#but let me have this slogan ok

[funnywormz]

harry should wear shorts with "great if you're a sjw and/or a commie" on the ass

#in reference to last reblog. #yes i kmow that slogan is too long to fit on his skinny little chicken butt but let me have this ok.

[elder-millennial-of-zion]

I miss the days, way back when before October 7, when I felt like I was part of leftist circles. I miss feeling energised by leftist slogans because I thought they included me, instead of targeted me.

I miss hearing “eat the rich” and not hearing it as a dog whistle for “kill the Jews.” I miss feeling inspired by phrases like “our struggles for liberation are all connected,” instead of hearing its real meaning, “the Jews are the evil puppet masters behind everything and the world must unite against them.” I miss believing that when leftists talked about punching up at their oppressors, it wasn’t just an excuse to punch down at more vulnerable minorities that they decided were their oppressors despite all evidence to the contrary.

I miss the days when the left poured into the streets to protest cops and corporations instead of protesting Jews. I miss updating myself on those protests so I could join them, instead of to know which areas to avoid because they’ll be Judenrein for the day.

I don’t wish my eyes hadn’t been opened. I’d much rather see the truth no matter how painful and disillusioning it is, because the alternative isn’t actually “bliss.” It’s having a perpetual nagging feeling that something’s off but I can’t put my finger on it, or if I can then I must be overreacting or imagining it’s worse than it is.

But that pain and disillusionment is very real. That loss is very real. It was a community I thought I belonged to, a community I put a lot of work and energy into for many years, and there is grief at the loss of it. Grief that it’s gone, grief that it never was what it claimed to be in the first place. I guess I’m grieving the loss of that part of my identity. And grieving the loss of how people I thought were my friends and allies perceive my identity. Grieving the illusion that they were ever my allies at all, that they ever would be my allies if I needed. Because I haven’t really changed, but the way my former circles look at me completely changed. People who thought I was a good person and a good ally on October 6 decided I was the devil incarnate very literally overnight.

The person who privately reached out to me a few years ago to thank me for a Facebook post I made defending sex workers, because as a former sex worker they appreciated it. Now they’ve been posting antisemitic blood libel, the kind of rhetoric that’s already gotten Jews killed, for six months straight. I tried to tell them how much pain it causes me as a Jew to see their posts, and they only doubled down. It truly is their loss. I was a good friend and a good ally, and they threw me away because I’m a Jew. But it’s totally not because I’m a Jew, it’s because I’m the evil kind of Jew, the kind that just so happens to be the profile of ninety percent of the Jewish population.

I’m grateful I have such a strong sense of Jewish identity, because otherwise the loss of identity in this other way would be far more destabilising. I get why so many people cling to their political identities no matter how much cognitive dissonance they have to wave away; why they insist their ideology is righteous no matter how much evidence to the contrary. Without any other solid identity they would feel too adrift. But that doesn’t excuse their behavior. It’s not ok to jump on a bandwagon to persecute and kill Jews because you want to belong to something that badly, because you can’t handle your sense of self evolving with all the growing pains that come with it.

So many progressive Jews like myself have described ourselves as “politically homeless.” (Specifically in the diaspora; I know the political framework in Israel is completely different.) We can let ourselves sit in that grief. Being homeless is painful and uncomfortable, but it’s better than staying in an abusive home.

#antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #anti zionism is antisemitism #politically homeless Jews #israel #jumblr

[blackpearlblast]

hey, if my ask is insensitive or simply too much work/you dont want to give your opinion/energy thats ok, and im sorry for bothering you if it is. ive seen many jewish people say "from the river to the sea" is a dogwhistle/generally antisemitic phrase to use, but you used it in your golem art's text part(incredibly moving text btw.) im asking you bc you mentioned youre jewish and i thought you might have insight or thoughts to give on why you use it/what you think about the first statement about the phrase?

hi, yes, i would be glad to talk about my perspective on this! first of all, i do want to say that i think a lot of palestinian bloggers have already talked about this and their voices will always be what you want to seek out first when educating yourself. however, i do know the crowd of people claiming that "from the river to the sea" is antisemitic/genocidal has been very loud so i understand why you would want to hear a jewish perspective on it too. second, in order to explain why i think "from the river to the sea" is not antisemitic will involve me comparing it to actual antisemitic, nazi slogans and dogwhistles and talking about what they mean. so just a heads up for that before it comes up.

the full phrase is "from the river to the sea, palestine will be free!" i think a lot of times in accusations of antisemitism people leave off the second half of the phrase in order to claim it is calling for something else to happen from river to sea (like the expulsion or execution of all jews.) but that's just like, not, ever, a thing? that is said? you can tell the pieces of the phrase go together because they rhyme and also are said together by palestinians and allies near constantly. it's "from the river to the sea, palestine will be free." and i think all of the fearmongering relies on a good bit of ambiguity beyond that too. "what does a 'free palestine' mean? could it meant they want to throw all the jews into the sea?" - some zionist when i tried to look up the origin of the phrase in case there was anything really important i was missing that i should cover in this. there's like this idea that they can't really be asking for a free palestine, there has to be some kind of catch.

i think it's also important to look at the circumstances that this slogan was born under. the thing about modern day palestine and occupied palestine, on which israel tries to build itself, is that even though spatially the land stretches from river to sea, the people's experience of it does not. because of the apartheid system of checkpoints, ID-based restriction of movement, and blockades (in the case of gaza), there exist great gulfs in the land that are impossible or near impossible for people to cross. there can be a place a couple miles away, that due to lacking the "proper credentials", is more distant for palestinians living under apartheid than perhaps a destination a cross-country trip away would be for you. so i see the call for a free palestine specifically "from river to sea" to remove those gulfs and allow freedom of movement for everyone. i find very little of this has to do with jews, personally. the only connection is that the people who set up and maintain this system of apartheid happened to be jewish. and i hope that we would all agree that resisting one's oppressors- even if those oppressors are also marginalized and oppressed in other ways- is not a bad thing.

but it is true that many white supremacist/antisemitic slogans may focus more on the creation of a (white) nation than actually the jews themselves, since they have already established among themselves that a white nation has to mean no jews. so let's look at some of the more famous nazi rallying cries and how different they are from "from the river to the sea."

the fourteen words are most primarily known to be "we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." wow! i guess we could find some superficial similarities between this and river and the sea, like if we really wanted to stretch it. but personally, there's a ton of alarm bells in my head that this phrase sets off while river to the sea doesn't. the emphasis of "we" and "our" when used in this way really implies an us versus them narrative. and here the ambiguity really is present and malevolent! a "free palestine" is a palestine unrestricted by apartheid and colonialism. a "secure existence" and "future for white children" is uhhh, what does that Mean. like, we Know what that means right. but they aren't saying it. we can very easily find people saying what a free palestine means if we listen to palestinians. please, please listen to palestinians. there are so many people talking about what their idea of a decolonized palestine looks like, but the basics are generally one state, for all people, with equal rights for all, and the ability for those who were expelled from their homes in the nakba and all of the many long years following it, to return.

"blood and soil" is even vaguer. but thankfully(?), nazis were very enthusiastic about explaining what the phrase meant to them. "blood" is the superior aryan bloodlines and eugenic values that they wished to propagate and the "soil" represents the land of germany and the desire to "reject modernity and embrace tradition" by leaving urban life behind and living in the idealized countryside. (see we got a twofer here!) the only possible connection i could make to from the river to the sea here is the emphasis on the land but that on its own doesn't feel significant to me. land and the place where you live is very important to all kinds of humans all over the world. and i think another particular aspect of "blood and soil" is the emphasis of how you are living on the land. it's not just enough to be able to live in your homeland with freedom of movement and the ability not to be killed with impunity by occupying soldiers (lucky you!), you want to live there in a state of racial purity exemplified by eugenic values. in general, in nazi slogans, there is a particular fixation with a society shaped to represent these specific values. the call is not for freedom from repression, from an actual occupying colony, but instead from the considered bad actors and impure values coming from within their society. freedom from having degenerates sullying their perfect aryan nation. there is a plea to be able to get rid of those who do not match their view of a perfect society. the plea for a free palestine is, so much, a plea to be able to keep their family members, their friends, the friendly stranger down the block. that is not a fascist ideology, that is the will to live. and though i am referring to the ideology surrounding "blood and soil" in past tense because i am referencing the coining of the phase, these sentiments and slogans are obviously (and unfortunately) alive and well today. though, there is a particular irony to white american neo-nazis chanting it on stolen land.

