#basic excel equations

[mosharrafdha]

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[unityrain24]

my statistics professor is. requiring us to take notes in MICROSOFT EXCEL?!!?!?

[star-anise]

Currently getting my socks clean blown off by Rethinking Narcissism, by Dr. Craig Malkin. Which I found, in a roundabout way, from this video on Midsommar, grief, and narcissism.

Tonight I woke up from a nap and accidentally took my morning meds, so I'm going to be up for a few hours because of the meth. In place of sleep, I'll try to roughly sum up some basic ideas proposed by the research the book is based on:

That traits of "narcissism" like entitlement, grandiosity, and feeling special are not inherently toxic. There are times and places they are appropriate and beneficial. If you show up at a hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest, you should not sit and wait to be seen after people with earaches and coughs. (Actually, medical systems are designed to prioritize people with more urgent needs, and you qualify under that system. You are special and are deserving of different treatment than those others, which is why making your needs known, even insisting on it if you're not listened to appropriately the first time, is an extremely good idea. It keeps you from bleeding to death on the floor, and keeps the hospital from getting its pants sued off by your heirs.)

It is more useful to view "narcissism" not as an inherent immutable personality trait, but as a cluster of coping mechanisms. As previously stated, there are times they are exactly the right coping mechanism for the job. However, people we call "narcissists" tend to cling to these ones even when they become detrimental to themselves and others, often because they lack other ways of regulating their emotions and getting their needs met. And that is something they can change, if a person is willing to put in sincere and difficult work. It is not usually fast change; it's a matter of years, not weeks. But a skillbuilding approach turned Borderline Personality Disorder from an immutable curse to a fully treatable (though not quickly treatable) condition, and there's a lot of hope that it can do the same for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Meanwhile, there's an opposite end to the narcissism spectrum, and it is also pathological and destructive to hang out there all the time. It's an aversion, or even a resistance, to expecting yourself or other people to treat your own feelings, thoughts, ideas, needs, or preferences as important. For Greek mythology reasons, its proposed name is Echoism.

Unfortunately, because most of the damage echoism does is, by its very nature, localized to its sufferer and their own personal relationships, its downsides aren't often talked about. In fact, it's often seen as an ideal moral state, a kind of altruism or saintliness everyone should strive for. As a pathological coping mechanism a person is trapped in, though, it's often more a fear-based reflex than a conscious and deliberate attempt to achieve some real and specific good. It's not actually as beneficial as being able to recognize your needs, desires, positive aspects, and areas of competence or excellence, and bring them forward in your relationships with other people and yourself.

To me this has all been a cross between a gut-punch and a cool, sweet drink of water. There have been other ways to describe echoism over the years, but this feels like the most concise and useful one I've seen in ages.

It specifically puts its pin down in the middle of the moral debate a lot of people struggle with—"What right do I have to put myself forward? What hope do I have of being seen and accepted? Isn't it better not to burden anybody else?"—and says that the problem is not feeling in touch with either side of the equation, but specifically, the inability to move from one part of the spectrum to another when it's merited by circumstances.

When I was a child, I thought Echoism was the answer. It was my ideal. I thought it was what would get me the love and acceptance I wanted, and would keep me safe from the pain of rejection or not being understood. I had no idea it would actually, in fact, be the primary cause of alienation and loneliness for the rest of my life.

Now I'm so deeply thankful I couldn't fully achieve it, in practical terms. As hard as I tried to erase myself, there were always things I loved too much to suppress. I still found ways to express and discover myself in the books I read, the stories I wrote, the intellectual work of school and the experience of pursuing hobbies I loved, my ambitions to be helpful even when they demanded I stop being selfless, and the relationships where I felt safe enough to experience love and acceptance even if I didn't think I deserved them.

There's this question I found a while back that echoed in my bones: Who am I allowed to be around you? Because that's what I felt like, as a child. If I wanted to engage with other people and minimize my risk of harm, it was my job to bend into a pretzel and fit the shape they wanted. And thank god, thank god, thank god, I couldn't fully do it. Despite everything, there were parts of me too strong and bright to lop off completely to get my arms and legs inside the carriage. I was able to take care of myself and let them grow in secret until I found social places I could let them out again. Despite myself, I found ways to grow and thrive, well beyond the trauma that said I shouldn't have.

[animezinglife]

Hot take:

What I like about Elucien is that it's not the scorching, fire-hot chemistry that's overwhelming either or both of them. It's not those charged interactions that make you think they're going to tear into each other at any given moment.

They don't know each other well at all. There's deliberate distance; hesitation and control. They're a bit shy around each other and definitely awkward. It's such a far cry from that snarky, silver-tongued, sassy emissary in Lucien we're used to, and Elain's essentially having to start her life completely anew. They both have a long way to go, and they both have a lot of healing to do.

He never pushes her. He doesn't "prowl" towards her, loom over her hitting her with the kind of look inviting all kinds of temptation, or even hint at any sort of dominance with her.

Because that wouldn't be right for Elain. Not right now or anytime soon, at least.

He's trying to get to know her as a gentleman would: talk with her, learn a bit more about her. Get a sense of her interests/hobbies and things that make her happy. He keeps his distance when he knows she's not comfortable, and he doesn't cross that line. He buys her an achingly thoughtful gift, but doesn't insert himself into the equation and merely leaves it for her when things get tense with Feyre.

Yes, we all love to joke about that a fire in his blood and all its burning implications, but to me, it's his mind and self-control that make him so sexy.

I love that Elain--who's more shy and uncertain of her agency than her sisters ever were--doesn't have to contend with someone who's constantly undressing her with his eyes or making every excuse he can to touch her. He looks at her, sure, with sadness and "longing," but there's a gentleness to it and how he is with her that makes both him and them as a potential couple refreshing and all the more "earned."

It's different for this series. Slower and sweeter. It's also achingly painful as a reader, but the potential for something beautiful to form is addicting.

I just think it would make it all the more powerful when--if--they do finally truly choose each other. That foundation could become so incredibly strong, rooted in deep understanding, then friendship, then love.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not downplaying the potential for some excellent spice, but I like to think it'll play out very differently with a little sweeter meaning. I'm convinced she'll be the one to unravel if they ever share so much as an otherwise-innocent kiss.

But right now? Lucien's basically doing the equivalent of giving a girl his number so she can call him when she's ready to talk and go out.

Do I think her sisters treat her with kid gloves? Sure. Do I think they underestimate her and what she wants out of life? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean she's still not a little more reserved than they are (and likely always will be to some degree).

He'll meet her halfway and is allowing her to choose where that point is.

[moonlitcomet]

Stop demonizing "fat fetishes" immediately. Most people with a "fat fetish" are fat themselves, are skinny people who want to be fat, or are just normal ass people who think fat bodies are hot. None of these things are bad.

Your own discomfort for "fat fetish" means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Discomfort does not equate to evil. Your discomfort does not mean some random person deserves to be vilified for it.

"Fat fetish" images and websites, like subreddits, are an excellent and very accessible way for people to learn about how fat bodies work, to learn to draw them, and to learn to appreciate them.

All of the fat people I've met have found it to be genuinely comforting and encouraging when I represent their body types positively in art, horny or not.

