#as if there's only one correct way of talking about politics/war etc and they're the only ones who do it right

[lovl3igh]

@ viserys targaryen

i don't really understand what's the point of making viserys and daemon neglectful fathers in the show... yeah like daemon is around his girls a lot (especially baela in her childhood) and ig we could say he cares for his children with nyra, touching her tummy, searching for eggs, even clearly supporting luke and jace and their claim

but then we have rhaena's "father ignores me". we have scene when he hugs them after laena's death but it get cut so does it really count? we have him ignoring the fact his daughters were hurt during fight with aemond. he talks about dragonriders and unclaimed dragons and rhaena becomes uncomfortable (and it might means nothing for her relation with daemon but still). he ignores nyra in her labour (which is weirder when you think about jace's question. where is daemon? as if he expected him there. as if daemon was by nyra's side when she was giving birth to viserys and aegon, just like he was with laena. yes, he now plans the war to protect them but also he's wife may be dying). caring daemon - cut! comforting rhaenyra? cut! mourning visenya? cut! finding out about luke? cut!

it seems like his character as a father (i already complained about daemon as a husband lmao) was written very inconsistent, writers wanted to show he's a family guy after all but really damaged his relationship with his children, especially his own ones, as if caring for family claims were more important than themselves for him

less with viserys but still. he was never a good father, not even in the books but his character was damaged his too (especially with rhaenyra). we see him celebrating aegon's birthday, touching alicent's belly, watching his kids and grandkids training etc and after that we have "rhaenyra, my only child"?? dear gods (poppy milk blah blah whatever). not even commenting on his behaviour towards aemond and aegon on driftmark (yeah, one just commitet a treason and the other was drunk but dude wtf). helaena didn't give a fck about him while in the book she visited him regularly with her children. the fact he doesn't even know his daughter is a dreamer (that one also... ehh)? that he doesn't talk with aemond even though they both love history??

what truly bothers me that daemon is supposed to be a grey character but in the show if he wasn't in team black which is more "morally right" and also politically correct about claim to the throne we'd say he's fully antagonist cause of the crimes he commited and his good moments (as brother, father, husband) are really reduced

viserys and daemon are not good people, period. they have many flaws we could see clearly in books and show. i just can't understand why creators decided to destroy their characters as fathers (especially daemon) as if they needed to show this way that they're both bad men*. it's very one dimensional - you're bad man, then you're also bad husband, bad father, bad brother, bad friend. which is even more stupid when you see these big gestures that should prove otherwise (viserys coming to the throne room, daemon ensuring jace's claim or killing vaemond in nyra's protection etc)

*this confuses me much, viserys is shown as a "good guy" most of the time even after what he did to the realm, aemma or alicent, as peaceful king, family guy, who loves them all so dearly, but looks like him neglacting other children could in any way help rhaenyra being seen more as a rightful heir to watchers? idk unnecessary and speaks volumes, apparently as watchers we're stupid bc we don't see viserys is terrible (oh bc how could he be? he married 15yo instead of 12yo - i'm gonna write sth about these age changes too cause seven hells - such a good guy) after rping two girls and basically killing his wife at very least so they need to show us deadbeat father

#let daemon be a good father in s2 #we already know he's a monster #it's very canon #house of the dragon #targaryen #hotd #rhaenyra targaryen #fire and blood #daemon targaryen #anti daemon targaryen #anti viserys targaryen #aemond targaryen #aegon targaryen #helaena targaryen #baela targaryen #rhaena targaryen #dragon twins #jace targaryen #luke velaryon #the rouge prince #hotd season 2

[shirk-ethic]

some studies in revolution

Hello! This is a sideblog dedicated to history and theory of revolutions: what they are, how they're made, what happens when they succeed and fail. It is probably going to be made up of analysis and quotes and is intended to kind of "keep me honest" about doing some actual intellectual work in the midst of life's drudgery. I also think that my grounding in revolutionary theory is personally inadequate and I want to correct that.

To start out, it's been a long time since I was actively reading academic history, and I learn history best from listening and taking notes; only reading makes it less "sticky" in my memory. So I'm initially going to use Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast as a means of marking my progress and giving some focus to the project, as well as providing a baseline to build notes on which can then be supplemented through more rigorous academic histories.

In tandem with each subject, I plan to read some primary and secondary sources, including relevant writings in revolutionary theory (both from revolutionaries, i.e. Lenin/Fanon/Robespierre/etc., and from academic sociologists or historians, i.e. Skocpol, Barrington Moore, Eric Wolf). Eventually I'll run out of Duncan, so if anyone has other similar podcasts or some lecture series that they think would be useful - especially for historical events after the Russian Revolution - please let me know! Reading recs are also always welcome.

