#what can i say. i'm biased (<- british)

[spark-circuit]

btw, since i'm on about Kuro Heathcliff again, did anyone see this voiceline? he's all standoffish until he notices that it's about the tattoos, then you can practically hear the grin on his face

[goooofy-goooober1121]

Twst Ethnicity/Nationality Headcanons (bc I can)

Also my asks are open so please send some in!!!!

Read my most recent work here!

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts

British (I hc the Kingdom of Roses as the sort of UK version of TWST)

is this even a question

Standard British Accent for sure

"Unbuhrthday pahty"

he's a crumpet eater what can i say

Trey Clover

Vietnamese idc

that is an east asian man like idk he just has the vibes

but if he were to have like an accent I'm thinking a Yorkshire-y accent

Cater Diamond

he's a ginger so he's Irish /j

Also a British white boy

But not like Standard British accent

MLE London accent!!!!

Deuce Spade

hmm I'm having trouble with him ngl

Kinda leaning towards Argentinian for him

Latino king !!

Yeah now that i think about it Argentinian Deuce is real

But he's also from the Queendom of Roses so I think he's got a Cockney accent lol

Ace Trappola

Ginger so he's Irish /hj

Maybe not about the ginger part but like idk he's giving Irish

Specifically South Dublin

I'm thinking Korean-Irish I don't make the rules

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar

Kenyan

Have you seen that one event card? I did a lil research and apparently it was based majorly on Kenyan clothing

So yeah that mf is Kenyan I don't make the rules

Ruggie Bucchi

BRAZILIAN.

sorry idc he's Brazilian

LATINO KING #2

See the thing about Brazil is that it's extremely diverse so like genetically he could be anything

But I'm thinking Indigenous/Lebanese/African mix mostly! (Brazil has an INSANE amount of Lebanese people bro)

If I had to name a specific state it would either be São Paulo (going back on the Lebanese thing, São Paulo has the largest Lebanese population out of all Brazilian states) or Minas Gerais

Jack Howl

Grrr this is hard because he isn't like based off an actual character yk so I don't have a point of reference

But then again I pulled Brazilian Ruggie out my ass (and also because I'm Brazilian and am biased)

He's from the Shaftlands, so I'm getting Hungarian vibes from him

Also works because grey wolves are found in mainly Central European areas

fuck it he's ethnically Brazilian too, Bahia

Brazilian mom and Hungarian dad

Mixed Indigenous/African/Hungarian (in that order)

They're all Latino. Every one of them.

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto

"Azul" means blue in Spanish and Portuguese

I'm thinking he's Spanish and Italian

Ethpañol

(sorry i had to bring up the 'say 'th' instead of 's' dialect pattern in Spain Spanish)

Jade Leech

'Jade' as a word has its origins in Spanish

Moray eels are most commonly found in tropical, warm waters and coral reefs

"The green moray is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from New Jersey to Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of Mexico southward to Brazil" - Google

BRAZIL MENTIONED

Yeah he's Puerto Rican/Brazilian

LMFAO what if i make the Leech twins Floridians

OK OK he's Puerto Rican/Brazilian but him and Floyd are Florida residents

Floyd Leech

As mentioned before he's also Puerto Rican/Brazilian

90% of all Florida Man headlines are because of him

Bilingual and randomly breaks into Portuñol to fuck with Azul

"Me gusta comer pedras e tambem tenho vontade de morder a la gente, mano"

Puerto Rican mom and Brazilian dad

Glares at Azul whenever he hears "Ethpaña" instead of "España"

'speaks Spanish with a th' Azul vs. 'no S at the end of words' Floyd

Scarabia

Kalim Al-Asim

Okay so I'm referencing the Qasr Sultan card to build my hc

I'm mainly looking at his turban, lots of anthropologists think those originated in Ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) but of course cultural dispersion is a thing and they are also commonly found in Indian records of rulers

But the word 'Sultan' is Arabic, not Persian

There's a description about the Scalding Sands that says "tea is considered a customary with every meal"

Considering this tradition and the clothing items, I'm led to believe he is Arab-- but that's a pretty big generalization considering "Arab" is a broad term for people living in a specific part of the Middle East

Therefore he's Omani i think!

The climate matches the description of the Scalding Sands (dry and arid, subtropical); tea is also their national beverage and from my understanding is widely served with meals

Jamil Viper

Pakistani/Bangladesh/Omani mix

Nationality is Omani (would have been born there if we follow the canon)

Oman has a majority Arab population but it also has a large South Asian population

Idk how to describe it he just has Pakistan/Bangladesh vibes

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit

Take one look at that last name and tell me he isn't German

Definitely also speaks French

Maybe he's German/French, German dad and French mom

The first film screening, fun fact, was in Berlin in 1894, but the first commercial public screening was in Paris 1895!

Kinda fits with his movie star status

Slays the house boots down

Rook Hunt

South African and French

I can't with his fuckass bob I'm sorry

Ethnically cooked by his barber

Generationally chopped

Lord Farquad ass

Dora the explorer ass

Edna mode ass

PLEASE let him grow out his hair again IM BEGGING YOU

Cute freckles tho :3

Epel Felmier

My boy Apple Farmer is Finnish

Harveston is apparently based on Finnish architecture so like

I'm thinking there's some German in there too, because "Felmier" is the German word for farmer

CORRECTION from someone who reblogged (ty pookie for letting me know) Felmier probably comes from the German surname Feldmier which is the job title (and a German surname) for someone who manages open fields for nobility (the actual word for farmer in German is Bauer)

Thank you reblogger I repent for my mistake

so manly

Ignihyde

Idia Shroud

Greek are we even debating this?

The guy based on the Greek god Hades? Hmm he's gotta be from Russia

No bro

Greek man from Macedonia

The irl Mount Olympus is located on the border between Macedonia and Thessaly so I figured if he's gonna be based an Olympian it would be only fair to place him around that area

Ortho Shroud

Macedonian like Idia!

Silly little guy

He's my baby

Little Greek dude

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia

Hmm okay so I'm thinking Chinese/French

Sleeping Beauty is set in France and Briar Valley does seem to have European architecture

old French architecture also does incorporate lots of gargoyles, and we all know he's a gargoyle fiend

And there are some vignette lines that hint at Chinese influences/heritage such as in his Halloween card

I think ethnically/racially Chinese but nationality-wise he's French

Lillia Vanrouge

The "van-" prefix in surnames can be traced back to the Netherlands

Like Vincent Van Gogh

Lilia as a name has Spanish origins

I think he's Dutch/Spanish mix

He also gives me Japanese vibes so let's also add that

Sebek Zigvolt

Sebek as a name is a version of Sobek, an Egyptian crocodile deity

Since his mom is a fae from Briar Valley, I'm thinking 50% Egyptian (mom) and 50% French (dad)

but 100% unable to stfu why is he always yelling bro

I love him tho

Silver Vanrouge

Swedish

Don't ask me why

I just look at him and see Swedish

One more white boy to add to my collection

----

A/N: I'm so tired bro it's midnight and I'm out here making fictional men Latino and/or French

[specialagentartemis]

If people are in the mood for some good, solid documentaries about history:

Time Team and Time Team America are good depictions of archaeology in Britain and the U.S., respectively; they can be a bit gimmicky sometimes, sometimes a little dramatized, but are overall very solid in their history and depiction of What Archaeologists Do! There are 20 seasons of the British show and 2 seasons of the American one, covering a broad range of historical and archaeological sites. They're fun without getting too reality-TV-ish. Many episodes can be watched for free on Youtube - some on the official Time Team channel, some thanks to one very dedicated uploader.

If you are in the U.S. or Canada, you can watch a lot of PBS specials on PBS.org. They have a really impressive range! Some, like Ken Burns's collection, you need a donation/membership to view; others are free for anyone in the US and Canada. "Ice Age Footprints" is a Nova special about the 22,000 year old White Sands site in New Mexico and is one of my favorites on their site.