"they will not replace us"/"jews will not replace us" refers to the "great replacement" theory, that jews are orchestrating a mass replacement of white people with immigrants (specifically non-white, often muslim immigrants.) i do not think this slogan has even any superficial similarities to from the river to the sea. you could definitely compare this sentiment to israel's attempts to maintain an artificial ethnic majority, since in many ways the potential "solution" to the "great replacement" would also need to involve creating/maintaining an artificial ethnic majority. (this is obviously not saying that israel subscribes to the great replacement theory, but that the tactic of maintaining artificial ethnic majorities is shared between zionism and great replacement theorists, since both ideologies rely on a specific ethnicity being the majority in their country.)

dogwhistles like 88, triple parenthesis, etc. rely on being vague symbols so that only those who know what the symbols stand for know what they mean. (88=HH=heil hitler, the triple parentheses representing the supposed (((echoes))) of jewish influence throughout history.) "from the river to the sea, palestine will be free" is a complete phrase that directly names its cause. people who say "free palestine" want you to know they stand with palestine. i guess if you wanted to be going for the most bad faith reading possible you could say "free palestine from what?", to which every palestinian and everyone who has been remotely paying attention to what palestinians are saying would shout: "from apartheid, colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and currently, very open and deliberate genocide!" like, it is true that if you felt you did not glean every aspect and detail of what the people in the occupied territories are calling for, you would be correct! but they are answering this. they want to talk about it. the reason i do not believe from the river to the sea is genocidal or antisemitic is because i have been reading and listening to what palestinians are saying and none of them have said they want to kill all jews. they do not want genocide, they want to go home! they just want to go home. i don't know most of this was written pretty tongue in cheek because i was talking about nazi slogans and nazis are pathetic and even more pathetic when held up against a movement of people who are legitimately trying to fight against a great wrong that was committed against them, but i just get so sad saying this. they just want to go home. haven't you ever felt that way before?

in the end, words mean things, and even more importantly, the contexts they're said in mean things. and while it's true that antisemites do hide behind dogwhistles and vague statements for plausible deniability, the alternative meaning does have to actually be established somewhere for them to be effective. from the river to the sea lacks an established alternative meaning. fearmongering from people who refuse to listen to what palestinians are actually saying does not make sense to me as legitimate definitions of the phrase.

also!!!! i'm sorry this got so Fucking long, thank you if you actually made it this far! i intentionally used "from the river to the sea" in my artists statement because it frustrates and upsets me so much to see people making such a big fuss about it when actual antisemitism goes unpunished. like a lot of the phrases i talk about here were chanted at the charlottesville neo-nazi march in 2017 and while many people were deeply upset and angry at what happened, the jewish community was not rallied around even Close to as much as it right now. and with joe biden saying "if it weren't for israel, not a single jew in the world would be safe" at a fucking hanukkah celebration i just. i don't know. the push back against "from the river to the sea" has so much to do with backing colonial and imperial interests and so so little to do with our actual safety. the concept of our identities and safety is being weaponized against palestinians, and at the same time makes it harder to identify actual antisemitism. and that hurts.

#received #no sources and minimal proofreading because i already spent way too long on this but everything i mention #should either be easily google-able or my opinion #nazism #antisemitism #racism #islamophobia #ask to tag

[heartsgettingwiser62]

Ok so I think I may be losing my mind over some plastic wrap lmao

But PLEASE look at this and tell me I'm not crazy and this is actually weird:

Karen I'm begging you to explain to me why the fuck do you have 2 plastic wrap packages from different brands UPSIDE DOWN in your kitchen cabinet. PLS.

Is it just me?? Is this completely normal and I'm losing my mind over nothing??? I mean probably but WHY ARE THEY THE ONLY THING THAT'S UPSIDE DOWN AND PLUS THEY'RE COMPLETELY LEGIBLE

So since I've spent the last 3 hours looking at fucking plastic wrap let me share some thoughts:

First of all, to structure this mess in some way, let's look at the dates. First, at the Reynolds Wrap invention date. Bc PLS LOOK AT THIS

Oh. Looks like it was created in 1947. Do you guys wanna know who was also born in 1947??

I. Uh. What the fuck. WHAT THE FUCK.

"It could be a coincidence" Dude I KNOW I'm just doing this bc I've spent hours researching about plastic wrap and I NEED to tell someone ok y'all are my therapists ksjdalkj

Now the Glad Wrap was founded in 1963, and some pages say that Kali was born in 1963, others in 1964, and others that in s2 she's 16/17 so there's no way she was born back then; so idk about this date.

Now let's go with the ads, starting with Glad Wrap bc it's by far the most interesting one.

I've seen multiple commercials but none of them seemed to have anything meaningful EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE WHICH IS MAKING ME ABSOLUTELY LOSE MY MIND:

Am I crazy. Do I seriously need to sleep. Or does that look an awful lot like Karen Wheeler??? Especially here in s4????

I mean, the hairstyle and the blond hair, but much more importantly, the outfit.

Like?????? I mean I get that it's 80's white wealthy woman fashion, fine, but that's a whole load of coincidences???

Now for the rest of the ad, the plastic wrap thingy that attacks the woman is pretty interesting, as well as the clock in the background for Vecna reasons. Regarding similarities with the Wheeler's kitchen, I could only catch due to the low quality the bowl with apples and the phone on the wall (you can't see it on the screenshot but there's a phone behind Mike). I couldn't really find anything about the strawberries, but if y'all know something pls tell me

As a bonus, the ad is from 1987, which as far as I know is when everyone guesses s5 is gonna take place in

Now there's no much to see in the Reynolds Wrap ads, except maybe this one:

(Ignore the yt bar lmao) Although not as much as the previous one, the woman's outfit in that frame does remind me of this Karen s4 look, the same look she has on that scene the damn plastic wrap came from.

Ik this is all probably meaningless, buuuut do you guys want more meaningless shit??

Let's go back to the Glad Wrap ad. The slogan for that specific ad is "Don't get mad. Get glad." Welp, Vecna's a fan of this last word bc out of 9 times it's said in s5, 4 are said by him.

Let's take a quick look at the most interesting time he says that word. We're in Vecna's monologue in chp 7, and in the same scene just some minutes before, he says this:

"I could not do that. I could not close off my mind and join in the madness. I could not pretend. And I realized, I didn't have to."

Let's remember the slogan: "Don't get mad. Get glad."

Then, a couple minutes later, in the same scene:

"And soon, others were born. You were born. And I am so glad you were, Eleven. So very glad."

Now literally two seconds before this last line, this shot was happening:

And. Um. Do you. Do you guys know what's used for tattoos. Um.

Plastic wrap???

Do y'all get why I said I've a hundred percent lost my mind sjdfisdjfil

Ok so. That was it. Anyways I couldn't find anything else important about the rest of items in the kitchen shelve. If y'all have a better explanation as to WHY TF are those plastic wrap packages upside down and perfectly legible, PLS TELL ME. This said, goodbye

#giving a kiss on the forehead to everyone who read this whole thing muac muac ily #dude i was making an actual interesting post till i noticed the fucking plastic wrap and now i can't even remember what i was doing lol #byler #<<<target audience #stranger things theory #stranger things #henry creel #vecna #martin brenner #stranger things analysis #stranger things set design #set design #mike wheeler #karen wheeler #henry creel theory #karen wheeler theory #001

[jungle-angel]

Two Boys and a History Class (Bob Floyd x Reader)

Summary: Normally you and Bob would leave Auggie with your in-laws, but since his mother is having surgery, you officially welcome him into the classroom family

Tagging: @bobfloydsbabe Helena I couldn't help myself with this one because the thought of Bob with a baby does things to me that I just can't explain (lol). I hope you're ok with me including Auggie in some of these and I apologize in advance, the baby fever is out of control at my end (lol).

Warnings: Mentions of a breeding kink, Bob popping off on a visiting teacher who's clearly beneath him etc.

"Alright, so does anybody have any clue as to what the most important part of Erik the Red's reign was?" Bob enquired.

"Not only was he an explorer but didn't he found the first settlement in Greenland?" Deshawn asked.

"You would be right my friend!" Bob declared proudly. "Erik the Red was indeed an explorer and did also found one of the first Viking colonies in Greenland...."

He was suddenly interrupted by the click of the door handle and the creaking of the classroom door before Mrs. Hess, the painting teacher, stuck her head in the door.

"Mr. Floyd might I borrow you for a minute?"

Bob signaled for the class to wait a minute before he followed Mrs. Hess out into the hallway. "I'm so sorry to bother you Bob," she apologized. "But your father came by with the baby."

"Is everything ok?"

"Oh yes," Mrs. Hess assured him. "Auggie's fine but he said that your mother's surgery was moved to later this afternoon and they won't allow him to take him."

"Shit," Bob hissed.

"My thoughts exactly," Mrs. Hess said. "Your wife said she's going to get him but I think she also asked about combining classes."

"Perfect timing," Bob said. "We do that every Friday afternoon."

"Wonderful!" Mrs. Hess said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'll tell you right now too, if that detestable visiting teacher says anything to you or to (y/n) I'll have him shipped to my neck of the woods and see how he deals with the folks in Chatham County, Georgia."

Bob had to laugh. Just like Mrs. Reyes, no one dared to mess with Mrs. Hess. She was a Southern lady through and through and always had a good quip for anyone who got on her bad side. The high schoolers even had their own slogan for kids coming fresh out of the lower school......"don't mess with the Hess."

Bob waited patiently for you to come down the hall with baby Auggie. "Alright guys, it's looking like it's that hour!" Bob announced once he was back in the room. "And this time Mrs. Floyd brought a little guest this afternoon."

