#bias in plain sight

[actual-corpse]

Watching pengiunz0 (Moist Critical) cover UHC threatening a surgeon and making the mistake of reading the comments.

Too many people are uneducated on just what is going on

[scarabies-real]

PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT JUNCOS IT'S A NEED

YOU’VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!!!

YOU’LL REGRET THIS!!!!!!!

Okay so dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) are one of the most fascinating and overlooked species of songbird in the US because they are, generally, fairly plain looking and common. They’ve been called Snowbirds throughout the Eastern US and they’re often disparaged because spotting a junco means it’s about to snow. However, this is often not true because many places have resident populations (meaning they live there year round) and they are subject to a sort of confirmation bias—you’ve heard they’re a winter-only bird so you’ll only notice them during winter, similar to American robins that are known as a “first sign of spring” bird even though their seasonal movements are very complex and they often have resident populations.

Onto why they are FASCINATING, or at least why I think so (and I am correct always obviously) there are many, many different subspecies of dark-eyed juncos. And we have NO IDEA how many there actually are! It is highly debated and depending on who you ask there’s anywhere from 14-15 recognized subspecies, with 2-3 different large groups and 3-4 smaller ones. I’ve even heard people say as little as 9 and as many as 17. I have watched seasoned professionals with tenure get up in arms about this. It’s incredible.

Here’s an example of some!

Read Top to Bottom/Left to Right: Rocky Mountain (Cassiar) Junco (cismontanus), Pink-sided Junco (mearnsi), White-winged Junco (aikeni), Slate-colored Junco (hyemalis), Gray-headed Junco(caniceps), Red-backed Junco(dorsalis), Oregon Junco(oreganus)

If you live in the east of the us, the little guy in the middle (slate-colored junco) is going to be the one you see the most, and if you live in the west it’s the bottom right (Oregon junco). Usually. Very broad, and there are many subspecies within the Oregon group that often get (incorrectly, but understandably) labeled oreganus when they are likely something else.

It’s extremely difficult to identify junco subspecies in field and without particularly great photos most people are left shrugging and putting them in slate-colored or Oregon groups.

This range map is incredibly simplified

And THIS range map is. Well. Yeah. Don’t get me started on intergrades.

There’s several subspecies within the Oregon group and a large, unresolved debate about whether or not the Oregon group is actually its own species separate from slate-colored, with several subspecies.

Their systematics is a MESS (loving) and we’ve just recently moved the Guadalupe Junco to be it’s own species!

MY research has centered around this

You see this little guy right here?

This absolute little stinker that took me forever to photograph because they were being scared by hawks?

Yeah, that’s a Cassiar Junco.

Probably my greatest, rarest observation to date. And most people would write it off!

(Not sharing downloaded image bc location stuff lol. When I say rare I mean RARE.)

The Rocky Mountain Junco, also known as the Cassiar Junco, (Junco hyemalis cismontanus) is a presumed subspecies within the slate-colored group.

Depending on who you ask! Some believe it to be a subspecies, some believe it to be an intergrade between the slate-colored junco and Oregon junco, and others believe slate-colored and Oregon juncos to be distinct species making the Cassiar junco a hybrid. I will not give my opinion here yet since this is, technically, research I am currently doing but…let’s say I am observing breeding behaviors for a reason :)

They are incredibly rare, with most sightings taking place in the Northwest. Though they are spotted across much of the lower 48 a lot of these sightings are thought to be mistaken identity.

Looking at eBird range maps they fall within 0-2% sighting frequency, and all but disappear during summer months.

Is this because they are mistaken for slate-colored and written off? Or are they truly this rare? And if so, why?

There’s so many unsolved mysteries about this group of forgotten birds and especially the Cassiar junco.

Recently I’ve been looking into the research in gonadal growth delay in migrant populations vs resident populations and oh my god I could infodump a whole post on that but I’ll spare you. For now. If you express further interest there will be no saving you. It’s so cool man (said like siren song)

I am incredibly excited to focus my field research on them this winter (especially now that I have…connections) and I am very fortunate to live in a place that seems to get them more often than others.

Three cheers for Cassiar!

[girlactionfigure]

Bystanders enable injustice. On October 7, thousands watched or celebrated as Hamas paraded hostages. Many hostages were held in plain sight of civilians, doctors, and aid workers—yet no one intervened. Even the Red Cross legitimized Hamas’s abuses.

Beyond Gaza, silence has echoed worldwide. Friends, acquaintances, and even family members have ignored the atrocities, the hostages' suffering, and rising antisemitism. Whether out of bias, fear, or indifference, inaction makes them complicit.

Silence is a choice. Speaking up is a responsibility.

Jewish Unpacked

[amethystfairy1]

hello

tis i the person how asked you a bunch of stuff about cannibalism a while back

this ask isnt about cannibalism i just thought id re introduce myself

have you seen arcane because the world building of like " theres an overcity where everything is good and theres an undercity where everything is horrible and theres a conflict between the 2 and some people go to the overctiy from the undercity and theres a bias against the undercity people because there seen as animalistic"

i just thought the 2 were similar

Hi!

You gave me a lot of headaches I'll have you know 😤

But that aside 😆 Yes, I have seen arcane, but I hadn't seen it back when I came up with the idea for TTSBC and started it! I actually only watched the series in it's entirety over this past summer because a friend bullied me into it 😅 it's so good though! But yeah, the two settings do have a lot in coming! It's all coincidence though, like I said, I hadn't seen Arcane when I started writing. I've also had this whole idea of an over-city/under-city situation in my head for years now...I really enjoy the whole vibe of 'secret society beneath your feet' and 'someones got a big secret hiding in plain sight' and some of my favorite novels, shows, and other pieces of media growing up involved that kind of thing!

Examples being...the Virals novels, the X-Men comics, X-Men Evolution, basically every magical girl anime ever, Harry Potter of course, and I'm sure plenty others I can't think of right now! That's just the sort of thing that's always really excited me and drawn me in, so yeah!

[corvusalbus93]

The Dryad's Love test with your OC

Zethino the Dryad asks you how well you know your love interest. But what would the answers be, if your love interest was asked?

Rules: Think of three answers with approval, disapproval and explanation.

