#caste abolition | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lycanpunk666 · 14 days

Text

I’m finally making THE big detailed Monster Island Lore Post.

General setting:

This world operates on the following assumptions:

-Supernatural is the umbrella term for any nonhuman sapient creature.

-Paranormals are rare nowadays and have limited legal protections. (Paranormals are anything besides creatures like vampires and werewolves)

-Persons With Supernatural Diseases are werewolves and vampires and such.

-There are hospital wings for supernatural related injuries and also for newly turned vampires and werewolves

-Generally speaking, supernaturals are only just starting to be treated like real people, but that doesn’t mean social acceptance.

-Chris's show integrates supernaturals and humans into one show, mostly with challenges that don't give them any particular advantage-- The reason he integrates supernaturals is actually for reasons completely unrelated to social progress but that's more like a happy side effect that arose from it— (Chris in-universe is generally considered really liberal or something which is just absolutely hilarious considering the circumstances)

Supernatural creatures were only able to be around in public with legal protections FAIRLY RECENTLY.

like. 2009 kinda recently.

In the 1970s— and ONLY then, before then this was pretty common— There was a whole ass job for Helsings- monster hunters.

They were basically a combination between detectives and assassins--

Think peak McCarthyism (and the red and lavender scares kinda) but worse. And they were only outlawed as a practice officially (before then most were disbanded) in 1995 (in America anyway. Helsing Abolition Act of 1995)

Most of the time the general practice if you find out your relative or friend is a werewolf was to report them because GRAH DANGEROUS MONSTER and all that.

Chris McLean is a well known child actor, performer, and all around TV star that was very active and popular (even at one point being considered a ‘heartthrob’ by a couple of teen magazines in the late 90s).

Around 2004, he sort of went radio silent— people even thought that he’d died, along with other wild rumors. But in 2006, he made a miraculous return to the world of TV and reality TV by announcing that he was setting up a brand new show: Total Drama Island!

The particularly important aspect of the show regarding its casual involvement of supernaturals right next to the rest of the human cast got mixed feedback, but ultimately the show got greenlit.

Werewolves:

Werewolves are people with lycanthropy. (And therefore in the “persons with supernatural diseases” category) Lycanthropy is transferred by bite, in the shifted form on the full moon only. People can’t choose to shift into wolf form (with mild exception). Wolf forms are mildly anthropomorphic wolf like beasts, with eyes unchanged from their human forms. In human form, all werewolves have pointy ears and fangs. Werewolves in general have increased strength and athleticism akin to a human skilled athlete. Also comes with an increase in testosterone.

The most common strain would just be referred to as the generic strain. Everyone knows it. Someone turns into a big muscle-bound bara werewolf, (so mildly anthropromorphic and larger than a human) and out of shift they’re a bit beefier and hairier than most folks and commonly have slightly pointed ears. Shifts on full moons only. Transmissible via bite in wolf form only. Also includes Loup Garous and Black Dogs/Grims/Barghests.

Another strain, rare but not unheard of, would be the Chupacabra strain— Most common in areas with a high vampire concentration and originally made with a vampire who got bitten by a werewolf, but in rare cases of this, a unique strain is formed and transmissible. Not as much hair growth, though sometimes the hair growth is traded for rough skin and hedgehog-like spines on the back and neck.

>>>>Other strains will be listed in the “bonus lore” post. Which is different from the “elaborated lore”.

Vampires:

Vampirism is basically a very weird, slightly magic parasite that definitely doesn’t follow as much logic as werewolves do. Vampirism is technically a bloodborne “parasite” (actually a non sentient symbiote since the host is rewarded with powers) that is transferred by bite, but is entirely up to the turning vampire whether or not their victim turns.

They must drink blood to survive, but any kind of blood works. The sun burns, but it’s more a discomfort most days and can be dealt with pretty easily with sunblock, an umbrella, or clothing that covers the body.

Vampires generally have super speed, and the ability to walk up walls, and They’re harmed by holy water and consecrated ground.

There’s also a weird phenomenon called vampire “royalty”. This actually doesn’t have anything to do with real royalty btw. But essentially, it’s possible for a vampire to “become” “royalty”, which just makes them a different type of vampire whose only real difference is long elegant pointy ears, “inkstained” hands and ears, and mysterious extra abilities. Nobody really knows how this happened, only that it’s something that does happen.

>>>>>vampire royalty is extremely plot relevant.

Paranormals:

The other kinds of supernaturals (called Paranormals) are considered separate SPECIES/RACES, they’re genetically compatible with humans and they’re just kind of another kind of people. More often than not, they’ve got their own isolated cultures that intertwine with the culture of whichever country they’re in.