And I will keep plugging Kanopy. It's a free streaming service that you can access with a library card or university affiliation! See if your public library, or your university, has access. Their focus is indie film, international film, classic cinema, and documentaries. They have LOTS of documentaries! They have Ken Burns's whole collection (I really like "The American Buffalo"), they have a lot of PBS and BBC specials (I'm a big fan of "Easter Island Origins"; it's VERY cool), and they have a brilliant and sad and infuriating and really, really well-done three-part series called "Race: The Power of an Illusion" about the history and construction of race and racism, especially in America, which I highly recommend! But there are SO many documentaries on Kanopy to browse.

The three-part series “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning” is incredible and infuriating (intentionally). It’s a history of the murder of Carol Stewart in 1989, and the subsequent racial tensions, racist policing, community fracturing, and uncomfortable truths that came out. A white man called the police saying a Black man had jumped out of the shadows, stolen his car, and murdered his wife. The police accepted this story uncritically. This documentary series does a really good job of following the manhunt, the fallout, the police brutality, and the way the truth came out over the next several months.

The series “OJ: Made In America” is a similar spirit, riveting and brilliant and tragic, about O.J. Simpson, his life and career, his position of celebrity at the time of increased racial tensions between the police and the Black population of Los Angeles—and while the murder is shocking and horrible, the series makes the public response to it feels inevitable.

These are just a couple sources to check out and some documentaries I thought did a good job. If you can’t find one of these streaming, you can also try to see if your local library has DVDs of ones you’re interested in.

(And as always, think critically about documentaries too! Ask yourself “Who made this? What are their credentials? Their biases? Their sources? Their evidence?” There are some """documentaries""" out there that are like. Graham Hancock ancient Atlantis nonsense. Unfortunately.)

[cantoaundiosmineral]

I watched The Force Awakens (TFA for Americans) for the second time in a row with vintage Mexican Spanish dubbing. It sounded like something from my childhood watching TV with Spanish dubbed with a neutralized voice. The first watch was hilarious, I was in a hurry and I was throwing ideas inside my head in all directions. It is the bane of my existence but I always try to laugh it off.

Why they could have done this? Maybe to convey the wonder of their own childhood, a possible lack of proper funding from the film industry and an unconscious coping mechanism (what the kids cruelly refer to as “seethe and cope”) of knowing Mexicans who won’t go to space as first class earthly citizens. This makes them more mature and practical than delusional celebrities like Elon Musk and Grimes. Future in space won’t happen in the near future and there’s photographic evidence of astronauts aging rapidly from merely leaving the planet. What mainstream culture could describe as “childish” may be voice actores’ unconscious vision of what the beginning of the trilogy is or their longing for the past at the same time.

Kylo Ren masked: more genuine when seeking counsel even through a childlike foreign lens. Masked: otherworldly and unusual. That caught me off guard because I’m used to hearing his normal, sexy voice in mainstream media.

John Boyega: so soulful and compassionate even in Mexican Spanish. Had the doors closed on him and nobody even said: “que la fuerza te acompañe” when he sadly passed away.

Rey mostly translates the same and has to prove her worth, mettle, mental Clarity and spirituality in any language.

Everything that isn’t human is suitably cartoony but tempered.

Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher still sound like concerned parents in Spanish.

General Hux sounds pathetically stiff and tyrannical and the storm troopers look like white SUVs you have no interest in buying.

Watching it this way, with the Spanish dubbing, made me understand John Boyega as a British black man bullied through online media even more than before. He’s in space, he betrays, he resists and does the best he can to save Rey. He fails. Even in an odd and anachronistic Spanish voice that is too old (wiser, maybe?) for a 2015 movie.

This blog was named after a part-black Mexican poet named Jorge Cuesta, a deeply misunderstood character I read in a book during the aftermath of a hurricane back in 2017 that I shall not mention. Jason Boyega’s character reminded me of him when dubbed with this voice of mostly Mexican extraction. I understand the struggles of an undefined voice quite well as a woman born in the early eighties and raised in a small town in the Caribbean. I can’t define myself clearly even on this website. I watched so much TV programming in Mexican Spanish dubbing from that era that it made me sound Mexican, I was bullied for it and it still impacts my every desire for something beyond inequality and subjugation where I reside today.

The Spanish voice adaptation seems to convey something about minorities’ place in the world that I understand in a way that many will say is biased and “childish” but it is not. What I know is that there are Puerto Ricans in and Mexicans in NASA and the end result of this dubbing seems to convey their desire to transcend and be something more than their stereotypes, even when they have to become watered down and pedagogical.

Adam Driver, you are the sexiest man there is .

San Juan, 6:47 AM

Edited: April 2nd 2025 at 5:06 AM. Resources: life experience, internet activity by real people and, unfortunately, AI.

[valyrfia]

f1 drivers as tracks from the tortured poets department: a very abridged and very biased list.

DISCLAIMER: this is all for fun and should be taken very lightheartedly. Not all drivers were included, but I am open to suggestions as well as constructive criticism.

Without further ado:

CHARLES LECLERC - I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

Absolutely suicidal lyrics that should be mildly concerning but all in all very upbeat and makes you want to run around doing side quests. Such as write an album, or open an ice cream shop. I'm thinking this is specifically 2022 Charles when he trusted no one at Ferrari, or mid-2023 when everyone was calling him washed and calling for his teammate to be n1 driver, and then he proceeded to put it on pole in a tractor multiple times and still hasn't finished outside the top 5 since. Either way, I am looking forward how this song will hit when Charles gets his eventual championship.

MAX VERSTAPPEN - Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

This one is for Mad Max, who was thrust onto the world stage as an untested young prodigy at seventeen, who was called too young and immature and proceeded to win a GP upon debut in a top team, who was called Crashtappen from 2015-2019 and labelled as overly aggressive to his detriment, who was painted as a villain by every media outlet and documentary and DTS episode, who said "fuck the haters" and won championships anyway, who broke records, and made his own national anthem the expected song for every podium. A driver who is fast approaching greatest of all time status, for his win streaks alone. A driver that most others now just shrug about, because there's no shame in not choosing to fight the inevitable.

LEWIS HAMILTON - So Long, London

Ah, the heart-wrenching track of letting go of your long-term British relationship that doesn't serve you anymore. So many lyrics from here I could apply to the rumoured break down of amicable relations between Lewis and Mercedes, the team he won six championships with. From "My spine split from carrying us up the hill" to "I didn't opt in to be your odd man out. I founded the club she's heard great things about" to "you say I abandoned the ship But I was going down with it. My white-knuckle dying grip. Holding tight to your quiet resentment". Honestly, I could copy and paste all the lyrics here and they would apply to Lewis' Merc swan song. Taylor wrote "you swore that you loved me but where were the clues, I died on the altar waiting for the proof." about Abu Dhabi 2021.

CARLOS SAINZ - The Prophecy

Carlos has been delivering some of the best drives of his career this season, but it doesn't matter because he's not the chosen one, he's not il predestinato, he's not the son of Maranello. No matter what he does, he would never have kept that Ferrari seat over the mythos of Charles Leclerc. "Let it once be me. Who do I have to speak to, to redo the prophecy?"

LANDO NORRIS - Guilty as Sin?

Specifically given for half-flirting with Red Bull for most of last season, only to shake himself out of it and re-sign with McLaren, but I have one eye on him, not entirely sure he's given up on the Red Bull daydream, and Red Bull have been open about wanting to get him, if they can. It's all on Lando to stay faithful.

OSCAR PIASTRI - Fresh Out the Slammer

Piastrigate continues to inspire and compel an entire generation of F1 fans, and as such should form the basis of Oscar's song selection. What was the promises that Alpine made him, if not "Gray and blue and fights and tunnels Handcuffed to the spell I was under For just one hour of sunshine"

FERNANDO ALONSO - Florida!!!

Florida!!! is a big and powerful song about being a Shakespearean villain with a History and questionable morals and motives. Who is that if not Fernando Alonso? "Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable." "Is that a bad thing to say in a song?"