And people like fatfurs are some of the nicest and most body-positive people I've ever met. Meanwhile, people who hate "fat fetish" are some of the most hateful and body-negative people I've ever seen.

Take a minute to evaluate why exactly you hate "fat fetish". Why does it make you personally uncomfortable? Do you feel like it personally hurts you? Do you think it's offensive that people view fat bodies in a positive or even sexual light? Are you uncomfortable with the idea that fat people have sex? Are you uncomfortable with people finding fat bodies attractive? Do you have some sort of discomfort with finding your own body attractive? Do you think being fat is "unhealthy"?

Stop taking out your discomfort on other people. Fat bodies being seen as attractive and sexy is a good thing. There's no other way around it. Refusing to accept sexual attraction as a good thing is refusing to accept one of the most basic parts of body positivity.

If you start shit on this post or intentionally read it in bad faith or piss on the poor, I'm not even arguing with you. You're just getting blocked. Take that as a warning.

[oldworldghost]

After reading about the singing reader with P I had the funny thought that P seeing that the reader could change his normal voice to a singing one. He had the mistaken idea that maybe the reader could have a vinyl record inside his mouth or that there was a music box inside the reader's body. That maybe there is a musical object inside, trying to figure out where it is kept. Until eventually he is explained and becomes fascinated about the process of singing and the vocal cords. <3

THIS IS SUCH A CUTE IDEA BYEEEEEE

I really love the idea of P not fully knowing how the human body works and in turn always equating it to a machine. Literally at first, like you said thinking speech is the result of a music box or something of that ilk, that eyes are mini recorders that project into the brain and so on.

So I imagine if you sing in front of him he ends up just like, opening your mouth and peering inside to see what the hell is going on in there - maybe he even sticks his fingers in to feel around [and accidently ends up gagging you which horrifies him because Why Did You Do That].

And it translates to the rest of your body too, lots of poking and prodding and feeling to see of you have the same parts he does, if your chest whirls and your body twitches. He's not an idiot by any means!!! But he's just soooo fascinated with how the human body works.

And I think the best way he understands it - at first anyway - is, like you and I said, by comparing it to machines. And that's probably the best way to go about explaining it too. Once he gets the basics of biology down it all becomes near childs-play to him [the benefits of being a puppet is an excellent memory system].

Side note side note!!! He absolutely loves singing together, more so after he knows how your voice works. It's so so delightful to him and he thinks the contrast of your natural voice with his more metallic one is amazing [he still teases you about having a music box in there though, just for giggles].

[mixelation]

someone i follow recently started Posting about vexshipping (y bakura/anzu) and i have to admit i really liked this ship when i was like 12 because bakura was a my favorite and anzu was a character i could project onto. however now as an adult i actually care about chemistry. some thoughts:

anzu loves her friends, hates bullies, and obviously would dislike yami bakura on the basis of "he keeps trying to kill people i like." bad. no. stop >:(

on the flip side, anzu fell in love with yami yugi's voice, sight unseen, after he set a man on fire for her. she doesn't actually have a problem with violence or unhinged behavior; she just has a very strong sense of justice about who it's okay to point that shit at

all bakura has to do is direct his mean sadistic soul-stealing tendencies towards a Bad Guy (tm) one time to get a "oh no...... he's hot" from anzu

anzu doesn't really strike me as a "i can fix him with my love" type of girl but she MIGHT BE a "if i hit him/yell at him enough he will stop" type of girl

i don't think bakura is a "i'm into people who can beat me up" type of person. however i think he could be easily moved from "anzu is not good at strategy games and is boring" to "did she just write a death threat in ketchup? never mind i'll take six"

also i think if you remove the zorc part of the equation, bakura is basically a feral cat who thinks he doesn't need love or friendship but with enough kindness and patience, you could slowly coax him into sitting with you without biting

so i think some interesting premises to make the ship happen are:

the two of them get forced into Dire Circumstances by which they must work together to escape. best choice if you want to play with Anzu's horrible realization that she's kind of into him threatening enemies for her even if she still hates him.

post-series "bakura gets his own body" type of au where bakura is just like. in the periphery of their friend group. peak "slowly befriending a feral cat" energies. excellent choice if you want to play with bakura having an existential crisis over enjoying someone being nice to him.

[nardo-headcanons]

Writing Scientist Characters

this post is mainly an excuse to post a certain list of lab supplies I've made for a friend and infodump about lab work. but feel free to use this as a little resource when writing characters who are scientists and/or lab nerds. who knows, maybe it'll be of use.

General thoughts

Many people think it's a stereotype that scientist or nerd characters talk using complex technical jargon. While that is true to an extent, there actually is some kind of lab jargon. It varies across different labs and fields, but one thing they have in common is that it seeks to simplify, not the other way around.

gelelectrophoresis becomes elpho

microbiology becomes mibi

deioninized water becomes aqua dist

biochemistry becomes BC

sodium hydroxide becomes NaOH

They will probably not call a glass of water "silicon dioxide and h2o".

...and more. feel free to get creative. If you're writing in any other language than English, you can throw in one or two anglicisms as well. Also, most scientists will never gatekeep their work, and in an opposite fashion, will not shut up about it unless you make them. And no, most chemists do not know the entire periodic table by heart, only the most relevant elements. (main groups and a few commonly used metals of the subgroups) When it comes to characters doing the lab work, keep in mind that there are a lot more people involved than the scientist themself. Most scientists are more occupied with paperwork and data analysis, it is the laboratory technicians and assistants that do most of the practical work. They often have more lab experience than the scientists themselves.

Things you can have your lab nerd character do instead of making random chemicals explode

writing a lab report (and losing their mind over excel)

degreasing the glass bevel stoppers

removing the permanent marker from beakers (labeling is important)

complaining about the lack of funding of [their field] research

cleaning glassware

preparing specimen for examination

googling the most basic equations for their report

checking if the glassware and utensil collections are complete

steal single use plastic pipettes from their lab

pirating expensive textbooks

A list of laboratory supplies and utensils you can have them work with

Laboratory general (chem + bio)

Erlenmayer flasks, beakers, precision scales (3 digits), glass rods, metal spoons/spatulas, screw on glass flasks (autoclave compatible) test tubes, stopcock grease, dispensers with sanitizer and hand cream, gas burners, heating plates, eppendorf pipettes, pipette tips, Peleus pipetting aids, squirting bottles, liquid and powder funnels, incubator/drying chamber, round watch glasses, magnet stirring plates.

