stede and Ed are the show.

I’ve always doubted myself for feeling this after seeing how fandom saw Izzy as a third romantic figure (which like by all means have a blast in your fanfics I don’t care it’s about joy at the end of the day and pursue that as you want to), but after hearing something about djenks referring to Izzy as a father figure, it confirms a major point for me—Izzy is also in a lot of ways a parallel to Ed’s dad, and a representation of the trauma and guilt Ed felt from that formative killing. for so long, Izzy was an aggressive shadow in Ed’s life, and a tangible reminder of those daddy issues—someone telling him what to do, keeping him Blackbeard—and the beautiful thing is how that changed this season, how Izzy became a version of masculinity that could love and be beautiful and make good from the hurt, the literal poison into positivity. someone antithetical to his own paternalistic force, healing our daddy issues one drag show at a time. BUT, Izzy is still thematically representative within Ed’s arc—and by also representing the trauma that made Ed “Blackbeard,” it does make smart writing sense as to why Izzy died (NOT saying you can’t be sad about it—stick with me for a moment).

because here’s the thing—as aforementioned, this show is also about DEATH. killing is the root of everyone’s trauma, and reconciling a relationship with death is the ultimate arc Ed and Stede are both on, with the ultimate path of learning to live despite its inevitability. there’s a reason it was such a huge thing that Ed couldn’t personally kill, and then in this episode killed so many people with his bare hands in the name of love—and there’s a reason that was framed as a good thing. and there’s also Ed’s (and arguably Stede’s) active suicidality, which has been a huge force driving this season. these are characters who see death as this all-consuming thing, and they see their own deaths as the only solution. death is the traumatic force driving almost everything about their being for so long—and its reconciliation is everything for them, the greatest sign of growth. so Izzy’s death, and everyone beginning again with love—healing each other with love—is a cap to it all. it’s death as a positive force, for once. it’s death as love, not trauma. it’s death as something that will always happen, but this time not forced by your own hand. it’s a death to everything toxic, to what “Blackbeard” represented, and all the while a sort of rebirth. it’s kind of a death to…death? it’s functionally like the real physical moon replacing the giant romantic imaginary orb: it’s taking the thing that’s been artificially morphed in Stede and Ed’s heads and making it real this time, with all the bittersweet emotions that come with tangible reality.

and honestly, I’m glad that it was tragic and emotional. I didn’t think I’d be so devastated to see Izzy die, but it really did get to me, especially because of everything he said to Ricky and then to Ed. but think of it this way: Izzy and Ed might be romantically compelling because they were toxic and charged (and I hope people still enjoy everything they get from that dynamic in fan work), but imagine if the show had actually gone in that direction—where would it take us thematically? it would kill the thesis; it would be love as chaos and entertainment, but not healing. instead, this show gave us something so much more powerful: a legitimate, fully-fleshed trauma arc.

trauma hurts. Izzy’s death hurts. but that’s okay. that’s great, actually! it means the storytelling was effective—that Izzy’s arc made you feel something. and i know this won’t be every viewer’s experience, but honestly? I’m glad I can have this grieving process in such a beautifully framed light in the safe space ship of this show, because let’s be real—death, real life death, fucks you up. and let me tell you, I could’ve used this show during so many episodes of grief in my life. but here it is now, reminding us that our grief and trauma doesn’t define us—and WHAT a powerful thing for queer love, especially, to be presented as the thing that heals us all. ESPECIALLY when so much grief and death in this community is woven so deeply with the trauma of our identity.

so grieve as you need to, but don’t forget to turn the poison into positivity 💛 because that’s what the show is telling us—choose live, despite!

#djenks out here paying my therapy bill yet again #I feel like I need a million disclaimers for this post so just assume I’ve said all of them #and remember that art that hurts isn’t always a bad thing!#I didn’t think I’d have coherent thoughts yet I swear I blacked out and wrote this here we are #ofmd #ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd meta #tw: death #death #tw: suicide #suicide

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atamascolily · 9 months ago

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I keep seeing people saying variations on "Gosh, I can't wait to see Madoka fight Homura in Walpurgis no Kaiten!" and while far be it from me to rain on anybody's parade (the id wants what it wants), I can't help doing a double-take every time this comes up, because it's so dramatically different from my own viewing experience and perception of the characters.

Apart from the inherent assumption that violence is the only possible method of conflict resolution, you're telling me that Madoka Kaname, who wants all magical girls to be friends and team up together to fight witches, who repeatedly throws herself in between angry combatants who could break her like a twig, who tosses her best friend's soul off a bridge to break up a fight, who faces down a witch on the faint hope of getting said friend back, who sacrifices herself so magical girls don't have to suffer anymore, and whose reaction to finding that her best friend has become a big scary monster in Rebellion is to rush over and hold her hand--is going to fight Homura, of all people?!

Let's just say I'll believe it when I see it.

It's not that Madoka isn't capable of violence--she made that abundantly clear when she shot Mami at point-blank range to save Homura--but to say it's not her preferred solution is a vast understatement. Being forced to kill both Mami and Sayaka in quick succession devastates her--and if Homura hadn't been present, there was a very real chance of Madoka becoming a witch herself in that moment. When we do see Madoka fight, she tends to win in a single shot, as in later timelines against Walpurgisnacht. Maybe Devil!Homura is the only one strong enough to stand against her--but that assumes that Madoka would ever choose to fight her in the first place, no matter how angry/hurt/betrayed she feels, and no matter what Homura has done.

Madoka is not only the show's title character, she is its moral center, and the literal heart (there's even one on her magical girl outfit to drive the point home); the goddess she becomes, while still bearing death, is guided by compassion and mercy, not aggression and cruelty. Even if she were to fight Homura, it would be very much a "I'll kick your ass to bring you back to reality" kind of fight rather than one to kill.

Homua might well see herself as Madoka's enemy, but I don't think Madoka sees Homura as hers. Their conflict is real and deserves to finally be addressed, but ultimately it be can only be resolved by honest communication with each other. You know, that one thing Homura simultaneously craves and shies away from in equal measures, so it isn't like this is going to be easy! True emotional openness and vulnerability requires far more courage than blowing stuff up and always has.

It's tempting to see Homura and Madoka's reification as two opposite and opposing forces to be the primary conflict moving forward, but I think that will ultimately prove to be a false dichotomy. If the two are truly on the same level, the yin to the other's yang, neither can win against the other in the end; the only true ending involves them united as equals.

Instead, I see Homura vs. herself to be the ultimate conflict, with "self" taking a wide variety of externally manifesting forms thanks to previously established worldbuilding. The key visual for Walpurgis no Kaiten appears to support this premise, with Homura facing off against another Homura, while Madoka hovers in the background. It's not that I think Madoka isn't important, but the framing here certainly does not suggest that a violent struggle between her and Homua will be a large part of the plot.

And sure, trailers and promotional materials can be misleading--but like Kyubey, they generally do so by putting the truth in plain sight and trusting the audience to mislead themselves.

#puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #pmmm analysis #walpurgis no kaiten #walpurgisnacht rising #madoka kaname #homura akemi

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kilikina34512 · 2 years ago

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Hands Off of Me, Please

So this is a bit outside of the usual for this series as I don’t really make it smutty, but I still wanted to write Bucky being more of a typical alpha. Not sure how well I did that, but I still like the story, so I decided to share it. Divider courtesy of @firefly-graphics. Make sure to check them out!

Pairing: alpha!Bucky x omega!reader

Summary: After getting a few "fun" toys to enjoy with your alpha, another alpha decides to make himself a temporary nuisance.

Warnings: A/B/O, alpha/omega, implied smut, sexy time toy shopping

Word Count: 962

A quick, sweet kiss was all you shared with Bucky before, much to his reluctance, you went your separate ways through the mall. Christmas was only a few days away and you had some last minute gifts to get, a few of them for your alpha. This was why you needed him anywhere else.

The holidays were always exciting for you. The omega in you sang in joy at getting to give others presents that brought them joy and happiness.

And thankfully, due to Bucky being an as needed Avenger, you got to do your shopping on Tony’s dime.

You were leaving from buying high quality pencils and charcoals for Steve’s not-so-secret secret love of drawing and on your way to get one of your alpha’s last gifts. The whole trek, you were internally preening at how festive you’d finally finished making your apartment.

The whole compound was decorated, but you’d made sure to do the same in your living space. Warm white strands of Christmas lights were swirled around garland that lined each doorway. Your personal tree that was just taller than Bucky was wrapped in the same lights with a collage of traditional red bauble ornaments and cute ornaments that marked moments in life. Your favorite one was the picture frame of your first Christmas together.

A mixture of Christmas music from both modern day and his era played when you both wanted background music. Your alpha had turned his nose up at Mariah Carey at first, but you saw the reluctant amusement as you bounced, swayed, and acted out how all you wanted for Christmas was him.

You blinked back into reality as you entered the adult store. The omega in you protested going in, knowing your alpha wouldn’t want you possibly around other alphas that had sex on the mind, but you really wanted to get Bucky his last gift.

And that meant pushing your omega’s hesitancy and following through with your shopping.

You grabbed a basket and browse through the items on your way through. The bit of brat in you couldn’t resist grabbing a candle on your way past it. The label that said, “When this candle is lit, gimme that dick!” was too tempting and you knew would provide a good laugh.

After selecting a few more things for fun times, you picked up what you’d aimed for: a plug.

Bucky has whines often that he couldn’t knot you on work mornings, since it would make him late for training, but he hated that you only carried an underlying smell of him. You were mated and bonded so your scents did combine, but you both still had your own primary scent above it your partner’s. Expect post coitus. Then, anyone near you could smell your alpha on you.

This was what led you to research solutions to this problem. A plug that would hold his cream inside you like his knot would.

After picking a black and gold one, naturally to match his vibranium arm, you proceeded to check out. Your experience had been good until then.

Just as you were exiting the store, an arm grabbed yours, halting you in your tracks. “What interesting choices you bought, and as an omega no less. You must be fun in the sack.”

The slimy voice was as grating to your senses as the strong alpha scent of burned rubber and gasoline fumes. Your lips pulled back in a snarl as you tried unsuccessfully to snatch your arm out of his grip.

“Hands off of me, please,” you growled through clenched teeth. Your anger doing nothing but making the smile on his face grow wider.

“I think I’d rather explore those toys with you, omega.”

Before you could fully give into the panic that was starting to sweep through you at the realization of what this strange alpha wanted to do with you, a gloved hand that made a whirling noise gripped the alpha’s wrist.

“I believe my omega told you to remove your hand.” Bucky’s snarl reverberated around you all as rage radiated in the dominance your alpha immediately began projecting. You weren’t sure if it was the pressure Bucky was using or the alpha had some sense of self-preservation, but the hand quickly released your bicep.

Moving you behind him with his flesh palm against your hip, you smiled contentedly as your alpha exuded every bit of the dark danger he could be. None of the sweet, docile, gentle alpha he was with you could be seen outside of his soft hold on you. The pair stood staring at each other, aggression in each line of their bodies. You never really saw Bucky like this: standing at his full height, tension lining each inch of him, every muscle ready to strike and defend his mate. After a few moments of the alpha's sizing each other up, testing who was radiating more dominance, the stranger bowed his head in submission. “Get lost,” Bucky growled.

Thankfully, the other alpha did. Turning on his heels, concern battled with anger in his gaze as your soldier asked, “You okay, ‘Mega?”

“I’m more than fine, Alpha. Thank you for saving me.”

“Always.” He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before looking down at you, a fire in his eyes. “I need you,” he growled as he pressed his nose against your neck, inhaling sharply. “You don’t smell strongly enough of me.”

Grinning excitedly, you whispered, “I saw a bathroom four stores down that had an out of order sign on it.”

And that’s where you spent the next several minutes with Bucky deep inside you against the wall as you both kept your faces into each other’s necks and shoulders. You to muffle your cries of ecstasy and him to quiet his words of loving possessiveness.

#bucky fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes fanfic #alpha!bucky x omega!reader #alpha!bucky #omega!reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x fem!reader #alpha/omega #kili stories #252 notes #Nov 15 #2022

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zeroar · 2 years ago

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An Open Letter to the People Who Support Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is eighteen years old. The age they should start dismissing themselves as being an authority on autism like they do with autistic adults if they cared about consistency at all.

They were founded in 2005 by a couple of Hollywood executives who grieved the diagnosis of their grandchild. This was a full dozen years after the seminal "Don't Mourn For Us" by Jim Sinclair was penned and presented.

From the beginning, Autism Speaks was anti-autism. They sought a "cure" they could use to erase our existence from the planet, they fomented anti-vax conspiracies which are still plaguing our society today, and they fostered and continue to foster an environment supportive and understanding of child-murder.

But. They were connected to celebrity. And they had the endowment and reach to become the largest anti-autism group in the nation and world.

The primary method of advertising which Autism Speaks used from the beginning is known as "fear appeal".

Typically, they frame autistic children as changeling-like creatures which replace the allistic or neurotypical child you had with one which will never love you and will tear apart your family.

Autism Speaks spotlights the worst of having an autistic family member and pulls the drapes on any mitigating circumstances or assistance. They emphasize the burden we are and the harm caused to our families by our existence.

Autism Speaks then goes on to frame themselves as being the solution and the experts on everything autism. They say, don't listen to autistic people, listen to their parents and other people who have been negatively affected by their existence. Listen to these cherry-picked examples.

They talk vaguely about support for autistic children and families while they campaign ceaselessly to find the genes which contributed to making us... so they can unmake us.

As you might expect for people who frame themselves as being the victim of their children's existences, they have been easily taken in by snake-oil salesmen and conspiracy theorists.

To this day, Autism Speaks continues to emphasize the "environmental causes of autism" even while fully knowing (from the millions of dollars of research they put in pursuing a debunked study) that autism appears to be primarily genetic and our environment really only affects our presentations as autistic, not our realities as autistic.

"Environmental causes" is a dog whistle for vaccines because they no longer feel it is profitable for them to explicitly encourage widespread death and alternative disabilities of children, so they have started only alluding to it and finally, years after the study was debunked and retracted, agree that vaccines do not cause autism.

