#and bonus point if they're jewish

[trans-cuchulainn]

let's be more positive about books for a while! here are some queer historical romance novels that i've been rereading recently that i think do something interesting with making characters feel historical in their mindset and worldview, but are also fairly progressive, diverse queer books that are, frankly, a delight to read

this is by no means exhaustive and to be honest i could put almost anything by cat sebastian or kj charles on a list like this so this is purely the highlights of what i've reread in the past week to take my mind off work, and why i think they're interesting from this specific angle

cat sebastian, the ruin of a rake (turners #3)

this is technically the third in a trilogy but they're only very loosely connected, so you don't need to have read the others if you don't care about knowing who all the background characters are. the others are also good though

why it's interesting: features a character who has had to painstakingly study and learn the rules of polite society in order to claw his way up to respectability, and is now deploying those skills to help another man repair his reputation. shows the complexity of those rules, the social purposes they serve, and the work that goes into living by them, as well as the consequences of breaking them. also explores some of the financial side of aristocracy, and features a character with chronic illness (recurring malaria following repeated infections as a child in india) whose feelings about his illness are very relatable without feeling overly modern.

kj charles, society of gentlemen series.

this trilogy is closely related plot-wise and best read in order. all three explore cross-class romances and characters struggling to reconcile their political views and personal ethics with their desires, in the aftermath of the peterloo massacre, with a strong focus on the political role of the written word. first book is long-lost gentleman raised by seditionists / fashion-minded dandy teaching him to behave in society; second book is tory nobleman submissive / seditious pamphleteer dominant who've been fucking for a year without knowing the other's identity; third book is lord / valet and all the complicated dynamics of consent there with a generous side-helping of crime.

why they're interesting: close attention to the history of political printing and the impact of government censorship and repressive taxes on the freedom of the press; complex ideological disagreements that aren't handwaved as unimportant; examination of trust, consent, and social responsibility across class differences and in situations with problematic power dynamics; most of the characters are progressive for their time without feeling like they have modern attitudes. the second book, a seditious affair, deals most strongly with the revolutionary politics side of things, but all tackle it to some extent.

kj charles, band sinister.

look i'm probably biased because this might be my favourite KJC. it's a standalone about a pair of siblings: the sister wrote a gothic novel heavily inspired by their mysterious and scandalous neighbour whose older brother had an affair with their mum (causing scandal); the brother is a classics nerd. the sister breaks her leg on a ride through their neighbour's estate and can't be moved until she heals so they both have to stay at the house and find out if the neighbour is really as scandalous as he seems.

why it's interesting: discussion of atheism and new ideas about science and creation (very shocking to the brother, who is the viewpoint character); details of agriculture and estate management via main LI's attempt to grow sugar beet, as well as the economics of sugar (including references to slavery); "unexpurgated" latin and greek classics as queer reference points for a character who nevertheless hasn't quite figured out he's queer; material consequences of society scandal

bonus: wonderful sibling dynamic and a diverse cast including a portugese jewish character, which i don't think i've seen in a book before

i will add to this list as i continue to reread both of their backlists! (bc i have read them all enough times and in close enough succession that they blur together in my head unless i've read them very recently)

#néide has opinions about books #kj charles #cat sebastian #queer historical romance

[wiisagi-maiingan]

Love when you're arguing with someone over racism or appropriation and midway through they suddenly pivot and, after hours of making completely bogus claims and saying blatantly incorrect things, they're suddenly [Native/Jewish/etc] despite never once mentioning it before that point.

Bonus points if, when claiming to be Native, they say that they're part of a FRAUDULENT TRIBE.

#person after calling me a slur: yeah well i'm part of [insert tribe] #me after googling it and seeing that it's fucking fake: okay lmao

[reachartwork]

Noblesse oblige isn't any more leftist than the individualist power fantasy tho 😭 That superhero post is such dogshit I seriously can't believe u reblogged it without comment... I'm at a loss for words how can anyone think that's compatible with any kind of progressive thought and not just white supremacy/white man's burden repackaged in a kinder, empathetic wrapper?? Like I'm not demanding u take it down or anything (which would be silly to expect regardless of content) I literally just want to understand how someone otherwise reasonable and generally thoughtful can square such a thoroughly reactionary concept with an otherwise progressive value system (which admittedly is something I've projected onto you as I don't actually Know you but seems a reasonable assumption to make based on how you present yourself)

note: extremely sleep deprived but also i think the point of noblisse oblige requires one be of noble status or otherwise privileged which the common superhero fantasy is not really about! almost every single superhero in modern times "lucked into it", iirc even superman is just normal without our super special sun empowering him or some shit like that (if you point out batman to me i'm throttling you, with love). anyway, nitpicking aside:

with all respect anon i think framing the idea of "someone getting power and using it to help people instead of becoming a tyrant" as something that's bad is an antisocial point of view, to say the least. i think framing it in the language of the white man's burden is......... strange, to say the least. there's a severe difference between "the supposed obligation of white people to manage their supposed lessers because they're supposedly too dumb to do it themselves" and "saving people's lives in an emergency situation". helping people is good! having the ability to help people and not doing so is bad - in my religion (judaism) it's in fact explicitly prohibited[1]. wanting the power and ability to help people because you as a normal mortal person feel helpless in the modern world is not exactly a power fantasy i would call "white supremacist" in its core messaging, even if many modern cape comics and stories end up taking that bend by virtue of many authors just being bad.