Microbiology Autoclave, petri dishes, agar plates, innoculation loops (reusable and metal), clean bench, microscope slides, microscope, drigalski-spatula, test tubes with clamping lids

Histology

Paraffin bath, water bath, scalpels, scissors, razor blades, microtomes (rotating microtome, slide microtome and freezing microtome), histocinette, tweezers (various kinds), ocular

Biochemistry

Sequencing robots, eppendorf tubes, gelelectrophoresis chambers, centrifuge

Analytical Chemistry

Photometer, kuvettes, burettes, mass spectro meters, UV bank (for chromatogrophies), pyknometers, melting point meter, porcelain mortars, pH paper, analytical scales (4 or more digits)

Prep Chemistry

Tripod/standing material, miniature lifting platforms, spiral condenser, colon condenser, round bottom flask (three necked and y- necked), filtration material, Separating funnel

Electrical engineering

Electric generators, Soldering iron, Clamp connectors, plugin connectors, ohm’s resistors, plug in lamps, condensers, transistors, PCBs, amperemeters, voltmeters, multimeters

Mechanics

Tripod/standing material, metal hooks, metal rods, mechanical stop watches, marbles, metal springs, Newton meters, laser motion detectors

Optics

Prisma (various kinds), various glass lenses (concave, convex, biconcave, biconvex), laser pointers, optical bench, mechanical iris diaphragm, looking glasses, monochrome lamps, lamp filters

Most used chemicals

Deionized water, ethanol, NaOH, HCl, H3PO4, NaCl (+ physiological NaCl solution 0.9)

Useful websites for writing science stuff

DNA sequence generator (simple): http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~mmaduro/random.htm

DNA, RNA and protein sequence generator: https://molbiotools.com/randomsequencegenerator.php Annealing temperature calculator: https://tmcalculator.neb.com/#!/main

Medicine name generator: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/medicine-names.php Anything chemistry related: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=chemistry

Commonly used software:

MS Excel

Yenka

CASSY Lab

LabView

SpectraLab

LIMS

LaTex

Slack

Scientist friends, feel free to add onto this.

Have fun writing!

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

The whole discourse about the privacy/secrecy/support thing has been sitting with me for a few days (I mean other than it always does to a certain degree) thanks to all the excellent discussion happening and I know I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said a million times before, but I think what we're seeing and what we're going to learn (e.g. from TTPD) is that it wasn't just the support issue, but how it was shown/handled.

We've all gone out of our way to show that introversion =/= lack of support. Someone can be shy, reserved, etc. and still show up for their partner, whether in public or at home. To chalk any of the differences up to the clash between introversion and extroversion is unfair to folks who count themselves among either tbh.

@thisisctrying said something the other day that hit the nail on the head about how if that support had been offered in private, there very well may not have been a Joever to begin with, or at least not at this point in time. (Sorry for loosely paraphrasing, and for namedropping you! Long time listener, first time poster.)

If this were a case where the "shy" partner said, "I am really uncomfortable with the spotlight personally and do not want to court it, but I will support you in your ambitions and offer you whatever you need to make them happen and make the glare bearable," I suspect that would have gone a long way to making Taylor feel seen and comfortable in pursuing her goals in the way that she now has. Again, that might have been more akin to the balance that seemed to have been struck around 2019 from what we can see, but even speaking in a general sense, there are lots of couples out there, celebrity or not, that have similar approaches where there are highly driven people and busy careers involved.

(A famous example being Dolly Parton's marriage. Tbh I know next to nothing about her and Carl, but she's always heralded as an example in this regard, because her husband is famously uncomfortable with the spotlight and hasn't accompanied her to public events in decades, but she's said that she never minded that because that was always work to her, and what was important was that he supported her in pursuing all her career goals and basically ensured she had a place to call home to return to at the end of the day.)

We're kind of in a brave new world with her current relationship because it felt like, at least at the start, we were maybe watching her figure out her boundaries in real time as to what she was comfortable with or not and adjust accordingly. Like so many have said, I fully believe the extreme privacy thing was initially driven by herself and her experiences in 2016, and she needed that quiet time to recover from all of the things and figure out how to exist in the world again.

Stating the obvious, it seemed like eventually privacy was equated with secrecy, turning the relationship and the celebrity into the elephant in the room and something to never be spoken of to the outside world. People are free to choose whatever works best for themselves and their relationships, and for some the separate public lives might work, but the “kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath” theme is all over her work and it’s clear that it’s a sore spot for her, because she’s been made to feel shame just for the life she leads so many times in the past.

What I’m trying to say is that it’s pretty obvious something Not Great was happening behind the scenes, which didn’t just amount to “she wanted to be a public celebrity and he wanted to be a private hermit.” (Also, in case anyone forgot, this is a person who also chose a public-facing career who also has to engage in press for it, but I digress.) As her career reached new heights post-folklore, if she had the support at home to do all the things without judgment and with encouragement, and in turn offer the same support to her partner, she may have very well lived just fine with that, not unlike Dolly Parton’s case.

By reading between the lines in all the press since, as well as comments on tour and general ~vibes~ with TTPD teasers, it seems like one of the issues was that that was likely not the case. There was all the stuff that we saw — the reticence to acknowledge each other in the media (particularly on one side), the lack of public support even at events at which they were both in attendance for their respective jobs, the great lengths they went to not to be photographed together at events they attended yet no problem taking pictures with other friends and coworkers, the jobs that separated them, the withdrawing from the public even for work accomplishments, etc. Which could all be manageable if a couple chooses to do so together and are not inherently a sign of trouble in themselves.

But what we’re seeing now I think is a reflection of the things we weren’t seeing then, and it seems to indicate some very deep hurt. (I know, call me Captain Obvious.) And like so many have been saying, it feels likely that that part of that hurt is rooted in that very lack of private support where a person would expect it from their partner. Obviously as a Taylor fan blog I’m going to be more inclined to understand her side of a story, but tbh, it’s also because… this is sooooooo common, and something I’ve experienced in my friend group. (@taylortruther is right when she says most breakups are the same one way or another lol.)

One partner is resentful of the other’s success, or resentful that the other’s priorities begin to evolve as new experiences unlock new goals, or feels the other’s ambitions are not worthy of pursuit, and coupled with perhaps their own struggles in the same domain, it’s easy to see where that can chip away at the other partner’s morale and faith in the relationship. I know I’m just speculating here, but I also don’t think it’s totally unfounded. (Again, because a) I’m picking up what she’s putting down and b) it happens to sooooooo many women even among us dull normals.)

With all the pointed mentions about how much Taylor feels supported in her current relationship and how she in turn loves to offer the same show of support to not only her partner but other loved ones, how she’s stepped out more in the last year to a whole host of events, how she’s mentioned feeling like she locked herself away for years and she’s just proud of her partner and happy she can show up for him even if the chaos around it is unsettling, it paints a picture of what perhaps was happening before last year.

To feel like you’re all alone in carrying the weight of the relationship (or burden of it), of twisting yourself into knots to accommodate the other person’s boundaries (or insecurities) but not feeling reciprocity for your own has to be so painful. (The idea that it may have been even darker and to have a partner not only be unreceptive to your own needs but even perhaps resentful/dismissive/belittling of them is even more painful to think of. I guess we’ll find out when TTPD comes out if that was the case, too.)

At a certain point, that lack of acknowledgement will force your hand to be able to reclaim yourself. And it feels like the further removed Taylor in particular is from it, the more she moves from being sad about the life she felt she gave up by leaving, to angry at the life she felt she was giving up by staying. Especially being in a relationship now where it seems like everything comes much easier, where she can be open about the person she’s with and show up for them, all the stuff that seemed as challenging as climbing Mount Everest in her past is nothing more than a molehill at best in her current life.

TL;DR: I don’t think it’s privacy that inherently spells doom for a celebrity relationship like this; it’s the mutual support and respect that does. If Taylor had felt that in the later years of her previous relationship, I think we could be seeing a different, though not necessarily unfulfilled, person right now in 2024, who’d be happy on tour but whose personal life would look a little different. But it seems like by losing that support she lost parts of herself, and we’ve seen her reclaim that in spades in the last year, and perhaps to degrees she didn’t even realize she could from before all the Bad Stuff started happening in her young adulthood.