As far as what I'm hoping to cover, I'm going to do something non-chronological and relatively free-form. I definitely want to cover the following:

English Civil War

French Revolution

Haitian Revolution

Mexican Revolution

Russian Revolution(s)

Chinese Revolution

Cuban Revolution

Algerian War of Independence

Iranian Revolution

This is definitely passing over some notable ones but I'm not foreclosing coverage of any particular thing by way of making this list, just kind of giving an indicator of where I'm at right now. I also have some historical interests I'd like to spend more time learning and talking about, like certain Roman revolts (Catiline did nothing wrong) and the German Peasants' War. So maybe after France or Haiti I'll get a wild hair to do a write-up on Thomas Muntzer, or Easter Rising, or Spanish anarchism. I want my focus to mainly be on the seizure of power, and what was done with power once seized, but I'd also like to explore failures, losses, and short-term experiments. I'm most likely going to start with the French Revolution and then possibly double back to the English Civil War when I have some time, and then we'll just see what happens. I will also probably not be doing a ton of military history though I won't avoid it where relevant; it's frequently just not enjoyable for me to talk about in detail. Very much approaching these things from the social/political history angle as much as I can.

If you choose to follow along with this personal project, please feel free to chime in as I hope this can lead to some interesting conversations with other people who care about topics like political radicalism, comparative history, political theory, etc. Who knows what life will bring, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep this going for a while.

I may also change the name but I needed something and I thought this was funny.

[baeddel]

I only ever see Americans calling it "IOF", frankly I feel like it's just unnecessary obstruction in making any given statement about the IDF's abuses wildly available/visible for the public and unlike the distinction between terms like "war" vs. "conflict" vs "occupation" it feels like the only purpose it properly serves is to mark the speaker as Ideologically Up To Date

is that true? where are you from? but yeah i mean there's a general discussion to have about political movements and using specialized lingo and so forth (you know i live in a country where this is so widespread even i don't know all the right names for things, LOL). but even if people can't stay up to date, correcting people the way anon corrected me is still serving the agitprop function the terms are supposed to, right? because i said IDF, someone objects 'it's the IOF!', and now we have a conversation about Israeli propaganda and how imperialist states frame their activites to the international community and so forth. then the next time i might say IOF and someone asks me what that is and we have the same conversation.

also i don't think you're quite right by saying: well the IDF's abuses are well known, so why insist on calling it an occupation instead of a conflict, etc.?—if we talk about the IDF's abuses, we tend to think that the IDF should be reformed and that the problem is one of mismanagement and overstepping (the Haaretz position). whereas if we insist that they're defending an occupation, and even the peaceful resolution of the conflict would not address the underlying mechanics of displacement that implies, then we're making a more fundamental criticism where we don't get dragged into internal policy discussions & the like. in Northern Ireland you no longer have the British Army setting up checkpoints and so forth, but you still have an occupation, and if we had merely been talking about the BA's abuses we would now be confused as to why the situation is still as it is.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

For Zain! What is his relationship like with some of the maverick hunters now vs his old world? Are there a lot of old faces? What about new ones?

((To... keep it easy to differentiate the two worlds (and to keep from constantly saying Zain's Old World and Xanti's New World, etc), I'm going to call the world where MZ, Zain, Zain's Vile, Mave, and Psi World Z, and the setting where Xanti, Vi, the 0th Unit, and the majority of the plot takes place World X.

I'll also specify that if we're talking about the Vile from Zain's world, I'll be calling him simply Vile. The Vile that is written by @overx is better known as Vi, will be referred to as such.))

Before MZ destroyed the planet, World Z was following a near 1:1 timeline as the original MMX games, and ended at the 5th game's Bad End, or as Zain and Psi know it as, the 5th Maverick Uprising or the 5th War. The difference here is that for extra flavor to the world, I have OCs and side characters (like the 0th Unit) that never existed in the games alongside canon MMX characters like Alia, Douglas and Signas (yes that means Iris and Colonel and Vile and eeeeveryone else). Equally, when the planet was broken, no one survived excluding Psi, Zain, and MZ (Mave wasn't a person yet/still in development).

Between World Z and World X, there's more than a few repeating characters, the OG canon characters being not the only ones. The truth is: everyone feels the same. Sigma, all the Mavericks up until X5 and Repliforce, even the Navigators and Cain. It goes deeper than that too. Even the unnamed side characters, the 0th Unit, the reploids and rookies that Zain trains alongside the other Hunters-- they're all the same too.

...Can you begin to understand why Psi, the X who had been with Zain until he'd gone to World X, calls Zain crazy?