All of the students collectively gasped when they saw you walk in with the baby. Any time you brought Auggie in, the grew excited beyond words. Nobody in the entire school could resist his cuteness, let alone the fact that he looked so much like Bob.

"Everybody put the desks together," you announced, carefully picking Auggie up out of his carseat.

"You want me to take him sweetheart?" Bob asked you.

"Do you mind?" you asked Bob.

"It's not a problem at all," he told you. "We made him together and it means I help you shoulder the duty together."

"You're right," you told him. "But lest you forget mister, that part of the reason we made him was due to that fiery breeding kink you keep buried until we're home alone."

Bob chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Don't even start," you laughed, warning him. "Let's get back to business."

You and Bob wrangled together your students to continue the lesson while Bob kept Auggie safe and secure in the curve of his arm.

"Now in Mrs. Floyd's literature block," Bob continued, touching up his notes on the chalkboard. "We're at a point where the Fellowship has reached the woods of Lothlorien and left behind the mines of Moria. What sticks out to you guys most in this part? Any major themes? Elements? Justin."

"Um, I'd say the biggest one is kinda that darkness turning to light," Justin Daly answered. "I remember picturing the scene in the films where the mines were like really deep darkness and then you get to the woods where at night it's all brightly lit."

"That is an excellent point," Bob told him, adjusting Auggie so that the baby rested against his chest. "We come across alot of that throughout the books, but also vice versa, right?"

"Right!" the students responded.

A knock at the door suddenly had Bob rolling his eyes. "We're not to be disturbed!!" Bob announced loudly.

"Mr. Floyd, it's Mr. D'Nadi," answered the male voice on the other side of the door.

Bob groaned and rolled his eyes. All of the students fell quiet as Bob opened the door to find the pretentious visiting teacher from another school standing before him.

"You're not wearing dress slacks but jeans?" Mr. D'Nadi asked.

"In some cultures I'd be considered overdressed," Bob informed him.

"Yes well, I um.....I came to enquire about that proposal you're working on for the school?"

"Yes," Bob said flatly.

"I cannot stress enough that the proposal is what's able to allow your students to go on these field trips that you plan every year," D'Nadi explained rather sharply. "If you plan on taking these kids to Norway....."

"Already done," Bob told him.

"Mr. Floyd....."

"Listen dipshit," Bob interrupted. "We all know that you're only here as a visiting teacher......keyword there....visiting. You are merely here to observe and then go home. Under no circumstances were you to tell anybody in this school what to do or how to implement their lessons."

"Listen I know it's more responsibility but...."

"Do not lecture me on responsibility," Bob told him sharply. "As you can see, Mrs. Floyd and I take care of our students who are like our own family and if your observation skills were up to par, you'd see that we've got a baby to take care of as well. Now if you'll please remove yourself and your foot from the door, that'd be great."

"You do know that protocol doesn't allow you to bring your own children to work?" D'Nadi tried to tell him.

"Fire me," Bob told him before shutting the door right in D'Nadi's face before he could say anything else.

Bob pressed a soft little kiss to Auggie's cheek before turning back to the students who were trying not to giggle.

"Shall we keep going guys?" he asked them.

Both you and the students cheered and applauded Bob, without a doubt proving that he was the best history teacher in the entire school.

#top gun maverick #robert bob floyd #teacher!bob #teacher!bob x teacher!reader #teacher!bob floyd

[musings-ofthe-unamused]

Drunk in Love (Obey Me)

Pairing: Lucifer x Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: I hate Lucifer!!! But I love Lucifer angst!!!

Lucifer's forehead looked like a shiny egg. The glare on it shifted as he violently gestured with his hands. He was giving some sort of lecture, but you had tuned him out ten minutes ago. Now, all you could do was focus on his giant forehead that glistened like a freshly boiled egg. 

"Are you listening?"

"Egg."

"What?"

You blinked. "Huh? Oh. Uh…yes?"

He crossed his arms, glaring down at you. "No. You're not."

"Can you blame me? Do I really need to be lectured for this long?"

"You skipped school."

" One time , Lucifer."

"Are you trying to become a dropout? It only takes one time!"

Your mind flitted back to those "anti-drug" campaigns. It was a bunch of cheesy slogans like that. Gateway drugs, hanging with all the wrong people, and making bad decisions. Lucifer sounded like a more angry version of the teachers there. You raised an eyebrow, not wanting to listen to his lecture anymore.

"So you're telling me you've never skipped school?"

He snorted. "No. I'm a diligent student."

That was more than enough to get you annoyed. "Diligent? So just because I skipped one day, I'm suddenly a bad apple. Ok, got it."

"Good. Glad we've come to an agreement. You're grounded for a week."

You stood up. "Seriously?! That's so unfair!" 

"It's completely fair. You are to not go out. You go to school and immediately come home."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Language."

You rolled your eyes. "Oh, fuck off."

Lucifer's eyes darkened as he spoke your name with a low and careful tone. "Say that again."

"You're just pissed because your life is so boring! You see one person break the rules, and out of jealousy, you incite your oh so powerful wrath because you can't stand seeing people actually enjoy being alive."

"Don't you make assumptions about me!" Lucifer shouted, pointing his finger at you. "I am trying to help you!"

"News flash! Punishments won't help anyone!"

"Yes it does! I'm keeping you from wasting your time!"

"This," You motioned widely with your hands, as if to encompass your relationship with him in a bubble. "Is a waste of my time! Did you even ask me why I skipped?"

Lucifer's eye twitched. At this point, you knew it was best to tread lightly. That was, until he spoke again. "I don't need to know why! You were being stupid!"

"You're fucking stupid! You're nothing but a boring, pompous, power hungry asshole!"

Before you could let Lucifer even rip into you, you stomped out of his room and slammed the door. You were half expecting him to chase after you, demon form and all, but he never did. You huffed proudly to yourself. It was about time he was told what's what. 

When you opened your door, you saw Mammon and Levi lounged on your bed. Levi was laying on his stomach, fidgeting with his switch, while Mammon sat next to him. You flopped down on the only empty space. Immediately, both Mammon and Levi turned their attention to you. You stared at them, and then covered your eyes.

"That was bad, wasn't it?" 

Mammon hummed. "Honestly, I haven't heard him that angry in a while. Not even towards me."

"I haven't heard you yell," Levi thought out loud. "It was kinda…"

You groaned. "Enough."

Mammon poked at your cheek. "Are you ok?"

Were you? You felt drained. Fights were bad, but getting yelled at was worse . If these two weren't here, you would probably be crying. It's not like you haven't been lectured by Lucifer before. In fact, who hasn't been lectured by him? The hurt you felt more so came from him not having any faith in you at all. Sure, you could've told him beforehand you were skipping, but would he even have let you go?

"Tired," You mumbled, deciding not to express your hurt. "Wake me up when dinner is ready."

"Should we leave?" Mammon asked. You knew he wouldn't.

"It's fine."

"Ok."

About an hour later, you woke up to numb legs as Mammon shook you awake. You groggily rubbed your eyes and sat up. Levi was using your thighs as a body pillow as he continued to game. With a sigh, you pushed him off. Your head was pounding and you wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. But your stomach grumbled. 

"What time is it?" You mumbled, slowly getting up.

"Almost six." Mammon answered.

"Whose turn was it to cook?"

"Satan's." Levi's game made an alarming noise. He sighed and tossed it down. "I can't pass this level!"

You sleepily smirk at him. "Need my help?"

"No. Last time I got your help, you wouldn't let me play for two hours ." 

You shrug. "It was fun."

No one spoke about the fight with Lucifer. You didn't want to talk about it either. You were ready for the awkwardness when you saw him out at dinner. Talking, but avoiding the touchy subject. Stiff words with no emotion. How fun did that sound? Levi trailed after you with his Switch while Mammon stood glued to your side.

As you sat at the dinner table, you noticed that Lucifer wasn't there. You tried to not look too concerned. Normally, he would be at dinner after lecturing anyone, as if to say "you could be next". Satan walked in with the main course and set it on the table next to the sides. It was some sort of roast with an array of "vegetables" as sides. He sat next to you. You saw Beel reaching for a piece of the roast. You took the giant fork before he could, and filled up his plate. Then you did the same to the rest of the brothers. When everyone had their plates, you all awkwardly looked at each other.

"Uhm…" Levi pursed his lips. "Do we…wait?"

"Why should we?" Satan rolled his eyes, picking up his fork. 

Belphie nods in agreement. "It's not like he ever waits for us." He yawns and sits back in his chair, hugging the pillow in his lap. "Let's just eat."

There were no complaints. Everyone started to eat. After a couple of silence-filled minutes, Asmo decided to fill up the silence with his escapades for the day. Something about the new clothes he got and new skincare products. It was a good distraction. Soon conversation flowed between all seven of you. Laughter and playful bickering was enough to have you in a good mood. That was until you heard the front door open and then slam shut. 

“I’m home!” Lucifer announced, his arms raised as he stumbled into the dining room. “Welcome me back!”

“Welcome back?” You questioned looking up from your plate. He looked like shit. “Where were you?”