-Sirens are any kind of aquatic creature. Could be merpeople, could be selkies, etc. They’re amphibious, but unless stated otherwise, can’t walk on land. [But they’ll be unplayable unless they’re explicitly semiaquatic. since this is an umbrella term, you can get extra creative with this…]

-Harpies are bird people, and can retract and extend their wings, but they’re very physically fragile. They have hollow bones, bird feet, they're very light, and they have long tails. (Could be based off of any bird species, and as such will have minor abilities based on that fact)

-Satyrs have goat horns, furry legs with cloven hooves, and short goat tails, as well as furry goat ears. They’re known to be energetic party animals, and are said to have a connection to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and partying. (Just said to, though, there’s no proof of this)

Links:

- secondary info on werewolves

- secondary info on vampires

- HEADCANON species assignments

- TDI tumblr edition Intro post

#tdi #tdi au #total drama au #tdi monster island #tdmi #this is just the setting I’m well aware that this is only tangibly monster island related dw dw :)

27 notes · View notes

fiercynn · 21 days

Text

so i was going to write a series of posts about climate justice in palestine but i realized somewhere along the way of drafting theme that i run the very real risk of making it super easy to doxx me :/

so! i've been thinking about starting a substack for long-form writing that i can put under my wallet name (not to monetize it in any way, substack purely because i kind of have a community there now). things i'm likely to talk about there include climate justice including in palestine, prison abolition and psychiatric abolition, disability justice and long covid, anti-blackness and racism (particularly anti-blackness within asian and asian diaspora communities), caste abolition, and...probably loads of other stuff tbh!

if we are mutuals and we have interacted in some form before, and you might be interested in reading those pieces, please feel free to dm me your email address and i will add you to the list when i get it all set up

not that i will stop talking about palestine or any of these other topics here at all, just probably not the climate side of things in as much detail sigh

21 notes · View notes

arceespinkgun · 9 months

Text

Can I just say that I really appreciate that Earthspark goes out of its way to make it clear that Megatron doesn't have to be tolerated just because he's trying to do better? In IDW1 there was an unbearable amount of messaging that amounted to "he's so sad ): this guy who killed billions of people is so sad and guilty ): you're so mean and evil if you don't forgive him! ):"

And he barely had any of Megatron's wrestling heel-esque villainous energy, and he took away from time that could have been spent on interesting characters—remember that time he whacked a vulnerable Trailbreaker... er, too used to G1, I mean Trailcutter... on the head to make it so high-grade would never bring him pleasure again, thereby curing his alcoholism just like that? I know there's reason to scrutinize terms like Mary Sue because there's misogynistic history to their use, but that is some Mary Sue shit right there.

Whereas in Earthspark... I mean, probably most obviously Starscream tells Megatron that "Nowhere is safe if it's with you" and is not pushed to forgive Megatron, not pushed to have to work with him, not pushed to have to interact him him again, etc. but of course Starscream is a supporting character, not part of the main cast. So I'm also glad that the Maltos discuss this.

I like that when the Maltos and the show in general talk about second chances, what that seems to mean is not having to stop feeling hurt and angry, and it also doesn't seem to mean excusing people who did horrible things or no longer regarding them with caution and suspicion. Instead, the show seems to be mainly anti-oppressive punishment and pro-prison abolition, and so on, which is pretty radical. Nobody is pushed to like anybody who did wrong. Autobot Megatron in IDW came across as horrendously passive-aggressive to me. He always projected an air of, "Look at how full of self-hatred I am" at all times, which is one of the worst things to do when people are rightfully angry and hurt by your actions. Megatron in Earthspark does not do this and I think that makes him so much more bearable. He is guilty and makes bad choices because of his guilt, and he still falls into his old violent patterns of behavior, but he doesn't sulk constantly. This is a lot more true to what made Megatron entertaining as a bad guy... he doesn't come across as a different character just because he's on a different side. And most importantly of all, the show is barely about Megatron at all. He's a supporting character and doesn't hijack the main characters' arcs! He barely featured in the newest episodes and that's great since I care about the Maltos lol

#earthspark spoilers #transformers earthspark #tranformers idw #Megatron #my analysis #my gifs

83 notes · View notes

triviareads · 1 year

Text

Why the Queen Charlotte Show's Take on Race is Dubious at Best and Harmful at Worst (Also, Was Queen Charlotte Actually Black? An Exploration)

As the promo for the Queen Charlotte show picks up, I'm starting to see a lot of genuinely harmful articles in the news, and they're compounded by Shondaland themselves and the material they've chosen to show the world.

Let's first talk about Shondaland, who decided it was a great idea to double down on the notion that love cured racism, and then proceeded to create a show about Queen Charlotte and King George III, a man who was historically pro-slavery politically, and did nothing about the issue even as abolition sentiment picked up during his reign. Their Valentine's Day event didn't inspire much confidence either; they showed multiple clips that describe this segregated society (their kind don't mix with our kind, or some variation of this, was said a thousand times in each promo clip) where the white people in power (the monarchy) apparently don't engage with the Black nobility until.... suddenly now, when Princess Charlotte is arriving to marry George. Oh also, Corey Mylchreest, the actor who plays George III recommended a book called, The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III, written by Baron Roberts of Belgravia, a man who has apparently defended the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and mass internment in Northern Ireland. Lovely. Going back on topic, the clips themselves showed an embarrassingly white-washed portrayal of racism and segregation, and that too, we know it was all magically solved within a generation.

