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heritageposts · 21 days

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What does life in North Korea look like outside of Pyongyang? 🇰🇵

Hey, I'm back again with a very scary "tankie" post that asks you to think of North Koreans as people, and to consider their country not as a cartoonish dystopia, but as a nation that, like any other place on earth, has culture, traditions, and history.

Below is a collection of pictures from various cities and places in North Korea, along with a brief dive into some of the historical events that informs life in the so-called "hermit kingdom."

Warning: very long post

Kaesong, the historic city

Beginning this post with Kaesong, one of the oldest cities in Korea. It's also one of the few major cities in the DPRK (i.e. "North Korea") that was not completely destroyed during the Korean war.

Every single city you'll see from this point on were victims of intense aerial bombardments from the U.S. and its allies, and had to be either partially or completely rebuilt after the war.

From 1951 to 1953, during what has now become known as the "forgotten war" in the West, the U.S. dropped 635,000 tons of bombs over Korea — most of it in the North, and on civilian population centers. An additional 32,000 tons of napalm was also deployed, engulfing whole cities in fire and inflicting people with horrific burns:

For such a simple thing to make, napalm had horrific human consequences. A bit of liquid fire, a sort of jellied gasoline, napalm clung to human skin on contact and melted off the flesh. Witnesses to napalm's impact described eyelids so burned they could not be shut and flesh that looked like "swollen, raw meat." - PBS

Ever wondered why North Koreans seem to hate the U.S so much? Well...

Keep in mind that only a few years prior to this, the U.S. had, as the first and only country in the world, used the atomic bomb as a weapon of war. Consider, too, the proximity between Japan and Korea — both geographically and as an "Other" in the Western imagination.

As the war dragged on, and it became clear the U.S. and its allies would not "win" in any conventional sense, the fear that the U.S. would resort to nuclear weapons again loomed large, adding another frightening dimension to the war that can probably go a long way in explaining the DPRK's later obsession with acquiring their own nuclear bomb.

But even without the use of nuclear weapons, the indiscriminate attack on civilians, particularly from U.S. saturation bombings, was still horrific:

"The number of Korean dead, injured or missing by war’s end approached three million, ten percent of the overall population. The majority of those killed were in the North, which had half of the population of the South; although the DPRK does not have official figures, possibly twelve to fifteen percent of the population was killed in the war, a figure close to or surpassing the proportion of Soviet citizens killed in World War II" - Charles K. Armstrong

On top of the loss of life, there's also the material damage. By the end of the war, the U.S. Air Force had, by its own estimations, destroyed somewhere around 85% of all buildings in the DPRK, leaving most cities in complete ruin. There are even stories of U.S. bombers dropping their loads into the ocean because they couldn't find any visible targets to bomb.

What you'll see below of Kaesong, then, provides both a rare glimpse of what life in North Korea looked like before the war, and a reminder of what was destroyed.

Kaesong's main street, pictured below.

Due the stifling sanctions imposed on the DPRK—which has, in various forms and intensities, been in effect since the 1950s—car ownership is still low throughout the country, with most people getting around either by walking or biking, or by bus or train for longer distances.

Kaesong, which is regarded as an educational center, is also notable for its many Koryŏ-era monuments. A group of twelve such sites were granted UNESCO world heritage status in 2013.

Included is the Hyonjongnung Royal Tomb, a 14th-century mausoleum located just outside the city of Kaesong.

One of the statues guarding the tomb.

Before moving on the other cities, I also wanted to showcase one more of the DPRK's historical sites: Pohyonsa, a thousand-year-old Buddhist temple complex located in the Myohyang Mountains.

Like many of DPRK's historic sites, the temple complex suffered extensive damage during the Korean war, with the U.S. led bombings destroying over half of its 24 pre-war buildings.

The complex has since been restored and is in use today both as a residence for Buddhist monks, and as a historic site open to visitors.

Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK.

A coastal city located in the South Hamgyŏng Province. It has long served as a major industrial hub in the DPRK, and has one of the largest and busiest ports in the country.

Hamhung, like most of the coastal cities in the DPRK, was hit particularly hard during the war. Through relentless aerial bombardments, the US and its allies destroyed somewhere around 80-90% percent of all buildings, roads, and other infrastructure in the city.

Now, more than seventy years later, unexploded bombs, mortars and pieces of live ammunition are still being unearthed by the thousands in the area. As recently as 2016, one of North Korea's bomb squads—there's one in every province, faced with the same cleanup task—retrieved 370 unexploded mortar rounds... from an elementary school playground.

Experts in the DPRK estimate it will probably take over a hundred years to clean up all the unexploded ordnance—and that's just in and around Hamhung.

Hamhung's fertilizer plant, the biggest in North Korea.

When the war broke out, Hamhung was home to the largest nitrogen fertilizer plant in Asia. Since its product could be used in the creation of explosives, the existence of the plant is considered to have made Hamhung a target for U.S. aggression (though it's worth repeating that the U.S. carried out saturation bombings of most population centers in the country, irrespective of any so-called 'military value').

The plant was immediately rebuilt after the war, and—beyond its practical use—serves now as a monument of resistance to U.S. imperialism, and as a functional and symbolic site of self-reliance.

Chongjin, the third largest city in the DPRK.

Another coastal city and industrial hub. It underwent a massive development prior to the Korean war, housing around 300,000 people by the time the war broke out.

By 1953, the U.S. had destroyed most of Chongjin's industry, bombed its harbors, and killed one third of the population.

Wonsan, a rebuilt seaside city.

The city of Wonsan is a vital link between the DPRK's east and west coasts, and acts today as both a popular holiday destination for North Koreans, and as a central location for the country's growing tourism industry.

Considered a strategically important location during the war, Wonsan is notable for having endured one of the longest naval blockades in modern history, lasting a total of 861 days.

By the end of the war, the U.S. estimated that they had destroyed around 80% of the city.

Masikryong Ski Resort, located close to Wonsan. It opened to the public in 2014 and is the first, I believe, that was built with foreign tourists in mind.

Sariwon, another rebuilt city

One of the worst hit cities during the Korean War, with an estimated destruction level of 95%.

I've written about its Wikipedia page here before, which used to mockingly describe its 'folk customs street'—a project built to preserve old Korean traditions and customs—as an "inaccurate romanticized recreation of an ancient Korean street."

No mention, of course, of the destruction caused by the US-led aerial bombings, or any historical context at all that could possibly even hint at why the preservation of old traditions might be particularly important for the city.

Life outside of the towns and cities

In the rural parts of the DPRK, life primarily revolves around agriculture. As the sanctions they're under make it difficult to acquire fuel, farming in the DPRK relies heavily on manual labour, which again, to avoid food shortages, requires that a large portion of the labour force resides in the countryside.

Unlike what many may think, the reliance on manual labour in farming is a relatively "new" development. Up until the crisis of the 1990s, the DPRK was a highly industrialized nation, with a modernized agricultural system and a high urbanization rate. But, as the access to cheap fuel from the USSR and China disappeared, and the sanctions placed upon them by Western nations heavily restricted their ability to import fuel from other sources, having a fuel-dependent agricultural industry became a recipe for disaster, and required an immediate and brutal restructuring.

For a more detailed breakdown of what lead to the crisis in the 90s, and how it reshaped the DPRKs approach to agriculture, check out this article by Zhun Xu.

Some typical newly built rural housing, surrounded by farmland.

Tumblr only allows 20 pictures per post, but if you want to see more pictures of life outside Pyongyang, check out this imgur album.