LANCE STROLL - But Daddy I Love Him

Yeah this one is self-indulgent and too good to resist. He's singing it about Fernando btw. Next.

DANIEL RICCIARDO - Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

Someone is getting that Red Bull seat next year, and every name is on the list except Daniel Ricciardo. "As the decade played us for fools, you saw my bones out with somebody new." Who knows what would have happened if Daniel hadn't left Red Bull, all those years ago? "Just say you loved me the way you were" Oof. We could spend years living in the What Ifs of it all.

[ms-cartoon]

Since I talked about Husk and his choice of a voice actor, might as well talk about some other characters I don't agree with.

I don't mind Stephanie Beatriz as Vaggie, but her voice direction could use some work. In the pilot, Monica Franco as Vaggie felt more fitting because there was more emotion and feeling when she was speaking. When talking to Charlie, I could hear the amount of concern and care she expressed when she voiced her worry to Charlie, especially about not wanting her to sing. When talking to Angel, she sounds really angry and annoyed over what he did as if she really wants to strangle him, which is a good way to show us how much of a hot-tempered individual she is.

However, when I hear tv show Vaggie, her voice just sounds . . . dead I guess is the word. It almost sounds like Stephanie didn't wanna be on set and is just completely bored. There's barely any emotion to whatever she's saying. In case you don't get where I'm going here, let's just say the expression on her voice doesn't match the expression on her face.

I don't like Alex Brightman as Sir Pentious.

He barely sounds anything like his pilot version. As a matter of fact, the only thing that stood the same was high voice. He literally sounds like Beetlejuice/Fizzaroli trying too hard to pass off a British accent. Plus, he's already voicing like, two people who are recurring characters (Adam and Fizzarolli) he does not need to fill the role of another character.

This is the miscast that makes me laugh.

I feel like the only reason why Viv chose Brandon to voice Katie was cuz she happens to resemble one of the characters he portrays, Bryce Tankthrust, and decided at the last minute that he should voice Katie using the Bryce Tankthrust voice.

That being said, I don't like Brandon Rogers voicing Katie Killjoy. It just does not suit her. Not sure how I can explain it, but something about this feels forced. Like just because she looks and somewhat acts similar to Bryce, Viv thought Brandon was the best choice for Katie Killjoy.

My opinion on Alastor's voice is the same as Vaggie's, Amir is an okay choice for Alastor, however, he could be better. It's just one thing though.

I really do miss Edward Bosco as Alastor. He was perfect for that role, but I'm not trying to be biased here. My only problem is Amir doesn't sound threatening or intimidating enough for Alastor's character, and when he is trying to sound threatening, it sounds forced.

[f0point5]

"Max's comments about British bias is so weird. I really like Max, and I think he is a talented driver, but his behaviour over the past few weeks hasn't been okay. You'd think, from the way he's acting, that the points gap between him and Lando was only a few points. Yes, mathematically, Lando still has a chance to win the wdc, but realistically, we all know it's a stretch- even lando admits this.

For Max and red bull to feel so threatened that they're talking about landos mental health, claiming Oscar dosen't deserve to be second driver (discussion already heated as it is without Maxs comments on it) and even admitting to crashing Lando out to prevent him from winning ... for what?

I get that to win, you need to be ruthless, but this feels unnecessary and unprovoked because Max driving alone would be enough and also he has his whole team helping him to win wdc without a doubt. It's not like Lando is out there in the media claiming he's the best in the world. In fact, the media often uses every opportunity to criticise him or protray him in a negative light.

Contrary to max's comments about the media and FIA being biased towards British drivers like Lando, this just isn't true. maybe after Miami there was optimism, but with all the missed opportunities, the media narrative shifted quickly, focusing on Lando's bad starts.

After Hungary, every media outlet was discussing how Oscar doesn't deserve to be second driver and how good he is compared to Lando, and how mclaren is refusing to prioritise lando. they questioned his championship mentality, despite his consistent performances. And aside from Zandvoort and Singapore, there was more talk about his mistakes and narratives being used for clickbaits.

media bias in sports isn't new. durch media will focus on Max, Australian media on their drivers, and british media on theirs. this is expected. you could argue that British media has a larger international reach, but thats beyond any athletes control.

example: sky Germany constantly talks about Nico Hülkenberg, or the chances of Mick Schuhmacher, and sometimes even missing race action to cover him.

However, using "british bias" as a defence when he was clearly in the wrong, and in the same breath throwing lando to the wolves and disregarding real bias against other poc driver on the grid, is just not okay. Not all drivers have the privilege of being white male with a dutch passport. maybe I'm exaggerating, but as poc myself, it really weird that Max used this as a clap back for something he himself admitted to doing - trying to prevent Lando from winning.

everyone talks about British bias and how "unfair" it is for Max and it is, the British media talked bad about him especially in the being of his career and him winning and Im not denying that but a few acknowledge the racism and bias faced by other drivers. I don't think these comments are funny or make a good clapback. and for a fact I know that if Lando said a similar thing, the reaction would have been entirely different.

Because Max is a little bitch who lashes out every time he's under pressure. As is a staple of his career. But since his "lashing out" is being overtly aggressive and an arrogant asshole, it's viewed as "woooo that's why he's a champion" instead of weakness."

I honestly do not understand how people cannot see that there is a clear bias towards Max. For a fan base that says the hate towards Lando needs to stop but has absolutely no issue throwing it towards Max the hypocrisy at its finest.

Oh lorddd.

First, no one talked about Lando’s mental health. Your competitive mentality is NOT the same thing as your all around mental health. You can be the happiest most well adjusted person in the world and a competitive environment and pressure can just get to you. Sure, your psychology influences and impacts how you deal with stress and failure and success and all that. But saying Lando cracks under pressure is not the same as ragging on his mental health.

Oscar is a good driver…what was the harm in recognising that? Also, Max doesn’t owe it to McLaren not to share his opinion so as not to upset whatever disaster they have potentially simmering over there?

And Max did not admit he crashed Lando out because he didn’t crash Lando out. They did not make contact. Lando finished second. So…that just straight up didn’t happen. But that “for what” 😂 for…the championship? Please god open the schools.

British bias is real, every single driver who is not British and winning has talked about it. The fact that everyone just accepts it as standard because the brits have basically a monopoly on broadcasting rights is actually mental. And yes it’s the same in every country and in my opinion it’s moronic in every fucking language. But it’s exponentially worse when Sky Sports is the main broadcaster, and when the F1TV pundits are all incredibly biased. F1TV is not a National channel, no it should not be “expected” that they border on unprofessional in the way they talk about certain drivers. they should not be allowed to be biased, in my opinion. I should not know that Jenson Button wants to lick the soles of Lando’s shoes. And mind you, I think both Sky Sports and F1TV presenters have been unprofessional even when they talk about British drivers, at some points, but to nowhere near the extent of the way they talk about Max. That’s why the only one I respect is Nico Rosberg because he is genuinely an equal opportunity hater.

Also, Max can talk about whatever the fuck he wants. The microphone is in front of him, not anyone else, so while you don’t have to agree with his opinion, it’s a take it or leave it thing, there is no third option to demand he say something different.

And in conclusion, yeah when Max is Max people say “he’s a champion” because he fucking is. In 2016/17/18 they were calling dangerous and crazy. And then it turned out what he does works for him. See how when you succeed you earn the right to do what you want, because people trust your process? (Brits don’t get it because for some reason they think their way will always prevail in the face of reason and results that say otherwise) “lashing out under pressure is a staple of his career”…so is performing under pressure. Not everyone can say the same.

He requires no defence, just look at the record book.

Maybe it’s just me, but despite the hate against Max being awful and just as uncalled for as the hate towards Lando…I kind of find it so much less impactful. You can’t really gain ground hating on a guy who has done exactly what he wants to do in the sport. So you think he’s an asshole…and what? Is that a crime? Is that relevant? Who even cares? Certainly not him. They just look so bizarre to me. I can’t fathom thinking someone should care what I think about their behaviour any more than I can fathom caring what someone thinks about mine.

