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indecisiveavocado · 4 months ago

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What could Hamas have done if they didn't want Israel destroyed?

Summary: If not for their greed and embezzling, Hamas could have, single-handedly, provided every. Single. Gazan with bomb shelters, healthy food, clean water, and electricity (via batteries) for over two years. Details and sources below the cut.

Shelter

First, let's figure out the cost of a bomb shelter. Fortunately, we can get this information relatively easily, thanks to the Cold War. Admittedly, this is a nuclear bunker, but hey; if Israel takes the nuclear option, Gaza will be fine. I mean, not really, but you know, better to go overkill than underkill.

According to the Department of Defense (1962) a Belowground Corrugated Steel Culvert Shelter cost $150 in 1962. The BLS (2025) says that's worth $1589 or so as of January 2025. Technically the shelter fits three adults (or two adults and two children), but only for a few weeks, so I'm going to pretend like it has room for only one person and a lot of food and water.

OK. What's the installation cost? They say two days excavation and four days building, plus what I'm going to say is one day of transport.

The US Department of State (2023) says the average daily wage in Gaza was $15. We'll be nice and pay our workers $30, giving us a cost of $210 for the installation. So that's a total of almost exactly $1800 per person.

As an upper estimate on Gaza's population, I'll use the UNRWA, which claims 2.4 million residents (UNRWA, August 2023). Multiplying it out, we find that the cost to provide shelter to everyone in Gaza is $4.32 billion dollars.

Food

The World Food Program USA claims the average cost of a meal they provide is 50 cents (WFP USA, 2024). At three meals a day, this means the cost per day to feed 2.4 million people is $3.6 million, which works out to $2.635 billion to feed everyone in Gaza for two years.

This means our total cost for two years is $6.667 billion dollars.

Excellent!

Water

FEMA recommends having a gallon of water per person per day (FEMA; archived link used because FEMA is 'being updated to comply with President Trump's executive orders'. I have done similarly for all non-interactive government websites).

OK. What about water sources for Gaza? It is a desert, after all; you can't just expect water to magically appear.

The most likely water source would be desalinated water. One UNICEF project was $12 million in 2013, or $16.63 million in 2025 (BLS). It produced 6000 cubic meters per day. As one cubic meter is 1000 liters, that's 6 million liters a day of water. According to the WHO, 20 liters per person per day is the minimum recommended amount; this works out to 48 million liters per person per day. Meeting that demand would require only 8 plants. To store up a reasonable amount and include maintenance, I'll quadruple that number, for a total of $532.16 million in construction and maintenance costs. (No, I have no idea what it costs to maintain a desalinization plant in Gaza.)

Assuming we can save 48 million liters/day, it would take only, well, two years to save up two years' worth of water. So, our total for shelter, food and water is $7.19916 billion for two years' worth.

Lovely!

Electricity

Currently, Gaza imports natural gas. But hey, we're dreaming, and Gaza seems perfectly suited for solar power.

One source (who, if I'm recalling correctly, is now HR for Hamas) told NBC Gaza needed 500-600 megawatts a day (Abdelkader). I'm going to say 720 a day, or 30 megawatts an hour.

For my estimate of home electricity generation, I used a building I'm pretty sure was the Chabad of Ashkelon.

I tried to make the outline small, because this is a lower estimate. Regardless, I got a figure of 18.8 kilowatts/day. Since there are 1000 kilowatts in a megawatt, that's 720,000/18.8=38,297 buildings. Let's say 40,000 are needed to meet demand and 80,000 to double it.

According to the UN, if you do the math, 116,000 buildings are still standing in Gaza, so we should be good there.

Now, I am not an expert at batteries and electricity, but I'd assume there's some way to convert the energy of solar generators to the kinds of batteries you can put in storage and forget about.

So what would the installation cost of that be? NPR says $30,000 per house (Simon), which works out to $2.4 billion; surprisingly cheap! I'll add another half that to account for batteries, so $3.6 billion for electricity. Set it up in 2021 and everyone has two years' worth saved up.

So we have a total of a little over $10.7 billion for at least two years' worth of food, water, shelter, and electricity for everyone in Gaza. I'm going to round up and say $11 billion.

$11 billion is not a small amount.

But, unfortunately, neither is the amount Hamas has stolen:

$700 million stolen from aid according to Fatah, a Palestinian organization (Winer)

$100 million/year military budget (Issacharoff) in 2016. This works out to $900 billion since then.

I could add other ones of varying reliability, but I don't need to.

But the really big one? Their leaders. According to the Times of India, they were worth $11 billion.

That adds up to $12.6 billion dollars, more than enough to cover it.

And much of this would be, effectively, one-time costs! Of the $11 billion we estimated it would take, shelter's $4.32 billion is basically one-time only and the $2.4 billion solar cost is, too.

Works cited

Abdelkader, Rima. “Gaza Has Access to Less than 40% of the Energy It Needs. Locals Hope Solar Power Can Fill the Gap.” NBC News, 23 Aug. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-access-less-40-energy-needs-locals-hope-solar-power-can-fill-gap-rcna43723.

De Luce, Dan, and Lisa Cavazuti. “Most of Gaza Is Poor, but Hamas Has Cash. Where Does It Come From?” NBC News, 25 Oct. 2023, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-plagued-poverty-hamas-no-shortage-cash-come-rcna121099.

Department of Defense, Office of Civil Defense. Family Shelter Designs. Jan. 1962, pp. 19–20, dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/FamilyShelterDesigns.pdf.

FEMA. “Water.” Ready.gov, 2021, web.archive.org/web/20250201201522/ready.gov/water. Via Internet Archive.

Issacharoff, Avi. “Hamas Spends $100 Million a Year on Military Infrastructure.” Times of Israel, 8 Sept. 2016, www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-spends-100-million-a-year-on-military-infrastructure/.

Lipson, Nathan. “Tunnels of Cash and Cryptocurrency: Hamas’ Finances Explained.” Haaretz.com, Haaretz, 12 Dec. 2023, www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2023-12-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/tunnels-of-cash-and-cryptocurrency-hamas-finances-explained/0000018c-5d6f-de43-affd-fd6fcbb30000. Archive/unpaywalled link: https://archive.is/AfbPq.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “PVWatts Calculator.” NREL, 2019, pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php.

Simon, Julia. “Why the U.S. Government Is Spending $7 Billion on Solar for Low-Income Homes.” NPR, 1 Aug. 2024, www.npr.org/2024/07/31/g-s1-8152/solar-for-all-epa-low-income-climate-change-solution.

TimesofIndia.com. “‘Hamas’s Top 3 Leaders Are Worth Staggering $11 Billion.’” The Times of India, Times Of India, 8 Nov. 2023, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-hamas-war-ismail-haniyeh-worth-moussa-abu-marzuk-khaled-mashal/articleshow/105055536.cms.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “CPI Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025, www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm.

UN News. “‘This Is Our Land’ – Building Gaza’s Future from the Wreckage of War.” UN News, Mar. 2025, news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1160661.

UNRWA. “Gaza Strip.” UNRWA, Aug. 2023, www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip.

US Department of State. “2023 Investment Climate Statements: West Bank and Gaza.” United States Department of State, 2023, www.state.gov/reports/2023-investment-climate-statements/west-bank-and-gaza/. Archive link: web.archive.org/web/20231011090250/https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-investment-climate-statements/west-bank-and-gaza/.

Winer, Stuart. “Fatah Official Accuses Hamas of Stealing $700m from Gazans.” Times of Israel, Oct. 2014, www.timesofisrael.com/fatah-official-accuses-hamas-of-stealing-700m-from-gazans/.

World Food Program USA. “Here Are 10 Facts on Hunger and WFP’s Work.” World Food Program USA, Nov. 2024, www.wfpusa.org/articles/10-quick-facts-hunger-wfps-work/.

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incorrectbatfam · 2 years ago

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I really enjoy your retail Seph so I ask myself this how would the rest of the Batfam fair in the same boat?

Margie | Batfam | Rogues | Justice League

[grocery store]

Steph: Think you're ready for the deli counter?

Duke: Psh, yeah. How hard can it be?

Bruce: Hi, I'll do ten pounds of brisket, please.

Duke: Brisket. That's... uh...

Steph, whispering: The brown one.

Duke: *starts scooping taco meat*

———————

[clothing store]

Steph: The most important thing is to balance candid feedback with staying on the customer's good side.

Dick: Got it.

Bruce, coming out of the dressing room: How does this look?

Dick: Terrible.

———————

[restaurant]

Steph: Babs, can you ask Table 3 how they like their steak done?

Babs: Sure.

Babs, to Bruce: How would you like your steak done?

Bruce: Medium rare, please. And can I get some more ice?

Babs: Absolutely.

*ten minutes later*

Babs: One steak with ice.

———————

[drive-thru]

Steph: Once you see their order on the screen, just tell them to go to the next window.