#dprk #north korea #i've had this post unfinished in drafts for almost a year #also sorry about the spelling and potential formatting issues it's a nightmare to edit at this point #it was literally just meant to be a collection of picture and then the writing just sort of happened #enjoy the brief heritageposts history lesson i guess

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rebelsandtherest · 1 year

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ok so i’m going to preface this ask by saying that the name alfred is given to the first born males on my dads side, so it’s a name near and dear to my heart, that said, there’s an angle i’ve never (or in all likelihood missed) seen between alfred and arthur. and i crave your opinions.

growing up i knew that the name alfred became popular in the victorian period since the english started looking into history and saw king alfred and decided he was pretty great. so i wonder how arthur felt, to see and hear his estranged sons name so often. of course he’s glad that his country’s putting some respect on king alfred, but i can see him calling someone named alfred by their last name to avoid saying it out loud. “alfred, lord tennyson.” “who?” “lord tennyson.” “not a fan.” the man’s conflicted and petty.

or it could be the opposite, it could remind him why he chose the name to begin with. imagine him overhearing a man in a pub proudly boasting about how fast his little alfie is growing, showing off a picture he keeps of the lad. and arthur can’t help but smile to himself and feel a wee bit envious. a few situations like that, and he’s tentatively writing formal letters that go unanswered. a few decades and a great rapprochement later he can finally say alfred out loud without tasting bile.

or he could be so far up his own ass that he doesn’t even notice the trend in names. idk. definitely drunkenly hums ‘what’s it all about (alfie)’ in the 60s.

Ooooh man this is a good question! Thanks for sending in the ask.

This became an immensely long reply with a bad history lesson included (because I'm relying on my ADHD memory and hoping it doesn't scramble itself between my brain and the keyboard), so... sorry about the length.

Anyway.

I think the Victorian revival of "Alfred" as a name would have affected Arthur in a few ways, but within his context, I imagine that those moments would be relative sporadic.

So a few things:

First: The name itself is Anglo Saxon—the original ash (Æ) was replaced with an A to fit contemporary English spelling, and it would have been pronounced a little different obviously, but it is remarkably unchanged for an early medieval name over 1000 years old. So Arthur is probably used to hearing the name at least once in a blue moon, and I doubt anyone was much confused when he gave the name—even if it wasn't in vogue at the time—to his firstborn.

Second: The Victorian age for Arthur was absolutely chock-full of wars, particularly wars overseas. Victoria was called empress for a reason, because she had a penchant for stealing other people's land and sovereignty. So whether Arthur was enthused by the nonstop action or not (I'd wager he was, most of the time), he was incredibly preoccupied and probably didn't have time to mope about his son, so if the name ever made Arthur think about Alfred, it would be a short-lived reverie.

Third: The Victorian era was a historically interesting time for UK-US international relations. Your average USA citizen probably didn't spare much thought for English subjects an ocean away, but, on the whole, white Americans remained enamored with England as the "mother land", were keen on trans-Atlantic commerce, and eager to prove themselves as equals to their allies in Europe. This didn't exactly work.

Even so, Britain and the USA continued to host a bizarre mix of cultural proximity and mutual contempt. Bad blood had gone stale by the beginning of Victoria's reign, but stale blood bred an enduring sense of pettiness, especially on the British side. Though the two nations' diplomatic and economic relationships were strong and well-maintained, events like the USA's rather embarrassing showing at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London were devoured by the British public in a feeding frenzy of schadenfreude that solidified a kind of national desire to dunk on Americans whenever possible.

While Brits still relish dunking on Americans, the early Victorian need to put America down as an economic and cultural peer began to shift, at least in some ways, in the second half of the 19th century. The American Civil War devastated the English economy, particularly of the northern half of the country which depended immensely on American cotton to fuel its textile industry. The entire war, its fallout, and notably the end of slavery in the USA, were all topics that British citizens would have seen daily in their newspapers, a source of interest and immense anxiety. By this point, Britain as a whole had forcibly been made aware of how, like it or not, the state of the USA's government and economy affected their daily life in ways too large to ignore.

Whilst America quite literally murdered itself over the problems it'd decided to ignore for a century, Britain and Europe were all deep in the industrial revolution—hell, it started in England, hence the textile mills. England and the young German Confederation were both heavy hitters in the game, and improvements to seafaring technology as well as Britain's relentless expansion across the globe was continuously bringing in new wares from all around the world for European industrialists to copy and mass produce. European trade and industrial competition was booming.

Meanwhile, America remained intensely focused on itself, and understandably so. With the absolute disaster of Reconstruction, westward expansion, industrial revolution, and lest we forget, a bloody parade of genocides and land wars, the USA had plenty to be worried about within its own (expanding) borders. It was not isolationist in the true sense, but was not exactly competing for European attention at the same levels at it had earlier in the century.

However, when the USA eventually gathered itself to take more of an international presence, it would do so in a way that would take the entire world by storm. The sheer speed, size, and production volume of American industries began to challenge their European competitors. If you were white and well-connected or just immensely lucky, this was the age when the American Dream was born. The US military had undergone immense expansion since the Civil War, and they went from having a young navy only just big enough to form a blockade to having a navy large enough to send a top-of-the-line fleet around the world with literally no other purpose but to flex in front of their allies (and enemies) not even 50 years later.

.....This has been a very long winded way to explain that, while the Victorian Era was the heyday of Arthur's imperialist dreams and victories, it was also the very nascent stages of Alfred coming into his own and more or less forcing himself back into dear old dad's life. Coming hot on the heels of Victoria, The American Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, and the Great Rapprochement were all just around the corner. These shifts of history—to say nothing of the quickly-approaching storm clouds of World War—would bring father and son back together and force them to mend their relationship, at least as much as they could.

I think, in the early Victorian age, when 'Alfred' came into vogue after so many centuries, a part of Arthur would hear it with a sinking feeling in his gut, because he was certainly old enough to have seen the future on the horizon. Maybe it wasn't clear, or concrete, maybe he couldn't put it into words. But he would know, in some instinctual sense, that Alfred's star was rising in more ways than one, and that he'd would need to brace himself and his empire for whatever came next. So sometimes, when he heard the name, some indistinct prophecies would flash before his mind's eye, filling him with ominous dread that he couldn't have named.

Sometimes, if he'd been drinking or just in a sentimental mood, he would hear the name and reminisce on both the King Ælfred, and the golden son who bore his name. He would wax poetic about his firstborn and all that he'd accomplished in his life—daring even, perhaps for the first time in his life, to praise Alfred's tenacity, conviction, and strength during his fight for independence. He would of course be mortified by the drunken memory the next day.

Sometimes, it takes him off guard and he turns his head, fully expecting Alfred himself—a toddler, a child, a teenager, a young man—to step through the door and greet him. It lasts only moments, and the empty feeling that follows usually sends Arthur directly into some mentally or physically taxing task, to avoid uncomfortable emotions.

But I think more than anything, the re-emergence of the name would make Arthur feel old. So very, very old, when he continuously, despite repeated embarrassments, pronounces the name in the way he learned as a boy, with the long-i ash sound that his people forgot to pronounce somewhere along the last century or ten. The very same pronunciation mistake he couldn't seem to stop making all those years ago, when Alfred was small, still learning English and fully convinced a boy could have two versions of a name.

The same pronunciation that, even today, would make Alfred's head twitch up, looking for his father.

#long post #sorry for the long read if you made it to the end you have my gratitude #hws england #hws america #bad history lesson rofl sorry #please someone correct my history if you need to

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winryrockbellwannabe · 3 days

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... the european elections results are making me lose hope in the future of europe. how tf did we get like this?

#the amount of countries that elected far right parties is absolutely terrifying #im so relieved that portugal's top two parties aren't far right .... yet. but the rise of our far right party has been scary to witness #the guy literally calls himself today's salazar and ppl are voting for it??? bruv i thought history lessons were very clear #and like we had a dictatorship literally 50 years ago. it's too soon to be making the same mistake again for fucks sake #anyways sorry for this

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moongothic · 6 months

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I LOVE your crocodad theory I'm an obsessed believer but did u ever get romantic vibes from crocodile & robin business relationship? Many people get lover vibes from them & I never understood why. They seem VERY strictly business/stab each other in the back relationship. (Plus crocodile is TERRIFYING).

I think Croco/Robin as a ship exists kind of like... out of circumstance? Kind of?

Quick disclaimer, I only got into OP in like 2008~ish at the age of 13, I can not comment what it as like being in the fandom before that because I wasn't there (and when OP began in 1997 I was like two whole years old). So whatever I say here doesn't come from like, a fandom veteran who knows the entire history of the OP fandom or anything. I'm just attempting to rub my braincells together here

Like in the year of our lord 2023 we have many wonderful Crocodile ships to classify as OTPs and NOTPs etc, but if we go back to like 2006 or so, long before the Summit War Saga was even a thing, try to think about what characters you would have shipped Crocodile with? Because for a long time, the only canon material Crocodile had appeared in was just the Alabasta Saga (+one brief cover story), and we don't really see Crocodile interact with that many characters during the story. Like. Really the only character Crocodile has multiple, extended interactions with aside from Luffy and Vivi is Robin. All the other characters he interacts with maybe once or twice for very brief scenes, so based on canon material alone, there isn't much for fuel for shipping purposes.