“Well,” He slurred, all but falling in his chair. “Diavolo and I got a bit too enthusiastic with the Demonus...and drank six bottles each.”

“Jesus Christ man, it’s literally six in the evening.” Mammon gaped.

“Oh. I’m just a bit tipsy. And watch your language around the dinner table. Beelzelbub, please pass me some food.”

Beel looked up then frowned, his eyes growing as he scooted the plate closer to himself. You stifled a giggle as Lucifer reached out, trying to get any sort of food. Beel whined and defensively smacked his hand away. Lucifer grabbed his hand and gasped. Satan groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Great,” He groaned, leaning back in his chair. “Now we have to deal with this.”

“I find it quite amusing,” Asmo grinned, his chin resting on his hand.

“Deal with what?” You asked.

“That’s right!” Mammon smiled, a giddiness in his eyes. “You’ve never seen Lucifer drunk!”

“It’s nothing special,” Levi muttered.

“You’re only saying that because you don’t get scolded.” Belphegor snorted. “Get ready. You’re in for a treat.”

“Beelzebub!” Lucifer gasped again, totally offended. “How could you? I am your brother! I love you, and this is how you treat me?”

“And I love food.”

Lucifer drops his head onto the dining table with a thunk . His shoulders shook as if he was crying. You lifted an eyebrow. The once strong, proud, never faltering Lucifer was now nothing more than a clumsy drunk demon. You warily finished off your plate. As funny as it was to see him like this, you also were too tired to deal with him anymore for today. You silently stood, taking your plate into the kitchen. You go back into the dining room.

"I'm gonna go rest in my room for the rest of the night."

"I wanna come!" Levi says.

You shook your head. "I need alone time."

"But-"

Satan interrupted him. "Just let them get rest."

You silently thanked him. After taking a glance at drunk Lucifer, who was still face down on the table, you left. Once in your room, you sat on the edge of your bed and chewed at your nails. Drunk? Drunk ? Lucifer drank, sure, but he wasn't once to get this bad. You doubt it was Diavolo's doing. Despite his upbeat and playful personality, he would never put Lucifer in a position like that. So it must've been —

Your eyes widen as the conversation you had with him earlier pops into your brain. Was it because you called him boring? Did he actually go out and get drunk to prove a point? Never had you thought that your words had any sort of effect on Lucifer. It felt kind of good , knowing that you were the one to lead him to this point.

"Let me in!"

Speak of the devil. There was a pounding at your door. You swung it open to see Lucifer. He smiled and then took a deep swig of water. You sighed, putting your hand on your hip. "Do you need something?"

Lucifer places his hand on your shoulder. "Can we talk?"

"I don't want to talk to you when you're drunk."

"But I wouldn't-" He pauses, blinking his eyes. Then he hiccups. " hic ! Ugh. Please?"

You shift your body so he could come in. Maybe it was a lapse of judgment, or maybe it was the fact that he currently had no filter. Whatever it was, something was telling you to let him in and hear you out. Lucifer walked over to your bed, his steps a little more stable. You sat next to him. 

He hummed a bit, taking the last bit of water. "Did you really mean it?"

You knew what he was talking about, but still, you asked. "Mean what?"

"When you called me a boring, pompous, power hungry asshole." His words smoothly ran into one another. He was sounding less and less drunk. "That really hurt, you know."

You snorted. "I can tell. I've never seen you act like this before."

His eyes softened slightly, as did his voice. "You wanted it to hurt?"

"I-" You took a moment to think. "I did. Because you hurt me."

"I'm just trying to make sure you live properly.." He groaned, leaning against your shoulder. "Just look at my brothers! They're always a mess."

"They're a mess because you keep meddling in their lives. We're all adults, Lucifer. If they need help, they'll ask. Stop trying to control everything. Stop trying to control me."

"But I have to!"

"So you act even more childish when you're drunk?"

"I'm not drunk," He straightened and then turned towards you. You stared at him as both his hands gripped the side of your face. "I need to protect you. I love you ."

Lucifer wasn't the type to be affectionate, much less say such weighted words. You can't even remember the last time he said them to his brothers. It took you aback. Then you remembered he was drunk, and it was probably all a lie anyway. So when he kissed you, you did nothing.

"Lucifer," You whispered, placing your hands on his chest. "You're drunk. Go to sleep."

"Please. Please kiss me back." His voice was so desperate. His eyes were no longer hazy, the cloudiness of alcohol all but gone. "Please."

It wasn't right of you to kiss him. Not when you were now doubting your feelings on him. With a shake of your head, you stood and left your room, closing the door behind you. The living room was lively as the boys played a board game. You sat in the corner, ignoring them and zoning out. Lucifer kissed you. He tried kissing you again. The platonic love you had originally thought he felt fell out the window. Your heart was pounding, but your eyes still felt heavy. All you could think about when you drifted off to sleep was Lucifer's desperate expression

***

You had tried avoiding Lucifer all day. At breakfast, on the way to school, in the halls, it seemed like everywhere you turned, he was there. You didn't want to talk about last night. It felt awkward. It felt painful. Maybe it's because this was the first time he was nice to you in ages and it's because he was drunk. Or maybe it's because you didn't want to find out that all those words were a lie. Whatever it was, you wanted to avoid it. 

The bell rang for lunch. You told Mammon that you would meet up with him later. In all the drama yesterday, you had forgotten to finish your homework for next period. You sat alone in the empty classroom and worked diligently to finish. Until a large hand placed itself over your papers.

You stood, gathering your stuff. "Not now, Lucifer."

"Can we just talk?" He sighed.

"I need to go meet up with Mammon." You tried to push past him. "I'm going to be late."

He rolled his eyes. "So you're not going to finish your homework? I'll help." 

That made you snort. He really needed to get his thoughts under control. You didn't need to be here for that, so you tried leaving. But he didn't let you. Instead, his hands wrapped around your waist and he pushed you back until you hit your desk. His body was flush against yours as he looked down at you with a stern expression.

"What are you doing?" You hissed.

"We need to talk about last night."

"Do you even remember what happened?"

He winced slightly. "I remember asking Diavolo if I was boring. I remember drinking to prove both of you wrong. I remember coming home-" Lucifer's voice dropped to a whisper as his hand gently cradled your cheek, his thumb grazing against your lips. "And making a fool of myself. I remember telling you how hurt I felt…and how you wanted me to be hurt."

Your face was ablaze in a blush. Lucifer's voice was always smooth while talking. Right now, it rendered you helpless as you just stared at him. "So are you going to apologize?"

"I am. I won't say I'll change right away…but you made it clear how you felt. How I made you feel. But now…"

"Now?"

"I want you to feel good."

This kiss wasn't based on drunk feelings. This one was calm and confident. His lips were warmer, softer than you remembered. And this time you kissed Lucifer back. You let yourself get lost in the way his lips seemed to so perfectly fit against yours. His hand moved down to your neck, while the other squeezed your waist as he tried to press himself closer to you. He let out a soft chuckle, as if he had just won something. You bit his lip. "Ow! Seriously?" He glared at you.

You grinned and patted his cheek. "Just a little revenge."

"You get a pass this time," He sighed. He looked at you with such a loving gaze, that you had to look away. "I truly am sorry. I have crossed the line yesterday, multiple times. I lost my temper. Next time you are in need of a lecture, I will not resort to the same method."

You raised an eyebrow. "Next time. And what method will you use?"

He smirked. Before you could ask what he was doing, his lips were attached to your neck. You let out a surprised gasp. Lucifer laughed and leaned back. "This one. Hopefully it'll deter you."

"Asshole!" You playfully pushed him back. "How about being more lenient?"

"How about giving me a warning next time you decide to skip?"

"Deal."

"Good." Lucifer pauses. He shifts uncomfortably. "I apologize for raising my voice and not bothering to hear you out. And…about what I said last night…don't feel pressured to answer. I want to take it slow. By taking you on a date. Tonight."

"I can't."

"What?" His face fell. "But I thought-"

You shrugged. "I'm grounded. Not allowed to go out."

Lucifer's face turned red. It was such a cute sight. After a second, he composed himself again, giving you a smirk. "Oh, you play a tough game. You're no longer grounded. Good?"

"Good." 

#x reader #fanfic #obey me lucifer x reader #obey me lucifer #lucifer x reader #lucifer #obey me #obey me nightbringer

[oneheadtoanother]

Now, here’s another slogan. Here’s another slogan you run into all the time. “God bless America.” Once again, respectfully, I say to myself, “What the fuck does that mean?” God bless America. Is that a request? Is that a demand? Is that a suggestion? Politicians say it at the end of every speech as if it were some sort of verbal tick that they can’t get rid of. “God bless you and God bless America. God bless you and God bless America.” I guess they figure if they leave it out, someone is going to think they’re bad Americans.

Let me tell you a little secret about God, folks. God doesn’t give a flying fuck about America, OK. He doesn’t care. He never cared about this country. He never has. He never will. He doesn’t care about this country any more than he cares about Mongolia, Transylvania, Pittsburgh, the Suez Canal or the North Pole. He simply doesn’t care, OK. He doesn’t care. Listen, good.