Cass: *nods*

Bruce: *pulls up to the drive-thru*

Bruce: One Batburger combo, hold the fry seasoning.

Cass: *puts the order in*

Cass, whispering ominously: See you at window.

———————

[furniture store]

Bruce: Can someone help me move this dresser to my car?

Steph: Sure. Jason?

Jason, exhausted: Seriously? I just hauled that lady's fridge.

Steph: Jason...

Jason: Ugh, fine.

Steph: And don't forget to smile.

Jason, smiling through gritted teeth: You owe me.

———————

[coffee shop]

Steph: Okay Timmy, you're on register.

Tim: Yes ma'am.

Tim, to Bruce: What can I get you?

Bruce: I'll do the smoked salmon, cream cheese, and bagel sandwich.

Tim: Would you like cream cheese in it?

Bruce: ...Yes.

Tim: And smoked salmon?

Bruce: That's what I said...

Tim: And you want that on a bagel?

———————

[call center]

Steph: School projects are so weird nowadays. Anyway, Damian, did you read the employee handbook?

Damian: All 917 pages.

Steph: Nice job. I'll have you take the next call then.

*phone rings*

Damian: Wayne Enterprises account support, how may I assist you?

Bruce: I need to change my password but the website is undergoing maintenance.

Damian: One moment.

Damian: *types into the computer*

Damian: Done.

Bruce: You... you changed my password?

Damian: Yes.

Bruce: What is i—

Damian: *hangs up*

Damian: *gives Steph a thumbs up*

———————

[at home]

Bruce: Steph, between you and me, you're the best among us.

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toronto-tree-removal · 4 months ago

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How to Safely Manage Overhanging Branches in Your Yard

Dealing with overhanging branches can be a tricky situation for any homeowner. Perhaps they’re blocking sunlight from your garden or posing a risk to your roof during stormy weather. Whatever the case may be, managing these pesky limbs is essential for both safety and aesthetics in your yard. But before you grab those pruning shears and head outside, it’s important to take a few steps back and assess the entire scenario.

Understanding what you’re working with will make all the difference between a simple trimming task and an intricate project that requires careful planning. If you have a branch that poses a potential threat to your home or property, it’s best to call a professional tree service to handle the situation. Tree Removal Toronto is ready to help you with all of your tree maintenance needs. Now, let’s dive into how you can safely manage those overhanging branches while keeping your yard looking its best.

Assess the Situation

Understand Local Regulations

Before you grab your tools, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with local regulations regarding tree maintenance. Many communities have specific guidelines on how and when you can prune trees. Check if permits are needed for cutting branches, especially if the tree is large or near property lines. Some areas also protect certain species of trees due to their ecological importance. Visiting your city’s website or contacting local authorities can provide clarity. Don’t forget about homeowners’ association rules as well; they might have additional requirements that could influence your plans. Understanding these regulations helps ensure you’re compliant while keeping both safety and aesthetics in mind.

Gather Necessary Tools

Before tackling any overhanging branches, ensure you have the right tools on hand. This not only makes the job easier but also safer. Start with a sturdy pair of pruning shears for smaller limbs. These come in handy when you’re working close to your body. For thicker branches, a handsaw or lopper is essential; they provide more leverage and power. If you’re dealing with high branches, consider investing in a pole saw. This tool will allow you to reach those elevated areas without climbing a ladder. Safety gear is just as important as the cutting tools.

Learn more : Professional Tree Removal Toronto

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thiscityneedslessfog · 2 months ago

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Yukiko’s Castle of Escapism

I really love Yukiko’s dungeon and want to talk about it. I think the imagery in it is great and conveys her character very well. This writeup was honestly long overdue, I should’ve written it back in like February.

I’ve said it before (major spoilers!), but I believe the crux of Yukiko’s story is her relationship with power and how she originally feels she has no control over her life, before learning she has more agency than she believes.

I want to drop a lot of context first, though.

Contextualizing the Amagi Inn

So, one of the first things we learn about Yukiko is that she is the heiress of the Amagi Inn. But what does that mean to her? What is the Amagi Inn and why does she feel so much pressure to inherit it?

Well, the Amagi Inn is a ryokan. Which, “inn” is a pretty good way to translate the word, but ryokans have a lot more diversity than most Western inns do. They also have hot springs, called onsen (温泉)!

Chris McMorran, in his book Ryokan: Mobilizing Hospitality in Rural Japan, discusses the difficulty of the job of the family that owns a ryokan.

This convergence of home and workplace in time and space, along with its relative lack of privacy, makes some ryokan owners feel trapped. Managing a ryokan is a twenty-four-hour a day, year-round commitment. Most of the face-to-face hospitality occurs between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., but someone needs to answer late-night requests or emergencies. These calls typically go directly to the owners’ residence. They answer the 2:00 a.m. request for an extra blanket or the occasional desperate plea from a woman fleeing an abusive spouse and begging for the physical safety that will come with a job (see chapter 7). Busy inns like Yamazakura close only a few days a year for maintenance and major family events like weddings or funerals.

[Source] located on page 62

As for Yukiko's role, she is in training to be the okami of the ryokan. Which is easily the most important role in the ryokan in total. The Japan Ryokan Association's website describes the role of an okami in the ryokan pretty well.

The okami not only bears the greatest responsibility for waiting on and taking care of guests but also acts as the chief service manager on behalf of the ryokan. The okami's role corresponds to that of a general manager in a Western hotel. In many cases, the okami is the owner of the ryokan or the wife of the owner, which means that the okami, as the representative of the ryokan, attends to all external affairs such as business matters and cooperation with the local community. [...] In the majority of ryokans, the role of the okami is handed down from mother to daughter or to daughter-in-law. In either case, the younger generation studies under the older generation, and devotes herself to mastering the responsibilities and principles of the position of okami.

[Source] page 62

In Yukiko's case, the implication is mother to daughter, as she is the only child of the owner of the Amagi Inn and her husband.

Furthermore, Chie calls the Amagi Inn “the pride of Inaba,” and describes it as basically what’s keeping Inaba economically afloat in the first place, and with the advent of the Junes competition, there’s even more pressure on the Amagi Inn as a bastion of Inaban culture.

Traditional Japanese femininity and the Amagi Challenge

Yukiko also is seen by her peers, male and female, as a personification of traditional Japanese femininity, a "Yamato Nadeshiko." Now, if you don't know what that is, it's the traditional ideal of a Japanese woman. Satoko Kakihara in her dissertation about Japanese femininity titled Flowers in Contradiction: Japanese Imperialism and Gender Construction Through Women’s Writings, 1895–1945 succinctly describes exactly what that is.

Another common label in Japanese discourse is the cliché of the Yamato nadeshiko (大和撫子), a phrase that describes the figure of a beautiful woman, the kind of elegant, flower-like beauty that has become naturalized and idealized in Japanese society. Nadeshiko (撫子) is Japanese for the genus of flowers called Dianthus, which includes more commonly known species such as the carnation; Yamato (大和) is another name for the nation of Japan, used also in phrases such as Yamato damashii (大和魂, the Japanese spirit), which essentialize and valorize Japanese nationalism. Yamato nadeshiko thus literally indicates a flower that belongs to, or is native to, the Japanese nation, embodying its positive and requisite characteristics. This standard of female beauty points to a particularly Japanese female beauty that is found only among the “Japanese”, perhaps even recognized or appreciated by only the Japanese as well—a beauty prized in a society that places significance on nature, the passing of seasons, the grace of flora that enriches the Japanese environment.

[Source]

This leads to her being distinctly sought after by the male students around her. Even older guys who don't actually have any romantic interest in her, like the reporter who interviews her before she's thrown in the Midnight Channel, comment on how beautiful she is and how she must have many suitors. But when it comes to the male students, she has had approximately zero interest in any of them. Even her best friend Chie comments on it.

Which... only makes them more determined for some creepy reason. They made a game out of it, the "Amagi Challenge," to see who the hell is going to get Yukiko as his actual girlfriend, and if he gets rejected, how brutally?

So Yukiko just constantly gets thrown around and hit on, much to her understandable aggravation.

The Castle Itself

So let’s start with the layout of Yukiko’s dungeon. It’s a castle. But an odd detail about it and the aesthetics of the shadows within is that it looks nothing like Japanese castles you’d see all over, well, Japan, which is Yukiko’s home country. It looks very European, resembling more specifically Mediterranean architecture. The shadows within also keep this trend of Western Renaissance-era clothing rather than anything that a Japanese person would be familiar with in their history, such as her fifth floor miniboss, the Avenger Knight, or her post-dungeon boss, the Contrarian King.

Part of the image Yukiko presents from her physical appearance is that of a traditionally feminine Japanese woman. Her hair is in a princess cut. And she states herself that she has never left Inaba.

Yukiko’s Shadow, Konohana Sakuya, keeps saying throughout her dungeon that she wants a prince to take her far, far away, to run away where nobody can find her.

