#the double standards are nauseating

[counterpunches]

source

[transcript: [slide 1]

we are treated differently and we are so tired

[slide 2] From day one, we were treated differently: the celebrations

Hamas is an internationally-recognized terrorist organization that is explicit in its aim to annihilate Israel and the Jewish people in its very foundational charter. On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded internationally-recognized sovereign Israeli territory and slaughtered 1,200 people in a matter of hours, the majority of them civilians. They went door to door, pulling people from their beds, maiming, mutilating, beheading, raping, and burning entire families alive. About 80 of the corpses showed signs of torture. They also took over 200 people hostage, including Holocaust survivors and a 9-month-old. It was the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Israel is a small country; had October 7 happened in the US, it would be the equivalent of individually slaughtering 50,000 Americans in a matter of hours.

Instead of expressing outrage, there were worldwide celebrations. In the West Bank, Gaza, and elsewhere in the Arab world, candy was handed out on the streets in celebration. In Gaza, thousands gathered to cheer as terrorists paraded mutilated corpses. A group of 3000 United Nations teachers expressed their joy at the murder and mutilation of Israelis, including young children. All over left-wing social media, people celebrated.

On October 8, before any Israeli retaliation whatsoever, crowds of thousands gathered in Times Square to express their support for the murderers, holding signs that declared "decolonization is not a metaphor" and "by any means necessary".

Fringe extremists exist, but this was hardly the fringe. And we know this is not a normal reaction. We did not see entire protests in Times Square in support of the Russian slaughter of Ukranians, 9/11, the ISIS genocide of Yazidis, the slaughter of Yemenis, the slaughter of Syrians, or any other atrocity.

[slide 3] From Day one, we were treated differently: the contextualization and qualification

Secretary General of the United Nations Anthony Guterres' initial response to the October 7 massacre was the following: "It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum."

First, let me make one thing clear: there is no context, in international law or anywhere else, that justifies or minimizes the slaughter, torture, and rape of civilians, including women, children, those with disabilities, and the elderly.

But beyond that, there is a glaring double standard when Israel is the victim of a massacre. Let's take a look at another example of terrorism as a guideline. When ISIS bombed an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England on May 22, 2017, killing 22, Secretary General Guterres immediately "strongly condemned" the attack, and the Security Council released a statement, condemning "in the strongest terms the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack" and extending its solidarity to the United Kingdom. No one said the attack had to be understood "in the context" of the UKs invasion of Iraq, the war against ISIS, or the UKs long history of colonialism in the region, and no one said that it did not happen in a vacuum.

Similarly, on October 7, millions of people rushed to social media to provide "context" for the cold-blooded, purposeful, and indiscriminate murder of civilians. Others, before their "condemnation" felt the need to clarify that they were not supporters of the Israeli government (okay, and?), when they've otherwise strongly condemned atrocities perpetrated on others, without feeling the need to qualify support (or lack thereof) for any other country's government.

[slide 4] From day one, we were treated differently: the victim blaming

On October 7, as the massacre was still unfolding, 31 Harvard University organizations released a statement holding Israel "entirely responsible" for the slaughter of its own citizens. I reiterate: as Israelis were still being slaughtered by the hundreds simply for being Jewish - or for being associated with Jews - we were told that our own slaughter was our fault.

They were not the only ones to do so. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Iran, and Iraq blamed Israel for the October 7 slaughter. Black Lives Matter Chicago blamed Israel for the October 7 slaughter. Labor unions across the US blamed Israel for the October 7 slaughter. The list goes on.

After the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an article in which one anonymous police officer said that the police is looking into the possibility that some of the victims of the Nova music festival were killed by fire from an IDF military chopper, antisemites took the statement out of context, distorted it, and disseminated it all over the media and internet.

In response to the Haaretz article, the Israeli police put out a statement that the investigation was only in regard to police activities on October 7, not military activities, and that as such, they do not have any indication about the harm to any civilians due to any aerial activity there."

Regardless, the conspiracy has taken a life of its own, so much so that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of carrying out the massacre. Abbas later retracted his statement. A few other unverified reports have also similarly taken out of context to "prove" that Israel was actually behind its own massacre.

To this day, we are told, in response to released hostage testimony that Israeli women are being raped in the Hamas tunnels, that it's justified because "they were soldiers." For what it's worth, no one's rape is justified - even when they're soldiers.

[slide 5] A few days later came the denial

The 10/7 massacre was live-streamed by the perpetrators on their own social media platforms.

Initially, antisemites celebrated. After more and more heinous, indefensible details started to come out, antisemites started denying it happened at all.

To reiterate: the massacre was live-streamed to social media - by the perpetrators. We all saw it in the early hours of October 7. The perpetrators have gone on to boast about it since. For example, on January 10, the leader of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said, "We should hold on to the victory that took place on October 7 and build upon it."

The level of denial - just a few days after October 7 - is so pervasive that Israel had to compile a 47-minute film of footage with the most graphic, dehumanizing video evidence to screen for international reporters, government officials, and more.

But no amount of evidence seems to be enough. No independent investigators are enough. No video footage is enough. No survivor or eyewitness testimony is enough. Why are people denying what's before their very eyes? Why?

[slide 6] Then the one-sided demands.

From October 7, there were already demands on Israel - on Israel, as its civilians were massacred - to ceasefire. These demands came from important voices, including American Congresspeople, groups such as UNICEF, and more. These calls made little, if any, mention of Hamas, the perpetrator of the October 7 massacre.

No other country would be asked, as a slaughter of their people was still unfolding, to lay down their arms.

Since then, the calls for Israel - and only Israel - to ceasefire have been incessant. They have continued even as Hamas vowed, on October 24, that "there will be a second, a third, a fourth" October 7. When asked to clarify, in the same interview, whether they meant the complete annihilation of Israel, the senior Hamas official responded, "Yes, of course."

The calls for Israel to ceasefire continued as Yaha Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 massacre, promised on November 30 that "October 7 was just a rehearsal."

The calls for Israel to ceasefire continued as Hamas violated the terms of the temporary ceasefire every single day between November 24 and December 1.

The calls for Israel to ceasefire as Hamas has fired over 13,000 missiles at Israeli civilians. Even more infuriating, the calls for a ceasefire are often made hand in hand with calls to "globalize the Intifada." An intifada is an armed uprising; it's incompatible with a ceasefire.

The calls for Israel to ceasefire have continued as Hamas has rejected several ceasefires in the past several weeks. At this point, those calling for a ceasefire should be honest: what they care is that Israel ceases, but they are not particularly bothered (or even support) when Hamas fires.

[slide 7] The genocide accusations

There are 153 countries that have signed the Convention of 1948. Before this January, only two had ever been brought to trial before the International Court of Justice. Of the signatories, a number of them have been accused of genocidal acts after signing the Convention, including Azerbaijan, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and more.