the *reason* i reblogged that post was mainly to make a pithy joke about chum. but also i think if you view the idea of craving the ability to be a helper in the world we live in the day as, like, a reactionary concept, i think that says more about you than it does about what is otherwise a fairly milquetoast feel good post.

if i had superpowers i would become a first responder with them! this is something i think about all the time, so much so i have written 250,000 words about it in the past three months.

works cited:

[1] Shulchan Arukh, Choshen Mishpat 426

bonus reading:

The Golem and the Jewish Superhero, Jacob Geller

#superhero #superheroes #discourse #anon #ask #not art

[beardedmrbean]

I'm going to be honest. 99% of the Isreal/Palestine posts make more sense if you read Israeli as (((Israeli))).

You can only see so many posts of people celebrating dead civilians before you go "seems like your hatred is a little wider than you want to let on".

Also bonus points for blog descriptions that read "Pro-Palestine/from the river to the sea/nazis dni"

The echo parenthesis "(((Israeli)))" are a foghorn in a world of dog-whistles, incredible all the people that got mad about hogwarts legacy are awful quiet now too, I'd say I wonder why that is but I don't.

Also bonus points for blog descriptions that read "Pro-Palestine/from the river to the sea/nazis dni"

They're going to have real problems if they hear voices because they'll be breaking their DNI by talking to themselves.

Problem is I don't know which ones know that that's a call for a global Jewish genocide and which one's think it's catchy.

But the folks that signed up and gave a seig heil might not have known but they were still nazis.

Other than the ones that were drafted, they may or may have been, some didn't have a choice, if they wanted a chance to keep living that is.

I really don't like being one sided on things I like to gain some perspective from as many angles as I can, but when people go and paraglide in and shoot up a rave then take their victims phones and take a bunch of photos and videos then upload them to their victims social media accounts I kinda start losing the ability to sympathize.

Civilians in Gaza many of them I feel terrible for, because they don't deserve hamass and what they bring and I hope they can be free one day too.

#anonymous

[terrence-silver]

Do you think Terry Silver was drafted, enlisted, or was forced to do either or by his father? Because there was definitely a time frame when rich people were dodging the draft all together, buying their way out, or used being enrolled at school as a way to get out of it. Terry definitely had all those options at his disposal but I feel like it's sort of implied his dad was making a lot of his decisions for him at that point in his life. Which leads me to wonder what his relationship with his parents even looked like.

---

People never consider Terry Silver went to Vietnam...because he wanted to.

And it's precisely because up until that point, his old man was calling all the shots.

Making all the decisions.

Everyone always removes Terry's agency entirely.

Like, there's always these super complex theories on why he did it (and I fell into these myself for a while too) and while I appreciate those complicated ideas immensely, the more I think about it, the more it stands to reason Terry was simply hugely Patriotic. Can we not see it? In the way he talks about Vietnam in the 80's, for example? There's definite pride there, like the man absolutely, well, dare I say, liked the fact he has a military background to himself? In the original, it never seemed like he was forced into it. Serving in the army was simply something a young man was supposed to do back then; a norm of sorts. A rite of passage into manhood. Answering the call of duty? A given expectation. Buying one's way out? An utmost cowardice. Different times, different mentality. Terry was an American Exceptionalist and the minute he felt there was something he could do to show his loyalty and devotion to the cause (and maybe even retaliate over what he felt was American interests and Expansionism...because we do know he has his own set of prejudices for sure) he was on the first plane out of the country. He volunteered. He didn't have to do that, but he wanted to. And we do know when Terry wants to do something, good luck trying to talk him out of it. Vietnam could've been the first taste of true integrity and freedom of choice Terry Silver ever had in his life. The first taste of him being in control of his decisions, growing up in a rich, oppressive family with many expectations and a path firmly set, undoubtedly. Going to fight for what you believed in? It was liberty.

Would also be ironic if it was actually his father who didn't want him to go serve.

A typical reaction for a parent. Even a despotic one.

Visualize that.

Terry's father who considered his son is ungrateful. So ungrateful!

"We give you everything and off you go, gallivanting knee deep in jungle mud on the other side of the World, risking your life and limb with a bunch of greasy tikes with suspicious backgrounds who smoke the reefer and bring home Herpes! Most of them don't have a pot to piss in! They've nothing to lose and they've nothing to look forward to either. Unlike you! You're the person they'd come turning to for a job when they're back from the muck. You're not the same. You never will be."

Read that with a slightly Transatlantic accent.

Terry's father might've felt Terry had everything he already needed at home and that he was more useful taking over the family company and focusing on what he was always meant to do and let the working class fight working class battles overseas --- added bonus is, that if we consider his family Jewish, that his father could've thought that they shouldn't be here laying down their life for a bunch of gentiles and mostly outsiders who, given the right historical circumstances, might be here turning the barrel of their guns just as easily towards them next --- after all, if Terry Silver was born somewhere in the midcentury, vaguely speaking, his father was probably born a little before WWII just according to some very basic math and my god, does that explain a lot. The shadow of intergenerational trauma looms awfully closely over this family, which opens a whole new can of worms. I can envision that his father felt, much like most rich people feel, that their family is an insular microcosm of its own and that they don't owe anyone anything and should primarily mind their own business, but here Terry was, going against his parent's explicit wishes to try and be a big, damn hero, wasting his time when his time would've been better applied with the family interests. Can totally imagine Terry as a pampered family princeling who ran away from home to go off with the army. Would explain the line of a young Terry telling John that his father expects him to leave ''the whole Vietnam thing behind''. Stands to reason...if his father never approved of him being there in the first place. That Terry Silver's dad hit him with a big 'I told you so' the minute he was back and very much changed by his experience out there.