Notably, Yukiko’s own breaking point leads to her admitting she wants to run the hell away herself, which is in Floor 6 of her dungeon, features an interview from a reporter that touches on two huge sources of stress for Yukiko: namely the unwanted attention she gets from her male peers and the fact she is the heiress to the Amagi Inn--in this scene she's recalling being asked about the Amagi Inn by a fellow student

When it comes to the stress on her from her male peers, she understandably doesn’t like the idea of just being seen as a prize to be won, which they clearly act like she is.

She sees everything in Inaba and her association with it as a cage, and uses the idea of this Western castle as an escape because it’s so starkly different from everything she knows—there’s no way Yukiko would be recognized here.

The music in the dungeon has almost no traditional instruments either. It's full of chaotic synths, incredibly modern instruments. It has a slower, gentler side, but still nothing like a shamisen or a flute is audible in the music piece.

Konohana Sakuya, Yukiko’s Shadow

Now let’s move on to her shadow. Her Shadow, later her Persona, is named Konohana Sakuya. If you don’t know who Konohana Sakuya-hime is, she’s the goddess of Mount Fuji, and has some pretty significant impact on Japanese culture—her presence is hugely important to Yukiko’s character. But she is not just the goddess of Mount Fuji. She’s the maternal great-grandmother of Emperor Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan, and she is considered the goddess of motherhood and one of the most beautiful deities in existence.

There’s a pretty good summary in the Encyclopedia of Shinto in Kokugakuin University.

Konohanasakuyahime became pregnant in a single night, and asked Ninigi to make special preparations, since she would be giving birth not to an ordinary individual, but to a child of the heavenly kami (amatsukami). Ninigi, however, was surprised at her claim to have become pregnant in a single night, and suspected that the child was actually the offspring of an earthly kami (kunitsukami).

Shamed and enraged at Ninigi's accusation, Sakuyahime entered a doorless parturition hut, setting fire to it with the vow that the child should not be injured if it were truly the offspring of the heavenly kami. Ninigi. Inside the hut, Sakuyahime gave birth to three kami, including Hoderi, Hosuseri, and Hoori (according to Kojiki; the names differ somewhat in the various other accounts).

[Source]

Sound familiar? Yukiko’s often sought after for her beauty, and actually, much like Konohana Sakuya-hime, is associated with transience because of the latter’s association with cherry blossoms, which only bloom for a very short time before giving way to leaves.

Right before we meet Tomoe, who is Chie’s Shadow, Yukiko’s thoughts talk about how little she thinks of herself and how much she hates her name precisely because of its association with transience, as her first name (雪子) literally translates to “snow child” or “snow girl.” Yukiko states she believes that because of that short lived nature of snow, that she's only meant to inherit and continue the inn as the okami and nothing more. She believes that is the only fate for her because of how low her self-esteem is.

I spoke about the pressure on Yukiko from the expectation to be the next okami of the Amagi Inn. But I didn't quite talk about how that ties into her relationship with her status as a woman, which is actually much more tied with the Amagi Challenge than you'd think. Something I didn't mention about the role of the okami is one specific detail: the fact she's also to create a successor and train the next manager and okami of the ryokan, as mentioned in McMorran's book.

This ideal of the eldest son as successor places intense pressure on ryokan families to produce a male heir and on eldest sons to accept the duty. However, a disproportionate burden falls on the emotions and bodies of okami. Ryokan owners, male and female, current and retired, frequently told me the most important job of an okami was to bear a son.

[Source on page 83]

It's pretty related to Konohana Sakuya-hime's importance as one of the ancestors of the Imperial dynasty of Japan, as her display of loyalty was to set the house she was giving birth in on fire to show that the kids she was having were actually fathered by Ninigi.

But it's a clear display of the pressure on Yukiko to marry a guy in order to head the Amagi Inn. But according to both herself and Chie, Yukiko hasn’t even had any male friends, let alone a male lover.

And furthermore, you know how I mentioned she’s considered the goddess of beauty and Mount Fuji? That’s a pretty huge piece of Japanese cultural identity, which further ties Yukiko to her status as a Japanese person who is deeply tied with Japan's traditional culture.

Now let’s look at Konohana Sakuya, the Shadow’s, design. She’s a princess, just like her mythological self. But she’s not portrayed as a Japanese one at all. Much like the Shadows and the castle’s layout, Konohana Sakuya adorns herself in a Western princess’ clothing.

Note, princesses are the female children of the royal family according to history. But normally, a princess is not going to be the heir to the throne despite the power she’s supposed to have as a daughter of the most powerful family in the kingdom. Instead, princesses tended to be married off as ways for kings to consolidate power, and usually she never had a say in this situation. So Konohana Sakuya being portrayed as a Western princess represents two things:

1. The perceived denial of power that’s supposed to belong to Yukiko as princesses were denied power for being women despite being royalty

2. The sense of desiring escape from her life by visually rejecting everything she associates with the inn, which includes the traditional Japanese architecture and fashion she’s used to in her life.

Now let’s analyze her Midnight Channel Episode, very clearly based on the idea of the Amagi Challenge, where people have to win “Yukiko’s” affection to be her prince. And it’s pretty clear Yukiko’s basically considered the princess of Inaba, from Chie’s words about her family’s ryokan being the economic backbone of the city. It’s also highly sexualized, which is going to be a theme in the Midnight Channel Episodes, but in Yukiko’s case this sexualization comes from the Amagi Challenge and how she is seen as a gold standard for traditional Japanese femininity. She doesn't feel like anyone can see her as anything else whatsoever, so Konohana Sakuya is, in a sense, giving into what she sees as her fate by sexualizing herself.

Also, the way she presents herself once actually in her dungeon is very clearly meant to invoke the damsel in distress archetype so common in folklore and in video games. Nintendo, even, has frequent damsel in distress stories, and their video games are a modern creation despite they themselves being made in 1889. Damsels in distress frequently do not have much in the way of agency, only meant to be rescued by male protagonists, like how Pauline is rescued by Mario from Donkey Kong in the Donkey Kong games, and Princess Peach (sometimes) in the Super Mario games. These damsels by game mechanics are just destinations, prizes to be won, just as Konohana Sakuya portrays herself to be in her Midnight Channel Episode.

Konohana Sakuya is meant to show how Yukiko feels she has so little control over her life, that she feels she has to meet the expectations of everyone around her, even if she doesn’t want to. Not only that, but she represents Yukiko's relationship with loyalty and connection through her being drawn to Yu, Yosuke and Chie as her "princes," methods of escape from her perceived fate.

Yu and Yosuke are obvious. Yu is a guy from the city and has seen tons of things that Yukiko has never seen before due to living in Inaba all her life, so he represents a life she's interested in living. And Yosuke is the son of the Junes manager, and Junes is seen as an enemy to Inaba, so being with him, likely by working at Junes as she rejects him when he asks her out, would be an active sense of rebellion. But Chie is special. Chie is someone she's known for a long time and therefore trusts the most--and aside from that, Chie is not a guy. She's a girl. Which means unless they adopt (or Chie is transgender without bottom surgery, which is not implied to be the case), there is absolutely no way for Yukiko and Chie to produce a child together. But Konohana Sakuya has eventually come to the conclusion that despite how much Chie means to Yukiko and by extension herself, Chie cannot save her from this situation, likely because Konohana Sakuya realizes her and Yukiko's bubbling jealousy of Chie means that can tear the two of them apart and make Chie a less viable or stable option of escape.

How much or little power does Yukiko have?

Yukiko is the only daughter of the Amagi family. Zero siblings are mentioned whatsoever. So all eyes are on her to lead the ryokan because there's no other known heir, and it seems that everyone just assumed Yukiko would take over the Amagi Inn. Furthermore, Yukiko cannot escape the sexualization of the boys around her despite her repeatedly rejecting their advances, the sheer fact they make a challenge out of it shows how little she is truly respected.

All of this on top of the fact that the job of a ryokan worker can lead to very little privacy, from childhood to adulthood, can lead to the working family members such as Yukiko feeling trapped. And considering Yukiko is an only child, if she does not inherit the inn, who will? The inn might be forced to close, putting more pressure on Yukiko.

And this culminates in Konohana Sakuya's rant:

Yukiko believes that she has no control over her life, and a bitter resentment is growing from that perceived lack of control. Tomoe, Chie's Shadow, points out the bubbling jealousy that Yukiko feels over Chie Satonaka, her best friend, for not having so much unwanted male attention on her.

And Konohana Sakuya insults the inn, as she sees it as a source of stress and a prison. This Western portrayal of a princess is her rejecting this perceived cage that her status as a traditional Japanese heiress gives her. Konohana Sakuya implies that she believes the only way to get out on her own is to sever ties with her family, especially since when she initially starts seeking various jobs, she starts out hiding this fact from her family.

But, there’s actually way less pressure on Yukiko than she initially believed, as shown by a little detail: Konohana Sakuya’s berserk design. She’s a bird in a gilded cage. (One friend pointed out she actually could be considered a lovebird considering the heart on her chest, symbolizing how she's tired of being pursued by the male students around her. I thought that the heart represented how she wanted help from loved ones outside of the inn to escape her situation.)