Only Israel, however, is put on trial, which is all the more egregious when we consider that the events post-October 7 are in response to a massacre of Israelis that Genocide Watch classified as "an act of genocide."

What's even more egregious is that South Africa, which has brought this case before the ICJ, maintains close relationships with genocidal dictators, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and Sudan's Omar al-Bashir. It is a close ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hamas' patron, which has been brutally oppressing the people of Iran since 1979. South Africa even hosted Hamas officials for a "solidarity" event in December 2023 - two months after the October 7 massacre.

Per the Hamas Ministry of Health, 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza; Israel claims at least 9,000 of them are Hamas combatants. While any civilian death is tragic, there are far deadlier wars and atrocities happening around the globe right at this very second. In Yemen, nearly 400,000 have been killed and a million have died in a famine. In Syria, over 600,000 have been killed. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6 million have been killed. In Ukraine, at least 100,000 have been killed. The list goes on and on. In many of these cases, the perpetrators of the atrocities - some of them South Africa's closest allies - have explicitly expressed genocidal intent. Yet South Africa hasn't found it necessary to bring them before the International Court of Justice. Only the Jewish state.

[slide 8] Feminist advocates are suddenly silent - or worse, accuse us of lying

Perhaps among the most infuriating responses to the October 7 massacre has been the response of so-called feminists and feminist organizations.

On October 7, and every day since, Hamas weaponized rape as a tool of war, which is not only a war crime, but a crime against humanity. There is a preponderance of evidence, including extensive forensic evidence, eyewitness testimony, perpetrator confessions, and survivor testimony.

Yet the Women's March has not condemned Hamas' weaponization of rape as a tool of war; instead, it has only called for a ceasefire. Me Too has not condemned Hamas' weaponization as a tool of war. UN Women did not condemn Hamas' massacre until December 2, nearly two months after October 7, after intense public pressure from Israelis and the Jewish community.

Angelina Jolie, perhaps the most vocal global activist against the weaponization of rape as a tool of war, has said absolutely nothing about Hamas' war crimes; instead, she has asked Israel to ceasefire.

[slide 9] Double standard: legitimacy

Israel is condemned more than any other nation in the world, but the double standard doesn't end there. Israel's real or perceived crimes are blown out of proportion in comparison to other countries' real or perceived crimes, but the double standard doesn't end there. Israel's suffering is minimized, contextualized, denied, or qualified in comparison to the suffering of other countries, but the double standard doesn't end there. Instead, there is another double standard: everything coming out of Hamas' mouth is immediately taken as fact, while everything that comes out of Israel is questioned.

This is not merely a matter of "feeling" like there is a double standard.

On October 17, an explosion went off at the Al Ahli Hospital parking lot. Within minutes, Hamas claimed that an Israeli airstrike had targeted the hospital, killing 471 people. Israel claimed that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad missile misfired and hit the hospital. But the BBC ran with Hamas' story. This triggered worldwide outrage, inciting anti-Jewish riots in the Arab world and in Russia. Eventually, most international independent investigations corroborated Israel's version of events. But by the time the media retracted its original claim - that is, what Hamas said - it was too late. Two Jews had already been killed in Tunisia in retaliation for a massacre that Israel never actually committed.

Then there is the issue of the hostage videos. Hostage videos are hostage videos because they are made under duress. The hostage is told what to say; otherwise, their life is in danger. Hamas, of course, has coerced the Israeli hostages into saying that they are being treated well. These statements, made with a gun to the head, have been taken as fact, so much so that prominent figures such as Shaun King have gushed over Hamas' so-called "humane" treatment of the hostages (that they brutally abducted after murdering their entire families and friends before their eyes).

Yet, now that over a hundred hostages have been released, and they are no longer under threat from Hamas, they are coming out with stories of abuse and torture. Suddenly, no one believes these accounts, claiming that Israel must have told them what to say. It's absolutely absurd and defies all logic.

[slide 10] support my work

venmo: @rootsmetals cash app: $rootsmetals paypal: @debbie@rootsmetals.com

complete bibliography for this post: patreon.com/rootsmetals

disclaimer: the intent of this post is to educate, raise awareness, and challenge hate speech]

[fuck-hamas-go-israel]

the relief of seeing your own country on this list.

also, the countries who are in support of South Africa are themselves just pure havens of human rights and equal treatment, aren’t they? 🙄

HERE is the list of the 134 countries that are NOT supporting South Africa's 🇿🇦 claims of genocide against Israel 🇮🇱:

🇦🇩 Andorra 

🇦🇴 Angola 

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 

🇦🇷 Argentina 

🇦🇲 Armenia 

🇦🇺 Australia 

🇦🇹 Austria 

🇧🇸 Bahamas 

🇧🇧 Barbados 

🇧🇾 Belarus 

🇧🇿 Belize 

🇧🇹 Bhutan 

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 

🇧🇼 Botswana 

🇧🇬 Bulgaria 

🇧🇮 Burundi 

🇨🇻 Cabo Verde 

🇰🇭 Cambodia 

🇨🇦 Canada 

🇨🇫 Central African Republic 

🇨🇱 Chile 

🇨🇳 China 

🇰🇲 Comoros 

🇨🇬 Congo 

🇨🇷 Costa Rica 

🇭🇷 Croatia 

🇨🇺 Cuba 

🇨🇾 Cyprus 

🇨🇿 Czech Republic 

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo 

🇩🇰 Denmark 

🇩🇲 Dominica 

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 

🇹🇱 East Timor (Timor-Leste) 

🇪🇨 Ecuador 

🇸🇻 El Salvador 

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea 

🇪🇷 Eritrea 

🇪🇪 Estonia 

🇸🇿 Eswatini 

🇪🇹 Ethiopia 

🇫🇯 Fiji 

🇫🇮 Finland 

🇫🇷 France 

🇬🇪 Georgia 

🇩🇪 Germany 

🇬🇭 Ghana 

🇬🇷 Greece 

🇬🇩 Grenada 

🇬🇹 Guatemala 

🇭🇹 Haiti 

🇭🇳 Honduras 

🇭🇺 Hungary 

🇮🇸 Iceland 

🇮🇳 India 

🇮🇪 Ireland 

🇮🇹 Italy 

🇯🇲 Jamaica 

🇯🇵 Japan 

🇰🇪 Kenya 

🇰🇮 Kiribati 

🇰🇵 Korea, North (North Korea) 

🇰🇷 Korea, South (South Korea) 