Lol that quote was a deep dive into the mind of a parasocial for sure.

[saintsenara]

I've just read the latest chapter of Scylla and Charybdis and i wanted to drop by and tell you how much I love this story, even though I'm generally not that much interested in Snape. I really like this parallel story structure where adult/second war snape is commenting on what is happening to his younger self, finally some good fcking storytelling [insert Gordon Ramsey meme here]

As others have pointed out, your Lily is perfect for not being perfect, she's literally just a teenage girl, even in canon she's not supposed to be an angel just a generally nice person i think?? (but then again we as Harry get some extremely biased opinions about his parents in the books, with multiple people like Hagrid saying how they were the most nicest most perfectest people ever). I like how there is genuine affection between her and Sev as childhood friends but at the same time there are things that they just cannot understand or even notice about one another (like how Snape actually likes the Slytherin common room/being in Slytherin, or how Lily/Muggleborns feel more and more unsafe *for a reason*) and that it progressively widens the distance between them thoughout their school years.

I like Snape's personal resentment for Moody, and his schoolboy memories with those people who we only meet or hear about as random Death Eaters in the books. The part about Mulciber doing something stupid as a teenager with Snape's comment about how he was after Azkaban made me wonder about how those ten hardcore Death Eaters turned out after 15ish years among dementors. Harry's perspective in the books is (understandably) not interested in those people, maybe with the exeption of Bellatrix, but hey now your story made me wonder how these people are coping. In canon we only see Sirius, who is, well, not doing great, but maybe it helps if you have a bunch of buddies who went through the same trauma? Who knows, maybe Mulciber has become besties with Antonin Dolohov and Rabastan Lestrange, bonding over how fucked up they all are.

tl;dr I love your storytelling style in S&C, thank you for giving us a normal teenager Lily and a complicated look on how her friendship with Snape broke apart, and thanks i guess for making me wonder about how post-Azkaban DEs are doing mentally, cheers

thank you so much, anon! this is lovely, and i'm delighted that you're enjoying scylla and charybdis.

moody is really bearing the brunt here of three hills that i'll die [alone or otherwise] on:

it's ridiculous that the canon narrative tries to pretend that nobody on the "good" side ever uses lethal force voldemort has such widespread support because the wizarding world is a repressive class society while he's able to present himself as a populist since the best analogy for the first war is the troubles - but, crucially, only the troubles as they were seen by an english protestant - the aurors are a combo of the british army and the ruc

so he can have a few covered-up extrajudicial killings. as a treat.

and yes, i love the idea of mulciber - since he's rightly irritated that his bffs got out of azkaban by pretending to be angels - ostentatiously ignoring snape and avery at the function and spending the entire night lurking in a corner reliving his trauma and calling lucius malfoy a peacock-fucker with augustus rookwood...

[artemisia-black]

Hey, about your last post about Meghan, I've few questions and as you're the only person from UK I "know" ...

Why do people still shit crazy about monarchy?

Some say they serve as diplomats but all countries have dipomats and they sure do not have coronations and grand funerals.

Doesn't it cost people money? Like all their leisures and hobbies are costly, and they sure hell live a life to their fullest. And it's not like they're answerable or accountable to the people?

What they speak about Meghan is so disgusting. I'm not big fan of hers, but they really character assassinate her. They would protect a pedophile happily but not a lady who just have disagreements with her in-laws.

So sorry for rambling, this has been on my mind a lot lately, it's just one of those things, lol.

Lots of love ❣️

Haha I love it that I’m your british pocket friend ♥️

So, to answer your main question.

Personally, I’m a Republican (not the American party, just to clarify) in that I disagree with the very concept of monarchy in the year of our lord 2025. It’s an archaic institution that exists to reinforce the British class system, which is why the class system is so difficult to explain to people who aren’t British (it’s ingrained at every level of society, and the monarchy is its most visible symbol).

And yes, they are paid from our taxes, though the Royal Family and their supporters like to spin it as though they “give back” more than they take.

Essentially, their income comes from several sources:

1. The Sovereign Grant – This is taxpayer-funded and is set at a percentage of the profits from the Crown Estate (which is a massive portfolio of land, including the entire sea bed, and assets technically owned by the reigning monarch but managed independently). The royals get a cut of this money, and the government keeps the rest. The argument they make is that they generate more money than they cost, mostly from tourism, but honestly, people would still visit Buckingham Palace even if it became a museum. And London is the best city in the world (totally not biased) regardless of if we have a king.

2. The Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall – These are not taxpayer-funded but are huge private estates that provide income to the monarch and the heir to the throne. The Duchy of Cornwall, which currently funds Prince William, has been under scrutiny recently for being a bit of a slum landlord.

3. Private Wealth – They own a lot of land and assets, much of which was acquired centuries ago through a spot of feudalism, colonialism and funded by slavery. Their personal wealth is apparently extensive, though they’re very secretive about just how much they have.

While I think we should scrap the monarchy entirely, I also think that’s pretty unrealistic given how ingrained it is in British culture. Imo a more pragmatic approach would be paring it down to just the monarch and the heir, none of this funding for minor royals like whoever the fuck Princess Michael of Kent is. There’s no reason why taxpayers should be subsidising luxury lifestyles for people who got their privilege because of the luck of whose vagina they came out of (especially when we have massive and growing inequality).

Also even if ostensibly thier power is mostly symbolic, the monarchy still wields influene through soft power, connections, or the fact that they can, theoretically, refuse to sign off on government decisions (though that would cause a constitutional crisis). Ultimately, they don’t just represent Britain’s past; they actively reinforce its class system, which is why they’re still so fervently defended.

And on the Meghan point, the way she is spoken about is absolutely vile and absolutely unhinged . I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan of hers either, but the sheer level of character assassination, compared to the protection given to, say, Prince Andrew (an actual nonce with a such a unique sweating condition it needs to be studied asap) is wildly telling.

[my-deer-friend]

I have a two part question if that is okay!

1) What graduate program are you doing? Is it online? What was the application process and admission like? I really would like to get a graduate degree in history but I don't know if I could up and move for a year or so to get it.

2) How do you combat bias in your research? I know I struggle with preconceived ideas that I have or what I hope to be true, I just wonder if you have any advice!

Thank you so much for your blog and research! It's so interesting and informative!

Hi, friend!

I've skirted around it, but I'll say it outright here – I'm not going to say what program I'm taking. It's not online, but there are many, many such options out there that are. You'll have to do the research for yourself and see what fits your needs and goals. And the process is going to differ vastly by country and institution, so I can't be any help there either.

Now, as for biases.

All people have biases. Step one is to acknowledge that you have them, and try to pin down what they might be, remembering that even "positive" biases can be detrimental to good academic work. (Do some reading about unconscious bias. It’s eye-opening.)

Other people have biases too – that applies both to primary as well as secondary sources. Always ask: Who wrote this? To whom? From what perspective? With what goal, motive, ideology? What are they trying to convince the reader of? I always like to do a quick "bias check" before I start reading – who are the authors, and how might that shape their perspective? (For example: one of my readings by a British scholar very firmly tried to make the case that English, and not French or other continental European writers, were really the ones responsible for the Enlightenment. Now, that may be right, but I'm going to take that with a huge pinch of salt.)

In academia, your biases tend to be enforced by what you read, so the best way to minimise them in the first place is to learn how to vet the quality of sources, to read broadly, and to be critical of all of it. This is a challenge in sociocultural historical research, because we don't really know what someone meant, or felt, or did in between the points of evidence that we have, so a large degree of interpretation is present. And that is where the bias hides.

As soon as I get that "I want this to be true" feeling, I stop and examine it, because that's usually a sign that wishful thinking is filling in the gaps in my research. I wouldn't need to be wishing if I could back the claim up, right? So I look for the holes and the leaps of logic, and find a way to address them, and sometimes that means I'm proven wrong. (You will often be wrong. This is normal, common and good.)