"Environmental causes" is also a dog whistle for things like heavy metal poisoning causing autism and various other external things that can be "taken care of" via chelation therapy and bleaching our insides. Yes, Autism Speaks is at least partially responsible for spreading bleach "cures".

I believe they've taken it down since I first started advocating for SPLC to recognize Autism Speaks as a hate group—something autistic persons have recognized for years—but as recently as a year ago they were still directing people to seek out these "cures".

They worded it in such a way that it was, "These 'cures' do not work and can cause harm, but you should talk to people who tried them for their children and see for yourself."

It's cruelty for cruelty's sake. Or it's believing scientifically disproven things in a way that promotes the torture of children.

Which brings us to arguably their biggest crime against humanity and against autistic people specifically thus far: the advancement of behaviorism or behavioral conditioning as the "treatment" for autism.

Behaviorism, that is, conversion therapy torture. When done on autistic people, it is commonly called ABA or PBS.

This is another reason why they cling to "environmental causes", because behaviorism is entirely consumed with external presentation.

Autism is a pervasive neurological state which colors every aspect of our lives. Their "solution" is to deny our reality, break us to their will, and have us pretend to be "normal".

Through their efforts, they have ensured conversion therapy is not just used, but frequently the only choice for covered treatment of autistic children.

I say "choice", but the torture is sometimes court-mandated (and this is more common when the parents are marginalized-by-society in some way themselves).

Autism Speaks is so very proud of their government influence. Shortly before I started the petition, I watched in horror as their testimony scuttled a bill at the state level intended to help autistic children which had the support of their parents because not enough torture was included in the "help".

People say they've "changed", yet it's not like their institution is so hallowed and sacrosanct that it is necessary to keep around even as it is continues to encourage harm and death to autistic children and autistic adults.

Autism Speaks is the multi-headed hydra of anti-autism rhetoric and hate in the world today. They have so many branches and have infiltrated so deeply that many of their supporters ( I hope ) are not even aware of the hateful rhetoric and active harm they spread.

People tend not to even question the premise that autistic humans are better off dead than alive, people have for ages not even thought of us as human. Autism Speaks recommends starting behavioral conditioning as early as possible in children as young as two. The least intensive programs they recommend are for dozens of hours a week.

This is what they recommend, push, and lobby for with *all* autistic children.

If they become able to accurately recognize autism in a fetus, then their genocide and eugenics will only accelerate. I am pro-abortion, but no one should be coerced into an abortion with lies and one-sided propaganda.

Showing hateful rhetoric and catastrophizing about our existence to a newly pregnant person is similarly abominable as the sort of thing anti-choice people do.

Autism Speaks has not changed, though they have gotten better at pretending normality. Maybe they put themselves through conversion therapy torture to learn how to pretend to be a force of good while being sympathetic of child murderers?

Or, you know, they've hired publicists and PR people.

If you were duped by them, I'm sorry that their hate is not more well-known. Can you imagine if the first place you felt supported you and understood your struggles was the bad guy? Who would think that by default?

But they are the bad guy. And they're using you. Preying on your isolation and desire for community and support.

They start early. Constant public outreach. Working with cops. University chapters. There may even be entire branches under their umbrella that are actively dedicated to good. But they support the hate and harm by supporting Autism Speaks.

If you support Autism Speaks, then you support the elimination of autism.

If you believe their fear-driven propaganda designed to earn more money for themselves, that may sound like a good thing to you.

But you cannot eliminate autism without eliminating the autistic person, too.

We cannot turn off our autism, some of us can pretend normality—frequently to our great misfortune—but others can't do that either. It's similar to what happens when you force queer people through conversion therapy torture / behaviorism regimes.

There is not some hidden switch in our brains to "fix" us. Even if there was, we would not be ourselves, we would be different people. You cannot separate autism from the autistic.

If this letter spoke to you, I hope you will consider signing my petition to get the Southern Poverty Law Center to track anti-disability hate and to recognize Autism Speaks as an anti-autism group.

You can find the petition here:

Thank you for reading, Zero Richardson

#actually autistic #actuallyautistic #neurodivergent #neurodiversesquad #behaviorism is torture #aba is abuse #autism speaks #autism speaks is a hate group #autism acceptance #autism awareness #acceptance not awareness #red instead #splc #southern poverty law center

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vedanshiindustries-blog · 1 year ago

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#primary framing solution #c purlin manufacturers #c purlin suppliers #multi storey steel building manufacturers #secondary members/cold formed members

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blossomandglow · 3 months ago

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Channeled Message Full Moon in Aquarius

Wow my guides have not had me channel for years (?) but here we go. Sorry this is long, a lot of different guides were popping in with their parts:

This morning the spirit guides told me it is incredibly important to focus right now. The primary theme of this message is focus, and never betray yourself. "For years now we (the guides) have been guiding you (plural) to ask yourself what is most important and have the courage and faith to take steps to build a life that reflects that. You have already, by now, been through a long period of deciding, so now that you know, be clear and disciplined about what you want.

"A way is being provided but only in that particular energy channel that you are in, when you are in a place of calm decision. If you slip from that energy channel (frequency) you will not find solutions, and you will slip back into the same self-perpetuating timeline loop.

"Remember, the energy or frequency of the question or concern is different than the energy or frequency of the solution or achievement. So at this time you are being called to hold the frequency within which the solution or achievement can appear. It is not necessary to know the solution or the whole path to achievement, only to create the energetic space to allow it to manifest. "There are certain critical moments when your mental and emotional state are more productive or fertile than others and this is one of those times or transits of energy. These are times when what you think, emote or decide manifests much more quickly than it typically does at other times.

"We certainly have never advised anyone to always "think positive" all the time or to ever repress negative emotions. But you have completed a certain amount of releasing of heavy energies already, so we are now in a different phase. These next several days are for self discipline. Therefore, you must maintain a calm faith in what you are manifesting (the direction in life you desire to move in) and not give any mental energy to your fears or worries at this time.

"Remember that Aquarius is the fixed air sign. Unlike Mutable Air Gemini, it never wavers, and unlike Cardinal Air Libra, it never capitulates. It can even be cold hearted regarding collateral damage in pursuit of the higher principle that will best serve humanity as a whole. We are certainly not suggesting that you be cold-hearted, but are suggesting, in this particular moment in time, an absolutely firm resolve around any conviction that you yourself have achieved by this point.

"There are some stark contrasts in your life right now, between what you have come to understand/value, and what has passed/is, and within this moment of contrast you are safe. It is important to recognize that contrast is the launching ground for ascension to the next level of anything. In this knowledge you can relax and it is imperative that you do relax into the transformation.

"You are being called to a much more complete and fulfilling chapter in life and you will have to "work" to maintain this frequency or energy channel, until it becomes habitual. This means "working" to match your energy to the frequency of receiving, and commitment to yourself. This "work" is not struggle, it is focus, self belief and mental discipline.