They both saw all of these people die. Their friends, strangers, students and enemies. Zain and Psi can look at individuals in World X, the same whose timeline is further behind, and know who will go into a fight and live, and who will leave on a mission never to return. Who will go Maverick, who will be crushed under a mechaniloid, who will be betrayed and who will do the betraying, and it's pretty accurate knowledge, now that Sigma and the original eight have once again defected. The timeline in World X is different, but all the faces are the same.

....Except Xanti, and now... Vi.

There's a reason for that, but it's not going to be elaborated on at this moment.

In World Z, the original eight Mavericks (specifically and ESPECIALLY Storm Eagle), Sigma, Alia, Douglas and Signas, the 0th Unit, Psi, and Vile were all people that were once a part of Zain's social/inner circle. All of those people were ones he considered friends. Before the First Uprising, they were all ones he confided in too.

He, equally, was far more outgoing back then as well. They'd all have drinks, hangout, play games and train together. They shared everything; stories, space and camaraderie, really and truly were friends. Until many of them were infected, they were all Zain had. Vile, in particular, was Zain's best friend until Psi, and until Vile eventually succumbed to the virus.

...It hurts, to go to World X, and see them all. There is a sort of displacement for Zain in World X. These people all share the same memories, the same feelings as those from World Z, but he is not in them. He's not their friend here. The individual known as Zero did not even exist until he showed up, and there had been no virus outbreak because of it; just the usual political Mavericks who attack because of mistreatment.

For that, Zain kept his distance in hopes to prevent further hurt for himself, and the people that never knew him, but...

Time has a funny way of correcting itself.

Vi is the only one left.

He's doing everything he can to make sure lightning doesn't strike twice again.

#((thankfully for Zain... he's doing a pretty good job with Vi. #Anonymous #;memorialized vamploid #[Headcanons: Zain] #{Guest Muse: Blitz Cheetah} #{Guest Muse: Demolition Jaw} #{Guest Muse: Aerial Magpie} #{Guest Muse: Midnight Panther} #{Guest Muse: Sparking Mantis} #{Guest Muse: Zoel} #{Guest Muse: Vile} #~arsenal ace~

[niobiumao3]

Okay broader episode thoughts (spoilers etc).

Hunter's senses actually being like...useful in practical ways. SENSING THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI. Space ranger!!!! He's one of those characters who needs a writer to give a fuck about his abilities to remember to write them correctly and, well, that's been lacking. He's not the first character to suffer this problem. Nice to see it finally being properly used.

The idea of the Batch settling in with a group of refugees--this is the most obvious and natural thing ever, and it's a good narrative about the war. You could make the various 'scared of clones!!!" arguments if you wanted but I suspect in truth they're all too different looking to suffer that like Rex or Cody might. No one here is going to ask them about their situation; they have their own Situations to not talk about. Everyone's on the same page: the Empire and the Republic before it took everything from us; we're not going to survive without one another. Which is kind of the show's theme but I appreciate this episode as a microcosm of it outside the macrocosm of the political/war/intrigue plot. At the end of the day, where could they go to raise Omega and learn what it's like to exist? Somewhere like this.

Which is another thing--Tech off-handedly mentioning how they had NO socialization outside other clones, and basically no childhoods, was a glimpse into an interesting idea: as clones they'te in general are fine at surviving as mercenaries, but when it comes to Just Living, they have been robbed of literally EVERY social skill. Even Hunter, arguably the one who would manage the best at that, is treading lightly and uncertain. Sure, they have great practical skills. and could easily learn trades or whatever, but living with neighbors? Managing simple disagreements in a city council?? These are foreign concepts to them. Tech would be like 'obviously you can't put that tree there, it will damage the foundation.' 'it's my property I do what I want.' 'the tree is unaware of property lines, and as such you are obligated to make a correct decision for it'. (Jesus he would be a fucking nightmare on an HOA.) It's such a fun idea which I know the show isn't going to address but I'm loving the possibilities.

I can't decide where I am on the 'Cid's vid feed was forced' vs. 'Cid is just worried about losing access to them and cranky' thing. I don't really want her to betray them. I'm here for 'one of her associates does' because let's be real she has a lot of shady, ne'er-do-well liasions hanging around who would happily do so and have no doubt noticed the trio of not-clones and their child sidekick.

It feels like a deep fake video from her is a bit less likely in terms of the show's overall writing, though. Which makes me sad because it does probably mean she's going to turn on them. And, meh. I prefer her being shown as practical, if self-serving. She has to know the Empire would only kill her to keep it all quiet. So what does she gain by drawing their attention with a tip? Literally nothing.

I guess we'll see. Next week is the equivalent of War Mantle from last Season I'm sure--i.e. big ol' cliffhanger which leaves us wailing and gnashing our teeth. I might do what I did then and not watch until the following week so I can do all episodes at once. (This happened to me accidentally with The Crossing and I don't know how you all survived I'd have been like NO THE SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH for 7 days. Sorry Tech Omega is right.)