Thank you @izumiphoenix for tagging me.

Now I’m going to add a fourth answer to the first two, since each companion has at least one question with four or more possible answers… and I couldn’t decide which to cut. I’ve also included which Zethino would count as correct answers ★. In the “canon” storyline, Astarion is the one answering, but I wrote these so any companion or OC could be the respondent.

You can read the fully written one-shot here, if you’re curious how Astarion answered (plus a little fluff). Funnily enough I’d started writing it a couple weeks back and now had the perfect reason to finish it up.

~ Nizana Tav(orite) ~

Zethino: “Nizana: a restless life with no constant but her convictions. Listen. Think. What achievement would grant her peace?”

1 - Knowing her soul forever and safely out of Lolth’s grasp. ★ +1

In some D&D lore is was stated Lolth has claim on all drow; not sure if still canon, but Nizana knows little about any drow culture and religion, due to having grown up as an orphan, so she doesn’t know either. As she despises Lolth, she’d rather make sure her soul is going to another afterlife than whatever the spider goddess offers.

2 - The Absolute and the Chosen Three defeated. +1

While she does want to stop them, it’s more an obligation, a mission, not so such personal fulfilment, so Zethino doesn’t count it.

3 - Those she loves being safe and happy. ★ +2

Nizana deeply cares for her lover and her friends, knows what they all struggle with, and worries for them. Even without the tadpoles she’d have come to Baldur’s Gate to help them, and she hopes their trust in her is not misplaced.

4 – To be viewed and celebrated as the model drow. -2

Nizana had to struggle with prejudice against drow her entire life, since she was an urchin in the streets of Neverwinter. She wants to be seen and judged as a person, be accepted, not set some new bias.

Zethino: “Any life is a difficult and tumultuous thing. You have shared many hardships. And still found moments of respite. When is Nizana happiest?”

1 – When she feels the bones break beneath her fists. -1

While she is a monk, who loves a good fight and enjoys the adrenaline rush, the act of taking a life doesn’t bring her joy. Depending on circumstances perhaps satisfaction or relief – it is often a necessity after all.

2 – Around the campfire with her friends, sharing stories and re-enacting them. ★ +1

She learned in a monastery of Oghma, not only a god of wisdom and knowledge, but the patron of bards; she knows a thing or two about storytelling. And with friends like Wyll and Karlach around it’s all the more fun and yes, even some acting might be included.

3 – Alone with the one she loves.  ★ +2

Admits all the turmoil, she craves the quiet moments with the one she loves. To be able to confide and be confided in in turn, to be herself, no pressure, judgment or expectations – and she hopes her love feels equally at ease around her.

4 – Exerting leverage on others. -2

This applies to two situations. One the one hand, her companions ask for her opinion and even advice at times, which she gives. However, she doesn’t want to make choices for them, pressure them into anything, though of course hoping her words will be considered. The other situation applies to their Illithid powers; she has made use of her tadpole to gather information or compel cultist. Yet while others would revel at such power, Nizana is disgusted by it, only doing it at all due to dire need or to keep up appearances/maintain their cover.

Zethino: “Once again we must see beyond what is in plain sight. To what may be hidden even to friends. For the heart heavy with burdens craves comfort. What weighs on Nizana, both day and night?”

1 – The expectations of those around her. ★ +1

Her friends and companions, her love – they all trust her, many look to her for help. And she does give it gladly, though she fears to fail their trust, and is well aware that sometimes you need to counter rather than blindly affirm. As the leader of the party, she also makes decisions for them all, and each companion can have very differing views. It’s a tightrope act each and every day.

2 – That she will never find acceptance or a place to call home. -2

Nizana refuses to believe that. Despite all the prejudice she faces, she’s met plenty of people across the decades she's been adventuring who accepted her, made lifelong friends and now a romantic partner. The world can be a wonderful place; there are kind people out there. Unless she chooses to, she will never be alone.

3 – To hold the fates of the many lives and souls in her hands. ★ +2

When all of this started it was a about a small group of strangers finding a cure for tadpoles. Now she leads them, is part of their personal journeys. Now her decisions will determine not just their fate, but that of the city, the Sword Coast, who knows how much of Faerûn. And perhaps even if the Illithid Empire will re-emerge. Nothing prepared her for that.

...

Everyone I know and follow has already done this, soooo... bye.

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 31-35 author notes

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

The chasm in their understanding of what makes Vivi tick.

The stakes in this scene seem low and the twins are just overdramatizing the danger for the sake of unwinding and being silly, right? Yesn't. One wrong move or word, and they join those leafmen scattered all over the place.

Finding the line between bad actor and caring sister.

Of course Alisaie wants to hang out with Vivi. She doesn't want to admit that to herself, let alone risk looking desperate in her brother's eyes. Tsundere moment. It's been a while since they've. Had a rest. Between rescuing Minfilia from Laxan Loft and making their way to Il Mheg. Alphinaud, at least in my hc, isn't as physically durable, but definitely as stubborn and proud as Alisaie, so he wouldn't simply agree to chill out for a moment. Alisaie makes him tunnel-vision her bad (?) acting and openly throwing the game for supposedly selfish reasons, while she gets what she wanted, AND forces Alphi to sit his ass down.

I’m sorry but I really need to point out that her ahoge did, in fact, launch into the stratosphere.

More under the cut~

....Can you blame her tho.

Vivi’s shirt’s a bit more plain than usual, he needed to wear something practical under his crystarium guard disguise in Laxan Loft.

The flashback in episodes 32-33 has no dialogue per se, only monologues, to emphasize how disconnected they are.

Technically both vivis are real, but Exarch’s memories are definitely heavily skewed. He’d only known Vivi during the CT quests, in this story it’s a month or two in summer, during which literally nothing bad happens, sans the finale. Alisaie, however, got lucky to experience Vivi during Stormblood, his absolute low.

Exarch and Alisaie sit on opposing sides of the bias, one wears pink glasses, delusional and bluepilled, the other one’s (heh) redpilled, perhaps a bit too much. Hence Alisaie feels the whiplash when her jerkass woobie friend suddenly acts mellow (back in the present), still she has the expertise to tell that he’s not affected by a fae spell or anything.

