#Express Networking Boot Camp

[askadvancewars]

We joke about Hawke not having eyebrows, but neither do Flak, Koal, Von Bolt, and Adder.

And I guess Sturm, but he's...y'know

This ask is amazing because I was literally looking at this old fanart of mine

before switching to my dash and noticing I had an ask.

I'd never made a similar joke for other either Adder or Koal, but I did doodle some pics where I've compared Adder to Dusk from the Mega Man Battle Network series, who also have no eyebrows.

In cartoon/anime character designs, eyebrows are a shortcut to character expressiveness--eyebrows are merely hair resting above your eyes, and it's not like you lose your expressiveness if you don't have them, but when it comes design, where every line counts? It says something about the character.

So, yes, for Hawke, Adder and Koal, the lack signifies untrustworthiness and/or lack of open/friendly expression.

Flak, however...

I don't know if Re-Boot Camp showed otherwise, but for me it's inconclusive?

We never see his eyes or brow bridge uncovered.

Flak is Max's dark mirror and Max's features are quite small compared to the other characters.

If you compared them and how it seems Flak's default expression seem to be sloping downwards, he could be hiding some small brows. It's also likely that Flak seems to have a shaved head and probably shaves his hair, too.

For a similar, good guy case, 'member Grimm? Oh yeah!

If you squint, you can actually his very tiny eyes behind his shades! It wouldn't far out to imagine some tiny brows on there, too! But despite having no brows, he doesn't ping as untrustworthy because of his wide smile and devil-may-care pose.

OR everyone probably look at one of my favorite guys

Javier! Look closely, he doesn't really have eyebrows--those are brow ridges. Or if he does them, they'd have to be really, really thin. He doesn't really register as an eyebrow-less dude, doesn't he? It's because of his magnificent -stache and full hair. His flowing full design also pulls away from his face, in contrast to the starkness of the Blak Hole dudes.

I even made a comic about this

I know I draw him with a bushy set but it's because he just LOOKS the type, whatever canon may suggest.

He needs to match with his mirror bestie, obviously!

Another similar case to Flak? Sensei!

Based on his hair, though (I'm grateful that Dual Strike allowed us a peek to his canon hair), I wanna headcanon his eyebrow status the same as Eagle's.

Though I'm a big fan of bushy-haired eyebrows Yamamoto-sensei!

Here's a few more Senseis

As for Von Bolt--yeah, he just doesn't have any eyebrows or even hair. I chalk that to both his very old age and possible whatever experiments he did to his body to keep himself alive.

The lack of eyebrows falls less under the transgressive alt-punkness of Hawke, Adder, Koal and possibly Flak, and just more to show the otherworldly, well, otherness of this almost alien sci-fi old man.

Sturm--yeah. He's a robot alien! Or his face/body is one, so there's no conventional eyebrows or face.

I kinda shot off this ask from the hip as soon as I saw it so apologies for any mistakes. This was a fun ask--so the next time you're looking at your favorite Advance Wars character--check out how Hirata/other artists depicted their eyebrows or lack of therefore, to reflect their character! You might learn something new!

[whistlingwood]

Unlock Your Potential: Explore Acting Courses

Are you passionate about acting and dream of stepping into the spotlight? Whether you're an aspiring actor looking to break into the industry or someone who wants to enhance their public speaking and confidence, acting courses offer the perfect platform to hone your skills. In this article, we'll delve into the world of acting courses, exploring what they entail, the benefits they offer, and how to choose the right one for your goals.

What Are Acting Courses?

Acting courses are structured programs designed to teach the art of performance. They cover a wide range of techniques, including voice modulation, body language, improvisation, character development, and script analysis. These courses are available for all levels, from beginners to advanced actors, and can be found in various formats, such as weekend workshops, intensive boot camps, and full-time academic programs.

The curriculum of an acting course typically includes practical exercises, scene work, and theoretical studies. Students are encouraged to explore different styles of acting, from method acting to classical theater, to develop a well-rounded skill set. The hands-on experience gained in these courses is invaluable, as it allows students to practice their craft in a supportive and constructive environment.

Benefits of Taking Acting Courses

Skill Development: Acting courses help you develop essential skills such as voice control, physical expression, and emotional range. These skills are not only vital for actors but also beneficial in everyday life, particularly in situations that require clear communication and confidence.

Confidence Building: One of the key benefits of acting courses is the boost in self-confidence they provide. As you perform in front of others, receive feedback, and improve over time, you'll find yourself becoming more comfortable with public speaking and expressing yourself authentically.

Networking Opportunities: Acting courses are an excellent way to meet like-minded individuals who share your passion for the craft. Networking with peers, instructors, and industry professionals can open doors to auditions, collaborations, and other opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Creativity and Expression: Acting courses encourage you to tap into your creative side and explore different aspects of your personality. Whether you're portraying a historical figure or a fictional character, the process of embodying someone else can be incredibly liberating and rewarding.

Career Advancement: For those pursuing a career in acting, formal training is often essential. Many casting directors and talent agents prefer actors with professional training, as it demonstrates a commitment to the craft and a solid foundation of skills.

How to Choose the Right Acting Course

With so many acting courses in mumbai available, selecting the right one can be overwhelming. Here are a few factors to consider when making your decision:

Level of Experience: Assess your current skill level and choose a course that matches your experience. Beginners may benefit from introductory courses that cover the basics, while more experienced actors might opt for advanced workshops that focus on specific techniques.

Course Format: Consider the format that best suits your schedule and learning style. If you have limited time, a weekend workshop or evening class may be ideal. For those seeking in-depth training, a full-time program or conservatory might be more appropriate.

Instructor Credentials: Research the instructors' backgrounds to ensure they have relevant experience and a solid reputation in the industry. A good teacher can make a significant difference in your learning experience.

Class Size: Smaller class sizes often provide more personalized attention and feedback, which can be crucial for your development as an actor.

Location and Facilities: If possible, visit the course location to check the facilities. A well-equipped studio with proper lighting, sound, and space can enhance your learning experience.

[ttllg]

Mastering Creativity Graphic Design Courses in Delhi

Explore a plethora of opportunities with graphic design courses in Delhi. These courses offer comprehensive training in visual communication and digital creativity. Learn from experienced instructors who guide you through industry-standard software like Adobe Creative Suite, equipping you with skills in typography, digital illustration, and layout design. Whether you're a beginner or looking to advance your career, these courses cater to diverse skill levels and aspirations. Engage in practical projects that enhance your portfolio and prepare you for roles in advertising, branding, and digital media. Join a vibrant community of artists and designers in Delhi's dynamic educational landscape, where innovation and artistic expression thrive.

Why Choose Graphic Design Courses in Delhi?

Choosing graphic design courses in Delhi ensures access to a diverse range of programs tailored to meet various career goals and skill levels. The city's vibrant design community, coupled with experienced faculty and state-of-the-art facilities, fosters an environment conducive to creativity and innovation. Whether you aspire to work in advertising, branding, or digital media, Delhi's graphic design courses provide the foundation and networking opportunities needed to thrive in the competitive industry.

Types of Graphic Design Courses in Delhi

Graphic design courses in Delhi encompass a variety of formats, from short-term workshops to comprehensive diploma programs. These courses cater to different learning styles and career paths, offering specialization in areas such as UI/UX design, typography, and print media. Whether you prefer intensive boot camps or flexible online modules, Delhi's educational institutions ensure accessibility and relevance in today's rapidly evolving design landscape.

Benefits of Enrolling in Graphic Design Courses in Delhi

Enrolling in graphic design courses in Delhi offers numerous benefits, including hands-on experience with cutting-edge design tools, mentorship from industry professionals, and opportunities to build a strong portfolio. Students gain practical skills in conceptualizing and executing design projects, preparing them for successful careers in diverse sectors like advertising, publishing, and digital marketing. The city's rich cultural heritage and modern amenities create a stimulating environment for learning and personal growth in graphic design.

How to Select the Best Graphic Design Courses in Delhi?

Selecting the best graphic design courses in Delhi requires careful consideration of factors such as curriculum relevance, faculty expertise, and industry reputation. Prospective students should assess program offerings, including course duration, specialization options, and internship opportunities. Researching alumni success stories and reviewing student feedback can provide valuable insights into the quality of education and career outcomes associated with different courses in Delhi.

Industry Insights from Graphic Design Courses in Delhi

Graphic design courses in Delhi offer valuable industry insights through guest lectures, workshops, and collaborations with leading design firms. Students gain firsthand knowledge of current trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in graphic design. These insights not only enhance creative thinking and problem-solving skills but also prepare students to adapt to the dynamic demands of the global design industry.

Career Opportunities After Graphic Design Courses in Delhi

Graphic design courses in Delhi open doors to a wide range of career opportunities in sectors such as advertising agencies, design studios, corporate branding departments, and freelance consulting. Graduates are equipped to pursue roles as graphic designers, art directors, UI/UX designers, and creative directors, leveraging their skills in visual communication and digital storytelling to make a meaningful impact in the professional world.

Student Testimonials from Graphic Design Courses in Delhi

Student testimonials from graphic design courses in Delhi highlight the transformative impact of these programs on their careers and personal growth. They emphasize the hands-on learning experiences, supportive learning environment, and networking opportunities that enriched their educational journey. These testimonials provide prospective students with firsthand perspectives on the benefits and outcomes of pursuing graphic design education in Delhi.

Conclusion

Delhi's graphic design courses offer a gateway to a thriving career in visual communication and digital creativity. Whether you're embarking on your journey as a designer or looking to advance your skills, these courses provide a solid foundation and networking opportunities in a dynamic educational environment. Explore the diverse programs available, engage in practical projects, and join a supportive community of artists and innovators in Delhi's vibrant design landscape. Discover how graphic design courses in Delhi can empower you to unleash your creative potential and achieve your career aspirations in the competitive world of design.

[design-college]

Is Design School Right for You? An Undergrad's Guide

As a young design aspirant, your mind is an unchiselled stone right now. It is flat and rough on the edges but has great potential. Someone needs to sculpt it every day and bring out the hidden beauty in it. That someone would be you. 

Yes, a young designer’s potential must be tapped as soon as possible. Your mind is high on creativity that needs polishing to shine bright. Therefore, getting a B.Des in Visual Communication is your calling! Still confused? Let’s break it down!

Design Disciplines

You will come across various design disciplines once you join a design school. They will provide you with multiple options, such as: 

Graphic Design: Branding and visual communication at its finest.

Product Design: Crafting innovative products that people love.

Interior Design: Transforming spaces into functional works of art.

Fashion Design: Expressing yourself through the power of clothing.

Animation & Game Design: Bringing characters and stories to life.

Graphic design will be the best choice for you, considering the fact that you have artistic tendencies. It will allow you to have more freedom in your job to explore more design styles.

Unleash Your Inner Designer

Design enthusiasts often think and see in colour. They are fascinated by the delicate lines that build our world. You, too, would find yourself looking at the world atypically and sketching those scenes in your sketchbook. These are natural traits in a designer. A visual communication degree will teach you to use these skills for the advancement of your career. You will establish a company’s relationship with its clients through your advanced design skills. 

What to Expect in Design School

Design school will teach you more than just drawing pictures. It is like a boot camp for your creativity. You will learn to balance your exceptional innate talent with critical thinking. Commercial design needs a certain level of discipline. While you can create meaningful art in your free time, you must adhere to certain standards on a design job. Design skills will train you in these aspects. 

Design School Perks

Design school unlocks a treasure trove of opportunities! You will also build a portfolio that stuns employers. You will also find a network with industry pros who can offer guidance and connections. Design school will prompt you to collaborate with classmates to push creative boundaries and join design clubs and events to become part of a vibrant design community. 

Is design school right for you?  This course will equip you with the skills and connections to transform your raw talent into a polished masterpiece. Are you ready to unleash your inner design guru and answer the call to create? Or are film and TV production courses in India your calling? Only you can tell!

[luxmaeastra]

Adarlan was rich in metals and the seat of power for the Triad. But it wasn't an easy life, the Foundling Camps existed here. War Camps pulled young from here for their own Dens.

The violence was heightened, the foundlings were wards of the Triad, they had their own music. But that didn't stop small Bands from forming.

They fought over everything, food, shelter - every resource was taken.

The Triad didn't give much if anything to these children beyond protection from the wider international community.

Viren looked over the foundings, they were young, 8, 9. Many had scratches and marks on their body. Some eyed him warily, others followed him, keeping to the edges. They'd mob him, looking for valuables on his person to swipe.

Valuables were power, a status symbol.

The Foundlings had older members watching them, keeping them to the labyrinth network of tents and camps that made up their "home".

Viren stopped, standing before a young boy. He fiddled with a pocket watch, he barred his teeth stepping back as Viren knelt before him.

Viren nodded to the watch, looking to the boy.

"You know how to read that?"

"What's it to you?"

Viren rose an eyebrow, striking his cheek and sending him sprawling. The children scattered, so he wasn't popular enough to be protected - interesting.

Viren put his boot on the boy's ankle lightly. He didn't run or move, but he spat blood and glaring again. He held the watch tighter, cradling it to his chest.

Viren put a little pressure onto his ankle and asked him again.

The boy stared at him and then back to the watch. He turned it to show Viren, the golden skull glowed, the hour hand slowly moving toward it.

"It isn't a watch idiot. Get your fucking boot off me."

Viren only pressed down harder, he felt the bone under his weight strain. The boy didn't whimper, only glared. Viren nodded back to the watch.

"If you're smart what is it called? You even know what is it or did you just take the shiny thing from the corpse you pilfered?"

The boy frowned and held the watch tighter.

"A Death Watch. It shows the wearer how long till they die. It hasn't changed so you aren't going to kill me. I won't sell it, he gave it to me before they beat him to death."

Viren took his boot off and grabbed at his shirt pulling the boy to his feet.

"You're the apprentice he spoke of his in his letters? Tiernan?"

The boy spat at his face, trying to run.

Viren Windwalked away, dropping him in the watchshop. The other scholars looked up, eyeing the boy like a bug.

The boy stared at the gears and finally looked to Viren.

"Am I to work here?"

Viren held his hand out, the boy slowly took it. Viren lead him to the courtyard and nudged him toward Estelle.

"She is your Queen, you are a gift to her Den. You -"

The boy relaxed, the music softer around him. He held the watch out to her, looking back to the watch shop.

"Can I go to work in the shop now?"

He turned back to Estelle, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Do you like watchs Mama? Or do you prefer hour glasses? I can make you an hour glass pin! Oooh! Or -"

Viren stopped listening, focusing on the watch. The boy was smart, but Estelle and Leesan's Den was small still. Under Juniper. But they needed workers, he was a good candidate curious and brave enough to not sell out for more.