#spoilers #tbb spoilers #season 2 #the bad batch #star wars

[rollercoasterwords]

on the topic of girl/boy scouts and gendered education - in my country scouts is not split into "boy scouts" and "girl scouts", everyone goes together. however! for decades the groups for the younger kids were split into girls and boys - they did the same activities but it was still stereotypical (more play and physical work for boys, more creating and discussions for girls). a few years ago there was this initiative to mix the groups of the younger kids bc this was the only instance where the girls and boys were separate and it caused very wide discussions in my circle of a. would the kids be bothered by it (we were scared we would get only boys from some schools and only girls from others; that the kids would segregate themselves), b. would it damage the kids' safe space (we're talking ten to twelve year olds, right at the age when they're not yet teenagers but not toddlers by any means), and c. (and most importantly in my opinion) what is our role as their guides and educators? because at the end of the day we strive to not just create a fun environment to play but also discuss serious topics, from climate change to politics to civil rights and even broad subjects of history, and learn practical stuff, from anything camping and building to first aid and the different ways one can volunteer. and at the end of the day, there isn't any need for girls and boys to be taught these things separately. they ended up mixing the groups and remarkably it not just worked out but actively benefitted the kids; there were so many we didn't think would come and now did because their friend group from school was of both boys and girls, because their closest friends/cousins/twins even could be in the same group with them and provide them with the safe space they needed. all that to say, if this person insists on discussing girl/boy scouts, it's worth mentioning that the way the movement functions in different parts of the world varies widely - and even more than that, education is not static. the right adjustments should and can be made for certain kids (should the broader system "allow" it, which is exactly why we need it to be flexible and considerate and anything but static), but the way you educate - the system in which you provide others with knowledge and lead discussions - is the basis of it all. i could go on because i feel like people like to misinterpret girl/boy scouts because those are very old and very successful movements, but even the stuck-up sexist movement created by a perhaps-pedophile in an attempt to show british boys how to Be Prepared for a war after wwi can change and shift, because that's what education is all about. to try and define a "correct" way of teaching, of schooling, of either formal or informal forms of education is not just simply futile but legitimate dangerous to the basis of the field itself; it's ever-changing, ever-growing, and trying to deny it inherently means keeping others (mostly children) in the dark. the thing is, lots of people who advocate only for one type of static education (be it segregated, modern, conservative or new and innovative) know it doesn't include everyone (it's easy to look at conservative forms of education, but at the same time not separating girls and boys tends to prevent religious communities from attending, for example) and they still continue to advocate for it because it's a lot easier to just take one thing and stick to it. this ask is getting long lol just wanted to share my thoughts on the subject! from my (pretty wide) experience with various forms of education (formal, informal, conservative, modern, etc) i can say that the best educators i've seen have been the ones that learned to be flexible and make education about the children (even students) rather than the textbook academic definition of their approach. education, when done right, is slow, and we don't get to see the results for very long years; which is exactly why it should not be set in stone.

don't have time to write a long response atm but i appreciate ur perspective!! really interesting to hear an anecdote from someone who's witnessed an instance where boys + girls were separated vs mixed together in the same program

#ask

[ilikekidsshows]

Basically, the issue that's causing the anti-Dadrius folks is the same thing that caused so many issues in the Miraculous fandom, the Gravity Falls fandom, etc.: past generations thought "everyone who disagrees with me is wrong". Today's generation thinks, "everyone Secretly Agrees with Me Already, but some psychological dysfunction is preventing them from seeing things properly". So, today's fans are obnoxious because they don't think the rest of us are wrong, they think we're Brainwashed (TM).

I have seen the argument that some people online think that they're so correct that everyone does agree with them, but is just hiding it for whatever reason. That they're using the argument that: "you have no reason to trust anything a stranger online tells you," to justify completely making up everybody else's personality. But I've mostly seen that attitude in people who think: "Maybe we shouldn't act like asses 24/7 when online," should always be answered with: "This is the internet! Everybody's an ass!" while the fact that someone just politely asking them to be less of an ass should already be evidence to the contrary. "Everybody else is an ass, so I am justified." Basically, they feel they're so correct, they don't actually write any proper counterarguments despite being the one to start the argument.

There is more to the tendency to try to pick fights in fandom spaces, though. I feel stuff like tag-bombers and post-hijackers are a result of more people online disregarding the concept of personal space, even in a digital space. Like, how often does someone defend hopping onto someone else's post with something combatative with: "You posted this publically online, so I'm justified in arguing with you," completely forgetting the possibility that the post might be trying to reach like-minded individuals? They definitely show the Everyone Secretly Agrees With Me attitude in viewing this behavior as okay when they're called out on it.

