epochryphal

[epochryphal]

Fellas, if your story has...

Way too many narrators

Self-aware weird formatting

A metanarrative

Courier font

Meaningful colored text

The story existing as a piece of media within the story itself

A fucked up house

An unreliable narrator

Just way too much about the romantic lives of people who suck

That's not your story, that's

[epochryphal]

reading christopher eccleston interviews where he talks about wanting to be androgynous but always getting macho parts makes me understand why i keep getting butch dyke vibes off of the ninth doctor. don’t worry ms doctor i saw your leather jacket 

[epochryphal]

I’m coming to this fresh from a d’var Torah given by R’ Linda Holtzman at a Shabbat for Ceasefire interpolating Parshat Bo, to set my context as I reply.

One understanding I have of Kasrils’ words is referring to Jewish history. Such as the killing of the Egyptian firstborn sons, which tonight’s d’rash talked about specifically in the I/P context and wrestling with violent resistance under horrific conditions, and with the murder of children. (Especially as R’ Holtzman spoke to being a Kaplanian Reconstructionist and believing there is/was no separate God or angel of death, and charged us to imagine what that meant.)

I also did not understand Kasrils to be saying Palestinian rule. Rather, the reasoning I am inferring here is to call the land Palestine, and adjectivally Palestinian. I understand the problems anticipated under Palestinian rule, and I understand making that assumption given other calls for it, but I don’t think that’s actually a good faith reading of Kasrils here.

I agree with you that mass rape, mass [civilian] murder, child murder, child rape, and child hostages are atrocities and violate vital rules of war and struggle. And, Israeli soldiers and settler mobs have perpetrated these things and boasted grotesquely as well, extrajudicially and without checking (eg shooting the Israelis escaping from being held hostage by Hamas). I don’t know if you haven’t seen evidence of that, or if you assume that is a known and isn’t the topic here, or something else; from the conversations I’ve been watching, it’s seemed to help to place that on the table for clarification, explicitly not as justification but as an additional piece of context on which to agree or disagree.

For the analogy to [US]America, my main objection is that Hamas, in their 2017 charter, has not called to rule the entire land any longer, but rather the 1967 borders, leaving space for a next door to Israel. (They also significantly updated their analysis of and distinctions around Jews and power.) How believable versus lip service is certainly an open question! Still, I believe this should be accounted for in analysis for a coherent argument.

For indigeneity, my understanding is that saying Palestinians are indigenous does not preclude Jews from also being indigenous to the same land. I can understand assuming that if one doesn’t say that, one doesn’t mean it. I believe the core sentiment of Lipman here is anti-displacement, and the focus is on the system of apartheid, and on the consistent violation of international laws with little to no consequence (also very true of the US).

And for genocide, there are tangible arguments about cultural genocide—a significant both type and part of genocide—untied to population growth, which I believe apply to that time period. IIRC some First Nations (particularly of Turtle Island) statements have eloquently spoken to seeing parallels with Palestinians both around the First Nakba to the Trail of Tears, and around cultural genocide.

Two more unfinished reflections for now:

One, the 1992 unarmed protest with 200 injured and 28 killed by the government immediately made me think of the Great March of Return from 2018-19, over 21 months, with its 9,204 injured and 223 killed. This pushed me to look up violence involved in ending South African apartheid, which highlighted to me this was after the 1990 release from jail of Nelson Mandela, and the similarity in restrictions of movement and required documentation, and in US support of military training (Angola in 74-75). While I didn’t find much on violent resistance, I did find the number 21,000 for estimated deaths from political violence—for the entire apartheid era (Coleman’s A Crime Against Humanity). That’s striking to me contrasted with the over 24,000 Palestinians that have been killed since October 7th as of today, January 19th, 2024, half of them children.

Two, I’m thinking about what little I know of the Haitian and Jamaican revolutions/resistance, of the killing of James Cook and of missionaries. Glancing through some info about the Haitian Revolution—what I’ve understood as the only successful overthrowal of slavery by the enslaved Black people—it looks like atrocities were involved, including mass rapes, mass civilian murder, and child murder. These atrocities became used as an argument of “what abolition will lead to” by the proslavery side, while abolitionists argued this was a predictable outcome of slavery, that slavery had sown the seeds of revolution. That strikes me as familiar in my contemporary leftist abolitionist circles, and as different from celebrating atrocity as “activism.” As Kasrils put it, we are saddened by all violence; and, we recognize this. It is fucked up, and the loss of worlds. And, it is recognizable.