Loyalty was hard to find.

Quietly she was speaking to one of her seconds from her troops, discussing the follow months orders and things they needed prior to deploying anyone to the further reaches of Day. She honestly hadn’t expected her father to appear, she hadn’t expected him to bring anyone with him.

Estelle tilted her head as she frowned, an unease settled in her as she dismissed the one she was speaking to. Why was her father bringing a child to her? Why did he have a child? It sounded like thundering within her head, the mix of concern and curiosity.

A gift? She caught those words and the venom of her tongue was only held back when she noted the boy relax, her expression softened as the boy held out the watch he held. No, it wasn’t a gift in the context of something that was purchased and sold.

Kneeling down she gently placed her hand over the watch, her smile soft. Everyone always condemned her papa, but he had a good heart and this was why she would never walk away from him. “You can go work in the shop if that is what you wish.”

Mama, he called her mama. Her heart melted, she felt a sense of protectiveness over the boy. “A hour glass pin would be beautiful, the talent it takes to have the balance of the sands,” she took his hands in one of her own. “What is your name?”

Her powers gently reached out, tapping upon her father’s mental barrier.

Thank you Papa.

[vceexamstest-blog]

How Cisco Express Networking Specialization Certification Can Endure Your IT Career?

Cisco: Brilliant Past, Bright Future

It was a cold and  day of December, 1984 in San Francisco when Mr. Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack started Cisco Systems which facilitated the Communication and Networking in Corporate Sector. The Two Computer Scientists from Stanford pioneered the concept of a local area network (LAN) being used to connect geographically disparate computers over a multiprotocol router system. Cisco faced Ups and Downs in its journey of becoming the World Largest Networking and Communication Service Provider with more than half of the Market Share. Its unmatchable services just changed the way of doing business through secure internal communication, saved lot of communication costs.

Need for Cisco Express Networking Specialization Certification

When Cisco expands its operations beyond borders, the need for Cisco Professionals grew rapidly. With Cisco Express Networking Specialization you can:

- Receive exclusive, in-depth training on Meraki networking

- Qualify for the Select Certification and incentive programs

- Complete the required trainings and exam in less than 15 hours

- Be recognized as a specialized partner in the Cisco Partner Locator

As the fame of Cisco Certification raised, IT professionals attracted towards it. To maintain the value of Cisco Certifications, Cisco updates its Cisco 700-901 Exam and consult with client companies to assess their needs. That's why it was getting tougher to achieve Cisco Express Networking Specialization Certification mostly for working professionals as they work on jobs and have less time for Cisco 700-901 Exam Preparation.

Introduction of Cisco Express Networking Specialization Study Material

It is sayings that 'if there is a will, there is a way' which exactly applies on Cisco Express Networking Specialization Questions and Answers. As the Cisco tighten up things, some websites started to provide Cisco Practice Exam to ensure one's capability to pass the Cisco Actual Exam. VCEEXAMSTEST was the pioneer in Cisco Certification Exam Material services and when Cisco Express Networking Specialization Certification Exam announced, VCEEXAMSTEST started offering Cisco Express Networking Specialization VCE Files simultaneously.

 Why prefer VCEEXAMSTEST Cisco Express Networking Specialization Exam Dumps

If someone tries to do a task which requires qualifications, he doesn't possess then ultimate result will be failure and waste of time. As we are not Jack of all trades, VCEEXAMSTEST only provides IT Exam Certification Study Material with brilliant research professionals. VCEEXAMSTEST Cisco Express Networking Specialization PDF Dumps consist only those questions which are most probably come in Cisco Express Networking Specialization Certification Exam. Our Research Team constantly monitors of changes in Cisco 700-901 Exam Questions and Updates Cisco Express Networking Specialization Question and Answers accordingly. There are 99% chances of passing Cisco 700-901 Certification, If someone prepares with our Cisco Express Networking Specialization Real Questions at least one week before actual exam.

Enhance Preparation with Cisco Express Networking Specialization Practice Test Software

Well you studied hard for Cisco Certification Exam, but don't have know-how of actual exam pattern, there are chances that your result will not be in favor. To make your Cisco 700-901 Exam Preparation fool proof, VCEEXAMSTET offers Cisco Express Networking Specialization Practice Test Software which is the replica of actual Cisco 700-901 Exam Software. It has long list of important features like Profile History, Time Management and Historical Records etc. The benefit of Cisco Express Networking Specialization Practice Exam is you can measure your preparation before you undergo actual Cisco 700-901 Exam and waste your money and time, you should check yourself with Cisco 700-901 Mock Exam. So, buy Cisco Express Networking Specialization PDF Files and Cisco Express Networking Specialization Practice Test Simulator with trust and party your success in advance.

[cruisingthedemimonde]

America’s Gay Men in WW2

World War Two was a “National Coming Out” for queer Americans.

I don’t think any other event in history changed the lives of so many of us since Rome became Christian. 

For European queers the war brought tragedy.

The queer movement began in Germany in the 1860s when trans activist Karl Ulrichs spoke before the courts to repeal Anti-Sodomy laws. From his first act of bravery the movement grew and by the 1920s Berlin had more gay bars than Manhattan did in the 1980s. Magnus Hirschfeld’s “Scientific Humanitarian Committee” fought valiantly in politics for LGBT rights and performed the first gender affirmation surgeries. They were a century ahead of the rest of the world.

The Nazis made Hirschfeld - Socialist, Homosexual and Jew - public enemy number one.

The famous image of the Nazis burning books? Those were the books of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee. Case studies of the first openly queer Europeans, histories, diaries - the first treasure trove of our history was destroyed that day.

100,000 of us were charged with felonies. As many as 15,000 were sent to the camps, about 60% were murdered.

But in America the war brought liberation.

In a country where most people never even heard the word “homosexual” , historian John D’emilio wrote the war was “conducive both to the articulation of  a homosexual identity and to the more rapid evolution of a gay subculture. (24)” The war years were “a Watershed (Eaklor 68)”

Now before we begin I need to give a caveat. The focus of this first post is not lesbians, transfolk or others in our community. Those stories have additional complexity the story of cisgender homosexual men does not. Starting with gay men lets me begin in the simplest way I can, in subsequent posts I’ll look at the rest of our community.

Twilight Aristocracy: Being Queer Before the War

I want us to go back in time and imagine the life of the typical queer American before the war. Odds are you lived on a farm and simply accepted the basic fact that you would marry and raise children as surely as you were born or would die. You would have never seen someone Out or Proud. If you did see your sexuality or gender in contrary ways you had no words to express it, odds are even your doctor had never heard the term “Homosexual. In your mind it was just a quirk, without a name or possible expression.

In the city the “Twilight Aristocracy” lived hidden, on the margins and exposed their queerness only in the most coded ways. Gay men “Dropping pins” with a handkerchief in a specific pocket. Butch women with key chains heavy enough to show she didn’t need a man to carry anything for her. A secret language of “Jockers” and “Nances” “Playing Checkers” during a night out. There is a really good article on the queer vernacular here

And these were “Lovers in a Dangerous Time.”

In public one must act as straight as possible. Two people of the same gender dancing could be prosecuted. Cross dressing, even with something as trivial as a woman wearing pants, would run afoul of obscenity laws.

The only spaces we had for ourselves were dive bars, run by organized crime. But even then one must be sure to be circumspect, and act straight. Anyone could be an undercover cop. If a gaze was held to long, or lovers kissed in a corner the bar would be raided. Police saw us as worthy candidates for abuse so beatings were common and the judge would do all he could to humiliate you.

Now Michael Foucault, the big swinging french dick of queer theory, laid out this whole theory about how the real policing in a society happens inside our heads. Ideas about sin, shame, normalcy, mental illness can all be made to control people, and the Twilight Aristocracy was no different.

While cruising a park at night, or settled on the sofa with a lifelong lover, the thoughts of Priests and Doctors haunted them. “Am I living in Sin? Am I someone God could love?” “Is this healthy? Have I gone mad? Is this a true love or a medical condition which requires cure?”

There was no voice in America yet healing our self doubt, or demanding the world accept us as we are. And that voice, the socialist Harry Hay, did not come during the war, but it would come shortly after directly because of it.

Johnny Get Your Gun… And are you now or ever been a Homosexual?

For the first time in their lives millions of young men crossed thousands of miles from their home to the front.

But before they made that brave journey they had another, unexpected and often torturous journey. The one across the doctor’s office at a recruiting station.

In the nineteenth century queerness moved from an act, “Forgive me Father I have sinned, I kissed another man” to something you are, “The homosexual subspecies can be identified by certain physical and psychological signs.” 

These were the glory days of patriarchy and white supremacy, those who transgressed the line between masculine and feminine called the whole culture into question. So doctors obsessed themselves with queerness, its origins, its signs, its so called catastrophic racial consequences and its cure.

“Are you a homosexual?” doctors asked stunned recruits. 

If you were closeted but patriotic, you would of course deny the accusation. But the doctor would continue his examination by checking if you were a “Real Man.”

“Do you have a girlfriend? Did you like playing sports as a kid?”

If you passed that, the doctor would often try and trip you up by asking about your culture.

“Do you ever go basketeering?” he would ask, remembering to check if there was any lisp or effeminacy in your voice.

Finally if the doctor felt like it he could examine your body to see if you were a member of the homosexual subspecies. 

Your gag reflex would be tested with a tongue depressor. Another hole could be carefully examined as well.

Humiliating enough for a straight man. But for a gay recruit the consequences could be life threatening.

Medical authorities knew homosexuals were weak, criminal and mad. To place them among the troops would weaken unit cohesion at the very least, result in treachery at the worst. In civilian life doctors had much the same thing to say. 

The recruit needed a cure. And a doctor was always ready. With talk therapy, hypnosis, drugs, electroshock and forced surgeries of the worst kinds there was always a cure ready at hand.

Thankfully the doctors were not successful in their task, one doctor wrote “for every homosexual who was referred or came to the Medical Department, there  were five or ten who never were detected. (d’Emilio 25)”

Here’s the irony though, by asking such pointed and direct questions to people closeted to themselves it forced them to confront their sexuality for the first time. 

Hegarty writes, “As a result of the screening policies, homosexuality became part of wartime discourse. Questions about homosexual desire and behavior ensured that every man inducted into the armed forces had to confront the possibility of homosexual feelings or experiences. This was a kind of massive public education about homosexuality. Despite—and be-cause of—the attempts to eliminate homosexuals from the military, men with same-sex desires learned that there were many people like themselves (Hegarty 180)”

And then it gave them a golden opportunity to have fun.

The 101st Airborn - Homosocial and Homosexual

“Homosocial” refers to a gender segregated space. And they were often havens for gay men. The YMCA for example really was a place for young gay men to meet.

Now the government was already aware of the kind of scandalous sexual behaviour young men can get up to when left to themselves. Two major government programs before the war, the Federal Transient Program and the Civilian Conservation Corps focused on unattached young men, but over time these spaces became highly suspect and the focus shifted to helping family men so as to avoid giving government aid to ‘sexual perversion’ in these homosocial spaces.

But with the war on there was no choice but to put hundreds of thousands of young men in their own world. All male boot camps, all male bases, all male front lines. 

The emotional intensity broke down the barriers between men and the strict enforcement of gendered norms.

On the front the men had no girlfriend, wife or mother to confide in. The soldier’s body was strong and heroic but also fragile. Straight men held each other in foxholes and shared their emotional vulnerability to each other. Gender lines began to blur as straight men danced together in bars an action that would result in arrest in many American cities.

Bronski writes, “Men were now more able to be emotional, express their feelings, and even cry. The stereotypical “strong, silent type,” quintessentially heterosexual, that had characterized the American Man had been replaced with a new, sensitive man who had many of the qualities of the homosexual male. (Bronski 152)”

Homosexual men discovered in this environment new freedoms to get close to one another without arousing suspicion.

“Though the military  officially maintained an anti-homosexual stance, wartime conditions nonetheless offered a protective covering that facilitated interaction  among gay men (d’Emilio 26)”

Bob Ruffing, a chief petty officer in the Navy described this freedom as follows, ‘When I first got into the navy—in the recreation hall, for instance— there’d be  eye contact, and pretty soon you’d get to know one or two people and kept branching out. All of a sudden you had a vast network of friends, usually through  this eye contact thing, some through outright cruising. They could get away with  it in that atmosphere. (d’Emilio 26) ”

Another wrote about their experience serving in the navy in San Diego, “‘Oh, these are more my kind of people.’ We became very chummy, quite close, very fraternal, very protective of each other. (Hegarty 180)”

Some spaces within the army became queer as well. The USO put on shows for soldiers, and since they could not find women to play parts, the men often dressed in drag. “impersonation. For actors and audiences, these performances were a needed relief from the stress of war. For men who identified as homosexual, these shows were a place where they could, in coded terms, express their sexual desires, be visible, and build a community. (Bronski 148)”

“Here you see three lovely “girls”

 With their plastic shapes and curls.

 Isn’t it campy? Isn’t it campy?

 We’ve got glamour and that’s no lie;

 Can’t you tell when we swish by?

 Isn’t it campy? Isn’t it campy?”

The words camp and swish being used in the gay subculture and connected to effeminate gay men.

I would have to assume, more than a few transwomen gravitated to these spaces as well.

Even the battlefield itself provided opportunities for gay fraternization. A beach in Guam for example became a secret just for the gay troops, they called it Purple Beach Number 2, after a perfume brand.

This homoerotic space was not confined to the military, but spilled out into civilian life as well.

Donald Vining was a pacifist who stated bluntly his homosexuality to the recruitment board as his mother needed his work earnings, and if you wanted be a conscientious objector you had to apply to go to an objector’s camp. He became something of a soldier chaser, working in the local YMCA and volunteering at the soldier’s canteen in New York he hooked up with soldiers still closeted for a night of passion but many more who were open about who they were. 

After the war he was left with a network of gay friends and a strong sense of belonging to a community. It was dangerous tho, he was victim of robberies he could not report because they happened during hook ups, but police were always ready to raid gay bars when they were bored. “It was obvious that [the police] just had to make a few arrests to look busy,” he protested in his diary.  “It was a travesty of justice and the workings of the police department (d’Emilio 30).״

Now it might seem odd he was able to plug into a community like that, but over the war underground gay bars appeared across the country for their new clientele. Even the isolated Worcester Mass got a gay bar.

African American men, barred from combat on the front lines, were not entirely barred from the gay subculture in the cities. For example in Harlem the jazz bar Lucky Rendevous was reported in Ebony as whites and blacks “steeped in the swish jargon of its many lavender costumers. (Bronski 149)”

The Other War: Facing Homophobia

“For homosexual soldiers, induction into the military forced a sudden confrontation with their sexuality that highlighted the stigma attached to it and kept  it  a  matter  of special  concern (d’Emilio 25)”

“They were fighting two wars: one for America, democracy, and freedom; the other for their own survival as homosexuals within the military organization. (Eaklor 68)”

Once they were in, they fell under Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: “Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.”

