#and anyone who says otherwise needs to educate themselves

[slenderboo]

putting in my two cents as an aroace hazbin fan to the whole alastor shipping debate (adding a cut below because this got long-)

before I start, it's important to remind everyone:

alastor is canonically ace and (semi)canonically aro, and that should be respected the same way we'd respect angel dust's identity as a gay man, or vaggie's as a sapphic woman.

"ace" and "aro", while also functioning as labels unto themselves, are umbrella terms for a lottt of identities. Some of which do include the ability to experience sexual and romantic attraction, in different ways and at different levels (demi, cupio, lith/lithro, grey, aro-and aceflux, the list goes on).

So, given all that, is it possible to interpret alastor as experiencing some level of romantic attraction, or sexual attraction? Of course, identities like the ones I listed above are just as valid as any other acespec and arospec identity.

So, what's the issue then? Right now, a lot of fans are using the breadth of aspec identities and experiences as a shield, to excuse them shipping him like they would an allosexual/alloromantic character.

Just to make it clear, that in itself is erasure. And I know that's a strong statement, and that there being such a broad aroace experience adds nuance to any statement you can make on that, but we have to acknowledge as a fandom that there are objectively wrong ways to handle aspec characters, both in the way we discuss them and in the way we portray them in fan works.

And before anyone says it, saying "alastor isn't real" or "fanon content won't change his canon sexuality" doesn't work when real life aspec people can't even look in a tag of a character that's supposed to represent them without seeing their identity erased. It's the way I feel attempting to engage with a lot of hazbin content, and I know a lot of my fellow aspec hazbin fans are feeling it as well.

So, what's the solution to all this? That's unfortunately kinda complicated. Everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes as erasure, what is good rep, how much benefit of the doubt we should give people, et cetera, and so everyone's solutions look different. In a way there also isn't a way to solve it, since aroace erasure is so normalized in fandom culture (not just the hazbin fandom; fandom culture as a whole) that there will always be a significant portion of fans who will ignore, erase, or otherwise deny alastor's or any other aroace character's sexuality.

So, to put my two cents on it:

My philosophy is that if you're going to ship alastor (or any aspec character for that matter), it's best to have an identity in mind for him to use as reference. For example, I think of alastor as sex-repulsed aroace, and I write him with that in mind. Whatever you pick can be a steadfast headcanon, an identity tailored to the story you want to tell, or one you want to explore in your fanwork, whether for fun or to educate yourself on it better.

What's better is that you don't even need to mention the sexuality itself in the work! Show don't tell is a great writing tool, and for alastor specifically, who canonically isn't aware of his sexuality, it works perfectly. Just simply creating with it in mind, asking yourself, "how would someone with [insert identity] experience this?" and going from there, makes a world of difference.

Just in terms of good fanfic etiquette, I'd also make sure to include it in the tags if you're posting it on ao3, just to make sure your readers know what's up and to help with filtering (I personally don't read any alastor ship fics that don't include the asexual or aromantic tag at this point). Bada bing bada boom, that's representation right there!

Since Alastor is one of very, very few ace characters in mainstream media, and even less aro characters in media period, us as a fandom creating good representation with him is really important, especially in terms of the breadth of aspec identities. We don't get much representation, so claiming he's definitively one label or another isn't productive, and hurts the community in the long run. Fanfiction is first and foremost an exploration of canon, so why not play around with what "aro" and "ace" can look like for him?

Case and point, I've seen some incredible ship fics that headcanon him as demisexual and/or demiromantic, and do a great job representing those identities. I've also seen some really good fics that portray him as sex-repulsed, and others that portray him as sex-neutral or positive. All of that is great, and again, even if it isn't directly mentioned: adding subtext, putting it in the tags, and even simply writing the fic with the sexuality in mind does wonders.

Me personally, I headcanon Alastor with the same identity as me; sex- and romance-repulsed aroace, but open to queerplatonic relationships. That doesn't mean fics that interpret him with a different aspec identity are less valid, or are interpreting him wrong. All of it is valid representation.

And that's not even getting into queerplatonic relationships, which is what I put Alastor into for my own headcanons (queerplatonic radioapple fic when). For that, please do your own research, but remember that queerplatonic relationships tend to look different for every couple. They can be poly, include kissing and physical intimacy, or look just like what most people would consider a regular friendship or regular romance.

So, can you ship aroace characters? Sure you can, as long as it isn't at the expense of their sexuality, or more accurately, the representation their sexuality gives to a historically underrepresented group.

That's pretty much it from me, please remember to support aspec fanartists and fanfic writers, and happy (early) aromantic spectrum awareness week for all my fellow arospecs!!

#not adding the aromantic or asexual tags to this #those tags shouldn't be flooded with ship discourse #so please stop doing that guys #also not joking about the queerplatonic appleradio fic #I may or may not be working on one rn but knowing my writer's block (read: seasonal depression) I won't actually finish it #their dynamic is so much fun to write let me tell you #hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #hellaverse

[omarera]

Below is a long text. The reason I share this is that I think the article below gives a great insight into Swedish culture and debate climate and views of celebrities taking stands in political issues. I think it is a good to read for those who demand the Swedish cast to actively speak out on different political issues.

It also touches upon Sigge and Alex podcast. I am frustrated to see the polarization and cancel culture and also the narrative of Sigge as a Zionist based on that he followed some Insta accounts. And also Edvin and Felicia being labeled Zionists by association. Maybe the article can give some perspectives.

Sigge Eklund is a provocative person, and his and Alex Schulman’s pod is both popular and controversial. You kind of either love them or hate them, or both. They are both authors, both outspoken what I would call leftists, Alex for example write columns that are very leftist. They are also quite full of themselves and can be very condescending to others and also take ideas and concepts to extremes to prove points. Their takes are often debated. There is a bit of irony in that they have received criticism for not standing up for Israel and stated they were against Hamas attack and now Sigge also being accused of being a Zionists. Sigge is criticized from both sides.

With that said, below is a translation of an article from SvD, one of Swedens large morning papers. It discusses Swedes silence. It shows how celebrities that do speak up are treated in Sweden. Let’s just say they are shot down. Swedes don’t have a tradition of appreciating celebrities to speak up on subjects they are not fully educated on. It’s so easy to get lost. But also that we need to talk about but it’s so damn difficult.

The article below is from Nov 25th 2023. It’s also important to consider when reading it. I still think it showcase Swedish culture really well and our debate climate and view on celebs speaking up and how polarized and infected and hard the long ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict (now genocide) is for us to discuss.

link to article it’s probably locked for non-subscribers.

“That's why I keep quiet about the war"

During a dinner Björn Werner (the author of the article) was at recently, the question came up. The one that not only cuts through the public debate but is strong enough to tear apart friendships and social nets and relationships.

Alex Schulman's voice chokes with anxiety. He stabs himself. And stakes himself again.

"It freezes me now when I hear you're going to talk about it."

Now it must be done. Sigge Eklund has taken the plunge. They will talk about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

It's fast. Just a few minutes. A gentle ripple in a podcast of over an hour. Like few others in public Sweden, the two men are otherwise always carefree open with what they think and feel. Bridges to important colleagues, friends and acquaintances are burned in every other episode. They do everything for the content. But not now.

It is at the very beginning of the war. Barely a week since Hamas kidnapped women, children and the elderly and brutally murdered 1,200 Israelis. Israel's intense bombing campaign has only been going on for a few days. Nevertheless, the Swedish debate about the Israel-Palestine conflict is so feverish that the two seasoned authors and media men prefer not to talk about it.

"I hardly think it can be done without arousing so much hatred that in the end it won't be worth it," Schulman continues.

Eklund basically agrees:

"I've really felt at a loss for words," he replies and goes on to explain that it's not because he doesn't have anything to say, but that he himself doesn't know exactly what he's going to say once he starts. The feelings are too strong.

It is, of course, easy to call the podduo cowards. That they want to wriggle out of this deeply polarized conflict without clashing with anyone – whether listeners or advertisers. But in that case they are not alone.

