#disclaimer: opinions expressed in this post reflect the views of my father and not me

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Roya's article about Catherine and of course the Suss-exes in the Times and Richard Eden's spot on assessment that they "had no right to expect to be told before the rest of the world." by u/Von_und_zu_

Roya's article about Catherine and of course the Suss-exes in the Times and Richard Eden's spot on assessment that they "had no right to expect to be told before the rest of the world." Commenting on Roya's article in the Times (below), Richard Eden points out on twitter:https://preview.redd.it/xzlplumd65qc1.png?width=712&format=png&auto=webp&s=5cb9d13b8751eac5291ecf98b771e4aa09657c3dhttps://twitter.com/richardaeden/status/1771623265464668605 Thank you Richard for articulating a view shared by a great many. I doubt anyone is surprised that no news was shared with estranged and exiled Suss-exes. Especially as it has nothing to do with them and especially after their lickspittle claimed that The Princess of Wales is racist. Roya, like many of the royal reporters, nevertheless injects the Suss-exes into every royal article regardless of their relevance. This new piece in the Times here does precisely that. And we all are smacked in the face with the Suss-exes and already well known state of the family dynamics when the article is about Catherine, William, their children, and the King.Here we have the bullet point headlines at the start of the article. Roya puts the non-news about the Suss-exes at #2 in order of importance in the article. https://ift.tt/p2gyEQI here are the paragraphs that are entirely unnecessary in my opinion:Not all relationships are as easy to heal, however. The tighter bond between the King’s family and his heir’s only highlights the wide gulf remaining between the Waleses and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose Californian exile seemed further away than ever on Friday.It is understood that Kate’s cancer diagnosis was not shared in advance with Harry and Meghan, whose short statement soon after the announcement said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.” A Kensington Palace spokesman would only say: “We do not comment on private conversations.”However, several sources confirm that there were no such conversations and it is thought Harry found out about Kate’s diagnosis from television, at the same time as the public. [Since the Sussexes seem to communicate with their family primarily through the media, perhaps the Wales thought their phones were broken. Comment by me]. Harry flew to London in early February to see his father a day after he began treatment, but did not meet his brother during the trip. Earlier this month both brothers took part in an awards ceremony in London in honour of their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. William attended the awards at the Science Museum, with Harry appearing by video link long after his brother had gone.https://ift.tt/wKdNBej suppose as long as some continue to engage with the press on the subject of the Suss-exes, the press will continue to cram them down our throats. But it is exhausting. post link: https://ift.tt/nyOlc80 author: Von_und_zu_ submitted: March 23, 2024 at 09:49PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

#SaintMeghanMarkle #harry and meghan #meghan markle #prince harry #fucking grifters #Worldwide Privacy Tour #Instagram loving bitch wife #Backgrid #voetsek meghan #walmart wallis #markled #archewell #archewell foundation #megxit #duke and duchess of sussex #duke of sussex #duchess of sussex #doria ragland #rent a royal #clevr #clevr blends #lemonada media #archetypes with meghan #invictus #invictus games #Sussex #WAAAGH #american riviera orchard #Von_und_zu_

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Self-reflection

@amynchan here is the ficlet based off the idea you gave me on my post asking for ideas to write. I've been struggling with it for a while now, but I think this came out okay-ish.

Prompt: AU in which Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng go to family therapy

Disclaimers:

1. I've never been to therapy (and it shows, I know), so what I'm saying here may not be reflective of how therapy actually works.

2. My opinions on JC might be considered controversial, in that I am critical of his actions and his approach on a lot of things. This is my view on him as a character, you don't have to agree or to like it, I don't claim I'm right or that my opinion is the only valid one. This is my personal interpretation and you are free to have your own, similar or opposing. I won't entertain discourse, if you're unhappy with my ideas/points, feel free to block me!

The car drive home is silent, only the hum of the engine and the sounds of traffic filling the silence between Jiang Cheng and his nephew. It's awkward and uncomfortable, so Jin Ling tries to play on his phone to distract himself from the tension, but he can't focus on any game or social media or even the stupid memes Lan Jingyi sent in the group chat.

He sighs and closes his eyes, thinking over what just happened.

His therapist had suggested he bring his uncle in for a session or two, claiming it would help Jin Ling manage his anger issues and his trauma if his uncle talked to her as well and she tried gauging what their dynamic is.

In reality, all that seemed to do was make his uncle even angrier than usual and so defensive that he even cried at some point from the frustration of it all.

It all started from the moment the therapist asked Jiang Cheng why he felt the need to make (albeit empty) threats towards Jin Ling. Uncle took offense to that, saying it was just part of tough love - to which the therapist said what makes him think love should be tough instead of soft, why he used violent language when he didn't need to. Uncle said he didn't want to raise a weak man - and the therapist asked him why he thought violence equated strength. He said nothing to that.

Then, the therapist asked uncle about his parents. Instead of talking about them, though, all Jiang Cheng did was talk about how his father favored Wei Wuxian, and how unfair it had been for him. When the therapist asked him how he knew it was favoritism and uncle said "it was obvious! My mother even told everyone, my father included!", she asked him whether he was the one seeing the favoritism, or he was seeing it because his mother was, because he wanted her approval and validation. Uncle, once again, said nothing, but he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.

The therapist asked uncle about Jin Ling's parents after that. How they were like, what relationship he had with them. But uncle yet again talked about how they died because of Wei Wuxian, and the therapist asked him if that was all that mattered to him in regards to them. Uncle yet again didn't respond, but Jin Ling could see frustrated tears form in his eyes.

The therapist told Jiang Cheng to think about whether his anger is his own or his mother's.

To think about whether it is fair of him to blame all his life circumstances on one person, as if that person's life purpose had been to ruin his own from the start.

To think about whether he was so quick to hate Wei Wuxian because it was easier to do that than to see the bigger picture.

To think about whether he had adopted so many of his mother's mannerisms because he missed her and grieved her and inevitably tried to feel closer to her.

To think about whether this is the kind of man he wishes Jin Ling to grow into.

The session ended and uncle said nothing at all anymore after that. Jin Ling sneaks a look at him, and sees his expression darker and cloudier than ever before.

He wonders if he should say something, but ultimately decides against it.

The drive keeps silent all the way home.

#mdzs #writing attempts #i hope this doesnt start discourse because i really dont mean it to

[drieendertig]

showing my dad pics of some drivers and asking him to rate their looks

max: “he’s okay. very white though.”

daniel: “i’d like him much better if he were clean-shaven. you can hardly see his face. his beard looks like seaweed.”

charles: “he looks more boy than man”

george: “his haircut makes him look like a half-wit. he looks like he has no forehead, no brain you know. but he’s sort of sweet. so like a sweet half-wit.”

lewis: “he’s not attractive” (sorry lewis fans lol)

lando: “well, ok, he’s a bit good looking, but the only thing is that he might be a bit pleased with himself.”

alex: “well, he’s more sexy, i guess. he looks kind of smart.” 

carlos: “his nose makes him look like a friendly bird.”

pierre: *instantly flinched back from screen and made a retching noise* 

esteban: “he’s okay.”

#formula 1 #f1 #max verstappen #daniel ricciardo #charles leclerc #george russell #lewis hamilton #lando norris #alex albon #carlos sainz #pierre gasly #esteban ocon #max #me #disclaimer: opinions expressed in this post reflect the views of my father and not me #ALSO IM SORRY PIERRE FANS LMAO #i tried to get good-looking pics of all of them but i guess my straight dad has very specific taste in men

[songofsongs214]

Okay...

*takes deep breath*

I just want to add a disclaimer that these views expressed are just reflections of my own observances and understanding of what I’m seeing on this show. I welcome anyone else lurking through these tags who are happy and unhappy with the show to not hesitate to post your thoughts and opinions. We need to keep and cultivate the art of civil discourse in order to honor different points of view. And who knows maybe I'm super off base but I just wanted to express my frustration in a constructive manner or at least that was the goal.

So, now that I’ve said that I’ve got some big feelings about “The Rookie” right now and I really just wanted to articulate them the best I can. And everything is under the cut so people can continue scrolling if they want :)

I write this as a disappointed fan not just of Chenford but of the show as a whole. I was so excited to see that "The Rookie" was renewed for a 4th season. I had fallen in love with this show and the way that the writers and producers were able to create this genuinely good show about what it was like to be a police officer. I liked that there was humanity and hard conversations woven into storylines that seemed realistic (obviously needing some liberty for some unrealistic situations to create excitement and remind us it's entertainment)

For example, The episodes about what happens in a child abduction, the conversations with Dr. Ryan, the horrific reality of Doug Stanton, how police officers are stretched thin and need an allocation of resources in many urban settings like LA were inspiring and heartbreaking that had substance. One episode that stood out to me was the one with the VP and all of those people who were renting out that one room and they were afraid of being deported if they reported it and had nowhere to go.

These characters were dynamic and vibrant unlike a lot of first responder dramas and thrived in their storylines. The police procedural content gave them an edge honestly. It was interesting to watch.

Now sadly, this show reflects none of those initial traits. Ever since the first episode of season 4, I noticed a shift and a change in tone and I was weary of it, but I know they had to accommodate Titus’s exit so I wasn’t too worried. However, as the episodes have progressed with the forced introduction of Bailey and the sidelines of Lucy, Nyla, Angela and even Tamara it’s become clear that there is a clear Imbalance of male and female dynamics that go beyond just the “ships” that I adore.

Not one single woman has been given a substantial storyline. They only serve to create some drama for the male characters AND every man that has interacted with a woman outside of a romantic interest is rolling their eyes and patronizing them. And this is so frustrating as a woman to watch these scenes. men and women are different but to write them so unequally is problematic.

The introduction of The character of Ashley was also unnecessary and it can be argued it has nothing to do with chenford at all even. The episode is about a cop who has served for like 40+ years was meant to a father figure to Tim Bradford. Someone who understood the cost of the job and the joy of serving in ones calling to protect and serve. The episode would have been stronger narratively if there was no Romantic element or motivation. Tim Bradford is a character that actually was ( past tense) strong enough to thrive in a storyline that didn’t need a romantic entanglement.