Penalties could include five years hard labour, forced institutionalization or fall under the dreaded Section 8 discharge, a stamp of mental instability that would prevent you from finding meaningful employment in civilian life.

Even if one wanted nothing to do with fulfilling their desires it was still essential to become hyper aware of your presentation and behaviour in order to avoid suspicion.

Coming Home to Gay Ghettos

“The veterans of World War II were the first generation of gay men and women to experience such rapid, dramatic, and widespread changes in their lives as homosexuals. Bronski 154”

After the war many queer servicemen went on to live conventionally heterosexual lives. But many more returned to a much queerer life stateside.

Bob Ruffing would settle down in San Francisco. The city has always been a safe harbour for queer Americans, made more so as ex servicemen gravitated to its liberated atmosphere. The port cities of New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles became the prime destinations to settle. Vining’s partner joined him in New York, where they both immersed themselves in the gay culture.

Other soldiers moved to specific neighborhoods known for having small gay communities. San Francisco’s North Beach, the west side of Boston’s Beacon Hill, or New York’s Greenwich Village. Following the war the gay populations of these cities increased dramatically.

The cities offered parks, coffee houses and bars which became queer spaces. And drag performance, music and comedy became features of this culture.

These veterans also founded organizations just for the queer soldiers. In Los Angeles the Knights of the Clock provided a space for same sex inter racial couples. In New York the Veterans Benevolent Association would often see 400-500 homosexuals appear at its events.

A number of books bluntly explored homosexuality following the war, such as The Invisible Glass which tells the story of an inter racial couple in Italy, 

“With a slight moan Chick rolled onto his left side, toward the Lieutenant. His finger sought those of the officer’s as they entwined their legs. Their faces met. The breaths, smelling sweet from wine, came in heavy drawn sighs. La Cava grasped the soldier by his waist and drew him tightly to his body. His mouth pressed down until he felt Chick’s lips part. For a moment they lay quietly, holding one another with strained arms.”

Others like Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar (1948), Fritz Peters’s The World Next Door (1949), and James Barr’s Quatrefoil (1950) explored similar themes.

In 1948 the Kinsey Report would create a public firestorm by arguing that homosexuality is shockingly common. In 1950 The Mattachine Society, a secretive group of homosexual Stalinists launched America’s LGBT movement.

References:

Michael Bronski “A Queer History of the United States”

John D’emilio “Coming Out Under Fire”

Vivki L Eaklor “Queer America: A GLBT History of America”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lesbians

In 1947 General Eisenhower told a purple heart winning Sargeant Johhnie Phelps, “It's come to my attention that there are lesbians in the WACs, we need to ferret them out”.

Phelps replied, “"If the General pleases, sir, I'll be happy to do that, but the first name on the list will be mine."

Eisenhower’s secretary added “"If the General pleases, sir, my name will be first and hers will be second."

Join me again May 17 to hear the story of America’s Lesbians during the war.

[didanawisgi]

'Their goal is to destroy everyone': Uighur camp detainees allege systematic rape

By Matthew Hill, David Campanale and Joel Gunter BBC News

“Women in China's "re-education" camps for Uighurs have been systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured, according to detailed new accounts obtained by the BBC.

You may find some of the details in this story distressing.

The men always wore masks, Tursunay Ziawudun said, even though there was no pandemic then.

They wore suits, she said, not police uniforms.

Sometime after midnight, they came to the cells to select the women they wanted and took them down the corridor to a "black room", where there were no surveillance cameras.

Several nights, Ziawudun said, they took her.

"Perhaps this is the most unforgettable scar on me forever," she said.

"I don't even want these words to spill from my mouth."

Tursunay Ziawudun spent nine months inside China's vast and secretive system of internment camps in the Xinjiang region. According to independent estimates, more than a million men and women have been detained in the sprawling network of camps, which China says exist for the "re-education" of the Uighurs and other minorities.

Human rights groups say the Chinese government has gradually stripped away the religious and other freedoms of the Uighurs, culminating in an oppressive system of mass surveillance, detention, indoctrination, and even forced sterilisation.

The policy flows from China's President, Xi Jinping, who visited Xinjiang in 2014 in the wake of a terror attack by Uighur separatists. Shortly after, according to documents leaked to the New York Times, he directed local officials to respond with "absolutely no mercy". The US government said last month that China's actions since amounted to a genocide. China says reports of mass detention and forced sterilisation are "lies and absurd allegations".

First-hand accounts from inside the internment camps are rare, but several former detainees and a guard have told the BBC they experienced or saw evidence of an organised system of mass rape, sexual abuse and torture.

Tursunay Ziawudun, who fled Xinjiang after her release and is now in the US, said women were removed from the cells "every night" and raped by one or more masked Chinese men. She said she was tortured and later gang-raped on three occasions, each time by two or three men.

Ziawudun has spoken to the media before, but only from Kazakhstan, where she "lived in constant fear of being sent back to China", she said. She said she believed that if she revealed the extent of the sexual abuse she had experienced and seen, and was returned to Xinjiang, she would be punished more harshly than before. And she was ashamed, she said.

It is impossible to verify Ziawudun's account completely because of the severe restrictions China places on reporters in the country, but travel documents and immigration records she provided to the BBC corroborate the timeline of her story. Her descriptions of the camp in Xinyuan county - known in Uighur as Kunes county - match satellite imagery analysed by the BBC, and her descriptions of daily life inside the camp, as well as the nature and methods of the abuse, correspond with other accounts from former detainees.

Internal documents from the Kunes county justice system from 2017 and 2018, provided to the BBC by Adrian Zenz, a leading expert on China's policies in Xinjiang, detail planning and spending for "transformation through education" of "key groups" - a common euphemism in China for the indoctrination of the Uighurs. In one Kunes document, the "education" process is described as "washing brains, cleansing hearts, strengthening righteousness and eliminating evil".

The BBC also interviewed a Kazakh woman from Xinjiang who was detained for 18 months in the camp system, who said she was forced to strip Uighur women naked and handcuff them, before leaving them alone with Chinese men. Afterwards, she cleaned the rooms, she said.

"My job was to remove their clothes above the waist and handcuff them so they cannot move," said Gulzira Auelkhan, crossing her wrists behind her head to demonstrate. "Then I would leave the women in the room and a man would enter - some Chinese man from outside or policeman. I sat silently next to the door, and when the man left the room I took the woman for a shower."

The Chinese men "would pay money to have their pick of the prettiest young inmates", she said.

Some former detainees of the camps have described being forced to assist guards or face punishment. Auelkhan said she was powerless to resist or intervene.

Asked if there was a system of organised rape, she said: "Yes, rape."

"They forced me to go into that room," she said. "They forced me to take off those women's clothes and to restrain their hands and leave the room."

Some of the women who were taken away from the cells at night were never returned, Ziawudun said. Those who were brought back were threatened against telling others in the cell what had happened to them.

"You can't tell anyone what happened, you can only lie down quietly," she said. "It is designed to destroy everyone's spirit."

Mr Zenz told the BBC that the testimony gathered for this story was "some of the most horrendous evidence I have seen since the atrocity began".

"This confirms the very worst of what we have heard before," he said. "It provides authoritative and detailed evidence of sexual abuse and torture at a level clearly greater than what we had assumed."

The Uighurs are a mostly Muslim Turkic minority group that number about 11 million in Xinjiang in north-western China. The region borders Kazakhstan and is also home to ethnic Kazakhs. Ziawudun, who is 42, is Uighur. Her husband is a Kazakh.

The couple returned to Xinjiang in late 2016 after a five-year stay in Kazakhstan, and were interrogated on arrival and had their passports confiscated, Ziawudun said. A few months later, she was told by police to attend a meeting alongside other Uighurs and Kazakhs and the group was rounded up and detained.

Her first stint in detention was comparatively easy, she said, with decent food and access to her phone. After a month she developed stomach ulcers and was released. Her husband's passport was returned and he went back to Kazakhstan to work, but authorities kept Ziawudun's, trapping her in Xinjiang. Reports suggest China has purposefully kept behind and interned relatives to discourage those who leave from speaking out. On 9 March 2018, with her husband still in Kazakhstan, Ziawudun was instructed to report to a local police station, she said. She was told she needed "more education".

According to her account, Ziawudun was transported back to the same facility as her previous detention, in Kunes county, but the site had been significantly developed, she said. Buses were lined up outside offloading new detainees "non-stop".

The women had their jewellery confiscated. Ziawudun's earrings were yanked out, she said, causing her ears to bleed, and she was herded into a room with a group of women. Among them was an elderly woman who Ziawudun would later befriend.

The camp guards pulled off the woman's headscarf, Ziawudun said, and shouted at her for wearing a long dress - one of a list of religious expressions that became arrestable offences for Uighurs that year.

"They stripped everything off the elderly lady, leaving her with just her underwear. She was so embarrassed that she tried to cover herself with her arms," Ziawudun said.

"I cried so much watching the way they treated her. Her tears fell like rain."

The women were told to hand over their shoes and any clothes with elastic or buttons, Ziawudun said, then taken to cellblocks - "similar to a small Chinese neighbourhood where there are rows of buildings".

Nothing much happened for the first month or two. They were forced to watch propaganda programmes in their cells and had their hair forcibly cut short.

Then police began interrogating Ziawudun about her absent husband, she said, knocking her on the floor when she resisted and kicking her in the abdomen.

"Police boots are very hard and heavy, so at first I thought he was beating me with something," she said. "Then I realised that he was trampling on my belly. I almost passed out - I felt a hot flush go through me."

A camp doctor told her she might have a blood clot. When her cellmates drew attention to the fact that she was bleeding, the guards "replied saying it is normal for women to bleed", she said.

According to Ziawudun, each cell was home to 14 women, with bunk beds, bars on the windows, a basin and a hole-in-the-floor-style toilet. When she first saw women being taken out of the cell at night, she didn't understand why, she said. She thought they were being moved elsewhere.

Then sometime in May 2018 - "I don't remember the exact date, because you don't remember the dates inside there" - Ziawudun and a cellmate, a woman in her twenties, were taken out at night and presented to a Chinese man in a mask, she said. Her cellmate was taken into a separate room.

"As soon as she went inside she started screaming," Ziawudun said. "I don't know how to explain to you, I thought they were torturing her. I never thought about them raping."

The woman who had brought them from the cells told the men about Ziawudun's recent bleeding.

"After the woman spoke about my condition, the Chinese man swore at her. The man with the mask said 'Take her to the dark room'.

"The woman took me to the room next to where the other girl had been taken in. They had an electric stick, I didn't know what it was, and it was pushed inside my genital tract, torturing me with an electric shock."

Ziawudun's torture that first night in the dark room eventually came to an end, she said, when the woman intervened again citing her medical condition, and she was returned to the cell.

About an hour later, her cellmate was brought back.

"The girl became completely different after that, she wouldn't speak to anyone, she sat quietly staring as if in a trance," Ziawudun said. "There were many people in those cells who lost their minds."

Alongside cells, another central feature of the camps is classrooms. Teachers have been drafted in to "re-educate" the detainees - a process activists say is designed to strip the Uighurs and other minorities of their culture, language and religion, and indoctrinate them into mainstream Chinese culture.

Qelbinur Sedik, an Uzbek woman from Xinjiang, was among the Chinese language teachers brought into the camps and coerced into giving lessons to the detainees. Sedik has since fled China and spoken publicly about her experience.

The women's camp was "tightly controlled", Sedik told the BBC. But she heard stories, she said - signs and rumours of rape. One day, Sedik cautiously approached a Chinese camp policewoman she knew.

"I asked her, 'I have been hearing some terrible stories about rape, do you know about it?' She said we should talk in the courtyard during lunch.

"So I went to the courtyard, where there were not many cameras. She said, 'Yes, the rape has become a culture. It is gang rape and the Chinese police not only rape them but also electrocute them. They are subject to horrific torture.'"

That night Sedik didn't sleep at all, she said. "I was thinking about my daughter who was studying abroad and I cried all night."

In separate testimony to the Uyghur Human Rights Project, Sedik said she heard about an electrified stick being inserted into women to torture them - echoing the experience Ziawudun described.

There were "four kinds of electric shock", Sedik said - "the chair, the glove, the helmet, and anal rape with a stick".

"The screams echoed throughout the building," she said. "I could hear them during lunch and sometimes when I was in class."

Another teacher forced to work in the camps, Sayragul Sauytbay, told the BBC that "rape was common" and the guards "picked the girls and young women they wanted and took them away".

She described witnessing a harrowing public gang rape of a woman of just 20 or 21, who was brought before about 100 other detainees to make a forced confession.

"After that, in front of everyone, the police took turns to rape her," Sauytbay said.

"While carrying out this test, they watched people closely and picked out anyone who resisted, clenched their fists, closed their eyes, or looked away, and took them for punishment."

The young woman cried out for help, Sauytbay said.

"It was absolutely horrendous," she said. "I felt I had died. I was dead."

In the camp in Kunes, Ziawudun's days drifted into weeks and then months. The detainees' hair was cut, they went to class, they underwent unexplained medical tests, took pills, and were forcibly injected every 15 days with a "vaccine" that brought on nausea and numbness.

Women were forcibly fitted with IUDs or sterilised, Ziawudun said, including a woman who was just about 20 years old. ("We begged them on her behalf," she said.) Forced sterilisation of Uighurs has been widespread in Xinjiang, according to a recent investigation by the Associated Press. The Chinese government told the BBC the allegations were "completely unfounded".

As well as the medical interventions, detainees in Ziawudun's camp spent hours singing patriotic Chinese songs and watching patriotic TV programmes about Chinese President Xi Jinping, she said.

"You forget to think about life outside the camp. I don't know if they brainwashed us or if it was the side effect of the injections and pills, but you can't think of anything beyond wishing you had a full stomach. The food deprivation is so severe."

Detainees had food withheld for infractions such as failing to accurately memorise passages from books about Xi Jinping, according to a former camp guard who spoke to the BBC via video link from a country outside China.

"Once we were taking the people arrested into the concentration camp, and I saw everyone being forced to memorise those books. They sit for hours trying to memorise the text, everyone had a book in their hands," he said.

Those who failed tests were forced to wear three different colours of clothing based on whether they had failed one, two, or three times, he said, and subjected to different levels of punishment accordingly, including food deprivation and beatings.

"I entered those camps. I took detainees into those camps," he said. "I saw those sick, miserable people. They definitely experienced various types of torture. I am sure about that."