Full page because I’m so proud of the paneling here, simple as this trick is, these speech bubbles blocking Vivi from sight neatly illustrate that Alisaie just babbles away, paying no heed to his state.

With the power of flashbacks and stories told by one character to another, I’m able to revisit any moment in their past whenever I please. I didn’t commit to a linear story because there was no story! Well, just the outlines. Vivi as a character began in ShB because I really needed to fuck that old man, I started writing down the lil scenes loosely connected by the canon plot, and that’s how the whole concept of Fragments came to be.

It may not work for everyone, but my secret sauce’s that you don’t have to begin at the beginning. Make a guy, put him in a situation, then ask a lot of whys and hows to expand his story backward and forward.

Keeping the past events for later allows me to flesh things out at a leisurely pace. This Alisaie flashback is actually an iteration, originally I’d planned to have Vivi stand alone and just think the broody thoughts, and that was supposed to be the transition between ARR and ShB arcs. I grow more writing muscle as I go, and I’m infinitely happy that I avoided that angsty infodump.

Okay this’s becoming a big fat tangent, but I wanted to acknowledge another pitfall: overusing a character as a mere exposition tool. I wouldn’t do this for, say, Tataru or Y’shtola. Being THE flashback haver makes sense for Alisaie because a) they’re close with Vivi, b) her worldview and opinion on Vivi are changing in ShB, she’s a smart lil thing who would slow down and reflect when appropriate, c) she has a distinct arc in my comic, and knowing what’s going on inside that elf brain will give you the most entertainment out of her actions in the present moment.

I’m new to writing and very excited about the story that comes together as we speak, so I like to show around my kitchen. Please lemme know if you enjoy this. I don’t know if I’m parroting the boring 101s, or if this’s actually useful to someone.

“Meals made for me” YEA HE CAN’T COOK. Well, barely.

New sharp outfit, procured by our most magnanimous branch. The “tail” will help me draw the upcoming Titania fight, it adds fluidity to his movements.

*presses the upgrade button*

There's a lot happening in his head that's not being shown. I hope at least some readers wonder who or what he leaves behind in his mind's eye in this moment. What we know for sure is that he doesn’t take too long to make a decision.

Not sure if subtle, but I did try the breadcrumbing:

Unfortunately for everyone, including himself :’>

I love this one especially because, instead of telling that about himself, Vivi asks Ardbert, kinda gauging his wol experience against the other wol’s.

Episode 34 really shook people awake and reminded that we’re off the msq rails with this story. I loved the response it evoked in the tags, lots of thoughtful rambling about being a hero.

Fae temptation jokes and all, but Feo Ul really says what Vivi needs to say out loud to himself.

Normalize prioritizing self-care over world-saving.

Vivi genuinely cares about Feo Ul. That’s unusual. It might be my storytelling mistake that I didn’t show much of his typical indifference before this scene, unless you count the episodes where he does this

instead of hurrying the fuck up with the msq. Or, perhaps, it’s okay, since this gets plenty of attention later on. You won’t miss the fact that he isn’t eager to set himself on fire to keep others warm. Feo Ul just lucked their way into his heart, and, as a result, he approaches the Titania fight with unusual consideration.

/srs mode on ^

Remember how I just talked about developing this story in all directions at once? I planned Vivi to have this demeanor during the early days of writing Fragments. Like, most of the time. He’d be a broody bitch, get slowly thawed by Exarch’s kindness, and... That’d be it. In veeeeeery broad strokes, this’s still the case, but the current iteration has much more nuance.

Vivi and Titania’s likeness has no deep meaning, take it or leave it. Vivi cares about appearances, he was bound to notice this. Feo Ul can see souls, visuals are secondary to them. But Vivi, being himself, must doubt and question everything.

He moves fast and thinks a lot as the adrenaline speeds him up.

Notice how he lets Titania speak and remains quiet. This’s common in most fights: he doesn’t indulge with chats or banter those who he sees as mere targets to destroy. There’s like a point of no return, if an enemy poses no threat and can be talked out of dying, Vivi will speak, sadly he enters this fight knowing that Titania has to die no matter what.

Once he’s familiarized himself with the situation, and realized that Titania’s more than just a mindless husk, things change up a bit. But for now, he just runs in circles, analyzes the situation, and overthinks about their visual resemblance :’>

Sorry not sorry but unintentional reference x’DD

To be fair Vivi IS being a magical boy in this miniarc so this works lmao.

Wrapping up on this note, thanks for sticking with me and reading till the end~

[kathang-iniisip]

˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ exhibitionism w/ aiah! <3

g!p reader, dubcon (?)

[LRT 1 edition lmao] okay for context I scrolled down to the bottom of Aiah's ig and now i'm a lil dizzy she's so pretty my first bini bias 🥰 also see her aura and vibe is just very classy but! with that being said imagine being on a cramped train with her 🥺

LRT 1 is a very cramped train especially during the rush hour, you don't even need to hold on to the handrails for safety because everyone's so pressed up against each other that no one can really move even if the train lurches forward when it goes :/

now imagine: you're standing at the very back of the train car, this beautiful stranger standing so so close and giving you a shy and apologetic smile every time she bumps into you. you'd smile back ofc, you're not a monster... except you kinda are.

It's a long train ride, and it looks like her stop is far. No moves to reach the nearest pair of doors and it's her fault really. She smells so good, her perfume teasing at your nose. Shiny eyes staring into yours intently every time she turns to apologize for almost falling and crashing into you. It doesn't matter if her poor balance is an innate thing or because of her ridiculous heels (who wears heels on the train at rush hour?) all you care about is how every time you two touch and you see her pretty face you lose a little more of what self control and decency you have.

Look. It's a cramped train and everyone's minding their business, too engrossed in their phones to even notice that every time you help the woman in front of you regain her balance, your hand drifts lower from her arms, her back, her waist, and finally her hips. God, she's hot. Built like a goddamn goddess and the innocent doe eyes are really doing you in. What would it look like if she was holding in her moans as you groped her right here, right now?

Another stop, another bump.

"goddamn rush hour" you mutter loud enough for her to hear. the agreeing giggle has you clenching your fists in an attempt to stave off thoughts that weren't for 7:00 in the morning.