And as a side note I wish paid writers would take more chances on their characters by telling more stories of revelation and growth without the introduction of a romantic interest and let the actors pull from other sources to create drama, Lord knows humanity has enough drama without those. Or to consider a romantic partner as a “reward” of sorts. Also romantic relationships are beautiful and a gift but they will not complete any one person and we should normalize writing relationships as such in my opinion.

Which is why this story choice was annoying at first. Ashley is either a throwaway character (created out of filler and a need to distract from a paring the creator does not support) or she is going to stay on the show. And I would argue that it serves no purpose and she doesn’t fit into the fabric of the show. She has nothing to contribute to the overall narrative or the characters. She’s not a police officer or a first responder and has no ties to the heart of the show. All she had was a dad who was a police officer her whole life. At least when Wesley was Angela’s love interest he was a defense attorney who added a different and opposing perspective and complemented Angela and the team of characters as a whole. Rachel made more sense because she was a social worker who created an interesting dynamic between a beat cop and her profession. Ultimately, Ashley just like every other female character on the show right now, was brought in only to prop up another male character who is not his equal in any way, she’s just a woman who looks like his ex wife. No connection.

And at present, one of the strongest female influences on the show has been reduced to a trivialized child. Lucy was devastated when Jackson died and it was just dropped. She’s no longer solving complex problems or giving insight with her college degree and advanced emotional intelligence. Nolan considers her immature and a nuisance which is reflected in the way he looks at other characters whenever Lucy shares something or is fawning over Tim . Tim in constantly rolling his eyes at her and is belittling her in front of co workers and her friends. He’s being written as someone who is not the least bit interested or invested in what she has to say or do. Tim was actually kinder as a hardass TO. I don't know if that was ever the intention, but that's how it's come across to me.

And let’s address specifically this latest episode. Lucy and Tim start the episode with being competitive and wanting a rematch ( which was not balanced well with what was happening in the rest of the episodes narrative) and they both wanted it to happen.

Then at the end of the episode to just drop it first of all is sloppy writing because they didn’t even follow their own arc they created. That’s like writing 101...Second, to have it fall on Lucy’s character that Tim is being responsible and she’s being immature is insulting and is hypocritical. When men are competitive their considered hot and attractive and are praised for their prowess. While if women are competitive they’re considered insensitive and naive. Not to mention it betrays Tim’s basic character structure. Go back to the 1st season. It’s how he connected with his wife and it revealed his insecurity in himself by how much it meant ( pointed out by Lucy mind you) to win.

In this scene there was no grand revelation about how some things matter more, it appeared to me as a viewer to diminish Lucy’s agency and make Tim look like he was responsible and a better cop than her. Which is horrible considering this character is one of the most dedicated to the job considering she lost her family’s respect and love over pursuing it. Talk about “gag me”.

Based on how this season has gone so far, I don’t anticipate that introducing Tim’s family will be handled in a responsible or illuminating way from a writer's perspective (* Nothing against Melissa and Eric and the other two lovely humans playing his family members*) Which is heart crushing to me because of how many similarities I have with Tim Bradford’s character about a similar upbringing. It’s infuriating considering the platform that “The Rookie” has and the opportunity to stand out in network television to tell stories of grit and heart that matter.

It is easy for me to say that the show lacks vision and that’s what is conflicting for viewers, but I think a sadder reality may be that it has vision and this direction is intentional to tear down “chenford” and be “awkward, funny or cute”.

And for the record I haven’t seen awkward funny or cute in chenford last interactions or the other characters. And the respect they had for each other isn't showing anymore either. The procedural aspect has been pretty much completely abandoned and these “ big storylines” are contrived and incomplete.

In my opinion, the writers have betrayed their original characters and this show had so much promise for me but now it’s lost it's appeal and uniqueness.

I genuinely hope that those that will continue to watch it will enjoy it :). It’s just not the show I really loved and it’s no longer prompted long needed conversations in society like it used to. Like it did for me and my best friend who are on opposite sides of the political and social aisle. Now, we just agree there’s missed opportunities all over the place.

Maybe after 2022 there will be a better shift, maybe I can see a better narrative but man right now it’s a struggle especially with all the big feelings I have about it.

Thank you for reading this if you made it to the end and I hope my love and appreciation for what this show was and I hope it to be again comes through.

Enjoy friends, for now I’m gonna lurk occasionally but I’m done watching the show prob until after the mid season finale. And I’ll be reading fan fiction along the way and hopefully I can provide encouragement to all of our fabulous writers and creators.

And if executives from the show are reading, I don’t appreciate as a viewer filler content when this show is better than that or baiting a certain fan base with shallow storytelling. Please do better.

#meta analysis #critical chenford #chenford #the rookie season 4 #apparently I wrote a dissertation #critical analysis #the rookie season 4 spoilers #lucy x tim

[zarathelonewolf]

BNHA - STOPPING, OR SAVING DABI?

Here I come with theories!

DISCLAIMER: I do not condone abuse, may it be emotional, physical or psycological. 

Now, as I’ve stated in the tags and the meta on chapter 325, I like the whole Todoroki family. Aside from Shouto and Enji, they may seem like minor characters, but they are actually well enstablished and deep and their reactions and reasoning after Endeavor begins his atonement arc are very nuanced.

I’m sure you already know what the point of view of every family member is: Rei won’t forgive him, but she’s also watching as he stones for his past awful deeds; Fuyumi is probably the one that wants to forgive Endeavor the most in order to have a semblance of a normal family; Natsuo righteously hates him to the moon and back, and Shouto is still on the fence but willing to work alongside his father on a professional standpoint. At times, Shouto also calls him “Father”, but only in certain circumstances and very rarely. And then...

Then we have Todoroki Touya, Enji and Rei’s firstborn. 

I won’t be talking about Fuyumi, Rei or Natsuo much on this post; I’ll concentrate on Touya, Shouto and Enji. They are, at least from what the narrative seems to be building up, the focus of the Todofam arc.

Let’s start with Touya, or at least I’ll write how I’m interpreting the narrative here...You can disagree, people have different ways of reading the same text.

He wants his father to go down, burn in hell, HARD. And he doesn’t really care if it takes to kill Shouto, whom he sees as his replacement, or put Natsuo’s life in the crossfire: anything that makes Endeavor suffer is justified. He even goes as far as killing innocent people and being an accomplice and supporter of terrorism, and bringing his family’s trauma and situation out in the public without their consent: one may argue it was correct to expose Enji, but in my humble opinion the approach was wrong. Touya wanted his father to suffer, without realizing or caring enough that his family may have traumatic reactions to the reveal as he did it, or may not be ready for it. He also isn’t doing it out of genuine feelings of justice, in my opinion: he’s weaponising the narration to bring down his father and the heroes.

 Touya, at times, accuses Endeavor of killing the innocent people HE killed with HIS fire, because Endeavor’s grave neglect and irresponsible behavior towards his situation caused Touya to start hurting himself to the point of burning up at Sekoto Mountain, before vanishing and becoming a Villain because of, presumably, all the unresolved pain and feelings pent up inside of him. 

Shouto is saved by the deadly fire embrace of his brother by Midoriya, that agrees with Touya about the fact that the past never dies, and as much as Endeavor will change, the past won’t; Midoriya admits this while saying that the actual Endeavor is trying to change, and Dabi isn’t Endeavor: which means that Dabi can’t fault Endeavor for those he killed and his uncaring behavior towards those that suffered his same trauma.

As some argued, during the war Touya is shown as an ensemble of Endeavor’s worst traits, which is important as it signifies that his behavior originates from the way Endeavor raised him. 

Now, onto Shouto.

Shouto, who we’ve seen being on the fence when it comes to forgiving Endeavor, actually seems to be trying to empathize with Touya during their fight, various times, really, as can be seen by his expressions. He also takes it upon himself to stop Touya before his family reunites in the hospital and opt to stop Touya together, with Endeavor and Shouto as the focal point.

Sorry  I have to go.

I will finish this tomorrow I swear-- 

EDIT: Expect this to be over tonight. I'm currently busy.

EDIT: I'll reblog this and complete it later.

EDIT:

Here we are once more. Sorry for making you guys wait.

As I was saying...

After Shoto extends his hand to his father in the hospital, and some months (I don’t remember how many, sry) after the press conference where the Top 3 spoke to the public, the Top Three throw themselves after Midoriya, that as abandoned UA, trying to track AFO and his followers down.

And Shouto...well, he isn’t happy, much like the rest of Class 1A: they are majorly upset and preoccupied because Midoriya is missing, but Shouto is also angered by the fact that his father is following Midoriya around instead of concentrating on how to convince Touya to stop hurting himself and others and thus STOP/SAVE HIM. This is what, presumably, Shouto and Endeavor’s goal is regarding to Touya: stop him from being hurt and hurting others with his flames, which will save him and give them a chance to repair the strained relationship.

Endeavor, Hawks and Best Jeanist’s mission to follow and support Midoriya in the meanwhile is failing splendidly: they endeavored (I’mnotsorryforthepun) in this mission because they wanted to compensate the lowering number of heroes active, hunt down villains and find AFO at the same time, all by profiting from Midoriya’s Danger Sense ability. The plan di per se wasn’t that bad, but Midoriya was going too fast for even Hawks, the fastest hero, to follow him; a reminder of why: Midoriya has a lot more Quirks than the top 3, and he was way more desperate than them to find AFO, trust me...the heroes, that also started to include Mt.Lady, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods and others, try to support him from the sidelines, but they are, at the same time, becoming a burden to Midoriya, as Endeavor recognizes before entering UA in chapter 325.

Also, the students mentored by the top 3 try to reach out to them like crazy, because they want to know what the fudge they’re doing and where Midoriya is: Tokoyami called Hawks, Bakugou tried to contact Best Jeanist and Shouto called Endeavor, without receiving exhaustive answers. Endeavor, in particular, doesn’t really want to sideline Shouto, after all they’ve been through, but when he missed the call, he was probably also feeling uncertain on how to deal with Touya, while at the same time worriyng on how to stop AFO and make sure the chaos the country is in doesn’t become worse. When he’s called to UA by Nezu and played a trick by the students who have now started figuring things out, he receives a wake-up call by his son.