It really wasn't until Marineford when we finally started getting other characters to ship with Crocodile, mainly the Ever Loyal Daz who seems to be willing to follow Crocodile anywhere (romantic as fuck) and Doflamingo after he and Croc tried to kill each other twice at Marineford (people seem to love a tsundere Croc) And now with Cross Guild we also have Mihawk (and Buggy) as far as shipping options go. And of course there's MORE than just these ships, there's the more crack-leaning ships (like Dragodile and whatever you'd call the Cobra-ship) and some others (Jinbei, Whitebeard, Ivankov, Galdino, Luffy even) etc etc

The only difference is that Croco/Robin got to kind of be like, "the default Crocodile ship" for like 8 years without major competition. And because the ship has "history", even when new ships pop up the one that has been around the longest will still stick out. Not to mention, although we have options now, even those have very little canon material to actually work with when compared to Croco/Robin. Like Dofuwani exists because the two had like three whole pages worth of interactions, but compare that to the screentime Croc had with Robin? It's not even a competition

Not to mention, Croco/Robin is just. Like it's kind of the mandatory het ship. Like there aren't many straight options with canon material to work with, and there's gonna be people who really want to have a het ship with Crocodile if you know what I mean. But also, let's be real. There's a lot of straight women who're horny for Crocodile. Valid as fuck. And Croco/Robin could have like, a self-insert-y quality to it, like some people might be able to see themselves in Robin? Also valid. And that can apply to some straight men too, like I'm sure there's cishet men who look at Crocodile with that "god I wish that were me" energy, who love seeing Crocodile ship fanart with Robin, as they can project onto Crocodile etc. This is also valid. Point is that the ship appeals to cishets by simply being a het ship, but also it might make for an easy ship for a lot of straight people to project onto for one reason or another.

But to be fair, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I think Croco/Robin has the potential to be a really interesting ship. Like they ARE the Baroque Works Boss Pair, literal partners in crime, the most powerful members of the secret criminal organization who run the whole operation, they worked together by themselves for four whole years, Crocodile protecting Robin by allowing her to hide under his wings. They were together, ready to take over an entire country and obtain a weapon of mass destruction And then Robin betrays him. And Crocodile admits he never trusted her to begin with.

Like on paper alone, this is great material for a juicy romance.

Especially now when we understand why Robin was on the run and why she feared being betrayed, and how looking back at Crocodile's reaction when Robin "reads" the Poneglyph for him, he genuinely seems a little sad about her betraying him (mystery trauma etc). This is a genuinely interesting character dynamic, like even without any romantic context I would love to see Crocodile and Robin meet again in the storyline and like, see what Crocodile thinks of Robin having joined the Strawhats vs what Robin thinks about Cross Guild, how the two might interact etc. They are interesting to me

Like personally, I agree, I don't think the two were actually ever romantically involved with each other (frankly I don't think Crocodile trusts anyone anymore enough to let them get close him like that, dude's been voluntarily celibate for like two decades lmao), their relationship was surely just business-only. And while the ship doesn't personally interest me (just kinda "meh" for me), I do understand why the ship appeals to others and why it's popular to this day

But yeah, I do think a lot of the reasons Croco/Robin is as popular as it is due to circumstance. It's been around the longest, it still arguably has the most canon material to work with, it appeals to lots of people. God knows shippers don't actually need the characters to like each other, otherwise people wouldn't be shipping Croc with Buggy as we speak

#Moon posting #OP Meta #Sir Crocodile #Nico Robin #Long post #I feel like I should tag this with the shipname because this IS about the ship but while it's not explicitly negative don't wanna bother pp #I don't know how this turned into a psuedo fandom history lesson (based on vibes alone and no actual facts) I am so sorry man #My brain just started running and I had to release the worms #Sometimes a ship that's just big scary powerful murder man and small murder woman makes brain go brrr #The appeal is not lost on me #(Personally I've just become an absolute sucker for CrocHawk. I am so invested in these two. Oda I need to see them more together)

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unforth · 6 months

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I know the Musk "trillion people means more Mozarts" thing is stupid as fuck but I just saw a prominent blogger reply to it by saying anyone has the ability to be a Mozart and I'm sorry but "talent doesn't exist" discourse has officially gone too far, and I say that as someone who hates the word "talent" and has replaced it almost entirely with the word "skill" in my vocabulary.

Not everyone is a prodigy. Yes, prodigies get lost because they lack opportunity, but that still doesn't mean everyone is a prodigy. If everyone WAS then everyone with enough wealth and opportunity WOULD be and like. I'm sorry, have you SEEN what a fucking moron Elon Musk actually is?

#unforth rambles #sorry but i saw someone being wrong on the internet #maybe people who dont know much about music just dont realize how utterly fucking unfathomable #mozarts level of talent and yes i mean talent actually was #plus side the dumbass who daid it is a popular blogger i already have blocked #unfortunately this was them in the reblog chain not as op #i took music lessons for 4 years til i was 8 and look i had the opportunity and resources and surprise im not mozart #and same for dance and science and math and history and singing and and and #i had lots of opportunities and was a prodigy at none of them #there is no amount of practice that can make someone a prodigy thats like literally the point of the play amadeus #ask salieri how well working so hard for so long made him stack up against mozart

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qdbs-writes · 2 years

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SHANG TSUNG AND/OR YOUR FAV CHARACTER(S) ONESHOT/SCENARIO WITH A CHUBBY, OPTIMISTIC/POSITIVE S/O PLZ(can be gender neutral or fem if you wish)😁👌🏻💚

Shang Tsung dating an optimistic Plus-Size!Fem!Reader

Now many within the general time setting of Mortal Kombat (1990s-2010s ish), may assume that Tsung will not be attracted to you because of your size, because the skinniest bodies possible are in fashion.

But this forgets the fact that Shang Tsung is genuinely ancient, and I don't mean that as an insult, he's literally thousands of years old.

Historically, fatness has been a universal sign that someone is rich enough to eat well and rich enough to not be doing hard manual labour, so being chubby was a sign of great wealth and luxury.

And that is how Tsung sees you, your plump figure is a sign of joy, prosperity, and success.

In Tang Dynasty China (618CE - 907CE) it was preferred for upper-class women to be plump and assertive in conversation. Tsung loves to compliment your soft, rounded face and large breasts, often comparing you to Yang Guifei, one of the legendary 'Four Beauties' of ancient China.

So much of Tsung's life is aggressive and negative, so he loves the fact that you always want to put a smile on his face after a long, hard day.

Whenever something goes wrong or he is out maneuvered or undervalued, you are always there to comfort him, sing to him, and console him in your loving embrace.

Tsung will commission beautiful, flowing silk robes and dresses for you to wear, all tailor-made to fit and compliment your figure, with exquisite jeweled hair combs and jewelry to match. You'll be covered in enough solid gold/platinum and gems to make a billionaire's eyes water.

Never mind if any of these incredibly beautiful, expensive things become damaged or otherwise worn out, despite any insistence that you might make, Tsung will have it taken away and replaced with something grander.

Shang Tsung does not demand you wear these things, but he finds it most befitting that someone as lovely and kind as you should be dripping in valuables, in spite of how impractical some pieces may be to wear on a regular basis.

It may come to the point where Tsung is so focused on giving you every luxury imaginable, that he forgets that spending time with you is the only thing that truly brings you happiness.

To alleviate the pain of his absences, he plans a small, but still excellent, dinner for the two of you to chat and catch up.

As he listens to the pleasant lilt of your voice, all his troubles seem to melt away, and he immerses himself in your joyful, optimistic demeanor.