Another stop, another bump. This time your hand stays on her hips. She doesn't seem to mind or brush you off even if you feel her stiffening up a little.

"Is your stop near, Aiah?" you ask. Looking at her ID to see her name. "no, not yet. you?" she replies in a low voice. you shake your head no. The train stops again and more people shuffle to get off. The brief period of relief and space vanishes once again as a new set of passengers rush in and take their places, somehow squeezing you two closer together. It's not your fault your arms are pinned on her sides. Would it be more awkward to leave your hands hanging or to actually hold on to her? Well, she didn't say anything as your hands took their places on their hips, albeit lower and closer to the curve of her ass than it was before.

It was an accident, you'd swear up and down if she asked. The first time, that is. The train suddenly halted to a stop and you had accidentally thrusted into her, your boner just about slotting into place between her cheeks. The surprised gasp and the little jump didn't escape your notice.

"sorry." you whisper. you see her nod her head, her eyes looking straight ahead. somehow more people manage to squeeze themselves in. The train lurches forward and she can't help but lean against you, her back flat against your front, your hips slotting together perfectly. So perfect you couldn't help but grind a little into her. The tiny whimper she let out broke your resolve.

It was so easy to do it in plain sight. The bumpy ride serving as the perfect cover for you to hump her to your heart's content. Your head's on her shoulder, mouth panting directly into her ear. Her eyes squeezed shut, brows furrowed like she can't believe it's happening. But it is happening. Your hands creeping underneath her tight skirt and gripping her sensitive inner thighs. It's warm inside, making it hard to tell if she's wet or if it's because she's hot. The train's ac couldn't cool anyone down with how many people were inside, all of whom unaware of what was happening at the back of the train car.

"sorry, sorry, sorry," you kept muttering, rubbing yourself against her ass; one hand slipping inside her panties and the other ghosting over her unattended breasts. Her cardigan was perfect, covering for you as you tugged the hem of her skirt up, pulled out your dick, and slipped it inside her panties. she was so wet; lips puffy and sensitive, clenching everytime the tip caught on to her slit. it was a delightful surprise to feel her hand reaching behind her to grip your leaking cock and pushing it inside her folds.

you could go on like this forever, spurting and smearing precum all over the pussy of such a beautiful woman. "I'm five stops away". Or not.

"please cum inside" she bites her lip. "I can't go to class like this."

"of course." you say, sympathetic and finally slipping inside. The relief of it all made her sag against you, and you could feel her thighs trembling with the effort to keep standing. "i got you." you pounded away, finishing just as her stop was announced. A number of people got off with her and you have the pleasure of finally getting a seat and watching her exit the train with a trail of white making its way down inside her thighs, her head bowed low in shame and disbelief.'

[kaeyaswifefromsnezhnaya]

I really like these attempts to justify the characters, like yes, he is a murderer, but people are afraid of him not because of that!! Or he said something to someone, but the situation did not turn out this way because of that! Do you think that if you "admit" the actions of the character, you can justify them? How, if everything happens to you _not because of that_ oh well

The things are just lying in the middle of the yard, in plain sight, but it is not about them, it is about another cunning scheme. And what are these things for then? If it is not about them, then they would not exist, then they would hardly be paid attention to, as you say.

Yes, yes, yes, for completely different reasons, the npcs are always to blame, the environment, it is not the characters who do crap, they are always right, they are always nice, yes, of course this is not the reason

Okay, seriously, about Aoi and Akane. I recognize their good traits as well as their bad ones, and this whole thing of justifying their actions like "they had no other choice, it's not as bad as it looks" and all that. I just don't understand how you can look at a ton of gags with Akane being a fanatic and say he wasn't too clingy. How could he not be. Removing the bias, this guy is literally waving lightsticks, monitoring Aoi's movements, and turning every interaction between them into a marriage proposal. Whatever, it's still clingy. And Aoi is not confused by this. She is just worried that Akane is hiding something, and the fact that he has finally started to act like a devoted simp, as she once wanted, exceeding her expectations, does not confuse her. Such a typical theme for childhood friends to go crazy over each other, but that is not the reason. Akane did not, at least, surprise Aoi with his behavior, which she said personally, he was not intrusive, that is not the reason.

[cyle]

Like many other users, I'm wondering how the "a quarter of Tumblr users are LGBT+" statistic was calculated, especially with all the variables that would have to be accounted for, like porn bots, users who don't have anything in their bio, users who may have multiple accounts (instead of side-blogs), RP accounts where the user doesn't go out-of-character, etc.

There are multiple Tumblr polls going around now (at least one as a reblog of the post) asking if the userbase is queer or not, and it's more than 90% for the ones I've seen. (Of course, a poll isn't going to reach everyone, and will probably stay in the creators' circles which will cause some bias. But judging by the sample sizes, wouldn't it still lean towards what Tumblr reported?)

Will Tumblr ever release a statistics breakdown that's not just "a portion of our userbase is X, guys, you just gotta take our word for it" and instead "this portion is X, this is Y, this is Z, and this is unspecified."

i don't know exactly how it was calculated, honestly. it may have been a survey we sent out to a representatively random sample of people on tumblr, which is never what you're gonna see on any poll on tumblr itself, even if it has hundreds of thousands of votes. selection bias is just too strong on here, for literally every poll i've ever seen on tumblr. some results from polls on tumblr are literally the opposite of reality, when we have concrete data we can check against.

as for whether or not we'll ever release our own breakdown, i have no idea. maybe someday. i feel like we probably release some of that info through sales pitches, as in how we try to market tumblr to advertising partners. the info may be out there publicly somewhere already, hiding in plain sight.

besides that, i think your best bet for these kinds of breakdowns may be included in academic perspectives like these two fairly recent books about tumblr. i would trust that any data they include in there has statistical rigor behind it.

[whencyclopedia]

In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival

“In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians” documents the arrival, flourishing, stifling, and eventual prohibition of the Christian faith in Japan's Edo period. It was survived only through those known as “Kakure Kirishitans” (Hidden Christians), whose secret ceremonies and home-grown rituals persevere even today.