Image transcriptions below:

Legendary South African Jewish Freedom Fighters

And Their Condemnation of Israel

Many people don't know that several of Nelson Mandela's closest and earliest comrades and co-conspirators were South African Jews.

These Jewish comrades and their work was pivotal to the defeat of South African apartheid, giving them a unique perspective on the state of Israel.

—

Joe Slovo (1926-1995) was a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist. In 1942, at age 16, Slovo volunteered to travel to Europe to fight the Nazis. Upon return, he studied alongside Nelson Mandela. He eventually was a founding member of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the paramilitary arm of the African National Congress.

Slovo was exiled to Mozambique by the apartheid government. Whilst there, his wife, legendary Jewish anti-apartheid activist Ruth First, was assassinated by a parcel bomb sent by the apartheid regime.

Working from abroad for the fall of apartheid, he eventually returned and became a Minister in Mandela's government. Throughout his life he remained a staunch critic of Israel.

—

"Ironically enough, the horrors of the Holocaust became the rationalization for the preparation by Zionists of acts of genocide against the indigenous people of Palestine. Those of us who, in the years that were to follow, raised our voices against the violent apartheid of the Israeli state were vilified by the Zionist press."

- Joe Slovo

—-

Denis Goldberg (1933-2020) was a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist. He spent 22 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement, for his political activity alongside Mandela.

He was finally freed when his daughter, who lived in Israel, lobbied the Israeli government, which was closely allied to the apartheid regime, to release him. Due to his staunch opposition to Zionism, he refused to join her in Israel.

—

"The violence of the [South African] apartheid regime was nothing in comparison with the utter brutality of Israel's occupation of Palestine."

- Denis Goldberg

—

Beata Lipman (1928-2016) was a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist. She drafted the original Freedom Charter in her own handwriting in 1952, which became the basis for the constitution of free South Africa after the fall of apartheid.

Lipman was a proud Jewish critic of Israel, penning many letters condeming Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

—

"We who have fought against Apartheid and vowed not to allow it to happen again can not allow Israel to continue perpetrating apartheid, colonialism and occupation against the indigenous people of Palestine. We dare not allow Israel to continue violating international law with impunity. Apartheid was a gross violation of human rights. It was so in South Africa and it is so with regard to Israel's persecution of the Palestinians!"

- Beata Lipman in joint letter

—

Ronnie Kasrils is a Jewish South African who was also a founding member and Chief of Intelligence for uMkhonto we Sizwe.

In 1992, Kasrils led an unarmed protest when the apartheid government opened fire, killing 28 of his comrades and injuring over 200 others. He went on to serve in various Ministerial roles after the defeat of apartheid.

In 2001, Kasrils was co-author of the

*Declaration of Conscience by South Africans of Jewish Descent, which calls Israel a colonial apartheid-state. He has drawn criticism for stating that Israel has behaved like the Nazis.

—

"We recognise the operation today by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza as a legitimate expression of their right to resist. We support all efforts of oppressed people to liberate themselves from their oppressors in the same way we did in our liberation struggle.

We are saddened by all violence but Israeli Jews will not realise peace until they accept a future where they will live with Palestinians as citizens in a single, democratic Palestinian state, with Palestinians being compensated for seven decades of colonisation, occupation and apartheid."

- Ronnie Kasrils, 7th October 2023

[epochryphal]

DISCLAIMER: I am not trans myself*, but I've been wondering what the spread of phrasing is. I consulted with a trans friend for options. These are ALL things I've seen or heard people say, including "back when I was a man" from a trans woman. This isn't about what you think people SHOULD say, just what you personally use.

Please stay polite about how people use language to describe their own experiences.

Cis people PLEASE do not vote, I want to see the actual spread of results, and too many "other" or "this is how I WOULD if I were trans" votes will skew the results. You'll get to see the answers in a week.

Finally, I recognize that some of these can describe different points in the same transition (e.g. "before I figured out" and "before I transitioned" can be used by the same person to describe experiences at two different moments), but just go with what feels best.

* I have a weird relationship with gender that's mostly cis but not quite, and not different enough for me to feel like Trans applies. I originally had a different, more joke-y phrasing there, but was told I might get flack for it since most people do not live in my brain.