"What do we mean a more complete and fulfilling chapter? It is different for everyone, based on your true desires, but this is an illustration: where you had two corners of a triangle, now you will have three. Where you had a trine energy - considered the best, most harmonious aspect in astrology - now you will have a grand trine - so your happiness will be totally stable and self-sustaining."

I am also being given a time frame of 3 months.

It can be difficult for people to understand how to both "relax" and "work" to maintain the frequency, without struggle. This is how the mental discipline comes in:

Every time you think "what will so-and-so think?" you simply shift your focus: "I am not thinking about that today. Not because I don't care about this person or my impact on them, but because I have thought about it enough already, I have decided, and I will think about it again at a later time, but not during this energy transit."

Every time you think "who am I to think I should have this desire? Or, it's unrealistic for me to think I could achieve this result." Simply shift your focus: "It will not hurt me to indulge the belief in my highest potential today and tomorrow. What will hurt me is not even trying because I sabotage myself before I even start. Certainly some people have attained this kind of success and why should I not be one of them?"

The guides say (and you will have to interpret this based on your own situations:)

"You have done enough.

"You are allowed to make mistakes.

"You are allowed to know what you need and be the ultimate authority on what you need.

"You are allowed your own individual preferences.

"You are delightful as you are.

"If you do not maintain this frequency of self-advocacy you will burn out because your current way of life is depleting you. Yes, you, this was not just a message for Caitlin [they told me to say that specifically]. And yes, this is true even if your current lifestyle is the best and healthiest it's ever been. It is still not stabilized in the completion triangle.

"Trying to "fit in" anywhere you don't belong, or have outgrown, will eventually cause you to burn out, and this becomes even more true because you have by now been upgraded to certain finer energies which require more energetic maintenance than you once needed.

"You are allowed to feel entitled to all you require in order to truly thrive and have that grand trine - total triangle - stable harmony.

"You deserve high vibrational love in every sense in your life. Expect to feel relief, clarity, and understanding. Expect to feel a building joy, a recovery of energy and resilience. Stagnant and heavy emotional states are replaced with peace and optimism. You can do it, even though it feels strange and hard now, even though it seems impossible."

You would not believe the amount of spiritual support that is working for you. So many different entities are already helping you. They say, "in order to bring about this change, we have had to reshape your attitude towards certain relevant things, incorrect beliefs that were reinforced by societal messaging. Your courageous resistance to these cultural norms in many ways, is a gift to everyone, because we are all connected.

"You can stop hanging on now, you are safe. Believe. Believe.

"Take a breath. Count your breath out, 1, 2, 3, 4. Feel the energy around you. Loosen your grip and let it go.

"Believe that your aura in its very nature contains a blueprint that you must thrive if only you will get out of your own way, and that now you are ready to do so.

"Don't expect others to understand. Some people will blame you. Only the gods are witness to divine oaths, the sacred trust upon which justice depends-- therefore the opinions of others hardly matter.

"Furthermore, what you consider possible is based on your experience of the past, which does not necessarily portend the future unless you choose. And why would you choose that?

"Continue to hold onto the divine flame within you, they call it the "flame that never dies", [this part is difficult to explain in any words I know-- ] it is that true desire, the divine passion that shows us the way. It is often only recognized over time, because of its constancy.

"A word of caution: in your discipline and resolve, do not be hardened like stagnation. Resolution is not stagnation. Stay warm and soft and releasing. The energy of releasing and receiving are intertwined because they are flow, like breath.

"Today, whatever you can envision, you can create. You can have whatever you truly want and need. If you have not already done so, write out your list of intentions, of true desires."

They are saying, "if you do not focus on your true desires you will live in regret because these desires are those that never die. If you betray your own self you will go on burning your whole life."

You can make some kind of very real progress in two weeks, I don't know exactly what they are showing me but you will be surprised by what can happen by the Virgo new moon on September 3rd, I am also getting the Libra new moon which is 6 weeks out. Basically, if you are disciplined, you will make more progress than you realize.

Also, another spirit guide coming in to remind you to rest. "In the above we advocated for discipline and focus but this includes resting as much as you need to, and protecting your energy." No hustle.

Now for those who like to work with crystals, these are the stones they recommend for this time:

Bloodstone - this is the most important, if you only use one, I suggest this one -

Labradorite, or if you don't have it, moonstone

Moss agate or dendritic agate

Fire quartz/hematoid quartz, or chlorite in quartz, or ghost quartz or generally any quartz with inclusions

Thulite

Green or blue-green calcite or green or blue aragonite

Tourmaline, any color

Affirmation: "I am in now in the frequency of receiving everything that I have resolved that I want."

#blossomandglow #channeled message #transits #astrology #crystals #full moon #moon phases #full moon in aquarius

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evidence-based-activism · 7 months ago

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Hi, @not-yet-so-broken! I wanted to respond to your re-blog of my post since it raised some important points. Unfortunately, (and unsurprisingly since they clearly didn't have any counter-arguments) @genderkoolaid has me blocked, so I can't re-blog that post. As such, I'm responding to your points below:

I'm glad you agree with the basis of my re-blog! I think it's helpful to start with a similar frame of reference. In reference to the rest: I thought it was pretty clear that the op's intention with that post was to: imply female-on-female violence is as common as male-on-female, suggest that separatism is pointless, and criticize people for focusing on male-on-female violence prevention. It was from that lens that I responded to the post, which I think is the main reason why you interpreted my post as you did. I talk a little bit more about female-on-female violence in this post and this post.

To be very clear, my conclusion that men are the primary perpetrator of violence against women is not meant to imply that women's violence is more acceptable or excusable, only less common.

However, I do think that trying to make violence "gender neutral", as I believe the op of that post was attempting to do, causes significant harm. It sounds like you agree with this much? Since this was the frame of reference I started with, my goal in my re-blog was to show why we shouldn't do this, not to actually address solutions for female-on-female violence. This is why I didn't address the issue, not because it is "lesser and 'insignificant'".

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However, I feel I should point out that there is no evidence that as a whole people are more likely to dismiss female violence than male violence. (I address this point a bit more in those two posts I linked to, which is also where most of the sources are, but I'll reiterate below.) In fact,

Victims appear to report violence by women and men at similar rates

When victims do not report the violence, they appear to have similar reasons for both male and female violence [1]

When convicted, women appear to have similar (or even more severe) punishments as men for equivalent (violent) crimes

There is very little research about public opinion on female vs male offenders, however the little there is suggests crimes (particularly violent crimes) are rated at least as bad/serious when committed by women as men [2]

In terms of same-sex couple violence specifically:

Data on the response from the legal system is frustratingly scare, and somewhat contradictory. For example, [3] indicates that there is little to no difference in prosecutor and police response to same-sex domestic violence when considering cases where the victim doesn't refuse to cooperate, but also indicates victims of same-sex violence (domestic and non-domestic) are more likely to refuse to corporate with law enforcement. Alternately, [4] indicates that same-sex domestic violence incidents are less likely to result in arrest and more likely to result in dual arrest than opposite-sex incidents, although this difference appears to be eliminated with increasing incident severity. A different study [5] found no difference in police perception of same-sex vs opposite sex domestic violence.