There are many who, for social and understandable reasons, avoid the question. The price of taking a stand can be very high. For one thing, what one says can be taken out of one's mouth and reshaped into something grotesque and ugly. For one thing, the risk of losing control over one's own emotions is great. Then it is easy to end up wrong. To say wrong.

An abyss you like to avoid thinking about and talking about, if you can.

During a dinner I attended recently, the question came up. Someone admitted that he "sympathizes with Israel's cause here." Another then raised his hand: "I don't agree with that, and I think we should leave it like that, so it will be nicer." The entire table nodded in agreement. Everyone exhaled. A similar dynamic exists in the group chats I'm in, which have morphed from lively, fun conversations to cautious, polite flirting. Everyone sees the dark clouds towering. Nobody wants to see the rain fall.

A lot of this depends, I think, on the complexity of the situation. The vast majority of people outside the Israel-Palestine conflict are touchingly in agreement that it is terrible for all innocent people to die, regardless of nationality. It is all the more difficult to navigate beyond this single, self-evident opinion. Because one needs to have one after all. In everything else it is more difficult. They are looking for a scapegoat. The violence can't just happen? It must be someone's fault. Demanding a ceasefire also leads to the natural follow-up question: and then?

In both the issue of guilt and in the conversation about the future, dangers lurk wherever you turn: those who rush forward without a map and compass risk quickly running into both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic cuts.

Not that it is necessarily easier for those who actually take the time to read up on the issue. Is it about a multi-thousand-year European oppression of Jews? That Arab leaders have consistently refused to accept Israel's existence since the UN proclaimed the state in 1948? Is it the fault of the many Jewish settlers who drove Palestinians from their homes? Arab countries that in turn expelled Jews from theirs? That Palestinians by both Israel and Arab countries are used as a real political playing cards? Netanyahu? Hamas? It's just a matter of choosing. Everything is right – at the same time.

Whatever you think, however educated you are, there is always a weighty opinion that speaks for the opposite of what you have come to.

The situation is bizarre. Despite the fact that there is a terrible conflict going on where innocent children are killed daily, it is therefore a socially viable, perhaps even wise, strategy to just keep quiet.

the public also has results on how it goes for those who speak first and think later. When 160 celebrities signed a petition to stop the bombing of Gaza, they came under fire for not showing the same commitment during Hamas' massacre of Israelis. Artist Stina Wollter's star now appears to be falling after she mixed up her commitment to Palestinian children with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. And the competence of the Green Party's Märta Stenevis is being questioned because she liked Stina Wollter's (not entirely clear) apology.

It is quite unusual for external events to cut so deeply into interpersonal relationships. Not least in the consensus-seeking country Sweden, which is otherwise known for its lukewarm political temperament. While the 1968 movement in Paris led to street battles between students and police, the student movement in Stockholm occupied its own union building. When Sweden, after 200 years of non-alignment, joins NATO, everyone just sighs amicably. The war in Ukraine has, if anything, acted as a unifying force, where people from left to right could confidently state that the world in this particular case really is black and white.

But there is a force in the Israel-Palestine conflict that is strong enough to tear apart the social net and relationships. Partly because of the horrific images we are all exposed to, but also because of the historically deeply infected nature of the issue. It's all starting to resemble the climate of debate in Britain about Brexit, which went to such levels that the prestigious British etiquette magazine Tatler raised the topic as one of twelve things you absolutely should not talk about at the dinner table.

Anyone who puts their faith in the ability of public discourse to unravel complex events also has nothing to gain from the issue of Israel-Palestine. The ongoing debate has quickly degenerated into a hopeless meta-debate about who thinks the most "wrong". The amount of constructive, well-read and nuanced posts that have been put forward since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel's subsequent bombing of Gaza can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Expressen's Per Wirtén succeeds, through a combination of solid humanism and understanding of the matter, to tackle the subject in a dignified way. Another is SvD's Elaf Ali, who from his personal perspective testifies to the polarization in the Swedish debate.

But - the more texts are about things that could just as easily take place at a dinner with a lost footing. There and in social media, the waves are high. Are leftists anti-Semitic because they react more strongly to Israel's attacks than to Hamas? Are right-wing debaters really Islamophobes, because they so fervently defend Israel while at the same time advocating cooperation with the newly anti-Semitic SD?

Who is foolish enough to stick their head into this hornet's nest willingly?

Maybe Alex and Sigge are doing the only reasonable thing. Despite one's instincts screaming to react when news of dead children sweeps by, there is not much to say – because hardly anything can be said without being taken as revenue for something else. But the question is whether it is even possible to be silent. According to today's twisted logic, there is also something to be said.

Shortly after "Alex and Sigge's podcast" was published, the right-wing comedian Aron Flam responded to X (recently on Twitter): "So Alex Schulman cannot condemn murder, torture and rape? Hard to say anything about murdering women, young, old, pregnant, babies? Speaking. He who is otherwise so full of goodness.”

And it hasn't stopped there. In a later episode, both podcasts return to the consequences of not taking a stand. Their social media inboxes are overflowing with anger.

Swedes are one of the world's most educated peoples, and at least until very recently formally non-aligned. The majority have few personal connections to either the millennial suffering of Jews or the Palestinian people's quest for their own state formation.

If even a remote, frostbitten nation of newly urbanized farmers can't pull themselves together, who can? If even we can't talk to each other, then who can?

#don’t know how to tag this #Swedish. culture ? #why Swedish celebrities are silent? #edvin ryding #felicia truedsson #Sigge Eklund #and also #omar rudberg #yr cast

[scorpiussage]

Peaky Blinders characters with a daughter who gets her first period

🌕 Tommy

🌕Three words: “Full Panic Mode”

🌕Oh god, where’s Polly when you need her? 

🌕Will absolutely dump the task onto the literal first woman he happens to pass, but will still hover awkwardly in the background like the overprotective parent he is. 

🌕Does not know the first thing about dealing with periods because that’s ‘womens’ business’ and he’s not in the habit of involving himself in that sort of thing. But he will stick around to learn whatever he can so that he can help his daughter more effectively in the future. 

🌕Will also go overboard in prepping for future periods. Seriously, this man will have a full warehouse of period supplies on standby from that moment on. 

🌕If anyone in the family or outside the family tries to tease her about her period, he will pull his razor cap on them no hesitation. 

🌕If she happens to be someone who suffers from bad cramps, he will be one of those dads who has hot water bottles on hand with more on standby if needed and will stay home with his girl if she’s in too much pain to go to school. 

🌹 Alfie 

🌹If his daughter is too shy to tell him that her period started, he’ll figure it out without her saying anything. 

🌹Is incredibly kind and gentle about the whole thing, “Now see here, love, that’s normal, it is. Don’t gotta be embarrassed about it none.” 

🌹Doesn’t need to ask a woman for help because he’s been preparing for this moment since his little girl was born. He knows all the medical knowledge and has all the products she might need stored in the cabinet just waiting to be used. 

🌹Makes her lots of sweets for that time of the month for her to snack on and while is very understanding about cramps and such, will not allow her to skip school because of her period, “Can’t be having you missing your education. It’s a normal bodily function, yeah? And anyone who says otherwise can come fucking talk to me.” 

🌹One time a kid in school teased her when her period leaked through the back of her dress and Alfie went and had a lovely conversation with that boy’s parents. Funny that, they decided to suddenly leave town. 

🌞 John

🌞Not his first rodeo, that’s for sure. Man’s got kids out the wazoo so as soon as one of his daughters starts her period, he’s already reaching into the cabinet to grab the necessary supplies. 

🌞Doesn’t really talk about it beyond, “Anyone says anything, I’ll fucking cut them.” 

🌞Honestly a pretty hands off father but mostly because he knows his girls can handle themselves just fine and if they have any questions or issues they can talk to each other or Polly. 

🌞Loves to make fun of his brothers for panicking about the same sort of situation with their own daughters. 

💥 Arthur

💥Man practically faints when his little girl comes to him and tells him that her period has started. Not normally squeamish but when it comes to ladies issues, he very much is. 