I know this was extremely long-winded and unnecessary, especially about total strangers we only know through scraps fed through the media, but I just always bristle at this idea that issues like these boil down to “personality differences,” as though one person wants to live in a city and the other on a remote island, or some shit like that. The whole support (and gender tbh) issue is one that’s just very close to my heart because again, I have seen it play out with so many of my friends in long term relationships and marriages and I just think people in relationships (and women in particular in some circles) deserve better than to feel like they’re being, well, tolerated.

[nekatto]

Given that this is my first adoption advert, I decided to go with something basic… Basic white girl basic.

Without further ado, I present you the MeowBucks baristas: Madeleine, Mary Jane, Fontina the Big Cheese, My Little Pierogi, Gruyère, Bordeaux, and Artemis.

Accepting applications from residents of South Carolina and neighboring states only.

Bios for each cat as well as a link to the adoption form are under the cut.

logo (c) wafflestash on Etsy, used here with their written permission.

If you can’t adopt, but would like to support us, I have a cashapp ($kpao69) and PayPal (k-pao@outlook.com). I’m an independent foster and all food, litter, and vetting is paid for out of pocket. Any help is appreciated.

ADOPTION APPLICATION:

Adoption fee is $85

MADELEINE || SPAYED FEMALE

10/10 but she bamboozled me.

The one who started it all. I was walking my dog when this sweet mama approached me and meowed sadly at me. From that moment on, she had me hook, line, and sinker, and I ended up returning to the spot I met her and started feeding her, quickly gaining her trust and bringing her inside… Along with her seven relatives she had hidden in the bushes.

Despite being the grandma of the family, I believe she’s still a fairly young cat, possibly around three years old or so. Since her spay surgery, it’s almost like she’s trying to make up for the kittenhood she never got to have. She loves nothing more than batting toy mice across the floor and playing chase with her granddaughter Pierogi. When not zooming around, Madds is quite the cuddle bug and loves a warm lap to lay in.

MARY JANE | SPAYED FEMALE, ~3 yrs old

Mother of Fontina, Gruyère, and Pierogi. Now that her kittens are grown, Mary Jane is beyond done with wild kitten antics and looking for some place calm and quiet to settle down.

All in all a pretty chill cat, though not particularly social. Out of her relatives, she most prefers to spend time with her daughter Gruyère.

FONTINA THE BIG CHEESE | NEUTERED MALE, ~1 yr old

They say the key to a man’s heart is food, and that’s doubly true for Fontina! While he can be shy at times, add food to equation and he’s putty in your hands.

He’ll do just about anything for food and so far has even trained himself to go inside his carrier on command. Would make an excellent trick training candidate.

Ideally would prefer a home with his best friend and wrestling buddy, Bordeaux.

**Fontina has displayed a propensity for eating non-food items. Please be mindful of this and take appropriate precautions.

MY LITTLE PIEROGI | SPAYED FEMALE, ~1 yr old

When she first came here, Pierogi was a bit shaken by the overnight transition from living outside to living in a home and spent her first few days inside hiding. But now she’s come out of her shell and blossomed into the sweetest little girl, albeit still on the shy side. Loves churu, head-butting feet, and playing with wand toys.

**tentative. if no applications look promising I miiiight end up keeping her.

GRUYÈRE | SPAYED FEMALE, ~1 yr old

No, you’re not seeing double, though very different in personality, Fontina and Gruyère are our loveable void twins!

The princess of the group. Gruyère demands you provide her with your undivided attention at all times… or else.

Out of her siblings, she has the closest relationship with her mother, Mary Jane, and the mother-daughter pair can often be found grooming one another.

**though she’s never broken skin, Gruyère can be mouthy, and we'd recommend applying for a different cat if you have young children or elderly people in your home.

BORDEAUX | NEUTERED MALE, ~1 yr old

Sweet little Bordeaux had a very rough start to life. At just a few weeks old, Bordeaux lost both of his siblings and was briefly separated from his mom during a particularly nasty winter rainstorm. It was only through a stroke of luck (and his cries) he was found before it was too late.

But none of that has dampened his spirit! As you can undoubtedly see, Bordeaux is a silly young man who loves having fun.

Without fail, he turns everything into a game. You thought you were going to mop the floor? Nope! Time to play wrestle the mop away from the kitten for the thousandth time!

10/10 but you’ll never get anything done with home around. But with a kitten this cute, who can stay mad?

When he’s not being a menace to society, he can be found palling around with his best friend and brother from another mother, Fontina.

ARTEMIS | NEUTERED MALE, ~2.5 YRS OLD

The odd one out of the bunch. I’m unsure how, or even if, he’s related to the rest of the colony. All we know is that he was buddies with the other adult male of the group, Apollo, and they could often be found huddled up together for warmth.

Artemis is a sweet boy who wants very much to be someone’s one and only. Always the first to greet me when I come in. And don’t think he’s content with a simple pat on the head. He DEMANDS all the love and snuggles. Like, I’ll sit down to relax and next thing I know he’s climbing up on my shoulder and nuzzling me.

*would prefer a home with no other cats.

**Apollo will be going up for adoption separately as he needs to have a specialist vet preform his neuter due to some neurological issues.

[yamayuandadu]

"There’s a misconception that Matarajin is Shiva which is perpetuated entirely by Touhou fans." - I think you overestimate Big 2Hu when English Wikipedia itself says that:

"Daikokuten originated from Mahākāla, the Buddhist version of the Hindu deity Shiva, conflated with the native Shinto god Ōkuninushi."

The Mahakala-Shiva connection is repeated in JP Wiki, quoting an encyclopedia? And I thought the Shinbutsu merger was also not too controversial

it's a bit of a mess ngl especially since Okina seems designed to be a mess as well

I haven’t seen anyone but Touhou fans make the leap from “Matarajin is associated with Mahakala” to “Matarajin is literally Shiva” let alone to “Matarajin is associated with Okuninushi”. So I maintain it is not incorrect to refer to it as a Touhou fandom misconception specifically. To be even more precise - it’s limited to a specific subset of English-speaking Touhou fans, mostly on reddit and to a smaller degree twitter. Tumblr has its fair share of misconceptions too, don’t get me wrong, but they have more to do with misinterpreting something because of what ZUN said. Anyway, it’s the Daikokuten article which says this. Not the Matarajin one. And this applies to Daikokuten, not Matarajin. These are two separate figures. Both of these wiki articles are entirely reliable on their own but you can’t perform this sort of haphazard synthesis. Matarajin and Daikokuten are not interchangeable.  More under the cut, including a quick overview of some of Matarajin’s actual associations which get entirely glossed over both by ZUN and in fan discussions.

The fact figure x is equated with figure y in one specific context does not mean all of their associations are transferable. And in particular the fact that Mahakala originated as a form of Shiva (though whether this is necessarily always vital in Buddhist context is another matter) can’t be easily assumed to also hold true for Matarajin. This is one step away from arguing Tenjin and Tamamo no Mae are basically just Okuninushi via vague Shiva connections (or rather connections with figures which originated as manifestations of Shiva but acquired distinct identities in Buddhism with time, really).