Look, I'm not asking for a tragic POC narrative. But if I'm watching a show where race is a focal point thematically, I want it treated with the respect and consideration it deserves. Not some post-racial-but-not-really fantasy bullshit they're spinning. As my friend @jeanvanjer said, racism isn't simply being "mean" or someone being given the cut-direct. Because here's the thing: Shondaland absolutely had the option of not creating this ridiculous narrative. They could have casted all the same, lovely actors and not explained why this regency fantasy world is diverse! Instead, they decided to bring in race, but then treat it as a fucking joke.

Which brings me to this article:

First of all, for an article that's titled race is "more central" to the Queen Charlotte show, it barely gives us any information as to how. Instead, it gives this quote from Adjoa Andoh:

First of all, "TRUE TO HISTORY"? I'm sorry, is Shondaland and its actors spinning the narrative that Queen Charlotte truly was a mixed-race woman in an effort to legitimize this show's need to create this simplistic racial narrative?

Fine. Lets examine that, shall we? How did Queen Charlotte come to allegedly have a Black ancestor? Let me tell you this: it was not due to love conquering racism. The answer lies in the 1200s. Literally 500 years before Charlotte's birth. Her name was likely Madragana Ben Aloandro, and she was a woman of possibly-Moorish ancestry and a Muslim. She was born in the Algarve when it was still ruled by the Moors, but it was conquered by King Afonso III, who made Madragana his mistress shortly after, had her converted to Christianity, and had her name changed. There are gaps in her story, but if I try to fill them in, I can very well imagine that based on the fact that this man conquered her home by use of military force, and she was around twenty years younger than him, there was... likely a significant lack of consent here along with erasure of identity. This is the woman Charlotte is likely descended from, a woman who was born some 500 years before her, and likely had a negligible contribution to Charlotte's gene pool. But somehow, the show and this article expects us to believe that historical assertions that Charlotte looked like a Black woman, or even counted as biracial, are not racist, but statements of fact.

Indeed, this article relied on disgusting, racist, and obviously biased descriptions from Charlotte's contemporaries including her personal physician Baron Stockmar and Sir Walter Scott as "proof" Charlotte was a mixed-race woman, and then proceeded to tie her to Meghan Markle in terms of the racism they experienced:

These false equivalencies and cherry-picking historical facts have become a hallmark of the Bridgerton show, and now the Queen Charlotte show as well, apparently.

What this show, and Shondaland as a whole, fails to understand is that its take on racial politics is embarrassing and ridiculous for an educated, modern audience. For those of us who are students of history, we cannot accept a narrative like "love cures racism" and simply fly with it, because we know that cheapens not only the romance of this alleged historical romance show, but also the hard-won battles people in history fought in order to freely love who they choose to love.

We cannot accept an even more dangerous potential narrative the show may try to sell us, that segregated societies can be equal by pointing to proof of Black aristocrats in the Queen Charlotte show as an example. Because if there's anything decades of precedent has taught us, a segregated society is inherently unequal.

We cannot accept this Queen Charlotte show than anything more than a thoughtlessly-done portrayal of a segregated society, waiting to magically be fixed by someone— the white man who was historically a racist pro-slaver? A Black woman who wasn't actually Black historically?

Who knows.

#lets talk about charlotte's ancestor Madragana Ben Aloandro #bridgerton #queen charlotte: a bridgerton story #queen charlotte #racism #george iii #shondaland

134 notes · View notes

aurevoirmonty · 3 months

Text

« La modernité européenne, qui abolit la religion, la foi dans le roi et le Père Céleste, les castes, la compréhension sacrée du monde, et essentiellement le patriarcat, fut le commencement de la chute de la civilisation indo-européenne. Le capitalisme, le matérialisme, l’égalitarisme et l’économisme sont tous la revanche de ces sociétés auxquelles les Indo-Européens firent la guerre, qu’ils subjuguèrent, et qu’ils tentèrent d’améliorer, ce qui compose l’essence de l’histoire de tous les peuples indo-européens. La modernité fut la fin de la civilisation indo-européenne. »

Alexandre Douguine, émission Directive Douguine (2017)

24 notes · View notes

workingclasshistory · 11 months

Photo

On this day, 29 May 1972 the Dalit Panthers were formed in Mumbai, India. Modelled on the US Black Panthers the Dalit Panthers was formed to combat caste discrimination. Dalit refers to members of lower castes in India (sometimes referred to as "untouchables"). The Dalit Panthers advocated for both the abolition of the caste system as well as of class society. The organisation also advocated for women's rights, health women's study circles, and intervened to support Dalit women experiencing abuse and assault. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10125/dalit-panthers-founded Pictured: cover of a Dalit Panther publication https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=634412302065322&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

125 notes · View notes

fatehbaz · 1 year

Text

This was a world [...] of breathtaking extremes: on one end were early modern European aristocrats who decorated their salons with sugar sculptures; on the other were millions of enslaved men and women, overwhelmingly of African origin, who were overworked so mercilessly on Caribbean plantations [...].