And even more worryingly, even in spite of that, knowing what he knew upon his return, I imagine Terry Silver would go again if he could...which is just...very dark to consider. A victim and an oppressor always craves to return to the scene of the crime.

#okay but terry silver being really patriotic is just...believable #terry silver #kk3 #cobra kai #character analysis #tw; vietnam #tw; war #tw; period typical attitudes #terry silver's father #terry silver's dad #silver family #terry silver's parents

[fakakta-art]

I'm writing a multichapter fic right now about dick and bruce and I was wondering if there's any details I could slip in from time to time to indicate they're both jewish? I'm planning on using a few yiddish words in dialogue and mentioning dick's bar mitzvah as a past bonding moment™ but I was wondering if you had any tips or things I could include

Oh gosh, I'm flattered you would come to ask me! I'm always a sucker for characters using Yiddish, and I hold very dear in my heart the idea of Dick (and Bruce) having Bar Mitzvahs. I'm not much of a writer, but I saw this post that I thought was succinct but made some good points on Jewish characterization. I don't personally have many writing tips, since my pencil doesn't usually make words instead of pictures LOL

In terms of details, though, you're on the right track! That would definitely be enough to simply express "hey, these people are Jewish!". Some Yiddish here, a recollection to a past Jewish holiday there ("I still remember how cute your costume for Purim was that year!", "Ah, I'll never let you hide the Afikoman again, we were searching for hours!"), it all does the job! Bonus points IMO if it isn't Hanukkah, which isn't that big of a holiday and is mostly a proximity to Christmas thing. Of course, this is all depending on the tone, and how you want to characterize them.

Of course, I'm only one person (and you know what they say; two Jews, three opinions!) but that's my take on establishing a character is Jewish casually. I'd be happy to hear more details or even sensitivity-read anytime though! :)

#and also i am so sorry for answering so late. for some reason the tumblr app (which is what I usually use unless im posting) didn't show #like. half the asks in my inbox. i am mortified! i will answer them all soon. and post more art i swear #being abroad and at the end of the semester has me busy AF. im working on it #deffo more art once its over. this summer is the summer of POSTING #fairy527 #ask

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Hello all, I'm back with another prompt for Werewolf Inclusivity Lore: Round 3

(Previous rounds were about gender and werewolves, and disability and werewolves, in case you're staring at this going 'What the fuck')

Anyway both previous discussions were equal parts fascinating and also super helpful to me personally, so I'm back with another! As ever, if you feel you want to chime in, please feel free to contact me however you wish, including privately and/or anonymously. Also, my standard disclaimer applies: this is for a series of very silly werewolf erotica novels set in Wales, and these discussions are to help me with casual representation - none of these books will be ABOUT these topics, they'll just feature them. Please do not expect a gripping and resonant treatise about what it means to be a trans werewolf. Please just expect some of the sexy werewolves to be trans.

Okay, with that out of the way, Topic Three:

Religion and Werewolves

(Read More to save your dashboards)

Right, now, for the most part this one is straight forward, because they have their own religion, right? They worship a Moon Goddess. The details of that are for me to invent and hash out (the genre I'm writing in has certainly never done so); I am more than happy for there to be regional variants of this religion though. As it's set in Wales I've given her a Welsh name, but I do think outside of Wales she'll have others (I'm also strongly leaning towards her having a cyclical gender presentation these days - most feminine at full moon, most masculine at new moon). All packs do worship her, though, because they're biologically attuned to the moon in a pretty unignorable way, and they believe the bonds between soulmates come from her (v important in an erotica book), and also when all is said and done I really do not intend to overcomplicate this. So far, so simple.

Now, I am trying to make a tidy percentage of characters POC, as I don't want to write a whitewash. But, given that religions can often have heavy interplay between culture and even ethnicity, I would like anyone who is not a mayonnaise-on-white-bread atheist like myself to chime in on what they would feel comfortable seeing integrated (as ever, I fully recognise that milage will differ.) So, for example:

If you wear religious (or religion-influenced) clothing, accessories or makeup, such as a hijab, would you want to see a werewolf character wearing it? I realise some items will be much more likely than others (and some are out of the question anyway - a crucifix is not going to work). If yes, would you be happy with a fake religious in-text reason for it?

If you're part of an ethno-religion like Judaism, how might an explicitly Jewish werewolf work (assuming you're happy to see one)? For context, this is not a genre that has a concept of humans being transformed by bite (although I could if necessary come up with something), but there is very much a concept of werewolves sometimes having human soulmates. So, it is feasible for a Jewish woman to have been mated with a werewolf and had kids, if that helps. However, would you want to see such a character be religiously Jewish? Or some fun new amalgamation? (Alternatively is there anything in Jewish history where you could go "Well, a bunch of groups broke apart from each other at that point and migrated away, so maybe one group became werewolves and that's why they left"? Can you spot them because they use Moon of David iconography instead of the Star? Idk help me pls)

Is there anything you can think of that I haven't even touched on here?