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat imagine #mortal kombat headcanon #mortal kombat x reader #mk x reader #shang tsung #shang tsung x reader #qdbs writing #queuedbs #sorry i starting thinking about chinese history and it fell out all over this post my bad #warning posts may contain free chinese history lessons

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thesorryboys-updates · 1 year

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Since you've been wanting asks, I thought I would just give a history lesson. In the court video someone says one of Tommy's crimes is defenestration, and there's actually a long history behind defenestration.

It mainly started in Prague, Czechia in the 16-1700s, and it means to throw someone out of a window. It was considered a crime, and was mainly done by the people, trying to kill authority. Defenestration can also mean just taking someone out of power.

In 1419, basically this group of people in Prague got really mad, and threw a bunch of the city council out of windows. This sparked a religious war which lasted a long time. People were mad about how corrupt the Catholic Church was and decided to do something about it.

In 1618, there was another really big series of defenestrations that would collapse like dominoes into the Thirty Years War. It happened because a year earlier the government said "actually you can't build these churches because it's our land" and people got mad. When they went to do something about it, they ended up trying to kill some people via defenestration, but it didn't work and they all survived. Some people said "they survived because God is in their favor, He's saying that they're fine not building the churches" and some people said "they fell into a pile of shit that's why they didn't die"

A weird detail is that they would sometimes take people's hats before throwing them out the window. None of this probably means anything in Sorry but whatever.

-office depot

This is incredible and informative I thank you

#not an update #ask #thesorryboys #the sorry boys #tsb #asks #theory #theories #history #history lesson #history with office

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megandzane · 1 year

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It is very clear a lot of people don’t actually understand what it means to be mixed race and how that is a racialized experience in and of itself. It doesn’t matter if a mixed-race person is white presenting or not because they are still mixed-race, and yes being 1/4 non-white and 3/4 white still makes you mixed race.

A mixed person looking white to certain people does not actually make them white because phenotype does not actually play the only role in racialization (despite what some uneducated twitter/tumblr users may think). It plays a role, but cultural engagement/connection, ancestry, religion, names, place of birth, class etc etc etc all play roles too and always have been. Race has never been strictly phenotypical.

This simply means you’re white-presenting* but your race is still mixed. And people are still going to view you as mixed, especially if you’re raised with both sides of your family and people know who your nonWhite family is. Obviously they won’t experience the same issues as monoracial Black people, like texturism, colorism, featurism etc due to them benefiting from all of those things. But they will experience other forms of discrimination due to them being mixed and having Black ancestry, and they already have experienced this.

*Passing refers to white-presenting people who intentionally lie or hide their nonwhite heritage, a white-presenting person who doesn’t do so isn’t passing. Just saying because I see people conflate these two terms a lot.

Yes. Exactly. All of this is so well stated.

Calling a white presenting mixed person “white” is erasing their history and experiences. Some people clearly need to take a history class and learn about what passing actually means. FYI just because someone could pass doesn’t mean they are. Not saying that erases the privilege but there is a difference.

Also I think in regards to Archie & Lili and the extended family they were born into; they were never gonna be seen as white. Those kids experienced racism when they were still in utero. Archie was likened to a chimpanzee before we even saw his face. They are still racing racism.

#I think that distinction is so important #that’s also why I initially used and keep using the term presenting in regards to Archie and Lili #some people clearly need a history lesson #sorry I’m sure this could be worded better #just because you can pass doesn’t mean you are #race is a social construct based on how we look and obviously those who are lighter will be treated much better #but we can’t assume what someone’s experiences are #race

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spacemoineau · 10 months

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@sacherali's Twinkles !! <3 he's a space nerd, like me!

#artfight 2023 #team werewolves #mass effect #turian character #artists on tumblr #my art #I really enjoyed doing this !!!!#but also my search history was armorless turians (which... for the most part was naked turians)#and for some reason there was a lot of femShep x Garrus screenshots of edits at one moment but I don't remember why. The hands maybe ?#or I was trying to understand the face plates... i don't remember #the main lesson I've learned is I don't fucking know how clothing works with the uh... collar they have #and I've made peace with it #sorry for the ramble hahaha

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driftwooddestiel · 15 days

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monday was our last physics lesson im so sad im actually gonna miss our teacher sm he was so fun… everyone is so mean to him for no reason hes not that bad everyone just takes what he says in bad faith cos they dont like him ☹️ also he said in reference to the corrections on our tests that we did “do i even need to check [my name]’s? thats like checking the [idk man something to do with cars i didnt hear it properly] on a roll’s royce! oh well i suppose i should, don’t want anyone to think we’re picking favourites” and i was like omg… giggles twirls hair THANK YOU. but also dont say that out loud please sir like nobody here likes people who actually enjoy and are good at science i dont want to get attention drawn to me. but also it was very nice and im grateful so 👍 ALSO on the other hand im glad to be moving onto bio now because were back with the teacher we had for chemistry and hes awesome hes a great teacher and also very fun

#shout out to tumblr for being the place i can dump my walls of text about . teacher thoughts. what would i do without you #OH YEAH also todays my last history lesson :( after exams we switch to commerce… i rlly hope our class stays the same cos i like the #tiny group we have (my history class is 10 people) i dont want to move #oh mein gott ALSOOOO like 6 people are dropping out of my french class after exams 😭 including the three people i kind of know #and get along with 💔 but hey . im glad theyre gonna be doing classes they enjoy genuinely #although it does mean that the friend of a friend who i sit with along with my friend in science is gonna be moving science classes #so i will be the sole carrier of conversation 😔#okay sorry rambling over now

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clingyduoapologist · 1 year

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Please explain the “son from the future tries to hook Ben up with a furry” thing. Please.

OK SO basically in the original run in Ben 10 there was this character called Kai, who was in like 1 episode (I may be wrong tho) where ben got turned into a werewolf-like alien (sorta not really it’s complicated). Ben had a crush on her that wasn’t reciprocated, until he started to turn into a wolf boy, then she lost interest when he turned back to normal and the episode ended and Kai was never brought up again. EXCEPT she was offhandedly mentioned in a fucking onscreen popup that came on screen during the finale of the original 2005 run. Remember that it’s important.

Anyways the original 2005 run for Ben 10 ended but was picked up for another. Fast forward like 4 years and Ben 10 is renewed for its fourth and final (technically) run: Omniverse. Now since this is the last run, it has to tie up all the plot points including Ben’s love life, which has been sorta a tire fire for a while now. So they reintroduce Kai because, guess what, that factoid popup that aired during the finale like 4 years ago? That probably wasn’t even written by anyone on the show’s team? Yeah that literal insignificant piece of barely even canon lore? Yeah that said that Ben ended up marrying Kai in the future.

So they reintroduce her and basically turn that furry aspect from that one original fun episode to 11 and literally only make her attracted to Ben when he’s in an alien body. That is is of course until their son from the future, Kenny, time travels back to get them to like each other because that’s how little chemistry they had together on screen.

So yeah that’s how Ben married a furry.

#sorry for the history lesson bro #but yeah it is very funny #asks

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spicyliumang · 1 year

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At last, Ishin!Enya's design is done!! :') <3 I went with a simple design for her dress, I was conflicted for a bit but was very happy with the colors 🥺💙 (Also Enya is still... Enya in Ishin just so everyone's aware just in a alternate timeline😭)

her lore is under the cut! (Major Ishin spoilers )

tw: death, mentions of domestic violence, abuse

Enya was born on August 7, 1844 in the Kawamachi area. Her father Joben Sasaki was a well-known black shogun who was a skilled swordsman who joined the Shinsengumi. (rumored that his great-grandfather was the great Yasuke) Joben was known for being very cocky and vain. He was relatively popular among the people of Kyo not only for his amazing swordsmanship, but him being a relatively attractive man. This brought lots of people who loved or hated him. He was known for being with many women and even wrecking some marriages. There have been some instances of getting women pregnant and "making arrangements" either bribing women with money or simply "moving them away" to relieve the responsibility of fatherhood.

This changed however Joben met Enya's mother Kadae. He grew to love her, yet feared commitment and wanted to do nothing with children altogether prepared to back out if necessary. His plans to escape didn't go in his favor this time around. In fact, from the beginning to the end of her pregnancy, she was not showing at all. It wasn't until one day while on duty Kadae went into labor. Kadae gave birth to Enya in her bathtub alone at 3:00am that Friday morning. Kadae by no means did not want a child. In fact, she hated children. The idea of being a mother scared her more than ever and did what she thought was best: Leave. So that morning before sunrise, Kadae took Enya to Joben's sister Haya and took off never to be seen again. It wasn't until the next day when Joben frantically searched for Kadae and found himself at his sister's doorstep who held his child. At that moment Joben's life changed.