In the late 1600s, sugar confectioneries were introduced into Siam by a [...] woman of Japanese and Portuguese descent, Marie Guyemar de Pinha [...], who married the king’s Greek prime minister. Two centuries later, a sugar planter like Leonard Wray could effortlessly move between the Malay Peninsula, Natal (in today’s South Africa), and the American South, receiving land in Algeria from Napoleon III and conducting sugar experiments under the auspices of the former governor of South Carolina. Bosma traces the rise of a sugar bourgeoisie in places like Java, the Caribbean, Louisiana, and Brazil that was, by its very definition, transnational. Sugar, after all, constantly required new commodity frontiers as cane monoculture ravaged the soil and turned lush tropical forests into wastelands. Politics and war accelerated this scramble for new frontiers. [After the formal legal abolition of chattel slavery in British territories] [a] man like John Gladstone -- father of British prime minister William -- had to quickly pull up stakes in Demerara (in today’s Guyana) and Jamaica in 1840 and try his luck in deltaic Bengal instead. [...]

Of course, many of those transnational connections were sealed through acts of unspeakable brutality. [...] The workings of the slave-sugar economy [...] guaranteed that the enslaved were reduced to the absolute wretched of the earth [...]. Slaves were shuttled across the Atlantic’s western littoral as new sugar frontiers developed and as European colonies were gained [...]. Saint-Domingue sugar workers might have cast away their chains during the Haitian Revolution, but French planters simply carried those chains across the Windward Passage to Cuba, where they got to work establishing a new, brutal sugar frontier powered by yet more slaves. Equally unsettling, [...] the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834 was followed [...] by the resumption of British mass imports of slave-grown sugar from areas beyond London’s imperial control. Sugar from Brazil and Cuba was simply cheaper, and business and consumer interests trumped any questions of morality. [...] [W]ith massive refinery complexes lining the waterfronts of American and European cities, the commodity remained utterly reliant on slavery, coerced labor, and - in places like Java, where the Dutch designed a system of forced cultivation - suppressed land rights. [...] [G]rossly impoverished workers were cheaper and more easily dispensable. [...] Sugar was only profitable when churned out in mass quantities: consequently, sugar industrialists deliberately overproduced, which artificially drove down prices (and workers’ wages).

---

All text above by: Dinyar Patel. ‘Sugar, Slavery, and Capitalism: On Ulbe Bosma’s “The World of Sugar”’. Published online by LA Review of Books. 9 May 2023. [Some paragraph breaks and contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

#abolition #ecology #imperial #colonial

120 notes · View notes

bfpnola · 8 months

Text

this piece is written so well, reads just like a story, that i'm struggling on which excerpts to showcase for this post. please read the whole thing when you get the chance!

“They forbade us from feeding our own before we went to feed their children. They never prohibited us physically,” she said, her jaw clenched, adding that the fear they inculcated was enough for them to obey. “They didn’t want their children nursing from the breast of a woman who had just fed an untouchable child.” Driving her stick farther into the ground, she added: “Sons of b******.” “I was distressed about starving my child, but I always went along with it because that is how it worked,” Narsamma said. She would be compensated sporadically. “I was paid with a sack of grains or 10 or 20 paise [less than 1 cent].” She looked around, before adding: “Soon as I reached their premises, I was provided with a piece of soap and was asked to take a bath near the cattle shed. Which human being would want to be treated that way? I left my baby starving in the house to feed their child. And while we slaved away our bodies for them, they saw it as nothing less than their birthright to treat us like that.”

...

The women began to speak about Madiga food habits and, in particular, eating beef. Most Hindus who are not Dalits do not eat beef because cattle are considered sacred animals, but it is a staple food for many Dalit communities like mine. For Madigas, meat from the dead cattle our community disposed of was often our only source of food, and we became associated with consuming beef. Non-Dalits have long humiliated people who eat beef by saying they are impure. But beef was not only an easy, protein-rich source of food for my community, it also played a significant role in our nutritional customs. Such customs have faded as our community has tried to dissociate itself from a cultural practice that we were shamed for. The marginalisation of those who eat beef has only grown since 2014 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government came to power and banned the slaughter of cattle in many states, fuelling the rise of violent vigilantism against beef-eating minorities. Beef played a particular postpartum role for Madigas. “For about 12 days following childbirth, our elders made sure we ate a nutritious diet of a different assortment of beef parts every day,” Narsamma said. “The elders carefully chalked out every day’s diet to make sure we had the strength to sustain ourselves after giving birth and to produce sufficient nutritious milk for our babies. All the castes knew about this custom and hence had a popular opinion that our women produce nutritious milk.” The sun had nearly set, and the women fanned themselves to keep the mosquitoes away. They would soon return home to tend to their families and the evening chores. “They humiliated us as impure and dirty every day for eating beef, but they wanted the milk of the beef eaters,” Narsamma said. “They say we polluted the air they breathed, but they wanted our bodies to feed their children.”

#dalit #resources #intersectional feminism #bipoc #madiga #narendra modi #india #casteism #caste abolition #Ramavaram #Telangana #religion #hinduism #reaux speaks #dalit feminism

110 notes · View notes

micamicster · 25 days

Text

I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You

Have a Bucky scene! This is supposed to be the b-side to whatever much more serious story I was writing in Sam's pov (link to that snippet). As I will probably never finish these please don't take them seriously <3

Also this isn't canon compliant but Marvel isn't real you know

Sometimes he thinks Sam is the only good thing about the future. Sometimes he thinks that Sam’s everything good about the future. If there’s a difference between those two thoughts, he doesn’t have any better words for it.