Dougill writes about the history of Christianity in Japan writ large, before focusing more precisely on the history of Hidden Christians and their existence today. There is much for both the casual reader and the academic to enjoy here, as the author interweaves his own perspectives and experiences (particularly those he had while traveling in Japan to research the topic) into the narrative. Dougill leaves little room for interpretation as he explains his thoughts and emotions throughout the book, which may sometimes conflict with the reader’s own. As such, the book reads as more a journey of the author's understanding of the topic, factually and emotionally, rather than the work of an impartial academic who seeks nothing but the cold truth without a hint of bias.

Chapters One and Two chart the arrival of the first Jesuit missionaries, the difficulties they initially faced, and the eventual conversion of some Japanese people. Chapter Three shows the reader that the Christian faith experienced some significant success in its early days, as the missionaries found favour with then Shogun Oda Nobunaga. However, in Chapter Four, we see a shift as the Christian faith that was spreading throughout the nation was seen as a potential threat by the new shogun, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and expulsion edicts were put in place. Chapters Five and Six are about the intensification of the prohibition of the faith, as well as persecution, including the crucifixion of the 26 Martyrs at Nagasaki.

Then, in Chapters Seven and Eight, the Shimabara Rebellion is explained, as well as some of the circumstances that came about after the incident such as how the Christians would attempt to hide their religious symbols in plain sight. Chapter Nine is dedicated to Endo Shusaku and his widely-known work Silence, which leads into Chapter Ten, where the history of the faith in Japan is harboured and sometimes transformed by Japanese thought in the Goto Islands, off Kyushu. Chapter Eleven explains the Dutch connection in Nagasaki and how some of the first Hidden Christians started to emerge into public view as the country began to open itself up to the world after its period of isolationism. Finally, Chapter Twelve explains the Protestant and Catholic connections to the country a bit more and reveals to the reader that the Hidden Christians of Japan were more akin to a Japanese folk religion rather than the Christianity that first arrived on their shores. Additionally, the book includes a short bibliography, as well as many images of what Dougill writes throughout the book which helps to lend a sense of realism to what can sometimes feel like an otherwordly topic.

While Dougill, who currently teaches British Culture at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, at times shows a limited understanding of Christian doctrine, the discerning reader might be able to find what the author misses through his discourse. Regardless, this book is a fascinating tale of hope amongst harrowing circumstances and the determination of the human spirit, and anyone who seeks to learn more about this little-known part of Japan’s history should see this book as a window into a much larger world.

For those wishing to look further into this topic, Ann M. Harrington's Japan's Hidden Christians (1993) which, written from a Catholic point of view, focuses more on the beliefs of Hidden Christians may be of interest. Some more contemporary analyses are Kirk Sandvig's Hidden Christians in Japan: Breaking the Silence (2019) and Christal Whelan's documentary Otaiya: Japan's Hidden Christians. Finally, The Beginning of Heaven and Earth: The Sacred Book of Japan's Hidden Christians, written by Hidden Christians during their years of persecution and edited and translated by Christal Whelan, would give the reader an insight into the beliefs that these particular Christians held and regale the reader with Bible stories with intrinsically Japanese themes.

Continue reading...

[legok9]

Doctor Who: New Series Adventures novels return!

Caged by Una Mccormack (27th June)

Are aliens ever abducted by aliens? And if they were, would anyone believe their story? When the Doctor and Ruby arrive on Cavia, they meet a gentle local who is certain that she has been taken for study by creatures from the stars. The Doctor is concerned to find mysterious meteors appearing in the sky, while strange robotic creatures crowd the forests, watching everything and waiting for…what? Who is interested in Cavia, and why? What is the sinister truth of the abductions? The Doctor and Ruby must discover the secrets of this mysterious world – and those who would seek to destroy it…

Eden Rebellion by Abi Falase (14th November)

On the crystalline planet of Yewa, the Gardens of Kubuntu are a true Eden, said to be the most peaceful destination in the universe. At least, until the Doctor and Ruby arrive. Ancient rivalries between Yewa and its more prosperous sister world of Bia are being stirred by forces unknown, threatening to plunge its people into anarchy. With Ruby swept up in the fire of the Yewan rebellion, the Doctor finds dark secrets buried deep in the planet’s ancient history – and his hopes for a lasting peace hanging by a thread. For sinister guardians stalk the Gardens of Kubuntu, while an implacable enemy plots in the shadows – and in plain sight…

Ruby Red By Georgia Cook (13th June)

April, 1242: the Doctor and Ruby answer a distress call sent from medieval Russia. The signal’s sender? Ranavere, an alien girl forced to take part in a barbaric conflict between the armies of Estonia and Novgorod on the frozen surface of Lake Peipus. Ranavere wants to escape, but her distress call has summoned her warmongering sisters, intent on preserving family tradition whatever the cost. And as human battle begins, the Doctor and Ruby must face a more devastating threat – a monstrous entity with plans of conquest, growing stronger beneath the icy lake…

[mightdeletelater]

I spent 15 hours, across three days, watching and taking notes on the legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice, where South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel. 

South Africa's case was a temporal snapshot that lay the weight of decades of historical context. Although the specifics of the case pertained to Israel's actions in Gaza, its overarching objective reached beyond these particulars. At its core, the case sought to address the substantial disparity between the lived reality of Palestinians and the narrative propagated by dominant political forces.

Across the globe, public anger regarding the events in Gaza has manifested on the streets. However, political leaders consistently chose to overlook, dismiss, ban, or vilify this collective sentiment. Maybe it is recency bias, but in my lifetime, there has never been such a disconnect between politicians and their people than when it comes to Gaza. 

The significance of South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice is that it publically challenges the portrayal of the Palestinian cause as a fringe issue.

Beyond merely outlining the severity of events – 23,000+ killed in Gaza, the 1.9 million displaced, the 7,000+ missing under the rubble, and the thousands of bombs dropped, making this the deadliest rate of conflict of the 21st century – the case links these claims to the Geneva Conventions and human rights law. 

But where are we as a society, as a human race even, that we are at a point where the case was brought forth in the first place? Such an initiative questions the legitimacy of the international response and underscores the diminishing persuasive power of Western logic in an increasingly multipolar world. 