Shouto makes him notice how they had told each other they’d stop Touya together, but Endeavor had sidelined him and took it upon himself to find his eldest son and Shouto’s older brother, all while making an exception for Midoriya. I don’t think Shouto didn’t understand his father was also trying to find AFO, but he also didn’t want Endeavor to ditch him and instead wanted to be included. Endeavor seems to slowly understand that the plan he and the other top heroes were following REALLY wasn’t going for the best, thanks not only to Shouto’s wake up call but to Bakugou’s words as well. If All Might, or Midoriya in this case, are left alone with the full weight of their responsibilities heavy on their shoulders, they are going to hurt themselves tremendously. While Endeavor thought that the plan was a good approach, Bakugou clearly says that it wasn’t the best one. Endeavor gives up his phone and looks to be reflecting on many things.

When the class works together to help Midoriya and bring him back to UA, he finally realizes that letting the kids convince Deku was a good idea and tells his colleagues not to intervene, for the students are dealing with it just fine.

We later see him out of the UA barrier with Hawks and Shouto, listening to the citizens screaming at Midoriya to stay away, scared for their safety and mistrustful towards the heroes; not even Best Jeanist and Present Mic can keep them calm. Shouto is super frustrated: he would love to go amidst the civilians and protect Midoriya form their accusations, “put them at ease” like his original heroic goal was. The circumstances, however, don’t seem to be his allies; he still looks extremely relieved when Uraraka takes the megaphone and finally convinces the citizens.

And, here we are to the last actual moment of the STOPPING TOUYA TO SAVE HIM narrative: Endeavor, after recognizing what exactly was wrong with the top 3 plan, looks a bit shocked when Shouto addresses him as “father”. He also look very...sad, somehow: sorry that things aren’t working out as well as he’d have hoped them to go, and that the Touya situation is still unresolved. Shouto extends a hand to him again, by saying that this time they’ll save Touya together. The thought of Dabi’s haunting eyes crosses both of them. Endeavor is probably still afraid that stopping Touya may be a burden too heavy for Shouto when he says, his face a bit obscured, “yes”.

THEORY TIME!

The narration seems to be headed towards the redemption of Shigaraki, Toga, Dabi, Endeavor and mayyyyyybe Overhaul. We know that Shigaraki’s saviour may be Midoriya, Toga’s will be Uraraka, and Overhaul’s rademtion’s factor will mainly be if Eri wants to forgive him.

Endeavor’s redemption’s weight depends on how efficient he actually is at saving Touya at this point and Dabi’s redemption will probably happen thanks to Shouto with contribution from Endeavor. To resume: Endeavor and Touya’s redemption are tied to each other, and Shouto is fundamental to help them both.

How could Hori bring forth Endeavor’s redemption without screwing over Dabi’s redemption, and not screw Endeavor’s redemtion at the same time? I’ll be focusing on Endeavor and dabi here, because I really don’t know how the dialogue between Shouto may be written.

I have no clue. Sorry I don’t. There are some viable options, like Endeavor gets kidnapped or fatally wounded while he fights Dabi because AFO is also there, and could ultimately steal his Quirk. In this case, Endeavor could be alone or with Shouto.

There is also the option in which Endeavor dies while trying to stop Touya from burning up, while recognizing his mistakes, validating Touya’s harsh feelings and accepting to burn in hell.

Frick, they could both die as they burn up, both recognizing the wrong in their ways, but it wouldn’t be really satisfying now would it?  

There are so many outcomes possible, but with everyone of them i feel like something is missing. I also feel like I’m the only one that wouldn’t find Endeavor’s death outrageous because “it’s sweeping things under the rug”, or counterproductive because “it would suck for Endeavor’s redemption arc, because everyone is tired of the redemption-by-death trope”.

Endeavor’s death could actually be the best moment of his redemption arc and what makes it truly valuable, depending on how well it is written. Maybe Endeavor isn’t sitting at that table in his dream because he died, and his death actually helped his family heal and smile, because while he had changed his views in the year before his death, it’s still relieving to be free from his presence. However, Touya isn’t present at the table as well, so really...the conclusion to both of their arcs could be anything. Some may say that making Dabi die would be wrong on an ethical standpoint: yet another victim’s death, that makes victims in the real world think there is no hope out of difficult situations; yet another unfair death, because abusers deserve death and not their victims.

Let me tell you why, exactly, I think, neither of their deaths would be useful; you are free to disagree.

Endeavor’s, Touya’s or both their deaths could make the future of the Todofam very traumatic, because the family wouldn’t really manage to find proper closure.

Which is why I don’t think Endeavor or Dabi will or should die, but they will both live with consequences: maybe Endeavor will lose his Quirk, and Touya may turn on AFO and protect Shouto.

I don’t know, honestly.

Plz. help.

All I know is that Horikoshi will surely try to make the outcomes as emotional and epic as ever, so I hope I won’t be disappointed, because so far I’ve been on board with seeing where Endeavor and Touya’s journey may bring them

Anxiously waiting for the next episode, and end of this volume.

#bnha #endeavor #todoroki shouto #todoroki touya #todoroki family

[thegrapeandthefig]

Philosophy, Hellenic Polytheism and me

This post is going to be a bit different and more personal. I wasn't sure I wanted to make it, but clearly this topic keeps being brought up, and makes me scream into the void without much context. My disclaimer is this: today's post is a word vomit  an opinion piece, not an informative one.

Philosophy and me My interest in philosophy started at a young age. I was lucky to be given at the age of 8 a philosophy book aimed at children, which general topic was knowledge. I devoured it, and it's been arguably one of the books that has had the most important impact on me. It's been nearly 20 years and I still have it. I later had the mandatory one year of philosophy class at the end of high school, and did an extra year in Uni.

It's been no secret that I have a leaning towards stoicism. My father had bought Seneca's Letters to Lucinius as a joke: a reference to a play he enjoyed where one of the characters repeated countless times "Read Seneca" as a replacement sentence for "dude, chill". I'm pretty sure no one ever picked up this book with the intention to read it, but it was there, and I've always been curious.

As a dionysian, my preference for stoicism over epicurianism tends to surprise people. I tend to say it's both by misunderstanding of the importance of moderation in epicurian thought, but also from forgetting the theological position epicurianism has. One of the reasons I like Seneca so much is exactly because he saw value in what Epicurian philosophers had to say, but differed from them enough to still fall under the stoic label. In a way, this is also my stance with other philosophies, especially neo-platonism. I actually really enjoy reading Plutarch's neo-platonist thoughts, and agree with a lot of it, but not enough to consider myself under the same label. I will come back on neoplatonism later.

The place of religion and philosophy This is where I seem to be holding the "unpopular opinion". The beauty of ancient Greek religion is the lack of dogma. It's what has allowed the faith to grow in various directions and gave us a rich diversity. Hellenic polytheism doesn't really give us a code of conduct. Yes, there are the Delphic Maxims, but they are in this grey area where they are not religiously enforced rather than recommended. As such, I don't consider my religion to be the basis of my morals. My philosophy is. Sure, they aren't perfectly parallels lines, and both overlaps on certain points. My point is: were I to leave hellenic polytheism for another faith or none at all, my philosophy would still be the same, and thus, my code of conduct would remain the same. 

I tend to interpret "know thyself" this way: do you know what you think? Within this perspective, the Delphic Maxims are less recommendations than a set of topics one is meant to reflect on and discover who they are through what they think. I also do not believe that this point of view goes against the idea that Apollo is the god behind the Maxims. As a god of philosophy and sciences, valuing genuine analysis over blind obedience doesn't strike me as wrong.

The problem of neoplatonism It’s not the philosophy itself. Truth is, I have no problem with neoplatonism as a philosophy. Sure, I don’t agree with everything Plato, Plutarch or Proclus says, but, like others, they make good points and there are good hindsights. 

So why I have been so vocal about neoplatonism lately? Because the hellenic polytheists who happen to slap “neoplatonist” in their descriptions are giving Ancient neoplatonism (and modern hellenists) a terrible reputation. Every philosophical school has discussed theology and have expressed different ideas. Yet, today, the only group of people who enforces their point of view on religious matters are the ones who consider themselves neoplatonists. 

It is also not a localized phenomenon. I’ve seen it coming from organized groups and individuals alike. Some where Greek, some not. Let me be clear: I don’t care about someone’s personal philosophies or theological views as long as they’re not trying to convince others that their way of doing things is the right one. 

That being said, we should question why it is that neoplatonism is the only philosophy being brought up in hellenic polytheist circles when it is only one school of thought amongst others. 

If you are a neoplatonist reading this: know I do not mean this as an attack, rather as an invitation to accept that philosophies can co-exist today as they have always done in the past and that none of them hold authority over others. 

#hellenic polytheism #hellenic paganism #hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheist #philosophy

[missaureus]

CRASH LANDING ON YOU

Number of Episodes: 16

Genre: Romance, Drama

Rating: 10/10

I actually finished this series prior to the quarantine season but let me just include it to the list because I invested so much emotions to it, to the point it left me handicapped.

Crash Landing on You has so much on its plate! Not to mention the controversy it faced, being criticized by the liberal party for romanticizing not their own kind. I truly appreciate how this production served something new to the audience! The disclaimer being rolled before each episode is a reminder how a vast mind can offer so much - a window to let us visually access how the life is in the world's most secretive country, North Korea. Sure, there are already dramas with North Korea as a setting but the overall portrayal of CLoY makes it loved by the general public.