It is true that there is a theory going back to the 1950s according to which Matarajin has been partially derived from Mahakala, specifically developing as a result of confusion between him and Taizan Fukun (see discussion in William M. Bodiford’s Matara: a Dream King Between Insight and Imagination, p. 240). However, Bernard Faure interprets the connection as possibly only based on phonetic similarity between the names. Following Faure’s and Nobumi Iyanaga’s research it is entirely possible Matarajin’s name has nothing to do with Mahakala etymologically and instead comes from the Seven Mothers (mātṛkā, transcribed in Japanese Buddhist sources phonetically as matara). It’s worth noting ZUN seems to be aware of this, since Okina’s first bio calls her an “an Earth mother goddess” (地母神). It should be pointed out that in Buddhist context the Seven Mothers are a type of dakini-like disease demon, and not spouses of major deities, though.

Keiran Shūyōshū does equate Matarajin with Mahakala (“Makakaraten”) though it also states that Matarajin might instead be one of the dakinis commanded by him. It’s actually this network of associations that matters when it comes to equivalence between them, rather than the separately established equivalence between Mahakala and Okuninushi. Matarajin’s dakini association recurs elsewhere, and there are even (mostly Shingon, but still) cases of full on equation with the dakini par excellence, Dakiniten. I’m actually surprised I haven’t seen it referenced in any Touhou discussions. Matarajin being a dakini, identical with Dakiniten or at least commanding dakinis consistently pertains to the belief that dakinis consume people’s livers to free them from bad karma. As a curiosity it’s also worth mentioning that Inari Kinja Kō from the Edo period lists Matarajin, Dakiniten, but also Izuna Gongen among names applied to supernatural foxes - another major component of the dakini network (down to “fox sorcerer demon” - 狐 魅鬼 - being one of the early Chinese translations of dakini), though one with limited relevance for Matarajin otherwise. It would be fun to reference in Touhou context, though. 

To sum up, my issue is that entry level understanding of the nature of connections between deities leads to a simplified image of them, and overshadows more interesting reality. In this case there are also entirely fictitious associations on top which doesn’t help.

It’s also deeply puzzling to me that people are so eager to invent an Okuninushi connection where there isn’t one when Matarajin already has an incredibly well attested link to a figure from “classical” Japanese mythology, specifically Susanoo. The nature of this connection is somewhat variable. We have cases of direct equation: in various texts from the Mt. Hiei Sanmon tradition; in texts from Hinomisaki (a branch of Izumo Grand Shrine); in the account of Saichō’s journey to China in Sange Yōryakki; in Jimon Denki Horoku (here Matarajin is called a “trace” of Susanoo - we’re essentially dealing with reverse honji suijaku); and in Nihon Shoki Kikigaki (a medieval commentary on the Shoki; the author went all out and also equated Susanoo with around half a dozen other figures, ranging from Pangu [sic] to Kōjin).

Equation with a twist is also an option: in a local tradition from Gakuenji, Matarajin was understood as a name applied to Susanoo after he died and was buried underneath this temple. However, they can also be associated without being equated. A novel take on the Ama no Iwato myth from Fujiwara no Tameaki’s Kokin Wakashū Jo Kikigaki Sanryū Shō has Susanoo team up with Matarajin and a horde of demons (you can find a translation in John Breen’s and Mark Teeuwen’s A New History of Shinto, pp. 142-143; I have yet to add this to the wiki article).

The Susanoo connection also brings us to the arguably most important cluster of Matarajin’s associations. There is a distinct possibility it didn’t arise in a vacuum, but rather due to convergence of two other connections - between Susanoo and Shinra Myōjin, and between Shinra Myōjin and Matarajin. As a fellow old man Tendai deity, Shinra Myōjin is arguably the single figure most similar to Matarajin, though obviously they are not identical. Still, it feels pretty glaring to me he’s not referenced in any shape or form in HSiFS, not even through a single offhand comment or spell card. Matarajin and Shinra Myōjin additionally effectively formed an interconnected network with a further similar Tendai deity, Sekizan Myōjin. This brings us back to something I brought up earlier - the modern theory that Matarajin was partially derived from Mahakala nonetheless acknowledges the influence of Taizan Fukun on his character, and it is the association with Sekizan Myōjin that emphasizes it the most, since the latter was essentially patterned after him and similarly functioned as a supernatural judge determining people’s lifespans. 

The connection between Matarajin and Taizan Fukun had an additional layer to it, though - as a core member of the entourage of Enma, Taizan also had strong links to beings like the Seven Mothers and the dakinis, much like Matarajin did. Faure outright argues this might have been why they came to be associated with each other. The Taizan Fukun connection is another one I have no clue why neither ZUN nor any fan works acknowledge. Especially since Taizan is actually mentioned in Touhou (in the Yama entry in PMiSS). I really hoped we’ll get something in SFW, but not much came out of that and we instead got my least favorite Okina scene yet, the Flandre power level deus ex machina. Tragic! Maybe one day, considering hell is basically a secondary setting of Touhou in its own right, though I’m not very hopeful.

I’m willing to admit obvious omissions like lack of any references to dakinis, Taizan, or Susanoo (coupled with severely overestimating the connection with Hata no Kawakatsu, but that’s a topic for another time) do make it possible to say Okina is a “mess” as you put it, though I don’t think it had to be this way. The problem imo lies in ZUN no longer writing her the way he did in HSiFS - she hasn’t made a single religious reference since despite these making up the bulk of her dialogue. In a perfect world, her reappearances would be used to cover the missing aspects of Matarajin’s network, but it seems like even when the plot is basically begging (once again, SFW) for it we are getting basically nothing. I have no clue what happened, though it also strikes me as notable that despite being named after a Matarajin-esque figure Megumu got precisely 0 meaningful religious references so far. 

Despite my ambivalent views on Okina as a character, I think it would be unfair to call the genuine Matarajin a mess. The networks in which he was included are fairly coherent, and represent a typical example of medieval theology, not something uniquely convoluted or outlandish. It’s not a topic which is difficult to research, either, with plenty of easily accessible publications in English. If nothing else, I think HSiFS deserves credit for opening the metaphorical door to them for more people.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

...It is possible I am about to bring the Bridgerton fandom down on my HEAD, but I have an opinion and I am sharing it.

The show hasn't set writer Colin up sufficiently well for me to believe that he is going to catch professional jealousy about Pen being Lady Whistledown.

Yes, we got the journal reading scene, and it is well established that Colin is a prolific letter writer. I am also aware that the fandom is happy to headcanon Colin being as prolific a letter writer as he is made out to be is setup that he is a prose writer. But um.

Contextually, when all you have to communicate with people is letters? Like, that doesn't necessarily HAVE to equate to also being an excellent prose writer. For one, when you're writing a PRIVATE letter to someone you like (such as a friend or family member) your audience is extremely specific, so you don't have to tailor to a general audience. The skills are different. I imagine the letters being a combination of text messages and a Tumblr blog and a Facebook profile before Facebook became functionally unusable. It's a means of connecting and sharing experiences, and given how the Bridgertons react to the letters and their content, it's basically an amateur travel highlight blog. Which is why the letters and journals worked TOGETHER in the book to establish Colin as a good travel writer, because he had the letter format and the longform format. They complemented each other and there was more emphasis on Colin actually engaging with his journals in the book. Like, he was talking about editing them and refining the prose and really engaging with the text. That piece is missing in the show for me. He doesn't seem to really give a damn about the writing unless the plot needs him to in a given moment.