There are 200 countries in the world now. Do these people honestly think that God is sitting around picking out his favorites? Why would he do that? Why would God have a favorite country? And why would it be America out of all the countries? Because we have the most money? Because he likes our National Anthem? Maybe, it’s because he heard we have 18 delicious flavors of classic Rice-A-Roni. It’s delusional thinking. It’s delusional thinking, and Americans are not alone with this sort of delusions. Military cemeteries around the world are packed with brainwashed, dead soldiers who were convinced God was on their side. America prays for God to destroy our enemies. Our enemies pray for God to destroy us. Somebody is going to be disappointed. Somebody is wasting their fucking time. Could it be everyone?

George Carlin, "It's Bad For Ya" (2008)

#george carlin

[jewish-vents]

OK this is painful and I’m sorry if it triggers anyone I just need to share it. I’m queer and I’m Jewish. I’m not super super queer like I’m bi and marginal to the community which always felt like it was run by strict lesbian gatekeeping so my point is I learned to easily pass as straight most of the time because it was easier. And I’m not super super Jewish I was raised as a secular skeptic but my family never denied our Jewishness it’s just that we weren’t part of any religious community but I have proudly claimed my identity as a Jew my whole life. And: I used to always feel safe in the queer community. Like it was a safe space. For me, an outsider, a survivor, of many multiple different kinds of trauma, the queer community was safe and welcoming. There were always people who were kind of obsessed with I/P there, but they were a minority and they didn’t attack me or demand loyalty testing , or if they did make a provocation like at a dinner party it was an aberration from the norm and seen as their obsession and no one joined in. For most of my life, I’m talking 40 years, I felt safe in the queer community. And now it’s just completely transformed. I simply know I can’t be Jewish in any queer spaces without encountering rank antisemitism and callous contempt for Jewish suffering. Maybe you could say I’ve departed these spaces and no one has physically pushed me out, but I refuse to prepare my good Jew™️credentials just to go to a fuckin show or some comedy or dinner party and why should I have to tolerate or adapt to constant antisemitism just to be loved and accepted? In fact I was just beginning to feel safe to be publicly more queer and eke out of the internalized homophobia I carry due to my childhood SA but I can’t do that now. No one will welcome me because I didn’t play their trendy game, and my city’s queer community has made it very clear they don’t give a shit about the harm they cause to Jews. There were firebomb attacks and shootings at Jewish schools, antisemitic slogans screamed at protests at synagogues in my city, and these same people are side-by-side with the (literally) inflammatory speech and lies spread, arms linked and posting social media thrillsville fight the power narcissisms to show how pure they are and how filthy Jews are. That’s what happened to my queer community. These are people I was deeply embedded psychologically with, I was chosen family with. My heartbreak is so deep and it’s been months but I still can’t let go . Where did I go wrong? How many families do I get kicked out of for telling the truth? Could I have educated them more before this happened so that I would’ve been able to stay friends with them? And I ask myself, isn’t this what other Jews felt like, throughout history, other marginal Jews who were at the fringes of their identity groups but getting by, and then just got kicked right out and tossed into the big old pile of JEWS WHO DONT MATTER ANYMORE

I'm so sad to see fellow queer Jews having to go through this. Sadly, it's the reality for many of us. I'm so sorry you're going through that. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you for standing up to yourself and setting boundaries and refusing to compromise who you are to please others

#jewish vents #antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #lgbtq community

[cator99]

I very respectfully, tactfully, reasonably addressed the flag issue with my housemates, stated my perspective, was well-received by almost everyone, only for The ACAB Tattoo FTMs shut it down, citing how POC can't hide their marginalization so as a white person I have a responsibility to take on some of the burden & the risk of visibility. So of course with everyones white guilt activated they went Oh, Right! (Love when "minority issues" are nonsensically flattened onto the same plane) I even addressed prior to this that yes I do think it does make a positive impact when other people are able to feel welcome and supported in the neighbourhood by knowing there's other LGBT people but when I come home to a burnt flag vandalized with homophobia waiting for me on the welcome mat, knowing that if I had been home 2 minutes sooner I would have seen it happen, I feel neither welcome nor supported & I dont think that flags & sloganeering come close to being helpful for anyone in the long run especially when the people in the community being advocated for by said flags & slogans are being put at risk by what is supposed to serve as a signifier of solidarity. This isnt solidarity, its asking that we needlessly put ourselves in potential danger for the wellbeing of– who, exactly? They spewed out something about how my "trauma response" is "valid" (flase virtue moment! Reducing the issue to aesthetic representations of Freedom while depriving the people it represents of anything resembling such a thing!) but we have a "responsibility" to be "visibly queer". As if I have not primarily moved through the world as such. As if the times I have been stealth werent predicated upon a lifetime of ostracization harassment and outright abuse for being a gender nonconforming female & a homosexual one at that. I dont wallow in it but come on! What does any of this do for anyone! Good Feels dont pay the rent or provide legal protections. But of course people like these housemates of mine think legal protections = assimilationist & society needs to be burned to the ground & the average working class person is too problematic to be saved so lets just kill everyone but also we were put on this earth to love one another lol OK why dont you start first by showing you posess the capacity to be considerate about the people within your own household? This whole activist larp is such an obvious ego thing... Come on. Even thinking outside of my own desire for dignity how is anyone Im supposed to be useful to others in any way if they're busy dealing with being harassed? How could I ever hope to "help the LGBT community"– since that's apparently all that matters god forbid a female lead ones own life without being a martyr one way or a fucking other– in the long run, if in the short-term I cant just go home & not have to worry about my roommates doing something stupid like gluing shards of glass to the back of the new flag which will only serve to further anger people intent on harassing us, potentially escalating the situation?

#what I wrote immediately following the house meeting lol

[zonatcannibalism]

if i hear "zionism is the new nazism" one more time im gonna SCREAM.

lets explain something, ok? the pepole saying that do not fucking know what nazism is. 90 precent of goyim do not understand the extent of the horrors our people were put through. You need to realise that every Ashkenazi jew alive today has a story about the way their grandparents escaped. That we grew up hearing stories about the way our people were abused. About the human experimentations. About the starvation. About the way people who could have been us if we were born 80 years ago were treated as less then animals. About how they had their names taken away. About the children slaughtered and the women raped. About the mass graves we were forced to dig for our own people. Its not just 6 milion to us- its humans. Its the children my great grandmother played tag with. This is me keeping out some of the harsher shit i know about the shoa so it would be Tumblr appropriate. This is the CENSORED description.

No matter how bad do you think "the oppressive white supremacist zionists occupation" is, i promise you it is not slightly fucking close to being as bad as what our people went through in the 1940s, and saying it does is just trivialising our pain so it serves your agenda. Its disgusting and dehumanising. Do you realise we still carry the generational trauma of the shoa with us? Do you? You don't get to call anyone a nazi unless they're literally neo nazis. I don't care how awful of a racist bigot they are. You don't get to call someone a nazi until you learn what that word means.

"Punch nazis" is also a trivialisation of the shoa btw. Just dont. Please dont. Yes, i know queer and disabled people were slaughtered by the nazis too. Its still not the fucking same. Every single Jewish person today is haunted by the memory of the shoa. You goyim don't get to turn it into a fucking slogan.

To be clear: this is NOT a post saying Palestinians have a jolly ol time and should stop complaining beacuse the shoa was worst. Its about the way goyim trivialise our trauma.

#jumblr #antisemitism #zionism #ww2 #the Holocaust

[extreme-neutral]

Most importantly, always remember: if both bodies are aware at once -

Body Possession For Kids rules: Stay warm, Stay close, Stay sated, Stay fit, Stay healthy

a little explanation of the little series under cut

Ok , so Ever since FH: Rebirth I enjoyed this mundane horror of Sidestep having someone's comatose body for a meat suit (like the horror of having one wasn't enough already) and how they have to casually upkeep it like it was some broken, but fixable machine or something. The reason I link the picrew as part of it is cause it randomly sparked in me an association with something I always liked in sci fi... You know how in some of these worlds there is fucked up sci fi shit happening, but it became such a mundanity that people start making posters and such with rules, guidelines, propaganda slogans and adds about said fucked up shit? (Portal and Fall Out are first to jump out at me for example)

So I thought I'd make those little parody guidelines for telepathic children being raised by lab stuff at the Farm or something like that, alluding to all the ways the puppet comes into play in books so far, but like G rated...

And here you go. Hope it doesn't disturb anyone too much and didn't annoy the rest of ya o/

If it did (on either account) let me know.

#If I had any designing skills #I would've made them into actual little posters #or children's book pages #but alas #Happy Halloween! #Body Possession For Kids #fhr #my art #chibi art #Cyrus Becker #fhr puppet

[iu-jjang]

[FANCAFE] 23.09.18 IU replies to uaena’s comments on her fancafe (Part 1)

IU replying to her own post:

Ah I forgot to mention one thing..