💥Will be completely useless and Polly or Ada will have to intervene and help her. 

💥It’s not that he’s a bad father or anything, it’s just that he’s not prepared himself for this inevitability, especially because he’s one of those dad’s that wants his girl to stay little forever. 

💥Doesn’t know anything about anything but if you tell him what to buy, he’ll buy as much as he can and then hope that that’s enough for her to never mention it again. 

⚡️ Michael  

⚡️Will definitely be like, “Uh that’s not my department go find grandma.” 

⚡️He will also not take any extra steps or learn any new information for his daughter; that’s women’s business and he’s not interested. 

⚡️Basically his daughter is on her own with this one unless she asks Polly for help. 

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagines #tommy shelby #tommy shelby imagines #alfie solomons #alfie solomons imagines #John Shelby #john shelby imagines #Arthur Shelby #arthur shelby imagines #michael gray #michael gray imagines

[biblioflyer]

Bad Dune Takes are the Mind Killer

I'm going to type up some more robust thoughts on Dune part 2, but I've seen some subtle bad ideas circulating that are drawn from shallow readings of either the films or the books or both.

First off, anyone who swallows the Bene Gesserit propaganda about their eugenics program needs to be pushed back on. They are NOT sorting humans from animals. The function of the Gom Jabar test (I will look up the proper spelling later and edit it in), doesn't even really seem to have anything to do with the metaphysics of the setting so much as its testing for self discipline. This is something that is nature AND nurture.

The dirty truth of the matter is that no one is a true Tabula Rasa, we do inherit some tendencies genetically, but barring a serious developmental disorder, those are tendencies. Tendencies can be ameliorated, if not even outright disappear in the noise of lived experience and explicit education.

If Feyd Ruatha can pass the Gom Jabar, you know its not actually testing for merit, its testing for a specific set of traits that the Bene Gesserit find useful.

Those traits are part of the ingredients they are seeking for the Kwisatch Haderach (yes, I know, I'll edit it later) but here's the kicker!

Major book spoilers ahead

While this is probably not exclusively the Bene Gesserit's fault, all of these secret societies, all of this obsession with bloodlines, and perfection is a time bomb. Paul is not a white savior. Paul is a labradoodle. He is an incredible endgame of generations of effort but he's a symptom of a broader problem that he himself vaguely glimpses and his son, Leto II, sees in all its terrible truth: the Bene Gesserit and their ilk are reserving autonomy for themselves, perhaps even at the genetic level, and trying to breed complacency into "the commons." The ones they regard as "animals" unfit for and incapable of self direction. People who are only fit to be ruled.

Sound familiar?

Its feudalistic "divine right of kings" merged with eugenics.

AKA fascism.

Paul and Leto II become despicable tyrants and authorial fiat would seem to indicate they are trapped by a sort of accelerationist framing of the problem. The end result of the millennia of power brokering in the background by all of these secretive societies and open monarchism is a humanity that is doomed. One way or another, it will be snuffed out. Whether by a total war, plague, or collapse of civilization.

This is why I say that the Bene Gesserit endgame is labradoodles. Pretty? Yes. Companionable? Sure. But like many, many, many designer breeds very, very lacking in genetic diversity.

This is what selective breeding gets you. Its why Leto II foresees the need to provoke a "Great Scattering." To ensure humanity exists in so many places, in so many different genetic and cultural forms that it cannot be subjugated by even the most charismatic and supernaturally powerful tyrant - not even by himself - and incapable of being extinguished by any plague or natural disaster. Because consolidation into too narrow and tight of a socio-cultural-political footprint means when (not if) that civilization screws up epically, it brings everyone down with it.

So if Roddenberry believed in the end of history, as expressed by the Federation: a society that is not incapable of error but IS capable of introspection and correction in the wake of error such that it is extremely unlikely to collapse from its own errors and contradictions. Then Herbert seems to be positing that history has no end. It will be one damn thing after another for all time and his implicit solution is that we desperately need diversity: genetic diversity and cultural diversity otherwise a self anointed superior sect of schemers and intriguers will get us all killed in the end by making us docile and homogeneous in order to make us more useful: to them.

Herbert also is suggesting that events like the Fremen Jihad is a likely bit of blowback from such consolidation. That human beings (the very same the Bene Gesserit regard as animals) naturally crave autonomy, dignity, and the essentials of life and if you press these things, the result will be a socio-political nuclear explosion.

I don't know if Herbert was an accelerationist. But it doesn't really matter because this leads me to the second bad take:

The Jihad and the Golden Path are not good, actually. Authorial Fiat dictate that they are necessary because authorial fiat dictates that human civilization in Dune has become so consolidated and bent to the whims of shadowy schemers that any attempt to wrest control away and return it to "normal" people, if indeed that is even possible given the technologies and superhumans running around, will result in such disorder and chaos that it be, functionally, genocide even if it is not genocide in intent.

The Jihad itself is also a consequence of the Great Man relying on people who only see a sliver of the overall project and interpret it through their own prism. That prism being one of anger, resentment, and a desire to see others conform to their worldview in order to ensure they are never again under anyone's boot.

Authorial fiat dictates that by the time Paul is born, there's no way back. No way to unwind all of this mess. The systems and structures are too complex, too interdependent. The Bene Gesserit, the Face Dancers, and everyone else I'm forgetting have too many contingency plans to fall back on. Not even a psychic can pull the Jenga pieces of civilization out delicately enough to restack them without the whole thing coming apart, not if he has to rely on millions of people with an axe to grind against the civilization he's trying to reform, a civilization that spent millennia trying to subjugate the Fremen or drive them into extinction.

But I maintain accelerationism is bad. You're not psychic. I'm not psychic. There's no Kwisatch Haderach lurking in the background to see what comes next. If you burn it all down, there might be a flourishing of dignity and freedom on the other side or it might be extinction because some other "cabal" will just take over and do the same things only meaner and dumber.

So if not accelerationism then what?

Federationism.

Introspection always. Seeking reform and equity before the power structures get too entrenched that gambling on a Great Scattering following in the wake of genocidal messiahs start seems like a good idea.

I'm not dunking on Dune to build a motte and bailey around Star Trek. I love Dune, but people tend to fixate on icky parts and call them good, when the whole point was don't let society get so bad you need to cross your fingers and hope the God Emperor is secretly an enlightened genocidal tyrant who is waiting for you to get restive enough to strike him down as part of some harebrained scheme to generate so much historical trauma it inoculates humanity against tyranny for all time.

Which of course, is a false premise. Herbert may or may not have known this in the mid-20th century, but we live in a world where 5-6 generations later, everything we were supposed to learn from and never repeat about tyranny, fascism, eugenics, and being disinterested in how and why there came to be fighters in difficult to pronounce faraway lands who seem to be rather upset with us, is now a thing that has to be taught and can be disputed and debated.

#dune part two #dune part 2 #dune #dune spoilers #star trek #scifi ethics #golden path #fandom commentary

[decolonize-the-left]

wait can you elaborate on nativism/indigeneity being a lifestyle? i always thought it was like an ethnic thing sorry if thats stupid

Hiii!

So I wouldn't say lifestyle unless you'd also say white supremacy a lifestyle.

And whatever they are, I would say indigeneity is the direct opposition to white supremacy. It's why you will see me making that claim on my blog so much.

The things we share in common are built on the singular pillar of us refusing to be defined by anyone but ourselves and especially not defined by whiteness.

There are lots of different ways to be indigenous as well. Natives all over the globe have vastly different cultures and symbols and ceremonies.

What makes us "Native" is our loyalty to our principles, values, and who we are. We don't compromise who we are for peace and we can't be gaslit into believing otherwise.

Because peace can't be compromised unless its already being threatened by one side. You see?

And we refuse to compromise who we are just so settlers won't kill us. We'd rather die than become something we are not, than become like the people killing us. And you've seen that over and over. You're seeing it right now, even.

Our people and our history and our connections mean to much to us, respecting and honoring their memories and ourselves means to much to us.

Natives reject the idea of white supremacy and that colonizers are more civil or humane just because they said so especially when they use their own measures of civility and humanity and don't listen to ours.