We got two full seasons of Penelope building her private life around Whistledown and finding time to write and struggling with writing and working out the logistics of getting published and protecting her identity. Even without the time jump in the book that gives her extra experience as a runaway successful gossip columnist, I believe that writing is important to Penelope in the show.

Colin spent season 1 being a naive white knight, without so much as a hint that our boy is a writer. But maybe he discovered writing on his travels. Ok, fair enough, but then why didn't they have him working on writing in season 2 when he was feeling directionless and purposeless? Would that not have been a direction and a purpose? He just...kinda shows back up in season 3 and there's a journal for one scene and we're expected to believe that he is suddenly as avid a writer as Lady Whistledown? Sorry, no, I'm not sold. We don't even get what might have been an interesting internal conflict where his fuckboying around the ton in a desperate attempt for validation is CONFLICTING with some kind of internal validation that writing brings him. Like...the foundation and the groundwork and the moments that Penelope gets to establish writing as something important to her just are not there for Colin.

I honestly think I'd have preferred them to drop writer Colin altogether (I'd have been disappointed as hell) rather than try to token in the writing with like...the letters and the singular journal scene. Writer relationships can get MESSY and DRAMATIC and...I would have loved that. But the show just hasn't spent enough time there for me. I'm still here for the Polin relationship, but I wish we'd gotten the love and care in setting up writer Colin (or even a fraction of it) that Penelope got.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

My Little Tech Wiz 🛠 | Peter Hale Headcanon

Link to my Teen Wolf Masterlist

Requested 📨 yes/no (rules for requests)

This going slightly off of canon because I’m erasing the fact Peter teamed up with Kate in S4. Basically imagine he forgone those plans because he realized you were worth more than petty vengence.

Being Stiles’ genius cousin who likes to invent gadgets and is romantically involved with Peter would look like:

Picture this: you’re Stiles’s older cousin and like he is an excellent detective, you are a genius inventor. Ever since you could pick things up with your hands you’ve been drawn to creating new things. Play-do, Legos, craft materials. That’s all you wanted to play with as a child because you could build and create different things from them. As you got older you had a keen for math and physics to the point where teachers were telling your parents to have you IQ tested. When you eventually did do the test, it came back you were a literal genius. Shortly after your parents built you a workshop in the storage shed they never used—you basically lived in your backyard because you were there every moment of free time you had. Only downside is your parents forbid you from putting a bed, kitchenette, and installing a bathroom—because then you would actually move out there.

While Beacon Hills was your home, you couldn’t say no to the opportunity of a lifetime when MIT offered you a full ride to their program. Double majoring in Physics & Mechanical Engineering, you graduated MIT at 21 years old, and went on to complete your Master’s and PhD just after you’re 25th birthday. The next six years you stayed on the east coast dedicated to scientific research and creating your own inventions while also teaching at MIT.

Quickly you became known in the field—considering you developed an Artificial intelligence robot named Pluto as part of your dissertation who operated on its own and looked like a real-life version of WALL-E. He was your little buddy and helped you in the workshop and office. “Y—Y/n…” “Yes you’re right—there’s something missing in the equation.”

What brought you back to Beacon Hills was a frantic call from Stiles’ father, your uncle, Noah. Though you & Stiles had quite the age gap between you—roughly fifteen years—he was always looked up to you and was fascinated by your inventions. He was only a small child when you left for college, but when his family would visit yours he was like your little shadow. Always asking questions and wanting to help you. So when Noah calls in evident distress saying Stiles was admitted to the Eichen House and he may have FTD you were on the first plane out to California. When you arrived Noah brought you back to the house and briefly explained to you the situation—leaving out the tiny fact it was possibly a dark fox spirit possessing the teenager.

You were pretty oblivious to a lot of weird things in Beacon Hills, however, you always had that deep intuition that something was going on. As long as it didn’t directly affect you, you tended to turn a blind eye to stuff that looked odd or didn’t have a clear explanation for why it happened. So when Stiles was void and interacted with you there was nothing that made you assume it wasn’t him. You literally went about your conversations with him like it was any other day. It wasn’t until you witnessed the Nogitsune split from Stiles in Scott’s living room that you audibly yelled, “What the fuck?!” Which had everyone, especially Stiles, shitting themselves because 1: most of them had no idea you were there, 2: most didn’t know who you were, and 3: you just saw something you shouldn’t have and they couldn’t lie about it.

That was where you first met Peter. In the middle of Scott’s living room as he held down Stiles, who was covered head-to-toe in gauze, on the couch. With your jaw dropped and staring wide eyed like you just witnessed the second coming of Jesus. You couldn’t even appreciate the hunk openly checking you out because you were too flabbergasted with what had happened. “I knew this town had weird shit going on—b-but my cousin throwing up himself was not what I had in mind!” Melissa was quick to usher everyone out while Stiles—the real one—and Scott did their best to explain in less than two minutes before they had to haul ass to find Lydia and Void Stiles.

When everything calms down and seems to be going back to normal, you end up deciding to move back to Beacon Hills. You’re research was independent so there was no need to stay at MIT for funding—plus you made enough throughout the year by doing seminars and being a field expert that you could make do with setting up shop back home and focus on your inventions. Purchasing your own two-story loft penthouse, the first floor was the actual living space whereas the entire second floor was your workshop. Stiles loved visiting you, and whenever he needed to hide something from his dad you were the first person he went to.

One day you were working on your newest project, mask on and blowtorch in hand, when the pack (plus Peter) walked in. All of them were pretty much in awe of your workshop—in disbelief by the holograms and robots around them. Little Pluto scurried past them on a mission to retrieve a part you needed, everyone minus Stiles watching in wonder. Their arrival surprised you, a audible yelp leaving your mouth when Stiles came up behind you—only for him to yelp as well when you nearly took his face off with the blowtorch. “Hey! Hey! Watch it!” “You know better than to sneak up on me like that Stiles! You remember what happened to Uncle Larry when he did?” The pack stated their business, which was the Deadpool situation and wanted to know if you could potentially trace the location given your system was very advanced.

After telling them it may take a while with the little information they currently had (and they were going to be late for class since it was their lunch hour they had used to come see you) everyone except Peter and Derek left with the two Hale’s saying they’d wait in case something were to pop up. It gave Peter the perfect excuse to try and talk to you—-and if we’re being honest it was likely for malicious intents in the beginning. Mostly it was to see what benefits you’d bring him by befriending you and how your creations could be used against the pack.

So yeah, Peter didn’t have the best intentions when he first started talking to you, but that disappeared within the first day of knowing you. It started when he felt a tug on his plant leg, glancing down to see Pluto gazing up at him. “Peteeeer.” “Uhhh—.” “He’s asking if you’d like something to drink.” “Him? You…you can understand him?” “Of course I can. He’s my child.” That sparked a conversation lasting several hours to the point he forget why he was even there in the first place. Also he couldn’t help but find it attractive when you corrected him after he addressed you as Mr./Ms. Stilinksi in a playful manner and you went, “Uh it’s Doctor to you, buddy.”