Do you think any or all of this is a terrible idea that should be destroyed with fire and I must be stopped now? I would much rather be told 'no' now, so I don't do it. Please don't feel nervous about telling me this is a bad plan.

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT ALL OF THIS IS BACKGROUND LORE. I will not be writing a book ABOUT this stuff. Just potentially featuring it.

As a final bonus, if your culture has a fun tradition of were-creatures other than wolves that you think would be good to integrate, HMU. Like bears in Scandinavia, for example. The world is full of were-creatures but werewolves specifically are primarily European. Like I know India has a tradition of were-tigers! Which carries with it the fear of accidentally writing racist trash like The Tiger's Curse, but I also wouldn't want to deprive us the glory of a were-tiger character if people would actually want to see one, you know? (If it helps I am happy to write a super objectified and stereotypical Scandinavian were-bear called Björn Vikingson into the same book who only eats fermented herring and blueberries and lives in an IKEA, so that any tiger character is super nuanced by comparison.)

Anyway, all answers appreciated, feel no pressure to chime in unless you want to. Thanks all!

#blood and silver

[thesixthstar]

Ok i keep seeing "best xmas music" polls and while i am sitting here being Annoyed In Jewish, I also have a niche poll to make to go along with it. So fellow jews and other non-christian folks who mostly suffer thru xmas music season, please let me know

*(bonus points because Rachel Bloom is Jewish)

If you Do Christmas or are a General Xmas Music Enjoyer, feel free to vote on anything other than the "i'll write it in the tags" that option is for people who are usually haters, except for that one song they actually like.

Also here are the songs in question for anyone curious:

(note: they have done a few different takes on the Hanukkah bit over the years, this version is neither my least nor most favorite, but I felt like this was a good performance to link)

#tag #poll #polls #i considered adding Christmas Can Can also by Straight No Chaser but like #idk its a fun one and i DO allow it thru my xmas music blockade but imo its not as good as 12 days #though the Hanukkah Bit in that one is a little less teasing #which i know the Teasingness may put some folks off #but idc that much about that vibe #Youtube

[monathedefiant]

last year, i joined @kiscon and it was the best fandom decision i'd made in a long time. i'd been in a number of fan groups but nothing like this one. i felt scene. i felt heard. i felt like i'd finally found my people.

then the group's leader @larissabernstein sent me an email on the morning of oct 9th letting me know that i'd been kicked out for "supporting terrorism".

what then followed was a series of increasingly hostile messages between us:

basically, she exposed herself to be a victim of zionist propaganda. i celebrated palestinian freedom fighters tearing down checkpoints, she saw me celebrating the death of her people. i acknowledged that israel's brutal actions against palestinians led to their freedom fighters taking drastic measures, she saw me hating jewish people.

the only thing i regret about my part in our conversation is that i didn't know enough to take the stance i should've when i had the chance.

instead i let her make me feel bad for hurting her personally which led to me trying to fix it with her before i really even understood what was going on or that many of hamas' alleged crimes were completely made up (plot twist: by israeli zionists!).

however, i learned quickly enough through my own research and ended up sending this final message a few days later:

the whole thing left me with a sour taste in my mouth. i'd felt so comfortable and so accepted by @kiscon and its members only to be tossed out like yesterday's trash when it was most convenient.

in retrospect, tho, i can at least respect that @larissabernstein outright told me how she felt about me and the whole situation. i had to learn through a third party that apparently my removal was a group decision and not just a sudden one made by her alone.

this explains why @lollians just straight up stopped responding to my messages. even tho they'd always seemed the friendliest towards me, to the point of sending me a uhura button.

but it doesn't explain why @1lostone told me this:

when i reached out them on the day i was kicked out. instead they gave me a vague response where they pretended to be shocked and then completely ghosted me.

meanwhile, @kiscon shared these posts on their twitter and then tumblr that same day:

it's been crickets from most of the other @kiscon members (other than @page-of-wands11 who at least had kind words for me when i reached out afterwards).

these past 2 months have been hard. even moreso because @kiscon was a source of comfort i had for a year. then i lost it in a day with nothing to replace it.

no more tight-knit group of k/s shippers with inside jokes. no more fellow trekkies meeting up via zoom on saturdays to rewatch tos episodes, play games, or just share thoughts -- on trek or anything else.

i miss it. then saturday rolls around and i miss it even more. but if the price of that comraderie was my silence in the face of palestinian suffering, i was never going to pay it.

and anyway, losing @kiscon has opened me up to finding a trek/spirk group that doesn't ask me to compromise my morals for a sense of belonging.

i can't wait to find them! bonus points if they're black trekkies + trekkies of color + queer trekkies!!

🖖🏾

#kiscon #fandom critical #mona shares #palestine #free palestine #free gaza #israel is a terrorist state

[backslashdelta]

I'm having a 'Puck' brain tonight, so...

In the ol' fandom style of "Character A gets adopted into Character B's family"; if Puck was adopted into different Glee Club member's families, how do you think he would fair?

Oooo fun okay let's do this!

Finn (pre-Hudmels): he'd do great here. Carole would love him like a son and he'd be stoked to live with Finn. Finn would be stoked having him around too, I think. They'd squabble sometimes but overall it would be good.