The case represents a broader confrontation within international institutions, raising doubts about the actual existence of the human rights infrastructure. The conflict has placed Western allies in the precarious position of undermining or neglecting their own established systems, eroding their credibility on the global stage. When you're against the United Nations and hundreds of human rights organisations and objecting to a submission in a global court (in the case of the US and UK, a court that they themselves established), you are simply pulling apart your house with the very tools that built it.

Western powers, having previously failed to support a Gaza ceasefire, will from now on be viewed in the global south as fighting on Israel's side. More so than they were already. And why wouldn't they be? These politicians have made it clear that they want to supply arms and military support to a regime, and their intervention, it seems, is contingent upon the safeguarding of goods shipment. These politicians assert that financial resources are lacking for reconstructing their nations, yet readily allocate funds for military endeavours. Why? How is any of this normal? 

After the legal proceedings, Netanyahu said, "We will continue the war in the Gaza Strip until we achieve all our objectives. The Hague and the axis of evil will not stop us." Without compelling a policy change from Israel, what hope is there that South Africa's case will avail? It was obvious that Israel would use support from the US and the UK to prosecute the real agenda that Netanyahu and hundreds of Israeli politicians have hidden in plain sight (i.e. admitted on camera constantly): the destruction of Palestine and its people.

The recurring pattern is evident. Gaza transforms from an open-air prison to an open-air slaughterhouse under Israeli actions. Iraq faces invasion and fragmentation fueled by falsehoods and lies. Libya, once somewhat stable, descends into a state of civil war. Afghanistan witnesses invasion followed by prolonged failure and abandonment. Yemen endures relentless bombing, culminating in one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recorded human history. Syria? Also bombed, resulting in the displacement of thousands of refugees.

All of this, and more, is the legacy of Western "intervention", war, and policy in the Middle East.

Strangely, I find myself distanced from all this turmoil, yet the impact remains surprisingly profound. So many people I love have been impacted, yet I still experience a sense of detachment.

I go about my life. I have family and friends. I have hobbies and a job. But multiple times a day, it will hit me. I'll remember the videos I've seen of a mother crying over her son's body. Or the father carrying the remains of his children in plastic bags. Or the doctors performing amputations in overcrowded hospitals with nothing more than a dull butter knife. A wave of deep sorrow washes over me, settling in my chest like a persistent ache, lingering until I find a sufficiently absorbing distraction. And then, the cycle restarts.

But I don't want to be distracted. And I don't want to forget. I feel like I don't deserve to forget. It feels like the least I can do. Because I, unfortunately, do not have a megaphone loud enough to shout to those in positions of authority and tell them they are cowardly individuals sitting on chairs fashioned from the bones of Gaza's children.

In 2024, you would think that we would only be quoting Martin Luther King to learn about history and not to still use his message for current happenings, but he honestly said it best: "No one is free when we are all free." 

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Comparing How Much Meghan Spent as a Royal vs Catherine by u/rangerhorsetug

Comparing How Much Meghan Spent as a Royal vs Catherine Hey all!! Here is another Excel sheet for you all to peruse! This was a bit more difficult to do as many of the clothing tracking sites were spotty at best, and I had to do a lot of hunting myself to gather costs and names of items. I was consistently cycling through at least 3-4 tabs to make sure I got everything! This took me a solid 4 months of slowly plugging away at my keyboard as I am pulling 70-hour (or more) weeks with how much I am currently doing. Looking at Catherine and her outfits definitely kept me sane lol.I wanted to make this as fair as possible, as I definitely want to do this kind of thing without the possibility of bias. My first quota I wanted to hold for myself was the same period of time, but when I realized that Catherine had fewer engagements, or at least had changed her clothing a lot less when there were multiple events in a day, I set it to tracking the same number of engagements. My Excel had shown that Meghan had worn 187 different outfits, some of which she wore to multiple engagements, so those were grouped together. When I realized that some may fight that Meghan did more tours, I extended my tracking to cover Catherine and William's New Zealand and Australia tour, just to make sure that the number of days abroad/doing tours was roughly the same. I also included fewer plain-clothes sightings for Catherine, just to give Meghan a fair chance.I made sure that the money Catherine spent during this time was accurate to the year she bought it in, first seeing how much an item would cost in, say, pounds today, converting that into dollars, and then converting the American dollars into what it would have been in the year Catherine wore it.TLDR;Catherine's Excel tracks 1257 days, or 3 years, 5 months, 10 daysMeghan's time in the RF Excel tracks 835 days, or 2 years, 3 months, 13 daysCatherine's Excel tracks 224 different outfits/engagements (again, some engagements are looped together because she didn't change)Meghan's Excel tracks 187 different outfits/engagementsCatherine bought 348 new itemsMeghan bought 528 new itemsCatherine repeated items a total of 654 times, repeating 182 different piecesMeghan repeated items a total of 452 times, repeating 192 different piecesCatherine spent $403,120 (in today's money, it would be $547,460)Meghan spent $1,984,369Catherine's average cost per item is calculated by dividing her total cost by the number of items: $1,158.39Meghan's average cost per item is calculated by dividing her total cost by the number of items: $3,758.27Note: Items written in red are from before her marriage. Items highlighted in yellow are jewels from the queen.https://ift.tt/QhLDqFT me know if you want to know how long it would take for Catherine to spend as much as Meghan did! post link: https://ift.tt/wVE4Xpt author: rangerhorsetug submitted: April 21, 2025 at 02:36AM 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.

[03-shiro-25]

Min Yoongi | Are my feelings not important?...

Min Yoongi x gn reader

Synopsis: at reader's family dinner he saw how worried a very important person to him reacted to someone not feeling well mentally and got reminded about how the person reacted when reader felt like he could never be happy again

warnings: angst

Note: i will probably mainly write for Suga on this blog. He is like my ULT Bias AND ULT comfort person on this planet. He helped me so much so I feel the most comfortable when I write for him (and Jk)

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵❘༻༺❘‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵❘༻༺❘‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

Today was the day you would be meeting up with your whole family. You were so excited, you haven't seen them in forever. You had a pretty good relationship with your family. But since they were all busy with their own lives and you were busy with your work as an producer at hybe entertainment you never got the chance to meet up.