When y’all officially started dating the pack was not happy about it—especially your uncle and Stiles. The rest of the pack had taken a liking to you rather quickly and they knew how Peter was, so you can imagine they were worried. “He has literally murdered people, Y/n. Not by accident—premeditated murder.” “Did they deserve it?” “I-Uh I guess—in his eyes yes. Some of it was because they started something with him.” “Then I don’t see the issue then—.” “Are you serious?!”

As an official member of the pack, you design and create gadgets, weapons, and tools for them. For example, you’re the one who created Kira’s retractable Katana belt. She was in absolute awe when you unveiled it to her, “This is so cool!” “And wanna know the best part? It can get through metal detectors.” After discovering Parrish’s nature, you made it your mission to make a special custom uniform made out of a very rare and expensive fire retardant fabric you created. “This way you’re not burning off all your clothes every time you catch fire.”

Peter loved watching you work. And he could listen to you talk about mechanics and physics for hours. He had a special seat that was close to you but not in your way and would watch in admiration as you rushed to map out equations and blueprints. Expect him to bring you a Red Bull, coffee, lunch and even dinner on days your extra busy. That usually was when you had a deadline to meet, so Peter was also a voice of reason by telling you take breaks, stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep. “You’re going to burn yourself out, sweetheart. And if you do that then mistakes happen.” “I know but I’m so close to finishing this—.” “And tomorrow is the perfect time to get that done. So let’s sit, eat, put on a movie and then sleep the night away.”

Oh y’all’s first kiss happened when you were rambling. It was either you confessing your feelings to him or going off about how your work’s been stressing you out when Peter cuts you off mid sentence by pressing his mouth to yours. He’d been waiting what felt like forever to kiss you, and you were just so adorable in your rambling he couldn’t help himself. And boy does he love kissing you—he can’t get enough of it. Only thing is Pluto will tug on y’all’s pant leg to interrupt when he needs your attention on something. And the little robot is just too cute even Peter can’t get upset at him.

If you get hurt due to a malfunction Peter is there to take your pain even if its small or rush you to the emergency room if its bad. “Peter, we could’ve handled this at home.” “You nearly severed your finger off, Y/n…..” There is always a sense of worry in Peter when you’re working on something big. After an accident that caused a mini explosion in your workshop when he wasn’t there has left Peter stressing that he’s gonna walk into your place on fire. He’s not the only one in his worries, Stiles and your uncle end up forming a ‘civilized relationship’ with the beta when it comes to making sure you’re in one piece.

Eventually the werewolf learns to communicate with your robots. Really Pluto is the one he understands the best—and the little guy is his favorite of the bunch. “Peeeeteer.” “I thought you said roses were their favorite?” “Peterrrr.” “Oh well then, sorry for misunderstanding. But roses and daisies are two different types—I thought you were supposed to be the most intelligent thing on the planet?” “Peter!” “I’m sorry, that was out of line.”

Malia really likes you. Even after her and Stiles break up you two remain close. In fact she comes to you for advice often—not just about boy or pack troubles but also about her relationship with Peter. It pleases her to know he’s genuine in his affections towards you, considering love and caring nature is not a side any of them ever see. Only you get to see that side of him, but on rare occasions when Malia is present she’s witnessed the soft side of her father. Like when assists you on holding a part while you screw it in place or take a tissue to wipe the food on the corner of your mouth. “He was never like that before he met you. From what Stiles and Scott have said, he was practically a menace to society.” “Oh I can assure you he still is…just a lovable one when I’m nearby.” “Stop talking about me. I’m literally right here.”

Peter is very protective of you. He’s the type of boyfriend who’s like, “who did this to you?” Or “touch them, you die.” This is pretty much how the pack realized he was serious about his feelings for you because when Theo targeted you as a way to hurt the pack, Peter about ripped him to shreds until Scott pulled him away. “You got lucky,” he spits at the boy, “there won’t be a next time. Touch them again—no you so much as breathe in their direction and I will rip your throat out with my teeth.” That night ended with the man snuggling against you on your bed, promising to never let anything bad happen to you.

“You might be the big bad wolf, but you’ve got a heart in you, Peter Hale.” “Don’t be fooled, my little tech wiz. That heart is reserved only for you.”

[wonder-worker]

“Although (Elizabeth of York) was presented as the ultimate Tudor trophy wife, her position and popularity were potential threats to her husband’s authority.” - Lauren Rose Browne

*sigh*

When are we going to move past this dismissive, simplistic and frankly rather problematic image of Elizabeth of York? Derek Neal encapsulates what exactly is so troubling about it far better than I could, which I'm quoting below:

“The first Tudor consort is mainly remembered as a dynastic symbol, one element of an equation: York plus Tudor equals peace. In this interpretation, handed down to us by the Tudor chroniclers via Shakespeare, Elizabeth accomplished her most important work, if not without lifting a finger, merely by proffering a finger for a wedding ring.”

We need to stop defining Elizabeth of York by the basic purpose of her marriage and queenship and begin understanding her through the actual practice of her queenship.*

Because the fact of the matter is, Elizabeth of York was a tremendously successful queen. She was an able intercessor, an active administrator of her lands, and a patroness in her own right. We have evidence that Henry listened to her on matters that people often assume he acted alone or only through his mother's advice. She contributed culturally to the court, including festivities and building projects, and played an active and positive role in queenly diplomacy, including but not limited to her involvement in her sisters’ and children’s marriages, her correspondence with the Pope and foreign rulers, and receiving important ambassadors in her husband’s absence**. She may have some discreet influence in some appointments in the Crown Prince's household. In short, Elizabeth of York excelled in spheres of queenship that were both conventional and powerful, because the two could and did co-exist, because medieval queenship was inherently political and the lines between public and private were blurred to the point of non-existence for queens just as they were for kings. As we can clearly see, Elizabeth was not presented as a “trophy wife” any more than literally any queen consort before or after her; she was, in fact, an evidently active and influential queen who greatly inspired both her daughter and her daughter-in-law's queenships respectively.