Apart from the reason of casting big actors as leads, how the supporting roles in CLoY are being painted give a big impact to the whole canvas, even the hostiles and the helpless. The side stories are definitely not something to be skipped. Surprisingly, my favorite character is Seo Dan's mom. She exudes peak mom level! Actually, all mother figures radiate strong personalities! Among all, I appreciate Seo Dan's character development the most! She is definitely a revolution herself. Thank you for empowering women on screen! Lastly, the backbone of the story are the best squads in the history of kdrama, the soldier squad and the mom squad ㅋㅋThey are just pure and fun to watch, even their chemistry with Seri is good~

I honestly ran out of expectations from this drama. I was afraid how it is going to end but the greatest takeaway is that, each character reached their own resolution. Probably some might disagree re: Seo Dan and Seung Jun's tragedy. But the second male lead saying: I was wrong. When I die, there’s someone who will cry for me. The fact that it’s you makes me sad and happy. I guess that resolved his own conflict. *criii*

I have so much to say, to be honest because this drama is generous enough with insights. Highly recommended~ People saying this is too overrated need to sit down and repent lol!

ITAEWON CLASS

Number of Episodes: 16

Genre: Drama, Revenge

Rating: 9/10

First episode and it was already dark and bold. The plot caters a pool of societal issues such as class differences, abuse of power/injustices, transgender discrimination, and racism. This drama has a different aura compared to previous works of Park Seo Joon. Even the love story of the leads is not the typical lovey dovey~

The main character's determination to avenge his father's death is scalding hot throughout the episodes. It was as consistent as his hairstyle for years istg. Hard work does not betray, indeed. What struck me the most is when one character, Seung Kwon, who used to be Saeroyi jailmate, crossed paths again after years in the outer world. He narrated how everyone is given the same amount of time but the depth of time one spends is completely different compared to someone who does not set goals and persevere through time to get it.

No wonder how the rating of the show did good since the characters are effectively pulled off despite how tacky each personality is.

HI BYE, MAMA!

Number of Episodes: 16

Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Rating: 10/10

This series stirred the general public for a fact that the one portraying Seo Woo is actually a boy. The enormous attention it absorbed was also due to its heartbreaking storyline. It is not even an exaggeration that there is no episode that would not let you cry. It will give your tear ducts so much work.

It reflects a pool of family values and love. It will make you realize even more no matter what age you have, you will still need your mom. It will make you ponder how death can rob you in an instant. Midong, a shaman in the drama, once said: A woman who lost her husband is called a widow. A man who lost his wife is called a widower. And a kid who lost his parents is called an orphan. But there’s no word for a parent who lost their kid. Know why? It’s because no word can describe it. There’s no word in this world that can describe the excruciating pain. That is too devastating, I can't digest it.

I want to commend the three main characters so much! They deserve a round of applause each. Both Seowoo's moms deserve her. Yuri and Minjung are both selfless and strong, as mothers should be. It's true that being aggressive with their respective decision against the other without feeling sorry could have been done if one is mean towards the other. This drama has no antagonist and it is frustrating that no one can take the blame. Sadly, one mom must be hurt deeply in order to save the other mom. Shoutout to all stepmoms! Not all are evil, stop labeling them as one. Seowoo's dad, Kanghwa, for me, has the hardest character. He has been walking on eggshells. All his life, his shoulders are heavy. He endured so much and embraced unnecessary guilt. His walls are too high that made his relationship with others shaky. He is afraid for people to get hurt to the point being too considerate does not help him at all, making himself his own punching bag.

Hitting the resolution of the story is a painful process but it is the kind of hurt that liberated all characters involved. To be able to point out what went wrong and ungrasping it--- Yuri boldy telling his used-to-be husband "I am not yours anymore. You can let me go now." opened the door to silence the conflicts. Acceptance.

Literally, I cried how the epilogue gave a glimpse of the couple's life if Yuri was able to escape his death note. It only takes a second to change a life-changing event. But reaching the final episode was the real deal for my tear ducts ㅠ I seriously cried 90 minutes straight! I am so satisfied how it is wrapped up. No better ending no matter heartbreaking it is!

HE IS PSYCHOMETRIC

Number of Episodes: 16

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller

Rating: 9/10

Why did I just watch it noW? ㅠ Wow, this is a masterpiece! The plot twist is insane! I love how the truth was unfold throughout the story. It was helluva stressful hahaha. Dark enough. Since I was hungry for an answer, I finished this one almost straight 16 hours!!! If you have watched While You Were Sleeping, which was about someone who can dream about the future, this series is a counterpart. The main lead can see the past by touching a person or object. This unique ability helped him solve cases, especially the event the greatly involved him in the past.

I commend Jinyoung for crying that much! Crazy he has lots of frame that in need of crying ㅋㅋㅋ Rise the flag of actor-idol! He is a natural, to be honest. His character, Ahn's funny antics always got me~ The female lead, Ye Eun has an uncanning resemblance of Yerim, hahaha it awed me while watching~

I am satisfied how it ended. Although I would to see more of their love story but in totality it is a must-watch definitely!

WHEN THE CAMELLIA BLOOMS

Number of Episodes: 40

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Thriller

Rating: 9/10

I love how this is filtered ♡ Very aesthetic that I want to live in Ongsan too! Life for the female lead is too complex. The plot revolves around straightening the strands of conflicts of her life. Dealing with her son who does not want her to have a boyfriend, who is short-tempered and acts maturely to protect her mom; dealing with her boyfriend who loves her unconditionally, who always believes in her and brings out the best of her; dealing with her ex husband, who wants to stand as a father to his child and fill in those years he missed to take care of him; dealing with her neighbors, who speak ill and put her in a bad light at first; dealing with her mother who made her an orphan and came back to her sick; dealing with her secret killer...

This runs for 20 hours and I could not remember the last drama I've watched this long but I savored it without any hint boredom. It ended but I still want mooore. I love how every character is given ample amount of screen time in the last episode. Everyone ended up happily. The went through so much, a happy ending is deserved by all. I was moved. I learned so much about life which is too complex to be completely understood.

Props to Haneul! His loud and vibrant acting is commendable!!! And the post-credit is so heartwarming ㅠㅠ I had a fair share of tears for this drama ㅠㅠ

BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST LIFE

Number of Episodes: 16

Genre: Drama, Romance

Rating: 9/10

I had two attempts to successfully finish this series and what a shame it took me this long? This series also moved me so much. It talks about views and opinion about living independently and marriage. Throughout, I was also questioning my decisions in life and effectively made me reflect.

Ji Ho who is 30, who is jobless, who is homeless. and Se Hee holds the answer to her problems. Se Hee who only loves his cat, who only values his house. Apart from having the same interest in beer and soccer, they mutually signed a contract that both benefitted them. Weird. How can you marry someone without involving emotions?

I also love the opposite personalities of the female lead's friends. Soo Ji who does not believe in marriage and described it as a tomb of a relationship. She is strong and independent. She does not take any guy seriously until Sang Goo happened. Ho Rang who dreams of being a housewife and a mother. She desperately wanted to marry his long-term partner because she is already hitting three decades. Sadly, his partner, Wonseok, expressed how he is not that ready yet and still starting to get a stable job.

I love how this drama ended! Heartwarming~

Part 1 | https://daisy-illusive.tumblr.com/post/162383689643

Part 2 | https://daisy-illusive.tumblr.com/post/169033240193

#personal #kdrama #kdrama recommendations #kdrama review #crash landing on you #hi bye mama #itaewon class #korean drama #korean series #review #he is psychometric #when the camellia blooms #because this is my first life

[enbyleighlines]

Alright, let’s talk about the theme of homophobia in mo dao zu shi

Before I begin, some disclaimers!

Obviously everything I say here is my opinion and not the One True Way to interpret the text. If you disagree with what I say, or parts of what I say, then good! That’s how literary analysis works. Please write your own rebuttal post if you wish. You can even link me. I would be happy to read a different point of view on this issue

I’m not going to be talking about the author’s intent. I’m pro “death of the author” so it really doesn’t matter to me whether the homophobia depicted in mdzs is a reflection of the author’s own prejudice, or if it’s a social commentary on China’s views towards LGBTA issues, or even if it’s just being employed to push a “forbidden love” trope

I’m not going to be making judgment statements about the quality of the writing or whether or not the homophobia is depicted realistically. While that would make for an interesting topic, it’s not my main concern

I’m going to discuss spoilers, so if you haven’t read the novel, and you intend to read it, and you don’t want to be spoiled, please skip this post!

I’m going to be discussing things like societal homophobia and internalized homophobia. Also, I’ll be discussing Mo Xuanyu’s suicide, so please read this at your own discretion!

With all of that out of the way, let’s begin!

Homophobia is undeniably a running theme in the novel and audio drama versions of the story, and it even plays a minor part in the manhua. However, it is noticeably absent in the live action and donghua. In an ironic twist of fate, censoring the gay romance from the live action and manhua made it so that they also accidentally made the cultivation world a lot less homophobic. Because depicting homophobia would entail acknowledging that gay people exist.

Meanwhile, the homophobia in the novel and audio drama are not like front and center but they are certainly there. As merelhyn points out in this post that inspired mine, “…it’s so common that Wei Wuxian rolls with it and try to weaponize the homophobia to disgust people, hide himself and flee.”

While I don't think it's necessarily dangerous to be gay in the world of mdzs, it definitely is not normalized. The word “cut-sleeve” is most often used as an insult. At one point, Jin Ling calls being gay an “incurable disease”. At another point, the story says that “it was forbidden to engage in cut-sleeve behavior in public.”

Okay, so why am I even bringing this up? Basically, I want to do some character analysis of two of the three canonically gay/bi men in the story: Lan Wangji and Mo Xuanyu. Wei Wuxian could get his own post, and I might do that in the future, but this post just concerns Lan Wangji and Mo Xuanyu.

First: Lan Wangji

Personally, I think Lan Wangji struggles with internalized homophobia, the fact that he is attracted to men.

Lan Wangji is a gay man who cares so very deeply for the rules, he likes knowing right from wrong, good from bad, he likes making others proud and setting a good example, and yet he cannot help but break the rules. The Gusu Lan sect doesn’t have any specific rules against homosexuality that we know of, but I think "Do not indulge in debauchery" and "Do not be promiscuous" could certainly be interpreted to include homosexuality. After all, the Gusu Lan sect is descended from an aesetic monk, and their sect’s philosophy is very much about restraining oneself from earthly pleasures.