When he’d first met Sam—well, depending on your definition, they’ve had several first meetings. By one definition he’d either ripped his steering wheel out through his windshield, yanked him out of the sky, or tried to put him through a wall face first. Bucky doesn’t really remember those ones. He just has to go off of the (obviously exaggerated and totally unreliable) versions Sam recounts when he decides to seize the opportunity offered by the question ‘how did you two meet?’ and make Bucky squirm.

If Bucky doesn’t remember it, he thinks it doesn’t count. Maybe it’s the first time Sam met him, but the first time he met Sam was during the year Sam and Steve were chasing him.

A year of drawing smaller and smaller circles around them as they sighed and fought and slept and drove and kicked the frozen rocks in the Hindu Kush or the Smokey Mountains, squinting into the sun like it had any clues to give them, anything at all. The first time Bucky met Sam, it had been through a rifle scope.

He’d met him in the air. Watched him from a hundred paces upwind twisting against the blue, soaring, looping around the sun. Sam eating tacos in the passenger side of a jeep, laughing at Steve’s beet red face and playing it off like he wasn’t coughing on the spice himself. Teaching Steve to fist bump, complete with explosion noises. Rumpled and serious over stacks of files in a diner, too late or too early for company. Dark eyes tracking bullet paths from sniper rifles he didn’t place, cautious in the face of Steve’s leaping optimism, watchful where Steve throws a wave or salute, reserving judgment. Sam.

Sam says these don’t count. Meeting someone according to Sam, who is casting himself as an authority on the subject, involves walking up to them, introducing yourself, getting their name, and shaking hands. “Two people gotta be involved! The time you watched me choke on an m&m through my bedroom window and didn’t even intervene, ain’t meeting, Boo Radley. It’s called stalking, and I’m adding it to your rap sheet.” Sam marches over to the poster paper hanging off the bathroom door and scribbles on it.

Bucky follows him, glowering. “By that definition, I’ve never met anybody.”

“By that definition,” Sam mimics. “Man, don’t give me that poor-little-orphan-boy act. What, they didn’t have handshakes in the 30s? Didn’t have names? ‘Never met anybody,’ You’re so full of shit.”

“Never met anybody important,” Bucky concedes, for the sake of the brief moment where Sam blinks at him. Sincerity always catches him off guard. Bucky has to be careful not to overuse this tactic or risk diminishing returns, but it’s worth it for his startled, wide eyes, the barely noticeable hitch in his stream of words.

In that moment of silence he leans over Sam’s shoulder to read the additions to the list. Stalking, and Watched me coughing for a full minute and didn’t break in to give me the heimlich. “I thought you were for prison abolition.”

“I’m not asking for jail time, I’m asking for reparations. I coulda died, man!”

Bucky lets his face go dour and gloomy in response to the teasing, a look that never fails to increase Sam’s enjoyment of a situation.

“Look out, Eeyore,” he says gleefully. “Your face might stick that way.”

“Too late. It froze like this in cryo.”

Sam’s delighted cackle is loud enough to attract Natalia’s attention, and Bucky carefully suppresses his reaction—his face might look blank and intimidating to others, but Tasha can pick out a mockable emotion at a hundred paces.

Her attention is enough to distract Sam, rerouting him into the kitchen where he starts fussing with the coffee pot. Bucky trails after him to hover silently in the doorway like an Eeyore balloon at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, avoiding eye contact with Natalia. She thinks she’s so fucking funny.

Good things about the future: Drunken noodles from Royal Siam with fresh basil and lime, extra spicy the way Sam orders it on movie nights. Losing at spades to Sarah and Cousin Jay, Sam blaming him for their downfall every hand of the game. Cass facetiming him from the kitchen table in Delacroix, history homework all spread out in front of him, both of them ignoring Sam shouting, ‘amnesiac, A-M-N-Something-S-iac, definition ‘he don’t know shit,’ you’re better off trying wikipedia,” from the couch.

“Man, just ask me.” Sam doesn’t bother turning around, but his amusement is palpable in the set of his shoulders, the back of his neck.

He sighs. “Who’s Bo Rad Lee”

The crinkle at the corners of Sam’s eyes, when he wears his smug stupid face. That’s a good thing about the future.

#here's to 10 years of HIM!#i need a writing tag if im gonna be posting shit but as yet i remain. uninspired <3 #tagging I GUess.#marvel #bucky barnes #sam wilson #sambucky #ok now that i've posted something and got it off my chest lets all go back to pretending marvel and i have never met <3 thanks <3

14 notes · View notes

coochiequeens · 11 months

Text

Speakers and hosts agreed that instead of regulating the practice of surrogacy, which would only create demand, efforts should be made to highlight that surrogacy means, in essence, the commodification of children who become objects of surrogacy agreements, which is a deep violation of their human dignity.“

The European Christian Political Movement together with the offices of Members of the European parliament Bert Jan Ruissen (ECR) and Miriam Lexmann (EPP) organized on 23 May a conference on parenthood policies in the European Union, with a focus on the issue of surrogacy.

The two keynote speakers invited to provide expertise on the matter were Adina Portaru, Senior Counsel for the faith-based legal advocacy organization ADF International and Olivia Sarton, the scientific director of the French children’s rights organization Juristes Pour l’Enfance (Lawyers for Childhood).