🇽🇰 Kosovo 

🇱🇦 Laos 

🇱🇻 Latvia 

🇱🇸 Lesotho 

🇱🇷 Liberia 

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 

🇱🇹 Lithuania 

🇱🇺 Luxembourg 

🇲🇬 Madagascar 

🇲🇼 Malawi

🇲🇹 Malta 

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 

🇲🇺 Mauritius 

🇲🇽 Mexico 

🇫🇲 Micronesia 

🇲🇩 Moldova 

🇲🇨 Monaco 

🇲🇳 Mongolia 

🇲🇪 Montenegro 

🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) 

🇳🇷 Nauru 

🇳🇵 Nepal 

🇳🇱 Netherlands 

🇳🇿 New Zealand 

🇳🇮 Nicaragua 

🇲🇰 North Macedonia (Macedonia) 

🇳🇴 Norway 

🇵🇼 Palau 

🇵🇦 Panama 

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 

🇵🇾 Paraguay 

🇵🇪 Peru 

🇵🇭 Philippines 

🇵🇱 Poland 

🇵🇹 Portugal 

🇷🇴 Romania 

🇷🇺 Russia 

🇷🇼 Rwanda 

🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis 

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 

🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 

🇼🇸 Samoa 

🇸🇲 San Marino 

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe 

🇷🇸 Serbia 

🇸🇨 Seychelles 

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone 

🇸🇬 Singapore 

🇸🇰 Slovakia 

🇸🇮 Slovenia 

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands 

🇪🇸 Spain 

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇨🇭 Switzerland 

🇹🇼 Taiwan 

🇹🇿 Tanzania 

🇹🇭 Thailand 

🇹🇴 Tonga 

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago 

🇹🇳 Tunisia 

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan 

🇹🇻 Tuvalu 

🇺🇦 Ukraine 

🇬🇧 United Kingdom (UK) 

🇺🇸 United States of America (USA) 

🇺🇾 Uruguay 

🇻🇺 Vanuatu 

🇻🇦 Vatican City 

🇻🇳 Vietnam 

🇿🇲 Zambia 

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

[skellagirl]

I almost don't wanna make this post bc I feel like it will be misinterpreted, but I've been thinking about the odd sort of double standard in specifically the danny phantom fandom, where the most popular thing (bafflingly, to me, given canon, but I won't digress) is to write/draw about a 14-year-old boy being mutilated, tortured, dismembered, vivisected, and generally brutalized, BUT,

if people try to ship him with, say, Vlad, suddenly that's a step too far

TO BE CLEAR I AM NOT DEFENDING THE SHIP. I do not like it, it skeeves me out, I've blocked people on sight for shipping it, I've gotten into heated debates with other folks in the fandom about it, you can ask like anyone and they'll back me up on this lol

MY POINT is that I find it so strange that one of these things (shipping a 14-year-old with an adult) is seen as abhorrent and heinous, whole the other thing (brutally torturing, mutilating, and traumatizing a 14-year-old for our Amusement) is A-OK and is in fact the most popular activity in the fandom 👍

and some of this shit is DARK! the few times I've poked into the dark fics in the fandom, especially the more popular/well-known/infamous ones, some of them have made me feel genuinely nauseated (and horror is like, my favorite genre for writing lol!!!!!!!)

I'm very curious about this phenomenon because I think it says something interesting about the old 'differentiating between fiction and reality' conversation that comes up every time dark fic/fic that features taboo elements is mentioned. Am I intelligent enough to articulate what that something is? Probably not lol

Although I do think a factor is that one of the situations in question is much less likely to happen to real kids and teens, but again I'm not intelligent enough to put into actual specifics why/how much that might matter.

idk!!!! I'd be interested to hear other people's opinions about this, cause it's def something that's been percolating in my brain

[g0ose-bumps]

A/O/B verse Ghoap

(Dom)Beta!Ghost meets (Sub)Alpha!Soap who's a big flirt. M rated. Canon compliant to codmwii.

When Ghost hears about the new sergeant joining them, he's pays it no mind. Whether the man would be a hindrance or a help, was to be seen. Ghost worked best alone. While he could lead a squad easily, closer partnership was something he always sought to avoid. That said, the likelihood of the man being an annoyance was high and Ghost was not a gambling man.

MacTavish was apparently an Alpha, and Ghost wasn't about to bet on him not challenging Ghost's authority with some typical Alpha bullshite.

The world looked down on anyone who wasn't an Alpha. Betas while appreciated for their lack of pheromonal syndromes, were never one to be looked for leadership. They were seen as the workforce of the world, most higher ranked positions given to Alphas who were generally stronger, faster and some might even say smarter. Omegas weren't even considered for anything but breeding, the poor bastards.

Ghost didn't care about any of it.

Well to be exact, he didn't care insofar as it affected his job. He'd had many a man under his command sniff at him strangely and then open their useless mouth to decry being led by a Beta. Ghost had largely ignored their screeches, too focused on the mission to truly care. Those men never lasted long anyway.

He'd liked being a Beta. The strange smells, heats and ruts Ghost had heard about were just that—bizarre physical urges that created a scene Ghost was keen to avoid. He'd always thought Betas were made superior by not being controlled by their cocks or cunts. Ghost had seen many good men and women led astray by one whiff of something in the air. Emotions fraught on their faces as they abandoned all who they were as people and became savage animals.

The thought made him nauseated. To be at the whims of another person just because they smelt a certain way was pure insanity to him. Ghost was quite happy he never had to deal with any of that Alpha/Omega shite. He'd happily ignore the whole pheromonal debacle if it wasn't so prevalent every time he dealt with a new Alpha.

That's why when he actually does meet the man he's heard so much about–mostly from Price who never stopped bragging about this 'Soap's' achievements, or from Gaz who was apparently bossom brothers of a sort–he's fully taken aback.

He's short, is what he thinks first. Most alphas stood at least 6 feet tall. The sergeant was probably 7 inches shorter than him. Not that he's much to sneeze at either, Ghost being abnormally tall for even Alpha standards. But it's undeniable that for an Alpha, MacTavish was on the smaller side.

The second thing he notes, is that he looks soft. His face is soft, his demeanor is soft and his words are soft. It's an abrupt departure from the lean angularity that made up a stereotypical Alpha. Hell, even Gaz and Price who were both Alphas, had looked to be cut from the same stone. Acted like it too some days, exuding a comfortable confidence that couldn't be faked.

It was Ghost who stood out as a giant among the bunch, made more 'freakish' looking by his height and bulk. Aside from the others in 141, most Alphas felt threatened by him, like he'd try to steal their Omegas or their positions. He'd only laugh when they accused him of just that. Ghost wasn't interested. He never was.

This Alpha, however, takes one glance up at him and offers up his bare neck. Shadowed eyes looking up at him sweetly, pretty lashes fluttering. He gets a soft, "Let's get ourselves a win, yeah, Lt? Save ya a seat, sir..." And a slight tap to his chest (a fistbump of all things!).