Of course the sexualization of her because of her femininity is something out of her control, but something she learns isn’t is whether she inherits the inn or not. She doesn’t have to at all. There were already hints other than Konohana Sakuya that her family is more open-minded than she thought, simply because Yukiko is an only child and therefore has no brothers, and sons are seen as the ideal to head ryokans as we've established. But she’s a daughter and she was considered a satisfactory heir. But at the epilogue of her social link, she confirms it.

Her family and their workers are totally okay with her doing what she wants, because they love Yukiko. No strings attached, they just straight-up adore her. They want her to be happy and if that happiness can't come from the inn, that's fine. Yukiko’s the one in control of her life. And she doesn’t need to burn any bridges at all, she’ll be supported all the way through.

Yukiko doesn't really have to escape from anything, at least not related to the inn. She can leave it entirely if she so pleases, and she has Chie and the rest of the Investigation Team by her side. And now she's realized she has everyone at the inn, too.

#persona 4 #persona 4 golden #Yukiko Amagi #analyzing the fog

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streamafterlaughter · 3 months ago

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Fundamental Differing

Chapter XXVI: So Soft, You Make Me Hard

masterlist | playlist | prev. | pin

summary: it finally starts to feel like a vacation

tags: SMUT minors DO NOT INTERACT! unprotected p in v, vulgar language, adult content, slight angst, mostly fluff, weed and cigarette usage.

a/n: hey........ remember this one? lol. hope y'all still have a little interest bc it's ALMOST OVER! just a few more chapters to go of the Fundamental Differing universe, such as bittersweet feeling. Hope you enjoy!

taglist (closed): @children-of-the-grave @five-bi-five @wiildflower-xxx @beebeerockknot @champagne-glamour @xxgothwhorexx @therensistance @chonkzombie @brxkenartt @sidthedollface2 @bibieddiesgf @gaysludge @eddiesguitarskills @lilpotatobean2 @poisonedluv @kellsck @m-chmcl-rmnc

DISCLAIMER: I do not consent to having my work fed to AI engines, or reposted in any way, shape, or form on other websites. Unless otherwise stated, this is the only account that features and contains this work, and any replication was done without my consent. Please let me know if you see my work elsewhere. Reblog to support the author!

-- Your POV

It had barely taken a week for the tabloids to run the story: Rockstars can be Softies Too! Corroded Coffin frontman spotted snuggling up to Death Dance Approximately vocalist. Sources close to the star say they’ve been close since the beginning of their joint tour.

You snort as you toss the Newsweek paper on your kitchen table for Eddie to see. The picture, of course, was staged by you and Eddie: Him in Ozzy-esque sunglasses, hair tied back, in regular clothing wrapped around you, an iced coffee in his free hand. You’re in jeans and Corroded Coffin t-shirt, snuggled into Eddie’s embrace as you sip on your own drink, a toothy smile on your face. You’d called Ralphie, a paparazzo in Boston that you’d grown close to, to break the story. He was more than happy to do it, knowing these photos would likely pay his rent for the foreseeable future.

“Think they’ll buy it?” Eddie muses, sipping his coffee.

“What’s to buy? It’s true. Maybe a bit exaggerated, but that’s just Hollywood.” You shrug, flipping the pancake on the griddle. “Chocolate chips?”

Eddie nods, rising from his seat to wrap his arms around your waist. “I need this tour to be over. I prefer waking up in a stationary bed.”

“Mmm,” You make a sound of agreement, resting your head on his as comfortably as you can without leaving the stove. “Only a couple more weeks and we’re home free.”

“Where is home, exactly?”

You don’t miss a beat. “Wherever, as long as it’s with you.”

He snorts. “Such a sap.”

“Huh, wonder who made me this way.” You giggle, poking his cheek. “You think we can put this whole thing to bed now?” You study the magazine article, rolling your eyes at their word choice: scruffy, angsty, disheveled.

“Maybe, but there’s something else I wanna put to bed instead.” He waggles his eyebrows at you. Pretending not to squirm at his flirting, you rise from your seat at the table, clearing his empty plate and your own.

“Though I am absolutely picking up what you’re putting down, I have shit to do today.”

He pouts, batting his big, brown eyes at you. “What could possibly be more important?”

–

“This fuckin’ sucks.” Eddie kicks the gravel from the sidewalk outside the mechanic. “I didn’t even know you still had a car.”

You shrug. “I like to keep my life outside of being a rockstar pretty normal. Unfortunately that includes taking my dad’s car in for routine maintenance.”

“I coulda taken a look for him, yknow?”

“Psh, right. Ask the rockstar to change the oil in my dad’s camaro.” “My life is not too glamorous to do my favorite person a favor.” There’s no humor in his tone, he genuinely wouldn’t mind getting his hands dirty for you.

“While I appreciate that, my dad would never let anyone besides Theo and himself touch that thing. You know how many times I begged him to let me take it out?”

Eddie snorts. “I remember. And the one time he finally let you, it came back with the tiniest scratch and he’d grounded you for a month.”

“Theo was the one to fix it, and the one to talk him out of a harsher punishment.”

“And despite already being eighteen, you didn’t go out at all that entire month.”

You frown, because he’s right. “God, I’m such a fake punk!”

“Yeah. Total poser.” He shoves your shoulder playfully.

“Well, she’s all set, kid.” Theo strolls up to where you and Eddie are talking, wiping his hands on a stained rag.

“Thanks, Theo.” You fork a handful of cash in his direction.

“No biggie. Anything for the biggest Boston rockstah I know. And I know a few, ya know, Steven Tyla…” He definitely doesn’t know Steven Tyler, but you’d seen him at a couple parties.

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Before ya go, though. Would yas mind signin’ somethin’ for my kids? They’a huge fans. Daughta can’t get enough o’ya.”

“‘Course, sir!” Eddie beams at the recognition, and your heart skips. He really is still living a dream. You nod in agreement, and Theo pulls out a receipt book that he hands you, along with the pen behind his ear. You sign the top corner,

Thanks for listening, hope to see ya at the gig! and scribble your signature before passing it to Eddie. You peek over his shoulder and watch him scribble,

Keep rock n roll alive! and his big, blocky EDDIE. “How old are your kids?” Eddie looks up, meeting Theo’s eyes.

“Eighteen and twenty.”

“Do they wanna come see us? We have a show here in about a month.”

“Seriously?” Theo’s eyes light up, and you can't help but be awed by Eddie’s gesture.

“You can too, if you want! I dunno if you listen to that type of music, but…”

“You can't tell my kids, but I'm actually a really big fan of both you guys’ stuff.” He lights up as he says it, and it makes you teary. You’re not sure you’ll ever get used to this part, the effect you can have on other, real people.

“Your secret’s safe with us, man.” Eddie offers out his hand, which Theo shakes enthusiastically. “We’ll see ya!”

—

Eddie’s POV

“That was a really nice thing to offer.” You nudge him, approaching the door to your parents’ house.

Eddie shrugs off his vest and lays it over the arm of your couch. “Least I could do. We should probably let Steve know to add three to the guest list. You get his kids’ names?”

“Shit. No, but I can ask my dad.”

He nods, still standing awkwardly in the middle of your living room. “Well, uh. What else did you need to do today?” He can’t see what else needs to be done. You’d gone grocery shopping yesterday, and your parents’ place is pretty set for the week. He remembers trailing behind you: dressed in sinfully short shorts and white tank top while he managed to sweat in the freezer section, even if only in a tank top himself.

The house is clean— with the help of your parents, but mostly because you’ve been anxiously cleaning since this morning. He had tried to help, but ultimately had to excuse himself when you bent over the kitchen counter to wipe it down.

He wants to touch you. It’s driving him fucking crazy, he hasn’t been able to. He’s starting to feel like maybe you’re avoiding him, though you’ve given no indication that you’re not interested in having sex with him again. His brain is just telling him that. He hopes.

Even right now, in a sundress and sneakers, he wishes he could bring himself to take you to the alley behind the mechanic’s. But neither of you have made a move. Eddie’s not even sure he’s entitled to. Everything has been on your terms, and he hasn’t had a problem with it. He owes you that, right?

You glance at your watch and shrug. “Dad’s doing an overnight, and my mom’s away on some business trip as of this morning.”

“Are you implying what I think you are?” He focuses on the wall behind you to keep his pants from tightening.

“Horror movie marathon? Like old times?” If it weren’t for the hope in your voice, he’d accuse you of being cruel.

So he meets your eyes again and stretches his smile as wide as it’ll go. “Of course, sweetheart.”

—

You’re trying to kill him. You must be trying to fucking kill him.