It was in the afternoon when you started to get ready. You didn't put on anything fancy or styled your hair. They all knew you were no fan of dressing up and stuff. So you were not worried when you looked in the mirror and saw yourself with messy hair, some wide jeans and an plain black shirt. You liked your style.

So after you were finished getting ready you headed to the front door where your boyfriend was already waiting for you. "You ready?" he asked you as he eyed you up and down with a smile. He knew how exited you have been for the last week. You were only talking about that dinner and how you have missed them all so much. The whole week your mood had been over the roof.

"I guess you will come home late today then?" he opened the front door for you as he walked out with you.

"Yeah, probably haha" you giggled, growing more excited. "Well, I might still be at the studio when you come back so either you go home to rest or you come visit me after your dinner" he shot you a dirty grin before he started to laugh. "Yeah, we will see. Love you. See you later." you spoke fast, giving him a small kiss before each heading to your own cars. He drove off to the studio while you went the other direction towards the restaurant where you were supposed to meet your family.

The moment you arrived one of your aunts came walking to you. "Y/n! It is so good to see you again! Did you grow a bit more again? I swear you are taller than the last time I saw you" She always said that when she saw you. You laughed "Hello to you too! You think I grew again? Well I hope so!" you smiled at her. You really liked her.

"Come with me! The others are already inside" she told you as she lead you the way to the table where your whole family sat. You almost teared up at that sight. Your two aunts who were always bickering about something. Your grandma who was in despair since her hearing aids weren't working right AGAIN, your uncle who didn't speak much, your older sister with her bright pink hair AND her husband was here too! He was really introverted! At family meetings he almost only talked to you! With others he only said something when he was asked something, but with you he talked and talked and talked. You waved and smiled at him, he did too when he was you.

Next was your little sister. She was still pretty young, about 12 years old, but really cute. Then your stepdad and finally your mother. When she saw you she immediately stood up to hug you. "Hey my treasure, how have you been?" since you were a child she always called you her treasure. You thought that that was really sweet. "Work is great, it is really fun! And the people I work with are very nice" she nodded at you as your aunt interrupted you. "Yah! We don't want to know about your work! Tell us, do you have a girlfriend yet?" you just rolled your eyes at her.

Of course she only wanted to know that. "No, I don't" you said without explaining that you have a boyfriend. "Do you have a boyfriend?" your older sister asked you. Now a smirk grew on you face. "Yes, I do." your sister just smiled at you knowingly. A sigh was heard from your aunt.

The dinner went on like that. Just catching up on the lives of each other. In between you went to your sisters husband to talk to him since he couldn't really talk with the others. But you noticed that your younger sister has been awfully quite the whole time. Your mother seemed to have noticed too as she excused herself and her youngest child. They stood up and left the table to a quiet area where they could talk unbothered. You had a strange feeling so you followed them.

You knew eavesdropping wasn't ok but you somehow couldn't stop yourself, you were way too curious. They stopped in a hallway where no people where. You hid behind a wall where they couldn't see you but you could see and hear them. Your mother crouched down a bit to be on your sisters level. "Please tell me what's wrong love" she looked at her with concern-filled eyes. Your little sister looked down to the ground. "I don't know... I just haven't been to happy with my live lately I guess.." the little one mumbled. To ashamed to look at your mother.

"It is just... I hate my life at the moment..." the moment you said these words to your mother you regretted it and wished you would have just stayed silent.

Oh no... You were ready to step in at every moment. Preparing yourself you argue with your mother and comfort your sister but it never came to it. Your mothers next acts and words shocked you. They hurt. "Would you like to tell me why sweetheart? Maybe we can work on making it better together?" she softly spoke as she hugged the small one in a comforting manner.

Your heart dropped the moment you heard her say that. You were not expecting that. An aching pain started to spread in your chest and your breathing got caught in your lungs. Suddenly your body felt heavier than before and your mind went blank.

She seemed angry and disappointment "Sorry that your life is SHIT. I am sorry for giving birth to you and gifting you this awful life." what she said and the way she said it broke you. It sounded as if she thought that it wasn't her problem and that you only wanted to hurt her. Tears started to fall from your eyes. You came to her because you thought she would give you comfort... but she didn't.

You had to get out of here. You had to leave. You couldn't stay here right now. So you rushed back and gathered your stuff. Your family looked at you confused. "Sorry... my boyfriend needs me home as soon as possible. It was nice meeting you all again." with that you left and basically ran to your car. As soon as you closed the car door your mothers word repeated in your head over and over again. 'I am sorry for giving birth to you' 'I am sorry for giving birth to you' over and over again. Like a broken record. No matter how hard you tried to think of something else the words kept replaying in your head.

You could barely concentrate on driving, almost getting in a car accident. 'Where are you Suga?.. I need you..' with that thought appearing in between your mothers hard words you drove faster. Needing to see him as soon as possible. He was the only person on earth that could give you comfort.

You arrived at the studio and rushed inside, heading straight to your boyfriends 'genius lab'. With every step you took your body started to feel heavier. You knocked before entering after you heard him give you the ok. As he turned with his chair to see who it was he was surprised to see you already back. He thought you would stay away longer. "Hey baby, why are you back already? Is everything ok?" the moment he asked you that you felt your strength leaving your legs as they slowly gave out under you.

You leaned on the closest wall to you and slowly slid down until you were sat on the floor. Suga was beyond concerned, jumping up from his seat to rush and crouch down in front of you. "Hey. Hey.. what is wrong baby? Did anything happen?" he asked but you couldn't answer him. 'I am sorry for giving birth to you' 'Maybe we can work on making it better together?' the words your mother said to your sister replayed in your head, like it was mocking you.

Did she love your sister more then you? Why did she react different with her? Is she more important than you?...

"Are my feelings not important?..." that was the first thing your boyfriend heard from you this night. Your voice sounded lifeless as you were just staring in front of you. It scared him. A few single tears streamed down your face. A frown adorned his face after he heard these words leave your lips. "Of course your feelings are important. Don't ever think that they are not, ok?" he tried to reassure you. "Would you like to tell me what happened?" you had been so excited about tonight, he just had to know what could have ruined that for you.