Ghost is stunned. He eyes the openly barred neck the sergeant was proudly displaying to him. He's so utterly confused. Alphas tended to guard their neck at all costs. Their neck doubled up as a sensitive place for the bonds they would make or as a weak spot to instantly immobilize them. Offering up ones neck was considered a submission only given to Alphas higher up in their internal rankings or...

Ghost can't even think it. But he does, the sergeant winking at him while Ghost just stands there like an idiot with his mouth gaped open.

A barred neck was an invitation for something more intimate in nature. Something Ghost had only heard about in lurid whispers among the men. It was unheard of to have an Alpha do it for a Beta. It was even more unheard of for an Alpha to do it in plain sight of others, no less in front of the men they were to lead in a mission, 5 minutes from starting. It was dark, but not dark enough for everything to be hidden.

Despite himself, Ghost feels the stirrings of hunger deep within him. He wants desperately to take that smug look off of the Alpha's face, to have him writhing for more. To grab the man and bare his vulnerable throat further. Show Ghost more of that tan skin so carefully hidden amongst thick protective clothes.

He wants to take that submission being offered so prettily by the cocky Alpha right in front of him and cram it down his throat. Have him bouncing in his lap, insensate and screaming for more. Thrust up into that tight arse and watch as he cries fat tears down those soft, soft eyes of his. Then laugh as the Alpha struggles to fit his reddened lips over Ghost's length when he takes his mouth as well and makes him choke on it.

Ghost wants.

Soap takes one last glance at him and smirks. The other man seemed assured of whatever he saw from Ghost. He saunters off towards the transport, head held high. An Alpha to the core despite all the Very Not Alpha Behaviour he'd just shown Ghost.

"Fucking hell..." Ghost groans.

Shepherd barks, "Ghost, you copy?"

A slight pause. "Yes sir." Ghost chokes back, tongue thick in his mouth.

He can hear the worried concern coming from the older Alpha at Ghost's uncharacteristic fumbling.

"Any issues?"

Ghost has so many issues.

"Negative sir, out here." He growls, a headache growing at the thought of all the upcoming missions with Soap.

Fucking hell indeed.

*

[kiironekolady]

So final thoughts on eurovision this year

the people will not be silenced, no matter the narratives and bullshit censorship they try to impose

nauseated but not surprised at the public vote for israel

nauseated and fucking livid at the 12 points the portuguese public gave them

eurovision is always political

you cannot sanitize eurovision, you can only ruin it by trying

remove opaque politically motivated sponsorships

you can't claim to remove russia out of "morals" and then not israel. there have always been countries doing horrible things represented at eurovision but the obvious double standards and hyprocrisy could never fly this year

hey EBU, we will not forget

peace for palestine

[twopoppies]

The double standard in this fandom are nauseating. Larries are seen like the biggest enemies. Insulted, harassed…but others shippers that most of the times are like larries but worse…get a pass.

You know what I mean, Gina? 🙃

Oh, for sure. It’s partly because hating on larries and blaming them for everything has been normalized by 1DHQ and the media since forever. Then, throw in Louis’ ever increasing denials as well as things the other guys have said in print and sprinkle in some homophobia and you’ve got the perfect scapegoat.

[fyodior]

Discovered a study about how 41% of the men in the study prefer a completely hairless pussy and only 5% can accept a full bush… it was so depressing

doesn’t surprise me but men can literally get fucked because you know 98% of men in that ““study”��� don’t shave either. the double standard is actually nauseating. bush is beautiful

[monstersinthecosmos]

Hi Kacy! Question: do you like Lestat? Like, what is your opinion on him? Also I was wondering.. what is your least favorite VC character, and why?

fhjskdglsd lmao he is my least favorite VC character  🥸

But!!!!!!!! There’s some nuance here for me. 

Like, he’s the main narrator so if I TRULY couldn’t stand him I don’t think I’d like the books. I don’t hate Lestat. I also could group the many many many extraneous characters in the back half of the series as my least favorite, too, but it’s fair to say that I don’t care about them. I would’ve enjoyed more content about the characters we already knew and liked instead of having to spend so much time with like all the PL trilogy randos. So, of the main cast, my least favorite is Lestat.

A lot of this is like, subjective and personal and about preference, because we see the double standards in fandom constantly, like why do we give Lestat a pass while we demonize Marius for the same shit, etc. And for me as a Marius Girlie (GN), WHY DO I GIVE MARIUS A PASS ON STUFF LESTAT ALSO DOES? I can’t really explain it, I just don’t like him. LOL.

But what I find really fascinating is that Marius and Lestat are like, the father & son version of the same character. They have SO much in common, and it’s really engaging for me to use Lestat to extrapolate ideas about Marius. I think a lot about how they’re sort of pessimist/optimist versions of each other, too, and how perhaps Lestat’s “nauseating buoyancy” is what allows him to make such terrible, public decisions, vs Marius who has similar bouts of creative frenzy, similar self-loathing cycles, similar uses of ego, but who often crumbles and withdraws into himself without making Lestat-Sized messes. 

And like, how much of this speaks to their inherent personalities vs the lore about your age and temperament? Would Marius have been like this if he’d been turned at 20 when he was still full of verve? If Lestat had made it to 40 would he have calmed down? Was Marius this much of a mess in his first couple centuries, and will Lestat be like this if he makes it to 2000?

As a VC fan in general, I think whenever I’m reading one of Lestat’s books I’m usually really plugged in and enjoying him in the moment, but like, I am so much more invested in the de Romanus bloodline, like, in TVL I am so engaged with Lestat until Armand shows up, and then I’m like NO LET’S SPEND MORE TIME WITH THIS GUY. Same with the Marius chapter, it’s my favorite! And TVA/B&G/Pandora are my favorite. I mostly enjoy the other books, but whenever I do a reread it’s always a relief to make it to de Romanus books. THE DARK TRIAD, if you will.

I get him, too. Like, I get it lol. I get it. But I think by the back half of the series I just get super sick of him, and a lot of it has to do with the way the writing devolves. TVL Lestat is a very different person than Post-MTD Lestat, even PL Lestat, and I think when we start dissecting Anne Rice’s use of him as a Mary Sue it gets really annoying. There’s also like, the huge list of -isms in VC that we’ve discussed to death, and things Anne Rice handled better or worse, and even Post-QOTD Lestat really bugs the fuck out of me with how he treats Louis, and the way he is so plainly abusive to his lovers.