“Whipped cream?” You offer out the can with a mouthful, a bit of cream landing on his cheek. Fighting the urge to use your outstretched arm to pull you into him, Eddie opens his mouth without breaking eye contact. Two can play this fuckin’ game, he thinks. Unfortunately the giggle that slips through your lips makes his knees wobble.

“So, I have plenty of movies to choose from. Never brought ‘em when I moved out, guess they kept them all safe for me.” You glide over to the crates of tapes next to your television, neatly organized with their titles facing outward. “You in the mood for something really scary first, or something more along the lines of a horror-comedy?”

He’s in the mood for you, truthfully. The short cotton shorts and camisole you’re wearing aren’t helping that, either. “Ed?”

“Hm? Oh, uh, either one’s fine.”

You raise an eyebrow at him, and through his flushing cheeks he manages to smile back. Through gritted teeth, albeit.

“You’re being weird.”

“Am not. What about Possession?” An attempt to dodge the subject.

You seem to let the subject slide, plucking the tape from its case. “Possession it is.”

The TV yawns to life, and you place the tape into the player, making sure it's been rewound before pressing play.

“You gonna sit with me, or are you gonna keep being weird?” He rolls his eyes, collapsing on the opposite side of where you are. “Got it.”

Half of the movie is spent like that, Eddie resisting the nagging voice in the back of his head, begging him to tug you by your ankle onto his lap. You seem blissfully unaware of his internal crisis, munching on microwave popcorn as the TV illuminates the frightened expression on your pretty face. You retreat under the blanket when the scene before you gets to be too much, and for some reason it springs Eddie into action. He crawls from his side of the couch slowly, doing his best not to spook you, and curls his body into your blanket covered form.

“Hello?”

“Hi.”

“Whatcha doin’?”

“Protecting you from the scary movie.”

“My knight in shining armor.” Your body shakes with laughter, and he joins you. When you stop, you start flailing under the blanket, causing Eddie to release you so you can shove the cloth off your head. You inhale the fresh air deeply before once again descending into a fit of giggles.

“I think we’re safe now.” Eddie looks around dramatically, curly flying on either side of his face.

“Thanks for rescuing me.” You crane your neck up to reach his cheek, placing a tender kiss against his hot skin. “However shall I repay such a noble act?”

Eddie groans under the heat of your breath against his cheek. “You’re killin’ me, doll.”

“Oh?”

“Gonna make me bust in my pants like a fuckin’ teenager.”

–

Your POV

His words propel you into action, quickly moving to straddle his lap, clad only in a pair of gray sweatpants. You can feel his length underneath you, twitching when you make the gentlest of contact. “And here I thought you didn’t wanna fuck me.”

“What?” Eddie halts the beginning of your movement, grasping your hips to keep you in place. “What god awful crime could I have committed in the last week to make you think such a terrible thing?” He looks at you with a pout, his eyes dark with want, or maybe hurt.

“It’s what you didn’t do, actually. I was walkin’ around the house in my underwear, Ed! And don’t even get me started on the shorts I wore to the grocery store.”

“You don’t have to remind me.” His breath is labored, like he’s just run a marathon. You grind your hips forward experimentally, and he whimpers in response. “Fuck, I’m sorry. Jus’ wasn’t sure it was the ri- fuck– right time, y’know?” Your grinding has become more consistent, still slow as the clothed tip of his cock prods teasingly against your throbbing clit.

“Mmm, such a gentleman all of a sudden?” You tease, making sure each word is barely audible, said so closely that each of your breaths tickles the fine hairs of his ear canal. “Where’s the spoiled rockstar that takes whatever he wants, whenever he wants, hm?” You’re being mean, but Eddie squirming and panting underneath you spurs you on. “You just gonna let me tease you like that while you mope because you can't touch me? Because it would be, what? Wrong? You’ve never cared about that shit before.”

“Didn’t wanna ruin anything, didn’t want you gettin’ the idea that I–” He stops short.

“Finish your sentence.” It’s a command. You don’t usually take the dominant role over Eddie in these situations, but you don’t hate the way it’s making you feel.

“Didn’t want you thinkin’ I oh- only wanted sex..” His voice is raspy with want, with need, for you, and you’ve never been good at denying him of it.

“But you do, right? You want sex?”

“I want your trust first.” His eyes bore into you as he says it.

“Eddie,” You sigh, breaking character to caress his sweaty, flushed face. “You have my trust.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I would’ve kicked you out by now if you didn’t.” Eddie throws his head back to laugh, but it comes out strangled when you grind down on his lap again. “So, now that that’s out of the way…” Before you can finish the thought, Eddie lurches forward, one hand to the back of your neck as the other wraps around your waist, bringing your body closer to his as your lips meet. Your tongue slips sweetly into his waiting mouth, coaxing a groan from his throat that you feel between your legs.

The movie playing behind you is long forgotten, now white noise as Eddie slips the strap of your tank top down your arm, calloused fingers gliding over your soft skin. Despite your earlier candidness, he’s being slow. Gentle. Almost cautious. In a way, it feels like revenge for the way you’d been teasing him, and you can’t help but relish the way it works you up.

Eddie finally breaks your kiss, giving you time to breathe while he sloppily mouths your throat, eagerly adding teeth when you roll your hips forward again. His hands have a mind of their own, tugging at the fabric of your tank top until it's bunched at your waist, exposing your chest to the warmth of Eddie’s hot, panting breaths. At this point you’re practically riding his lap, begging for friction as he takes his time with you, like he’s memorizing every inch.

“Ed, please,” Your voice is strained, broken and shameless.

“What do you need, baby?” He coos, sending you into a tizzy.

“Need you to touch me.”

“I am touchin’ you, sweetheart.” He runs his finger down your arm with a feather light touch, barely registering over the way your entire body is vibrating.

“You know what I mean.” You’re pouting, getting desperate. “Thought you wanted to.”

“Hey,” His eyes darken as he stills the rocking of your hips with firm hands. “I want to. But what’s the rush, huh? We’ve got so much time now. All night, even.” His voice holds an air of mischief, and you’re putty in his hands.

“You gonna tease me like this all night? You don’t have the willpower.” You wriggle in his grasp for emphasis, and he muffles his groan with gritted teeth. You cross your arms over your bare chest, huffing smugly. “At least take your shirt off?”

–

Eddie’s POV

He can’t resist the way you ask, pleading with him to give you something. Eagerly he complies, yanking his shirt over his head and tossing it lacklusterly aside somewhere in your living room. “Get that later.” He laughs breathily, and you lunge at him. Before he can adjust to your weight, your teeth have sunken into his neck, contrasting with the plush of your lips placing wet kisses along the column of his throat. Your tongue soothes over the sore marks your teeth have left indented in his skin, branding him as yours. He finds himself excited for the next time he’ll go out in public, wearing the hickies you’ve given him like designer accessories.

“You wanna go upstairs?” You mumble the question between placing chaste kisses on his shoulder.

“I dunno, I’m kinda set on the idea of you riding me on the couch.”

“Eddie, this is my parents’ house.”

“I’ll buy them a new couch.” Before you can argue, he pulls you forward by the neck, his lips slotting into your like puzzle pieces. You seem to give in, letting him win the argument. He can get a couch here by tomorrow if he has to.

–

Your POV

You readjust, sliding the tank top and your shorts quickly from your body, tossing them over the arm of the sofa before claiming your former position, this time with less layers between your throbbing clit and the tip of his leaking cock.

Before you can work him up too much more, Eddie’s hands are sliding down your form, stopping to lightly twist and pinch at your nipples, chuckling at the way you whine and mewl for him. Replacing one hand with his mouth, Eddie then slips his free fingers to the waistband of your panties, snapping them once and causing you to jump before dipping lower to gather your slick before rubbing agonizing circles on your clit.

“Jesus, angel, you’re fuckin’ soaked.” His pupils are blown as you’re sure your own are, looking at you with a lovely mixture of lust and love.

“What can I say, you do it f’me.” You aren’t trying to be sexy, it’s the truth. Eddie doesn’t have to do much to turn you on.

“Feeling’s mutual, doll. Gettin’ me all hot ‘n bothered.” His breath is labored as he speaks, and you can feel his heart racing as you press yourself further into his chest. “Need to be inside you, love. Don’t think I can take much more teasing.” You can’t resist his desperation. You move quickly, letting him shove his sweatpants, now with a damp spot staining the crotch, and his boxers to the ground. His cock springs free from the confines and slaps against his stomach, precum dampening the coarse hair of his happy trail. You lick your lips absentmindedly, and before you can drop to your knees in front of him, Eddie grabs your wrist, pulling you back into his lap.

“Wait, Ed I’m still– oh, f-fuck.” Eddie drags the tip of his dick against the damp cloth of your panties, causing a sensation that ripples through your core.

“You gonna say somethin’?” He’s taken control, stroking himself against your hole, fabric doing nothing to cease the waves of pleasure crashing through you. “Use your words, baby.” He’s chiding, condescending as you can only whine in response, the heat between your legs seemingly cutting off the communication between your brain and your tongue. “Tell me what you want, can’t read your mind.”