As if all of the wrongful deeds he committed came back to him, he has left a single father. Joben knew nothing of being a parent, let alone bonding with a child. Though in the instances where he was not on duty, he did his best, doing his best to learn how to feed and care for Enya. And though he was not a man who was very in touch with his feelings, Enya slipped into the cracks as his child being someone he cared for the most. Not only because she was the only part of Kadae he had left, but now after years of fleeing commitment to all of his past lovers, he realized he has someone he needs to protect. Joben felt very guilty after his selfish actions and did his best to right his wrongs by being there for Enya. And leaving her in Haya's care when he was away to put his mind at ease.

All of this came crashing down while having a late night shift patrolling, Joben was killed. It was rumored because of he slept with one of his comrade's wives unknowingly and he was set up and brutalized in cold blood. Enya was barely 2 when this happened. After that day, Enya was left in Haya's care who lived in a home with many women she rooms with and her husband. From that point on she raised Enya up on her own.

This was not exactly ideal given Haya was never fond of Kadae and didn't hesitate to take it out on Enya. Due to that fact, she was a lot harder on Enya. Enya struggled to fit in growing up, naturally, her appearance was part of it, but most of it was because of Joben's actions towards those who knew him. (unfortunately, she suffered from the sins of her father) She dealt with bullying and even ostracizing for a good portion of her life. Even Haya was rather critical, telling her she needs to get used to working because no man would wed her given the mark her father left not to mention her overly-sensitive and timid nature. Haya made sure to make that known by forcing Enya to start picking up her weight and go to work for her keep in the home. If she didn't make money, she didn't eat. It was a cruel structure, but in Haya's mind, she wanted to make sure Enya could support herself in the event she doesn't ever get married.

While Enya was relatively attractive, she didn't exactly fit the beauty standards of many in Kyo, and because of that she truly believed she was unattractive. So even the option of being a courtesan was ruled out right off the bat. Not to mention many of Joben's mistresses were there and would make it impossible for her to make any money. So Enya tried to work in other places. Enya started off at the Otake Tea Parlor. Many of the customers were very rude towards her. some cursed under their breaths when she walked by or even mumbled things along the lines of her being a "bastard child" or the "child of a whore" Very cruel words to say to someone who didn't even have any choice or say so in her existence. Even rumors of her sleeping around much like her father did with any person she could. This eventually affected her as eventually her performance at the job and mental overall. her performance became so poor and it showed in many ways including her dropping many drinks and even spilling on customers sometimes, Before she knew it, she was fired from Otake Tea Parlor.

Haya gave her an earful telling her she was useless and can't do anything right. These words weighed heavy on Enya's shoulders as she was indeed trying her best, growing up with not much nurturing or patience from others made it increasingly difficult for her to adjust to her adult life. But she truly believed that indeed she was useless. These moments always left her in her room breaking down and crying silently in her room. Though things soon changed. After complaining about Enya, Haya's close friend mentioned her son looking for a wife. He was planning on running an "established company" in due time and wanted someone who can take care of his home and even carry his children if need be. This was when Enya's life changed drastically once again. As she was arranged to marry Shoji Kazuhiro. (Yep. that's right, her abusive ex in Y7) That day, Enya was packed up with all of her things and moved to his home where she would settle into a new change in her life once again.

This was not exactly a dream come true in Enya's eyes. In fact, she wasn't attracted to him at all. She barely knew him at all and it felt so rushed. Even the thought of him wanting her to bare his child sent chills down her spine. She did what she could to even prevent having sex with him altogether letting him know she doesn't feel comfortable until they're officially married on paper. While she doesn't necessarily care in that aspect, it did save her as he didn't cross that boundary. In fact, he applauded it. Saying he loves that she's a righteous woman. His saying that made her cringe, but was grateful for being able to avoid a situation like that, definitely not wanting him to be her first time. This worked for a while until it became an issue in other ways. She learned some unsavory things about him, including him being a loyalist. He constantly ranted about the Shinsengumi and wished for their downfall. Though Enya was indifferent, partially she is grateful since they were part of the reason she was able to have a home as a child. without it, she would have been on the street. And she acknowledged that even if the men were intimidating to her.

Over time, Shoji continues to badger her, but her boundaries remained firm. And because of that, he showed his frustrations in other ways. He was very verbally abusive and sometimes physical over the smallest things. Especially if Enya didn't cook something correctly or didn't clean up well enough in his eyes. Sometimes a slap, or a tug on her hair, a sharp tug on her wrist, or all 3. She realized very quickly how dangerous Shoji can be when he doesn't get his way. Especially after a night of drinking. Eventually his "frustrations" were temporarily relieved by visiting courtesans, but it didn't stop him from hitting her at times. Enya hated it. Every night she'd lock herself away in the guest room when he comes home at night belligerently drunk and stays there until he passes out or left. When she could, she would usually wait to leave at the bridge and just sit by the water for the most part. Mostly to clear her head and get away from the suffocating home. But it wasn't always possible for her to leave on a whim. He threatened constantly if she even thought of leaving, he had a group of friends who will happily "deal" with the situation. It was terrifying. She needed to stay away from home as much as she could. This was just more fuel for Enya to go job hunting once again and have a reason to leave home even if she didn't necessarily need to work anymore.

Enya then worked at Kitchen Aoba for a short time. She was not the best when it came to making orders during rush hour, but her boss did pity her and at the very least scheduled her on days less overwhelming for her. One particular day, Enya served a table of Shinsengumi officers and did her best to be polite though they've always made her uneasy. One of the men in particular eyed her carefully. She asked him if he needed anything and he looked her up with hungry eyes and questioned if she would like to "have fun" with him after work. She of course rejected kindly and stiffly as she could being she was working. The man became aggressive and tugged on her already previously bruised wrist threatening her life if she didn't comply. She yelped in pain and dropped the plates causing even more commotion and the group of men became much more aggressive. It was until a simple "Oi!" could be heard behind her and it looked like the group of men saw a ghost. Immediately the man grasping her wrist let go quickly and yelled "C-Captian!" Enya turned to face the man that was no other than Todo Heisuke, Shinsengumi Captain of the 8th division 🤭. He had a cold stare and glared at the man letting them know they'll have a "chat" once they head back to the barracks since it seems the group was slacking off and should have been patrolling. Enya was shaken up, but had no words other than a nervous bow and worded "Thank you" before going back to work. She quickly picked up the plates and cups she dropped while feeling him eyeing closely her as she walked away. She didn't get his name yet, but that was probably the kindest gesture she's had for a while. And it stuck with her after that day. The words "Captain" floated in her head the rest of the night and once she got to bed. "Who was that man?" She questioned.

Unfortunately, her time at Kitchen Aoba ended just as fast as it started due to her being unable to meet the demands of the workplace and also several complaints about her being "rude" when in reality the customers had an issue with Enya just being there in general rather than her actually being rude in the first place. The reality of it was the manager didn't have the patience to deal with the backlog of complaints about her even if it wasn't true, and felt letting her go would be easier for them both. Enya was beyond devastated and walked home that day with a sad face that night when she ran into a group of bandits who threatened to kill her if she didn't give her any money. She tried to run but instead was tripped and pinned down by one of the bandits who held a knife at her throat.

Just when she thought it was the end, a slash could be heard and an agonizing groan followed, and felt a splat of blood fall on her. She stood frozen in fear at the sight of witnessing a dead body in front of her. It wasn't until a hand waved in front of her snapping her out of a trance then a voice asked if she was okay. She looked up and it was Todo! Instantly he recognized her and said in a light-hearted tone how she has terrible luck followed by a sigh commenting to himself he just cleaned his haori after cutting a traitor down yesterday. She was still in shock and wasn't able to stand. Completely in a daze. He helped her stand and looked at her closely. Enya immediately snapped out of it when the light glistened on his face showing he had really pretty eyes. In that split second, she almost forgot what she just witnessed. The next action he took threw her off even more when he used his thumb to get the blood that sprayed on her off of her face. That small contact felt like electricity and probably the most gentle touch she ever felt. ( shes so touch starved it's sickening 😭) She felt her face heat up quickly and was stunned that something like this would even happen. He raised an eyebrow and asked if she needed to get home and she nodded and walked with him.