These people also actively stalk the tags used by people who disagree with them to find posts to argue with, or just post their opposing takes but tag them with the tags used by the people who are guaranteed to disagree with their posts. They often play coy ("I used the ship tag because I'm talking about the ship no other reason I swear!"), but tag-bombing is about picking fights. Basically, everything is treated as an invitation to debate, every topic as something suitable to debate over and every other fan as a willing debate partner.

I've seen people lamenting how we no longer use phrases like: "Don't like, don't read." Basically, fandoms can no longer just accept that one group of people thinks this way and another group of people thinks that way and if you feel too strongly about mutually exclusive takes, you probably should avoid each other for the sake of having a lighter fandom space. Shipping wars have always been a thing, and could get pretty ugly, but these days people seem to feel so strongly about everything and feel the need to prove that they're correct more often than before.

For many, it used to be enough to privately think you are right and chuckle with your like-minded friends over how everyone else is wrong, but now you have to prove that your way of thinking is actually the most logical one. Like you said, these people think that the only reason anyone thinks differently from them is that they don't know any better and they just need to be educated, because, surely, if they knew all the facts, they'd agree with the "obvious correct take".

Some fandom behaviors have gotten more exhausting, is what I say.

#fandom nonsense #media and fandom response

[redvelvetwishtree]

#@ all the woke politically correct american/western snowflakes who police how others talk about global issues #lecturing us about or whatever fancy woke terms they've come up with #their media and government hypes one event that benefits them #and these people post their sympathies and feel so woke #americans/western people always treat global events in isolation #and cancel/police/criticize others when they have a different take on stuff #as if there's only one correct way of talking about politics/war etc and they're the only ones who do it right #sorry but I'm done with their one dimensional eurocentric approach to stuff #I'll compare as many negative events in the world and America's reaction to them as i want #take your intellectual political correctness somewhere else #russia #ukraine #israel #Palestine #syria #yemen #somalia #edit: the second tag was supposed to say #lecturing us about what aboutism

[lovethisletters]

Belly boops for the Side Characters! + Luke!

This is the second part to the Belly boop hc! You can find the first one here!

Something that I failed to mention is that I also do this whenever I seek reassurance bc I'm lacking confidence or something, so I included this here.

Keys: MC = your main character's name.

Summary: The Side Characters discover a peculiar trait of MC: belly boops.

Additional notes: MC is gender neutral!

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Diavolo

It happened in a RAD council meeting of all places...great.

Diavolo was in the middle of his speech when he suddenly snorted in laughter; startling everyone in the room who then directed their eyes at you.

...Or more specifically...your finger still poking Diavolo's belly.

Turns out that the prince of hell is very ticklish.

You froze, not knowing what to say or how to react to the murderous glance Lucifer directed at you while Diavolo was still laughing in the background.

When he finally managed to calm down, he was very curious about why you had done such random thing?

—MC, is this some kind of ritual from the human world? a tradition, perhaps?

You struggled to find the correct words to explain your weird habit.

Wich was a bit hard, given the fact that Lucifer never once let his "I'm going to hang you in cerberus room" kind of stare fall off.

When you did finally manage to explain Diavolo the meaning behind such weird occurrence.

He let out a warm laugh and gently booped your belly back.

—Thank you for telling me, MC. Please, ignore what Lucifer has to say! I'll be more than happy if this becomes something usual between the two of us!—He said close to your ear, loud enough for Lucifer to hear but quiet enough for it to resemble a whisper.

From that day onwards, expect unexpected Belly boops from the Demon prince!

Barbatos

Barbatos had invited you to the Market to buy some groceries when you first poked him.

At first he thought you were trying to get his attention, so he turned towards you and waited for you to say something.

But you only returned his glance, confused as to why he had suddenly stop walking just to look at you.

When none of you said anything, Barbatos carried on, thinking perhaps it was a mistake and he must have imagined it or something.

But then a few moments later...he felt it again...

He looked down just to see your finger poking the side of his stomach, confused he looked up at your face; only to find the most casual expression ever, like if you haven't even noticed what you where doing.

He was a bit weirded out...but ok, he'll just put a little distance between the two of you.

After that the belly boops became a frequent occurrence every time you'll see each other.

He'll be bringing you tea...boop!

He'll be opening the door for you and...boop!

You'll be saying goodbye to him and...boop!

He doesn't like it, but good ol' Barbatos is too polite to tell you.

So he just...ever so discreetly dodges the boop, takes a step back or softly puts your hand away.

Unlike the other times, you did noticed you where booping him; but as he didn't seem to be bothered by it, you just continued.

Is not until Barbatos starts to do this things that you notice he actually doesn't enjoy it.