[epochryphal]

Thinking about whether Picard and Sisko would have killed Tuvix. Since the original Tuvix was a combination of the security officer and some guy, the closest equivalent on the Enterprise would have been Worf and Wesley, or Worfsley. I think Worfsley would just ask Picard to kill him so it wouldn't be much of a moral dilemma.

On DS9, the closest equivalent to Tuvix would be Quark and Odo, or Quodo. This also wouldn't be much of a moral dilemma, as Quodo would be the most irritating being in existence. I think Sisko would kill him without hesitation, even if he wasn't sure it would bring back Quark and Odo.

[epochryphal]

PHEW.... just over a month of work but it's done 👏 As usual at the end I feel like a couple colors could have been changed but... I'm not doing this one again lmao

[epochryphal]

Image transcriptions below:

Legendary South African Jewish Freedom Fighters

And Their Condemnation of Israel

Many people don't know that several of Nelson Mandela's closest and earliest comrades and co-conspirators were South African Jews.

These Jewish comrades and their work was pivotal to the defeat of South African apartheid, giving them a unique perspective on the state of Israel.

—

Joe Slovo (1926-1995) was a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist. In 1942, at age 16, Slovo volunteered to travel to Europe to fight the Nazis. Upon return, he studied alongside Nelson Mandela. He eventually was a founding member of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the paramilitary arm of the African National Congress.

Slovo was exiled to Mozambique by the apartheid government. Whilst there, his wife, legendary Jewish anti-apartheid activist Ruth First, was assassinated by a parcel bomb sent by the apartheid regime.

Working from abroad for the fall of apartheid, he eventually returned and became a Minister in Mandela's government. Throughout his life he remained a staunch critic of Israel.

—

"Ironically enough, the horrors of the Holocaust became the rationalization for the preparation by Zionists of acts of genocide against the indigenous people of Palestine. Those of us who, in the years that were to follow, raised our voices against the violent apartheid of the Israeli state were vilified by the Zionist press."

- Joe Slovo

—-

Denis Goldberg (1933-2020) was a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist. He spent 22 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement, for his political activity alongside Mandela.

He was finally freed when his daughter, who lived in Israel, lobbied the Israeli government, which was closely allied to the apartheid regime, to release him. Due to his staunch opposition to Zionism, he refused to join her in Israel.

—

"The violence of the [South African] apartheid regime was nothing in comparison with the utter brutality of Israel's occupation of Palestine."

- Denis Goldberg

—

Beata Lipman (1928-2016) was a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist. She drafted the original Freedom Charter in her own handwriting in 1952, which became the basis for the constitution of free South Africa after the fall of apartheid.

Lipman was a proud Jewish critic of Israel, penning many letters condeming Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

—

"We who have fought against Apartheid and vowed not to allow it to happen again can not allow Israel to continue perpetrating apartheid, colonialism and occupation against the indigenous people of Palestine. We dare not allow Israel to continue violating international law with impunity. Apartheid was a gross violation of human rights. It was so in South Africa and it is so with regard to Israel's persecution of the Palestinians!"

- Beata Lipman in joint letter

—

Ronnie Kasrils is a Jewish South African who was also a founding member and Chief of Intelligence for uMkhonto we Sizwe.

In 1992, Kasrils led an unarmed protest when the apartheid government opened fire, killing 28 of his comrades and injuring over 200 others. He went on to serve in various Ministerial roles after the defeat of apartheid.

In 2001, Kasrils was co-author of the

*Declaration of Conscience by South Africans of Jewish Descent, which calls Israel a colonial apartheid-state. He has drawn criticism for stating that Israel has behaved like the Nazis.

—

"We recognise the operation today by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza as a legitimate expression of their right to resist. We support all efforts of oppressed people to liberate themselves from their oppressors in the same way we did in our liberation struggle.

We are saddened by all violence but Israeli Jews will not realise peace until they accept a future where they will live with Palestinians as citizens in a single, democratic Palestinian state, with Palestinians being compensated for seven decades of colonisation, occupation and apartheid."