I also find that bias creeps in more easily when making a broad and sweeping assessment than a more specific one. "So-and-so was gay" is a claim that is rarely possible to prove to any degree of academic certainty, but "this interaction between X and Y shows there was a homoromantic dimension to their friendship" is both useful and provable. Scaling down the claim you are trying to make (and the stakes you personally feel in making it) can really help to reduce your bias.

And of course, the tried and tested method – try to disprove your own claim. Have you missed any straightforward alternative explanations? Have you left unfavourable evidence out? Have you "creatively" used a source to make your point? (Biographers stop doing this; challenge level impossible). Are you leaning on logical fallacies or making excessively large logical leaps at the core of your argument? Would someone without your agenda be compelled to come to the same conclusion? And so on. Get someone to read over it and do a "wikipedia edit" (citation needed; said by who?; sources dispute this, etc.).

Good luck!

[imaginesbymk]

MARSTON. ━︎━︎ ZSAKUVA STRICT PROFESSOR !

chapter twelve - ❝the british museum.❞

← previous chapter: FILLER CHAPTER - "ICEBREAKERS." next chapter: chapter thirteen - "milk, sugar + luca." →

fanfic info / read it on wattpad

SYNOPSIS — Y/N and Andrew take a stroll around the British museum while students from the campus find them... and capture it all on video.

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Y / N

"WHO GOES to a museum on a first date?" Brittany snorts.

"Lots of people," I glare at her through the mirror.

"Well, lots of people don't know fun."

I sigh at her. "Where did you go on your first date?"

"Bowling."

"Ah, yes. First date doing something you're not even good at."

Brittany glares back.

"Brittany, swear on your life that you won't go around telling people that I'm-"

"Going on a date with your Literature professor?" Brittany finishes. "I gotta admit, you have a taste."

Brittany opens the door for me. "Don't fuck on the first date."

My rule of thumb, when it came to dates, is to not do what Brittany did on her past dates. The worst case scenario is that I would tentatively listen and go somewhere extremely expensive, or let my guard down for half a millisecond and suddenly I get kidnapped. I doubt Andrew would ever try anything like that. That's out of his character unless there's a secret he's carrying to his grave.

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MY NERVES were at their peak. Reality soon hit me when the museum was in my peripheral when I went to the next street over. I was going to be spending a day with him. I've only spent limited time with him during office hours, but I don't know what Professor Marston is like outside of the university. He's strict, and I doubt the things I talk about with people like Brittany are appropriate for a first date, or just to say around this man in general. What if I say something that offends him? Does he have a type? Would he judge me? Is he politically active and biased? Old-fashioned, Conservative? I don't think he knows what a "vibe check" even means. What did he like to do in his spare time? Read or write? Listen to podcasts? Watch true crime documentaries? What music does he listen to in his car, if dark chocolate is still his favourite candy?

He was in the crowd of people scattering around the giant staircase, some taking photos, loitering or sitting, or lining up to head inside. I got a full look at what he wore. It wasn't the business casual attire he wore as a professor. A coat over his dress pants and the wool sweater would have fooled anyone to assume he wasn't an educator, maybe an art critic.

He looked up from his phone. "Ah, right on time. How was your journey?"

"Good," I say. "The tube wasn't too busy."

"Good." He stared at my outfit for a split second, feeling like he lost touch with his confidence. "I like your outfit today-uh- shall we?" I smiled a bit. Brittany picked out my outfit. We walked up the stairs. "Have you been to this museum before?"

"Nope," I tell him. "It's my first time here."

"Well, you're in for a treat. They hold some great exhibits, and their displays are fantastic. I know I'm first and foremost a Literature professor, but I do teach history as well."

That I was aware of. "What's your favourite era?"

"My favourite era? Hmm, that's like asking my favourite book. All histories have their moments, both highlights and stains of their past, and all of them are intricate and they weave with others until you can't tell where one thread ends or another begins. Take, er-" We both stop at one piece. "The Rosetta Stone, for example. It was made more than 2000 years ago with an inscription of a Ptolemaic decree written in three scripts: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian demotic, and Ancient Greek."

I nod.

"Translating the Greek text was paramount in decoding the Egyptian scripts. One culture's language unlocks another two thousand years later. It's history that has survived but can now also be understood."

I nodded in response, carefully boiling down how interesting history really was, and how much it fascinates this guy. Just by going to see the exhibits up close in person, I wouldn't blame him. "Sick."

"I don't know what it is about history that intrigues me. It might be that everything that has been is history. These displays are here for us to appreciate where they came from and to learn from people who existed a long time ago. But, it also tells us that as a people, we will forever need guidance. We will make mistakes and in the future, people will look back on our past and be informed by it. It's a never-ending cycle that we will one day be a part of. That is life. And when it comes to literature, it's how we understand. Word of mouth was used long before and stories were passed down through generations, but each time a story was told it would change slightly. Give it a few hundred years and the story might no longer be the same. With orthography scripts, a story can be set in stone, so to speak. Many people take that for granted, I think. How many years of history would be lost without the writers to give it a physical form?"

He looked at me, then looks away as his cheeks turn red. "Forgive me. I can ramble at times

"I think it's cute." I could listen to him ramble all day.

I could feel the embarrassment in his scoff. "There's nothing cute about it. I'd prefer to call it passion, that's why you also chose the course, was it not? What are your plans after you graduate?"

Come to think of it, where would I be in the next five-ten years? Owning a house with Brittany? "Actually... I have no idea."

"Don't feel ashamed by your uncertainty. I'd be surprised if you had a clear goal. Literature opens a lot of doors into different fields. Curation, translation, historian, journalism, editor, and those are just the ones off the top of my head."

"Did you always want to teach Literature and History?"

"Me? I knew I wanted to learn it but I never thought I'd teach it. Being a Professor wasn't on the agenda. Believe it or not, I wanted to revive one of the dead languages. There are almost 600 that are extinct, possibly more that we don't know of. But when I was younger, I was ambitious. I guess in a way, you could say I wanted to be a literary archaeologist. I had planned to learn as many ancient languages as I could, but I took another path. I'd probably be off in some hot location digging through scrolls if I'd chased my dream. Come, I want to show you the new exhibit."

He continues.

"Yes, it seems like it is human nature to document history somehow. Whether that be through pictures or a writing system, but then what happens when you speculate the use of pictographs and ideograms, in a way it is a type of literature, isn't it? Reservation of history that can be read. I'm not surprised by how popular this will be. It's a limited showing."

I asked Andrew if he had already seen it. He said no. "I was, um, waiting for you." We stopped at one that seemed to stand out the most to Andrew's eye. "Ugh, my word." He gasps in awe. "The Dead Sea scrolls. Beautiful, isn't it?"

This was what I loved so much about London. They brought history into a giant building to look at for free. Not even handling priceless artifacts with special gloves is enough to deem them fragile and far too good to even make contact.

Speaking of contact, I realized I was so close to Andrew that the fabrics of our coats were touching. I took in his scent - something I could describe in tablets of literary work, a sonnet declaring divinity and cleanliness. Was it Dior? It had to be.

Andrew noticed I didn't respond and chuckled. "Speechless? This is only one of the scrolls. I think there are more than nine hundred manuscripts of either scrolls or fragments, all of which were found in eleven caves in the Judaean desert. In one of them, it said the fragments were torn into fifteen thousand pieces. Here, come closer—"

Fuck. Our coats were pressed against each other again. We've been intimate before, and here I am acting like this was the first time feeling him so close to me.

"So, this larger scroll here is written on parchment. These smaller fragments here are made of papyrus, but this one here is copper. It's a strip because when the scroll was initially found, the metal was corroded. So in order for the text to be read, it needed to be cut into sections. It's quite something isn't it?" He looked at me, his eyes that I thought of the minute I drifted off to sleep the other night.

"Why are you giving me that look?" I frown.

"I'm not looking at you in any kind of way. I said, didn't I? I wanted to experience this with you. I know that you are someone who can appreciate literature as I do."

I knew from hindsight that anyone after seeing how good-looking Andrew was would do the most to do well in Literature 201, just to get his attention and have a connection while he grades papers. The possibility that someone who was just as smart and passionate about literature as I am, or even better, would compare.