I like to imagine that at least part of Lan Wangji’s adherence to the rules is due in part to the fact that, inside, he fears that he's not actually a good person. And not all of it comes from his attraction to men. As we see in all the adaptations, Lan Wangji has quite the temper. He is also prone to jealousy and pettiness, like the way he acts around Wen Ning.

And there’s the childish side, too, the side that wants to play hide and seek or steal someone’s chickens when he’s drunk. Or how he continues to be overly sentimental, like how long he grieved for his mother.

And then Wei Wuxian comes around and Lan Wangji falls madly in love, just like his father did with his mother, except it's with a man, and try as he might, Lan Wangji cannot control his feelings. He can control everything else in his life, but he can't control his feelings. And I think that’s the lesson that Lan Wangji ultimately has to learn.

By the end of the novel, we learn that Lan Wangji actually confessed his love to Wei Wuxian before his death. We learn that Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren knew of Lan Wangji’s confession, and that later Lan Xichen even told Jin Guangyao. Yet Lan Jingyi once told Wei Wuxian, “HanGuang-Jun is not a cut-sleeve.” So Lan Wangji’s feelings are kept a secret, just how the details of his mother’s seclusion were kept a secret. They have to be kept secret, or they would ruin his reputation.

How painfully ironic, then, must it have been for Lan Wangji, when Wei Wuxian is reincarnated into the body of a man who is known and hated for being gay. And as previously stated, Wei Wuxian fully plays into the stereotype of the predatory, promiscuous gay man, in order to keep his identity a secret, and to keep other people from getting too close to him.

In the past, Lan Wangji had to struggle with his own internalized homophobia. And then, once he finally accepts himself, he has to deal with Wei Wuxian’s homophobia. It just makes his whole character arc all the more tragic.

Second: Mo Xuanyu

Admittedly, we don’t know a lot about Mo Xuanyu. We know that he was cowardly and timid, that he was gay, that he dabbled in demonic cultivation, and that after the abuse of his aunt, uncle, and cousin, “he often behaved in a crazy manner, almost as if his life was scared out of him.” He was also accused of sexually harassing Jin Guangyao, his half-brother, though the novel never really clarifies if this accusation is true.

Personally, I find it too much of coincidence to be true. After all, how likely is it that Jin Guangyao would have two half-siblings lusting after him?

If you compare Qin Su with the accusations against Mo Xuanyu, there are some interesting parallels.

It’s said that “Mo XuanYu had always regarded Jin GuangYao as a deity”.

It was also proposed by Wei Wuxian that Jin Guangyao and Mo Xuanyu were once close, since Jin Guangyao allowed Mo Xuanyu to study Wei Wuxian’s manuscripts.

Qin Su, on the other hand, is often described with words such as “innocent”, “naïve”, and “childish”, and apparently she fell so deeply in love with Jin Guangyao that she “never gave up, insisting that she wanted to be his wife.”

We also know that Jin Guangyao never again touched Qin Su once they were married. Now, it’s entirely possible that Qin Su accepted that without question, but it’s also possible that, being the persistent woman that we know her to be, that she tried to seduce him many times after their wedding.

And so, if at any point Jin Guangyao did want to come up with perfect rumor to smear Mo Xuanyu’s reputation and get him kicked out, then he could easily take inspiration from his own wife: A half-sibling, who loved him very much, and frequently expressed interest in getting intimate with him, to his continued disgust. If Jin Guangyao did make up the rumor to get Mo Xuanyu kicked out, we still don’t know exactly what caused his change of heart. But we do know that since Mo Xuanyu was already known to be gay, and since he was already known for following his elder brother around like a puppy, it’s quite easy to see how people would have believed the rumor.

At one point, Wei Wuxian questions whether it’s possible for a man as timid as Mo Xuanyu to have taken his own life. Now, I for one don’t like that interpretation. Suicide does not require bravery, just intense emotional pain.

However, I do think it’s safe to say that a man as timid as Mo Xuanyu probably wouldn’t have sexually harassed his older brother, the one he treated like a deity. He was probably just happy to have someone in his family, other than his mother, who didn’t abuse him. So while it’s not 100% canon that Jin Guangyao framed Mo Xuanyu, it’s what makes the most sense according to my reading of the text.

Aaaaand that’s it!

Kudos to you if you actually read this far. Lan Wangji and Mo Xuanyu are two characters I have A Lot of feelings about, so I wanted to condense it all into one super rambly post.

I hope you enjoyed reading it!

#mo dao zu shi #mdzs #mdzs meta #long post #character analysis #lan wangji #mo xuanyu

[bidrums]

Religious Imagery in AHS Apocalypse from someone with a weird sense of humor that involves grape soda for some reason

BIG DISCLAIMER: Any and all views expressed here are my opinion and do not reflect the actual beliefs and operations of religions and their subsets. If I ever say anything incorrect, then please let me know and I will correct myself. This is not meant to be used as concrete evidence of any religion’s workings and should be used as the opinions of bidrums dot tumblr dot com. Also, the views of this blogger are entirely their own and should not be used to attack said blogger for using their First Amendment right of expressing their opinion. This is not an attack on AHS, Ryan Murphy, or any real persons or beliefs. Frustration does not equal open hate.

This has been a PSA because some people apparently can’t take an opinion without an essay before said opinion covering every base on how it’s potentially problematic instead of just leaving people the fuck alone.

Okay, so I would like to say something right off the bat that many people don’t know and that inadvertently caused my 10th grade chemistry class to think I was a Satanist for a few months (I’ll tell that story another time):

AN UPSIDE DOWN CROSS IS NOT A FUCKING SATANIC CROSS IT IS A CHRISTIAN CROSS THAT IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM LOOKS LIKE THE LEVIATHAN CROSS- THE ACTUAL SATANIC CROSS ACCORDING TO A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH (Tumblr won’t let me post pictures of the two but look them up sorry for the lack of pictures)

One looks way more like a dick

If you need a quick way to distinguish the two, remember that the Satanic cross is the fancy one that looks like a dick okay I’ll stop with that

Why does this bother me so much? Well, I am a Christian, and I was taught from a young age (and when I say young, I mean 5) that crosses look different and some of them represent people other than Jesus.

So Peter- one of the most famous of the Twelve- was sentenced to be crucified like Jesus. Which he was surprisingly chill with, apart from the detail of the cross itself. He said that he was not worthy to be crucified in the same way Jesus was, so put tin a different position. The Romans obliged and put him upside down, which is arguably a much worse position to be crucified in (look up what being crucified will do to your body to understand how sick it actually is- part of what hurt so much was that they put the nails right next to the funny boy so the slightest movement would hit it).

Peter had some serious balls.

I fully understand why people would think an upside down cross would be more Satanic than Saint-like. It makes perfect sense, actually. If a regular cross represents Jesus, then wouldn’t flipping it upside down be a way of disrespecting God, and by extension be more Satanic? It’s actually pretty sound logic. That’s another part of why it’s annoying to see it aligned with Satan, since to me it’s really awesome how something that’s seemingly disrespectful actually came out of a deep, passionate, respect and admiration.

Now, because the fact that Satanic crosses are super phallic fancy isn’t exactly common knowledge, I won’t be openly annoyed at Ryan and crew for going with it.

Or, at least, I wouldn’t.

Because they obviously understand some religious imagery and what it actually means.

Another common misbelief is that 666 is the number of the Devil.

Again, it comes from. a logical place. 7 is the Biblical number of Perfection, and 6 by extension is less than perfection. That paired with the fact that in the book of Revelation, 666 is associated with the Apocalypse will lead to the conclusion that it’s the number of the Devil.

But it isn’t!

And Ryan acknowledges that multiple times!

Revelation 13:16-18– “He required everyone- small and great, rich and poor, free and slave- to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man (in some versions, “of humanity”). His number is 666 (or in some versions, “616″).”

This is referring to the Beast from the Earth, commonly believed to be the Antichrist. Funnily enough, in Episode 6, Vivien quotes a passage about a beast, but it’s the Beast from the Sea:

“Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were the names that blasphemed God. This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throw and great authority.”- Revelation 13:1-2, Vivien’s quote.

“Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.”- Revelation 13:11-12, the one with 666.

Yeah, it’s a bit confusing and honestly I’m making a bit of a big deal of this seeing as almost everyone I’ve known has mixed up the two but in this case it’s not being overdramatic so much as being annoyed.

Why?

Because Ryan did enough research to know that 666 is more commonly associated with the Antichrist and not Satan, and that it’s called the number/mark of the Beast, and even got a Bible passage to quote but used one referring to the wrong Beast and still uses upside down crosses to represent Satan!

Okay, in this episode I honestly wondered if he was using it to show how clueless the Satanists are but nope, it’s Satan. And my headache grew because he obviously does his research, but he relies on lazy cliches to drive some of the plot forward, and that just devalues the genuinely clever religious references. And it’s disappointing because there’s some genuinely clever parts that are great, but the way they’re written and presented and paired with the misinformation devalues everything and lessens their impact and also confuses everyone!

Wow that was a really bad way to segway into the last point sorry guys

So the scene in the forest is actually really clever and here’s why:

I’m not the first person to make this comparison, but the forest scene heavily invokes a parallel to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

I haven’t seen the Exorcist, so don’t expect me to even come close to whatever that was. I also burst out laughing when he said, “Are you my father?” to the goat because 1) Black Phillip from the VVitch anyone? and 2) it sounded like the Dr. Seuss book “Are you my Mother?” and I couldn’t.

But the temptation part was really interesting and clever, I think.

Just a quick recap of the story in case anyone isn’t familiar with it: Jesus goes out into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and doesn’t eat or drink anything for that duration (fun fact: that’s what Lent represents and why we give something(s) up). After the 40 days and nights, Old Scratch shows up and is like, “Yo, I got bread that you need to live.” and Jesus says, “Remember where it’s written that man doesn’t live by just great but also the word of God? I’m good.” Then Lucy takes him to a high point in the world and goes, “You worship me and it’s yours” and Jesus goes, “No thanks.” Then they go to a super high point right next to a populated city and Satan says, “If you jump, God has promised that his Son will have the protection of Angels and will not be hurt. Prove that’s legit.” and at this point Jesus gets fed up and says, “Yeah, but Dad also said that he won’t be tested for some vanity project, so get lost!” Satan leaves, then some Angels come and give Jesus food and refreshments and help him recover from the self-imposed starvation.