“Need you to fuck me, baby, please.” The words fall out without decorum, desperate and high pitched like you’re being tortured.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it? Such a good job.” Relief floods your senses when he pulls your panties to the side, sliding himself easily into your drenched hole. You both moan at the feeling, your walls clenching around his thick cock, his grip a vice on either side of you, not yet ready to let you move. You can only shake your head, too cock drunk to form a coherent sentence. Usually, he’d scold you for not speaking, make it harder for you to get off, but you can tell he’s just as desperate to fuck you, possibly even more than you are. “Need you to move.” He tries to keep his voice even, but you can hear it’s close to breaking, begging. You obey, rocking your hips, rolling forward, each movement accompanied by his own, the head of his dick pressing against the sweet spot inside you each time.

“Feels so good, darlin’, takin’ me s- so well.” He knows you value his praise, regardless of how difficult it is to give it between labored breaths.

“Missed you, Ed.” You sigh the words, brain too fuzzy to muster up the strength to properly speak to him.

“I missed you, baby.” Eddie’s head falls into the crook of your neck, kissing the marks he’d previously left on your throat while you continue to ride him. “Not gonna last much longer. Need you to cum for me. Please, I need you to cum.” His fingers find your clit without struggle, like he’s memorized the map of your body. He makes tight, quick circles on your clit as he continues thrusting inside of you, and your walls clench more tightly around him as you feel your orgasm climbing. Finally, as Eddie has pulled your face into his, crashing your lips together as his hand and hips stay moving, you fall apart on top of him, legs shaking on either side of his lap as he watches you ride it out, mesmerized by the look of you; sweaty, panting, bouncing on top of him. You’re still shuddering when Eddie lets go, head buried in your neck as his thrusts lose rhythm and grow eager, no longer worried about getting you off. His noises are guttural, coming from the deep recesses of his body. He spills his load inside you, his cum painting your walls as he mutters sweet nothings: “Fuck, shit, you’re perfect, missed this pussy so much, like it’s made for me, ‘s all mine, mine, mine…”

When he’s emptied himself, body heaving with each breath, Eddie lifts you off of his lap, both of you wincing as he slowly pulls out. “Shit!” You fall into a fit of giggles as your bare butt falls onto the couch next to him, suddenly shy about being naked in front of him. He joins you, cackling as you wipe the sweat from your brow with an exaggerated “Phew!”

“Why weren’t we doin’ that all week?” He says through laughter, and you shrug.

“Probably because other people live here?”

“Ugh, what a bummer.” He reaches over to the cigarette pack on the side table. “You wanna smoke?”

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crossdreamers · 22 days ago

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Five myths about testosterone

Over at twitter (which will deadname until the transphobic Elon Musk leaves the company) Kirsti Miller has a great thread about the myths of testosterone.

This is an important topic for a lot of reasons:

The exclusion of female trans athletes and cis athletes with unusual hormone levels is based on the stereotype of T as the powerful "male hormone".

The stereotype about T as the "male hormone" is used to invalidate and exclude all women, presenting them as weak and emotional.

This is what Kirsti says:

Myth No. 1: Testosterone is the male sex hormone.

In answer to the question “What are male sex hormones?” the National Institutes of Health says testosterone is one of the most abundant of the androgens, “a class of hormones that control the development and maintenance of male characteristics.”

The website Live Science saystestosterone “is a male sex hormone that is important for sexual and reproductive development.”

But T isn’t just a male hormone: It’s also the most abundant biologically active steroid hormone in women’s bodies — crucial for female development and well-being. It helps support ovulation, for instance.

And T isn’t just a sex hormone, either.

In men and women, receptors for the hormone are found in almost all tissues, and it contributes to lean body mass, bone health, cognitive function and mood, among other attributes.

Both testosterone and the supposed female sex hormone estrogen were identified in the context of scientists’ search for the chemical essences of maleness and femaleness, an origin story that helps explain the tenacity of the “sex hormone” label.

Another explanation may be the confusion of quantity with importance. Yes, men generally have much higher levels of T than women.

But greater quantity doesn’t equate to greater function (elephants have bigger brains than humans, but brains aren’t more important to elephants than to us).

Myth No. 2: Testosterone drives aggression and sexual violence.

One of the most enduring story lines in discussions of testosterone is that “higher levels of the hormone cause aggression,” as the Guardian put it in 2017.

A 2012 study in the International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism asserted that there’s “evidence that testosterone levels are higher in individuals with aggressive behavior.”

Yet “gold standard” studies — placebo-controlled trials in which neither the research subjects nor the investigators know which people are getting T — have shown that even extremely high doses of the hormone don’t increase hostility, anger or aggression in men.

And when it comes to endogenous T, the kind produced by people’s own bodies, the classic studies linking T to aggression and violence are badly flawed because of imprecise measures and poor statistical practice — as we found when we reexamined them.

A common defect, on display in a much-cited 1987 study of 89 prison inmates, is to include so many measures of aggression — past criminal acts, survey answers, disciplinary infractions, subjective evaluations of “toughness” — that finding a link between T levels and some attributes is pretty much guaranteed, by chance alone.

Myth No. 3: Testosterone supercharges your love life.

Ads for testosterone boosters promise “vigor & vitality,” increased “stamina” and “improved confidence in the bedroom,” while tabloid publications make tantalizingly specific pronouncements such as:

“The higher the testosterone level, the greater the amount of sexual activity.”

Unfortunately for marketers and would-be Lotharios, “studies of men’s testosterone and sexual behavior suggest either weak or null relationships,” as one review of the scholarly literature put it in 2017.

A certain (relatively low) level of testosterone is necessary for optimal sexual functioning, but above that threshold, more T doesn’t make much difference, for men or women.

And the causal chain between testosterone & a healthy sex life can go in the opposite direction from what’s usually assumed: Sexual activity & even lust have been shown to increase T (as have many other things, such as exercise or receiving positive feedback from a boss).

Myth No. 4: It caused the 2008 market crash and boom-bust cycles.

After the 2008 financial crisis, some commentators pinpointed one possible cause: Traders, overwhelmingly young men, take irrational risks because of high T.

A European Union commissioner was “ ‘absolutely convinced’ that testosterone was one of the reasons the financial system had been brought to its knees,” according to a 2009 New York Times article.

International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde has suggested that “if it had been Lehman Sisters rather than Lehman Brothers, the world might well look a lot different today.”

But the studies attempting to link T to financial recklessness are weak. An often-cited 2008 study by two Cambridge University neuroscientists set out to show that financial gains might raise T levels, causing riskier bets, which in turn would raise T — a dangerous spiral.

They measured the T of 17 traders in the mornings, and again in the afternoons, for eight days and tracked their financial performance. The scientists managed to show that people who had relatively high T in the morning tended to have higher earnings that day.

But they either didn’t look for, or didn’t find, an association between a day’s high earnings & T levels in the afternoon — which is what their risk-spiral hypothesis would require.

Again, the paper’s modest findings were probably due to chance, given how many analyses were conducted.

Myth No. 5: The more testosterone, the better the athlete.

“The science is quite clear,” T researcher Aaron Baggish of Massachusetts General Hospital toldthe New York Times. “An androgenized body has a performance advantage.”

Researchers affiliated with the IAAF asserted that “wide sex difference in circulating testosterone concentrations … largely account[s] for the sex differences” in athletic performance.

But T’s effect on athleticism isn’t straightforward, in either men or women. At the most basic level, no study has ever concluded that you can predict the outcome of speed or strength events by knowing competitors’ T levels.

And while T does affect parameters related to athleticism, including muscle size and oxygen uptake, the relationships don’t translate into better sports performance in a clear-cut way. Consider a study of 52 teenage Olympic weightlifters — an elite group, male and female.

Among the boys, there was no relationship between T levels and strength, and among girls, the athletes with lower T lifted more weight.

In one widely disputed study, researchers claimed to have found that high T levels predict high performance across various track-and-field events.

Kirsti Miller is an Australian and World Champion athlete, researcher and educator regarding diversity, inclusion, acceptability and the broader issues of sport.

#transgender #trans #lgbt #lgbtqa #queer #testosterone #sports #politics #culture #trans athletes #hormones

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yes-no-maybe-soo · 6 months ago

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Fellow Hunters

Before the big maintenance tomorrow, please remember to:

Clear up storage on your phone/tablet. The maintenance will be taking a long time so it most likely requires a decent amount of GB

Bind your account. Here is a link to create an account on Infold's website. Binding your account across multiple platforms is recommended, if possible.

Screenrecord your in-game profile, complete inventory incl. memories, and your purchase receipts. This and the account binding are important safety measures should something go haywire with your account during maintenance. The more info you have to provide, the easier it'll be for them to restore it.

After the update, please don't forget to fill in the survey! It's especially important for Sylus and Caleb girlies to make our concerns about their lack of basic content known!