I really wanted to at least attend one of the movie screenings today and do a surprise stage greeting… but there’s a really big scene to be filmed today and I’m not in Seoul right now..ㅠㅠ I tried to arrange my schedule since a month ago, but it’s a scene that many actors appear on set together and matching everyone’s schedules is like catching a star in the sky, so it was difficult for me to meet uaenas today, whatt ㅠㅠ!!! Just saying in case there are any uaenas looking at the door, waiting for me to make my appearance and not being able to enjoy the movie today..

Uaena: I cried so much that I took a crying selca, unnie… if you read this on stage, I would have been submerged (in tears)…

IU: Show us -clap- show us -clap-

Uaena: I’m curious about whether you had your dinner, whether you’re filming right now, whether you’ve been sleeping well lately. I love you.

IU: I just reached my accomodations, washed up and wrote this letter. I’m going to bed now. Tomorrow will be a busy day from early morning to night! Nowadays, the moment my butt touches something, I fall asleep kekekeke 😍 Goodnight!!!!

Uaena: I was looking forward to (your surprise appearance), but it’s ok! We can’t ruin jingjjang’s schedule! Have a safe trip back. You worked hard for today’s momo concert!!! I’m wondering if you saw the uaena waving goodbye to you as you left? ㅠ

IU: Of course I saw all of it 😌 There were many people holding slogans and I saw many lightsticks too, so I put in effort to look at them, but I was told not to open the window for safety reasons, so I couldn’t open my window. Sorry ㅜㅜ

Uaena: -long post which mentioned that uaena’s love for IU is not one-sided but reciprocated by IU-

IU: What do you mean one-sided!!😡🔥🔥 I love you!!

Uaena: Unnie, when exactly do you sleep? Please sleep well! This middle schooler uaena will be going to bed first hehe Have a good night 🫶🏻

IU: Nowadays, I almost always sleep at midnight!!! After my middle school days, it’s the first time I’m having a routine lifestyle again 😍😍

Uaena: I really want to ask whether you think a serious bread includes salty bread. 🤨

IU: Salty bread looks cute, so it’s an excited bread.(TL note: IU mentioned before on IU TV that she prefers sweet bread and doesn’t like ‘serious’ bread like garlic baguette or pizza bread or sausage bread which tastes of food.)

Uaena: Has your skin recovered from the mosquito bite??? I noticed you stuck a sticker to hide it cutely today kiki

IU: … It keeps swelling up..ㅠㅠ I think this evil mosquito released its poison all the way inside my bones (insert mosquito bite selca)

Uaena: Jieun noona, have you watched the show in the movie theatre?! It’s almost like going back again to last year, it’s no joke!!

IU: Have I watched it, or have I not~?

Uaena: I’m curious about the drink you often order from the coffee truck. Please let us know your TMI.

IU: Babamba latte. When it’s hot, I go for ICE, when it’s cold, I go for HOT 😌 (TL note: It’s a mix of chesnut, walnut and milk with some honey)

Uaena: Have you seen the Unique Dayooki (TL note: IU 15th anniv contest on fancafe)?! The creations are hilarious 💜

IU: Uaena are.. really (in a good way) crazy.

Uaena: Unnie, to you what is the most legendary song of Golden Hour?

IU: The 3rd section of the concert is really… awesome…

Uaena: How are things between you and your brother lately?

IU: Getting better as we get older 👍

IU replying to herself:

Ah I really need to go to bed now!! 🐥🐥🐥🐥 I’m really going to bed!!! I’ll be back tomorrow if I have time during my breaks. Today is an important day for us ❤️ Let’s keep the conversation going. Goodnight!!! 😊😊😊

Translated by IUteamstarcandy

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

#IU #fancafe #from.iu #replies

[narcissa-black-supermacy]

Ohh elaborate on the Mena house of Black :D

ok so. I think after all the time i spent ranting about this, it's time for the official dissertation. If someone reads this and is still not convinced that the Blacks are mena-coded, talk to me (that's a threat). @soloorganaas feel free to add on if i missed something

Note: MENA is short for the geographical region of Middle East-North Africa which includes a variety of ethnicities and cultures that share certain traits and stereotypes I'll be addressing here.

Disclaimer: I have lived my entire life in the Levant. I am speaking from my own experience with these cultures not within British diaspora. If anybody can provide input on that, it will be great.

my main points (going from the more superficial things to the more niche topics)

Very obvious non-white features and appearance among the majority of the members

French being used as a second native language in many mena regions ("toujours pur")

Big, multi-sibling families in comparison to most pure-bloods in canon

Cousin intermarriage (is second cousin marriage incest?)

Frequent reuse of names

The tapestry

Pure-blood mania as a parallel to mena religious Sectarianism

12GP being located at the heart of muggle London

Family values, betrayal and "all or nothing" approach (= mena blood feud culture)

JKR's tendency to let her internal biases seep through her writing unintentionally

Let's tackle these one by one, I will try to be short (HA that's funny. under the cut):

(I will highlight the main points in bold for those of you who don't want to read through all of my ramblings)

Very obvious non-white features and appearance. I think this one is self-explanatory. Sirius, Bellatrix, Regulus, Walburga - except for Narcissa, who is intentionally altered to resemble the Malfoys since page one, all of the Black are described to have very non-white features and appearance. Black curly hair and grey eyes are extremely common in the NA + Levant region, regardless of skin colour.

The most wide-spread fanon ethnicity for the Blacks appears to be French. Genuinely no idea where that came from. I am guessing that some of it stems from the "toujours pur" line, to which, I must point out: tons of regions in MENA have been French colonies. French is taught at schools (I learned French at school before English), spoken alongside Arabic/Hebrew/etc within the family, used for things like slogans and mottos. Kill the idea that French is only spoke in France and if a character speaks French it gives us a clear idea of where they come from.

This is something I don't see talked about, but the Blacks have very abnormally large families in comparison to the rest of the pure-bloods we are presented with in canon. Most are only children (James, Remus, Peter, Draco, Lucius, so on) and the only exception to the rule is the Weasleys, who are constantly ridiculed for it by others. Cygnus and Druella have 3 daughters. Walburga has 2 sons and she comes from a family of 3 siblings. Orion's parents are 3 siblings, Walburga's parents are 3. The generation before their parents are 4 siblings. The one before it is 4 as well. Anyway. There's a pattern. See? The average number of children for the Blacks appears to be 3, while for most pure-blood families, even 2 is way above the average.

Cousin intermarriage - also pretty self explanatory? Might be a bit of a harmful stereotype here, but it's true - second cousin intermarriage is not seen as a big deal in most MENA cultures, to this day, and definitely not back then. It is much more widespread than in most European cultures, I believe.

Reuse of names - another very common trait in all MENA cultures. My husband has 7 Mordechai's and 8 Moris'es just in the last 3 generations of his family. Half of my cousins are called Muhammad. Typical.

The tapestry - another example of something that's portrayed as strange in canon, but is actually typical MENA culture. I don't think I know a single Arab or Jewish family that does not have some kind of equivalent of the Black family tapestry showing off their lineage generations back. And the disowned family members get taken off, yes, that's a thing.

Pure-blood mania as a parallel to MENA religious sectarianism Now, THIS is something I want to focus on. Most MENA cultures are very sectarian. Not in a "well, duh, it's the middle east" kind of way - I am talking about the most progressive regions and cities. People will consider themselves progressive, support women's and LGBT rights, but still view intermarriage as a dirty thing. Religious intermarriage between the different sects of Christians, Jews, Shias, Sunnis etc is strictly forbidden and frowned upon almost everywhere. Now, you might say - well, isn't this just a general pure-blood thing? No. The Blacks are NOT modal pure-bloods. They are a very radical, extreme version of it. I would argue that the average pure-bloods look like the Malfoys - who are stated to be rather moderate, not accepting muggle-borns, but having no problem with half-bloods. The Blacks' pure-blood mania dates back to before Voldemort's rise, it's a family trait passed through generations, and it goes beyond the regular pure-blood snobbism. This is typical, by-the-book sectarianism.

12GP being located at the heart of muggle London This is an interesting one, I think, because it might not be as obvious as the others. The Blacks are very known bigots and muggle-haters, but surprisingly, unlike most pure-bloods we know (even the muggle friendly ones!), their house is located at the HEART of muggle London. Why the hell is that? This actually makes PERFECT SENSE if you understand how Sectarianism works, which ties back to point N 7. Typical religious sectarianism does NOT look like western racism or bigotry. Sectarianism is NOT hatred or fear. Different sects across MENA work together, study together, even make friends on occasion, but they make this very strict separation between accepting the presence of someone different in their immediate surroundings, and actually letting them into their circle. In other words: we can work with muggle-borns and blood-traitors. We can study with them. They are allowed to exist. Actually, we will go out of our way to live among them, state our existence, remind them who is the boss, but we will not engage. We will not marry them, we will not let them into our house. This is sectarianism. It's a behaviour VERY specific to the Blacks in the HP universe, not pure-bloods in general.