Public opinion research is essentially non-existent (or at least, very very difficult to find). I did find a study [6] that showed some differences in perceptions about same-sex domestic violence among crisis center staff, which is obviously important given their extremely significant role in the issue. However, there are some pretty significant concerns with generalizability, given that the sample was not random or representative. In addition, the results were somewhat mixed, in that they indicated statistically greater concern for opposite-sex incidents on some measures (consider situation more serious, consider it more likely the abuse will re-occur, etc.), greater concern for same-sex incidents on some measures (believe it's harder for a same-sex victim to leave, believe same-sex victims were more likely to be financially dependent), and no significant difference on 14 of the 21 measures (perpetrator/victim responsibility, counseling recommendation, etc.). As a side note: the scores also indicate there's a need for more education in the field in general, concerning both opposite- and same-sex abuse.

In my opinion, all of this suggests that the claim that female violence isn't taken as seriously as male violence is a myth, one that's been repeated so many times many people regard it as fact. This is relevant because it means that we can apply solutions to the broad problems of child abuse and domestic violence, rather than requiring separate solutions for male- vs female-offenders.

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As indicated by the above, I hear the assertion that people are more likely to dismiss women's violence fairly often, but I have never received or found any evidence that this is the case. There are, however, several reasons why this may appear to be the case:

First, there are unfortunately still far too many people who are prepared to dismiss most/any sexual or domestic violence. These people would dismiss violence by both men and women, which appears to the victim as a dismissal of that specific form of violence. This dismissal can be countered by broader social messaging, most of which is about male violence (as it is more common). As a result, victims of female violence are more likely to feel dismissed by society at large. Notably, this is a excellent reason for why we need to address female-on-female violence without diluting the message by comparing or minimizing male violence.

Second, even among those who don't dismiss all/most sexual and domestic violence, there are many who will only recognize overtly violent behaviors. For example, there are some people who believe rape has to involve physical violence or threats of physical violence; they (incorrectly) do not recognize that rape can also be coerced through non-violent means including use of authority, drugs and alcohol, etc. This is relevant because research also shows that female offenders are much more likely than male offenders to use these sorts of "indirect" tactics. As a result, a greater proportion of female crime than male crime may not be taken seriously. However, this is a result of insufficient understanding and/or malicious dismissal of a type of crime not of female offenders specifically (i.e., a crime by a man using these sorts of tactics would be similarly dismissed by people with this view point). Obviously, this is a problem, but the solution to this is a campaign directed at increasing understanding/emphasis of these sorts of violence not one about female-offenders specifically.

Finally, this belief may be what people expect other people to believe, without necessarily believing it themselves. When enough people repeat this, it appears to the public as if it's a common belief without actually having much genuine support. This would suggest that this assertion is based on a widely held (MRA based) myth, more than any actual fact.

Importantly, the above points also mean that, regardless of the empirical findings, many victims will feel invalidated by the people around them. This is absolutely a problem, and it's one that will be reduced by further public education (as it has already been reduced over the past decades). For you personally, I hope the evidence that people (in general) understand the seriousness of women's violence may help alleviate these feelings.

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All that being said, this still doesn't address what can actually be done about female-on-female violence (or violence more broadly). I have a few thoughts (many of which are already being implemented to varying degrees).

In reference to child sexual abuse (many of these would apply to both male and female abusers):

There's much better awareness that most child molesters are known to the victim (i.e., rather than "stranger danger"), however there's still much too little discussion on the implications of this. For example, many, many, child abusers position themselves as "pillars of the community", in part to get access to victims but also to make it seem inconceivable to other adults that they would ever (or ever intend to) abuse a child. In many cases, these abusers don't just groom the child, they groom the adults around them as well, so that the adults are more likely to ignore or excuse any evidence of abuse as "not possible" given the person's reputation. This is a very significant problem, and one that needs to be addressed to continue making headway in preventing CSA. Increasing awareness of and addressing this problem will help prevent these abusers from gaining and keeping access to kids. (As a note this is a specific manifestation of the first point of the above list.)

More detailed screening of applicants for positions that involve access to vulnerable populations (children, students, juvenile offenders, etc.) would also help with the above problem.

Some (many?) cases of abuse are missed by adults because the children don't have the language needed to communicate the problem (e.g., use of euphemisms for genitals, no discussion of what is considered sexual activity, etc.). Sex education programs aimed at rectifying this is absolutely essential in helping prevent CSA.

Related to the above point: reforms and education for the justice system concerning child-friendly reporting procedures and education for parents to circumvent common issues with child testimony.

Removal of the statute of limitations for CSA (or sex crimes in general).

Increasing education and awareness around child-on-child sex abuse (COCSA). COCSA is becoming an increasing problem around the world, so addressing it is essential.

In reference to intimate partner violence (again many will apply to both male and female offenders):

We need more research into same-sex domestic violence on almost every topic. In particular, I can find no studies concerning the prevalence of situational vs coercive controlling violence in same-sex relationships. This is important because the best response to these types of violence is significantly different (e.g., situational violence may respond to rehabilitation/counseling whereas counseling can make coercive controlling violence worse).

Better education/public campaigns concerning the impact of the "less" or "non-" violent tactics (like drugging, coercion, etc.). Public awareness on this issue is already much better than a few decades ago, but there's much more ground to be covered.

Education about identifying domestic abuse (per the coercive control, responsive, situational violence typology) in general, but also, in particular, for people in positions of power (i.e., police, prosecutors, victim advocates, etc.). Under the current procedures, many victims are being arrested as an abuser when they use responsive violence.

For the female-on-female domestic abuse shelter problem: I don't have a perfect solution, but potentially granting any who seek the shelter access but keeping anyone in a relationship separate from each other (i.e., via separate shelter locations, sheltering with separate volunteers who agree to keep the location confidential even from other advocates/victims/etc.).

Programs concerning rehabilitation for both child and domestic abusers have produced ... inadequate results. I honestly have no idea about improvements in this area for any type of offender, male or female, as despite the wide variety of programs attempted none appear to have a significant success rate/effect size.

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I hope this clarifies my views on the topic?

In particular, you said "but as victim of abuse i want an answer tho because i never am given any", but I'm not sure what question you're referring to? As such, I tried to address the main points you brought up concerning social views on women's violence and also provide some initial suggestions about how to address domestic/sexual violence.

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Most references are in the linked posts, the rest are below the cut:

Shannan Catalano. (2007). Intimate Partner Violence in the United States. Bureau of Justice.

Female Offender and Public Opinion - Perceived Seriousness of Crimes and Recommended Dispositions | Office of Justice Programs. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/female-offender-and-public-opinion-perceived-seriousness-crimes-and.

Lantz, Brendan. “Victim, Police, and Prosecutorial Responses to Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparative Approach.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, vol. 36, no. 2, May 2020, pp. 206–27. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986219894429.

Hirschel, David, and Philip D. McCormack. “Same-Sex Couples and the Police: A 10-Year Study of Arrest and Dual Arrest Rates in Responding to Incidents of Intimate Partner Violence.” Violence Against Women, vol. 27, no. 9, July 2021, pp. 1119–49. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801220920378.