Not that it mattered too much. After all, I'm the one standing next to him at the British Museum on a Saturday afternoon. It's a plus for having something in common with Andrew. I could listen to him go on tangents even if an asteroid breached through London. 

He continues, leaning forward to me so he spoke softly and tentatively. "If there's one thing that I know about you is that you have no trouble speaking your mind, and I can see in your eyes when you're passionate about something, that spark is one of the reasons why I became a professor. But when you have it, I'm entranced."

I looked around sheepishly, knowing he spoke in a normal tone that anyone a couple of feet over could hear.

"I can speak freely here right now. I don't want you to think of me as a teacher. I'm not thinking of you as a student but as a potential partner, who I can share my interests and thoughts with. Should we get something to eat?" He looks around. "We shouldn't have this conversation by The Dead Sea Scrolls."

──────── ✧ ────────

"I SWEAR they put crack in this."

Andrew smiles, unwrapping the tin oil of his food. "Museum food is always expensive but I can't complain. Being able to see the displays for free is good enough."

"So, why did you invite me to go with you?"

He stopped folding. "Why you? That's a loaded question. On the surface you're attractive, that's a given."

"That's it? I don't look like a bombshell?" I joke.

Andrew chuckles. "Looks aren't everything, but they get my attention. What makes me linger is what's beneath the surface. You're inquisitive, smart, and cunning but mindful. You're not afraid to ask questions or go after what you want. Beyond that, I believe you to be a remarkable person that I have grown to like, more than I'd care to admit."

"As your best student." In my opinion.

"I said I'm not thinking of you as a student here. I'm not bound by my profession."

"Okay, then I have to ask you something."

He nods, swallowing the last bite. "Ask away, I'll answer truthfully as your date."

"The museum is a very popular place. It's public. You're not worried that students from campus might see us?"

"I never want to think too deeply about locations. It's the events that we remember more than the setting. But with a museum, it's a public space with history and culture. It's possible that other students will see us, but what of it? It could be a coincidence that we came here at the same time and decided to explore together. So to put it plainly, I wanted to take you to a place where we didn't have to act or look over our shoulders. I wanted you to feel comfortable."

I smiled. "I appreciate that."

"I'm glad I chose correctly then."

"How about first dinner dates?"

"No, I feel like dinner is too much. This is hopefully the first of many dates and I don't want to overwhelm you. Did you think I'd be the type to do my own thing and pull you along without telling you anything? As much as spontaneity is good to have, it's better when there is a relationship first."

"And you... want a relationship?"

"Yes, that is what I want. Don't you?"

I nodded.

"Well if you'd said no I'd be questioning all your actions up until now."

We spoke a little more until it was time to move on to the next displays. Brittany was wrong. Museums count as a good date location. We were polar opposites in some ways. We stopped at the entrance of a room we had never been to yet.

"I have to bring up the incident that happened a while ago - with your friend," Andrew tells me.

I nodded. "[STUDENT NAME]?" The loose end that I had to stop pursuing anything with [STUDENT NAME] was tied, the eighth time I had to tell them I was sorry instead of ghosting them entirely, they didn't fade the disappointed look on their face. I'm gonna miss laughing about the Jollibee lunch we had, but it's worth ending it if I want Andrew.

"No, not them. That girl. The both of you broke into my office that night, remember?"

He was talking about Brittany. "Brittany? What about Brittany?"

"Brittany, that's her name." Andrew shook his head a bit. "Was she really under the influence of cannabis that night?"

"Yes."

"You too?"

"No."

"Have you searched through my laptop?"

I could not answer his question by asking why. It was his right. I invaded his privacy and disrespected him by sneaking into his office, not to mention pursuing him through an assignment. He was not wrong when he said I was bold and cunning.

"No," I lied.

"Are you sure?"

I held on with a pause not too long so he wouldn't notice. "I mean, I caught a glimpse of the screen."

I lied again. Being here on a date with him that I accepted just to tell a lie. "I promise I didn't touch it. I remember you telling me about boundaries between you and the other students... I'm not using you as a shorter route to graduate, you know. I already do well in your class."

"I know," he nods. "It's just that I had some personal stuff on there." If I gave in, I'd been meaning to ask him about that spam e-mail that my curiosity could not get enough of. I haven't forgotten that he had a brother.

"Don't worry. I was in your office for, like, a split second. If it was [STUDENT NAME], they would have pressured me to boost their grade or to take a photo of the upcoming assignments."

"For a head start?"

"Something like that."

Andrew and I kept walking. "I'm glad to know you no longer flirt with that friend. Besides, they seem to have moved on to someone else, so no harm was done. It was a calculated move on your part and it worked. Though, I'm ashamed to have fallen for it."

I grin. "Why?"

"Because I didn't realize how much I wanted you until I saw you with someone else." He noticed me raising my brows. "There's no one else I like, you don't need to worry. I only have eyes for you."

I laugh. "Cliche."

"I could say something much worse, like, you being the most interesting piece of art in this museum, or some such. But I won't stoop that low. I have standards. I'm glad I can be entertaining."

We resumed our stroll. I asked him about archaeology and he went on another tangent. He stops himself again before he began to sound like I was in Archaeology 301.

"I don't want to sound like I'm giving a lecture, so I'll leave it there. What have you liked so far?"

"Probably the ancient Egyptian exhibit."

He hums. "It's hard not to be fascinated by ancient Egyptian artifacts. I'd like to go to Egypt one day and see the hieroglyphs in the tombs. They're pictures, yes, but within them are stories. There's a certain quote I always refer to; 'History becomes legend. Legend becomes myth.' And in those dead languages, the tales of the past have been forgotten, but all the present needs is a translator. Maybe one day I'll pursue that dream again."

Again? "Wait, you'll still be a professor, right? Will you continue teaching?"

"Of course, I'll continue to teach you, but you're not the only reason. There are other students in your class, you know." He noticed the look on my face. I already felt a sense of impending abandonment coming my way. He sighs, leading me to the corner of the room, away from the group of goers. "Come here."

He looks around for a couple of seconds, then turns back to me. "At university, we can't be like this. We have to maintain an appropriate distance." I closed my eyes. I knew he was going to bring this up. Brittany hinted at this, too. Only I knew of it. What could happen if this didn't work out? If we ended up hating each other and I'd still have to attend lectures and tutorials?

"Before, I didn't allow myself to hope for something else. I took what I could because I couldn't control my desire for you, but now... now there's potential. I don't want to risk losing it. So if you truly want us to be in a relationship, then I need you to behave, not just in your classes, but in your assignments as well. Can you do that for me?"

"It's not a rule, Andrew," I said softly.

"You're right, there isn't a rule about professors dating students. I personally talked to the Headmaster, and she said the same thing. Though she also told me to tread carefully because it can be scandalous, and I'd prefer seeing you as a student in class and a... lover outside of it." There was no turning back now. I wanted Andrew and here he was, wanting me. But it came with a catch. We would get caught. Hearing Andrew refer to me as someone other than a student to him felt like I had struck gold. Would this last? 

We kiss again. For a moment the museum felt like a void, and we were clinging to each other before anything could pull us apart. If I did behave, if I knew better than to sabotage the prefix of our relationship thus far, I could kiss Andrew like this. Nothing could sabotage this, what we have.

"Will you do this for me?" 

I nodded. He smiles and plants a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you. Shall we continue?" 

I nodded again, and we continued walking down the museum floors. "What's the oldest piece of literature?"

"The oldest piece of literature?" He asks. "Good question. I know one of them is the Epic of Gilgamesh written in Sumerian that pre-dates 2000 BC, and then there's also the Egyptian Book of the Dead, but those are existing sources that have been recovered. Think of probably thousands upon thousands of texts lost or destroyed like in the library of Alexandria, even in perhaps in libraries we didn't know exist yet."

Again, I could listen to him ramble all day.