Like, I’m here all day defending Marius/TVA LOL and discussing diegetic kink and brand contamination and telling everyone it’s not that deep, and so this is my flaw as well that I give Marius a pass on stuff that I blame on the writing, vs how I have a hard time giving Lestat the same grace. It’s subjective, in a way, too, because the specific ways Lestat treats Louis are really triggering to me personally, and I have a hard time seeing past it, the way some people have a hard time seeing past Marius, or even a hard time seeing past the way Armand abuses Daniel. We all have little things like that, so I’m not judging anyone who enjoys it, it’s just not for me. I find it easy to understand the diegetic BDSM in TVA but less easy to watch the way Lestat treats Louis and David long term, the way his shitty behavior doesn’t get called out, the way Louis never gets to stick up for himself, the way David is so broken and traumatized and terrified of him but we never talk about it again except when Lestat makes a rape joke about it. Etc!!!

He’s just such a terror to everyone in his life, like! I feel sorry for everyone who gets involved with him! He’s traumatic to be around! AND LIKE, THE THEME OF VC IS THAT MESSES & BAD PEOPLE ALSO DESERVE LOVE, but like. Christ lol. He can meet us halfway and work on himself too lol. 

And it's interesting to ask like, when we talk about how Lestat gets a pass in the universe and no one holds him accountable, I think it's fair to analyze points of view and ask if it's simply Lestat withholding any criticism, but like ! idk! He turned a child lol. That happened! Other people met her! TOBT is about how he realizes he's a monster and accepts it, and decides he'd do it again! I love TOBT so much for being such a cool portrait of his evil, really! And it's part of his charm, too, like we like him as a character because he's charming and perhaps people in the universe also always forgive him because he's charming! He's just too irresistible LOL. But there's a turning point where it just starts feeling flat, the charm feels unironic, it doesn't feel like we're seeing him as a charming monster anymore. (This is just me but maybe it's because I get bored and don't analyze the later Lestat books enough.)

By the end it felt like Anne Rice writing silly lil stories about her lil guy, I get it. But I don’t really enjoy that in the writing and so like, I can’t say that I enjoy the Lestat stories too much, and whether it’s diegetic or not, he bugs the fuck out of me LOL.

On a fandom level, too, like, he’s the main character and Loustat is the juggernaut ship. He’s not neglected, there’s plenty of fan content about him. I don’t feel particularly obligated to create works for him or give him more attention, he’s doing fine lol. I don’t think I have anything to say about him that hasn’t been said, and I’m not interested in taking up space in fandom as a salty Lestat hater, so I just leave a polite distance. 

I do like him when I’m in the moment reading his books, I really value him as the main narrator, there are scenes of his that break my heart, Lestat/Nicki is one of my top ships of all time, I love him as a scared boy trying so hard to be good, I love him as a tortured creative person who needs so deeply to be heard, I love him as a baby fledgling who doesn’t know what to do and is so so so scared of losing people, but I also get sick of him and think that, as the main narrator, he shoulders the brunt of the weird writing decisions in the second half, and I’m just over it! Idk! 

[sjerzgirl]

Spot on analysis!

[averinna]

The double standard on twitter... Nauseating.

So many guy I want to punch...

So it's why y'all are like this huh... I get it now

Still don't excuse y'all saying that more men should kill themselves tho. If you hate dudebros, hate on dudebros

[inventors-fair]

Insert The Clash Reference - New Year’s Revolution Commentary

I will be the first to admit this was not one of my stronger contests. As I alluded to in the initial post, I had intended to run something else entirely, but articulating what I wanted people to give me proved entirely fruitless despite around 8 hours of concentrated sentence-construction. So, thus, with the deadline looming, I audibled into something else entirely that I put no prior thought in. I think this showed itself somewhat in the submissions, as people seemed to take different lessons from the same post, and I sincerely apologise for any misgivings due to my poor communication of my intentions.

That said, y’all ran in some real delightful directions with this one. I definitely did not expect to see most of the twists on Rebels-as-a-concept that you decided to bring to the table, and seeing everyone’s little takes on how Rebels could be done was an absolute delight. Thank you all wholeheartedly for your submissions this week.

With all that out of the way, a cut!

@an-anarchist-shapeshifter​ - Double Agent

Thrilled to see that tumblr user an-anarchist-shapeshifter has partaken in the political unrest contest, though I am slightly bewildered that you were not the one to submit the sole Rebellious Shapeshifter of the crowd. Regardless, the card you actually submitted: Absolutely lovely saboteur effect. Leaving the card draw as optional is an incredibly clever choice, as it can allow you more flexibility to choose between adding to your own hand and decreasing theirs in less than ideal scenarios, while still allowing you to generate nauseating amounts of card advantage when everything lines up. Absolutely delicious mechanic to fit on a four mana 2/3, so excellent work there. My main sticking point for this particular rogue element is its use of skulk. See, I played standard back when Shadows of Innistrad was released, and I still vividly remember how skulk played out in practical terms: Namely, 1 power skulk creatures were essentially unblockable, 2 power ones were Difficult, but Manageable, and 3+ power ones had an extra line of flavor text. Skulk as an evasion mechanic is very narrow and I don't think I have ever found it particularly fun, playing with or against it, and that sour taste has yet to leave me even after all these years. That said, I will commend you for selecting the only vaguely interesting Skulk Number. If you gave this menace instead I think it would play out very similarly, while also avoiding any and all unforeseen Ancient Judge Grudges that may still be lying around. An otherwise delightful card somewhat marred by a slightly unfortunate mechanic choice.

@demimonde-semigoddess​ - Jabberhouse Hand

This card is delightful and I very much wish it existed, but unfortunately, as I am currently judging the Rebel Contest and not the Cards I Like Contest, I cannot fully endorse this card, as I am having quite a bit of difficulty figuring out where the Goblin bit ends and the Rebel bit begins. Plinking people? That's just standard Boggart Shenanigans. Milling everyone? A lil weird for Goblins but I'm not sure it exactly screams "I'm a Rebel!" either. Caring about things what cost 2 or less? No idea. I just can't really tell why this particular Goblin has selected Rebellion as a profession rather than Roguery, aside possibly from the flavor text association with Grenzo, which is itself tenuous as he himself is also a Goblin Rogue. Could I envision a set where Grenzo tries to upend the monarchists from his dungeon-throne, and acquires the Rebel typing while doing so? Sure. But I'm just not confident I'm getting that entirely from this card, unfortunately. Like I said though, love it mechanically, just not sure it was the ideal execution for this contest.

@dimestoretajic​ - Backroom Recruiter

Let the workers unite! It is rather unfortunate that their union contracts only extend to the end of combat, rather than end of turn, as that will almost certainly result in unintentional union-member casualties, when your Union Bear becomes a 4/4 and becomes blocked by another 2/2 and emerges triumphant, only to lose its coveted toughness and die to the very damage it previously powered through at combat's end. Fix that tiny little thing, though, and this is genuinely one of my favorite mechanics submitted this week. Absolutely in love with the idea of recruiting all my creatures into The Union. Although I will say I'm not totally thrilled with the concept of the union counters, I can definitely understand why you would feel motivated to include them on your singular submission for this week, as this definitely strikes me as a mechanic best demonstrated with friends. All in all, you almost made the cut, and this entire card is extremely endearing, but the mistaken timing on the toughness buff just barely took you out of contention.