If you can ignore and speak over us then why can't we speak over and ignore you?

What gave white supremacists the right to decide what peace and harmony looked like for the oppressed?

Idk.

Like.

I think, honestly, that native is how you're born. You grow and then you are taught how to be a settler instead of learning to appreciate and respect the earth and people around you. You are taught division and hate. You're taught that getting food from a store and not the ground is normal, you're taught that your settler life is the norm.

I genuinely fucking believe that "whiteness" and colonization is only possible when you've convince people to hate everything about being human.

Like have you ever met a white supremacists or a colonizer that just...existed? That wasn't trying desperately to fit in or "be" something?

Whether it's good with his boss for a raise or being manly enough for a wife or making sure they're groomed but not so much they look gay or, etc etc.

You ever notice how fucking hard it is for a settler to be comfortable with being? Just existing?

They shake with anxiety under the weight of hating themselves so much.

I strongly suggest reading this in it's entirety while taking notes and stopping to process whenever you need to. Below the link, is the quote that Very Much helped me answer this.

A master’s degree in “Indian Studies” or in “education” or in anything else cannot make a person into a human being or provide knowledge into the traditional ways. It can only make you into a mental European, an outsider.

I should be clear about something here, because there seems to be some confusion about it. When I speak of Europeans or mental Europeans, I’m not allowing for false distinctions. I’m not saying that on the one hand there are the by-products of a few thousand years of genocidal, reactionary, European intellectual development which is bad; and on the other hand there is some new revolutionary intellectual development which is good. I’m referring here to the so-called theories of Marxism and anarchism and “leftism” in general.

I don’t believe these theories can be separated from the rest of the European intellectual tradition. It’s really just the same old song. The process began much earlier. Newton, for example, “revolutionized” physics and the so-called natural sciences by reducing the physical universe to a linear mathematical equation. Descartes did the same thing with culture. John Locke did it with politics, and Adam Smith did it with economics.

Each one of these “thinkers” took a piece of the spirituality of human existence and converted it into a code, an abstraction. They picked up where Christianity ended; they “secularized” Christian religion, as the “scholars” like to say—and in doing so they made Europe more able and ready to act as an expansionist culture.

Each of these intellectual revolutions served to abstract the European mentality even further, to remove the wonderful complexity and spirituality from the universe and replace it with a logical sequence: one, two, three, Answer!

Being native is just....being human idk how else to explain it.

#asked #answered #indigeneity #russel means #Whiteness #white Supremacy

[pinkyjulien]

Just a heads up: you, a white creator, putting Native American/First Nations/indigenous inspired clothing on your white OC, and then calling it the "wilding" appearance, could be considered cultural appropriation and could also be considered offensive to people from those cultures.

And yeah, I am doing this from a throwaway account to protect myself because I know how Tumblr and the cyberpunk 2077 fandom works. Even if I do have a valid point or critique, I could still be attacked by "fans" on my main who refuse to use any critical thinking for themselves.

Safe travels 👋 I hold no animosity towards you personally.

(From a "cowardly" anon in an extremely hostile fandom which likely will pretend that this outfit and the name for it isn't tinged with implicit and internalized racism.)

(And, no, I'm not one of the so-called "housewives")

Hey Anon,

Not sure what to say, you claim to not hold any animosity towards me, yet this could've easily been a DM. I'm only assuming you're blocked and had to create a side blog to by-pass the said block.

If this was truly a well-spirited heads up, it would've been a DM.

But anyway, if you're here to accuse me in a sugarcoated way, I already know you're having the time of your life about it in some obscure discord server, so might as well.

The Aldecaldos (and Nomads in general of every clan and family) are multi cultured, there's people of every races, every ethnicities- we see it in game and it's mentioned time and time in the sourcebooks. They're communities, formed of many minorities; queers and pocs alike.

Valentin joins the Aldecaldos during the Star ending, just like the canon game event; he makes friends left and right, and friends makes gifts to one another. We also know that resources, clothes, cars, guns, are shared in nomad communities.

The name "wilding" is a direct reference to the Neo Tribe sourcebook, page 21. I used that same name for Mitch's appearance. They use those outfits to ride off near cities, just like the definition on the page below. They're both proudly showcasing their Aldecaldos colors in whichever place / cities they're visiting.

In my own canon, Dakota is kind of a mother figure for Valentin; she helped him after fleeing the Wraiths, she gave him his first gig with Jackie, she made sure the 'caldos ripper kept the bullet he revoved from Valentin's skull, etc etc

That Jacket could've well been a gift from her before leaving to Arizona, but I haven't decided yet. I was just happy to share my modding project of those past two days.

I've always liked Nomads and what they stand for, their diversity, their lives, their outfits and aesthetics too.

None of the above information is presented as an excuse, they shouldn't be seen as excuses either; I'm simply sharing what inspired me (actively or subconsciously) for this outfit.

If Valentin's appearance, both models and name, did actual upset anyone, I apologize, as this obviously WASN'T the intention. If it does bother you, I invite you to block me.

With all of the "explaination" out of the way; why are you really here?

Because we both know you already knew that about the Aldecaldos. You played the game, you know Panam is half native, you know there's a bunch of native characters in the Aldecaldos and in the game in general.

This ask isn't fueled by kindness or by an attempt at educating someone who could've made a simple mistake.

Nope, you're simply part of this "hostile fandom" problem. Everything you said in brackets reeks of past drama.

Again, you claim to not hold any animosity, but I believe otherwise; that's totally fine, but refrain from contacting me with this fake benevolence, everyone can see it's bullshit.

Repeating myself, this could've been a DM, yet you choose to assume I have some "internalized racism" that You Need to point out, doing so via a side-blog supposedly out of fear (since I don't know who you are, I'll choose to believe you simply by-passed a block) while also dragging in the "Housewives" for no reasons.

You're part of this fandom problem. You're part of the reason why nobody feels safe about sharing anything; you and your friends are out there spying, monitoring what everyone does, assuming the worst at any given occasions and ready to write callouts, to throw witch hunts.

Please, do some critical thinking yourself, remove all the bias and all the "Pinky Bad so this is obviously Racist" bullshit fogging your brain, and ask yourself why you really sent that ask.

#ask #anon #cyberpunk 2077 #long post

[kedreeva]

Hi! i hope it's okay to messages you about this. your posts about concrit have been so encouraging and helpful! Today i was talking to someone who isn't active in fandom much, but she read this really nice fic and asked me about commenting, and she said that obviously she wouldn't be mean but concrit is okay right? so i told her that unless the author asked for it, she shouldn't, and she didn't understand why, so i tried to explain it with that "you've brought cookies to work" thing, and she said that actually, she would want people to tell her if there was something she could do better, because otherwise she would make the same cookies again next time and people would have the same critique and not enjoy them, so no one gained anything. and it's great that she would want the concrit, but she shouldn't assume that others do. and then she said she thinks people who won't accept criticism have a weak character, and why wouldn't they want to improve, and she won't comment on the fic at all now. and i guess that's better than leaving concrit, but that was still so frustrating. i sent her some of your posts, but i don't think she got it, unfortunately. anyway, thanks for listening!

Hi! It's perfectly fine to message me about this 💜

Unfortunately sometimes people are just not at a place of development where they can put themselves into anyone else's shoes. "I would want this so everyone else must too" is a very narrow scope of vision and learning to think "I would want this, but I should not assume everyone does and should ask them to make sure" instead can take a lot of effort. Some people are willing to put in that effort, some aren't. You can try to teach them, but ultimately it's on their shoulders so don't beat yourself up about it if they don't want to hear it.

I've come to prefer the "taking a walk" analogy over the potluck one. It goes like this: If I'm out taking a pleasure stroll with some friends and a stranger comes up and starts critiquing how I walk or why, I'm not going to feel particularly charitable toward them. Someone coming up to me to explain how I need to walk in order to run in marathons isn't going to do anything but annoy me, because the point of taking a pleasure stroll with friends isn't to run a marathon. It's to hang out with my friends doing something we both like for our own reasons, as a fun social activity. It could be the best advice in the world, but it's the wrong context in which to provide it, so it doesn't matter. It's worthless because the person giving advice obviously doesn't understand anything about my motivations or goals and didn't even bother to ask if I wanted help in the first place; all they're concerned about is making sure they look smart.