It was not possible to independently verify the guard's testimony but he provided documents that appeared to corroborate a period of employment at a known camp. He agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.

The guard said he did not know anything about rape in the cell areas. Asked if the camp guards used electrocution, he said: "Yes. They do. They use those electrocuting instruments." After being tortured, detainees were forced to make confessions to a variety of perceived offences, according to the guard. "I have those confessions in my heart," he said.

President Xi looms large over the camps. His image and slogans adorn the walls; he is a focus of the programme of "re-education". Xi is the overall architect of the policy against the Uighurs, said Charles Parton, a former British diplomat in China and now senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

"It is very centralised and it goes to the very top," Parton said. "There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this is Xi Jinping's policy."

It was unlikely that Xi or other top party officials would have directed or authorised rape or torture, Parton said, but they would "certainly be aware of it".

"I think they prefer at the top just to turn a blind eye. The line has gone out to implement this policy with great sternness, and that is what is happening." That left "no real constraints", he said. "I just don't see what the perpetrators of these acts would have to hold them back."

According to Ziawudun's account, the perpetrators did not hold back.

"They don't only rape but also bite all over your body, you don't know if they are human or animal," she said, pressing a tissue to her eyes to stop her tears and pausing for a long time to collect herself.

"They didn't spare any part of the body, they bit everywhere leaving horrible marks. It was disgusting to look at.

"I've experienced that three times. And it is not just one person who torments you, not just one predator. Each time they were two or three men."

Later, a woman who slept near Ziawudun in the cell, who said she was detained for giving birth to too many children, disappeared for three days and when she returned her body was covered with the same marks, Ziawudun said.

"She couldn't say it. She wrapped her arms around my neck and sobbed continuously, but she said nothing."

The Chinese government did not respond directly to questions from the BBC about allegations of rape and torture. In a statement, a spokeswoman said the camps in Xinjiang were not detention camps but "vocational education and training centres".

"The Chinese government protects the rights and interests of all ethnic minorities equally," the spokeswoman said, adding that the government "attaches great importance to protecting women's rights".

Ziawudun was released in December 2018 along with others who had spouses or relatives in Kazakhstan - an apparent policy shift she still doesn't fully understand.

The state returned her passport and she fled to Kazakhstan and then, with the support of the Uyghur Human Rights Project, to the US. She is applying to stay. She lives in a quiet suburb not far from Washington DC with a landlady from the local Uighur community. The two women cook together and take walks in the streets around the house. It's a slow, uneventful existence. Ziawudun keeps the lights low when she is in the house, because they shone brightly and constantly in the camp. A week after she arrived in the US, she had surgery to remove her womb - a consequence of being stamped on. "I have lost the chance to become a mother," she said. She wants her husband to join her in the US. For now, he is in Kazakhstan.

For a while after her release, before she could flee, Ziawudun waited in Xinjiang. She saw others who had been churned through the system and released. She saw the effect the policy was having on her people. The birth rate in Xinjiang has plummeted in the past few years, according to independent research - an effect analysts have described as "demographic genocide".

Many in the community had turned to alcohol, Ziawudun said. Several times, she saw her former cellmate collapsed on the street - the young woman who was removed from the cell with her that first night, who she heard screaming in an adjacent room. The woman had been consumed by addiction, Ziawudun said. She was "like someone who simply existed, otherwise she was dead, completely finished by the rapes".

"They say people are released, but in my opinion everyone who leaves the camps is finished."

And that, she said, was the plan. The surveillance, the internment, the indoctrination, the dehumanisation, the sterilisation, the torture, the rape.

"Their goal is to destroy everyone," she said. "And everybody knows it."”

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Changed by pandemic, many workers won’t return to old jobs (AP) There’s a wild card in the push to return to post-pandemic life: Many workers don’t want to go back to the jobs they once had. Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, gave many Americans the time and the financial cushion to rethink their careers. Their former employers are hiring again — and some, like Uber and McDonald’s, are offering higher pay—but workers remain hesitant. Employers and business groups argue that the $300-per-week federal unemployment supplement gives recipients less incentive to look for work. But Heidi Shierholz, a senior economist who researches low- and middle-income workers with the Economic Policy Institute, said health concerns and child care responsibilities seem to be the main reasons holding workers back. In April, she said, at least 25% of U.S. schools weren’t offering in-person learning, forcing many parents to stay home. And health concerns could gain new urgency for some workers now that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most settings. Some workers say the pandemic helped them prioritize their mental and physical health. And in a tight labor market, some workers are also finding that if they hold out, they might get a better job than the one they left.

Unhealthy Dose of Litigation (CNN) It’s not personal, it’s just business. Tell that to tens of thousands of individuals sued by hospitals for ‘medical debt’ they have no way of ever paying. Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) is one of America’s largest hospital chains. A CNN investigation found that since March 2020, company-owned hospitals filed at least 19,000 lawsuits against their patients over allegedly unpaid medical bills, even as other hospitals around the country have curtailed similar lawsuits during the pandemic. CHS’s 84 hospitals are concentrated in the South, but stretch across 16 states from Alaska to Key West, Florida. The hospitals have sued patients for as little as $201 and as much as $162,000. Most defendants didn’t hire a lawyer or fight the lawsuits, and judges often rendered a default judgment in the hospital’s favor. Attorney’s fees and interest are often tacked on. Once a court rules against a defendant, a hospital can proceed to put a lien on the defendant’s house or garnish part of their wages. Many garnishments were against people working for low-wage employers like Walmart. A researcher who has studied hospital lawsuits said that it’s typical for hospitals that sue patients to only make a tiny fraction of their revenue from those lawsuits. “It’s not keeping the lights on for the hospitals—they don’t need to be doing this,” she said. “But for the patients... They’re choosing between medical care and food.”

Argentina Halts Beef Exports for 30 Days to Contain Prices (Bloomberg) Argentina’s government is limiting exports of beef, a staple in the country, in the latest unorthodox move to try to contain runaway inflation that’s approaching 50% annually. President Alberto Fernandez told a key beef export association that they won’t be allowed to sell the product abroad for 30 days, according to a Production Ministry statement released late Monday. “The president expressed his concern over the sustained growth in domestic beef prices over the last few months,” according to the statement. The country’s beef exports in 2020 amounted to roughly $3 billion, but the government may be more focused on the political cost of falling domestic consumption.

Spain Turns to Corruption Rehab for Officials Who Can’t Stop Stealing (NYT) Carlos Alburquerque isn’t your typical rehab candidate. He’s a 75-year-old grandfather living in Córdoba, a city in southern Spain. He was a town notary before he retired in 2015. He hasn’t touched drugs or alcohol in years. But his isn’t your typical rehab program: It’s an 11-month boot camp to reform corrupt Spanish officials and “reinsert” them into mainstream society. “Repairing the damage is what is left for me in this life,” said Mr. Alburquerque, who is serving a four-year prison sentence for stealing around 400,000 euros, nearly a half a million dollars, in his work drawing up contracts and deeds. That such a program exists in Spain may say much about the country’s belief in second chances as it does about how corruption has captured the public imagination here. Flip open a newspaper or turn on the radio: You will hear of schemes, scandals and skulduggery which almost always lead back to the public purse. According to Ángel Luis Ortiz, a former judge who now runs Spain’s prisons, the boom-bust cycles of Spain’s economy had led it to a long history of fraudsters and betrayals of public trust, he said. But at least, corruption rates in Spain were no worse than in other European nations, Mr. Ortiz said, just 5 percent of all crimes.

Russia’s northernmost base projects its power across Arctic (AP) During the Cold War, Russia’s Nagurskoye airbase was little more than a runway, a weather station and a communications outpost in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. It was a remote and desolate home mostly for polar bears, where temperatures plunge in winter to minus-42 Celsius (43 degrees below zero Fahrenheit) and the snow only disappears from August to mid-September. Now, Russia’s northernmost military base is bristling with missiles and radar and its extended runway can handle all types of aircraft, including nuclear-capable strategic bombers, projecting Moscow’s power and influence across the Arctic amid intensifying international competition for the region’s vast resources. Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway as shrinking polar ice from the warming planet offers new opportunities for resources and shipping routes. China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, believed to hold up to one-fourth of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.

Cyclone kills 19 in India, heavy rains lash parts of Gujarat state (Reuters) A cyclone on India’s west coast has killed at least 19 people and damaged infrastructure and agriculture, while heavy rains continued to lash some regions even as weather officials said on Tuesday that the storm’s intensity had weakened. The cyclone Tauktae, which made landfall in the western state of Gujarat late on Monday, has hit power supply in 2,400 villages in the state as a thousand electricity pylons were damaged, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said in a media address. Nearly 160 roads have been destroyed, 40,000 trees uprooted and several houses damaged, Rupani added.

India reports record day of virus deaths as cases level off (AP) India’s total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million on Tuesday as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The numbers continue a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks on Monday. Active cases in the country also decreased by more than 165,000 on Tuesday—the biggest dip in weeks. But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still swamped by patients. Infections in India have surged since February in a disastrous turn blamed on more contagious variants as well as government decisions to allow massive crowds to gather for religious festivals and political rallies.

In Gaza, grief and destruction (Washington Post) In a conflict already marked by harrowing scenes of tragedy, one image stood out. Rescuers in Gaza City on Sunday pulled out Suzy Eshkuntana, a 6-year-old, from the rubble of a building that had once been her home, but which was flattened by Israeli airstrikes. She was covered in dust but alive. Her mother and all four of her siblings were dead. It’s not clear why the Eshkuntanas’ home was brought crashing down. Israeli authorities told reporters that they had targeted a network of tunnels used by Hamas militants that may have run beneath the area where the family lived. “The collapse of the tunnel system,” Reuters reported, “caused the houses above to collapse and led to unintended civilian casualties, the military said.” In Israel’s telling, there are many more “unintended” casualties in Gaza. According to local Health Ministry officials, the death toll in Gaza climbed to 212 people, including 61 children and 36 women, as fighting entered its second week. Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, home to some 2.1 million people, the majority of whom are classified as refugees by the United Nations. That’s a legacy of the displacements that followed Israel’s creation in 1948 and the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Children make up about half of Gaza’s population. The territory has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, after Hamas took power following a rift within the Palestinian Authority. “Living conditions in Gaza are bleak: 95 percent of the population does not have access to clean water, according to [the United Nations], and electricity shortages periodically bring life to a halt,” my colleagues reported. “The territory has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, World Bank statistics show, and the United Nations estimates that roughly 80 percent of the population relies on international aid to survive and access basic services.”

The New Arab Street: Online, Global and Growing (NYT) The video traveled at 4G speed, leapfrogging across international borders, social media platforms and social justice movements: a young Palestinian woman in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, shouting in furious English at a Jewish man, “You are stealing my house!” “If I don’t steal it, someone else will steal it,” he retorts. Within days—as Israel bombed the coastal territory of Gaza, Palestinian militants there launched rockets at Israel, and Arab and Jewish mobs faced off in Israeli cities—the video had rocketed from young Palestinians’ social media feeds into the Arab diaspora, then lit up the internet, kindling outrage around the world. It used to be that when Palestinians were under fire, protests would follow in the streets of Arab cities. That potential for combustion forced Middle Eastern and Western leaders to keep a wary eye on the temperature of what was called the “Arab street.” This time, a week into an Israeli bombing campaign that has killed 212 Palestinians in Gaza, the reaction from Arab capitals has been muted and protests small and scattered. Instead, solidarity with the Palestinians has shifted online and gone global, a virtual Arab street that has the potential to have a wider impact than the ones in Middle Eastern cities. The online protesters have linked arms with popular movements for minority rights such as Black Lives Matter, seeking to reclaim the narrative from the mainstream media and picking up support in Western countries that have reflexively supported Israel.

Ransomware hits AXA units in Asia, Irish healthcare (AP) The Thai affiliate of Paris-based insurance company AXA said Tuesday it is investigating a ransomware attack by Russian-speaking cybercriminals that has affected operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Meanwhile, a cyberattack on a public health provider in New Zealand took down information systems across five hospitals, forcing staff to cancel some elective surgeries and creating all sorts of other problems. It was unclear if the event was linked to a cyberattack that has nearly paralyzed Ireland’s national healthcare IT systems. The Irish government’s decision not to pay the criminals means hospitals won’t have access to patient records—and must resort mostly to handwritten notes—until painstaking efforts are complete to restore thousands of computer servers from backups.

The Places Ranked Best for Expats in 2021 (Bloomberg) Taiwan, Mexico and Costa Rica have been ranked as the top spots to live and work abroad in 2021, based on their cost of living, ease of settling in and overall quality of life. The U.S. was ranked only 34th out of 59 places, largely because of how expats viewed quality of life in America, according to a new survey published Tuesday. Taiwan topped the charts for the third year in a row in the survey of 12,420 expats conducted by InterNations, a Munich-based expat network with about 4 million members. The top 10: Taiwan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Ecuador, Canada, Vietnam.

[gozel]

https://datacide-magazine.com/from-subculture-to-hegemony-transversal-strategies-of-the-new-right-in-neofolk-and-martial-industrial/

From Subculture to Hegemony: Transversal Strategies of the New Right in Neofolk and Martial Industrial

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Neo-Folk and Martial Industrial are two sub-categories of Industrial Music, which developed in the 1980’s. Industrial as such was a direction that – parallel to Punk Rock – worked with the latest electronics in order to create an aesthetic of futuristic noise machines of the late 20th century and research extreme zones of contemporary society and history. Throbbing Gristle already thematized concentration camps, serial killers, Aleister Crowley etc by using cut-up techniques of William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin and thus with strategies of liberation from brain washing. Similarly, Cabaret Voltaire were said to wage a “propaganda war against the propaganda war” (Industrial Culture Handbook). With SPK this was combined with a critique of Psychiatry and a presentation of extremes of the body and death. In the 80’s there were agitational and critical bands such as Test Dept., Nocturnal Emissions and Bourbonese Qualk which were often associated with the ever broadening spectrum of “Industrial”. However, with Laibach the critique of totalitarianism became more ambivalent. This ambivalence was at first seemingly shared by Death In June, the band that in many ways was at the origin of what is now considered Neo-Folk and Martial Industrial.

Death In June has already been the subject of an article in datacide by Stewart Home. Although the band’s name derives from the “night of the long knives” when the SA leadership and other elements in German fascism were liquidated by Hitler and the SS in June 1934, DIJ’s left wing origins as well as their collaboration with a number of musicians not suspected to have far right leanings seemed to suggest to followers of 80’s industrial that their use of fascist imagery had some sort of critical element to it. There was a romantic and fetishistic element to it and and when Tony Wakeford was sacked from the band (supposedly) for his membership in the National Front it seemed to show that indeed they were rejecting politics and their use of fascist themes and imagery was on the level of aesthetic provocation.