Younglove, Jane A., et al. “Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions of Same Sex Domestic Violence: Reason for Cautious Optimism.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 17, no. 7, July 2002, pp. 760–72. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260502017007004.

Brown, Michael J., and Jennifer Groscup. “Perceptions of Same-Sex Domestic Violence Among Crisis Center Staff.” Journal of Family Violence, vol. 24, no. 2, Feb. 2009, pp. 87–93. Springer Link, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9212-5.

#feminism #male violence

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covid-safer-hotties · 2 months ago

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Published in May, but it's obvious many people have not read this.

Also preserved on our archive.

New comprehensive review provides strong evidence that masks and respirators effectively reduce the transmission of respiratory infections like COVID-19, based on analysis of over 400 studies from multiple disciplines.

A comprehensive new review published in Clinical Microbiology Reviews provides strong evidence that masks and respirators are effective in reducing the transmission of respiratory infections like COVID-19. The review, conducted by an international team of 13 researchers, analysed over 400 studies from multiple disciplines, including epidemiology, public health, engineering, and social sciences.

'Our review confirms that masks work, with a clear dose-response effect,' said lead author Professor Trisha Greenhalgh from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. 'The more consistently and correctly you wear a mask, the better protected you are. Respirators, when worn continuously, provide even greater protection than ordinary masks.'

Masks, including cloth face coverings and disposable medical masks, help reduce the spread of respiratory droplets and aerosols. Respirators, such as N95 and FFP2 devices, are designed to filter out smaller airborne particles and fit more tightly to the face, providing a higher level of protection.

The team's novel contributions include re-analyses of key clinical trials and observational studies, as well as a synthesis of evidence from fields ranging from fluid dynamics to anthropology. This comprehensive approach allowed the researchers to not only assess the effectiveness of masks under experimental conditions, but also to explore the real-world factors that influence their use and impact.

While the review found no serious harms from mask-wearing, it did identify some challenges, such as discomfort, communication difficulties – for hearing-impaired people for example – and environmental waste. However, the authors frame these as opportunities for further research and improvement rather than fundamental flaws.

'We need to see these challenges as a call to action,' said co-author Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, an epidemiologist based at the University of Otago, who is herself deaf. 'By investing in better design, more inclusive policies, and clearer communication, we can optimise masks for real-world use and ensure that everyone can benefit from this powerful public health tool.'

The review also highlights the importance of clear, consistent public health messaging to support mask use and combat misinformation. While mask mandates can be effective, the authors emphasise the need for context-specific assessments that consider cultural factors and public acceptability.

'Masks are not just a technical intervention, but also a social and cultural one,' said co-author Professor Deborah Lupton from the University of New South Wales. 'To be effective, mask policies need to be grounded in an understanding of people's beliefs, behaviours, and real-world constraints.'

Looking forward, the researchers call for further studies to improve and optimise mask design, explore new technologies like nanotechnology, and develop more sustainable and inclusive solutions. They also emphasise the need for ongoing public engagement to bring about more evidence-based and constructive conversations around masks.

'This review shows that masks are a valuable tool in our pandemic response toolkit,' said Professor Greenhalgh. 'By continuing to build the evidence base, innovate in design, and engage the public, we can harness the full potential of masks to protect public health now and in future respiratory pandemics.'

Read the full article at: Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review Clinical Microbiology Reviews DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00124-23

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23

#mask up #covid #pandemic #covid 19 #wear a mask #public health #coronavirus #sars cov 2 #still coviding #wear a respirator #masks work

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eddiegettingshot · 8 months ago

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i'm sorry this is so long😭 i saw something and got annoyed lol

i feel mean saying it but some of the gifsets i'm seeing compiling all the convos from s6 about buck having to figure out whether he's at ease, having to find answers about happiness on his own, not knowing what he's looking for, feeling different after the lightning strike and not knowing how to act, etc. then framing the kiss and buck saying he's free as the resolution is almost comical to me. jumping into a new relationship is not gonna help any of that regardless of the person's gender! finding and defining what happiness means to you and what your identity is can certainly be related to exploring your sexuality but it's not a magic solution to all of your problems, esp when buck seems to have had no fucking clue he even wanted that until tommy kissed him. he's literally just running w something new and shiny atp. the fact that he spent an entire episode w literally no clue what was happening in his own head which culminated in acting like an idiot to the point of physically hurting his closest friend then uncharacteristically avoiding the issue entirely is also not a good sign in terms of him being at all closer to figuring any of this out for himself. god ppl recognized this immediately w natalia but are blind to it now - it's nice that ppl are excited and it was a good kiss but it's not a magic solution, it's buck continuing to avoid his problems.

no, you’re so right lmao. and like don’t get me wrong i understand why people are saying this, i understand the emotional connection, and i even understand that for some reason the show/writers want us to think that it is a magic solution…? i can’t fault anyone for feeling happy about this, i’m not interested in doing that.

but, like… if the question we’re focusing on for this season (which, whether i think this was the right question or not is a different story) is, why can’t buck keep a long-term romantic relationship? his sexuality is probably part of the answer, but it is far from the primary reason, which is closer to what you pointed out - buck has genuinely no fucking idea what he wants until someone decides for him, and that hasn’t changed at all. in fact, it’s gotten worse, because at least before his struggle to understand his own emotions didn’t end up with a loved one hurt.

there’s this weird narrative about tommy where everyone thinks he’s gonna heal buck or otherwise save buck from himself. but like, at this point, buck has zero agency in his relationships. he has zero interest in taking any agency in his relationships. tommy soothing his inner child is not gonna change that. literally nothing tommy has done has been different from anything that’s come before. i’m sure that they’ll say this is Different for the sake of the plot, but i maintain that buck should have been doing some self-reflection on his own. my ideal outcome is that after a few episodes, he comes to the conclusion that he had a good time, but he’s not ready to be in a relationship again (keep in mind he JUST broke up with natalia!!!) and tells tommy as much 🤷🏾‍♀️

#asks #reasons why i don’t care about buck dating or buck’s relationships part 39488448

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lightofraye · 3 months ago

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Hi!

Oooooh boy. It’s a barely touched upon topic, so I’ll do my best to answer.

Despite what its name suggests, reactive abuse is actually a form of self-defense that some people take in response to the ongoing abuse.

“Reactive abuse” describes a moment where the victim reacts aggressively towards their abuser. The abuser often manipulates this reaction to shift blame and creates a false narrative of so-called “mutual abuse”. However, this behavior is self-defense, a response to ongoing abuse, and should not be equated with abusive behavior.

Signs Of Reactive Abuse

It’s challenging to recognize when you or someone else is in an abusive relationship. There are three stages to demonstrate what an abusive relationship with reactive abuse can look like.