The other thing that's important to both analogies is the idea of just... Basic manners involving consent. Your friend would want to be told, but if you want to reopen the dialogue, ask her which is better: someone at a potluck coming up unprompted to say "your cookies have too much salt," or someone coming up and saying "hey, you baked the cookies right? Do you mind if I give you some advice for next time?" and then respecting the answer. She also has the option of saying "hey, I made the cookies, does anyone have any pointers for next time?" which allows her to consent up front.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates you attempting to educate your friend on common fandom manners. I hope she learns better in a gentle way.

#commenting #asks

[psychic-refugee]

Make up of Nevermore Students

Anyone with sunglasses = Vampire

Anyone with a toque = Gorgon

Anyone with gem eyes = Siren

Anyone without a face = Silent Horrors (I call them Faceless in WGF, but I like this more and may edit).

Werewolves and Psychics have no discernible physical, everyday “tell,” with the possible exception if they’re rowdy and many have poofy hair, then that = Werewolf? Otherwise, we can only tell lycanthropy when there’s a full moon.

Let’s assume anyone with any kind of mental power is considered a Psychic. Example: Eugene has apikinesis, the mental ability to control bees. Rowan had telekinesis, the ability to move the physical world with his mind. Rowan calls his mother a “Seer,” but we know she had a book and writing. This could simply be a journal of her visions, like Wednesday. It could be psychography, psychic premonitions via writing. It could be the drawing, automatic drawing, and she wrote what she thought it meant. It could be a mixture of both.

Other Outcasts with no physical, everyday tell, would be Shapeshifters.

Enid is quoted “…to educate people like us. Outcasts, freaks, monsters…fill in your favourite marginalized group here.”

I think this opens up any type of being for consideration of being an Outcast, but if we can only use what is shown from the television show/source material:

Other Outcasts that may exist but are not canonically confirmed.

Witches – The Frumps and Addamses are mediums and necromancers. Mediums because they can speak with the dead. Morticia says they get guidance from their ancestors and Wednesday attempts to call on Goody Addams. Goody Addams’ book, a grimoire, had a curse to lock Crackstone in his coffin, and a reanimation spell that raised Crackstone. The Outcasts just never specifically say Witch, but Crackstone accuses Goody of witchcraft.

I consider Mediums and Necromancers types of witchcraft because they require a spell or ritual. If Wednesday could simply call a ghost to her or raise the dead with her mind, then I’d consider those Psychic powers.

Hydes are confirmed, but I don’t know if they’re Shapeshifters or a type of Were. The latter being any kind of being that shifts into a monster under specific circumstances while Shapeshifters can shift at will. Werewolves, under a full moon. Hydes when under duress or tapping into the worst part of themselves.

The canon states that Hydes are “unleashed” by a traumatic event, or via chemical induction, the latter more in line with the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So, are they Outcasts prior to their transformation, or are they Normies? Can anyone become a Hyde?

Tyler’s mother did attend Nevermore, but while Hydes are banned, they don’t question what kind of Outcast one is when applying…guess they really needed that tuition money. LOL. So, it could be that Hydes are any type of Outcasts, perhaps Psychics and that’s why Xavier had dreams of the monster, prior to being Unleashed. Perhaps the potential to become a Hyde is in everyone, or it runs in families. Or they could be their own distinct line of Outcasts that may or may not ever be Unleashed. We don’t know for sure. When was Mrs. Galpin’s Hyde unleashed? Was she a Hyde at Nevermore or was a regular Psychic and that’s why she was allowed in? Who was her master? If you traumatize or drug yourself, are you your own master?

If you’re looking at background characters and they’re not obviously a Vampire, Siren, or Gorgon, then your canonical options are: Psychic, Witch (implied), Werewolf, Shapeshifter, or Hyde.

#wednesday addams #wednesday netflix #nevermore academy #nevermore reference #fanfiction references #tyler galpin #francoise galpin #rowan laslow #xavier thorpe #Enid Sinclair #Morticia Addams

[thestormfrontsystem]

What Is Plurality?

I want to preface this post by stating that none of us are in any way, shape, or form certified medical or therapuetic professionals capable of diagnosing anyone or anything.

With that being said, plurality in and of itself does not warrant or need a diagnosis. Plurality in its simplest form is identifying as containing more than one concious, sentient being within the same mind/body. Plurality, otherwise referred to as Multiplicity is believed by many, most of the headmates in our own system included, to be a natural facet of the human mind that exists on a spectrum. There are others who would disagree, and to that we'd say feel free to head over to their online spaces to see why. That is not our concern.

From our experience, which is varied from person to person, the human mind is capable of a great many things that modern science is just infinitesimally beginning to scratch the surface of. But it has been around for eons, surfacing via many different religious beliefs, cultural origins, etc. People have been believed to be possessed by "spirits", people have heard the "voice of god" in them, we'd even go as far as to say that "the holy trinity" in and of itself is a pretty big metaphor for plurality.

We read an article that interestingly questioned where the idea that each body was only assigned or inhabited by one "spirit/soul/identity" in the first place.... society and cultural norms.

It is our firm belief that, while we did in fact surface due to trauma and are working toward healthy multiplicity, thats not always the default for people who identify as plural. Sometimes parts of an identity get stunted due to outside sources, and sometimes maybe they were simply meant to seperate and become their own beings. We may never know.

Long story short, there are some amazing resources online for people, both singular and plural, to educate themselves on the basics of what plurality is and what plurality isn’t, since even disordered cases of plurality have been especially demonized by the media and society as a whole.

Links to explore:

Written by Olliver of The Storm Front System

#endo safe #did #pro endo #traumagenic system #system #multiplicity #plural #osdd system #system stuff #plural pride #plural system #plurality #plural artist #plural stuff #plural positivity #plural terms #plural community

[hermajestyimher]

The Dangers of LinkedIn and How to Best Navigate this Toxic Platform:

I've been thinking of starting a post series for young professionals to discuss the struggles of life after/in-between school and the corporate world and how to better navigate through adulthood. This series is titled Surviving Our 20s.

In this first post, I will do a small rant followed by what my takeaway is in regards to LinkedIn.

LinkedIn doesn't get enough flack for how toxic and pathetic of a platform it is. So let's talk about it.

It is common to hear people speak of how bad Instagram is for our mental health thanks to the exposure to others' lifestyle highlights reals. But the catch is that for the vast majority of us, choosing to be active on Instagram is not de facto mandatory and we can carefully curate what sort of content creators we choose to follow. LinkedIn, on the other hand, has become crucial for people to succeed in their professional lives as a means of acquiring jobs and documenting their professional history and achievements.

LinkedIn is, in my opinion, one of the most damaging social media platforms for people's mental sanity. It's nothing but a never-ending circle-jerk of performative wokeness and "humble" brags designed to boost the egos of already privileged narcissists. LinkedIn is used by people who come from backgrounds of wealth (but not necessarily old money types) or who have very strong family support/structures that others lack to brag about their "accomplishments" - that they would've otherwise not been able to acquire had they been born in different circumstances - in a tone-deaf manner. This is in lieu of expecting to receive accolades from strangers online to boost their already gigantic egos.

Corporations with very toxic workplace cultures utilize superficially crafted "highlights" to paint a favorable picture that vastly differs from the way in which they treat their employees in day-to-day life. HR people creating false stories and scenarios to paint themselves as the saviors of the little privileged, often times copying and pasting the same sob stories expecting others won't catch them in the act, despite not doing anything meaningful in their real life to help those truly in need.

PR is everything, and this manufactured culture of false pretend is particularly harmful because it makes marginalized groups and people who have to work harder to reach similar levels of success feel inadequate and often not worthy of it by virtue of comparison with those who pretend to be doing better than them.