Todo introduced himself and kept the conversation light mentioning he was heading back to the barracks after a long day of patrolling. He asked a bit about herself in the process. The first thing he did was compliment the lily she had in her hair and mentioned it was a shame the blood ruined the pretty color and apologized sheepishly. Though it was all bloodied up after her brief encounter, she blushed lightly and said thank you. Before she knew it they were close to her home. So she smiled nervously and thanked him for escorting her there safely. He simply smirked and gave her a gentle look and said "See ya around" before turning around and leaving The way he said made her heart jump. She awkwardly nodded and stumbled inside past Shoji who was passed out on the floor and quickly stumbled to change her clothes and prepare to use the bathhouse in the back of their home. That night the sight of the lifeless body haunted her in her dreams.

A few weeks later she started a new job at the Kasuga pub. For the first few weeks, it was business as usual. Things were calm so far. though she overheard talks of an incident in one of the Inns and rumored that the Shinsengumi had something to do with it. However, Enya wasn't familiar with any of the dealings so a lot of conversations floated in the air. It was to her surprise the group hushed quickly as she heard the door open. She turned and found Todo with one of his comrades (it's Sanosuke :D) who joined him and looked rather bored but quite eager to drink. Todo commented on how both he and Enya keep running into each other and even jokingly asked "You sure you aren't stalking me?" Enya just let out a small awkward giggle and asked if they wanted anything and they both ordered sake and she went to fill up their drinks. Todo's presence really had a strange effect on her because the typical hiccups and clumsiness she usually had around the pub vanished. She went and poured Todo's drink when the bruise on her wrist peeked through her sleeve and Todo noticed. He didn't say anything and just observed her after that brief interaction.

As time passed and Enya spent most of her attention serving the other customers, in the distance she could hear the man who sat with Todo bicker with him which was followed by Todo laughing. The sound of his laughter gave her butterflies in her stomach. She was so confused. constantly questioning herself. She tried her best to focus on serving others and left the thought in the back of her mind. An hour later, she noticed both Todo and Sanosuke already left. She was a bit disappointed that Todo had already gone, but felt seeing him was the highlight of her day.

Soon she closed up shop and left the pub for the day. Out of nowhere, a hand reaches out behind her out and touches her causing her to jump. She quickly turned only to find Todo playfully grinning at her. She pouted at him while he laughed at her reaction and questioned why he was there. He playfully smiled and pulled out a flower similar to the one she wears in her hair mentioning how he felt kinda bad that it was ruined and figured it was a shame to let a pretty flower go to waste. She wondered if he really liked flowers. Judging by his beautiful kimono she really believed so. Enya was extremely wary, at least the rational part of her brain was. Enya was unsure of this gesture and what Todo's angle was. One part was beyond flattered. Probably something she thought she'd never experience. And while she sat stunned at his words she was left even more speechless as he gently put the flower in her hair gently pushing her hair back. He was bold and didn't even hesitate which really threw her off. Her brain was screaming "Leave!!! what are you doing?!" but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Especially when he looked at her with his gentle eyes.

She couldn't help but admit that Todo was handsome. Very handsome. Which led her to question why he was even speaking to her in the first place. He probably had many suitors. Why would someone as established as him want to talk to her? A girl cursed by her father's past actions and barely had anything to her name. She was met with cruelty since day one by the others around her. Constant whispers and insults followed her everywhere. Even being called undesirable and ugly by some. Enya thought it was a joke not sure what Todo's motive even was. Enya never really had the luxury of a "crush" so this was such a foreign feeling. Let alone someone giving her the time of day. She was lonely for years but got used to it. She questioned why she even felt comfortable around someone like him. And why does she trust him somehow? A literal killing machine that could cut her down or take advantage of her in a heartbeat. It actually scared her a bit. After he adjusted the flower, Todo gave her an intense yet gentle look leaving with a smirk proud of his work. Enya registered how close he leaned in and awkwardly stammered and stepped back a bit. followed by a nervous chuckle and a thank you. Todo smirked at her, really intrigued by her reactions, but didn't push further.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, he casually mentioned noticing the bruise on her arm and asked if his subordinate who grabbed her weeks ago caused it. While the guy may have made it darker, she didn't want to cause trouble nor did she want to mention it was originally Shoji's doing. While she has no desire or care for Shoji, the idea of him dying didn't sit right with her. (Though he deserved it more than ever)Not only because she didn't want blood on her hands, but the fact it would lead her to be homeless. So she just lied and said that she hurt herself at her previous job. Todo didn't seem to buy it and gave her a suspicious look, but didn't press further instead he said to be more careful with a smile. And went to walk her home. After that day, it seemed a friendship was established that day.

After that day, Enya saw Todo around town more often. It seemed in between breaks he would stop by Kasuga when he can for a drink. Over time her hesitant mistrust of Todo faded. Though he had an intimidating nature, slowly she got to know his more playful side. At times he would have playful banter with her and didn't hesitate to tease her when the opportunity arose. Even on her off days, she lied to Shoji just to spend the day with Todo. It seems despite her reputation, he didn't mind being seen with her. Of course, no person with sense would dare to insult him knowing what would follow unless they had a death wish. She would talk to him about anything she could think of and even got a glimpse of Todo's personality, or at least what he allowed her to see. She started to understand more about him and his loyalty to the Shinsengumi. She eventually mentioned her late father who was once a part of the Shinsengumi and the reputation he had at that time and how it affects her to this day. Todo admitted he heard the rumors about Enya and was curious about her, but knew nothing of her father.

It was fate they even met that day. Seemingly it was like she was presented at his doorstep. He mentioned how the rumors were just that. And that she was a pretty genuine person who seemed to have a gentle nature. His words made her heart flutter. Todo was the first person who actually took the time to get to know her. She mentioned that even though he was intimidating, he seemed like a caring person. Todo awkwardly scratched his head and mumbled maybe he was losing his edge and maybe needed to work on that if that's the case. Enya giggled at his comment. Enya was very open about everything except Shoji. In fact, being with Todo was her escape. for a brief time, it was like she wasn't in a suffocation arranged marriage that was set to be official at the end of the year. She didn't want to think about it. Just wanting to be present with Todo. Someone she soon considered her closest friend. Deep down she knew subconsciously she felt more, but didn't want to be rejected assuming he most definitely had other suitors and only saw her as a friend. He even gave her the luxury to call him Heisuke as a sign of trust.

One day while lying about work for the night, Todo took Enya to the singing bar. She shyly mentioned how she was never a fan of being on stage, Todo insisted and encouraged her to go on stage and join him. After a few drinks, she relented and joined him. That day, she learned about how beautiful Todo's singing voice was. She could feel chills in the back of her neck as he sang flawlessly. She watched in awe attempting to keep up and harmonized with him as he sound his heart out. Enya was filled with laughter and happiness as they felt the alcohol kick in and had an immense amount of fun. Once they both walked off the stage, There was a man with an eyepatch and a man who had his hair tied half up and down who cheered on and complimented Todo on his wonderful singing.

Clearly a bit inebriated, Todo introduced Enya to the two men whose names were Saito Hajime Captain of the 3rd Unit of the Shinsengumi, and Okita Soji, Captain of the 1st Division.. Enya was delighted to meet them. if anyone told her years ago she would be interacting with 3 Shinsengumi officers she would think it was a joke. Okita was a pretty hilarious person though she can admit she was a bit intimidated by his cold stare. Saito seemed to be quite gentle. Enya enjoyed engaging with them and the drinks made it easier for her to comfortably converse with them. It was the most fun Enya ever had in her life.