I think that scene in the forest was Michael being tempted by God, as a parallel to this.

It’s weirdly edited and confusing and not that great, but that’s what I think it was and thought it was while watching it.

Let’s break it down: Michael is in the woods for 4 days without food or water. He is then tempted with grape soda and an apple- food needed to live that he hasn’t had for a time period that’s a multiple of 4. Then he has people who admired him talking to him/confronting him/expressing their admiration for him because of who he is- the adoration and attention received by his powerful nature. An Angel-like figure approaches and expresses Heavenly affections- God sending his Angel to the one being tempted, as was promised. Finally, animals associated with the Devil show up- the temptation is over, and the spiritual guardians show up.

It’s a subtle callback to it, but it does check out. Writing like this is what annoys me when lazy writing happens because Ryan and crew obviously know what they’re doing and referencing, but they can’t be bothered to even find new ways to subvert the cliches while keeping the gross sacrifice parts.

Anyways, that’s my rant on this. Thanks for reading!

#ahs apocalypse #ahs spoilers #ahs #ryan murphy #michael langdon #disappointed but not surprised #religious imagery #religious symbolism

[allenmendezsr]

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My name’s Paul, I’m for the West Midlands and I’ve always had ‘the gift of the gab’.

As a kid, I was liked by everyone at school. I could move from group to group seamlessly, and I could always convince the other kids to do what I wanted them to. Every scenario on the playground would play out in my favour.

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Growing up, my father loved the nags. He wasn’t a professional punter, but he’d head over to our local race track most Saturdays, and on occasion, I’d join him. That’s when I began to realise just how much money there is in horse racing… And I wanted a piece of that action. 

When I was in my mid-twenties, I began to devise a plan. I wanted to infiltrate one of the innermost circles of the equestrian industry, and find out how the hot shots really make their money.

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With my charm and charisma, I wormed my way in easily. It was almost laughable.

I had infiltrated the insiders.

Fast forward two years and I’ve been invited to no end of private dinner parties, I’ve been on a ‘lads’ holiday to Prague with a famous jockey and a few other industry pros, and I’m even the godfather to a horse breeder’s son!

But the craziest part of all is, I can’t stand a one of them!

I hate the snobbery, the pretentiousness and the way they scoff at the poor.

And it turns out, the whole system is rigged. They’re all in each other’s back pockets and make racing as profitable for their own tight-knit group as possible. To hell with the average punter!

Who cares if you’re behind on rent when Geoffrey wants a new Porsche?

  Frequently, races are fixed. And because of this, I know the outcome of a race way ahead of time, and can therefore place my bets accordingly.

With just the tipoffs I overheard in that circles, I was able to make an average of £2,500 from horse racing, every single week!

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It was so easy, it was almost unbelievable.

It felt like playing the lottery when I already knew the numbers.

  It was like printing money!!

For months I splashed out, buying clothes, gadgets and a new car. And I moved out of my small flat and into my dream house!

But eventually the parties, the women and the flashy things I bought, all came to feel shallow. And worst of all, I’D BECOME ONE OF THEM.

I was using my position of newly found power to make a fortune, while the average punter was losing his hard earned wages, playing a game that was fixed against him!

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Growing up, my dad squandered away our savings at the bookies. And his losing streak eventually cost him his marriage, and ruined my childhood. 

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And now YOU can try Insider Infiltration yourself for the unbelievably low price of just £26.99 That price is an incredible bargain for tips that are based upon TOP SECRET insider information. Tips that will see you £120,000 better off this year!! You’d have to be MAD to pass up an offer like this…

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[bigyack-com]

5 Days Of Blood, Bodies And My First Visit To A Mortuary In Delhi

It was Monday, February 24, when I was told by my assignment desk to track the family of a cop who was killed in the violence that erupted in Delhi over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). After finishing my day's desk job, I proceeded to Jag Pravesh Chand hospital in Delhi's Shahadra where we assumed the cop was brought-in dead but upon learning that all patients were admitted in another hospital - we immediately rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur, the biggest in the area.It was 8 pm, I was at the GTB Hospital and walked straight into the emergency ward. Before me, I saw several people and a couple of police officials drenched in blood, several had bandaged themselves in their already torn clothes, many with different kinds of wounds; I saw flesh and bones all in one go. Quite understandably, there was panic among patients and people who brought them in. Hospital officials were trying to make sense of the situation, as was I; because I wanted to obtain figures on the number of dead and injured so we could start reporting. At this point all we knew was at least four were killed. Some were saying five; some six. The numbers were varying, because the numbers were just coming in. My only focus at this point - to NOT get anything wrong, to not treat numbers as merely numerical; these were number of lives lost we were talking about. It was not about who got the numbers first, it was about getting it right with a sensitive mind and this was only Day 1 of my 5-days long reporting from the GTB Hospital. It was not easy to see bodies lying in a pool of blood two minutes before going live on an OB and keep a straight face on camera. I returned home the same night recalling all that I had witnessed during the course of the day thinking to myself how do I put myself to sleep.Massive violence had erupted in northeast Delhi over the Citizenship Amendment ActDay 2: I was back at GTB Hospital, a little more prepared. The portico of the casualty entrance became a spot for the press and this time I was with my colleague, Ravish Ranjan Shukla. I was sure in his company I'd be a little more confident in my reporting and he'd guide me if I went wrong. Little did I see this coming but what lied ahead of us was visits to the mortuary to seek further details and even more heartbreaking to speak to the families of the victims. This was my first time at a mortuary where I saw relatives cry endlessly; some wanting to identify the bodies, some hoping if their missing relatives were not dead, some lying unconscious, some who had no hope left their hearts, some who hadn't eaten or slept for two days. As And amid all of this, as I prepared to wrap up for the days I realized I had lost all my belongings from the very same spot - a bag pack I always carry with me that has all my essentials my journal, credit/debit cards, identity cards, power bank etc. I felt extremely dejected not because I lost all my belonging but because I wasEach day I was back to the hospital, the death toll kept increasing. While there was no official health bulletin released time to time, the medical director promised to give us journalists an update every few hours. Many other sources were giving us higher figures but I stuck to hospital officials and their data even if that meant not getting it first.Saleem, brother of victim Anwar - killed in the riots narrated to me how he saw his brother killed before him. "My brother was shot thrice. I was sheltered by a Hindu family. I saw my brother from the window being put into fire by a mob. I couldn't save my brother. My children and I wouldn't be alive today if a Hindu family had not saved us," he told me while crying his lungs out.I met a father who had come all the way from Bihar to identify his son's body. He told me while breaking down, "I have come from Bihar after borrowing money from people (chanda kar ke)"I met a son who came to me asking for help. He told me, "The hospital officials are making me run from pillar to post because my father's name was wrongly spelt during admission. I haven't seen my father's body, it has been five days."The aunt of Ashfaq Khan (killed in the same violence) had come from Bulandshahr had been waiting at the mortuary for four days told me "We still don't know who the investigating officer in our case is. It's been four days, we've been waiting outside the mortuary."A father serving in the Railway Police Force who had last seen his son two months ago came to the mortuary to identify his son's body. "I spoke to him on the day of the violence. The next thing I know is he was killed. We who work in the forces are always posted away from our families protecting other. But my family was left unprotected."In those four days, colleagues from other media worked together. It almost felt like an exam where we were seeking notes from each other, trying to remember names except, here were at a hospital, memorizing the names and number of the dead. At one point I remember going blank, not able to think so a friend from another publication and I excused ourselves from the mortuary and went to a quieter place at a tea point where we gathered our thoughts. It was not easy. On those four days, it wasn't easy to put myself to sleep either; when the only thoughts running in my mind were these words from some of the people I had spoken to that hit me very hard, "Kya fayda hua in sab se? Kaun jeeta?" "Kaha dil miley hue the aaj dil phat gaye" "prashasan se yahi dua karunga kabhi kisi aulad ka parivar na cheen"... "mera beta mera sahara tha... mujhe mere bete se nahi milne de rahe hai" "mere papa bohot hi seedhe aadmi the ilake mei, maarney wale ne unko bhi nahi chora."In the midst of all this, I had completely lost track on a 2-day conference I was to attend in the UAE in the immediate week. Neither had I prepared nor had I packed for this trip because the only thing that was on my mind, and in all our hearts was the carnage that had cast a shadow in the national capital. This was my first international assignment and while I made it physically to the conference, I had left my heart and my mind back in Delhi.We reporters are often reminded to not get too involved in our stories but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't emotionally involved since day one. Everything I witnessed in those five days will remain with me in this lifetime. While speaking to these families, there were times I shook while holding the mic, there was one time when I broke down at a quiet corner; this was my first time reporting on tragedy and violence. For someone who in an emotional person and still tears up at the prick of an injection, I tried very hard to not let emotions take over me.First, from seeing blood and bodies to attending a 2-day conference in a Middle Eastern country (while also reporting on the Coronavirus situation from the UAE) and to losing all my belongings - I have not had a more physically and emotionally exhausting two weeks in my career so far. I used to tell my friends the very famous line on Delhi... "Dilli dil walon ka shehar hai..." but now the only line that rings in my head is..."Kahan dil miley hue the... aaj woh dil.. .phat gaye hai". This was certainly not the Delhi I had moved to eight years ago. A Delhi where death, fear, panic, chaos, sorrow, hopelessness, hate, bloodshed was in the air for days. As a journalist and as an individual, those five days have taught me a lot.(Shonakshi Chakravarty is an Assistant Output Editor, NDTV)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. Read the full article