The conference came as a response to the European Commission’s recent proposal for a EU-certificate of parenthood which is currently being debated in the European Parliament. This initiative would put pressure on member state governments to sanction surrogacy even though a country may not allow the practice.

It also comes as a contradiction to what the Commission has repeatedly said on various occasions: that the European institutions do not have competenceover issues like family, marriage, parenting, etc.

The hosts suggested that surrogacy fuels abuse, human trafficking, violating the rights of vulnerable women and children, in essence violating human dignity. The practice commodifies both children and women’s wombs, which is unacceptabl, they said.

Olivia Sarton underlined that surrogacy is a new form of exploitation that takes advantage of the bodies of women and appropriates the children they bear. She added that the conditions under which many women consent to the practice (state of need and psychological fragility) cast doubt on whether they freely gave their consent. She also made reference to the Casablanca Declaration, which calls for the universal abolition of surrogacy.

According to Portaru, the above-mentioned proposal of the European Commission puts into practice a very specific objective that the EU has pursued and promoted in the past years, captured in the slogan: “If you are parent in one country, you are parent in every country”. For her, this means that “if one EU country recognizes, for example, a US judgment which recognizes parenthood emanating from a surrogate agreement, that relationship or birth certificate will have to be recognized throughout the EU. Therefore, de facto, all kinds of surrogacy will be allowed and justified through the proposed regulation”.

#Europe #european union #Juristes Pour l’Enfance (Lawyers for Childhood)#The European Christian Political Movement #Anti surrogacy sunday #surrogacy exploits women #Babies are not commodities #no one is entitled to biological children #Casablanca declaration

63 notes · View notes

starsreminisce · 7 months

Text

Lucien Week

Day Seven: Free

Mask Part Two

The question loomed over them like an opulent, dazzling chandelier, casting a shadow of uncertainty.

But Elain's response transcended mere words; it manifested in myriad ways, leaving an indelible mark.

It was discernible in the puffiness that clung to her eyes the morning after, as she resumed her stoic facade.

It manifested in the unspoken chasm that had taken root between her and Azriel, a silent testament to the shifting dynamics of their relationship.

It was apparent in the gradual inches she surreptitiously moved closer to him, seeking solace and connection.

It was conveyed through the subtle turn of her head when Lucien discussed Princess Sigrid with their inner circle, a gesture that betrayed her concealed emotions.

It was evident in her wholehearted engagement in the mundane sessions and frivolous arguments, driven solely by the desire to hear Lucien's voice, her attention unwaveringly fixed on him.

It resonated in the rapid cadence of her heart when he turned his gaze toward her, a symphony of emotions playing out in the rhythm of her pulse. In moments of solitude, her heart retained a calm, unwavering beat.

It was unmistakable in the subtle slipping of her mask when Lucien continued to play the gracious host to the captivating Princess Sigrid, and in the princess's flirtatious responses to the charming courtier.

It was embodied in the raw, profound jealousy coursing through their bond, unrivaled by any emotion he had ever known, whenever Princess Sigrid placed her hand on him, or when she bestowed slow kisses on his cheeks, a rage as fierce as a forest fire surging within them.

Above all, it was reflected in the pain etched in Elain's eyes each time Lucien declined their invitations to dine with the princess, all in accordance with the princess's persistent requests.

Lucien longed for clarity, his hope no longer reliant on subtle cues and body language. As long as she remained silent about the question that loomed, his answer would forever be a resounding no.

"Would it not trouble you?" Lucien finally ventured as they lounged in the library after a taxing day of finalizing the treaty.

"That I must present this to my father, who possesses no interest in eradicating slavery?" the princess contemplated.

"That I am bound by a mating bond," Lucien sighed.

The princess regarded him, and he had to concede that she was not only beautiful but also brilliant, forward-thinking, and compassionate. Her concerns about the institution of slavery stemmed from her fear that not everyone would readily embrace its abolition.

He had sworn never to marry for anything less than love, especially as the son of a High Lord, but perhaps he had been looking at it all wrong. Being married to someone who enjoyed his company seemed far preferable to being mated to someone who did not.

"Both of us find ourselves in a precarious situation," Princess Sigrid remarked evenly. "Love may not be a luxury we can afford, given that we are commodities in the political alliances of our respective courts."

He furrowed his brow. "Did Beron approach you with this proposition?"

"Anyone seeking an alliance with Vallahan has made their overtures," she replied with a nonchalant shrug. "My own brother had his mate coerced into breaking their bond because my father deemed the match unsuitable."

"Do I resemble a prized stallion to you?" Lucien quipped wryly.

Princess Sigrid met his gaze with unblinking directness. "Rhysand certainly knows how to leverage your talents. I've heard that the human lands are thriving, the Spring Court is flourishing, and the Night Court's reputation has transformed from unfavorable to coveted."

Lucien chuckled. "So I am, it seems."

"If your mate fails to recognize your worth," Princess Sigrid said, returning to her book, "then seek companionship elsewhere. A mating bond does not equate to love."

"And what if she were to accept it eventually?"