Family values, betrayal and "all or nothing" approach (= mena blood feud culture) Blood feud culture is a strong thing in all MENA cultures, even to this day. Blood feud can be used to mean revenge on someone who hurt a member of your family, OR it can also mean "honour killing" within the family itself. If a member of the family is considered to be a disgrace and brings shame with a certain type of their behaviour (that is typically a young unmarried woman who slept with a man outside of a permitted relationship, an openly LGBT individual, someone who speaks against the political stance of the family). Reminds you of something? Yep. Disownment, disinheritance, the only thing we do not see here is the Blacks actively seeking to kill the members who have left. Again, this is NOT typical pure-bloods behaviour, this is something we see specifically within their family. Just like with Sectarianism, this is classic, by-the-book Blood Feud culture and honour killing.

JKR's tendency to let her internal biases seep through her writing unintentionally Do I think JKR consciously sat down and said "let's write the Blacks as mena-coded characters"? Of course not. Just like she did not intend for many things to come off the way they did (like wolfstar, desi potters, etc), but that happened. I think it's natural that when you are raised with certain biases and stereotypes towards a certain group, it will seep through when you're writing characters that are meant to be "evil" and "bad". Again, maybe it's just me. But there are simply way too many similarities and coincidences. I remember reading and watching HP with my siblings when the books/movies were just coming out, and we were all 100% convinced that the Blacks being Arab is just... common knowledge. It wasn't until I started engaging with the Western fandom that I realised it wasn't.

This is all, I think. Well, not nearly all, but these are my main points. It's been long overdue. Feel free to shoot me an ask if you want me to elaborate on something.

#is anyone going to read this? #probably no #but this makes me feel calmer lmao #mena house of black #hp meta #marauders meta #house of black #asks #dani talks

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Observations on ep 7:

"Learn to love yourself." Where's that gif set?!?

Wow. There's been absolutely NO talk of Ray's father so far (unless I forgot about it) and yet him just turning up at the hospital speaks VOLUMES.

I'm a simple girl...and a complete hoe for t-shirt slogans that comment on the storyline. "Make love not war" when Boston is going into battle: A+. But I'm not sure what the show was aiming for with "Friends don't let friends go to Stanfund" (I think that's what it says).

Oh poor babygirl Nick 😢 Vi has absolutely the right url. @disasterbabygirlnick

I agree with Mew not just giving Top a second chance. He's young, Top is his first partner, he'll have so many more opportunities to meet someone else if he wants. Why not just shut Top out. In other bls, their relationship and bond would be romanticised to the point where I would accept the fantasy of their 'destiny' to be together, but in this show I'd be telling both Mew and Top to leave it be. Move on. Find other people. (I'm also here for the mess that may arise from the situation and even if they do end up together but I'd also be ok with them not getting back together 🤷🏽‍♀️).

First's smile is something else, man.

Oh! It's The Scene!

*she squints* "Praying for forgiveness" and "I've been living with the demons that I got in my soul" on Cheum's top: 👏🏼Outstanding.

I think Book and Force work great together but I'd HAPPILY watch other shows with Book paired with other actors. HAPPILY.

Neo and Book. 🔥

Oh wow. MARK!!

And another. "Outkast". No notes.

DRAKE!! WHY IS HE SO NARAK?!

I think I like this plan by Mew...but honestly, I think he could have just asked for the video. I have a feeling Gap probably would have given it to him (or maybe not now that I watched the whole scene). But omg why does Gap not turn the damn computer off before going for a shower. Mew is a stranger to him 🤦🏽‍♀️

Also. Hello, Drake has been working out.

Is it just me or has Mew shifted his style/look this ep?

Wait. Is this house the same as in Mama Gogo (and something else)? @colourme-feral

Mew's face is DELIGHTFUL when Boston shuts the laptop. DELIGHTFUL.

N e o a n d B o o k again. 🔥🔥

Oh Mew. I wouldn't say out loud that you want the honour student title. That's exactly something Boston might use to retaliate against you.

And Top is just embarrassing himself now.

I understand Mew attempting to move out of the friend-zone with Ray, to give him a chance and to be with someone who cares about him and who he trusts about that, but I feel like if he never saw Ray as more than a friend, I can't see things changing that much - if it hasn't already happened, it probably won't happen. And as for Ray, he might always wonder if Mew really does love him or if he 'settled' and that Mew might get drawn away by an attraction to someone else in the future. It just doesn't feel like it would work out, and in the meantime Sand is right there if Ray could just let Mew go.

Gosh, next week looks so good.

#only friends #only friends the series #ofts #ofts ep 7 #for the first week I haven't written than mew needs to be protected #I need time to mull over if my feelings on that has changed and why #I think he still does...but so does sand...and nick... #or maybe they all just need a hug and some time away from each other #🤷🏽‍♀️

[whinlatter]

please talk about something subtle you've put in a story that you hope readers pick up on

Oh man, it was a mistake to ask me this. But I have been desperate to talk about Ginny's t-shirts in Orchards so - let's get into it 👕👚🌳🌿 (Thank you for asking and sorry I can't answer anything like a normal person.)

On Ginny's t-shirts... The slogan t-shirts Ginny wears in Orchards symbolise the dynamics between Ginny and all the people in her life in the summer of 1996, especially her relationship with Harry and the rest of the Weasley family. When Ginny wears a particular shirt, I wanted it to be both a wink to the reader about the arc of that summer - little flags for the plot and for shifting dynamics in characters' relationships - and also a way to smuggle in little headcanons about Ginny's relationships, often with her siblings (and a bonus one, for a surrogate sibling, if anyone spotted it - spoiler below the cut)

I always wondered, with all the Weasleys' secondhand clothing, what Ginny must wear. I loved the idea of her rotating her family members' old t-shirts, as a little love letter to each of them. (I like to think she has a Percy t-shirt somewhere - a t-shirt from some academic competition, no doubt - that she'll dust off and wear again after the war, when they've made their peace with each other.)

So here's a a truly deranged full breakdown of the significance of each of the t-shirts, which I've pulled from my mad writing notes document and share with anyone even a little bit interested, haaa. They're in the order they appear in Orchards, so you can hopefully see their place in the arc of the plot, and broken down by writing/plot and headcanons. Ok let's goooo! 🤸🏻‍♀️

T-shirt 1: Dragon-Tamers’ Guild, Class of 1994 (Relationship: Charlie) 🐉

Writing/plot: Ginny wears this in her opening scene, where Harry and Ron come up to demand she joins them in two-a-side Quidditch. T-shirt 1 had to be a Dragon Tamers' t-shirt, given Ginny's about to spend the summer taming one particularly grouchy dragon (Harry James Potter). And it had to be yellow, because this is Ginny's entrance, so it has to be bright bright bright, sunshine and summer and happy colours from the get-go.

Headcanon: Of course Charlie would give Ginny, the only other animal-lover of the Weasley household, a dragon-themed t-shirt. 1994 is also the year the Triwizard Tournament kicks off, and Charlie comes back to England that summer, so would be the perfect time to hand over a t-shirt to his little sister.

T-shirt 2: My Brothers Started a Joke Shop and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt (Relationship: Fred and George) 🤡

Writing/plot: Ginny wears this at breakfast early on in the fic (the structure of the fic loosely follows the time of day - it starts with breakfast, it will end with evening after sunset). I wanted this t-shirt to flag to the reader that a new phase of Harry and Ginny's relationship is about to kick off - they're about to enter their own comedic double-act era, à la the twins (and, like the twins, a lot of their jokes will be at Ron's expense).

Headcanon: This is definitely a new t-shirt. Fred and George will have given it to Ginny earlier that summer to wear to promote their products at school in the new academic year. The twins may not like that their sister is cool and getting a lot of attention these days, but they're determined to make a few galleons off of it.

T-shirt 3: The Weird Sisters t-shirt (Relationship: Tonks) 🎸

Writing/plot: This actually ended up as my favourite, completely by accident. I originally meant for this t-shirt to be Ginny's own, as a reference to the Weird Sisters poster Harry discovers on her wall in DH. Purple just seemed like a wizardy colour. Ginny wears it in this early flirty scene where Harry, for the first time, seeks her out alone, and comes up to her bedroom. Although he won't enter the room - it's important that that happens for the first time in DH - I liked the idea of her cracking the door open a little and wearing a t-shirt that teases hints of the room inside.

It was only when I was doing final edits and canon checks did I remember that Tonks wears a Weird Sisters t-shirt to pick Harry up at King's Cross at the end of OotP, and also that it's purple??! And then I remembered that great moment in OotP where Tonks turns her hair red, and Harry says she looks like Ginny's older sister. I love that scene. It's so full of early Harry/Ginny hints: Harry noticing more details about Ginny; Ginny, Tonks, and Sirius chatting and cheering Harry up, and Ginny and Tonks showing clear signs of bonding in a little sister/cool big sister way. I love that it ended up as an accidental nod to happy hints from an earlier time.

Canon details: Now I think of this t-shirt is a gift from Ginny's honorary, weird older sister. Tonks has definitely promised to take her to a Weird Sisters concert one day. As Ginny will also spend the summer wishing Bill was marrying Tonks instead, this t-shirt is therefore a subtle anti-Fleur protest.