@foxgirlbeans​ - Spartacus, Boisterous Rebel

Finally! Some consensus on the identity of Spartacus: It's this guy. Thrilled we've finally worked that one out. Goofs about impassioned acts of solidarity aside, this is an absolutely fascinating card that I would absolutely love to play at a table with, like, 4+ people but would loathe to encounter against a single opponent. I will get into more detail about that criticism in a second, but first, I'd like to address a templating concern. First, the regenerate. Magic the Gathering has not seen a new use of the regenerate mechanic in approximately seven years. As of late, they've all but replaced that mechanic with temporarily granting indestructible, which by and large is going to accomplish the exact same thing as regeneration without a large amount of the associated rules headaches (Speaking as a former Rules Advisor Who Judged Some Local Tournaments, regenerate does A Lot Of Things and people have a very easy time forgetting about most of them.) This is rather fortunately a simple thing to address: As stated, you could pretty easily swap that regeneration shield for temporary indestructibility and be entirely above board.

Slightly larger problem: The permanence of the control-changing ability. Red/white doesn't generally get to steal things from people, even if winning a die roll is required to do so. Additionally, in one-on-one games of Magic, having a creature out which incentivises you to spend all your time attempting to steal other people's creatures with coinflip odds seems potentially frustrating for everyone involved, as, if you win the flips, your opponent has a bad time, and if you lose the flips, you have a bad time. I think the single simplest fix for both of these issues would be to have the control change only last until the end of the new controller's next turn. That way, they're guaranteed at least one attack with their newfound ally, but there is significantly decreased chance of permanent estrangement. All in all, I'd love to play this with a larger table, but it very much needs a bit more iterating before I can really endorse it for use in any other format. Clever idea though.

@helloijustreadyourpost​ - Brazen Bruiser

I am slightly concerned about this mechanic, as I am a bit afraid that the range of benefits you can grant to someone who succeeds in being Defiant is much smaller than is desirable. As is, I'm worried that this mechanic, in spite of the attack trigger, will actually cause people to not want to attack quite as much, for fear of enabling an opposing Rebel's Defiance. Flavor is great, and the card itself is pretty well executed, and very solidly within the range of Effects That You Can Get Away With, don't get me wrong, but I'm just inclined to believe that it won't quite have the kind of effect on a game you were looking for, unfortunately.

@hypexion​ - Angel of Revolution

Very bold of you to submit an Angel of Revolution that does not need to turn even a meager 90 degrees to attack. Trigonometry aside, this card is perfectly reasonable, and the mechanic seems like a delightful addition to the Rebel arsenal, especially considering how... interesting some of the additional creature type choices get for some of these things (looking at you, Trenching Steed). Not much more to say, honestly. Good mechanic, solid card, maybe could have used a bit more of a flavor anchoring to really allow it to rise above the competition.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ - Deep-Cover Agent

The aforementioned Rebellious Shapeshifter, not to be confused with any tumblr users that might be present. The flavor here is pretty immaculate honestly, but I'm not sold on how much that second ability is doing. Putting this at uncommon was definitely a wise choice, but even then, having access to a repeatable pump spell and also a repeatable shrink feels a bit excessive, when either one of those by itself would make combat in complex boardstates borderline nightmarish. If you just picked one (probably the one that encourages you to use the first ability, honestly) I think I'd be a bit higher on this card than I am, but as is I think it still just does a little too much for a little to little.

@izzet-always-r-versus-u​ - Voice of the Masses

Adding "reference to a cycle of Urza's Saga Angels" to my list of Things I Very Much Wasn't Expecting this week. Nor was Rebels-As-A-Group-Of-Heretics, honestly, and I'm kind of down for that? That's a cool idea, thank you for sharing it with me. I think my main concern with the card itself is the tax ability. I know decks full of legends are generally pretty niche, but they still very much do exist, and that's a pretty steep bill to add to an entire supertype/deck archetype, especially given how aggressively costed the actual body is. I know they're not a fan of the establishment but I do feel that making things cost 1 extra would have more than sufficed here. Regardless, this is I think a relatively small gripe strung from the worlds tiniest violin.

@reaperfromtheabyss​ - Aimless Renegade

A rebel without a cause! Absolutely delightful. Tragically, this was yet another victim of I Can Only Pick Six Winners. Though I do think that a stronger flavor/setting leaning would've pushed this a bit further above the competition. Also, not to nitpick, but it should "attack each combat." rather than each turn. That's about it honestly. Great card! Lovely concept. Just not quite enough steam for me to exalt it further.

@snugz​ - Amphin Frostmage

You alluded to the possibility that this could end up just kind of being an evasion ability in your submission text, and, well, yeah. This mechanic, in any sufficient quantity, will be Pretty Much Skulk, But More Words. Like, if you get down more than two of these I'm not sure many non-desperate individuals would dare block your Rebellious Salamanders at that point, as that would mean getting their creature locked down for nearly the next half-century. It certainly is an interesting concept, and I'm thrilled to see you've brought the Amphin into this of all things, definitely a novel source of rebellion. But yeah, this can pretty much be boiled down to Evasion, But More Verbose, and I'm not sure that's gonna play out as the best use of textbox space in the world. Perhaps something more akin to afflict, where you have a set payoff for getting blocked, if only to save on text space? I'm not sure honestly.

@squeezyboi​ - Simic Dismissers

Absolutely in love with the concept of this card, and the idea that maybe some of the Simic's experiments aren't quite as enthused with their outcomes. Mechanically, as well, I think this is quite delightful, letting you profit off of any excessive accrued counters that your evolve or adapt creatures may have generated. The only thing that really put this behind the Defiant Gateless for me is that I'm not sure what broader implications it could have. Like, yes, these are rebellious Simic victims, but what else are rebels doing on Ravnica? I'm sure one could conjure a cycle of guild-"aligned" Rebels in similar fashion to this, but I just don't see it being as cohesive as other entries, which is I think the main thing that brought it out of contention for me. All that aside, lovely stuff here.