"Then she can join us," Princess Sigrid shrugged, her smirk undeniably mischievous. "After all, I'll need both your assistance in ensnaring Eris as a husband."

Lucien burst into hearty laughter. "I must admit, I'm quite fond of you."

Their private moment was abruptly interrupted by the soft, almost inaudible footsteps that announced Elain's entrance into the library. Her gaze was cold, a stark contrast to the warmth of the room, and Lucien could practically hear the anger and frustration brewing beneath her calm exterior as she observed their closeness.

"Ah, Lady Elain," Princess Sigrid chimed cheerfully. "I was eagerly anticipating a chance to speak with you."

Elain's smile reached her eyes, but their bond betrayed the turmoil within her. "Rhysand would be delighted if the two of you could join us for dinner tonight, given that it's your last evening here."

Sigrid, not one to shy away from tension, turned to Lucien and ran her hand through his hair in an intimate gesture, her voice dripping with sweetness. "I suppose I have been somewhat selfish in monopolizing Lucien's time."

Lucien could feel the electricity in the room intensify, his heart pounding as he witnessed the silent clash of wills between Elain and Princess Sigrid. Elain's civility barely concealed her true emotions, and the air crackled with unspoken rivalry.

Maintaining her composure, Princess Sigrid responded to Elain's invitation with honeyed words. "How gracious of you, Lady Elain. I would be honored to dine with you this evening."

As she leaned in to kiss Lucien on the cheek, she whispered, "Do you think she'll poison me or stab me for touching you like that?"

"Enough," Lucien said, leaning in closer to her.

Princess Sigrid giggled and gracefully left the room, sauntering past Elain. "I need to freshen up. I'll meet you there."

Lucien closed his book and rose from his seat. To his surprise, Elain finally spoke. "I'm surprised you didn't follow your betrothed, especially when I have yet to provide you with an answer regarding our bond."

"You misunderstand me if you think I will wait indefinitely for you, like a helpless fool," Lucien retorted.

"Is all of this just a ploy to pressure me into giving you an answer?" Elain inquired, her eyes probing his.

Lucien reached her, their faces mere inches apart. "No, Elain. You've already given me your answer through your silence."

"She doesn't love you," she whispered, her lips parting ever so slightly.

It was challenging for Lucien to meet her gaze, especially when her vulnerability was laid bare. It was difficult to resist the urge to hold her, to reassure her, as the jealousy transformed into nervousness and her heart beat erratically beneath her icy facade.

“I don’t need her to,” came Lucien’s reply.

Elain's eyes bore into Lucien's, and she paused for a moment, considering his response. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, her voice filled with an earnest, almost reluctant sincerity.

"Lucien," she began, her tone soft and contemplative, "will you truly be happy, knowing that you're not loved in the way you deserve to be?"

Lucien's gaze softened, and he took a deep breath, contemplating her question. He understood the weight of her concern and the depth of her feelings.

"Does it scare you?" he asked her once again, his voice gentle and searching. "That you'll never see me again?"

The silence hung heavy between them, an unspoken acknowledgment of the painful crossroads they had reached. Elain's eyes searched his, filled with a mix of sadness, longing, and a growing sense of resolve.

"I can't keep living like this," Lucien finally confessed, his voice tinged with weariness. "One of us needs to make a decision, and if you want to change it, then change it."

Elain's gaze didn't waver, her emotions laid bare. She hesitated, wrestling with her own inner turmoil before she spoke, her voice trembling slightly, "So, you'd rather never see me again than hold out hope?"

"Yes," Lucien replied, the word heavy with the truth that had been festering within him for far too long. "And if that scares you, then please let me know. But, Elain, I am leaving to get the treaty signed, and I'll be there for as long as it takes."

A heavy silence hung in the room, and Lucien's heart sank with the weight of uncertainty. He couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again, but he also couldn't continue living in this agonizing limbo.

Lucien watched as Elain's eyes shimmered, resembling delicate dew-kissed petals basking in the soft, golden light that filtered through the library's grand windows. Her fingers, as fragile as spun gold threads, quivered with anticipation, reaching out to bridge the chasm that had separated them for so long.

In a moment of raw vulnerability, she closed the remaining distance between them. Her lips met his with a tenderness that spoke volumes, as if each kiss held an unsung note in their unfinished symphony. The taste of salt from her tears lingered, adding a bittersweet melody to their connection.

Their kiss was a desperate plea, a silent cry, and an intimate confession all at once. It was a plea for him to grasp the depth of her feelings, to understand the intricate web of emotions that had ensnared her heart. In that fleeting moment, they wove a tapestry of longing and love, with each kiss acting as a golden thread binding their souls together, strengthening a bond that transcended the boundaries of time and circumstance.

As their lips finally parted, she looked into his eyes, her voice trembling. "Please, return. I don't want to lose you, not like this."

Lucien's response was an unexpected twist in the melodrama of their entangled emotions. "Come with me," he urged, the words sincere and hopeful.

Elain blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You know the treaty," he pressed. "Come with me."

She hesitated, her thoughts racing. "I don't… It's too short of notice."

Lucien's eyes held a compelling blend of determination and longing as he spoke. "We'll figure it out together," he assured her, his voice laced with a quiet, unwavering certainty.