"My mother... when I was a kid and felt like everything was to much and like I would break down every moment I trusted her and told her how I felt... 'Sorry that your life is SHIT. I am sorry for giving birth to you and gifting you this awful life.' That were her exact words to my feelings... but today my little sister told her that she was feeling like I did back than... my mother wasn't angry at her. She offered to help her.." Yoongi's jaw clenched as he heard the story.

How could your mother have said that to you? Especially at a time you were feeling like shit anyways. He was furious. And he was sad for you. You looked so broken when you spoke about it. So he sat down onto the floor beside you and offered you some cuddles. Of course you accepted as you leaned in and cried your eyes out on his shoulders. He made you feel like your feelings were important. Like he understood how you felt. He was your family.

"You know Yoongi? When she said that to me back then I of course felt hurt, but more did I feel sorry. I shouldn't have told her how I felt. It must have been hard for her to hear these words leave my lips.." you thought about it.

"Even if it hadn't been easy for her, you were suffering too. And she is your mother. She is supposed to be there for you. To help you through tough times. So you had no reason to feel sorry" he sounded sad as he spoke.

"Actually, every time she cared for someone else I felt my heart ache and questioned myself 'Why couldn't you care for me the same way? Why? Do you not love me enough?' For years the memories and thoughts wouldn't leave my head. It was so draining. I felt tired. But I can't talk with my mom about this... even though I really want to know why she reacted the way she did.."

"I will do anything I can to help you forget about it. I am sure your mother had a good reason for her behavior back then. And please never feel like you are any less important than anyone else. For me you are the most important person alive." a small smile could be seen on your face thanks to his words. As he saw that he felt relieved and smiled back.

You were not angry at your mother. But you had to admit you were a bit hurt and disappointed. But that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was the man who was currently holding you close, telling you over and over again how important you were. Soon you fell asleep in his embrace. He couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Thinking about what your mother said and how you must have felt hearing these words as a kid.

He swore himself that he would always pay attention to your emotions and would help you whenever you needed him.

[spliqi]

fanfic writer interview!

forgot to do this whoops. thank you for the tag @aurorahrt <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

19! all bsd because i'm ill about this series

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

the cat isn't byakko (and other lies akutagawa can tell himself) - sskk, teen and up, 23.6k words the first fic i ever wrote!!! which took off way more than i expected lol. animal transformation trope crackfic shenanigans. silly and funny and i still like it very much

wishful thinking - sskk, teen and up, 6.7k words love to see this up here i adore soulmate aus. the concept of sharing thoughts with a guy who can't stand you... yeah. also atsushi is delightfully dense here. misunderstandings <3

hidden in plain sight - sskk, teen and up, 4.0k words what if we kissed but we were dumb stupid rivals on an undercover mission. and also we can't dance for shit (aka my patient zero of mission fics. now i can't stop making them)

i hate you in charcoal (but love you in watercolor) - sskk, teen and up, 4.8k words artist akutagawa!!! yeah!!! not really an au? more of a headcanon-centric fic that spiralled. i just think he deserves to make art and be weird about it

reading between the lines - sskk, teen and up, 12.1k words fic embodiment of "put those guys in a situation" hahahaha. poe's ability shenanigans. 80% of this is them bickering but hey that's what i love

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i try my best to! i'm very busy and can't always find the time but i read every single one and they mean the world to me!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

gallantry ougfghh. chapter 119 hurt my feelings

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

the vast majority of them are super sappy endings i'm not strong enough for anything else i fear

Do you write crossovers?

i haven't so far! but if the brainrot hits me then who knows

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not really??? let's hope it stays that way

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i haven't. but again, if the brainrot hits me--

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge. maybe ignorance is bliss

Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no (<- guy who's scared of everyone)

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

i don't think it's hard to guess LMAOOO. sskk my beloved

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

to be honest if i really want to finish something i always do. but i have ditched a 30k wip before after getting bored of the story 💀

What are your writing strengths?

i've been told i'm good at humor, which is nice to know because i just keep in the final draft whatever makes me laugh while writing 😭 also i believe i have a pretty good grasp of my favs at this point so i don't stress too much about characterization anymore

What are your writing weaknesses?

overediting oh my GOD. free me. i edit like someone will kill me if i make a mistake and it drags my overall productivity down so much

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i think it's hard to pull off well. i wouldn't try it myself unless it's a language i'm fairly confident in

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

not ship per se but there's a lot of gen fics that i really really want to write. atsushi & dazai, atsushi & kyouka, higuchi & aku, there's also a gin & verlaine idea in my head that i've been hung up on for soooo long. hopefully 2025 will be my year

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

this is definitely recency bias talking but i really liked the montcott fic i wrote for rarepair week. it's short but it came to me so easily and i just love them sm

tagging: most of my writer mutuals have done this already but if you haven't consider this a tag from me <3

[hongjoonged]

Hi! I love reading your stories on AO3 because you have created a unique and completes univers with a lot of different faces and aspects . I just can't wait to see more about the general storyline: I know that Mingi is a liar - can we call him like that ?- or that he is just very sensitive? I don't know, but while reading I feel that he's not telling us all the scenario unlike how Wooyoung did. Then, I have a spot for MATZ and I literally giggle everytime they're in the corner doing what they usually do (fighting like a married couple). I think that their own story will be... Dramatic. In the most dramatic way.

Your works are amazing!

so excited for my matz story to come out (my bias line, hello) - after yule is done i haven’t decided if I’ll release a short jongsang fic or just go right into matz

aaaanyways, to answer your question, i feel like wooyoung is more perceptive as a narrator in samhain

the main difference between wooyoung and mingi is that wooyoung opens his arms to the world, while mingi more or less shuts it out. i saw a comment about this on Yule and it described them perfectly; wooyoung sees the universe with so much wonder/magic/expressiveness while mingi looks at it much more somberly

from a writing perspective, i love using the ‘unreliable narrator’ angle with mingi. there’s so many creative ways i can hide secrets in plain sight (which will make it fun to reread, i think). all of it will be unearthed by the end. as a reader i love slow reveals & watching a story’s mysteries unravel, which is something i wanted to do for Yule