Todo walked Enya home, both of them were pretty drunk that night. Enya thanked Todo for a really fun night and was pretty happy to experience something like this. For a moment there was tension between them and felt themselves drifting closer about to kiss, but the sounds coming from Enya's home which was a cat scurrying away quickly snapped them out of it. Todo and Enya giggled awkwardly and said goodnight and went their separate ways. Enya quickly ran inside and snuck past passed-out Shoji and headed to bed still thinking about the memorable night and how they were about to kiss. Enya cherished that night and wanted the euphoric feeling to last forever. However unbeknownst to her, one of the loyalists who knew Shoji happened to be there with one of his maidens and recognized her with them hidden in the shadows.

Two days later, Enya went to work. There was no sign of Todo. Enya couldn't help but admit she did miss him. She thought about that night often and wondered if he was safe. As the death toll rose in the city. Her train of thought was snapped immediately when Shoji burst through the door yelling " WHERE IS SHE?!" eyeing Enya with rage in his eyes and rushing at Enya greeting her with a stinging slap on her face. He yelled calling her a harlot and knew she was sneaking off sleeping around but after finding out it was with the Shinsengumi, he saw red. Shoji wrecked the place, breaking plates and tables out of rage. He punched one of the customers and started a fight. The manager came and threw both of them out. Still very angry, Shoji held Enya's wrist tightly and pulled her home. Surely, Enya no longer had a job and wouldn't dare to show her face there ever again.

Three days after, Enya passed by the docks and spotted a Shinsengumi officer floating in the water face down. The horror in her eyes said so much, Enya ran home and screamed at Shoji asking what did he do and did he kill a Shinsengumi officer. Shoji may have known something, but never revealed it, instead growing angry at Enya for defending them and hitting her with great force until he was tired. He went off and grabbed his sake and left for the night. Enya lay on the floor sobbing alone in pain wanting the night to end.

The next day, Shoji forced Enya to go grocery shopping for the day. Enya trudged to the store, with a bruised face in defeat doing her best to hide her face. Just her luck, she runs into Todo who recognized her. The second he got closer, he noticed her face. He was filled with rage. He questioned who did it and Enya refused to tell. He grew impatient and warned he will have a spy find out if she didn't tell. It was then she revealed everything. Her being in an arranged marriage, her living with Shoji, and him being the reason her face was in that state. Todo's first instinct was to cut him down. Enya quickly tried to stop him begging him not to kill Shoji. Todo was upset questioning why would she even want to spare his life. He questioned if she loved him and of course, she said no. but clearly Todo was not buying it. Assuming she was in love with him all this time. He was much more upset and made it clear she deserved better. She argued how he didn't understand anything about the situation. It was clearly a misunderstanding, but in the heat of the moment, Todo was not listening. Todo called Enya naive and told her she need to stand up for herself or leave. And if she wanted to sit with him that was her choice. Soon he stormed off.

Hours later, Enya spent the late evening standing by the river alone deep in thought when she felt a presence behind her. It was Todo. She stood in silence for a moment and stared at him for a moment. Soon she spoke first and apologized and began to explain she had nowhere to go if she left him and he even threatened her life. She reassured him she never loved him and it was simply to leave her aunt's home and she didn’t have much of a choice. before she can go out she barely noticed that Todo approached her and kissed her passionately. Enya melted immediately as it was like tension was boiling up between them for some time now. Todo pulled apart and told her he’d protect her no matter what. He mentioned that he will see what he can work out to help her leave. Soon after admitting when she mentioned being in a arranged marriage it tore him apart. He expressed how he felt and apologized that his reaction was irrational and felt it wasn’t fair to blame her in a situation like this when she did the best she could. Soon things heated up again very quickly leading up to them visiting Teredaya and renting a room. That night, Enya had her first time with Todo. And stayed with her that night holding her close as if she would be pulled away at any point.

The next morning, Todo was prepped to leave to start patrolling for the day when he ran into Hajime while walking out the door. Feeling awkward over the situation he tried his best not to mention it. Instead, a thought popped up and inquired if Hajime lived there. He asked if Enya would be able to live here and work to help her get away from her troublesome situation with Shoji explaining a bit what was happening. Hajime quickly agreed that he needed to be “taken cared of” but mentioned it needed to stay between them. Soon after Enya followed down the steps near the front entrance where she found Todo and Hajime conversing. She greeted him with a flustered face clearing making it obvious they were together for the night given the state of their necks. Todo explained that Hajime will speak with Otose to help get her settled in since they needed all the help they could get. Soon after Enya met Oryo who helped her get settled in and quickly bonded. It was like for the first time, Enya was around people who treated her with kindness. Enya was eternally grateful for Todo. It was later on it was rumored that Shoji "skipped town" and hasn't been seen since.

At dusk, Enya was greeted by Todo. Soon the greeting started with gentle kisses to more frantic ones which led them to sleep together once again. Afterward, He embraced her gently. They spoke for a bit making silly banter and Enya even told Todo how she makes really good meat buns and would love to make him some someday. For a while, they sat comfortably in each other's silence until and with a serious face, Todo told her he needed to talk about a matter she needed to be ready for later in the night. The town will go up in flames. He made sure to express to not tell a soul and to meet him near the bridge where he can help her to safety. Enya nodded and made sure to be prepared for what was to come. Soon the night followed and the smell of burning buildings filled the air. Shrieks can be heard all over the town. As Enya did her best to navigate the blazed town, she passed by those who were in anguish, injured, and even some dead bodies that were found all over town. Enya did her best to avoid all blockages when soon she found herself trapped in between two burning piles of rubble that left her stuck. The smell of smoke overtook her which called her to faint. The last thing she saw was a blurry figure that hovered over her.

Enya woke up in Omiya laying on a futon surrounded by Oryo and Otose who were concerned checking her out and making sure she was okay. They told her that Hajime found her and quickly found them to make sure she was okay. They offered her some water and made sure she stayed in the room to recover until it was time to head back to Teradaya so they can treat her. Soon they both left the small room and speaking could be heard outside. one familiar voice she heard was Hajime and what it sounded like was crying. After some time she heard the door open and it was Todo. He stood without his blue haori in his green kimono and looked at her full of worry. He quickly ran to hold her tightly. He was worried about her and was grateful he was okay. He inspected her closely.

Soon Enya's eye's filled with water and hugged her tightly sobbing how she was terrified and thought he was hurt. He comforted her closely and told her he was here and wasn't going anywhere. After some time, he pulled apart and said he had some matters to take care of. Enya looked at him with sad eyes. Todo caressed her cheek and gave her a gentle smile telling her that he'll be okay and he'll see her later. Enya nodded as he stood to leave. Before he could walk out of the door, Enya called to him and told him she loved him more than anything. and told him to promise he'd come back safe and sound. He turned and kissed her and held her tight. He promised again that he'll be back. and joked how he hasn't tasted her meat buns so he didn't have a choice. Soon he stood up once again and left.

A bit later, Otose, Oryo, and Enya headed back first to Teradaya. That evening, Enya assisted Oryo and Otose with making dinner when suddenly they heard a thud. Oryo was the first to head out when he yelled and soon Otose and Enya followed. Enya froze in place as her eyes looked in horror. her hands trembled finding Todo collapsed on the floor covered in blood. Enya screamed his name and soon ran up to Todo who was being held by Haijime. Enya scanned him frantically as he was covered in blood and struggled to breathe. Enya yelled for Oryo to call the paramedics and quickly she rushed off to find help. Enya held Todo's hand tightly and told him to hang in there with streams of water going down her face. Todo felt completely cold in comparison to the warmth she felt not even hours ago. Enya trembled and told him he was not going anywhere and he was going to be okay. Todo shook his head lightly and said in a strained voice as he struggled to speak that there was no time with a strained look. He then looked over and spoke to Hajime giving his final wish before he took off and then turned to look up at Enya.