You decided to talk to him, apologize and explain that you weren't doing such thing to mock him or anything; but that you were doing it out of feelings of trust and a sense of comfort around him and that was your way to express it.

He smiles sincerely at you.

—If that's the case then feel free to continue, MC; I'm glad to be someone you trust.

And by all means you did.

Barbatos now quickly grows fond of your belly boops, knowing that such simple gesture signifies the strength on your relationship.

Solomon

Perhaps the first time it happened was while he was tutoring you in casting spells.

He was concentrated in explaining you the correct wording when he felt a light pressure in his stomach...it was your finger.

—MC, What are you doing?—he asked tilting his head in confusion, his gaze never straying from your finger still in his stomach.

You quickly put your finger away and tried to act as if nothing had happened, but Solomon never stopped giving you this questioning and confused look.

So you quickly explain to him that this is something you do with people you feel comfortable with, sometimes to unconsciously seek for reassurance.

You watched as a small smirk creeped over his lips wich each and every word that came out of your mouth.

—Ahhh~ I see~

And with that you realize, you might have committed the biggest mistake of your life.

Every time you poke him, his smile spreads wider than the Cheshire cat and his eyes sparkle with a glint of mischief as he proceeds to tease you endlessly.

But sometimes, when he notices that you poked him in seek of comfort or because you where feeling anxious.

He'll lower down your hand and intertwine his fingers with yours, holding your hand as long as you need to, letting you know...

That he'll always be there for you.

Simeon

Simeon had offered to wait for you and walk you home since you had cleaning duties to do and the brothers where all in a council meeting.

And as the two of you arrived at the house of lamentation, you offered to prepare some tea to thank him for walking you home; which he kindly accepted.

As you two where talking about your experiences in the devildom and laughing at the funny shenanigans y'all went through.

You unconsciously...just...boop! in the middle of the conversation.

Simeon froze for a second and stared down at where your finger met his belly.

Embarrassed you pulled back and tried to explain yourself. When all of a sudden...

boop! He had booped you back.

Simeon was overjoyed when you booped him, because you see...he's a boop person too!

Tho he's more used to booping people's noses or cheeks, he's still glad that you did what you did.

No need to apologize or explain yourself to him, there's an unspoken understanding between boop people!

He knows that not all people like it, and can be a bit embarrassing to try and explain why you do such thing, belive me he has had to explain himself to Michael more than just a few times...

For a moment you two share a glint of happiness and mischief, not needing any words to understand what's about to happen.

BOOPING WAR!!!!!

He boops your stomach mercilessly but you don't hold back either!

When the brothers arrive they just stare at the two of you in pure confusion.

They're so weirded out by this: you two poking each other's bellys and laughing and behaving like toddlers.

Lucifer tries to break off whatever weird contest you two are having...oh boi

—Simeon, MC! Why are you engaging in such childish behavior?!? Have you no...

—boop!

Simeon had just booped the avatar of pride in the nose...with sound and all...

You couldn't help but laugh at Lucifer's bewildered expression, but you weren't the only one...the brothers also couldn't stop themselves from laughing their butts off.

May god have mercy on all of you because y'all grounded.

Completely worth it tho...

Overall, Simeon is happy to find someone who shares his same habit and will always be glad to start a booping war with you.

Luke

Luke is just too cute! You couldn't help yourself and booped his stomach the second you met him!

—Hey! Quit it! What do you think you're doing!?!?

The puppy angy >:c

He has enough with Simeon's booping and now he has to deal with you?!?!

Slaps your hand every time you try to boop him.

I think Luke's feelings towards you booping him can be summarized in this:

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If you find any grammatical errors let me know! I'm trying to improve my english and that would help me so so much!

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Anyway, thank you for reading!

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[unicornprincessinthetardis]

My (often relatively reasonable) dad: ...so Enoch Powell was right, what he said has happened.

Me: and you don't think maybe he could've said it without inciting racial hatred and literally saying that in time the rivers might run with the blood of 'native' British people because of immigration, do you?

My dad: no, you're being ridiculous, it had to be said, and there really are areas of cities that are majority black or Muslim now so he was right in his predictions, and it didn't change how things were anyway

Me: *goes away to calm down and read up on the 'Rivers of Blood' speech*

[I already knew some of this but here's a précis for those unfamiliar: in April 1968, in Wolverhampton, UK, a Conservative MP, Enoch Powell, made a speech, about the proposed 'Race Relations Bill' (which subsequently made it illegal to refuse housing/ employment/public services to people on the grounds of race/colour/ ethnic & national origins).