But Elain's reaction was far from what he had hoped for. Crushed, she pulled away from him, shaking her head, and without another word, she made her way to the dining room, leaving Lucien behind with a heavy heart.

Regret gnawed at him as he sighed, chastising himself for pushing her too quickly. In the wake of Elain's departure, Princess Sigrid appeared, her frown revealing her understanding of the situation. "I heard. I'm sorry. I did want her there too," she offered sympathetically.

Lucien, ever the master of his own emotions, concealed his inner turmoil behind a practiced smile. "Well," he said, slipping back into the role of the courtier who could never have his heart broken, "it was worth a try. She is my mate, after all."

The dinner proceeded unceremoniously, marked by Azriel's absence. Laughter and banter filled the room, with Rhys and Cassian playfully teasing Lucien by addressing him with variations of 'your highness' and 'your majesty.' Feyre attempted to hide her sadness at her friend's impending departure, while Nesta, true to her character, made a cheeky request that brought blushes to a few faces.

Yet, beneath the facade of cheer, Rhys's reminder that Lucien remained under the Night Court's employ until the treaty's finalization cut deep, grounding them all in the complexities of their situation.

A flicker of hope fluttered through their bond, only to be swiftly extinguished when Princess Sigrid playfully mentioned a 'deadline' in a way that hinted at secrets and unspoken agreements.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, all eyes turning to Elain, and it was Nesta who posed the unspoken question, "You do know Lucien has a mate, right?"

Princess Sigrid answered first, her smile unwavering. "I do," she confirmed.

Lucien chimed in, "She's aware."

Elain's concern was evident as she voiced her unease, "That doesn't bother you?"

As the challenge hung in the air like an unspoken duel, the room brimmed with tension. Lucien watched, torn between the desire for a future with Elain and the reality of his situation with Princess Sigrid.

With a serene smile, Princess Sigrid responded, "No, it doesn't bother me."

Elain's brow furrowed as she pushed further, "But it should. He will never truly be yours. He has a mate."

Princess Sigrid's reply was filled with wisdom and calm determination, "Love and possession are not the same, Lady Elain. I understand the complexities of his situation, but I choose to cherish the moments we will have together. If you don’t like where it’s going, change it. Take a leap of faith. Cauldron knows we live far too long to be confined in situations that define us."

The dinner continued, marked by quiet contemplation and a sense of understanding. The night concluded, and the following morning, the inner circle gathered to bid farewell to Princess Sigrid.

Finalizing the treaty took just a few days, and Lucien's departure date was swiftly set. He and Elain had not spoken since their last encounter, and he had come to terms with her unspoken answer. He knew that he wanted all or nothing, and her silence signified 'nothing.'

The day before his departure, he penned a heartfelt letter to Elain. In it, he expressed his gratitude for the moments they had shared, his hopes for her happiness, and an understanding that their paths had diverged. He gently suggested that she reject the bond two days after he had left, to avoid any turmoil that might ensue.

His final words conveyed his longing for happiness and his prayers that she would find hers too. The night before he left, there was a small dinner in his honor, but neither Elain nor Azriel attended.

As he prepared for his journey, sleep eluded him. He wondered whether the distance and the distraction would be enough to mend his aching heart, without the burden of hope. He relished watching the dawn break over Velaris, feeling the thrill of a new adventure ignite within him. The inner circle didn't want to say goodbye, hoping that his departure was only temporary, and Lucien preferred it that way.

As Lucien approached the dock, his heart pounding in his chest, he couldn't help but notice a small figure standing there, waiting for him. Elain looked up as he neared her, their eyes meeting once more, and in that moment, the air was thick with unspoken emotions.

She waved his letter and spoke with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "I think if I were to reject the bond in two days, it'll be a pain dealing with you when we are on that ship together."

Lucien's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you…"

But before he could finish his sentence, she kissed him. It was a soft, sweet kiss that held the promise of something more. He responded urgently, his desire and longing finally finding release in their embrace.

"I would have done neither stabbing nor poisoning," Elain whispered, her voice barely louder than a breath. "I would have ruined her in court with rumors."

A surge of hope coursed through Lucien's veins as he dared to ask, "Does that mean you're coming with me?"

In response, she pulled another letter from her pocket, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "It's hard to ignore when a Princess summons you. But she said that she was worried you'd be too distracted missing me to pay attention to making sure the treaty would pass. And she misses my murderous glares."

Lucien couldn't resist the urge to kiss her once more, a fervent and passionate kiss filled with the promise of forever. He thought to himself, "I'll have this forever. I'll have her forever."

She turned around and handed him an apple muffin, a sweet gesture that touched his heart. "I made this for you."

With a playful glint in his eye, Lucien teased, "I don't know, Elain. I mean, I did get a marriage proposal from a Princess."

Elain's frown deepened, and she urged him, "Lucien, stop playing around."

With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he leaned in close, whispering against her neck, "I've waited two years," his lips brushed her skin, eliciting a small gasp, "you can wait until we're on the ship."

#elain x lucien #elucien #pro elucien #lucienweek2023 #ahh #pro lucien vanserra #pro lucien #lucien acotar #elain archeron #I don’t typically do part twos so I hope y’all like it

34 notes · View notes