T-shirt 4: Blank t-shirt (Relationship: Ron 1) 👕

Writing/plot: I wanted Harry to have started to notice Ginny's outfits to such an extent that the first time she wears a blank t-shirt, he's like - excuse you? But then Ginny suggests she'll write her own slogan on it later (‘I’ll write one on later. What do you think of Ron Weasley: Stop Bringing Shame on This Household?’) The t-shirt therefore becomes a way to tease Ron, but it also hints at the tensions in Ginny and Ron's relationship that will be partly resolved by a later t-shirt (Ron 2)

Headcanon: Ginny's clothes are mostly secondhand. But she's also the only girl, and increasingly looks very physically different to her brothers, so when her mum does buy her clothes of her own, they're cheap and non-descript, probably from a multipack.

T-shirt 5: IKEA t-shirt (Relationship: Arthur) 🏡

Writing/plot: Ginny wears this in a scene where Harry and Ron are both watching Ginny and Hermione like dorks. Though they don't know it, both couples are slowly starting to build something, just like you build IKEA furniture (slowly, agonisingly, with no clear instructions and lots of tears/tantrums).

Headcanon: Arthur Weasley definitely has heard of IKEA and longs for the day he, too, can push a trolley around a big Muggle furniture warehouse with a little pencil and tuck into some meatballs in the cafe. A Muggle-born friend definitely gave him this t-shirt knowing he'd be thrilled, and he has passed it onto his daughter who also, secretly, shares his love of all things Muggle.

T-shirt 6: Witch Weekly’s Knitter of the Year Finalist 1984 (Relationship: Molly) 🧶

Writing/plot: Ginny wears this in a scene where she is making her mother tear her hair out over her lack of interest in being a prefect/behaving herself at school, and she and Harry team up as a comedy duo again. I liked the idea of Ginny both wearing her mother's t-shirt while she drives her to distraction, showing all the ways Molly sees herself in her daughter and projects some of her own worries onto her. I also wanted to suggest the idea of Harry and Ginny working together like two knitting needles, colluding to wind up Mrs Weasley. (Molly also spends this scene beating some dough into a pulp on the counter top, and fighting a losing battle there, too).

Headcanon: In 1984, Molly and Arthur had five children under the age of ten running around, squabbling and generally tearing each other apart around the Burrow. Bill and Charlie will have gone to school, and probably have received first batch of Weasley jumpers. I like the idea that Molly took up knitting when pregnant in the late seventies/ early eighties. By the mid-80s knitting is less of a creative outlet and more a slightly manic, neurotic and cheap way of reusing old wool to make new clothes for growing children (and also to take her frustration out on some wool by spearing stitches with sharp needles).

T-shirt 7: Gringotts Curse Breakers' Team-Building Day, May 1993 (The Hardest Curse to Break is a Bad Attitude!) (Relationship: Bill) 🔑

Writing/plot: Ginny wears this in a scene where she's trying to get the trio to lighten up and joke around with her (she's our little bad-attitude breaker). This is another favourite of the t-shirts and I would pay a lot of money for a workplace comedy fic about Bill at this away day.

Headcanon: This is one of those t-shirts you get given at an event and never really want to hold onto (I imagine a team-building day involving grumpy goblins was not a day Bill remembers fondly). But he has seen Ginny has a t-shirt from all her other brothers. The small, petty part of him that always wants his little sister to revere him wants to make sure she has one from him, too.

T-shirt 8: The Chudley Cannons jumper (Relationship: Ron 2) 🧹

Writing/plot: At her birthday dinner, Ron lends Ginny his favourite Chudley Cannons jumper when she starts to get chilly in the evening. Ron and Ginny's relationship won't be fixed completely by the end of the summer - in fact, they're about to go to school, where it'll get a whole lot worse. But this gesture holds out the promise to the reader that things will be alright between them again, that they're going into this new school year with a base level of deep love and affection for each other. Ever the over-protective big brother, Ron will not let his sister be cold on his watch.

Headcanon: It broke Ron's heart when Ginny picked the Holyhead Harpies as her team - she used to support the Cannons with Ron, but picked the Harpies out of spite the first year Ron went away to Hogwarts and she was left at home alone. Seeing his sister wear the Cannons jumper again makes him really happy.

T-shirt 9: Discarded t-shirt (Relationship: Harry) ❣️

Writing/plot: The fic ends with this suggestive, hopeful scene from summer '98, where Harry wakes up on the right side of Ginny's bedroom door for a change, and wonders where the t-shirt she wore the night before has ended up. He spent the summer of '96 inspecting her t-shirts, and then, somewhere along the way, he finally realised he's actually much more interested in what's underneath Ginny's t-shirts. Two years and a whole war later, the reader is reassured to know that Harry James Potter finally gets to take Ginny Weasley's t-shirt off, at long last.

Headcanon: (It's definitely one of Harry's t-shirts).

#1000 words on ginny weasley's imaginary wardrobe #nobody asked and yet here! we! are! #should i get a grip? y/n #thank you for this ask! #ask #writing #fic: orchards #orchards #meta

[eretzyisrael]

When my daughter was 12, a teacher asked her to debate the following motion: Is Zionism racism?

The invitation was made during a Year 8 citizenship lesson on democracy. Pupils were asked to give examples of democratic countries and when Leah offered Israel as an example, the teacher shook her head. Even at the tender age of 12, my daughter sensed this as an attack on the Jews’ nation state and, flustered, she said something back. Unmoved, her teacher took her on: “OK, let’s debate this properly,” she said.

Two years later my daughter was walking to an English lesson with her friends Mumtaz and Sara* when the words, “Viva, Viva Palestina!” rang out in the corridor. The girls looked up and to Leah’s horror and Mumtaz and Sara’s delight, they saw their maths teacher walking towards them, his thumbs cocked up in approval. What was he so pleased about? The slogan on Sara’s T-shirt: “Free Gaza.”

Earlier this month, the JC reported that the number of Jewish children attending Jewish faith schools in Britain is set to reach 40,000 by 2025. For a community that at the last census numbered 271,000, this is an astonishing figure. Even more surprising when you consider it is nearly eight times more than in the 1950s, despite the decline in Britain’s Jewish population over the same period.

According to a new report from the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, the main reason a growing number of Jews send their kids to Jewish faith schools is to develop their sense of Jewish identity. Eight in ten parents give this as their reason. Six in ten say it is so their offspring will make friends with kids with similar values.

But only two in ten choose a Jewish education because they are worried about antisemitism, and this surprises me. When it was time to select a secondary for Leah’s younger brother, the possibility that he might encounter the antisemitism his sister had experienced was the reason I opted for a Jewish school.

But it still wasn’t an easy decision. I had to wrestle with myself. I do not have to be convinced of the arguments for local schools. They are good for communities, for stitching together the fabric of the nation.

When, in 2012, I sent Leah to our local mainstream secondary, a school where you can count the number of Jewish pupils on the fingers of one hand, it was with these thoughts in mind. But six years later, my theory had parted company with my feelings. I had, in the words of the Jewish writer Irving Kristol, been mugged by reality.

During her time at secondary school, Leah experienced antisemitism in all its variations. Religious: you killed Christ and think you’re God’s chosen people. Racial: how come you haven’t got a big nose? Economic: Jews are rich. Political: Israel is racist.

Generally, the black and white working-class kids spouted the religious and racial racism; the Muslim and middle-class pupils peddled the political prejudice; and everyone agreed that Jews were loaded.

But unpleasant as it all was, Leah never felt her classmates were trying to hurt her. Their words came from a place of ignorance rather than malice. Whenever she said, “You can’t say that, and here’s why”, they listened and mostly accepted they were simply parroting things they had heard.

With the staff, it was a different story. In my experience, teachers don’t generally like backing down, or being corrected by a child — and my child tried to do just that.

The second half of Leah’s secondary education coincided with the Corbyn years and most of the teachers at her London school openly supported the former Labour leader in the classroom and on social media. He wasn’t the school’s local MP, but right up until the last general election, when stories about Labour’s antisemitism problem were an almost daily news event, Corbyn was still being invited to talk.

But for her teachers, one of whom had the Palestinian flag as his Facebook profile picture, if you didn’t support Corbyn you were a Tory and to be a Tory was to be scum. Corbyn was the victim of a witch-hunt, of unfair media coverage, they said.

It wasn’t the easiest environment in which to be a Jewish student (who doesn’t vote Tory), but outspoken, well-read and vocal about antisemitism, Leah fought the good fight and I imagine it irked her teachers.

Is this why, I have wondered, her initial A-level predictions were good, but not quite good enough, and I had to fight hard to get them raised to A*A*A, the grades Leah actually got in the summer of 2019? Is this why the school omitted to mention my daughter’s stellar A-levels, the best arts results in her year, when it announced the grades of its top-performing students?

I shall never know for sure, but the whole experience wasn’t one I wanted to risk repeating. Which is why in two years’ time, when 40,000 Jewish children are predicted to attend Jewish schools in this country, my son will remain one of them. *All names have been changed

#zionism #democracy #racism #academia