@wolkemesser​ - Defiant Aesthete

Rebellious Lorwyn Elf who wants to protect those that the ruling Elf class deem undesirable? Oh absolutely. Your flavor direction here is honestly immaculate. Mechanically, though, I'm a bit less impressed. Anti-ward is definitely an interesting direction to take things, though I'm not confident it will play quite as well as its more traditional counterpart, as it relies more on the owner of the Thing People Want To Kill not leaving up enough mana rather than the person doing the killing having enough mana, which means that the Defiant in question is pretty much gonna survive whatever gets thrown at it so long as its owner is sufficiently motivated to allow it to do so, which feels like it would be rather frustrating to play against, especially in quantity. Regardless, the flavor is absolutely lovely, the enters the battlefield ability is quite nice, and I appreciate that you reached out with a new mechanic this week, even if it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

@yd12k​ - Farmstead Rallier

Fantastic flavor, love that, and the flavor text itself is absolutely stellar. Largest strike against this for me, honestly, is that the Rebel bit feels real tangential to the whole experience. Like, this card? Great. Fantastic Peasant Tribal experience. In the context of this contest? I think you may have been slightly better served submitting something that demonstrated the utility of these Rebel tokens which you alluded to in your submission text, more of a Rebel Payoff than a Rebel which might incidentally generate More Rebels. All that said, it is still definitely a very lovely card, I'm just not confident it was the best demonstration of the concepts in your set in relation to the prompt.

That’s all from me for this week, barring me continuing to ride this inexplicable wave of executive function through some backlog commentary. (Again, I sincerely apologise for that, my brain is filled with bees and everything is difficult) but yes. Thank you all for participating!

- @starch255​

[pathfinderunlocked]

Commanding Admiral - CR13 Samurai

A high level samurai in a position of military command.

Artwork by 32asako on Pixiv.

This samurai NPC has one unique power - the ability to let an ally carry his banner for him.  This power comes from a magic item, the Commander’s Mast.  This allows a lower level minion to stand far out of harm’s way, and frees up the commanding admiral’s hands to fight with his own weapons.  It also, more importantly, gives the players a relatively weak target to snipe if they want to end the buffs granted by his banner.

Nothing about him is particularly naval except for the archetype that trades away his mount, and the knowledge (nature) ranks, which can be used to pilot a ship. If you want to use him as an army commander instead, give him Survival +6 in place of Knowledge (nature) +10.

The Order of the Staff specializes in fighting alongside offensive spellcasters, so I definitely recommend giving this NPC a spellcaster or two as allies to make use of the saving throw penalty he inflicts on his challenged targets.

The powerful and expensive equipment carried by this NPC increases his CR by 1.

If you want to support this blog and like its content, I’m now accepting commissions!  See the donations and commissions tab.

Commanding Admiral - CR 13

The graceful, calm elven man stands with his arms cross, his sword at his side, wearing a flowing silk robe over top of his armor.  He’s silent and still, but it’s unclear whether he is being serene or careful.

Elf yojimbo samurai 13 LN Medium humanoid (elf) Init +2 Senses Perception +13, low-light vision

DEFENSE

AC 28, touch 16, flat-footed 23 (+11 armor, +3 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 shield) hp 180 (13d10+91) Fort +17, Ref +9, Will +7 (+2 vs enchantments) Defensive Abilities greater resolve, honorable stand 1/day, intercept and spell aid, resolve 7/day Immune magical sleep

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee +1 adamantine katana +18/+13/+8 (1d8+4/18–20) TWF Melee +1 adamantine katana +16/+11/+6 (1d8+4/18–20) and +1 mithril wakizashi +15 (1d6+4/18–20) Ranged +2 seeking composite longbow +18/+13/+8 (1d8+5/x3) Special Attacks banner +3/+2, challenge (+13, +4, 5/day), demanding challenge

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 15, Con 22, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10 Base Atk +13; CMB +16; CMD 31 Feats Bodyguard, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Double Slice, Power Attack, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (composite longbow), Weapon Focus (katana) Skills Diplomacy +16, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (local) +8, Knowledge (nature) +10, Knowlege (nobility) +7, Perception +13, Sense Motive +10 Languages Common, Elven, Infernal SQ order of the staff, armor expertise (o-yoroi) Gear +3 o-yoroi, +2 seeking composite longbow, +1 adamantine katana, +1 mithril wakizashi, cloak of resistance +3, ring of protection +3, belt of mighty constitution +6, commander’s mast (carried by ally)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Resolve (Ex) A commanding admiral has 7 points of resolve per day, which can be used in the following ways:

As a standard action, a commanding admiral can spend one use of his resolve to remove the fatigued, exhausted, frightened, nauseated, staggered, shaken, or sickened condition.

Whenever a commanding admiral is required to make a Fortitude or Will save, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to roll twice and take the better result. He must decide to use this ability before he rolls the saving throw.

When a commanding admiral is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points but not slain, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to instantly stabilize and remain conscious. He is staggered, but he does not fall unconscious and begin dying if he takes a standard action. He does fall unconscious if he takes additional damage from any source.

After a critical hit is confirmed against him, a commanding admiral can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to treat that critical hit as a normal hit.

Resolute Defense (Ex) Whenever a commanding admiral issues a challenge, he can select one ally as his ward for the duration of the challenge. Whenever the commanding admiral is adjacent to his ward, he can use resolve (including greater resolve and true resolve) on his ward rather than targeting himself.

Intercept and Spell Aid (Ex) Whenever a commanding admiral uses the aid another action to increase an ally’s Armor Class, including via Bodyguard, the bonus to Armor Class from the aid another action increases by 1, and the ally also gains a +2 competence bonus on the next concentration check, dispel check, or caster level check she makes (whichever comes first).

Banner (Ex) A commanding admiral’s banner is normally carried by an ally with the Commander’s Mast, such as one of his spearmen, although he also can carry it himself.  As long as the banner is clearly visible, all allies within 60 feet of the banner receive a +3 morale bonus on saving throws against fear and a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls made as part of a charge.

Challenge (Ex) As a swift action, a commanding admiral can choose one target within sight to challenge.  The commanding admiral’s melee attacks deal 13 extra damage when made against the target of his challenge.  The commanding admiral takes a –2 penalty to his Armor Class, except against attacks made by the target of his challenge.

As long as the target is within the threatened area of the commanding admiral, it takes a –2 penalty to its AC on attacks made by anyone other than the commanding admiral.

A creature challenged by a commanding admiral takes a –4 penalty on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities for 1 round after the commanding admiral successfully damages the target.

Honorable Stand (Ex) A commanding admiral can declare an honorable stand once per day as a swift action. While making an honorable stand, he is immune to the shaken, frightened, and panicked conditions. He does not fall unconscious while his hit point total is below 0. Finally, whenever must make a saving throw, he can spend one daily use of his resolve to reroll the saving throw after the first roll is made. He must take the result of the second roll, even if it is worse.

[trinrose3]

I just a video that was polyphobic recommended on tiktok and genuinely nauseated me and the double fucking standard that some queer people have like ugh fuck off

Anways poly people are queer and valid

[uniquejellyfishqueen]

my soul hurts and there are all these words needing out.