In the course of the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s a number of other bands flocked to the use of this strategy creating a small sub-culture heavy with far right symbolisms and content, sometimes more, sometimes less explicit and politically oriented. Although there is no doubt that this scene harbours a lot of entirely “unpolitical” elements, there are definite personal connections to some elements of the organized far right who are trying to use a “metapolitical” strategy of intervention to fight their fascist kulturkampf.

Right wing sub-cultures are still mostly associated with White Power rock, Skinhead and Oi!-music. This has historical reasons. Central in this is the band Skrewdriver around Ian Stuart Donaldson. The first couple of 7”s and the first album came out on the pub/punk rock label Chiswick Records in 1977. Lack of success however made the band dissolve twice until they reformed again in 1982 and released a 12” on Last Resort’s Boot and Braces Records and then a couple of 7”s on the National Front’s White Noise Records. By now they had become the quintessential White Power band and played numerous “Rock Against Communism” festivals, the NF-answer to the much more popular Rock Against Racism festivals at the time. In 1987, Ian Stuart fell out with Patrick Harrington and Derek Holland of the White Noise Club, the National Front’s “musical” arm, and founded his own Blood & Honour network, in which he played a leading role until his death in a car accident in 1993.

Two things have to be stated in our context here: 1. The ludicrous paranoid race hate ramblings present in the lyrics of Skrewdriver and a host of other like-minded bands that joined them just didn’t lead them anywhere in terms of commercial success, which is something Stuart by his own admission wanted to achieve. 2. With that avenue barred, this scene didn’t and doesn’t have problems outing themselves as National Socialists. To present their political ideas they can do without references to obscure authors of the “conservative revolution” or völkish occultists, and are quite happy to chant their primitive slogans undiluted. The same is true with “National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM), the openly neo-nazi section of the Black Metal scene and certain White Power Noise Bands. There seems to be a competition to pronounce the most inhuman, brutal and anti-Semitic messages. Song titles as “Die Juden sind unser Unglück”, “Systematische Judische Vernichtung” (Deathkey), “Sieg Heil Vaterland”, “Europa Erwache!” (Der Stürmer), “The Whitest Power”, “Blood Banner SS”, “Juda Verrecke” (Streicher) are quite common.

With Neo-Folk and other outgrowths of the Industrial scene this is different. A great importance is attached to avoid being easily associated with the brown swamp. Their attitude is intellectual and elitist with adoration for Ernst Jünger and Julius Evola not Hitler and Mussolini. Even with key figures who have undeniably been members of far right political groups (in Britain this is crystallized around the mid-80’s National Front and its “Political Soldier” faction), there is a surprising eagerness to distance themselves from allegations of “fascism”. This has a historical precedent in the French “Nouvelle Droite” (see appendix) who, motivated to get out of the neo-Nazi cul-de-sac, and on their march through the institutions, tried hard to avoid being tagged fascists while serving old wine in new bottles, or old ideology in new phraseology for to the present day.

Troy Southgate, head of the group HERR, seems particularly eager not to be branded a fascist despite his history as a wanderer from one group of the extreme right to the other (such as the National Front, the International Third Position, the English Nationalist Movement, the National Revolutionary Faction etc). Presumably this is a tactical move not to scare away potential recruits to his more recent “National Anarchist Movement”. With a list of his favorite authors including pre-cursors like Bakunin, Proudhon and Nietzsche, “classic” fascist and National-Bolshevik authors such as Julius Evola, the Strasser Brothers, Ernst Jünger, Martin Heidegger, Gabriele D’Annunzio, Ernst Niekisch, Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, Karl Haushofer, and finally more contemporary fascists and esoteric Hitlerists like Francis Parker Yockey, Miguel Serrano and Savitri Devi, one wonders why he pretends to be so allergic to the f-word. While this is not necessarily a homogenous bunch of authors, and most of them are not “Nazis” in the sense of toeing the line of the NSDAP, all of them (minus the 19th century pre-cursers) can reasonably be called fascist in the sense of using “fascism” as an umbrella term for tendencies including the conservative revolution, national bolshevism, the Hitler-Nazis to the various strains of the contemporary New Right.

Armin Mohler, a historian and speaker of the “conservative revolution” said: “Fascism for me, is when disappointed liberals and disappointed socialists come together for something new. Out of this emerges what is called conservative revolution.” He somewhat modifies this point in 1973/74: “Apart from a few extras from the ‘lunatic fringe’, no one was defining themselves as ‘fascist’ anymore.” He then tries to define what “fascist” means. He chooses a procedural method he terms the “physiognomic approach”: “In any case all attempts to understand fascism from its theoretical declarations, or (which is not the same) to reduce it to a theory, are doomed to fail (…) In this area of politics the relationship to the concept (Begriff) is just instrumental, indirect, retrospective. Preceding there is a decision for a gesture, a rhythm, in short: a style. This style can of course express itself in words – fascism is not mute, on the contrary. It loves words – but they are not there to communicate a logical context”, rather, according to Mohler, they lead “most of the time” to “random and arbitrary results”. “To summarize we can say that fascists can obviously easily accept discrepancies in theory, because their communication is happening in a shorter curve, exactly through ‘style’”. (Von Rechts gesehen, 181f.) Mussolini declared in an almost more radical fashion: “Fascism is to the highest degree a relativist movement, because it never made the attempt to clothe its multi-layered and powerful mentality in a defined program. Its success lies rather in the fact that it has followed constantly changing individual inspirations (…) Us fascists have always expressed our complete indifference towards any theory…” Mohler (1920-2003) himself was increasingly openly calling himself a fascist towards the end of his life, while the younger “new right” adepts on the contrary try to utilize an ideological fog machine to obscure their positions.

While Southgate only more recently added a musical “career” to his CV, his former comrade in the NF, Tony Wakeford, has been involved with music longer than his involvement with far right politics. In fact, Wakeford did have roots in the far left scene as a member of the Socialist Workers Party when he was in the band Crisis (see Datacide 7). Douglas Pearce was simultaneously in the International Marxist Group, a competing Trotskyist group. Crisis was dissolved apparently out of disillusionment with the left, and Death In June was founded in 1981.

Shortly afterwards Tony Wakeford joined the National Front. The NF had been the most important party of British neo-fascism in the 1970’s. However, in the early 80’s it already was in a state of decline and internal factional disputes. There was soon a de facto split between the “Official NF” and the “Flag Group”. In control of the “Official NF” was the “Political Soldier” faction around Nick Griffin and Patrick Harrington, and it was with this latter faction that Wakeford was sympathizing. Supposedly Wakeford had to leave the band DIJ for this reason, although this seems strange, given that this was right at the point when the NF took a turn to Strasserism, the so-called “left wing” of National Socialism. Douglas Pearce himself said in 1992 that when “searching for a new political perspective we stumbled across nationalist Bolshevism (…) people like Gregor Strasser and Ernst Röhm, who were later known as the ‘second revolutionaries’”. This is a position that would have been compatible with the “Political Soldiers” from the NF.

The question has to be inserted here: why wasn’t DIJ immediately recognized as a far right band by most people? There are different reasons for this. Their background was explicitly left, texts and imagery seemed to be ambivalent, one wanted to recognize not a glorification but also a critique, and when the band was singing the Horst Wessel Lied, it was seen as a provocation embedded in a historical collage. One could and should have been more critical, but songs like “Death of the West” were serving both “left” and “right”-wing anti-Western resentment. People like John Balance and David Tibet, who seemed unsuspicious, were playing on DIJ records and Douglas Pearce was working for a time in Rough Trade record shop, which was supposed to be politically correct – hadn’t they banned Whitehouse records for the fact the band shared the same address as the fascist League of St. George? And last but not least hadn’t Wakeford been sacked from the band for his involvement with the NF?

After leaving DIJ, Wakeford founded the band Above The Ruins with the bassist Gary Smith of No Remorse, which was an openly neo-nazi band similar to Skrewdriver both in terms of musical style and ideological direction. Above The Ruins released one album and became effectively the first line-up of the new band Sol Invictus, in which Wakeford is still active. Sol Invictus first album was called “Against The Modern World” in homage to Julius Evola, on which Smith still played bass, and was joined by Ian Read and Liz Gray. Wakeford has denied this connection for many years, although there was a re-release of the album in 1996 which was also sold through the Sol Invictus mail order. Above the Ruins featured on a National Front benefit sampler called “No Surrender” alongside the likes of Skrewdriver on the Rock-o-Rama label, who have as recently as 2008 released a track by No Remorse on a 30 years anniversary compilation. Interesting detail: The track “Waiting” had not previously been released on Rock-o-Rama, but was on the “Songs of the Wolf” album. This album, released originally on cassette tape in 1984, then on vinyl in 1986, had already reaped praise in Scorpion magazine from Michael Walker, who is another figure of the British New Right as former NF member.

What is certain is that Wakeford makes some sort of effort at damage control concerning his involvements with the far right. His strategy seems to be to make flimsy disclaimers and otherwise deny everything (see his “Message from Tony” on his website). The legend that he was only briefly involved with far right politics in ca. 1984 doesn’t hold up. His involvement with the NF went back at least two years during which he was a member of DIJ. Wakeford has had many personal involvements with important figures of the far right till at least 1999 when Richard Lawson was best man at his wedding, which also include figures like Patrick Harrington and National Socialist Movement leader Tony Williams. We already encountered Patrick Harrington as one of the organizers of the White Noise Club in the mid 80’s, and he was also a part of the Political Soldier faction of the NF. When this faction split at the end of the decade (leaving the small rump of the NF to the “Flag” group), it produced the International Third Position (Griffin, Holland) and the “Third Way” (Harrington), which is posing as a “think tank” rather than a political group. Harrington remains a confidant of Griffin as the chairman of the fake trade union Solidarity, which is essentially a BNP front. Wakeford was good friends with Harrington and Tony Williams, the future leader of the National Socialist Movement and the person who would issue his NSM membership card to London nail-bomber David Copeland. Wakeford’s other close friend Richard Lawson had a career in the extreme right going back into the 70’s. He was editor of “Britain First” together with Dave McCalden, who became known as a holocaust revisionist, followed the Strasserite split of the short lived National Party. In the 80’s he returned to the “Strasserized” National Front, founded the IONA-Group (Islands of the North Atlantic) and wrote for Scorpion, the magazine of Michael Walker (who was one of the people who safe-housed Italian neo-fascist terrorist Roberto Fiore). In the mid-90’s, Lawson founded the fluxeuropa website and was involved along with Southgate in Alternative Green, the nationalistic spin-off from Green Anarchist. As we can see, Wakeford was surrounded by key figures of the extreme right until the end of the 90’s at least. So it’s not surprising that he spouts on about Europe in true new right fashion in an interview with Jean Louis Vaxelaire, which was published on Lawson’s fluxeuropa site. Wakeford said that Europe was “one of my obsessions”, and slightly distanced himself from 19th century concepts of nationalism by preferring to see “Europe as a collection of regions”, but he then in accordance with the new right decried the “unstoppable” “americanization of European culture.”

Wakeford and Southgate are by no means the only ones involved in the far right. Ian Read, a founding member of Sol Invictus and occasional member of Current 93, who featured on Death In June’s “Brown Book”, founded his own project Fire & Ice in 1990. Known in occult circles for his editorship of Chaos International, his interests are focussed on runes, odinism, nordic mythology, and he thinks of himself as one of the most important occultists of the British Isles. But he too has a history as a far right militant as he acted as security for Michael Walker and Michèle Renouf at events around 1990.

Renouf is one of the leading figures of British holocaust denial and anti-Semites. Amongst other things, she participated in the Teheran holocaust conference, and is one of the most active supporters of David Irving. She also pops up in our context again in 2007 when she spoke at an event of Southgate’s New Right groupuscule, as reported by the anti-Fascist magazine Searchlight. This (and a looming leadership contest) led to disputes within the British National Party, since its culture commissioner, self-declared “philosopher” and “artist” (who made garish oil paintings with titles such as “Adolf and Leni” or “Freud was wrong”) was simultaneously Southgate’s partner in the New Right grouplet. This was at a time when Nick Griffin (former Political Soldier, now BNP chairman and recently elected to the European Parliament) tried to create a more “respectable” image for the party. Of course if leading functionaries rub shoulders with radical anti-Zionists and anti-Semites, who, as Renouf does, believe that “Hamas fights for us all”, then Griffin’s attempt to clear the BNP from charges of anti-Semitism have little credibility.

Back to Neo-Folk: In contrast to “Battlenoise!”, the book titled “Looking For Europe” was received with praise in the scene. The 500 page convolute is stuffed with information on bands and records. It functions a bit like a film documentary cut with snippets of interviews in between the text, and amended with “essays” on the “philosophical” background of the artists. The book title of course is taken from a song by Sol Invictus. All sides of the scene are presented and indeed all kinds of references are mentioned and quoted, but the overall agenda seems to be to discredit the anti-Fascists who are active in monitoring and counter-acting the fascist tendencies in neo-folk. Thus, “Rik” from the fluxeuropa web site comments on whether the Neofolk-scene in England has the reputation of being politically incorrect: “The witch hunters of Political Correctness have their very own and narrow minded political agenda – a kind of ‘social marxism’ – and are not satisfied with anything less than complete compliance with their own values and aims. To justify oneself towards these people would be to play their game, and is ultimately futile. This is why I think we shouldn’t even pose this question.” (p 24) This “Rik” can be none other than Richard Lawson, who we already encountered as NF cadre and IONA founder, but the reader is kept in the dark about these facts. It would be interesting to know if the authors of the book knew this information. If the answer is yes, it would show that they are manipulating the reader on this question; if no, it means they didn’t do their research properly. Either way it illustrates well how the book operates – consciously or not – in its quest to create a whitewashed encyclopedia of Neofolk. Why left wing authors like Martin Büsser or Lars Brinkmann let themselves be instrumentalized remains unclear, but it makes it possible that pretend-equilibrium is created. Most importantly, the involvement of the far right in Neofolk is trivialized and reduced to footnote status.