The speech was strongly anti-immigrant, calling for 'voluntary re-emigration' and for moves to be made to stem the tide of immigration, else Britain would be 'overrun' and sooner or later white British people would find themselves fully second-class citizens, and that in some ways they already were. He also talked about a "tragic and intractable phenomenon which we watch with horror on the other side of the Atlantic", which I take to mean immigration in the USA to the similar end of white people no longer being in charge - which in 1968 was so far from the truth, and just horrible baseless fear-mongering, playing on people’s xenophobia and racist prejudice - and compared pro-immigration/anti-discrimination newspapers to the ones that had denied and hid the rise of fascism and threat of war in the 1930s. Plus, he talked about a constituent of his, a woman who lived on a street that had become occupied by mostly black people, who lost her white lodgers and complained to the council for a tax rate reduction because she wouldn't take black tenants, and instead basically got told not to be racist, and presented it as a bad thing that she'd been treated like that.

The speech's common name comes from a phrase he quoted from the Aenid (because he was also a Cambridge-educated classics scholar), 'I seem to see "the River Tiber foaming with much blood"', although he just called it 'the Birmingham speech' and seemed to be surprised by the uproar he caused.]

Me (to self): So it didn't change things did it? How do you explain the attacks against nonwhite people where the attackers literally shouted his name and repeated his rhetoric? Oh, they would definitely have happened if he hadn't made that speech, wouldn't they? And the British people of foreign descent who were so afraid they might be removed from their lives just for not being white they always had cases packed to go? And the fact that experts says he set back progress in 'race relations' by about ten years and legitimised being racist/anti-immigrant in the same way UKIP and some pro-Brexit types have done within the last few years here (fun fact: immediately after the Brexit vote, people were being racially and physically abusive to visibly Muslim and/or South Asian people, telling them to leave because of Brexit, which was of course extreme nonsense because their presence would be nothing to do with the EU, and more likely the British Empire and the Commonwealth, but they were doing it because it seemed suddenly okay to be openly racist, because Nigel Farage and his ilk, and a legally non-binding vote surrounded in lies, said so) and others have done elsewhere, in the US and Europe and Brazil and so many other places.

Powell was interviewed about the speech in 1977 and stood by his views, said that because the immigration figures were higher than those he had been 'laughed at' about in his speech, he was right and now governments didn't want to deal with the "problem", were passing it off to future generations and it would go on until there was a civil war!

He also said he wasn't a 'racialist' (racist) because he believed a "'racialist' is a person who believes in the inherent inferiority of one race of mankind to another, and who acts and speaks in that belief" so he was in fact "a racialist in reverse" as he regarded "many of the peoples in India as being superior in many respects—intellectually, for example, and in other respects—to Europeans." (I mean, I know I can't hold him to our standards but a) that's still racism and b) he did think that mankind was divided into very distinct, probably biologically so, races, which, yes, normal for the time, but the whole 'each with different qualities and ways in which they were better than others' is iffy)

Me: *goes back to Dad to make my point and definitely not get upset* So here are some things that literally happened as a consequence of the 'Rivers of Blood' speech...

So even if he was correct to say what he did (I mean, he wasn't but you have to tiptoe around Dad and I had points to make), he shouldn't have said it the way he did

My dad: so you think the truth should be suppressed? You're only looking at this from one perspective (he thinks he knows better because he was alive at the time and my brother and I weren't despite the fact that we're both into politics and history and, y'know, not into scapegoating, behaving oddly, and laying blame because people are different to us - he and mum also have issues with trans people and we're trying so hard to change their views/behaviours but I'm not sure it's working & that's a whole different story) and there are these areas that really are Muslim-only (because informal lending and wanting to keep the community together is such a crime, right?) and they don't integrate and want to impose Sharia law (only he couldn't remember what it was called right then) and you don't know what it's like (he is an engineer surveyor and travels all over to inspect boilers and cooling systems and all sorts of stuff, and this includes into majority-Black or -Asian (Muslim and otherwise) areas in Birmingham - which is not a no-go area for non-Muslims, I'm a deeply agnostic white woman, it's my nearest big city and I wish I went there more often but it's tricky as I don't drive, public transport is bad/inconvenient, and I have no friends to go with except depression and anxiety [which are worse 'friends' than the ones that I found out only liked me in high school because I always had sweets and snacks at lunch so when I got braces and my mouth hurt too much to eat much of anything which meant I certainly didn't have snacks, they dropped me pretty quickly] so apparently he's the expert on all such matters)

What I wish I'd said: *staying very calm* well, and that's your opinion, I'm going, I've got sewing to finish *leaves*

What actually happened:

Me: have you considered that they are able to buy up areas like that because white people leave because of their prejudice against the 'influx'?

Dad: they buy up great areas because they buy in groups (I think this refers to a sort of community lending thing to be compliant with various parts of Islam? [Please correct me if I'm wrong] which is effectively what building societies/credit unions were, at least to begin with, and he doesn't take issue with those) and want to stay together. Why do they do that? Sikhs don't do that, they buy big houses and aren't bothered about being close together.