One of the most bizarre things I've seen on LinkedIn is "influencers" on that platform taking advantage of the discomfort of people, especially young people in the workforce, to say all the things they want to hear in an attempt to provide a service to "help them", but only if they buy their $500 course to land a job that is not guaranteed. It's incredibly predatory.

In addition to all the issues with corporate flexing culture and fake PR, LinkedIn exposes individuals to breaches in their privacy by displaying their educational and work history to the world to see. This puts victims of harassment at risk because others can easily track them down, and it makes our private lives and information readily available to anyone who wishes to access it. IMO, this is worse than the information someone may be able to gather from Instagram and other social media platforms, as sensitive details from our personal and professional lives are not required to be shared.

If LinkedIn is a platform that you must use for professional advancements, I recommend setting digital boundaries on it like you would any other social media platform. Here are some tips that I've integrated for a healthier usage of the platform:

Only use the platform on desktop and with Google Chrome specifically, this is because you can find feed-blocking extensions that will effectively hide the news feed on the page each time you log on, so you won't have to be exposed to the cringefest that is posted there and that may lead you down a path of unnecessary comparisons and feelings of inadequacy.

Delete the app from your phone and only reinstall it if you attend networking events where connecting with important people may be relevant, then delete it again.

Keep your professional and educational background as private as possible. Make sure you have a skeleton of the timeline of positions and degrees you've completed but try not to go into details as to what you did; that is something that should be left for your resume that only select people will have access to.

Set your privacy settings to keep your photo and other information inaccessible to people who do not have an account on the platform.

Be mindful of the posts you interact with. Something as simple as liking a comment will show on your activity and will display to your network's feed. So only interact with the content you'd want others to relate you with and do not engage in arguments or other kinds of unhinged behavior with other people.

LinkedIn is a necessary evil for many of us, and in my opinion, the most toxic social media platform there is. But with proper use and boundary setting, we can derive good benefits out of it and minimize potential risks to our safety and mental health.

#things ive learned #blog piece #surviving our 20s

[skaldish]

Thank you for answering my question about periods. I’m wondering then if this whole concept of impurity in heathenry is also untrue or not?

A number of people were saying that all human fluids were impure. No praying if you had an open wound or anything. No sneezing during a ritual. But like...by their logic, you would be considered unable to worship if you wore a colostomy bag, because feces are impure. Which seems bad to me?

I’m sorry for being ignorant, by the way. I didn’t mean to anger or upset anyone. I’m new to this all, and I’m trying to learn.

You're welcome. The concept of "impurity" doesn't exist in Heathenry.

There's a few reasons why you might be seeing people claim such a thing though.

1. People want structure.

First of all, Heathenry lacks anything in the way of scriptures and doctrines. However, a lot of Heathens (specifically American ones) coming from a doctrine-based religious background, view this is a flaw rather than a feature. If anything, the lack of doctrines means they don't know what to DO to be Heathen, which can be anxiety-inducing for people who have never experienced any other paradigm.

Paradigm shifts take a while, so the way most people facilitate this is by creating their own practice observances. This provides them with a framework for being Heathen, but it's also something they understand as being for them, and is not something everyone needs to observe.

But some people try to force their ideas on others by selling it to them as "the way you do things." I can only guess why. Maybe it's because they don't feel like their own practice is valid unless other people agree with it. Maybe they came from a high-control religious environment and "converting others" is how they understand "doing religion." Or maybe they heard it from someone else, and because they're new at this and insecure they're going to repeat what they heard in order to feel like they're doing things "right." The reasons are endless, and people's minds are enigmas even to themselves.

The point is, if ANYONE's trying to tell you that there's things you HAVE to observe in Norse Heathenry, they're either lying, grossly misinformed, or simply ignorant of alternatives. Whatever the reason, it's still false.

2. The vikings were very clean compared to the rest of Europe, and many Heathens emulate this.

For lack of any scripture or doctrines, many Heathens develop personal orthopraxy by looking at what the pre-Christian Norse people (with the assumption Norse Heathenry died out with the introduction of Christianity, which we're only now figuring out isn't true. But I digress.)

One of the things people commonly incorporate into their praxis, is personal cleanliness. The pre-Christian Norse people supposedly had remarkable personal hygiene compared to members of other European societies, so it's pretty common for contemporary Heathens to adopt personal cleanliness into their practice in some way.

"Staying clean of bodily fluids for ritual" is something I've only seen practiced by folks running The Longship, and they presented it as an option because it's something they made up for themselves that made sense to them. To keep their ritual spaces remain clean of bodily fluids is something they chose to adopt after establishing a working understanding of Heathenry in their minds.

It's my understanding that was supposed to be an example of praxis, but unfortunately the nature of what it pertains to lends itself to skeevy interpretations.

(This is one of those circumstances where experienced practitioners mistake "having experience" with "knowing how to teach it." Many folks don't realize that pedagogy is its own unique skill. As a rule-of-thumb, you don't teach people exceptions to the norm until they are proficient with the norm, otherwise it creates this exact problem.

But in the Longship's defense, it was one of the first non-Folkish public-facing Heathen education websites to exist, so this is very much a situation where something was needed and they had the means to do it.)

Anyways, this misunderstanding could be a reason why you're seeing people claim this is something you HAVE to do.

(I also know the Longship also runs r/Heathenry, so take that as you will.)

3. Heathenry has a white nationalist problem

If something looks suspicious, treat it as such, because Heathenry has a white nationalist problem. Heathen white nationalists refer to themselves as "Folkish" which is a reference to the Volkisch movement of Germany, which was the social precursor to what eventually became the Nazi Party. Today's iteration is referred to as the neo-Volkisch movement, and its ideologies overlap with a number of alt-right and Hate Groups, including TERFs/RadFems for pastoral tradwife reasons.

Some of the talking points these bad actors like using involve encouraging people towards ideas or behavior that already exist in the world, but just so happens to benefit the spread of their ideologies.

For example, if people already observe "maintaining good hygiene" as part of Heathen practice, they might try to push that idea hard, so that people will see hygiene as so valuable that they would be more likely to apply it to things like "genetic hygiene" later (read: "Racial purity").

This doesn't make it unsafe or bad to be heathen. It just means you need to keep a discerning eye out, and to keep your distance from people spreading information in ways that seem very uncompromising, authoritative, and polarizing.

Remember: Heathenry is beholden to people. People are not beholden to it.

I honestly couldn't say for sure if what you experienced was cryptofascist in nature, nor do I recommend trying to verify. But having information about what that can look like can help you discern going forward.

#answered #norse paganism

[madfantasy]

Been crying alot lately not knowing why, nd now I can verbalise it, I need to type it down for the sake of my sanity.. I think its lots of trauma dumping, I'm sorry

I've seen a post ask about if you're an ace would u be in romantic relationships, and I have just thought about how I'm always revolted by these concepts since I was 6 years old.

Having been always groomed to be wed to one of my cousins or a rich somebody to be my highest achievements as it solely focuses on my private parts as my worth and my ability to contribute to the family's "Good reputation" and reap back benefits to.

But I knew, all along, if I was forced to be with someone, that will end me being on this earth or them if they tried going near me. And growing up, I always tried to accept that fact, accept that u need to be pure and clean and be good for wedding and basically enslaved to it, cuz that's all our still impoverished family can aspire to. And on top of the dark thing that happened to me, making me truly believe I have no worth in this world and have prayed to be taken to heaven before I hit puberty, and have tried pitiful attempts to leave it, untill i got faint access to Internet and stole the keys to the locked books, they themselves should have been reading, around 17 years old, found an only opening and escape to reality.

I remember, my refusal was all the firmer the more anyone tries to tell me all about the glamor of being an intimate house maid and the domestic abuse they gloss over that I personally have witnessed time and time again with every couple that visited or we went to. I always respond that i am already one to my guardian's with the same abuse minus the gross intimate part.

I didn't even understand why I hated it so much while everyone is doing it, and as young as 16.

I avoided alot of marriage offers thanks to my guardians being, in one good way, over protective. And me losing my mind every time they brought it up. Literal uncharacteristic melt downs and now they fear the subject after they finally snapped me after saying no for years wasn't enough of a respond.