One other method in this strategy is to present authors such as Ernst Jünger and Julius Evola as heroic mavericks and mystical sages. It is worth briefly looking into their relationships with fascism. Ernst Jünger was active as a publicist and author from the 1920’s onwards on the fringes of the furthest right of the Weimar Republic. He was never a Hitlerite National Socialist, but still he was one of those intellectuals who expected to be the helm of intellectual life after the “German Revolution”. Benn and Heidegger are other examples of this. In 1964, Jünger wrote in his book “Maxima-Minima”: “Revolutions also have a mechanical side”, complaining that the result is that “subaltern” types are coming to the fore. I’m sure he is thinking of the mediocre writers that became national authors of Nazi Germany. Of course Jünger is a stylistic “genius” compared to a Herbert Böhme. It was beneath him to formulate cheap adulations of the “Führer”. Much has been made of Jünger’s supposed refusal to join the Deutsche Akademie der Dichtung when it was purged and then filled with Nazis in the spring of 1933. Fact is that he wasn’t actually invited to join it in May ‘33. One month later, when the NSDAP was already consolidating its power, five more writers were nominated to the Academy. Besides Jakob Schaffner, this also included Jünger. However Jünger got the least number of votes. The poet was insulted and penned a letter of refusal even before the actual invitation arrived. He wrote: “The character of my work lies in its essentially soldierly character, which I do not wish to compromise with academic ties… I ask you therefor to see my refusal as a sacrifice which my participation in the german mobilisation is imposing on myself, in which service I have been active since 1914.” He was obviously offended by the preferential treatment lesser authors were receiving. In any case there is no anti-fascist attitude that can be projected into this statement, and is rather a position that is still consistent with his critique of the Hitlerites from the right.

In his post war writings there is clearly a different tone, and Jünger may well have learned something from the horrors, but it is also possible that a very similar message was encrypted in a different way for a different cultural climate (see the box on “Der Waldgang”). Whatever may be the case, there is definitely no self-critical analysis of his own role in the “german mobilization”. Instead, he often revised his older writings including those versions in his collected works making the texts more compatible for the cultural climate of the post war era. In passing it should be mentioned that Armin Mohler, who was Jünger’s secretary for a while in the early 50’s, turned away from the author exactly for this reason.

Julius Evola was one of the main inspirations for the extreme end of Italian post war fascism. Marginally involved with avant-garde art after WWI, he soon became an ideologist of a radical and anti-Semitic “traditionalism”. That he was not just some random occultist will be clear from the following quote from the preface of the English edition of “Men Among the Ruins”: “… for us as integral advocates of the “Imperium”, for us as aristocratically inclined, for us as unbending enemies of plebeian politics, of any ‘nationalistic’ ideology, of any and all party ranks and all forms of party ‘spirit’, as well as of any more or less disguised form of democracy, “Fascism is not enough”. We should have wanted a more radical, more fearless, a more absolute fascism that would exist in pure strength and unbending spirit against any compromise, inflamed by a real fire for imperial power. We can never be viewed as ‘anti-Fascists’ except to the extent that ‘super-Fascism’ can be equated with ‘antifascism’.” Despite this, various protagonists of the neo-folk scene are allowing themselves to present Evola only as an eccentric mystic in order to trivialize what he is really about: “super-fascism”.

Not everybody sees it like that. For example, the Ukrainian academic and fascism scholar Anton Shekhovtsov wrote the article “Apoliteic music: Neo-Folk, Martial Industrial and ‘Metapolitical’ Fascism”, which appeared in “Patterns of Prejudice” magazine in December 2009. His starting point is that in the post war years the radical right had to switch from openly political forms to what he calls “apoliteic” form. Here, he is particularly referring to Evola, Mohler and Jünger. These conservative revolutionaries find themselves in an interregnum until the time would be ripe again for the “glorious” national re-awakening. The metapolitcal fascism of the New Right manifests itself less in the form of parties than in networks of think tanks, conferences, journals, institutes and publishing houses. Shekhovtsov demonstrates how this strategy is at work in Neo-folk and Martial Industrial with bands such as Folkstorm, Death In June, HERR and others. Of course, record labels and distributors, venues and festivals, fashion and fetishism also add to the cohesion of the scene and operate as transmitters of ideas.

We have seen how certain activists of the scene have roots in the political milieu of British neo-fascism, and that their later activities appear not to be “sins of the youth” but rather a conscious change in strategy. This makes it easier to sell records and exert influence, and also makes is possible that the Antifa can be portrayed as “intolerant” and “totalitarian”. The examples shown in this article are by far not the only ones. From the US, examples such as Michael Moynihan, Boyd Rice or Robert Taylor could be examined and would show deep involvement with far right politics, just as the band Von Thronstahl from Germany would. There are numerous other examples. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that everybody involved in this scene is automatically to be seen as a far right activist. There are even members with years of involvement who seemed to be unaware of the political components. The right wing Gramscian strategy works best when the recipients of the ideas don’t identify them with the hard right, but with “common sense”. This is a very small scene which tries to ennoble its consumers into being supposedly part of some “elite”.

One of the more prevalent opinions on this topic is: as long as these are just the quirks of some pseudo-eccentrics, we shouldn’t care. However, the danger of lies in a camouflaged and sneaking popularisation of ideas as concepts of the New Right can not be underestimated. Caught in the cul-de-sac of “straight” neo-nazi politics, the individuals involved in the far right and neo-folk switched to “metapolitical”, sub-cultural strategies. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to expose these actual connections, to prompt those in the “grey zone” to distance themselves, and especially to expose the actual arbitrariness and banality of fascist thinking.

[diziar]

Lack of reception

Part two of my Modern au @linkeduniverse Warriors in the forest. I know that shit aint quite so harsh in real life but working with extremes is much more fun.

He was being stubborn, and he was fully aware that he was. About now Legend would be telling him that was acting out of character, and Wind would be telling him that things were okay. But nothing was okay. 

Warriors grumbled to himself as he ran a hand through his already messed and knotted hair from several days worth of sweat and dirt without a shower. He hated it. He hated being stuck in the same clothes he had been wearing nonstop. He hated that his scarf was filthy and that the fabric had ripped and began fraying after it was gotta caught of a sharp stick. He hated the constant weight on his back from his bag, and the ache in his feet from constantly walking and even his most comfortable pair of boots now rubbed and gave him blisters.

Most of all he hated the useless chunk of technology in his hand that taunted him. He was letting it consume his mind. Take over every logical sense and plan that he had once had at the start of his, what was supposed to be a fun hiking trip for a weekend away by himself. So long now did the start of it when he was taking photos, blissfully ignorant to the fact that those very photos would be now the thing he hated the most due to the circumstances he was now it. 

How those photos he had taken at the start had only been the start of his battery draining, and now he was useless to charge it. Though the remaining battery life on his blasted phone was of his least concern right now. He was still decent for now, so he could let that one thing be pushed back to the back of his mind, as his main concern came back to the front.

His lack of reception. The last time he had seen even a lick of signal was hours and hours ago when he had received a text from Legend, expressing his concern for the radio silence from Warriors, and Warriors could recall the way he had laughed bitterly at that. That had been only at the start of him coming off the path and getting lost.

Now he was so deep into the woods he had no idea where he was, and no longer was he leading himself by the map or compass, but by his phone as he hoped he headed uphill to find some sort of signal tower to help him. 

So far… Nothing.

It hurt. Everything hurt. And he felt his fingers tighten around his phone, and he squeezed the stupid thing as it mocked him with absolutely nothing showing in the upper right hand corner. He lent against a nearby tree as he paused for breath for the first time in hours. Before he hadn't allowed himself to, hoping that if he just kept going that maybe, just maybe, luck would shine down on him and a cell tower would appear from nowhere and answer all his problems.

During this moment of respite, Warriors finally allowed himself to check the time and to look up at the darkening sky with blurry and heavy eyes. Poor vision wasn't a problem of his. Never had he understood when others had talked about not being able to read the words on the book close to them, or not being able to see the leaves in focus or read the signs at the end of the hall. But maybe now he did…

He blinked a few times in hope of clearing the feeling from behind his eyes, but all it did was aid in making it worse. A tired ache and restless buzzed through his arms and legs, his eyelids growing heavy.

"Shit.." He hissed through his teeth and he pushed himself off from resting. No yet. He couldn't. He knew the basics of camping, that's why he had decided on trekking through the woods in the first place. Another regret to add to the ever growing pile of them. He couldn't rest here. Whilst it felt safe and he was sure he would be left alone, he couldn't risk it.

He couldn't risk it because it was still early enough that he could keep going for a few more hours. Keep chasing the tail of the rabbit that lead him further and further down the rabbit hole, or in this case deeper into the woods. There was still a chance that he'd find signal, even for just a moment to be able to send an SOS to someone. Anyone…

That mentality didn't last much longer. Honestly if the once cold, but now warmed metal of his phone wasn't the only thing keeping him hopeful, he would've thrown the thing into the ground in frustration.

Nothing! Still fucking nothing! Worthless. What was the point of networks advertising their amazing service and 4G plans when really in the biggest time of need, there was nothing. Now only the slightly lower number next to the battery symbol proved to show that the thing was still responsive.

Another heavy sigh as he shrugged off his bag, letting it fall into the uneven ground with a huff, and soon he followed it. He'd allow himself to rest, but not sleep. He couldn't…

-------

Cold and dark, Warriors opened his eyes when he felt a stick poking into his back, and his arm dead underneath him. For a few short moments that was all he focused on as he shifted about on the bare ground, at first trying to just get feeling back into his arm as he sat up and rested the dead limb on his lap.

It was just a few quiet moments later that he finally woke up properly, snapping immediately to attention of where he was, what he had just been doing, and what his earlier goal had been.

He felt no better for the little sleep he had had, and now he had realised what he had done it in fact just made him feel worse. Every ache was tenfold what it had been earlier, the cold seeping into him hurt, and even though he wasn't yet in his feet he could already feel the blisters rubbing. 

How quickly everything had gone down hill, he would never know but not only was he lost, no he had stupidly dozed off at the absolute worst time. 

As he pulled his bag closer to him, Warriors remembered about his phone, and quickly started rummaging around for where he had last left it. Not in any of his pockets. Not in his bag…

Slowly a small seed of fear was planted in his stomach, but he kept looking.

After what almost felt like forever, he found it again buried under some leaves that at some point in his few hours of sleep he must have tried to use as a sort of pillow.

With absolute no success, not only just causing the crick in his neck to hurt more, but to also cause small sticks and leaves to best themselves in his already messed up hair.

What he expected to see as he pressed the button on the side of his phone was absolutely nothing. Just the same lock-screen that he had had this entire trip; a selfie of him and Wind, and which only served as a twisted reminder of what was at home, the time, and the slowly depleting battery.

What he saw instead made his heart sink, and made him feel sick.

29 missed calls.

52 new messages.

From Granny.

From Legend.

From Wind.

How?

When?

There had been absolutely no service the entire time had been walking, absolutely nothing, and then as he made the biggest worst decisions of his life of deciding to rest, it proved to be even more terrible.

He had been asleep, and missed what could have possibly been the one single chance he could have had for sending a message.

Now all he could do was stare at his lock screen, the photo of him and Wind that had only been taken the day before this failure of a hiking trip, staring back at him.

Both so happy.

Both so excited.

And now Warriors didn't even want to think about how his younger brother was feeling, let alone acknowledge his own feelings.

And there was no way he could bring himself to look at the unopened messages from him, nor the amount of missed calls from him.

[nyfacurrent]

Apply Now | Emerging Leaders Program 2020

Arts administrators from all disciplines within commuting distance to New York City are encouraged to apply by February 3, 2020.

Through the support of American Express, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is pleased to announce the sixth session of its Emerging Leaders Program, a free initiative that provides leadership training for arts administrators over nine months. NYFA believes an investment in the cultural infrastructure will benefit the entire field, building stronger links and shared knowledge between artists and arts administrators.

More than 125 arts administrators have participated in the program since its inception. They come from a diverse range of arts and cultural organizations, and serve a wide variety of disciplines and constituents. Visit the following links to view our alumni from the inaugural cohort and 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019 programs; all affiliations listed are from the time that they took part in the program.

NYFA is seeking applicants who are committed to the arts with clear long-term leadership goals that are willing to engage in self-reflection and step outside of their comfort zone to learn new skills. We integrate creativity into the program with a flexible and adaptive approach that adjusts to the needs of the cohort throughout.

Our core objective is to help arts administrators discover, identify, and develop their personal motivation and individual competencies as leaders while exploring the attributes and themes of arts leadership through an examination of traditional and contemporary leadership models. Arts administrators of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

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An exploration of your individual leadership attributes through concepts such as world view, emotional intelligence, vision, mission, and values.

Individual and group activities that focus on discovering and better understanding your individual strengths and challenges in a leadership context.

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Development of an individual learning plan for each participant that addresses at least one critical leadership challenge you currently face.

A cohort-learning model that relies on shared experiences to explore and develop a greater awareness of your personal leadership style.

Access to alumni network and dedicated alumni advisors for individual guidance and support.

A peer cohort of 24 arts administrators.

Case studies, guest speakers, panel discussions, and group exercises that focus on purpose-centered leadership, including diversity, equity, and inclusion; negotiation skills; and decision-making frameworks.

Group and individual exercises that challenge and track individual progress and understanding of your actual and/or desired leadership attributes and roles.

Technical workshops and panels related to management, strategic planning, fundraising, and board development.

Exposure to key influencers within the arts and cultural communities.

The 2020 program will be facilitated by nonprofit trainer and consultant Gilles Mesrobian. Mesrobian is on the faculty of Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability, where he teaches Personal Leadership Development. His credentials include over 30 years of senior management experience in the non-profit arena, with over 20 years as an Executive Director. His consulting experience covers a broad range of organizational work in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, including governance training, organizational assessment, leadership development, executive leadership transition, executive search, strategic planning, retreats, and trainings.

The program structure includes a five-day intensive with a rigorous blend of presentations, formal lectures, and break-out groups. Additionally, it includes half-day check-ins, an alumni mixer, final sessions, and a follow-up reunion event.

Application Deadline: 

Monday, February 3, 2020, 11:59 PM (EST) 

Eligibility:

Mid and senior level administrators in full-time employment by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations with budgets over $250,000.

Executive Directors from non-profit arts and cultural organizations with budgets under $250,000.

Commitment to mandatory attendance to all sessions.

Open to participants from the five boroughs of New York City and Metropolitan area within commuting distance of New York City. 

Program Schedule:

All sessions are mandatory and will take place at New York Foundation for the Arts at 20 Jay Street, Suite 740, Brooklyn, NY 11201, unless otherwise noted. Please check your calendar before applying.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 Intro Meeting: 10:00 AM -12:30 PM

Monday, March 23 - Friday, March 27, 2020 Five day intensive: Monday and Friday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Tuesday - Thursday, 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Check-in: 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Wednesday, June 17, 2020 Check-in: 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Wednesday, July 15, 2020 Alumni mixer: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Wednesday, Sep 16, 2020 Check-in: 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Tuesday, November 10 and Wednesday, November 11, 2020 Final sessions: 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 Reunion: 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Application Guidelines:

For the application, we ask you to provide:

Organization information.

Why you are interested in applying to this program and a list of goals relative to your leadership career path within the next 2-5 years.