Kurt (pre-Hudmels): Puck was still a douche to Kurt in earlier seasons so I don't think Burt would stand for that and Puck would be out on his ass. But if it was a later version of Puck that's actually nice, then I think this would go well. He'd play pretty much the same role Finn plays in the Hudmel dynamic except better because I think at heart he's a kinder person than Finn WHOOPS I said what I said

Hudmels - I think he'd fit in fantastic here. In my headcanons Puck is just always around the Hudmel house anyway, so I think he'd fit in seamlessly.

Sam - This is another good option imo. They're a pretty chill family and I think they'd all get on well.

Quinn - This would be a tough one. Quinn's parents have very specific expectations, and Puck would not only meet none of them, but he would also be pissed off about that and act out more. Terrible combination.

Santana - I think this would probably be fine? I don't have a lot of thoughts either way. It wouldn't be terrible or amazing, just fine.

Brittany - I think he'd really vibe here actually. I feel like Puck and Brittany have potential to be pretty good friends actually, so I think they'd have a fun time. Her parents are kinda weird but they're loving, and I think Puck would appreciate them and their quirks.

Artie - Partie are bros, Artie's mom seems great. I think this would be a really good combination. They'd spend a lot of time gaming together and Puck would maybe be a little bit of a bad influence but nothing to extreme.

Blaine - I don't want to think about this because of whatever they have going on at the wedding.

Tina - I feel like she has pretty chill parents, so I think this wouldn't be terrible, but I don't see them having a ton in common so I think he'd feel a little out of place? But it would be fine.

Mercedes - I think he'd enjoy this! He'd probably say some dumb shit occasionally and have to get set straight, but it comes from a place of wanting to learn more and understand so he's forgiven. I feel like living with them would make him kind of protective of Mercedes too, so he'd be watching out for her at school. I think he'd feel the closest to a sibling relationship with her compared to any of the other options, for some reason.

Mike - I think Mike's parents would be too strict. Not to the same level as Quinn's, but enough that it would cause issues and he'd end up acting out.

Rachel - bonus points because they're a Jewish family! So he would really like that aspect. He'd find her dad's weird but generally would like them. I think he'd be resistant to the frequent singing at first but would warm up to it and really enjoy it once he let himself. They'd even get him playing guitar sometimes! His least favourite part is that Rachel would get on his nerves at times, but I think he has a soft spot for her so it wouldn't be a hide issue.

#ask #mine #anonymous #glee #noah puckerman #finn hudson #kurt hummel #sam evans #quinn fabray #santana lopez #brittany pierce #artie abrams #blaine anderson #tina cohen chang #mercedes jones #mike chang #rachel berry #new directions #headcanons #my headcanons

[jellybeanium124]

Re: your post about wanting Hanukkah fics- is there anything specific you think Ed would especially enjoy participating in or even sharing with Stede/ the crew?

Also (and sorry if this is a weird question but I'm more of an artist than an author so I'd like to know), what are your thoughts on ugly Hanukkah sweaters? I know you can't speak for all Jewish ppl but I feel like I've been seeing those advertised more and more but I've never met anyone who's actually bought one so I have no clue what the common consensus is lol

I really don't have anything specific in mind when it comes to hanukkah fics. just the general stuff! menorahs and latkes and sufganiyot and dreidels and gelt! just a fun nice time! bonus points for alma and louis (in modern aus, probably) and also socks as presents.

as for ugly hanukkah sweaters, sounds to me like goyim trying to be inclusive but having no idea what they're doing and shooting blind. I would like a hanukkah sweater but why does it need to be ugly? goyim stop trying to make our holiday more like yours challenge lol

bonus: art I made of stede and ed in hanukkah sweaters last year:

#nina rambles

[fabricdragondesigns]

The original post is friends locked, so I am copying instead, from the inimitable and clever David Firestein:

I don't enjoy most religious holidays and celebrations, but tonight is the first night of Hankukah, which is a rare exception to that rule. It's a celebration of a small band of indigenous rebels overthrowing a foreign occupation, and it's celebrated with fried food, gifts, and fire.

And so, in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah, I present to you my argument that Die Hard is actually a Hanukkah movie.

First, let's establish the general Jewishness of the film:

1. It's about LA and NYC, which automatically makes it at least a little Jewish.

2. The screenwriter was Jewish.

3. The movie is bookended by two songs - "Christmas in Hollis" at the beginning and "Let It Snow" at the end. While the two seem pretty obviously to not be about Jewishness, "Let It Snow" is written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (both Jewish), and "Christmas in Hollis" is produced by Rick Rubin (Jewish) and is inspired by Bill Adler (also Jewish). Much of the Hanukkah story is about being forced to hide your true beliefs, so many things that look like they're not about Judaism, will prove themselves otherwise.

4. The movie begins as the sun is setting and ends as the sun is rising, as do all Jewish holidays.

5. The first thing McClane does upon getting to LA is light a cigarette, obviously a metaphor for the lighting of candles.

Now, let's look at the story itself:

1. The Book of the Maccabees begins with the conquest of Alexander the Great and his conquering of all the known world. One of Hans Gruber's first lines in the film is "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept because there were no more worlds to conquer."

2. In the Book of the Maccabees, an invasion force comes in on "the five and twentieth day of the month" and immediately slaughters men, women and children (the biblical description is more gruesome than the movie) so a building takeover on Christmas fits nicely.