#02topstories #49erstopstories #5topstoriescnn #6abctopstories #7newstopstories #8topstoriesfromdavos2019 #9newstopstories #9&10newstopstories #abc3topstoriespensacola #abc6newstopstories #abc7topstories #announcement #aptopstoriesyahoo #at&ttopstories #avengers4topstories #bmetrotopstories #bmetrotopstoriestoday #ballondortopstories #baynews9topstories #baynews9topstoriestoday #Blood #Bodies #bulletins #chandrayaan-2topstories #channel2newstopstoriestoday #channel2topstories #channel3topstories #channel4newstopstories #channel4topstories

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Harry's Burnout might be real an very telling by u/Tired-24-7

Harry's Burnout might be real an very telling Before you downvote me hear me out, please. We all know that his burnout can obviously not be caused by too much work, but work is not the only thing that can cause a burnout. A burnout is a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion, that can be caused by many things. According to this site: https://ift.tt/t3fUjGS the following things can cause and/or contribute to burnout: Money worries -> We all know they have them. They have no steady income and cling to everything that gives them some money. Working Arrangements -> MeAgain always pushes herself in the foreground. Even during the Invictus games - "Harry's event" - she tried to make it about herself. Worries About Job Security -> See "Money worries". He used to not worry about money and where it came from, and now he has to live of his dead mother's inherence, with a wife that spend more money on clothes than the future queen. Isolation -> MeAgain isolates him from everyone and everything Harry has cared about before he knew her. Relationships -> Do I really have to explain how unhealthy his relationship with MeAgain is?! Caring for others -> Well, this is my own speculation, but I think did and maybe still does care about his family, which is why he is so bitter right now. He has a wonderful life with people who cared about him (and people he cared about), and he probably wants it back. Only one problem: No one trusts him anymore and everyone is angry. Is it his fault? 100% yes. But that doesn't mean it can't hurt him. And on top of that, his father and sister-in-law, two people he was very close to, have a potentially deadly illness... Ouch. ​I find it incredible interesting that Harry decided to talk about it. For me, it sounds like the first step towards divorce - that Harry just can't take it anymore. post link: https://ift.tt/2lJTart author: Tired-24-7 submitted: April 12, 2024 at 12:30PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

#SaintMeghanMarkle #harry and meghan #meghan markle #prince harry #fucking grifters #Worldwide Privacy Tour #Instagram loving bitch wife #Backgrid #voetsek meghan #walmart wallis #markled #archewell #archewell foundation #megxit #duke and duchess of sussex #duke of sussex #duchess of sussex #doria ragland #rent a royal #clevr #clevr blends #lemonada media #archetypes with meghan #invictus #invictus games #Sussex #WAAAGH #american riviera orchard #Tired-24-7

[roguenewsdao]

Spaceman Swan Song

"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."  -- Unknown. (and, no, it was not Voltaire.)

On Saturday, November 18, I settled in to enjoy my first opportunity to finally listen to Gary Bell's "A View From Space" radio show in real-time. It was W. The Intelligence Insider who introduced me to the show months ago, but I had only heard bits and pieces of archives; never the LIVE show. I settled in with my tea and cookies and fired up the show on my Tune-In app. But, alas! Within seconds, my hopes were dashed as the station manager ignominiously announced that Gary Bell aka Spaceman would not be heard tonight due to numerous complaints that Toronto station AM640 had received about his previous week's show. Supposedly, the Spaceman was guilty of some snowflake "anti-Semitic" remarks uttered on the show broadcast previously, November 11th. The slot that night was hastily filled with some re-run of audio pablum that nobody now remembers.

Immediately, I beat a path to the AVFS fan page on Facebook. The other long-time fans were stunned. Naturally the top question on everybody's mind was: What in the world did Gary say last week that got him fired?

Below, I give you the Youtube archive of the now infamous show that was broadcast on 11-11-2017 and which now appears to be the Spaceman's swan song. For those of you unfamiliar with his style, I can offer what little I know. As I mentioned above, I didn't even have a chance to become a diehard fan before the rug was pulled out from under our collective feet. The Spaceman is known for his deep dumpster dives into the uncomfortable history of the founding of western civilization with all the esoteric occult influences that drove it along. The Youtube channel that hosts this episode below has dutifully archived dozens of previous episodes and we hope that this channel will not also fall victim to elitist censorship. (However, being that Youtube is a Google property, I wouldn't hold my breath.)

This November 11th episode is a 3-hour journey that opens up with the regular denunciation of the Illuminati and then proceeds to peel back that onion one century at a time, clawing back to that same time period that my own research always inevitably lands: the days of mankind's ancient past, through the Noachian Deluge, and rolling on through the days of Nimrod and ancient Babylon.

The radio station is controlled by Corus Entertainment in Toronto, Canada and claims that Bell's supposed "anti-Semitic" remarks were the cause of his show getting yanked off the air. Well, we've all heard the truthism: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." The thing is, I can't see where Bell was reporting any fact other than those that anybody can easily find with 5 minutes' worth of Internet research, even with a Google browser. Spaceman criticized secret societies, the Illuminati, the Catholics, the Protestants, the Muslims, the King James Version of the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, the American Founding Fathers, the Freemasons, the Statue of Liberty, the Merovingians ... in other words, Spaceman is an Equal Opportunity Pisser-Off-er.

Here are just a handful of bullet points from this travail through history to give you an idea of what all the fuss was about.

The Church itself isn't teaching the Scriptures and sound Biblical doctrines. 

The Illuminati believe they were fathered by a union of Satan and Eve with Cain being that offspring.

By the early Church period, this Gnosticism of Ishtar battled through the early church fathers for control of the Church. The subtle Ishtar beliefs slowly worked their way into the Church. This was especially true with merging pagan holidays with key dates of early Church and Jewish feasts. 

Over the next few centuries, those same Gnostic beliefs began to creep slowly into the thinking of the Church. Right around the time of the Crusades, Rosicrucianism took off, especially among the elite rich and the military defense community of Europe. Same idea: Learn, Gain Knowledge, Become a God. An emphasis on psychic, spiritual enlightenment. [My note: file that away for when we talk about Transhumanism, A.I., and the 4th Industrial Revolution here at Rogue Money.]

"Is it possible that the Roman Catholic Church was a Jewish Kabbalist project from the beginning?" [From my own research, the answer to this is a thundering "Yes!"]

Key to the New World Order: Athanasius taught that it's possible for Man to become God. After all, Jesus did. [Again, file this away and think about how that plays into the rise of Artificial Intelligence right now.]

Closed Doors and Open Windows

In the fans' Facebook page, a lady posted a note to say she was a long-time friend of Gary's and had chatted with him quite a while by phone. She assured the group that Bell had voluntarily resigned and was, technically, not fired. He has been in the radio biz for 40 years and certainly deserves a break.

However, that explanation doesn't really fly with the mood exhibited in his last performance. There was certainly no indication of impending retirement and he continued welcoming all emails to his In Box - an In Box that he is now severed from. Also, if his resignation had been voluntary, then why would the station have dissed him so badly by asserting that Bell had been punished for his so-called anti-Semitic remarks? If you listen to the very beginning of the show posted above, Toronto AM640 issued the same disclaimer that every other radio broadcaster utters prior to a syndicated show: "the opinions expressed on this show do not necessarily reflect those of Talk Radio AM640" blahblahblah. So the station was already covered. The whole thing stinks in a way to infer that the station simply made an offer to Bell that he could not refuse, in the Godfather sense of the word.

And if that is the case, we at Rogue Money hope that the corporate departure terms do not require that Spaceman must forever be silenced. 

Dear Spaceman: if you are within the sound of my voice, be assured that the window here at Rogue Money is flung wide open to capture a View From Space. The world needs you now more than ever and there is a hot microphone here with your name on it should you choose to avail yourself of an uncensored channel.

My contact information with link to my Karatbars portal are found at my billboard page of SlayTheBankster.com. Listen to my radio show, Bee In Eden, on Youtube via my show blog at SedonaDeb.wordpress.com.

#GARY BELL #SPACEMAN #AVFS #TORONTO #AM640 #CORUS #CORUS ENTERTAINMENT #CENSORSHIP #ANTI-SEMITIC #ILLUMINATI #GNOSTICISM #CAIN #MEROVINGIAN #NWO #NEW WORLD ORDER

[wionews]

Opinion: What made 'New Jihadi John' a global terrorist

In 1984, a small boy was born into a Bengali family staying in Walthamstow, London. His name was Siddharth Dhar. Young Siddharth joined his family business but didn't stick to it for long. 

Circumstances changed, and young Siddharth came in touch with some hardliner Islamic preachers. The interaction soon resulted in his conversion to Islam. Siddharth Dhar got a new name: Saiful Islam. 

It is hard to tell now whether Saiful's belief in radical ideology inspired him to convert or the other way round. Unfortunately, soon after the drift towards violence was evident. Soon Siddharth married a lady called Aisha who herself was associated with some hardliner Islamic organisations. 

Saiful Islam, when not engaged in the business of was seen in various agitations and protests against what he felt to be injustices committed against Muslims in the world. He started posting his videos online and kept looking for likeminded radical Islamic people outside mosques after every Friday prayer. 

He said in one of his YouTube videos, “The Caliphate is a dream for all the Muslims world wide”. He also quipped,  “We can Finally have a sanctuary where we can practice our religion and live under Sharia law”.

Not only this, he sometimes appeared on BBC’s Sunday Morning Live religious programs and expressed his hardliner views openly. He said, "Now that we have this caliphate I think you'll see many Muslims globally seeing it as an opportunity for the Koran to be realised." 

Also, "As a Muslim, I would like to see the UK governed by the Sharia. It is far superior to democracy. I don't really identify myself with British values. I am Muslim first, second and last."

 In 2014, when Siddharth was 30-year-old and a father of 4 kids, he was caught six times by the London Police for being associated with terror activities but every time he was released on bail. After he was released on bail for the sixth time, Siddharth Dhar Aka Saiful Islam left Britain with the family. After few weeks, he surfaced in Syria when he released a photo of him with his fourth newborn child and an assault rifle. Even then few could guess that this smiling boy is going to become one of the most dreaded Islamic State terrorists in the world, and will be renamed as Aby Rumysah by the leaders of ISIS. 