Your current role and responsibilities.

A particular challenge in your current organization that participating in this program could help you address.

A narrative bio of your professional career.

Contact details of your supervisor and confirmed permission to participate.

How to Apply:

Applicants can apply via Submittable. First-time users will need to register with Submittable to access the application portal.

Applications are reviewed by alumni of the program and outside executive professionals.

Notification: 

Applicants will be notified on or before February 19, 2020.

Questions?

Contact the NYFA Learning team at learning@nyfa.org with “Emerging Leaders Program” in the subject line. We understand that arts organizations can be structured in a variety of ways, so please contact us for eligibility clarifications.

Testimonials:

The Emerging Leadership program is a growing network of peers and colleagues that encourages me to grow. Connecting to folks in dance, museums, and theatre creates more solidarity with issues that we share - both positive and negative. We are able to advise each other and engage with an elder generation of leaders. Thank you! - Eva Mayhabal Davis, Independent Curator, Eva Mayha Projects

This program provided a strong leadership development framework that prompted much self-reflection and a resulting increase in confidence to initiate and build change. Learnings from workshops validated my previous experiences and incited a call to action in my life. 'Operational Excellence' is a theme that really stood out to me and is what I aim to implement in all of the spaces in which I perform. - Sade Falebita, Associate Director of Youth Programs, Downtown Community Television Center

NYFA’s Emerging Leaders Program is made possible with the generous support of American Express.

Image: Alumni Mixer, Emerging Leaders Boot Camp, July 2019, Photo Credit: NYFA Learning

[thewritingstar]

The Assassin Code

A KiriBaku Multi Chap Au

Summary:  Bakugou is known by many names. he's a hunter, a killer a top paid assassin and his new task is to kill the beast that lurks in the kingdom of Ekon. What happens when a paid assassin realizes that maybe he is not hunting a beast but a hot and thoughtful man?

I’m really proud of this first chapter so I hope you all enjoy! Its already up on A03 and that link is on another post. 

Chapter One: The Journey Begins.

--------

Bakugo entered the gates of the temple, he knew why he was here, he always did. He became a known name, well if you knew who to ask, doing the dirty work for the lords and ladies across kingdoms and digging into the riches they provided for his services. He was a master of weapons, a cunning foe like a fox, and an expert at manipulation, maybe that's why assassination came so easy. He had blocked his emotion years ago, watching your parents die at the hands of a dictator really messes you up and he vowed to kill the blood of the corrupted.

He had shut himself off from the world, only emerging from the shadows to strike a sword or arrows into his prey. Like a plague, he spread and killed silently and was gone without a trace. He was known across the lands, but was never seen.

He was escorted towards the throne room where his client would be. Taking the time to gather information he looked around the hallways he traveled. Golden portraits of the king's face line the halls and his family was everywhere too. One of the faces he hated was plaster on the wall. The prince of this castle was none other than a duo haired boy who expressed nothing but a scowl and rumor had that he had gone missing months ago. “Probably someone who could ruin his name.” Bakugou thought as he glared at the pictures, only someone of extreme high status would parade their face around.

Bakugou hated all royalty, that was just his nature. But they were rich and paid to have him take care of things so as long as he could get a paycheck, the crowns were no threat. He had done it all. Kill kings, murder mages and suffocate sirens. It didn’t matter to him, the only rule was they had to be evil, no innocent person would be slayed, that was the assassin code. But royalty was different. He knew the man who he was about to see was a crook as well so in no time he would probably be paid to take him down too and move the throne line faster. That's how it worked, like a network of webs, Bakugo was the spider and no one knew he that all the spun silk lead to him. He wasn’t the only assassin, just one of the best.

He went by many names, no matter where he went, he was always referred as something new. The Killer, The Crimson Blade, The Hunter, Lord Explosion Murder, he liked that one the best. In fact no one knew his real name and he was going to keep it like that. A dark hood swallowed his body as his deadly ruby red eyes were the only seen feature. The ones that held emptiness as his victims fell to his leather boots. He carried his sword on his hip and a bow under his cape. Weapons were hidden everywhere but he is also skilled in magic.

Finally he reached the throne room, a guard opened it and Bakugos patience was already wearing thin. The door closed and he was left standing in front of the king. King Endeavor of the Ignatius Empire. He knew he possessed the power to wield fire but he wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, he had fought many foes and won every time, a little bit of flame wouldn’t scare him.

“You must be Red Shadow.” The king stated and Bakugou held back an eye roll. He learned the hard way to keep quiet and take the task, ask only the important questions and get out. He nodded and the king lead them to a table and chairs. He would keep his temper in check for now and release his fury on the prey.

Bakugo sat and set his sword on the table letting the king know that he was prepared. It was crafted out of the toughest steel and the jewels that forged into the handle were made from the drops of blood from the man who killed his parents. It was a reminder; Bakugou always won.

A map made of dusty partridge was set in front of him. “The village is called Ekon, north of the banished woods is where you will find the man to kill.” Endeavor pointed and Bakugou thought it was the shittiest map ever made.

“Guilty?” Bakugou asked, he needed to know if the person he would kill would actually be evil or if it was a petty argument he had no time for.

“Extremely. You see the king and queen here had a son once-” Bakugou raised his hand.

“I don’t kill children.” He stopped him.

“Well luckily he is a man now. Well more a monster. You see he was born with a quality as one would say. Razor sharp teeth those of a man eating shark that taint the seas. Bloody claws that scratch at the throats of its victims, he is no child, hell he killed his own parents.” The king spat.

Bakugou straighten his back, his eyes held a deadly glare. Kill his own parents? “Why do you want him dead?”

“There have been rumors that he has sent his men to disrupt kingdoms and as a large one myself, I’d rather keep my village safe and peaceful for the time.” The king shrugged, his crown was made of heavy gold and had multiple rare jewels so he knew this would pay well. The thought came clear as a small velvet sack was laid in front of him.

Bakugo stared at it. “Please open it. I'm hiring the best and I want the job done right.” He opened it and smirked wildly but the king couldn’t see it. It would probably pay off half of the villages debt but he gladly collected it.

“Anything else?” Bakugou asked as he stood and secured the payment in his hidden bag.

“Don’t die.” Endeavor said and Bakugou let out a scoff.

Red eyes glared at the kings. Die? Did this fucker think that some beast could take me?

“I lost a group of my best guards to him. That's why you are here and I expect that iron claw to be on this table once you’re done. No time limit, just get it done.”

“No time limit?” That was a first. Usually he had a deadline but he would be quick anyways. In and out was the best way to do it.

“That kingdom is far, i’d rather have the job be done properly or not at all.” The king shrugged.

“And what if i just run off with the pay?”

The king laughed and looked back at the cloaked man. “I have more money than the three surrounding places combined, there is always someone better, so I'll just kill you.”

“Like hell you will.” Bakugou spat and when the king turned back, he was gone.

--

The velvet paycheck dropped onto the table with a thud. Huffing Bakugou removed his dark cloak and realized that he was sweating immensely. “Stupid fucking cape, can’t fucking breathe in this shit.” He complained and tossed it to the floor.

“Here.” A bowl of what seemed like stew was placed in front of him. He looked up to see Denki.

“Why are you here?” Bakugou grumbled.

“Because I can be dumb ass. Also I robbed Endeavor.” Denki smirked. He placed a dusty sack of jewels next to Bakugou's. “Belonged to the prince but since he's gone missing, no one was keeping guard of his room,quite the mistake on their part.” The blonde thief smirked as he ran a hand through his hair, dusting over his black strands that represented his electric charge.

Denki was one of Bakugou few thieving companions, if you can even call him that. After almost getting his weapons stolen and Denki almost dying at his sword, the pair had become an acceptable duo to take from the rich, like robin hood but with more blood and torture.

Denki, like Bakugou witnessed the death of his mother. He was born as a slave to a rich family in another land but after they killed his mother, he used his magic of electricity and light forming to steal and murder the family. After that he lived village to village until Bakugou and him set up camp in a scheduled part of the woods. A place hard to reach and out of sight, perfect for a pair of bandits. Although those weren’t the only two in the gang. Now he spent his time as a bandit, he didn’t kill often but was no wimp when it came to blood.

Sero was a master of the deadly art of torture. He used his magic of possession to hold the whips and chains that would be used to torture his prey, bad people to pay the price. However he only came by rarely as he was sought out publicly by many royals. He time was spent in dungeons, destroying the corpses of those imprisoned. Dirty work belonged on the hands of someone in the shadows. Someone who couldn’t get caught.

Lastly was the mage named Mina. Her specialty lied in her used of potions and deadly substances. She worked mostly with Denki as she could ease a guard to sleep with spells or even transform the moats surrounding a castle into poison water, not to mention the acid and spite that leaked from her fingers, gloves were a caution but she was a silent killer. She was a traveler, always leaving to find supply and had the connections in underground bandit ring.

Together they all traveled to do the dirty work of others. Outside of their ‘work’ they were quite interesting people but kept to the shadows and themselves for safety, even they didn’t know who the others were fully and that's how it would stay. They all were given other names,

“You robbed him while I was there?” Bakugou snapped. It was a careless move but Denki craved for the adrenaline rush. Like an electric eel, he was on the move for the next kill.

“Kinda. Before you arrived. Just in case.” Bakugou rolled his eyes and scarfed down the food in front of him. “I’m not dumb enough to do it afterwards.”

Denki saw the velvet bag and the duty map next to it. Picking it up he examined the trail.

“I assume you are going to be on killing leave?” Denki asked and he was met with a nod. “I adjusted your dagger. When you push the button venom will leak. Easy kill.”

“I heard a conversation, a group of nobles are coming in a few days. Perfect time to rob.” Bakugou told him and Denki nodded.

“Ekon?” Denki flicked the page.

“You heard of it?” Bakugou asked. Denki nodded.

“Guy who rules it is called the Red Riot, heard tales of his hardening magic, practically invincible. If he's the one you’re after you might want to stop at Frops, maybe one of her potions could stop him.”

“I don’t need your help Sparks.” He growled but made a mental note.

“Yeah, yeah I know. Gotta run, thanks for the tip.”

The blonde assassin huffed as Denki left as silently as he came, probably going to the pub for a drink, he didn’t know and didn’t care.

He got up and made his plan to pack, soon an iron claw would sit on the kings table and he would go to the next mission. It was a routine he had been doing since he was a boy, one he knew that would end his life but death had ceased to get its hands on the former assassin.

---- It was safer to travel at nightfall. Bakugou decided not to bring anyone from his gang of bandits. Sometimes he would on bigger projects but this was just one man, or beast for that matter. Plus he was easily annoyed with any company and preferred the silently whispers of the wind. Based on the map, Bakugou made the decision to travel all throughout the night until he reached the town one over from his designated area. A village that was known as Wild Lily Musk. The name came from the overwhelming aroma of the bog that was covered in beautiful yet deadly water lilies that emitted a potent gas.

Hours had past as his legs burned from walking so far. The woods were full of spiny plants and although he could mange in the dark, his calves were scrapped a little. Luckily he didn’t encounter any low life thieves who would try to steal his goods and no animals tried to take him down as a meal.

The cold air of the night fell off of him as he removed his cape before entering the small inn. It was quiet and the only person there was an employee. He recognized the woman sitting at the desk trying to stay awake as her eyes tried to doze off. The bell chimed and the frog like eyes of the woman blinked before she stood and smiled.

“Ribbit. Bakugou. Ribbit.” The woman spoke or croaked. Bakugou was not the friendliest, quite the opposite actually. Even in his daily form, he had the glare of a demon. He hated the noise that came from people and only restored to interacting when he had too. He had exceptions but even then it was half-assed kindness.

“Froppy.” He huffed. The first time he had encounters the Frog Mage, he was trapped in the dreaded bog. She had helped him and in return he hunted down the man who stole from her family, since then they had a mutual relationship, he stayed at the inn for free and he did their dirty work for no pay. It was rare but useful. She didn’t know he was an assassin, and it was going to stay like that.

“Ribbit. Room 3. Ribbit.” She croaked. She passed him the key and he placed a emerald on the desk. “Ribbit, you don’t-”

“Take the damn thing. I don’t have time for payback.” He snatched the key and made his way up the creaky stairs.

“There's fresh muffins in the kitchen. Ribbit.” She called as she examined the precious jewel closely. It was an expensive payment, one that would pay for the inns doors for a few months, Bakugou knew that.

“Whatever” He yawned but they both knew he would take a few before he left in the morning.

The inn was damp and musty. The view from the window was bare and boring and since it was dark and he wanted people to mind their own fucking business, he kept the burlap curtains closed. The scent in the air loomed from the deadly bog, everyone in the town had developed a mutation, giving them the qualities of the swamp inhabitants. The Frog Mage was just one of the many who was granted that look, luckily Bakugou wasn’t staying long so the air wouldn’t taint his blood stream.

Flopping onto the bed, he took out the scrolls that had Ekon knowledge on it. He had stolen it from the records of the library but that didn’t matter, no one had even touched them.

“What the fuck?” Bakugou examined the first scroll. Written on the parchment was a poem, no a tale of what he assumed was about the child.

. A child born with the strength of a thousand knights. Armored from head to toe. Sharp like a sword and swift as the streams, he was a deadly creation. The darkness covered the kingdom as blood from the beloved king and queen spilled from the child's iron claws. Locked away in the tower he stayed, ruling with fear and a deadly glare. He stayed there, never to be seen. A child turned to beast. .

“So the flame brain was right?” Bakugou huffed and read more about the history before shutting his eyes knowing he had to get up and travel some more before the sun rose. After a few grueling minutes of little information, he threw the scrolls on the bedside table and let sleep take over for a few hours.

Before the sun could casts its golden rays onto the village of Wild Lily Musk, Bakugou was already up and heading down stairs. The frog mage was asleep in the chair so he gave a firm knock on the desk.

“Ahh-oh Bakugou. Ribbit.” Froppy croaked. The key was given back.

“I need a potion, something I can use to immobilize someone. The dumb ass blonde said you got something so make it quick.” He stated. She blinked and tilted her head.

“Hmmm, Ribbit. Let me go get it.” She disappeared behind the door and he could hear the clinking of glasses and bottles as she shuffled through the mess. He leaned against the inns lobby desk and looked at the pictures on the wall. His frown never left as his eyes traced over the many photos. It was the frog mages family and even a few friends, none of which he knew nor cared.

He turned back and snatched the potion out of her hand before putting it into his woven bag. “This better work.” He growled and she blinked again before handing him a muffin.

“It does. Ribbit. Just don’t spill it on you or you will be stopped too. Ribbit. Lasts an hour. Ribbit.” She said and the little bell jingled as he disappeared into the night. ---- Daylight arrived as Bakugou reached the town of Ekon. A small village that looked to have no inhabits.