That's all I think ❤️ Here's hoping everything goes smoothly for all of us 🤞🏻🤞🏻

#you best believe i'll be writing a whole essay in the survey #lads #love and deepspace #lads sylus #love and deepspace sylus #sylus lads #sylus love and deepspace #sylus #caleb #lads caleb #caleb lads #love and deepspace caleb #caleb love and deepspace

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fmaoldficarchive · 7 months ago

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Welcome Post

Hi! This is the FMA Oldfic Preservation Blog, we're dedicated to digging up the old, beloved fanfics steadily dying to linkrot and lost accounts on places like livejournal, wattpad and quotev, to archive and display them here for the continued enjoyment of the public.

I understand the importence of always backing up these fics directly to the internet archive whenever possible to preserve the original integrity of the work, as well as its associated profiles and links. But due to complications regarding crawling mature content on sites such as livejournal, as well as the risk of certain fics and websites becoming unfindable on the wayback machine in the event the original link becomes lost, I sometimes have to work around this.

This blog exists both to allow the internet archive to crawl at-risk fics effectively, and to bring fics and fansites that have faded into the background, or even gone offline permenantly, back into the spotlight for a new audience to enjoy (or an old audience to rediscover).

All fics are welcome in the name of fandom history, regardless of ship, fic content or any associated fandom dramas therein, but I always try to tag appropriately, please feel free to comment if you feel additional content warnings or tags are necessary.

Requests are always accepted and encouraged!

How It Works (by website)

This blog is an index of archived fics across many old fan websites, with the goal of preventing those sites from being lost to obscurity (I didn't know about half of these when I joined the fandom) along with archiving and indexing oldfics on sites that are still active, like ao3.

The below format allows me to archive and index any fic on the websites listed while skirting tumblr's mature content policy. It also allows me breathing room, the ability to post more fics with less stress, and avoids outright reposting fics whenever possible.

Website's being indexed from, and how each work:

Standard procedure - Fic page(s) are saved to the wayback machine, then the archived link - along with the original, if the site is still up - is posted with the original summary and tags, along with additional tags and content warnings added by myself to aid in navigation. This means you can still read fics on currently active websites even if they shut down, or are currently under maintenence.

Special procedure - For websites the Wayback Machine is unable to crawl, fics will be reposted here in a private post so they can be archived. The private post is deleted and the archived link is used to make a normal post for the fic. This avoids tumblr flagging by keeping as little smut directly on the blog as possible. fanfiction.net - Standard archiveofourown - Standard, also hosts my open oldfic collection, which serves a similar purpose to this blog, collecting external bookmarks as well as fics on ao3. The collection will never be closed and anyone can contribute. deviantart - Standard mediaminer - Standard txq.nu/jumpyboys - website has shut down and archived fics are the only available - Standard yaoi.toukakoukan - website has shut down and archived fics are the only available - Standard archive.skyehawke.com - website has shut down and archived fics are the only available - Standard adultfanfiction.net (2003-2013) - adult-fanfiction.org (2013-) - Standard scimitarsmile - suggested by zetalial - website has shut down and archived fics are the only available - Standard

wattpad - Website has blocked url from wayback machine - Special

quotev - Case by case, Wayback Machine occasionally seems to struggle to archive or load Quotev directly. livejournal - For fics without a mature label, Standard. Fics with a mature label are blocked from the Wayback Machine due to the content notice, Special.

Early posts which do not meet the format listed will retrofitted in the near future, and this notice removed. 12/24/24

#fma #fma 03 #fma 2003 #fma brotherhood #fullmetal alchemist #fma fic #fanfiction archive #oldfic archive #housekeeping

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varijeri · 2 years ago

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so i was watching Fit's stream and he was cleaning up a Federation outpost.... what's up with the outpost names huh? long post warning TL;DR at bottom.

Sector A's outpost names are derived from Slavic mythology; specifically special places from the myths. after searching these names online i found this website: https://meettheslavs.com/slavic-mythological-places/ taking from the website; 1. there's a "mystical mountain of Vitor" that's "built in heaven" and "hard to find because it changes its location as soon as the wind blows in a different direction". it's also said to have dragons living on it (this is the one Fit was sent to for repairs, and it also had weird blue draconic-looking creatures around it. it was also an icy mountain...) 2. there's a "Buyan/Bujan Island", described to "appear and disappear with the tides" and be the "dwelling place of three brothers, the Northern, Western and Eastern winds". 3. there's a "Kingdom of Opona", an "imaginary place [that] existed at the edge of the Earth which [ancient Russians] imagined as a flat plane." it was believed "free and happy [peasants]" lived in this country under a "true and just" ruler. 4. there's a "Vyraj/Viraj", a "resting place for the souls and spirits" AKA the equivalent of Heaven in Slavic mythology. it's "a place where birds find their retreat in the winter". (notably this outpost is inactive) 5. lastly there's a "Nav/Nawia", a "mysterious place for the souls of the dead", and "often interpreted as another version of the imaginary place Vyraj", so AKA Hell or the Underworld. (the Hell outpost is active but not the Heaven outpost???) If Outpost Vitor sort of matches the description from the myth, maybe the other outposts do too? so like Bujan is on an island in the sea, Opona is super far out in a village maybe, Viraj and Nawia i have no clue... Sector B's outpost names are derived from Norse mythology; specifically Norse gods. being a nerd i noticed this instantly which was what tipped me off to search up Sector A's names. taking from various sources, but mostly from their Wikipedia articles: 1. "Tyr" is an one-armed god representing justice and fair treaties despite being a god of war, who lost his arm in the process of binding Fenrir the wolf. he dies in Ragnarök. 2. "Odin/Woden/Wodan" is the ruler of Asgard, the All-Father, and the one-eyed god of wisdom war, and death. he presided over Valhalla, a sacred hall that housed dead warriors in preparation for Ragnarok. he dies in Ragnarök. 3. "Thor/Donar" is probably the most popular Norse god, the god of thunder. the embodiment of strength, he is the protector of the Æsir and the humans. he dies in Ragnarök. 4. "Máni" is the god of the Moon and brother of Sol, the goddess of the Sun. they is eternally chased by Skoll and Hati, two wolves who seek to plunge the world into chaos by eating the Sun and Moon. he dies in Ragnarök. 5. Outpost Frïja I believe is "Frigg", the Queen of Asgard and the goddess of marriage, family and motherhood. she lives in Ragnarök. notably, all five gods (and goddess) lend their names to days of the week (Máni -> Monday, Tyr -> Tuesday, Woden -> Wednesday, Thor -> Thursday, and Frigg -> Friday). none of these outposts are active, they are all inactive or under maintenance, so i'm inclined to believe these aren't as important right now as compared to Sector A... still, these outposts are named after Slavic and Norse myths for a reason possibly so these might be significant. Nothing particularly comes to mind but if anyone has any idea feel free to add on... TL;DR: Federation Outpost names from Fit's stream have Slavic/Norse mythology inspired names, possible significance?

#qsmp #qsmp liveblogging #qsmp theories #qsmp theory #qsmp fit #qsmp liveblog

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catenary-chad · 7 months ago

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Some sources I get my train info from (mostly US-focused)

-Clive Lamming is all in French but can be machine translated. Outside of that he is my favorite rail writer and covers many of the themes/topics relevant to Stex. Fanciful, beginner friendly style that's fun just to browse random stuff on. Writes about electric trains in a romanticized way no English-language author does.

-Wikipedia is a decent starting place for most topics and will have a list of sources for fact-checking and even more info

-Historical societies for specific regions/railroads can be GREAT for more specific info

-Train museums/tourist railroads usually have decent websites with historical info on their equipment and you find some… interesting things at them. Not always the biggest and coolest, but lots of weird stuff even at smaller ones (Chinese steam engines built in the late 80s, the tiniest diesel switcher I’ve ever seen, and a wild array of redneck retrofits of old circus trains are things I’ve seen). They’ll often have more info on niche local industries for fun freight characters.

-You’ll probably have a LOT of success finding physical books about trains at libraries, The Internet Archive, and antique stores (or anywhere with used books).

https://www.cruiselinehistory.com/

^this site has a TON of articles and photos of 30s-60s era high-end US trains, which most of the replica coaches are based on. Absolute gem for finding historical context for them and refs/ideas for OCs.

The Railway Series and first few seasons of Thomas The Tank Engine are unironically good at explaining British steam train mechanics circa the early-mid 20th century in a more whimsical way. They’re very specific to their time and place though.

r/railroading on reddit is for actual railroad workers to discuss their jobs and problems. Here there be discussions about whose employer sucks the least and which lines/engines have the worst toilets. It’s an interesting look at a very different side of things…

Electric-specific sources because they're a pain to find:

My youtube playlist with some favorite videos

ocs4rail.com - free, modern, English-language book with more than any non-professional would want to know about rail electrification. First few chapters have a great summary of the politics and history of it in the UK, the chapter on electric traction has great info on how the actual trains work. it gets technically intense fast outside of that and you might get lost if not mechanically/electrically inclined.