I'm 30 and the latest offer was from a rich cripple who was willing to pay all my guardians debts and give them a farm. My guardians dream. They turned it down without consulting me.

I've always hated the concept of pairs joined by s*x and the s*x itself. And marriage as a whole never made sense to me, considering the developing world and its problems. But I understand it as a bond if its first and foremost was not for love, it was for safety— mental, financial and otherwise.

And where I come from, independence is supported by the family, you can not survive, work, do anything if you do not have a family, and specially if you assigned a certain gender. So basically, I lived in isolation for the majority of my life, in poverty, marriage seen as the only -allowed- way out.

And it's all stims from a so called religious teachings.. Alot in common in this world, who take it as a personality trait and use it to justify injustice. Even though most of the time they know nothing about it beside what they are told by their authority figures and operat in this world as superior to all others because they were told they r the true religion. I saw on TT a so called mus-girl complaining about her children being exposed to 'rainbow ppl' in school education and having the nerve to complain about it living as a foreigner welcomed to practice her religion in a western country and claims not to be hateful. And yes, Arab ppl call the community 'rainbow' which reeks of the phobia and condescension. Like their religion teaches them to be at peace with all and treat ppl how they like to be treated, yet they fail to apply that when they don't like or lack the emotional intelligence to understand others who are merely different, just different and existing, exactly like them. And they do believe God made everything, so he did make those people, so what their excuse to that? And they exsisted since tbe dawn of humanity. And funny thing is their religion tells them that God made humans different, and urges them to read, to wonder the earth and consider facts and if they don't know to ask who are knowledgeable, and their intentions matters more and if they did unjustly by anyone, who ever they are, they r not a true mus--. It obviously translate to just ask a man who knows nothing about science, empathy or common sense or notice the accumulating facts and only repeat a select few he is told at a religious house. Thinking seems to be a burden these people happily relinquish to others. Which irkes me to no end

I was told all the shit I endured is because it from gods teachings, and it should make me happy. I never stopped questioning if this is a bless then why I was never happy? And why I can't do as I am told

They beat me up when I drew, when I was rowdy and when what now i know is stimming, shaming it as an act of another religion, and it was the running joke in the whole family. Mental health was an immense shame and hush hush, and anyone who seemed to need it was judged to be just a lesser mus-- so they deserve all the pain and suffering they get

I was glad that lady was getting chewed by ppl who was responding to her, but one person said something that just made me burst into tears and I couldn't stopp crying lately..

She said she was a teacher that goes from school to school and stuff so she experienced alot of communities and she noticed the vast differences between children who's family love and support is unconditional and those who don't, they obviously tend to later thrive.

And thats the word..

Thrive

Besides our financial situation never changing to the better, everything else was in decline, my guardians health themselves relying on me even more, and my mental anguish exasperated to a point i barely see a point in life, daily.. I can barely draw now, something I did 24/7

Everything that I am I had to do deep research for just to know that there's nothing wrong with me or im not deserving punishments for. I am ace, I am a gentle Them, I am on the spectrum, and I am Mani..

I did everything I do now in secret and complete agony. I learned English to gave privacy, continued to draw cuz it was my only alive part, and posted online when I was forbidden completely to protect my art from being lost, had to swear that I was nit interacting with others. I lied and one of the few times I was found, I was beaten while a school friend was on the other line in a voice chat. I was more humiliated that my friend witnessed it than being caught.

I still have the deep fear and distrust, I can't deal with social things, having to keep guessing which social cues they are using and not to become a living status, leaving the house the mere thought if it alone is panic inducing, I can never feel safe and cant risk something that might bring any harm to me and my sibs, every few days I struggle not to just delete my whole exsistance online. I can't look at faces even in pictures and if I did or need to I have to mentally prepare myself for so long. I literally had to convince my guardians that I can have a credit card so I can "learn" to do stock shi then used it to have PP and one day i got commissioned, and only when that happened I was able not to keep it a secret. And in its place now I feel the pressure when I can't provide or won't

The rest I still have no luck, I bearly managed to tell them recently that I suspect that I am on the spectrum, reading alot about it lately and it explains even things I couldn't. The nearest I managed to tell them that I am ace and what it is is that I started by saying I find who we are suppose to be wed to disgusting and I already living that glamorous stay at home shi nd co-raising 5 siblings they know very little about. They said fine but don't go saying that out loud cuz God says that marriage is the greatest bless but I won't force u ever.

I just feel my life force almost over, while I experienced nothing of life beyond isolation and constant need, so i cant thrive in anything.. Everything I wanted to do I begged to try was denied cuz either of my privates or cuz we were poor. I wanted to be athletic and do sports but there was no such thing as a second gender sports around. I wanted to be and still wish I could be, a wrestler. Unsurprisingly WWE was my inspiration and practiced as serious as a kid could, having what I believed a super pain tolerance cuz I never cried as I was beaten. I was cut from even watching it because it was "shameful " all of a sudden. Later I understood it was because everyone was shirtless and it was s*xulised by them. Everything became the same later, everything I drew or expressed feared to be s*xual and or homo nd I was punished over, I literally drew dying ppl and bromance alot at first. And they just projected their assumptions on me. I understood later and still can't bear the thought that ppl can project s*x into anything, and it never clicked in my mind because of what I am. And that was their biggest fear. I drew things cuz I saw them beautiful, and they only saw it as vulger, because they can't help but hyper s*xualize everything or assume it being so even with clear indications. Something that happened online too, tumblr nd tt, so it triggers me horribly

Something ace i also realised there's a word for (forgotten ittt ugh)— even though s*x and its mention is completely revolting to my person and I can have no relation to it. I can still enjoy it as a fictional concept, as entertainment, if u will, specially in a muse of two characters I enjoy. So drawing it is fun and exciting and enrichs my naughty side. Until I finish it and I never want to see it again cuz I'm not super good at it yet heh

In my mind, I can love and treasure who ever platonicly, and our bonds does not have to direct our paths in life. My romance is bromance, and meaning I will do everything to make my bestie happy, and my biggest wish is to live like tintin, in a mansion and everyone can be free to go on adventurous escapades, like getting coffee. ( i never done that, so

And this is something I wish to do with my siblings, if the stars were ever to align..

At least have Sherir with me.. puppets make me happy

#text #personal #vent

[starfishinthedistance]

One time in therapy I was talking about how I feel like I have no purpose in life and my (white cis straight abled woman) therapist said "Oh your purpose is to educate people! You've taught me so much about social problems and you're so articulate!"

And I get what she was going for, but I wish privileged people understood that educating is goddamn exhausting, and we have no choice but to be good at it. If I could make sure that I'd never have to educate anyone on anything again I totally would.

Systemic oppression is such a complicated thing to explain to people, and that's not even mentioning all the people you have to debate who are arguing in bad faith because they want you and everyone like you to literally die. You have to remain calm as they call you slur after slur, or bring up shitty talking points that have been debunked a million times, or call for genocide, or use logical fallacies, or victimize themselves, or misinterpret sources all while they act like they're oh so superior to you. Because otherwise you lose credibility in the eyes of everyone else, because no-one likes an angry leftist. Of course they don't lose credibility for doing all of those things though.

Even to the most patient and kind people who want to be educated, having to detail the violence and prejudice that you face in every aspect of your life that you will most likely have to keep facing until your death sucks. It makes you depressed and hopeless. And you can see how it sucks the joy out of life when you have to educate multiple people basically every day.

Having my purpose in life be that would be an actual nightmare. I would never go through with living a life like that. It would be a miserable, exhausting life filled with panic attacks and death threats. I tried to explain that to my therapist but she didn't get it and persisted that "it's a good thing!!"

I never wanted to educate her anyway. I had to because I needed to talk about how my marginalization effects my mental health, and she needed to fully understand the issues to be able to help me properly. I shouldn't need to be wasting time in my therapy sessions that I pay for with my own money explaining that yes, these hateful beliefs are getting made into laws, yes that does actually effect me, and no, these aren't new things, there's a long and intense history here. No I can't just ignore it. Yes it is actually harmful to say or do that. No it isn't speculation that these things lead to violence, yes it has happened before.