Me: different religious ethoses? I don't know... But you do know that they people who want the UK to be a caliphate ruled by Sharia law are just a minority, and that most Muslims would not want that at all, just like you?

Dad: but they still do want it, and it could happen, if there was a charismatic leader,

Me: *incredulous* you know it's about as likely for that to actually happen as for strictly Orthodox Jewish people to be able to make this country into another Israel, right? Besides, there are the police, and the armed forces, and intelligence agencies, not to mention the Government and civil service (thought I'd got a win there, he hates the unchanging upper-class-public-school-Oxbridge nature of the people who effectively really run the government, constant no matter the leaning of the elected party, but no) who have a vested interest in preserving themselves in their current state so would be able to stop anything like that

Dad: yes, but the cutting of funding to police and public services means they might not be able to stop it (I realise now that he's oddly economically left-wing but also really quite socially conservative in some ways)

Me: *getting angry* but it's still an absolute minority, most Muslims would be horrified if it really did happen, and have you ever considered that maybe they wouldn't be so ill-disposed to us and to integration if we didn't demand it of them the moment that they arrive, demand that they assimilate or go away (he often uses the phrase "yes, but they're in somebody else's country, they should make an effort") and maybe young people wouldn't be so easily radicalised and people generally mistrust the people who don't try to understand them, you know, want them to change everything about themselves (for instance, Dad is violently opposed to the burqa etc and not really a fan of the hijab - still doesn't get that it's a choice and people can do what they want because apparently 'anyone could be wearing one of those things' - burqas/niqabs, I presume - and that it must all be forced because who would possibly choose to dress like that - I have half a mind to show him those sites about Christian modest dressing (one was a shop and a lot of their range was pretty cute!) that I once found, just to see if that'll prove to him it is a choice thing) *tries to leave*

Dad: *angry* You stay there and listen to me! You're just looking at it from one perspective and that's not the truth, you're so biased and closed-minded, you only look at things your way!

Me: *furious* Really? Really? Am I? *Scoffs/incredulous exhalation* I'm closed-minded, am I?... *Storms out, shouts as I go* I'm not the one who said Enoch Powell was right!!

This is all heavily paraphrased, because I've been writing this for literal hours now and I was angry and don't remember well at the best of times, it may have been worse than how I'm writing it

Also, going to be tricky to patch up but right now I stand by what I said, because I know my perspective is limited, but at least I actually admit that and try to find out what people different to me think, rather than basing all my opinions and things on my own experiences which can't be universal, as he seems to

Other bs my dad said during the two conversations: "don't get so upset about it, it's only history" (which is bold, considering it was the 50th anniversary this year and he was literally 11 years old when it happened so probably saw/heard news coverage)... "Yes of course far right groups use 'Enoch was right' as a slogan, it doesn't mean anything"... Reiterating the 'nothing changed' thing multiple times... Dismissing the fact that Powell said there'd be a civil war because apparently just because the British/Europeans were aggressive conquerors anyone else who came in numbers anywhere would eventually have that aim and how ridiculous that view actually is... Dismissing the fact that Powell basically incited racial hatred and violence with the inclusion of an irrelevant Classical phrase which spread fear on all sides...

I could go on but I'm so tired and don't want to make myself more upset

I love my parents but I really don't like them very much lately but I don't know if I just put up with it or leave sooner or later and if I do leave I don't know where I'd go because no friends

Basically I'm so sorry for my parents' prejudices which I'm still trying to unlearn myself - I apologise wholeheartedly to all Muslim and Jewish people and honestly pretty much everyone they're prejudiced against

#personal #personal post #my ramblings #my rambles #ramblings #rants #my rants #family #british politics #politics #rivers of blood #enoch powell #religion #anti-immigrant sentiment (not mine #i'm so done #and so alone #i just want a friend #and ideally an income of some description #but if i register for jobseekers' allowance/universal credit i will have to try all the time to get jobs of all kinds and i don't know what #i want to do/am qualified to do/can do bc potent cocktail of autism/anxiety/depression/no self-esteem/perfectionism/home situation #im just horribly stresssed and worried about everything and mum won't go to the doctors about her failing physical health to spite me #and dad has the cheek to say don't worry!! oh thanks i'd never thought of that before! #mum had an ovarian cyst when i was a kid & she didn't go to the dr till it was so bad she could hardly walk so she was in hospital for week #and it could've been dealt with so much more easily if she'd gone earlier so i'm so scared it'll happen again #i mean i'll be able to look after us if it does happen again which is good bc grandparents absolutely can't now #anger #very long post #long post #islamophobia tw #racism tw