3. Those who resist are killed immediately, but some try to ingratiate themselves to the new masters. "In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us" (Maccabees 1:11). "And spake peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they had given him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city and smote it very sore and destroyed much people of Israel (Maccabees 1:30). Sounds like Harry Ellis trying to get in with the occupiers and getting himself killed.

4. In McClane's first fight with one of the occupiers, McClane gets the drop on him and points a gun at him. When McClane says he's police, the man responds that McClane won't hurt him because there are rules for the police. In one of the first battles in the Maccabeean Uprising, a town of Jews refuses to fight on Shabbas and are all slaughtered. Afterward, the Maccabees agree that the general rules of Judaism will not apply during the uprising, and they will do anything they can to win (much as John McClane does).

5. Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, and lights play a major theme in the movie. The occupiers shoot out the lights, and it is the cutting of the lights by the FBI that leads Hans to say "You asked for miracles, Theo. I give you the FBI."

6. How do the tiny band of Jewish rebels defeat the occupiers of their country? They use guerrilla tactics to surprise and ambush their enemies then take their weapons and supplies. This is exactly how McClane takes out his enemies. Picking them off one by one and taking their guns and explosives.

BONUS ROUND:

1. Germans. Right? And all that broken glass? What do I have to spell it out for you?

2. John McClane = J. Mac. Judah Maccabee = J.Mac. Coincidence, I think not.

But what about all the Christmas references:

The story of Hannukah is all about Jews who were forced to give up their Judaism and adopt the ways of the occupier. The punishment for participating in Jewish rituals was death. So of course all the Judaism has to be hidden behind Christian iconography. But you can't fool me.

Yippee-Chai-Oy, Motherfuckers!

#die hard #chanukah #hanukkah #die hard is a christmas movie #die hard is a Hanukkah movie

[anabanana-romanova]

💕

Favourite ship to write?

Dmitri/Anastasia (Dmitry/Anastasia depending on how you spell his name, it's confusing and I will rant about it if you ask me anyway-)

I know I haven't posted too much about them lately, but they are my favourite ship, especially to write.

Number 1: they're historical. Bonus points already. I can put them in WHATEVER fun historical events are happening at the time (eheheh world war 2) and explore how that impacts their relationship.

Number 2: I feel like they have such an equal relationship. They both provide a family, home and love for each other, they understand a lot of what the other has gone through and they complete each other really nicely. They're similar enough in their personalities to be close, but not so similar that they clash.

Number 3: I love to write the fight they had in the actual film and musical. I once saw a comment saying that Dmitri/y is abusive and that their relationship is toxic, but I beg to disagree. While yes, there is a lot of miscommunication (and a bit of manipulation at the beginning,) it's important to understand that 1) Dmitri/y's character arc is incredibly big and by the end he is not selfish or manipulating anyone and 2) have you considered a thing called trauma? Lemme explain.

Imagine that you have spent your entire life impoverished and working in horrible, dangerous factories or in other poor working conditions, you never gained an education, your parents died tragically when you were young (if we're going via the musical, your dad was arrested and taken to a labour camp to die), you've probably been betrayed, abused and beaten several times, you have to steal in order to survive, and somehow after the revolution you were praying would happen, the country you've been stuck in your entire life is somehow worse than before. Oh how glorious your life is, hmm. Now, if I told you that you could run away from this horrible country and your life and start afresh, you could live by the seaside in a nice, warm house owned completely by you, you could have hot water and a bed and enough food to fill you always and you could be rich, BUT you have to convince a girl who could possibly by the missing grand Duchess that she's Anastasia, would you?

OF COURSE YOU WOULD THIS IS YOUR ONLY TICKET OUT OF THIS HELLHOLE! And that's exactly what Dmitri/y did AND HE HAS PERFECTLY VALID REASONS! His motives were good, his actions were not. And he realises this after Anya blows up at him about how hurt she is and he realises that not only did he come to finally trust someone again, that person trusted him back and he just destroyed it. He recognises what he did wrong and (in the movie) he apologises! In his own way of almost getting killed for her, which if you compare with Dmitri/y at the beginning he would NOT have done that so clearly he's trying to make it up for his mistakes, but anyway, in short he's a traumatised boy who trying to relearn how to actually care for people and trust them after he's been absolutely shattered by people. (Add my own personal headcanon that he's Jewish into that and OH BOY DOES THAT HURT MORE-)

Number 4: I love writing them with children. I feel like they're absolutely amazing parents who care for each other and their children and it's so cute to me

Anyway this ended up becoming longer than I anticipated whoops-

Sorry about that rant-

#fic asks #anastasia #anyaxdmitri

[thebreakfastgenie]

📓📓

For you, Ally, one TWW fic and one MASH fic!

The Josh Dies AU is vast, so I've started daydreaming about it in installments. The first installment is called Pro Patria Mori and covers the night of the shooting.

For MASH you get THE daydream fic: Sixties Verse! I honestly left out a lot of Annie stuff but I gave you all my favorite plot points.

They both got really long so under a cut they go!

Pro Patria Mori

It begins with the president giving a statement to the press from the hospital. They've only allowed in one camera, he's being shot from the waist up in bed, and he's been made up as much as possible. As he begins, we jump back in time a few hours.