This isn't to shade my therapist or other people with privilege, I just wish people understood that educating people isn't this super fun thing that we've gotten good at because we just love doing it so much! It's exhausting, it sucks, and most of us absolutely hate it. But we need to do it, otherwise people remain complacent in violence against us.

Marginalized people don't educate for the fun of it, we educate because we have no choice.

#slight vent #been thinking about this for a while lol #lgbtq #queer #lgbtq issues #queer issues #disabled #actually disabled #ableism #marginalized groups #marginalization #mental health #neurodivergent

[menalez]

On a post that you made 06 days ago on toddler girls wearing Hijab, watch out your caption please.

First, whosoever told you that the sole purpose of Hijab is to hide the beauty of a woman from a man is problematic. Modesty is a part of Islam adjoined upon both men and women. About Hijab, Muslim women does Hijab out of modesty to please their Lord not for a men, any men.

Second, no one makes their toddler wear hijab and even if they do its on them they like it that way.

Third, when they grow up they have the choice of wearing it or not. No one is gonna persecute them.

The things such as persecution, violence because of not doing hijab etc comes from patriarchal mindset of society not İslam. So, please get your facts right.

And how about stop dumping your western feminism on an entirely different culture/population.(You might be from Bahrain but you've clearly misunderstood the whole concept of it).

Maybe seeing young girls pushed into slavery and sex work is also something that exist and much harmful than toddlers wearing hijaab and actually enjoying it.

Before you go in expressing your concern about a certain issue, you better educate yourself first. Go read the Quran, the supporting Hadiths and then go about it.

Thanks. 🌻

hadiths are garbage filled with misogynistic nonsense and if u think opposing literal 3 year old girls being made to wear the hijab (say all u want about 'its not for men its about allah!!!', the verse used to argue that the hijab is MANDATORY, as is believed by most muslims altho u guys sometimes wanna act otherwise, is a verse about modesty in PUBLIC and another verse about:

“The Arab women used to uncover their faces as slave women do, which was an invitation to men to look at them. So Allah commanded them to cover themselves with their jilbabs and cover their faces with them.” (Al-Tas-hil li ‘Uloom al-Tanzil, 3/144) 

“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [al-Ahzab 33:59]

“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear therof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss.” (Quran 24:31).

also lol "western feminism" tell that to nawal el-saadawi! tell that to all the iranian women fighting very hard into not being forced into the hijab! tell that to eastern feminists whose feminism has been focusing on issues such as this, all while the west argues its just a free choice and to do with showing your faith. what's western feminism are people like you, deceiving others and acting like the hijab is a choice (when in most cases, it is not & to most muslims the hijab is mandatory. go read what most islamic scholars believe), people like you who act like women aren't persecuted if they wear the hijab and then take it off (anyone who lives in the muslim world can tell you otherwise), claiming that the hijab has nothing to do with hiding ourselves from men (as if the rules of hijab and the verses used to argue hijab is mandatory doesn't explicitly say so), and so on. your arguments are literally things western white feminists who know nothing about islam argue. its also telling you basically said "its not forced on those 3 year olds to wear the hijab, but if it is then its ok that theyre being forced!"

as for "waa read the quran read the hadiths educate yourself" i have. how about you do the same next? you can't correct me on this or deceive me into thinking otherwise because as every born muslim in my country has been, i had to take islamic studies for 12 years at school.

#anonymous #hijab

[girlactionfigure]

ISRAEL REALTIME - evening updates - Oct 29 

(( BIG BIG thank you to those who have tipped us a coffee or 2 or 10 !  We desperately need that caffeine to keep up! ))

— MORE ROCKETS IN THE NORTH (from Lebanon), 9 so far (Al Jazeera says “more than 10”)… Nahariya and surrounds, Rosh Pina and surrounds, Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi and surrounds.  This is a significant increase in rocket activity from Hezbollah.  IDF counter-fire in the area of ​​Wadi Khansa, near Mount Dov.  Hit in Kiryat Shmona, causing a house fire - no casualties.  IDF says counter-attacks occurring.

— REQUEST TO DECLARE YEMEN HOUTHIS AN ENEMY… First publication: Minister Gideon Sa'ar sent a letter to Defense Minister Yoav Galant requesting to declare the Houthis in Yemen a terrorist organization (allowing Israel to directly target them).

— SCHOOL STATUS… over 75% of the educational institutions returned to physical learning in the frameworks. In special education - over 84% of the study frameworks have returned to normal.

— WALMART… to donate $1 million to MDA. Magen David Adom

— AID… Gaza Crossings Authority: There are preparations to bring 23 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip now through the Rafah crossing.

— US SAYS… The U.S. believes Israel should take every means possible to distinguish between Palestinian civilians and Hamas militants in its military operation in Gaza, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.  

(( Ok… how?  Given Hamas is acting as unlawful and unprivileged combatants…

“Unprivileged Combatants:  Combatants who are captured without the minimum requirements for distinguishing themselves from the civilian population, i.e. being uniformed, carrying arms openly during military engagements and the deployment immediately preceding it, lose their right to prisoner of war status without trial under Article 44 (3).  Combatants who would otherwise be privileged but have breached the laws and customs of war (such as killing and torturing civilians, taking babies hostage, or using human shields).   Civilians who take a direct part in combat.” ))

—> “To all the members of the war cabinet, and to the whole world - remember that there are babies who were kidnapped to Gaza without anyone, without any family for almost 3 weeks.”

#Israel #Israel/Hamas War #Hamas Maccacre #Real Time Updates

[aroaceconfessions]

TW: Body image, slight mention of suicidal thoughts & Arophobia

I was planning on coming out as AroAce months ago to my family, but didn’t because I was paranoid about them laughing it off and treating it as a joke to tell to friends and relatives, and I don’t think I’ll ever reach the point where I can go through that and not have suicidal ideation and thoughts rushing back into my life. I’ve been thinking of coming out this time but lately they’ve keep giving me reasons not to and I’m not sure I can have a relationship with them if I will be judged for being AroAce or simply not having a partner in adulthood.

They first complained about how a friend of theirs have a mom who doesn’t allow them to date anyone, allegedly out of jealousy, and complain that the son “needs a wife to take care of him and make sure he doesn’t get lonely when he’s old”. Then, they ask their friend’s sons if they can take care of themselves because they’ll have to take care of a girlfriend soon (we’re all high school graduates).

Lately, my mom has been going on about my weight: praising me for losing weight, telling me that I have to keep losing it to look good, showing me pictures taken months ago and saying I looked so fat and how I’m so much prettier now, telling me that I need to keep exercising when I go to college to stay pretty. She tells me that my potential boyfriend wouldn’t want me to get fat and I need to stay skinny to get a boyfriend, and it feels so degrading. They and the education system have unintentionally raised me to place my worth in my grades, and now it feels like they’re just trying to make me place it in a different box.

I want to scream about how I used to break down when I feel their disappointment of me not passing a test, and how the cycle is going to repeat if they keep supporting this idea that I need a boyfriend to win in life. I want to yell that what they’re doing makes me want to ruin my body so no one would be attracted to me. I want to shout that I don’t want that kind of relationship and that doesn’t mean I’m going to die alone.

But part of me doesn’t want to do that. I’m still extremely grateful that I get to live such a privileged life because of them, I’m grateful that my mom still raised me fairly well despite her coming from a negligent and poor family. I see their hard work and sometimes I feel like I should keep quiet about the things they do wrong because they do so many things right, and I don’t know what to do.

Submitted March 21, 2023

I encourage anyone in crisis, experiencing suicidal ideation, or otherwise are in need of support to user Befrienders to find an emotional support helplines in your country.

Additionally, here are a number of US-based helplines for disordered eating support.

#aromantic #asexual #aroace #aspec #aro #ace #arospec #acespec #arose #suicidal ideation #coming out #fatphobia #misogyny #heteronormativity #disordered eating