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I WAS SATISFIED. We earned a delicious meal that was filling enough, and we took breaks from walking around the museum. We sat on the benches that were accessible to sit. If I could stop time and be with Andrew for a little bit longer, I'd do it. But it was reality, and reality had a time check. 

"It's 17:00." Andrew and I went and stood over the grand stairs that descended to the ground floor. We stopped, a moment that meant a lot to me and hopefully to him. After going on and feeling confident that nothing was going to happen if we were seen together, Andrew was reluctant to even hold my hand. I could sense the nervousness when our hands slightly brushed each other. He finally curls his fingers around mine.

"5:00 P.M," I comment.  Andrew was tense. "Gosh, your hand is sweaty."

"Mm?" He stammers. "O-oh, the heater in this area is heavy."

"Right. I'll see you next week?" I held my arms out and leaned in. Andrew froze, like an alien that did not know what a hug was.

"Sorry," I said, lowering them. "Too soon."

"It saddens me that I haven't given in to physical touch other than kissing you and holding your hand." Ironically, he had let go of it. We stared at each other for a bit. He clears his throat. "Right. I'll see you in class next week." I stopped him before he and I went the opposite way. He was at least 5'11'' and possibly counting, so I lifted myself on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. Then I let him go. 

The walking distance from The British Museum to the tube reached about as far as thirty meters. Departing from my first date with Andrew by walking it off led to a lot of reflecting. That wasn't too much. It was a small cheek kiss and I made his face flush again. To see that from the same person I feel nervous about when he grades my assignments felt empowering. It's empowering to know I made him feel what I feel.

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[jeswii]

I'm actually not done with the Doctor Who analysis because I'm scrolling through the tag and I think we're missing something:

A decent central theme and messaging does not making the writing of the episode inherently good.

Sci-Fi is political, it has always been political, and it's rarely as subtle as people claim it to be. This has also always been true with Doctor Who. And it's bringing up points that are important to the world we live in at the moment. But a story having central themes and political statements does not make the narrative inherently good or impactful.

Commentary on the political climate of the world doesn't make an episode inherently enjoyable, the writing is so lackluster. Few of these episodes end with me feeling emotionally moved by the statements they're making, most of the time it ends and I can say "yeah I get it" and that's about it. (Boom and 73 Yards are the exceptions so far)

I get that Space Babies is an anti-abortion metaphor.

I understand the importance of having non-binary characters on screen like Maestro, especially for a British audience.

And the importance of trans characters on screen like Rose Noble

I get that Boom is the way capitalisms fuels the war-industrial complex

And that 'thoughts and prayers' doesn't solve a problem that's killing people

I get that the internet can create echo chambers for racists

I get that these people would rather die on the 'frontiers' than seeing a black man as an equal and letting him help them because of their biases

It's not hard to understand each episode and the themes of them, what's hard is to enjoy the writing of those themes, the characters, and the plot. (The actors are doing well with the scripts they're given. Ncuti is an amazing actor)

So let's say it again:

A decent central theme and messaging does not making the writing of the episode inherently good.

[soaps-mohawk]

It's constantly mentioned that food in the army is shit. Honestly actual British food (AND IM TALKING WHITE WHITE) sounds really... boring 😭

What do you think are the boys' favorite meals? Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner... and of course dessert 😂

Bonus: WHATS YOURS?~

Okay, I will say, as an American of course I am biased towards American foods because that's what I grew up eating and I'm used to. But...there are some British foods that do look really good. I would die to try Yorkshire pudding and some authentic British fish and chips just once. A scone with real clotted cream and jam? Sign me the fuck up.

Anyway lol. I feel like they all enjoy a good Full English breakfast. Of course Soap will be partial to the Full Scottish, but they're fairly similar from what I can see so I feel like he'd suffer through it lmaoo. Definitely porridge guys (just cause that's the best tasting thing in the mess for breakfast lmaoo)

Price I could see as a steak and kidney pudding man. He definitely likes all the "stereotypical British foods" lmaoo.

Simon's a pie and mash man. It looks like an absolute sensory nightmare to me, but he eats it and enjoys it.

Gaz I think likes the classics that take him back to his childhood. Toad in the hole, curry, trifle. Definitely had Beef Wellington every Christmas.

Soap eats haggis just to prove how Scottish he is. Make him a bowl of Scotch Broth and he'll marry you on the spot.

We all know what their favorite dessert is 😏

My favorite food? I love a good hamburger. There's a local place where I live that makes a bacon, pickle, peanut butter sauce burger. It sounds gross but it's so good 😋 my favorite dessert is cheesecake. Especially strawberry cheesecake with real strawberries.

[redhoodfucker69]

whenever I see leftists making a really long and complex argument where going from point a to point b seems virtually impossible by any metric of common sense and if you take a step back you kinda go ????? what ???? even if the argument itself is well reasoned and worded i kinda...

well. personally. I think that the fact of the matter is you can make anything sound logical and objectively correct if you find the right connections that can tie two concepts together. however. the fact of the matter is the concepts must be tied. as in they were not actually joined before. but in my opinion, if you have to go to such extreme lengths to bring two completely unrelated topics together, you should honestly take a step back and ask yourself if you're ACTUALLY right or if you think perhaps your own biases are affecting the process and you're just looking for an avenue TO be right.

case in point: i once saw someone make a seemingly well reasoned debate that Tolkien was actually far more racist and malevolent because his themes of anti industrialization were actually stemming from racism and that informed his entire thematic choices as a writer. it was born from the fear of progress and the idealization of the perfect (re: white) British countryside life.

now. when you see those follow up words, obviously, you think yeah. maybe they're right. even if the initial "he was actually racist bc he was against industrialization" seems fucking insane.

I'm not going to deny that Tolkien had racist elements in his stories. he did. and maybe that person was seeking confirmation bias to prove Tolkien wasn't the saint we all portray him as or whatever. but like. that person is entitled to their own opinion and experiences. however, a lot of Tolkien's more racist caricatures were very clearly more subconsciously applied in my eyes. as in: I genuinely don't think Tolkien was actively and maliciously racist and the textual analysis that the entire theme and framework of Tolkien's work being rooted in racist bias deliberately paints him in the light of a raging bigot, not just some guy that was maybe a little influenced by the culture around him without the current framework we have now to actively deconstruct those ideals. I'm not going to make the excuse that all should be forgiven because he was a product of his time. I'm simply saying the time he lived in was different than our own and half of the framework we have for racism in fantasy and the process of deconstruction is rooted in the decades following his death. so how on earth can we expect him to have the framework to critically analyze these topics when they didn't even exist back then? sure, his writings definitely influenced things, and we can't erase that. but to make claims based on that without thinking what would he have written if he had the context of now is... kind of unfair?

but in any case. back to the main point. I see a lot of well reasoned leftist debates make these kinds of outlandish arguments that make sense once you read them, but it really makes me think about things like. why are these arguments being made. why are these things being connected. what does the person making these statements want to accomplish. are they aware of what they want to accomplish through them. so like. food for thought.

[lostsbooks]

[Archives Entry] Michigan's experiences of 1812 (Wattpad|Ao3)

Dedicated to @weirdestarrow and @aloha-from-angel for creating the Countryhumans Research Archival Project! This also heavily references Weird's oneshot of The Time Spent in a Gilded Cage. Which I highly recommend.

PS. this is Michigan's retelling, so its biased to his perspective. ━━━━━━━━ ✠ ━━━━━━━━

Interview with Michigan State, 15th December, 2023. Transcribed by Alexa Woodbridge.

Interviewer: December 15th, 2023. Interview with The State of Michigan, on the subject of...

[Interviewer pauses]

Michigan: Britain being a /censored/.

[Interviewer laughs nervously]

Interviewer: I'm sorry I don't think we can write that down as the reason.

Michigan: Fine, How about 'Events of 1812 to 1814.' That sound better?

Interviewer: Yes that will do.

[Interviewer clears her throat]

Interviewer: Interview with The State of Michigan on the subject of events from 1812 to 1815. Would you prefer to start or are you more comfortable with prompted questions?