The surgeon who was working on Josh comes to Jed's hospital room to inform him that Josh didn't make it. Abbey, being an experienced doctor, knows what he's going to say before he says it. She holds Jed's hand. Shortly afterward, the hospital administrator escorts Leo into the room. Leo squeezes Jed's other hand, shaking, when they tell him. The administrator confirms the rest of the staff is in the waiting room.

Abbey accompanies the surgeon to tell them. She wants to break the news herself, but freezes, and the surgeon tells them. CJ freezes. Sam goes into the hallway to throw up. Toby calmly asks about the body. He explains that it's Jewish custom not to leave the body alone. The hospital prepares a room and Toby goes to stay with Josh until his mother can get there.

CJ has to run back to the White House. Danny catches her alone and presses her about the "who was in charge question." CJ, exhausted, frustrated, grieving, and still in shock, blurts out that Josh died. Horrified, she starts back-pedaling, explaining that no one is supposed to know yet. Danny gently tells her everything she says tonight is off the record. They hug.

Sam is struggling to write the statement they're going to put out and calls Toby. Toby is praying over Josh's body, but answers the call on his cellphone and works on the statement with Sam. Sam quote Wilfred Owen and Toby agrees the situation they're in feels like a war.

Jed insists he wants to deliver the statement himself and convinces the staff. As they're preparing, Leo references the same Wilfred Owen poem Sam quoted earlier. Abbey squeezes Jed's arm, and he makes his statement.

Also as a little bonus for you, in one of the later installments, CJ finds out Simon shot one of the Rosslyn shooters. She says "good" in a voice even Simon finds chilling.

Sixties Verse

This concept started before I even finished the show. In 1962, Hawkeye Pierce is working as a thoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital. He's been there for several years, but hasn't gotten to know anyone. Everyone calls him Dr. Pierce. The only person at work who knows anything about him is the chief of surgery, who learned some of his history when he hired him. He tries to be friends, having occasional lunches, but Hawkeye doesn't open up much. He's still in touch with everyone from the 4077th, but he doesn't talk to any of them often, even Charles who lives in the same city. (I have not figured out Trapper yet.) This is because everyone is busy with their lives, but Hawkeye has also distanced himself a bit without realizing it.

Annie Wainwright is the only woman currently in the surgical residency at MGH and faces a lot of disrespect, frequently being asked to run errands. On July 4th, 1962, she's sent to find Dr. Pierce, who handles most of the trauma cases.

After an argument with the arrogant chief resident, Hawkeye asks Annie to assist instead. He's impressed with her skills and compliments her. Annie invites him to the roof to watch the fireworks with some other doctors. He brusquely declines, which confuses her. The next day, he asks the chief to put Annie on his service and let him take over her training. Once Annie agrees, he quickly becomes her mentor. They also become friends, because neither of them has any other friends. He insists he has friends, they just mostly aren't local, and at first she doesn't believe him. He introduces himself as Hawkeye, but she insists on calling him Dr. Pierce because he's an attending, though he calls her Annie. She calls him sir a few times early on and he says "don't call me sir, it makes me feel like I'm in the army." He finds out one of the other attendings encourages it and loudly confronts him in the hospital. She asks where he learned a creative technique and he tells her "Korea." He starts telling 4077th stories. At some point as they get closer he tells her he left some of his marbles rolling around Korea.

Hawkeye and Annie are on call during the last night of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Annie and the other residents on call are scared, but Hawkeye is calm and tells them they have work to do. Once it's over he looks dazed and says he forgot what it feels like to be sure you're going to die. They all go out for drinks, which leads to Annie opening up more to Hawkeye, and also to her getting together with her crush, fellow resident Lucas Winters.

At some point, Margaret visits, and Hawkeye is excited for Annie to meet her. With Margaret, he acts like the Hawkeye we know, and Annie is amazed. Before she leaves, Margaret tells Annie privately "look after Hawkeye for me, okay?" Annie visits Hawkeye's apartment and makes fun of how he lives (he insists it's a bachelor pad but she shakes her head). She's shocked by the number of Christmas cards he receives and that most of them are from former patients. He explains that some of them keep in touch, because sometimes when people go through something they like to stay close to the people who got them through it, but sometimes they just want to move on. Annie doesn't realize it, but he's not just talking about his patients.

A young veteran who attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge is considered a hopeless case, but Hawkeye insists on trying to save him anyway. Annie is the only one willing to assist. The patient survives. Later, while doing rounds (Hawkeye always does his own rounds and spends more time with patients than any other attending) the patient tells Hawkeye he overheard the other doctors discussing him, saying Hawkeye was the only one who wanted to save him. Hawkeye tells the patient he wasn't supposed to hear that. Later he nearly comes to blows with the doctor who was gossiping, leading to his boss gently chastising him and revealing what Charles said in the glowing recommendation he gave before Hawkeye was hired. Hawkeye, who put Charles as a reference without telling him, is surprised and touched.

Annie and Lucas have a messy breakup and in order to take her mind off of it, Hawkeye brings her along to Maine for the weekend to learn "the fundamentals" from Daniel while he does a consult. Daniel asks Hawkeye how he would feel about him hiring Vernon Parsons to help with the workload. Hawkeye says it's absurd to think that would bother him, but spends the entire drive back to Boston complaining about Vernon to a confused Annie. There is a flashback explaining why Hawkeye decided to go to Boston. There are several flashbacks interspersed about what Hawkeye was up to between 1953 and 1962, including his job interview.