Antagonism

The abuser deliberately provokes their partner, pushing them to react in anger or frustration. It may not seem harmful initially, but eventually can cause a person to hit their breaking point. A few examples of behaviors that can trigger reactive abuse:

Asking a personal or triggering question, especially around others

Posting or commenting on your social media in an intentionally triggering way

Intentionally violating your emotional or physical boundaries

“Forgetting” to do something intentionally

Baiting you into arguments and then belittling your reaction 2. Proof

Once the partner reacts, the abuser quickly seizes the opportunity to use this reaction as “proof” that the victim is the abusive one. This can involve recording the outburst on video, taking photographs of any physical responses, or simply recounting the incident to friends, family, or authorities in a way that frames the abuser as the victim. By capturing these moments of reactive behavior, the abuser constructs a narrative that supports their version of events and shifts attention away from their abusive actions.

However, abuse is fundamentally about power and control. The abuser, who holds the most power in the relationship, will use their partner’s reaction to manipulate and control the narrative. 3. Turning the tables

Turning the tables is a tactic frequently employed in reactive abuse. Here, the abuser shifts the blame onto their partner, claiming that the relationship problems or conflicts are due to the partner’s aggressive behavior. This tactic is used to deflect responsibility and perpetuate the cycle of abuse. By making their victim seem the primary aggressor, the abuser not only avoids accountability, but also reinforces their control over the narrative of the relationship. This manipulation can leave the victim feeling isolated, misunderstood, and doubting their own experiences of abuse.

Is there a difference between reactive abuse and mutual abuse?

In a word—yes. You might have heard the term “mutually abusive” to describe a rocky or tumultuous relationship, but experts agree that the concept of mutual abuse does not exist.

Can two people in a relationship exhibit unhealthy behaviors? Yes. The abuse stems from one person’s desire for power and control over the other person. In an abusive relationship, the abuser will purposely behave in a cruel, violent, demeaning, or invasive manner toward their partner to create an imbalance of power.

The victim may eventually react to that abuse, but that response is considered to be self-defense. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, signs that your behavior is in self-defense include:

You acted when you felt that your safety was at risk

You acted in a way to try and re-establish your independence

You’d like to change your behavior because you know it’s not who you are or healthy for a relationship

There’s a lot more information about it in these links, but this is the essential information.

Understanding Reactive Abuse: Signs and Solutions

What is Reactive Abuse?

Reactive Abuse: What It is and Why Abusers Rely on It

#reactive abuse #what is reactive abuse #domestic violence #physical abuse #abuse #anti abuse

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droctaviolovecraft · 2 months ago

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TW: Body horror, indulced body horror, unnerving imagery

ANM-045-117-P:

Identification: eRa uM@ veZ umA caasA t0rta...

Responsible Researchers: Dr. Öctavio Kalev and Dr. Moon

Item #: ANM-045-C(rooked)

Threat Level: Nightmare 💀

Anomaly Type: Oneiric, reality-altering

Damage Type: Both 🔴🟣

Containment: ANM-045-C cannot be physically contained, as it manifests only in the dreams of affected individuals. Preventing exposure is currently only viable by inducing wakefulness through medications that inhibit REM sleep. The MOTHRA Institute is developing techniques to block or alter dreams, but no viable solution has been identified yet. All individuals reporting dreams of ANM-045-C must be immediately quarantined in a specialized medical ward called Base-045-HQ, with full psychological and palliative care provided. There is no known cure for the long-term effects of the anomaly.

Description: ANM-045-C, nicknamed "Papa Mangler" by "Patient Zero," manifests as a tall and deformed figure with a disturbingly eerie and unsettling appearance. Despite its simplistic black-and-white color scheme, its exaggerated physical features and unnatural movements induce intense psychological fear in those who encounter it.

ANM-045-C stands approximately 2.80 meters (9 feet 2 inches) tall with a severely emaciated frame. Its limbs are grotesquely long and thin, with arms and legs bent at sharp, impossible angles. The most striking feature of its limbs is its fingers, which extend up to 40 cm (15 inches) in length, resembling elongated claws. These fingers taper into thin, bony tips, which ANM-045-C frequently uses in its attempts to touch or torment its victims. The sharp, angular movements of its limbs, combined with its exaggerated proportions, give the entity a distorted, supernatural nature.

ANM-045-C's head is oval and static, with deep, glowing eyes, a pointed and stretched nose, and a wide, permanent grin. Many speculate that the entity wears a mask due to the smooth surface where its face should be. This "face" adds to its cold, emotionless behavior. It wears a formal black top hat, adding a bizarre formality to its appearance that starkly contrasts with its form.

The entity appears dressed in an entirely black outfit, including a long, flowing coat. The coat billows unnaturally, even in the absence of wind or movement, as if the fabric itself exists outside the normal rules of physics. ANM-045-C’s body is entirely monochromatic, except for one anomalous detail: its footprints. Whenever it walks or moves, it leaves behind glowing, colored footprints. These colors seem random, shifting from vibrant reds to greens, yellows, and purples. The footprints often stand out in sharp contrast to the black-and-white dreamscape that ANM-045 inhabits.

ANM-045-C is also reported to have long, unkempt hair. Its hair is thin and greasy, hanging in tangled strands beneath its top hat. Like the rest of its body, the hair is devoid of any color except black. Only the entity's "face" and limbs are white, with spots alternating between gray or dark.

ANM-045-C is classified as a purely oneiric anomaly, appearing only in the dreams of its victims. Once present, it converts the entire dreamscape into a black-and-white environment, devoid of life or warmth. The entity exhibits a highly predatory nature, seemingly omniscient within the dream, as it can teleport to any location within the dreamscape, actively pursuing its victims. ANM-045-C’s primary method of attack involves chasing and touching its victims, inflicting severe agony upon contact. Victims of ANM-045 awaken with severe physical symptoms resembling connective tissue diseases, including malformed or elongated limbs, abnormal flexibility, and skeletal deformities, leading to a progressive decline in health—symptoms akin to "extreme Marfan syndrome."

Affected individuals often exhibit severe psychological distress, reporting an overwhelming sense of dread and helplessness induced by the entity's pursuit. It is believed that ANM-045-C derives sustenance from the fear and torment of its victims.

Although the exact origins of ANM-045-C remain a mystery, it is theorized to be a manifestation of shared human trauma or a collective unconscious fear. The nature of this anomaly suggests a potential connection to mass hysteria or a deeply rooted, transcultural nightmare.

ANM-045-29-P:

Addendum 045-C-02: Effects of Contact with ANM-045-C

When an individual is touched by Papa Mangler within the dream, the experience is described as an immediate and overwhelming wave of excruciating pain, concentrated at the point of contact and rapidly spreading throughout the body. The pain is often described as a burning or tearing sensation, as if the victim’s bones and muscles are being stretched, compressed, or twisted into unnatural shapes.

Upon waking, the victim initially feels disoriented, with the intense pain persisting for a few seconds before rapidly escalating. Medical evaluations have confirmed that individuals touched by ANM-045-C exhibit symptoms similar to extreme forms of Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or other connective tissue disorders, but these symptoms manifest in exaggerated and grotesque ways, far beyond the scope of any known natural disease.

Documented symptoms of exposure to ANM-045-C:

1. Severe Hyperflexibility and Joint Dislocation: Victims often display extreme joint hypermobility, with their limbs contorting into unnatural positions. In most cases, the joints spontaneously dislocate or bend backward, causing further physical and psychological suffering. Some victims describe feeling their bones shifting and stretching under the skin as if manipulated by an invisible force.