Enya grabbed his hand and brought it to her face she sobbed "You can't go..! I can't live without you! You're going to be okay.. you hear me Heisuke?! You promised!" she sat in the pool of his blood that stained her dress as she held onto him. He weakly caressed her face with the little strength he had and thanked her for being able to love him the way she did in this lifetime and attempted to mouth "I love you" but couldn't fully get the words out. She quickly held him and caressed his face telling him to save his strength and that it was okay. She held him almost convincing herself. "They'll be here any minute. He'll be okay." Soon after she heard footsteps that followed behind her when Okita stood behind her and two other men, Nagakura Shinpachi and Hijikata Toshizo. They stood and witnessed Enya holding him. Enya spoke softly. "Once you're better, I'll make you as many meat buns as you want. Remember? You said you'd come back in one piece and I can make them for you. It'll be great. doesn't that sound great Heisuke?." Silence. She called out to him again. Silence. She put her head to his chest as his heartbeat was barely faint. it was fading. She screamed his name as his hand fell limp in hers. She sobbed uncontrollably and was inconsolable. Some time passed when Okita tried to gently pull her away but she flinched. Okita gently told her they had to take him. She frantically yelled questioning where were they taking him and they mention they needed to fulfill his final wish. Enya didn't understand and begged them not to. Okita put a hand on her shoulder looking at her with wet eyes and apologized as this needed to be done. Soon Okita picked him up. Enya touched his hand one last time before they took off. Enya fell to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably as Otose and Oryo soon followed and comforted her.

Two days later, Enya was void of emotion. As she worked, she took care of the towels and tended to the guests as usual. Oyro and Otose checked in with her often as she didn't eat for some time. They offered her to take the day off, but she refused knowing being alone is the last thing she needed right now. Enya was completely broken. losing the one and final source of happiness. She never experienced anything like that in her life. She was like a walking zombie. She barely spoke. Something truly broke inside. Soon Hajime returned with two packages in hand. One large and the other small. He announced that he and Oryo were going to travel the world as he took her hand and held it tightly. He said his goodbyes to Otose and handed her the first small envelope which was filled with money as a token of his appreciation allowing him to stay in Teradaya. Then he turned to Enya. He gave his condolences and told her that it will be hard, but you're not alone. And encouraged her to keep going. He handed her the package and they were sent off. Enya held the package that was pretty soft. She went up to her bedroom and opened it. Her eye's filled with tears as she held Todo's kimono in her hand sobbing loudly. The dried-up blood remained as well as a faint smell of his scent. Enya help it tightly and refused to let go. Every night she slept with it as she sobbed each night. It was all she had left of her other half and held it dear.

4 days later, Enya collapsed while working. Everyone scrambled frantically not sure what was wrong with her as she was relatively healthy beforehand. Very quickly things took a turn for the worse as she was diagnosed with broken heart syndrome and later passed on that night.

Her final thought as her life flashed was "We'll meet in another lifetime. I swear it to you." She was buried along with Todo's haori.

And that's Ishin!Enya's lore... thanks for reading :')

#sorry yall gotta read a lot again #As you can tell I suffered psychological damage playing Ishin.... and clearly this is making it worse... 😃#also had to do a mini history lesson with this one 😀 it was neat #be prepared for Todo/Enya art cause it's comin lfklsk #mimidoots #rgg #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza like a dragon #rgg ishin oc #rgg ishin #like a dragon ishin #ryu ga gotoku oc #ryu ga gotoku ishin #oc x canon #Enya posting #yakuza oc

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queenlucythevaliant · 2 years

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Why did Martin Luther reform the church?

Okay, you asked for it.

I’m going to try to do this bullet-point style for the sake of organization, because I know I invited you to ask about this, but at the same time. Man, what a question. This will be long-ish. Others, please feel free to correct me or add on if you like.

Martin Luther was not by any means the first person to observe the problems of medieval Catholicism, nor was he the first to attempt reform. John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, and others should be given their due, even if they did not set off a Reformation the way Luther did.

By God’s providence, Martin Luther and the newly-invented printing press existed in Germany at the same time. It is for that reason that he, not another, is the father of the Reformation.

Okay, so Luther. Martin Luther was the most scrupulous kind of monk, bordering on madness in his obsession with God’s holiness and his own sin. Yet after a trip to Rome in 1510, he found himself increasingly cynical about the cheap, transactive way in which he saw Christianity being practiced. Have you ever gone into a megachurch and had the horrifying realization that it had a gift shop? That feeling, but way worse.

Do you know where the magic words Hocus Pocus come from? Catholic Mass was said in Latin and the people, of course, didn’t understand a word of it. Even the clergy frequently found that learning the service rote was quicker than learning a whole new language. Thus, when the priests speaking Latin presented the bread for Communion and spoke the words Hoc est corpus meum, parishioners heard “Hocus pocus” and thought that the words themselves had some kind of power.

Luther’s experience in Rome led to a personal study of Scripture during which he found what would become the seeds of Reformed theology. It wasn’t fully formed yet, but it was definitely growing in his heart, so to speak. The bun was in the oven.

Johann Tetzel was like the P.T. Barnum of his day, or maybe a really sleazy televangelist. His job was to raise money for the Pope’s new basilica by selling indulgences. This involved ad jingles (“♫When the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs ♫”), overwrought sermons (“Can’t you hear the voices of your wailing dead PARENTS?????”) and even haggling over price.

Luther was not okay with this.

You can read the Ninety-five Theses here in their entirety. It’s a short read; each point is about one sentence long. It builds an argument against the way indulgences were being sold and it's s a great bit of argumentative writing, even putting aside the historical and theological importance. You should totally read the whole thing if you’re at all interested. However, I will pull some highlights here:

1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

37. Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.

49. Christians are to be taught that papal indulgences are useful only if they do not put their trust in them, but very harmful if they lose their fear of God because of them.

62-64. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last (Mt. 20:16). On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.

94-95. Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death and hell. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace (Acts 14:22).

It’s important to note that Luther posted the Ninety-five Theses on the church door of Wittenberg in an effort to be a good Catholic. This was not originally an act of protest; it was a civilized list of topics for discussion written in Latin. And, honestly, while the Theses did cause a stir, they absolutely could have blown over pretty quickly had Luther not, in writing them, basically been led head-first into a completely different understanding of Christianity.

To quote the man himself, “God led me into this business against my will and without my knowledge.”

What a mood, honestly.

Johann Tetzel was understandably ticked off that Luther had made him and his line of work out to be so sleazy. (I mean they were, but like...) He ran his little temper-tantrum up to his superiors, which through a long series of Church Politics, ended up with Luther famously debating Johann Eck in 1519.

Eck was a kind of a slippery debater, but he actually did the Reformation a big favor in the long run. He succeeded in expanding the issue from “Is the whole indulgences situation chill or not?” to “Who has the final authority: the Bible or the Pope?”

Luther said, “The Bible, duh.”

The Pope got a little mad at Martin Luther. However, for the moment, it still wasn’t a super big deal. Luther was just one guy, after all.

More importantly, the fact that the question of Papal authority was raised also got Luther thinking, “hey, that’s right! This whole Pope situation is kind of BS, isn’t it?”

Around two years after posting the Ninety-five Theses, Luther finally had something like what we might call Reformed theology. It was missing a bunch of stuff, but the important stuff was there. God doesn’t want us to be perfect, He wants us to trust Him. Sola fide. Sola gratia. Solus Christus. Sola Scriptura. Soli Deo gloria.

Naturally, Luther started writing a bunch of stuff.

A whole, whole bunch of stuff.

He got away with it for a while! But after a while, enough was enough and the famous papal bull excommunicating Martin Luther from the Catholic Church was issued.

Luther burned the papal bull and wrote a response: Against the Execrable Bull of Antichrist.

(Just a reminder that the Martin Luther Insult Generator exists and it’s awesome)

Luther got summoned to the Diet of Worms to stand trial. He faced down the HRE, the pope, burning at the stake, and the prospect of hell if he was wrong. “Here I stand. I can do no other.” He refused to recant.

I wish I could go on to talk about the rest of Luther’s life, about Zwingli and Calvin, Bucer, Knox, Cranmer, Cromwell, Chemnitz, and so many others. I wish I could talk about the extraordinary courage of the ordinary people who became martyrs of the Reformation. People who staked everything—their careers, their families, their very lives—on the fact that in the Reformation, the very soul of the Gospel was at stake.

In conclusion, Martin Luther was a badass and the Protestant lineage of which we are a part is absolutely glorious.

Fun fact: on the way back home from the Diet of Worms, Luther staged his own kidnapping

#this turned into a super long history lesson sorry #i slipped and wrote two pages on Martin Luther #no one is making me do this #it is not for a class #i had an awesome time #...why am i like this?#the unquenchable fire #unquenchable i say!#ask me hard questions

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