One night during a bad storm, a family that was in a car accident is brought in. The father is dead on arrival, but the mother and baby are in critical condition. A pediatric surgeon is called in to work on the baby while Hawkeye works on the mother. Despite his best efforts, she dies, and he tells Annie to inform the other surgeon that his patient is an orphan. At that moment, a resident from the other surgery arrives to tell them the baby didn't make it.

Annie finds Hawkeye on the floor in his office. He says he's out of gin and, confused, she says he doesn't keep alcohol in his office. He says the baby was perfectly healthy when it got on the bus. She tells him it was a car and he doesn't respond. She discretely takes him home and stays to keep an eye on him. She asks her ex, Lucas, to cover her shift the next day and he does. The next morning, Charles, who heard about what happened through the surgeon grapevine, shows up to check on Hawkeye. Annie doesn't recognize him (despite being a fan of Dr. Winchester's work; she's embarrassed when she figures it out) and refuses to let him in until he says he served with Hawkeye in Korea. When BJ shows up a little while later, Annie is expecting him, and lets him in right away, causing Charles to grumble. Hawkeye recovers in a couple of days and asks Annie how she knew what to do. She reminds him he told he he left some of his marbles in Korea. He says "I thought you thought I was kidding" and she replies "so did I."

In July 1963, Annie starts her third year, and Hawkeye goes to New York for a 4077th reunion for the tenth anniversary of the ceasefire. Between this and the previous visit, he's started making more of an effort to be in touch with his friends. He's spending time with Charles, who he eventually finds out is married to Donna. He's hurt that he wasn't invited, but Charles says they eloped.

The rest is much less clear, but includes Lucas being drafted for Vietnam, Margaret finally retiring from the army and moving to Boston where she frequently spends time with Hawkeye and Charles, and Hawkeye getting in touch with Sidney. The fic ends when Annie completes her residency and takes a job in another city. Hawkeye decides to spend less time doing trauma surgery and more time teaching it to younger doctors and med students. When Annie completes her residency, Hawkeye shakes her hand and says "Congratulations, Dr. Wainwright." She replies "Thank you, Hawkeye."

#mashposting #daydream fics

[ofsgiathan]

17

17. Something that you find unforgivable?

there's actually a lot of things that i find unforgivable. but there are two things that i truly find unforgivable and absolutely horrendous:

it's okay to have animanga like attack on titan be inspired by the nazis but it's not okay for characters to canonically be lgbt-phobic?? i'm sorry but they're both equally bad. especially considering that there are an infinite number of people who are jewish and lgbt. you can't tell me that one is worse than the other. i'm an equal opportunities complainer. if i'm gonna complain about one problematic thing then i'm gonna complain about literally everything. and keep in mind that this is all coming from someone who's gender queer ( she/they ) and is a demi bi.

oversexualizing minors, proshipping, and aging up minors because "uwu they're sexy"?? this is legitimately as to why i can't bring myself to deal with miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir. people are fucking weirdos. i'm fine with people aging up their muses because they either already are or going to be an adult by the end of the series ( a few prime examples being bleach and attack on titan ) but don't age them up for the sake of being gross.

trying to justify either either of these two is not okay. however. i'm also not okay with what many would call the "white knight syndrome" where we completely disregard all of the problems in the world.

for instance, there is this book called Cemetery Boys by Adrien Thomas. it's about a latinx trans male who's from a very transphobic family and refuses to even remotely acknowledge him as a male. bonus points that adrien is also a latinx trans nonbinary ( they/them ) author! i'm yet to read it but i do own it. i've also heard nothing but good things about it and that it really shines on the topic of transphobia ( and how it affects people in bipoc communities ).

with that being said, this proves that we can talk about problematic situations when it comes to fictitious characters and not agree with them. this is why the term "mun =/= muse" exists in the first place. either way, we're all entitled to our own opinions and are the ones in charge of curating our own safe spaces. because i know for a fact that i find quite a lot of things uncomfortable but can also acknowledge that disregarding them doesn't help.

#out of wings 》》》 mundane #seeasunset #nazi mention tw #lgbtphobia tw #transphobia mention tw #transphobia tw

[silverjetsystm]

🔥

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion. Bonus points if you include a topic. ( IE. shipping, roleplaying, ect. ) | Accepting!!

@redwinterwhitewclf suggested "Jewish erasure in MK MCU?"

I think this is a Opinion that is becoming more popular as time from episode 6 happens? I know a lot of comic book fans have always had this critique.

Anyway. Hi, I'm Cory. I'm a Midwestern Jewish queer. I think the mouse dropped the ball on MK Jewish rep. This isn't to tell anyone they're Invalid or to stop liking the show. Just my opinion. 2 cents and it can't buy you a cup of coffee.

While I think OI did a great job and I do love his work, I wish the powers that be casted a (raised in a Jewish family) Jewish man for the role. I wish they had consulted Jewish educators/sensitivity readers/etc. For the project. I wish there were Jewish writers, producers, and other crew members on this project who had the power to voice concerns.

I think changing the System's origin (not Orthodox, regarding abuse rather than antisemitism) and making the rep a game of "point and you miss it!" was a disservice to the character.

#on the internet everyone thinks you're a duck #asked and answered #// thank you for the ask!!