William C. Middleton- When the Steam Railroads Electrified- considered one of the definitive books on earlier US electric heavy rail, BEAUTIFUL photos and encyclopedic scope. Not cheap and probably a pain to get outside the US. Unfortunately most other books on pre-70s US electric trains are this way.

-Central Electric Railfans Association has put out a lot of stuff mostly on Chicago-area lines

-If you are ever in Boston, The Wardmaps/MBTA store is an awesome spot for books on this topic (and old passenger rails schedules, maps, and tokens)

-trolley museums often have very high quality presentations on random topics. Searching for Frank Sprague on various platforms will dig up something, he's a very important inventor in the train and elevator sphere many don't know about.

-Substation, elevator, and general heavy industrial tech and maintenance videos can be helpful since they share basic tech (various types of motors, variable frequency drives, big transformers).

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Hyce777 (steam and diesel train mechanics, run by a guy who actually works on them. Gets very technically detailed in some videos)

Railnatter (British podcast, discussion about political, technical, and cultural aspects of trains, host works in the industry and guests often do too)

Banks Rail (Modern US train politics, some international issues. VERY thorough and specific but beginner friendly.)

Charles Smiley Presents (20th century US trains, lots of nice video and very chill and beginner friendly without ignoring deeper problems)

V12 Productions (mostly modern US freight operations but very approachable style and shows a wide variety of stuff)

PAN UP (newer on the scene, one of the few with coverage of old US electric trains, very calm and chill)

Trek Trendy (very detailed reviews/vlogs of modern luxury trains)

Amtrakguy365 (aimed at railfans, histories of specific Amtrak equipment and lines)

Alan Fisher (focused on modern US transit/train issues, Philadelphia-focused and VERY leftist, aimed at non-railfans)

How We Get Around (even more Philadelphia focused but less political, lots of nitty gritty on the specific area’s network but also assumes you’re stupid and explains the basics very bluntly)

Specific references I use for Electra:

Electra is real and can take you for a ride if you ever go to France

CC 6500 info from an organization who restored and runs one today

AEM-7 Manual (Dense and technical but very detailed. The Swedish Rc class locomotives, AEM-7s, and similar derivatives are a pretty popular fanon basis for Electra and relatively well documented in English due to being used by Amtrak for nearly 40 years and in Sweden from the 60s-80s to now. Those models are my main source of Electra Extended Lore.)

Head-End Power info (sales website with detailed technical info on modern US-style HEP)

#stex #starlight express #list is non exhaustive i’ll add more with time #reference

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viciousnoodles · 4 months ago

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I am now sending to most of the EU via my website www.viciousnoodles.com using DDP (delivery duty paid). VAT and import duty are included in the postage price so there will be no further charges upon delivery. J'envoie maintenant à la plupart de l'UE à partir de ma boutique en ligne, la TVA et les frais d'importation sont inclus dans les frais de port à la caisse donc vous n'aurez rien de plus à payer avant la livraison.

See translation

#skull #human skull #crâne #dark aesthetic #replica skull #halloween #horror #dark academia #goth #horreur #fossil #fujifilm xh1 #Fuji x #helios lens

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caparrucia · 8 months ago

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Okay no, but for real, we need to talk about this.

If you find you can only relate to real world events through the lens of fiction, that's actually a big deal and you should be concerned and actively taking steps to change that.

This isn't about being neurodivergent or having hyperfixations, this isn't a condemnation. I'm trying to frame this as sympathetically as possible because I know I'm gonna get pushback from this, but I think it's important to try and explain why it is horrific that you can only relate to real world horrors through the lens of fiction. This is the piss on the poor website, but please.

I keep using that phrase, "the lens of fiction" and that's kind of the core of the entire argument.

Fiction is not real. More importantly, fiction is made. Fiction is the result of decisions made by people who are trying to shape a story. Fiction conforms to the biases and the worldview of the people who made it.

The real world is messy. It doesn't have an author that is infusing it with authorial intent (no, we're not talking about god and most religions do not function that way anyway).

Fiction can reflect reality and very often does: it portrays the world as its creators see it, taking for granted the truths they hold in their hearts as universal, but that doesn't mean its true. It's not true when people who don't share your politics do it, but it's extra not true when people who DO share your politics do it.

Fiction allows the world to be flatter, less textured, less nuanced. In fiction everything has a cause and an explanation. Good people are rewarded, bad people are punished, and when that expectation is subverted, it's because it's trying to tell you something.

Suffering in fiction is purposeful. Controlled. Designed to achieve a specific reaction from its audience. But most importantly, any and all suffering in fiction is not real. The violence stops the moment you put down the book or turn off the TV. There's no generational trauma in fiction, unless the authors want to explore it. There's no nuanced, complex, messy consequences. And therefore there's no actual exercise of empathy or sympathy required of you, when consuming media.

Hear me out, empathy and sympathy are a muscle that requires maintenance like any other, and fiction alone will never actually get you to use it in full. Yes, we talk about representation in media as a required step to humanize minorities, but acknowledging that people who don't look like you are still people is the baseline of empathy and sympathy. It's not a workout. It's barely a warmup. Do you know what actually gets your empathy and sympathy muscles going? Interacting with people who aren't you. Actual people. People who are messy and complex and cannot be simplified into "villains" and "heroes." People with contradicting ideologies and messy internal politics. People who believe one thing and actively do the exact opposite. Learning to connect with people whose life experience is completely divorced from yours and still being able to recognize their humanity is a crucial skill.

People are not characters in a story. People are not obligated to be internally consistent. People are not easily reduced to a single trait.

And that's a good thing.

In the current climate, it is crucial to be able to recognize the humanity in people who aren't you. People who live and feel completely different than you. That's how you build coalitions. That's how you create effective networks. That's how you actually play politics in the long term, instead of scrambling about every presidential term, walking into a cesspool of fascist backsliding and trying to fix it then. You fix it every day. You fix it by getting involved in local communities and events and yes, politics.

But you need to be able to see people as people, in order to do any of that.

And if you're at the stage where the world makes no sense to you, if you do not hammer it down to fiction, you need to work on that first, or you're going to not only fail to make any positive impact in your community, you're going to be an active detriment to everyone around you.

No, I'm sorry, when we're organizing a community pantry or a soup kitchen, you pointing out that some of the people participating are ideologically impure or not truly 100% committed to the cause is a problem. They're here and they're doing the work and while that doesn't negate any bad things they might be doing, they're doing good now. This isn't a ploy. This isn't a twist being setup. This is real life. These people, who might be assholes otherwise, are here helping keep people from starving. So we're gonna let them.

Look, I'm queer in a Catholic country. I'm very aware that some of the people who work with me when we're stocking shelters don't think I deserve rights, if not straight up think I should be dead. Me working with them doesn't mean I like them or think they're right. Me working with them means I care more about the people who are freezing or starving to death without these shelters, more than I care about ideological purity. Sometimes you have to do that. You have to work with people who hate you, because you both care about a third party that needs support. Does this mean that their dogshit opinions don't matter, in general or that they shouldn't be questioned? No! But maybe not when it's going to cost people their literal livelihoods. Time and place! It's not always safe, and sometimes you can't afford to risk it. But sometimes you can. And it matters that you do. It matters that you're there, existing, caring about the same things they do, challenging their view of who you are simply by refusing to fall into the pit of fighting all the fights all at once.

People are messy and complicated and if you go through life asking "who's the good guys" in every interaction, you will continue to fail the fascism pop quiz, every fucking time. Because reducing real human lived lives into fiction IS what fascism does. It flattens the human experience into "the good guys" and "the bad guys". You should look and think and feel like the good guys and if you don't, you're in danger of becoming like the bad guys. The bad guys are to blame for everything bad that ever happened, so it's okay if we get rid of them because if we get rid of them, we'll be doing a net good to the world! If that sounded sensible to you, congrats, you just became complicit in genocide rhetoric.

Look, there's nothing wrong liking fiction. There's nothing wrong using fiction to try out new concepts or trying to understand complex ones. That's what fiction is for! It's a safe space to play around with complex or upsetting or messy bits of the human experience and figure out how you personally feel about them. Cool.

But when you become unable to interact or relate to the real world, to real people, without the lens of fiction in the way? When you need to frame things in good guys vs bad guys in order to try and understand what's going on? You have been sanitized to the point your empathy and sympathy have atrophied and you need to care about it. Because you've been made into an unwitting participant of fascist worldviews, and your own personal ideology no longer matters.

No, it's not like blorbo from your shows, it's a fucking genocide. Those are real people with real, complex, messy lives. There's no comforting guiding authorial intent behind this, just a whole bunch of fascist fuckery behind it. But on the upside, there's no authorial intent, no higher authority making an abstract choice. It's just people, being people, and therefore it's people who are going to stop it. If, of course, people will fucking actually engage with people long enough to do it.

#shut up rie

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