The memories won’t come all at once, and now that I realized the aura of a migraine is now connected with a memory surfacing I’m allowing all of that to happen naturally at my mind's own pace. For me they always strike the same place, my eyes. That’s sad in a beautiful way, the memories that I’m supposed to see hurt the things I need to see in the first place. Is this what they meant when they said “I was Blind but Now I See?” So far the memories that have surfaced are ones I had a sense of remembering but now I’m able to see in a more vivid light. These memories have both of my uncles in them. This also makes sense since we grew up in the same house. Ricky is older, he is also the one that has given me a lifelong skill of immediately becoming nauseated if i were to see a merry-go-round (still not sorry about your leather jacket, you asked for it.) He is also the one that took me ice skating for the first time, he was so mad that I threw a hissy fit because I refused to wear anything but my OGI bodysuit. Both of them are featured in the memory of sledding at the Beaver Dam (btw this was illegal right?) my tailbone recovered eventually because from what they said “she caught some air.” Matt was there when my mom ran off to Florida to get married, the day my kitty died, and he also taught me how to drive. The both of them also passed down the gift of music, they might not be labeled as musicians but that's another debate in itself. They know their shit on the topic and they passed it along to me. Mixed with my adhd my Spotify is like a kangaroo monkey all jacked up on MD.

Other memories unfortunately have had the pleasure of coming back on things I remember happening and honestly I wish I didn't. Cringe moments, and attacks are a freaking thing and they make you feel so gross and so unworthy that you just want to crawl into a hole and lay there until you die. Cringe moments, anxiety, depression, you know the list I’m talking about. Mental health comes in all shapes and sizes just like us little people on the game board, oops I mean our lovely Mother Earth. But just like the way we have resulted in treating each other we do the same thing with other people's mental health. But we also do it to our own feelings and mental health. We are our own biggest critic. I want to really emphasize that I know the words others have spoken to me are true, but they aren’t true for me at that moment. This sounds dumb but upon examination of myself in a better sober light I see that I have been spoiled in the fact that I expect to hear what I want, not what I need to hear from the other person. This results in me overreacting and being ignorant to people who “love” me. I can’t change things said in haste, I can’t erase things that should have never happened. But I can start to take ownership of things that I did have a hand in.

To the girls I was a cunt to from the ages of 12 to about 25 I’m sorry that I was insecure due to personal issues that I was unaware I was harboring. Not one rude thing I ever said should have been voiced. I’m sorry that I added to the slut shaming, its already a double standard so if you did get called a slut by me, Girl i hope you enjoyed the D! I'm all about female support now. Unless this were to be with someone my heart was connected to then I would be pretty mad.

To anyone that tried to help me along the way and I pushed you far enough that you walked away, I’m sorry that I couldn’t put in effort too.

There are many other apologies that I should make but there is the time where you put everyone else above yourself all the time and you stop and see that the people you have done that for wouldn’t do it for you. I can’t waste time anymore being sad and apologizing for the actions of other people when I know that deep in my heart I’m worth more than that. I do deserve better than that.

[wormbussy]

this, except -sidenote- I wouldn't even call it "breathtaking homophobia even by the standards of the time". I'd call it "breathtakingly average homophobia, congruent with a breathtakingly homophobic time", which is somehow almost worse.

Frank's views on MLM, imo, boil down to "if you think gay people should be murdered that's bad and crazy, I think they should go to therapy to stop being gay because it's the 70s and nearly every therapist is treating it, at best, as a developmental disability. also I hate my dead gay son." Which is a horrible take. And is also, imo, a take that would have been completely at home within the mainstream of self-sucking, galaxy-brained psychology academics as late as the early 80s. Both things can be true.

I'm reminded specifically of "Families and how to survive them", the pop psych book John Cleese co-wrote with his therapist around the same time as GEOD.

In it, John Cleese is the one, if not winning any GLAAD awards, being at least fairly normal about gay people, because he's a liberal boomer who at least *knows* one gay person. Meanwhile his therapist is like "so picture a boy on a bridge between his mother and father, growing up is about letting go of your mother to connect with the male archetype, but also turning around on the bridge to face attraction to the feminine archetype and gay people are stuck on the bridge during adolescence so they displace attraction towards their dad and while homosexual behaviour in adolescence is normal it's pathological if allowed to continue into adulthood"

like. fully bonkers, masturbatory, Freudian, peak sitcom therapist bullshit. which is also coincidentally very similar to how Frank frames male homosexuality in the mouth of Leto and Moneo, just with more "oh and also men are naturally violent and that's doubly true for gay men! I'm a great dad!"

All that to say, I think considering the extent to which his extreme and sometimes completely baffling brand of homophobia is coming from a context in which it would have been completely normalized is important not to lose sight of. Nobody's saying he was progressive, I'm arguing that when he's saying shit like "gay people are good soldiers because the social purpose of a soldier is to protect the Breeding Males and arresting their development in the gay phase keeps them horny and violent which is useful within the military", the bit that would have made his early readers double take isn't the homophobia, it's the thesis that gay people are a natural asset to the military (for homophobic reasons, but still).

Remember that *Duncan* is the reader insert in the later books, and especially so in GEOD. Duncan, the 3000 year old Demolition Man who's physically nauseated by gay people existing, is the target audience insert. He is chided for being irrational and old-fashioned by Moneo and Leto, the uncanny far-future ""liberals"" in this instance standing in for Frank, and who think gay people are still unnatural but serve a social purpose.

I'm not even sure the "the Duncan doth protest too much" humour we get out of Duncan's defensiveness now was even intended, I think we're giving Frank too much credit there and forgetting we for the most part have completely different values to his target audience 50 years ago.

try as they might, and they will try, they will never successfully franchise-ify dune. there's twenty four books. there's six books. four of them are good. the four good ones are good because every plotline is attached to three separate subplots all intertwined in a delicate braid. if you remove any plotline the whole thing collapses. every character has a mirror and a counterpart and a narrative foil. dune family trees look like the back of a tapestry. the final line of the first book is about how being a concubine is good actually. dune adaptations are not supposed to be marvel movie posters filled with actors you recognise, every character should be played by some unknown little freak. the longer the series goes on the more it becomes about politics and economics. about 40% of each book is internal monologue. at its core it's space wizards versus bdsm warriors on cocaine planet and trying to deny that is rank cowardice.

[twopoppies]

Thw double standards in this fandom are nauseating. Larries are hated by everyone since 2010/11 but other shippers get a free pass?! And not just normal shippers. They really believe harry is in a relationship with their fave “men” and no one speaks. But larries are the the biggest enemy! Have you noticed this, Gina??

It’s a song as old as time.