- Ronnie Kasrils, 7th October 2023

[epochryphal]

these are like a year old, but I realized I never cross-posted the rest the bkdk angel au designs to tumblr lol (also there's some inotodo and a camie here, as a treat)

[epochryphal]

I don't usually click tumblr ads but that site has a lot of great drawing refs tbh

[epochryphal]

I've become a vendor at an antique fair and needless to say I'm experiencing levels of autism previously unknown to man. I'm using my Encyclopedic knowledge of teacups beam on you

[epochryphal]

no, i do not believe this level of delusion about the pandemic being “over” is sustainable. i have noticed people behaving in ways they never would have before c19, like they know deep down that things are not OK and they’re scared. international travel, huge parties, etc. i don’t know. i guess i’ve been surprised and disappointed by mass human cruelty and indifference before but i really do believe there will be a tipping point. once activists can catch their fucking breath? maybe? it took 10 years of AIDS before ACT UP took to the streets. i don’t want to wait 10 years. i’ll push as hard as i fucking can but unfortunately i’m close to bed-bound by long covid at the moment. i do not want to die. c19 activism feels like a tipping point for climate change action, anticapitalist action, and abolition action. this can be a radicalizing moment. they made the US slightly more accessible for a MINUTE and then yanked it away but we *saw* it. we saw it!!!!!!!!!! efforts to squash c19 precautions go hand-in-hand with squashing anti-police protests: they know that the summer 2020 uprisings were able to happen because enough people, for a brief moment, were freer than they had ever been in this fucking evil country. when people are given resources, they give a shit. cops were the only maskless faces in the streets of minneapolis and that is not a coincidence. the old world is fucking scared and wants you to get sick and die. c19 deaths keep climbing, your yard is burning or flooding or bogged down by smoke, cops have killed more people each year since 2020. that’s the “normal” everybody is trying to convince you it’s sooooo fun to go back to. fuck off. fuck off. there will be a crack and we will kick it open

[epochryphal]

[epochryphal]

Shoutout to incredibly contrived set-ups for kink stories, I respect the grind so much. One time I was frolicking in a field of flowers and I found a fic whose summary started w 'IN A WORLD WHERE THE LOSING ATTORNEY HAS TO SUCK OFF THEIR OPPOSITION' and it's been stuck on my mind ever since

[epochryphal]

a page from my top surgery recovery sketchbook 💚

[epochryphal]

Have been listening to 『なんか IWAKAN!』, which is a Japanese gender studies/queer podcast recently, both with an eye on a course I'm designing for next semester and as some chill listening practice for me, so this morning at 8:30 am I was jumpscared by them suddenly starting to talk about クワロマンティック (quoiromantic).

It's interesting listening, for anyone who happens to speak Japanese. One of the really striking things about it for me was how little they seemed to associate quoiromantic with ace or aro communities. Part of that is probably demographic--of the four people on this episode, one said they were probably ace and the other three are not--but it does mean that the conversation goes in different directions than a lot of the wtfromantic/quoiromantic conversations I have seen in Anglophone communities. For example, they spend a lot of time talking about how quoiromantic is helpful because many of them never thought about the difference between romantic and sexual orientation--but quoiromantic in Anglophone communities is often a pushback against romantic orientation. (Also, a lot of the examples that the regular presenters bring up would, in Anglophone ace communities, often tend to be classed as mismatched romantic and sexual orientations, e.g. a gay man having strong non-sexual attraction to a female friend or a straight woman having strong non-sexual attraction to a female friend.) There's also discussion of polyamory and alternative family/relationship structures, romantic friendship, the assumption that two people who have the possibility of being attracted to each other will always wind up dating, and S関係 (S relationships). It is really interesting to see a lot of conversations that I've seen primarily in ace communities being picked up and lauded as useful by larger queer spaces...but (at least in this case) being sort of divorced from a lot of their history and context. But, then again, it's a 40-minute podcast that's a supplement to a special issue of their magazine and an in-person event they were running, so they probably couldn't cover all possible topics. (Also I personally know most of the coiners and popularizers of wtfromantic/quoiromantic, so I may have...more knowledge...than is normal...)

(Also very charming when the guest speaker is like, "oh, can I swear on this show, do you have to bleep it out" and then upon getting confirmation that swearing is okay, going, "WHAT THE FUCK ロマンティック.")

[epochryphal]

had an idea for an arcade carpet aesthetic design.. but with microorganisms

is this too weird?? is this just a thing for me and no one else lol

[epochryphal]

i wish people didn't make it seem like your options for medically transitioning as a nb/gq person are "do nothing" or "the binary opposite of whatever you started with"