2. Limb Elongation: Some victims report that their limbs grow several meters within minutes after waking, resulting in grotesquely long and disproportionately large appendages. This rapid growth puts immense strain on muscles and connective tissues, often leading to severe lacerations and internal damage.

3. Skeletal Structure Deformation: The skeletal system of affected individuals undergoes rapid and extreme deformation, particularly in the spine, ribs, and facial bones. This deformation results in hunched backs, twisted limbs, and pronounced facial disfigurements. In several cases, the victim’s bones began to fuse or calcify in strange, asymmetrical patterns, leading to permanent disabilities.

4. Extreme Pain and Neurological Damage: Victims report that the pain caused by Papa Mangler lingers long after waking, often intensifying over time. Nerve damage, particularly in the extremities, leads to constant sensations of burning, tearing, or numbness. Many victims develop neurological disorders, including tremors, loss of motor control, or partial paralysis.

5. Tissue Degeneration: As the deformities progress, victims suffer rapid breakdowns of connective tissues, skin, and muscles. Open wounds and lesions appear on the body, particularly in areas where bones or joints have been severely displaced. This tissue degeneration leads to infections, necrosis, and, in most cases, death within weeks to months after initial contact.

6. Increased Psychological Distress: In addition to physical symptoms, victims exhibit extreme psychological distress, including persistent nightmares, anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations. Many victims claim to continue sensing Papa Mangler’s presence even after waking, describing an invisible weight pressing on their chest or an unseen figure standing at the edge of their vision.

ANM-045-0-P - Case Study:

Victim: Kamila [REDACTED] (Subject 045-0-P) Incident Date: ██/██/1956

Age: 26

Sex: Female

Termination Date: N/A

ANM-045-0-P was conducting research on ANM-045-C when she began experiencing recurring nightmares involving the entity. During the third recorded episode, Kamila described being chased by ANM-045-C in a desolate, black-and-white urban landscape. She tried to escape the entity by fleeing into an alleyway but was cornered. Papa Mangler extended his skeletal hand and brushed her shoulder before the dream abruptly ended.

Description: Upon waking, ANM-045-0-P exhibited severe curvature and deformity in her spine, leaving her hunched and off-balance. She was diagnosed with severe kyphosis, which caused compression of her nerves and organs. Although she underwent corrective surgery, she did not regain mobility or sensation. The researcher remains in critical condition, reliant on a wheelchair and physical therapy.

Despite intensive medical intervention, Kamila succumbed to rapid degeneration of her connective tissues within two weeks, her body having become deformed beyond recognition. Her final journal entry read: “It’s not just the pain; it’s the feeling of being hollowed out. Like he’s still with me, twisting my bones even when I’m awake. I can hear him... Papa Mangler... waiting.”

---

Biological Studies:

Extensive research into the physical consequences of contact with ANM-045-C reveals a unique alteration in the victim’s genetic structure. While the symptoms mimic certain connective tissue disorders, biopsies have shown unprecedented acceleration in tissue growth and disintegration, suggesting that ANM-045 introduces a foreign agent into the victim’s body, speeding up cellular degradation and elongation. The exact mechanism by which this occurs remains unknown, but studies suggest a breakdown in proteins responsible for tissue elasticity, leading to the chaotic and exaggerated deformities seen in victims.

Additionally, victims of ANM-045-C universally exhibit a sharp increase in stress hormones and neural activity, particularly during REM sleep. It is hypothesized that Papa Mangler’s connection to his victims may persist beyond the initial contact, slowly warping both the body and mind until the individual succumbs to either their deformities or madness.

Termination Protocols:

Due to the extreme physical and psychological damage inflicted by Papa Mangler, euthanasia is recommended in cases where the victim’s condition has deteriorated beyond the point of recovery. However, containment personnel should be prepared for potential violent outbursts from victims, as many experience psychotic episodes caused by the entity’s continued presence in their psyche.

As a result, the underground Base-045-HQ was founded in Massachusetts, USA, to house all victims of ANM-045-C before and during any experiments, analysis, interviews, or future euthanasia procedures.

---

Behavioral and Psychological Profile:

The exact personality of ANM-045-C remains ambiguous, as it does not verbally communicate with its victims. However, through numerous dream reports, certain traits and behavioral patterns have emerged.

Papa Mangler exhibits playful behavior. He appears to enjoy terrorizing his victims, prolonging the chase within the dream and appearing when the victim least expects it. He often displays mocking gestures, such as tipping his hat or making a theatrical bow before beginning his pursuit. His movements, though unpredictable, often carry an air of deliberate precision, as if he is aware of the fear he is inducing and takes pleasure in the slow unraveling of his victim’s psyche.

Several male victims have reported that Papa Mangler displays what they described as “effeminate” behavior during their dreams. Though this has been difficult to define scientifically, victims frequently report that the entity moves with a certain flamboyance, incorporating exaggerated gestures such as dramatic hand movements, overly stylized poses, or an exaggerated and theatrical walk. Some victims claim he approaches them in a flirtatious or mocking manner, adding an additional layer of discomfort. This perceived behavior is likely part of ANM-045-C’s psychological manipulation, exploiting social anxieties and discomforts for added emotional impact.

Despite his complex behavioral profile, ANM-045-C does not speak or make vocal sounds (except for exaggerated sighs, mocking chuckles, or groans). Instead, he relies on facial expressions, hand movements, and body language to communicate his intentions. In some cases, he has been observed slowly tapping his long fingers together or running them along his own face or surroundings as a form of silent mockery.

ANM-045-C’s colorful footprints are a unique signature of his presence. Even after victims wake up, they often claim to continue seeing flashes of color in the periphery of their vision, reminiscent of ANM-045-C’s footprints. This lingering effect suggests that Papa Mangler’s influence may extend beyond the dream world, leaving a lasting psychological impact on those who encounter him.

There are cases where Papa Mangler prolongs his interaction with his victims, as if relishing their suffering before finally inflicting physical damage through touch. However, it is unclear if he directly kills his victims within the dream. Instead, he ensures that the waking world continues their torment through extreme and grotesque physical deformities, which ultimately lead to a slow and agonizing death.

Addendum 045-C-01: Incident Report

The first documented case of Papa Mangler occurred during the 1950s, discovered by Dr. Öctavio Kalev, who reported frequent nightmares involving a distorted figure resembling the entity. Within a few weeks, several patients reported similar experiences, with one undocumented victim eventually succumbing to the same physical symptoms later described in future afflicted individuals. The victim's final dream journal entry stated: "Papa Mangler comes for me; I see his face getting closer every night. He wants to consume my dreams and my will to live..."

Dr. Moon continues research on ANM-045-C, focusing on dream modification as a means of containment, though progress remains slow.

Current Status:

ANM-045-C remains uncontained. Research into methods of preventing or altering the dream patterns of affected individuals is ongoing.

Note: Under no circumstances should unauthorized personnel attempt to interfere with research on ANM-045-C or make contact with affected individuals without proper psychological training.

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