Since then, he has been making a mockery of the world by criticising them. His videos on YouTube are common and today the world knows him by many names: New Jihadi John, Aby Rumysah, Abu Dhar, Saiful Islam. He is the public face and official spokesperson of a little known Islamic Group called “Al-Muhajiroun” who was earlier UK-based but pledged its alliance to ISIS and currently have safe heavens in Lahore, Pakistan. 

He published a detailed travel guide prospective followers of ISIS  in 2015 in which he said, "If you thought London or New York was cosmopolitan, then wait until you step foot in the Islamic State because it screams diversity. In my short time here, I have met people from absolutely every walk of life, proof that the caliphate's pulling power is strong and tenacious."

He is one of the rare breeds of terrorists who openly explained his views on Islamic Radicalism, Sharia, Sex Slavery and many other issues of ISIS. 

Saiful Islam is believed to have replaced another terrorist Mohammad Emwazi or Jihadi John after he was killed in a drone strike. Ironically, Mohammad Emwazi was also a British Citizen.

The question arises as to who is responsible for the conversion of a normal decent human being into such a dreaded terrorist. Certainly, the country where he was born and bought up and the authorities should be blamed. The circumstances under which he was released on bail and under which he could sneak out of the country raises a serious question over the security arrangement of a country which is called as one of the superpowers of the world. His tweet after he reached Syria reflects the same. 

Saiful tweeted: “What a shoddy security system Britain must have to allow me to breeze through Europe to ISIS,”

Imagine a person being arrested six times for anti-national activities, getting released every time on bail and, finally, can sneak out of the country along with wife and four kids successfully to join ISIS. This is a clear failure on the part of Britain. 

A report said that there were about 1200-1500 British citizens who sneaked out of the country and joined ISIS in the past 5-6 years alone which is more than 10 times of India which has just 132 confirmed cases.

For a country which has about 28 Lakh Muslims, such large number of ISIS recruitments only reflect the inefficiency of the country’s security system. 

Britain has no option except to immediately curb the rise of Islamic radicalism in their country and strengthen the security measures. ISIS is on a verge of collapse but Islamic Radicalism is not and there are high chances that some other organisation may replace the Daesh. The names will only change but the terrorists will remain the same.   

  (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)  

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[megadarkbouquettidalwavethings]

Makar Sankranti 2018: Til is Customary But Pitha Rules in the East

Highlights

The Bengali tradition of making peethe and puli spreads across

Bangladeshis have taken peethe making to a level of ‘obsession’

Rice is the base in most cases

I called up my grandmother in Kolkata from Mumbai to chat the other day.

“It’s getting cold here,” she told me. “I am growing older you see and when you get older you feel the cold more. It will get colder when Shonkranti (Sankranti) happens,” she said sounding a tad wary.

To divert her mind, I changed the topic and said, “Shonkranti? That’s when you made us peethe and patishapta while we were growing up. I used to help you too. I would make a mess while flipping the patishapta (stuffed rice flour crepes typical to Bengal), remember? And then, after I moved to Mumbai, you used to send me tiffin boxes full of peethes.”

I could sense the smile creep back into her voice as she said, “that was nothing. When I was a little girl in Dhaka my mother, aunt and granny would make loads of peethes and pathishaptas. There were pulis (dumpling) and then sheddo (boiled) peethes as well. Those looked like what you eat in Chinese restaurants.”

“You mean momos?” I asked.

“Yes!” she replied.

Peethe, Puli and Patishapta Spell Sankranti for Bengalis

My mother, Rekha Karmakar, didn’t make patishaptas when I was growing up though. My grandparents had wanted her to focus on her studies and not spend time in the kitchen. My late father used to make patishaptas for me on Sankranti when I was a toddler in the UK, my mother tells me. He would add in condensed milk which was more a British influence as this was rarely found in India in the mid 1970s.

My mother has fond memories of eating peethe and pathishapta on Sankranti while growing up and she has chronicled some of these stories on her blog, The Tabulous Mom.

Like me, my mother’s Sankranti memories involve her grandmother too. She says, “My earliest memory of ‘pithe and puli‘ goes back to Jalpaiguri, North Bengal, where my maternal grandmother used to prepare them for us. After cooking lunch for a dozen folks, she along with my mami (maternal aunt), would start making the sweetmeats, the preparations for which had started a day before. She would soak rice in water the night before. Next day, she would grind the soaked rice on ‘shilnora‘ (a three inch high flat piece of stone on which the rice would be ground with another longish round stone, sliding it up and down) and make batter for various types of pithe and puli.”

I was fascinated to hear from my mother about the various types of peethes and pulis which are there. Some fried, some steamed. Some cooked in milk. Some stuffed with grated coconut. Some stuffed with ranga alu or sweet potatoes.

She might not make pithes herself, but my mother can sure tell stories about them!

My mother often laments the fact that making pithe and puli is a bit of a lost art today and in a way she’s right. There are fewer people making peethes, patishaptas and pulis at home in urban cities now. You do get them in sweet-shops in Kolkata now but those can rarely match the ones made by the grannies of yore.

Pithas in Opar Bangla

The Bengali tradition of making peethe and puli spreads across both Bangals (from East Bengal) and the Ghotis from the West. Recipes vary from house to house.

‘Are they still made in Bangladesh?’ I asked my friend, Kaniska Chakraborty, a food enthusiast who spends a fair bit of time in Dhaka, writes a newspaper column on the local food there and hosts a radio talk show too.

Kaniska tells me that Bangladeshis have taken peethe making to a level of ‘obsession’ and that they make a variety of pithas, as they call it, sweet and savoury. Rice is the base in most cases, lentils are used occasionally. Pithas are made in both Muslim and Hindu houses on Sankranti. “It is a cultural rather than a religious thing,” says Kaniska.

Pitha in Odisha

Interestingly, there are different versions of peetha made across eastern India for Sankranti. Take Odisha for example, whose cuisine offers many dishes which overlap with those from Bengal. Prasunika Priyadarshini is a market researcher who is an Odiya and currently based in Mumbai. She lived in Rajasthan while growing up. Come Sankranti and her mother would serve her hot and crispy sooji peetha (made with semolina in the batter and with a longer shelf life that rice flour peethas) straight from the pan and podo pitha, which is baked and has coconut in it.

Prasunika’s favourite remains the kakra peetha, a sweet fried dumpling made with rice flour and jaggery. There would be mudi muan too, or moa as we call them in Bengal, on Sankranti. These are puffed rice-based laddoos made with jaggery. Like my mother, Prasunika doesn’t make pitha either. When she goes home now, her mother and her mother-in-law pack tins of her favourite kakra pitha to bring back to Mumbai.

Til and Ghila Pitha in Assam

All this peetha talk reminds me of the Assamese pitha, which is like a chewy, thin rice paper roll that I had eaten at Gitika Saikia’s Assamese food pop up. They were similar to Bengali patishaptha in form but a lot drier and thinner.

I spoke to another Mumbai-based Assamese, Monalee Hazarika on this. Monalee is the co-founder of MTeahouse, which imports teas from her native Dibrugarh in Assam. She told me that in Assam, Sankranti is celebrated as Magh Bihu. When she was a child she remembered her father stocking up on rice, dals, cheera (beaten rice), jaggery, coconuts, potatoes and sweet potatoes more than ten days in advance for Bihu, the harvest festival. Her mother would start preparing for the feast three days before by cleaning the rice, putting it in the sun to dry and then grinding it. She would make coconut laddoos and pithas for the occasion despite being a working woman.

The pithas I ate at Gitika’s place were the til pithas. Thin rice paper rolls stuffed jaggery and sesame seeds. There are also fried rice flour dumplings called gheela pitha. On the morning of Bihu, the family would get together and have ‘jolpan‘ of cheera, curd and jaggery and then little Monalee would munch on peethas on the sly while her mother made the family a special lunch of rice, dal and meat curry.

Til Dominates Sankranti Festivals in North

There are various Sankranti food traditions across the rest of India. As you move North and Westwards from the East, til takes centre stage. Til or sesame seeds are considered to have heat inducing properties which make them popular in winter and on Sankranti.

Veera Dixit, an IT professional who now does pop ups in Mumbai featuring the food of Banaras, talks of the mava-based til laddoos which were made in house wherever they were in India on any given Sankranti. Her father traveled across the country on work and yet Veera’s mother would try to keep their Banarasi food traditions alive regardless of where they were. While the festival is called Sankranti in Veera’s native state of Uttar Pradesh, it is called Lohri in her neighbouring Punjab. Til forms a part of the festivities there too in the form of gajjak.

An in the West Too

Maharashtrians love their til gud laroos on Sankranti. Bimba Nayak, a Mumbai-based sugar craft artist and cookery teacher, talks of the til ladoos she and her cousins used to help her grandmother, mother and aunts make when she was a child. Since they belonged to the Pathare Prabhu community, they would add pistachios and cashews to their ladoos unlike the peanuts added in other Maharashtrian households.

Til ladoos would also feature in the house of Rushina Munshaw Ghildayal, the author of A Pinch of This, A Handful of That, on Sankranti. A festival called Uttran by Gujaratis. Other favourites in the Gujarati joint family she grew up in were the masala fada khichdi (dalia khichri) made with broken wheat, lentils and lots of spices and the sweet fada no sheero.

Peethe and the East

However, when it comes to the East it is really the peetha, puli and patishapta that best bring out the taste and flavour of Sankranti for most.

How do you celebrate Sankranti? Do write in and I would love to hear from you.

About the Author:

Kalyan loves to eat and he loves to talk about all that he eats. His wife urged him to start writing about it, otherwise she would have to hear it all. He blogs as ‘finelychopped’ and is the author of The Travelling Belly published by Hachette Publications.

Disclaimer:

The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

The post Makar Sankranti 2018: Til is Customary But Pitha Rules in the East appeared first on Breaking News Top News & Latest News Headlines | Reuters.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Is Harry okay? by u/Ask_DontTell

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