“What the fuck?” He questioned as he looked inside the window of a nearby shop. Dusty coated every aspect and it seems like the town had been abandoned for months. Usually a town even as small of this was bustling with noise but everything was quiet almost as if sound was illegal.

He continued looking through the stores and worn down homes, even breaking in and taking some supplies along the way. In the center of town was a statue. Crafted from iron was a sculpture of a man and woman. Dead flowers rotted beneath it as ivy and weeds crept up the metallic sides. Bakugou pulled of some weeds to reveal a plague.

. For the king and queen of Ekon .

“What is this, a grave?” He asked but kept walking. In the distance he saw the castle and decide to get a move on so he could kill his prey. A shiver ran up his spine as he climbed up the hill side through the thick trees, he couldn’t risk getting spotted. He was a professional after all.

As he neared the castles wall the smell of rust and sulfur filled his nose and he almost gagged. He covered his mouth with his cloaked hand and coughed loudly as his lungs became full of the scent. He paused and leaned against a thick oak tree, taking a moment to establish a plan to get inside and catch his breath.

“Window there, there and there. Easy.” He smirked and resumed his walking. Small twigs snapped under his leather boots and the sun has become soaked up into the dark fabric making him sweat more than he already was. He didn’t see any guards as he came closer and wondered if anyone was here at all. Suddenly his vision blurred as he was whisked into the sky.

“What the fuck!” He yelled as rope rubbed against his ankle. His body began tied up into a next and struggled to break free. He felt like a mouse just caught in a trap. “Shit” He cursed knowing that being caught was the last thing he needed. Hopefully they wouldn’t know who he was. He needed a plan fast.

“Are you alright?” A voice came from below. He couldn’t see as his cloak had covered his eyes and his hands were pushed to his sides. He tried to wiggle free again but it only seemed to tighten his position and burn the rope further into his skin.

“I’m fine.” He growled but felt his body lowering to the ground, his back hit the moss floor of the forest and he finally could take his dreaded cloak off.

As his vision cleared he came face to face with a hand that offered to help him up. Grunted he pushed it away and stood up on his own, dusting off the dead leaves and chunks of bark caught onto the fabric of his pants. “I said I was fine.” He snapped and pulled his sword out and aimed it at the face of the mysterious man.

A man his age stood with his arms up and oddly a smile. One that had sharp fangs. Bakugou looked him over. Broad shoulders and lots of muscle like him. He wore only a vest so Bakugou averted his eyes so he wasn’t staring at the mans bare abs. He would be lying if he didn’t think he was attractive but he just glared at him.

“I know but it's better to get help plus that is one hard trapped to get out of. Anyways you seemed lost, please follow me and lets treat that wound of yours.” He pointed to Bakugou's leg where a deep red gash was. The firm rope had torn his flesh and the pain just got to him. He winced as he looked down and gritted his teeth.

“Nah I don’t need help, especially from someone with such shitty hair.” He nodded and the man rolled his eyes and let out a laugh. A strange feeling swept through him as he heard the laugh, there was something about this man that intrigued him but he was on a mission.

“You’re funny. Come let's go.” he walked past Bakugou, not bothering to care about the sword pointed at his face. “Oh and I don't think you should insult the man who just saved your cute ass.” He winked and Bakugou's blood ran hot as he followed him.

"So whats your name?" The red haired man asked. He skillfully guided them through the woods and to the clearing of the cobblestone path.

Bakugou debated on telling him. Maybe it would be best to get close into the castle so he could have easy access to the beast. Plus no one knew his real name anyways. "Bakugou." He spat and kept his small dagger out just in case the man pulled any funny business. they stopped at the giant oak door, the one that would lead him inside his enemy's home.

"A cute name for a cute man.' he heard him flirt and the tips of his ears matched the color of his eyes.

"Yeah and what about yours?" Bakugou asked. The man turned and leaned against the door flexing his muscles slightly and Bakugou noticed.

"Names Red Riot but you," he looked Bakugou up and down. "Can call me Kirishima." He smirked and opened the door.

Bakugou stopped in his tracks and gulped. "Fuck" He whispered as he followed the man he was suppose to kill into his domain.

---

I hope you enjoyed!

[http-royalboy]

While I was there

While I was there, I went through one of the trainings they offer—a cam girl boot camp, so to speak. To be a cam girl, I learned, you have to be able to field sexual requests and be an expert on all kinds of fetishes so that you always know what clients are talking about. On top of that, you also have to be a pseudo therapist. The coach trained me on how to respond to different fetish requests, what to wear, how to do my makeup, how to pose, how to use the equipment, and just how to interact with clients in general. It turns out that, according to my coach, what people like is generally not the super over-the-top sexy woman. They want someone who looks hot but is pretty normal and chill, who they can just talk to.Since the dawn of streaming, the porn industry has been suffering financially. As people have started watching and uploading porn on tube sites for free, the days of big-budget porn and making a lot of money as a porn star are fading away. At the same time, though, streaming has also spawned a supplement to the porn industry that cant be replicated: camming.Are there misconceptions about webcamming that you want to bust?If you think cam girls — those flirty naked characters that plague porn site pop-up ads — are raking in easy money, you're right. If you think cam girls are bleakly stripping online out of desperation, you're also right. Peel away the sex and pixels and money and you're left with the cloudy truth about the internet's relationship status with these on-demand entertainers: it's complicated.

The basic premise of the cam girl game is a simple one: You pay a girl for her time, and in exchange, she'll take off her clothes, talk to you, play with herself (and others), or any combination thereof. When your money is up, so's your time — the two of you part ways until you've got the cash and willingness to go at it again. And when that time comes, you'll have thousands upon thousands of girls ready to swivel and smile for you in real time. It's a massive catalogue of preening women of every variety: big, skeletal, black, white, Asian, American, Greek, Czech, etc. To find them, look no further than the Big Three of cam girl delight: Streamate, LiveJasmine and MyFreeCams. These three mega-networks advertise across the mainstream porn tube sites of masturbating ubiquity — PornHub, ClipHunter, etc — but are shells and shadows themselves. So how do you get in?As with most sex work, webcamming doesn’t have the best reputation. It’s often seen as exploitation or a last-resort hustle to pay off debt, but Reed Amber, 26, explains how webcam models are just your average self-employed freelancers with the same amount of agency and independence as anyone else.I choose who I perform for, when I will perform and for how long it will last. I choose how I perform. When I dance, I feel like I have found liberation in the free expression of my sexuality, in a world that usually tells me to be ashamed of my body. And it is true, I do feel a curious kind of control over those who watch me, a feeling that is so far removed from the usual feeling of my body being controlled by men in my everyday life. I have felt more objectified being a waitress where I politely and quietly serve the needs of men than I do as a stripper.It is illegal in Romania for a man and woman to webcam together, but it is impossible to say how commonly the law is flouted in the way Oana describes. She went on to work as a prostitute in Germany, until she found the courage to return to Bucharest and a new life. Now she works in sex work prevention - talking to young women about her experiences, and trying to persuade them of the danger of video chat.

Yes, they work even when they have their periods. This model says she fortunately has "the world's shortest, lightest periods" so she just chooses to do shows that don't require her to remove her underwear while wearing a tampon and then occasionally takes a day off if she feels like it. Makes sense.Geography is important too, so the models can talk about where the members are from."Not your average female. I'm the fabled nerdy, intelligent woman who plays video games, loves all types of movies and music, books, and other women. I'm hyper, I have a dry, dark, sarcastic sense of humour, and I quote movies. A lot. Imagine Wednesday Addams, Daria, Liz Lemon and Darlene Connor having an orgy. I'm the result.But what about cam girls that don’t use studios? I decided to interview a cam girl name Ona Artist who is essentially a camming celebrity—she has 1.3 million followers on Instagram—to find out what that life is like. Turns out, it’s even more work. CONTINUED BELOW...

[poorboyorpheus-blog]

Another camgirl,

Another camgirl, Heidi, 23, has bright blue hair and once sat on a kitchen bench and painted herself while more than 40 men – paying customers - tuned in to watch. "I usually go for dresses, lingerie, or leather," she says.While I was there, I went through one of the trainings they offer—a cam girl boot camp, so to speak. To be a cam girl, I learned, you have to be able to field sexual requests and be an expert on all kinds of fetishes so that you always know what clients are talking about. On top of that, you also have to be a pseudo therapist. The coach trained me on how to respond to different fetish requests, what to wear, how to do my makeup, how to pose, how to use the equipment, and just how to interact with clients in general. It turns out that, according to my coach, what people like is generally not the super over-the-top sexy woman. They want someone who looks hot but is pretty normal and chill, who they can just talk to.I choose who I perform for, when I will perform and for how long it will last. I choose how I perform. When I dance, I feel like I have found liberation in the free expression of my sexuality, in a world that usually tells me to be ashamed of my body. And it is true, I do feel a curious kind of control over those who watch me, a feeling that is so far removed from the usual feeling of my body being controlled by men in my everyday life. I have felt more objectified being a waitress where I politely and quietly serve the needs of men than I do as a stripper.

The massive LiveJasmin would have you believe it's owned by "Gestao e Investimentos, Lda", a company based in an autonomous region of Portugal — and has a host of fraud complaints lodged against one of its subsidiaries. But a recent tax bust against LiveJasmin's Hungarian CEO Gattyán György — one of the richest men in Hungary — and his corporation, Dolcer Holdings, shows just how muddled the corporate picture is. No doubt deliberately.Each network will ask you to fill out a brief bit of biographical information — list your interests, and try to sound fun — and then check a box or pull down a menu saying that you're 18 or above. You'll need to submit some sort of identification proving your age, but with standards low, laws international, and documents scanned, forging such a thing is a cinch, making underage cam girls a real problem.So as I sat there, in front of my laptop, I thought to myself, Why didnt I just respond the way that I normally do when somebody proclaims something which I dont agree with? Why didnt I just say, firmly but reasonably, you are wrong and these are the reasons why… Perhaps it was because it was so personal, that I felt like for once, I wasnt defending femininity as a whole, but just myself. Which on the surface would seem like a less daunting task, but for me it left me stumped. I knew that I was a feminist and it wasnt often that I had to justify myself to anybody. I was used to breaking down all the reasons that men used to justify their behavior.Since the dawn of streaming, the porn industry has been suffering financially. As people have started watching and uploading porn on tube sites for free, the days of big-budget porn and making a lot of money as a porn star are fading away. At the same time, though, streaming has also spawned a supplement to the porn industry that cant be replicated: camming.

Female cam models get a lot more money than male cam models (duh). Unless of course you want to do shows for gay men, which she says a lot of straight male cam models find "strange," probably because those guys assumed they'd be models for women. Uh, nope. Women already have plenty of dick pics, thanks. Three young women have revealed what it is like working as a 'camgirl', taking their clothes off in front of a camera and performing sex acts for strangers online.This comes off as somewhere between cynicism and naive denial, but the fact that she knows of any girls at all who've raped and beaten suggests that it is, at the very least, a real occupational hazard.It took six years to reach this life of dilettantism and occasional sex work. Anna wasn't always free. She started camming when she moved from her backwater Romanian hometown to attend college in Bucharest for a degree in psychology. When she relocated, she knew no one and had no money. But, like Domino, heard things about the lucrative streaming flesh trade — a recommendation from a male friend who convinced her to strip from his cramped two-room apartment as he did the same in the other room.

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Heidi sells her underwear for $100

Heidi sells her underwear for $100 and has performed sex acts on other girls for her followers.Sites do virtually nothing to curb or discourage this kind of treatment.Part of the misconception comes from the fact that it's not policed. It's a very underground industry, and there's no governing body you can turn to, so people can be taken advantage of. It's an online community and it's hard to police. Anything can go wrong; people can be abusive and feel like they can go away with it, but then you can also just turn off the screen. But many women feel like they need to stay because of the money. I've never felt like I had to do that, but then again, it's the same when people stay in the wrong job for so long because they're scared of leaving and losing that financial security. It's so close to the porn industry and a lot of the sex industry isn't policed. If you have a problem and you go to the police about it, most of the time they'll just say well, you're asking for it”, which is not acceptable. We're freelance and self-employed. We work for ourselves and these are our decisions, and we should be respected in the same way everyone else is respected.”I am angry and I am allowed to be, because I am tired of being put in a box. But what is most important is that I do not have regrets because I know what I am.

An anonymous webcam model did a Reddit AMA where users asked her every question you've ever wished you could ask a webcam girl (and others you probably wouldn't think to ask ever). Here are the most surprising answers. I knew then, that before I could construct a cohesive argument to put toward my friend, that I needed to take another look at the situation from a broader perspective. I knew that if I came at it purely from my own personal experience that I would ultimately fail. Firstly, I needed to find out if the topic had been discussed at length already - I had heard bits and pieces about the industry and its link to feminism but this time I immersed myself. When I typed in feminism and stripping” there was more material than I ever would have possibly imagined, and I read article after article after article.It is illegal in Romania for a man and woman to webcam together, but it is impossible to say how commonly the law is flouted in the way Oana describes. She went on to work as a prostitute in Germany, until she found the courage to return to Bucharest and a new life. Now she works in sex work prevention - talking to young women about her experiences, and trying to persuade them of the danger of video chat.The webcam industry also does its best to entice young women into the business.

It also gives Domino a chance to indulge in her geeky professionalism: "I like being able to network with people who aren't my strip club customers, [and] it's a way for me to see how good I am at SEO and social media." This is fun for her. Domino says she's "always been a very sexual person," so while camming is tiring, of course, on-camera kink isn't onerous, if you can put the monotony aside.Some sessions earn her $10 – others $2000 depending on how much the men on the other side of the screen are willing to give her in tips. When it gets weird, it gets really weird. Unsurprisingly, she says she's been asked to do to a ton of weird things including: "I spanked my ass with a spatula" and "I've recited Shakespeare while fingering myself." Fortunately, she views those moments as "funny awkward." Plus, she says she refuses to do things all the time and only does what she feels comfortable with. If anything, she says the job made her realize "the importance of boundaries, expressing what you like, and really allowing yourself to feel comfortable and free to enjoy sex."While I was there, I went through one of the trainings they offer—a cam girl boot camp, so to speak. To be a cam girl, I learned, you have to be able to field sexual requests and be an expert on all kinds of fetishes so that you always know what clients are talking about. On top of that, you also have to be a pseudo therapist. The coach trained me on how to respond to different fetish requests, what to wear, how to do my makeup, how to pose, how to use the equipment, and just how to interact with clients in general. It turns out that, according to my coach, what people like is generally not the super over-the-top sexy woman. They want someone who looks hot but is pretty normal and chill, who they can just talk to. CONTINUED BELOW...