Michigan: Either, whatever you want to do. I'm fine with anything.

Interviewer: All right, You mentioned Britain a minute ago? I wasn't aware you had history.

Michigan: Not exactly common knowledge. Too embarrassing, I think.

Interviewer: How come?

[Michigan gives a dry laugh]

Michigan: Not exactly a great look for a country to lose so much land due to one person's mistake. Everyone wanted to move on after it went back to normal, but i'm not sure what good that did.

Interviewer [sounding confused]: Wait- So what exactly happened? Just to clarify for the record.

[silence for a minute]

Michigan: As a territory I was surrendered to the British at the start of what you call now the war of 1812. I was seven at the time.

Interviewer: So you mean-[cut off]

Michigan: Wait, you guys have customized pens?

Interviewer: Yes, we order them online- but we should really get back on topic. Did you just say that-

[Faint pen clicking]

Michigan: ...Is it okay if I keep this?

[loud sigh]

Interviewer: Sure, why not.

[faint pen clicking resumes in the background]

Interviewer: Are you done now? You are the one who asked for an interview.

Michigan: Yes- sorry, just hard to think about it.

Interviewer: Take your time, honestly I wasn't expecting this. How did you end up under British control?

Michigan: General William Hull, he was in command at Fort Detroit at the time- governor of the territory as well. I don't think they had much warning beforehand that war was declared. So when the enemy showed up, he didn't do anything.

Michigan: Within three days a Union Jack was flying over the settlement. Not so much as a shot fired.

Interviewer: where were you during this?

Michigan [sarcastically]: I was lucky enough to have been ripped away from everyone else, one second nothing was wrong and I was safe, the next I was looking up at the sky, woke up on a hill between the town and fort.

Interviewer: Didn't anyone- your father- come looking for you?

Michigan: Doubt they even knew I was gone at that point. You guys know about Dad's DID right? It gets complicated, but probably didn't realize anything until they got the news themselves,

[A small sound is heard, almost like a choked laugh]

Michigan: Can only imagine how well that went over with them. What with how overprotective Dad is.

Interviewer: Then you were captured?

Michigan: Yep! Stayed that way until 1814, when the Treaty of Ghent was signed.

Interviewer: So where were you taken? Were you a prisoner?

Michigan: I don't think prisoner is the right word, but I went to a house, I'm not sure where, but it was somewhere in Upper- er- sorry, Ontario. Out of the way of the war.

Interviewer: Was anyone else there with you? How long did you stay there?

Michigan: Upper Canada also lived there with me. Soldiers were also positioned around the property- I guess to keep me from leaving. I'm not sure how long I was there for, over two years not counting the trips, but i'm not sure. Time seemed to move slower somehow, at a different pace. It could've been that I was a kid, sure, or that I wasn't actually allowed to know any dates-

Interviewer: You weren't?!

Michigan: nope, anything about the war was forbidden. Didn't know what was happening to my family either. Kept me completely separated from the outside world.

Interviewer[weakly]: Ah- well, You mentioned you knew Upper Canada, what was he like?

Michigan: He was... good to me, like a brother. He was always the part of living there that felt bearable. He's the one who taught me what I needed to know. I think he was also part of convincing Canada to adopt me, said it was so we could be real brothers, not just through America.

Interviewer: did you have to agree to that?!

Michigan: ...yes. I don't think I was in the right state of mind to have ever said no by that point. Britain- he has a way of getting into your head, making you think things you normally wouldn't. Its-

[pen clicking fully stops]

Michigan [voice venomous]: -there was a time that I would have believed anything that came out of that bastard's mouth. He got me to disown my family, tried to make me forget about them, and I hate it but it worked.

Interviewer: Do you think there's any reason why Britain did that? Why he wanted you adopted by Canada?

Michigan: To get back at my Dad. What better way to twist the knife a little deeper than to harm his son? Send him back completely different and changed. I doubt he cared about me beyond a sick way to make a statement and prove a point to him.

Interviewer: We've all heard stories of harsh treatment to Britain's colonies before- did that, did he do anything to you?

[sharp intake of breath]

Michigan: From what I remember- yes. He visited the house often, It was always a punishment for something I'd done wrong, for not following the ridiculous rules he'd made. Though to be fair, at the start I usually made a point not to follow them when I could.

[silence for several minutes]

Interviewer: ...That sounds terrible.

Michigan: Could I have a drink of water real quick?

[recording is paused.]

[resume recording.]

Interviewer: We don't have to continue if you don't want to.

Michigan: No, It's fine. I want to talk, besides it's not exactly easy discussing this with my family, too much emotion wrapped up there, it gets complicated. This is better.

Interviewer: Do they know about this?

Michigan: Yes, They're aware of some things, never really tried to get the whole story out at once, so this is new. I think we all just wanted to forget what happened afterwards, and life just moved on.

Interviewer: Have you ever tried therapy before?

Michigan: Well I punched Britain in the face a few months ago. Broke his nose. Does that count? There's not really many options for us.

Interviewer [shocked]: WAIT THAT WAS YOU?

[Michigan laughs]

Michigan: Yeah. I'm still getting thank you cards from his former colonies. Very worth it.

Interviewer [sounding exhausted]: Okay well- getting back on topic- you said you were returned after the treaty of Ghent?

Michigan: During it, yeah. Don't know what would've happened to me if they'd decided to do something else. With how I was at the time I actually wanted to stay British.

Interviewer: How were you able to adjust back to being with your family again?

Michigan: It took time, more time than I care to admit.  I'm still so grateful for the patience they gave me. With how much of an ass I'd been acting like at the time- I really shouldn't have deserved it. They'd only wanted me back and safe while I- I'd pushed them away. I helped hurt them, was glad when they were hurt, tried to sell them out without even realizing how wrong it was.

[inaudible sound]

Interview: Is- is that all you wanted to say? Or would there be anything else you'd like to commit to the archive records.

[Michigan is silent again, then sighs]

Michigan: no, I think that's it. Thank you, sorry again for the short notice.

[end recording.]

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Crane: You don't understand the significance of my discoveries.

Harley: Look, professor, I like ya, I really do and ya're smart, fave teach and all that buuut all I'm hearing is that ya kidnnaped a british twink that happened to be a meta and he either convincly lied to ya about fear gods or just is in a weird ass cult.

Crane: Look I understand that people say a lot of stupid things when under my toxin-

Harley: Torture deesn't work for info, yeah.

Crane: But it makes sense. The compelling, the tape recorders, the rescue party, the magical page with a goth inside-

Harley: The WHAT now?

Crane: Yeah, he had a papper possessed by a goth he was supossidly going to burn before I got him. The goth was not happy when I got him. I was not happy when the goth was toxin imune cause of the whole being dead thing. He was also quite distracting because his hair dye was so bad I could hear Eddie insulting it in my mind like the annoying piece of shit he is. Anyway the goth disoourse was very similar to my victim's except with less trying to know, documenting stuff and forcing me to answer him but also less clearly indulced by the toxin insane bullshit.

Harley: And didn't ya start with the spooky ghost page why?

Crane: Wasn't relevant.

Harley: It's the closest to makin me believe this fear cult crap as more than twink under torture confirmed your biases in a megalomaniacal way that fits ur very real delusions of grandeur involving being somewhat of a fear indulcing mythical entity and ya belived him because of said delusions.

Crane: Sceptics everywhere. Can't trust no one this days. Still if I give you all my books on biological poisons plus part of my theoretical chemistry ones as a nice gift to Ivvy?

Harley: IF ya are right and the twink's assistants are trying to put their evil cult leader boss-

Crane: Mr. Elias Bouchard of the Magnus Institute.

Harley: *rolls her eyes* Ya gonna fill him with drugs and use him as a lab rat, I can call him evil cult leader.

Crane: I chosse him as a target because I respect him, yes I'll experiment on him, but he is a guest of honor and deserves his whole name.

Harley: Oh, remembered ya crazy. *rolls her eyes* But yeah, if he gets into Arkham I'll kidnapp him for ya.