Furthermore, Elizabeth of York’s position was not a "threat" to her husband. Why would it be? As J.L. Laynesmith (whose reading of Elizabeth I don't agree with either) says, "Identification with Elizabeth of York's kin aided Henry VII in gaining an entire kingdom." The Croyland Chronicle, a contemporary source, likewise emphasizes her importance in cementing Henry VII's position: in Elizabeth "there could be found whatever appeared to be missing in the king's title elsewhere." Elizabeth of York's position, in fact, bolstered Henry VII's kingship, and this extended far beyond his marriage to her. We must remember that while Henry Tudor was Lancastrian in blood and allegiance, his fight for the throne was very much as a Yorkist claimant - specifically, a claimant for Edwardian Yorkists against Richard III's rule (The events of 1483 were a violent conflict within the Yorkist dynasty, not an external threat against the Yorkist dynasty). You could argue that Henry VII's road to the throne was, effectively, as Edward IV's symbolic heir rather than Henry VI's (who was quite irrelevent to the current conflict, tbh): Henry Tudor was the prospective husband of the Yorkist heiress and the 'avenger' of the dead Yorkist Princes. This was the widely recognized interpretation of contemporaries like Croyland and William Caxton*** and was also how he gained the majority of his new support in England which (without discounting his own initiative, actions and clear competence) were essential to both make him a credible threat and ultimately win Bosworth. He relied on several of her father's former councilors as well, ensuring a great deal of continuity between their reigns. In this context, Elizabeth of York's "position" as the Yorkist heiress, cemented by her formal proclamation as Duchess of York, was not a disadvantage to Henry VII but an indispensable advantage to him. Elizabeth herself was aware of this and played an important role in image politics for the new Tudor dynasty: "Her role as a daughter of the house of York was a major aspect of her identity. Whereas her mother and Margaret of Anjou had adopted emblems personal to them...Elizabeth of York used her father's white rose. Other Yorkist emblems such as the sun in splendour and the falcon and fetterlock were also used in Tudor iconography." As you can see, Elizabeth's contribution went far beyond merely standing at Henry's side with a wedding ring; she was actively involved in cementing the image of the Tudor dynasty in her own right, and was equally invested in doing so. In short: Elizabeth of York's "position" was not a threat to her husband’s rule; it was vital to her husband’s rule. In fact, her unique position was so important that, even years later, post-contemporary Tudor depictions gave her a uniquely equal footing to her husband: for example, in the first pageant of the coronation procession for her granddaughter Elizabeth I, Elizabeth of York was depicted as "a stabilising and legitimising force of the dynasty, and, incredibly, as the equal to her husband" - as Lauren Rose Browne herself writes.

You cannot claim that Henry VII needed Elizabeth of York to bolster his kingship and also claim that he shunted her aside because her position was a threat to his kingship. You cannot claim that Henry VII used Elizabeth of York’s Yorkist heritage to his benefit but also claim that he tried to avoid any implication of her royal inheritance. Those are fundamentally contradictory and make very little sense. You're trying to have your cake and eat it too.

Even more baffling is the idea that Elizabeth of York's "popularity" would have somehow been a threat to her husband's authority. She and Henry lived in a world where queens were meant to embody "the feminine element necessary to legitimate sovereignty", to perform their role as Marian-like intercessors on behalf of their subjects, to engage in appropriate charity and almsgiving, and to provide "models of womanhood for the realms' female subjects"****. If Elizabeth of York was "popular" due to the reaction of crowds gathered to watch her coronation, or because of the gifts she was frequently given by her subjects, or because she was hailed as the "most gracious and best beloved Princesses in the world" after her death, her popularity means that Elizabeth was successful as queen and is an indication of how much her queenship supported and endorsed Henry VII's kingship. A popular queen benefitted the King, not the other way around.*****

(What's especially funny about this traditional interpretation is that the only actual way Elizabeth of York's position and popularity could potentially worry Henry and become a genuine "threat" to his authority is if Elizabeth herself was actively opposed to Henry and was using them against him to undermine his rule (for whatever hypothetical reason). Which would automatically indicate agency on her part and ALSO end up contradicting the "trophy wife" image. So....?)

Enough with the traditional patronizing dismissal of Elizabeth of York. Give her the credit she's due.

*What's particularly silly about hyper-focusing on the point/purpose of Elizabeth of York's marriage (a political alliance and dynastic unification) is that fundamentally, its purpose was ultimately no different from the vast majority of other English royal marriage since the Norman conquest (sans, say, her parents'). Most of them were politically arranged and/or politically motivated, just like Henry and Elizabeth's. It would be ridiculous to judge Isabella of France or Philippa of Hainault's lives and queenships solely based on how politically important their marriages were, right? They obviously had an impact apart from that and beyond that. What exactly is different about Elizabeth of York? Admittedly, her and Henry's situation wasn't exactly the same: he needed her as a potential bride to cement his position as a threat to Richard III and as a King of England; and an English princess becoming an English queen consort was unprecedented at that juncture. But ultimately, there's no reason for why Elizabeth of York's entire life and queenship should be defined and decided on the basis of how and why she married Henry VII. She lived for almost two decades after that. It's more than a little frustrating.

**From what I can make out, so much more evidence has luckily survived for Elizabeth of York's diplomatic activities compared to many of her predecessors, and with far more details. I would literally kill to get similarly detailed evidence for Elizabeth Woodville. So it's certainly strange when Elizabeth of York's role in diplomacy is not emphasized more when it comes to her queenship - especially because it is, ultimately, an expected element of queenship which queens were traditionally meant to excel at. My guess is that it's not highlighted as much because it actually gives Elizabeth agency, which historians often refuse to do.

***Edward IV definitely wasn't the first or only one to claim the red dragon (it was used for/used by many others, and some poets used it for Henry himself in the early 1460s). However, at that point in time in England specifically, it would have very much been Edward IV who was most commonly and universally associated with it; after all, he was the one who won the throne and ruled for more than two decades. Its association with Edward IV is also what would have been the most familiar to Caxton, who established himself in England only in the 1470s, and who was a supporter of Edward IV's family (aka: the Woodvilles) during that time. His support of Henry (who he did not know) during this time would have been through that context as well, rather than loyalty to Henry in his own right.

****Obviously, we can recognize how problematic such inherently gendered expectations are now, but contextualization is important.

*****Elizabeth of York's popularity as queen, at least in the beginning, may have been partly due to the fact that she was English princess who grew up in the public eye, was the daughter of a fairly well-liked king, and the fact that her marriage played a vital role in "uniting" the two rival dynasties. So her circumstances probably played a role in her popularity as well. But we shouldn't discount Elizabeth's own affability and charm, nor her evident generosity, nor the fact that however this popularity emerged, it was Elizabeth who maintained it, and it ultimately signified the success of Elizabeth's queenship and bolstered her husband's kingship.

Sources:

Lauren Rose Browne, "Elizabeth of York: Tudor Trophy Wife", "Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty

Derek Neal, "The Queen's Grace: English Queenship 1464-1503"

J.L. Laynesmith, "The Last Medieval Queens: English Queenship 1545-1503"

Retha M. Warnicke, "Elizabeth of York and her six daughters-in-law: Fashioning Tudor Queenship

[hkpika07]

What is your favourite Gordon episode? And feel free to share as much as you want about it ^^

Hmmmmm.... that's a tough one.

I think top ones would have to be Gordon gets the giggles, Gordon runs dry, and Bust my buffers.

Bust my buffers and Gordon runs dry because they highlight Gordon's stubborness and his dear of having flaws. He's a big strong express engine. Big important express engines can't get hurt. They shouldn't get hurt. If he shows that he's hurt or weak then he won't be useful anymore and if he's not useful anymore people won't like him. And if people don't like him than what's the point anymore. He equates his worth with his ability to work. He has to be the fastest, the strongest, in peak condition at all times. He will push himself past his own limits because that's what he thinks he's supposed to do. And often times he'll get hurt because of it.

This leads well into Gordon gets the giggles. Where the previous two episodes are about him not wanting to show physical weakness. This episode is about him not wanting to show emotional weakness. Gordon thinks that he cannot show any emotions. Period. He thinks a proper express engine should be cool, collected and proud. Basically this paragon of sterile excellence. Any sign of emotion and he'll be seen as silly and weak and not worthy of being the great engine he so desperately wants to be. So he bottles up EVERY emotion to try to keep that facade of cool calm, proper and collected. He even bottles up the happy emotions like love for his friends and laughter. But bottling up these emotions has consequences, those consequences being explosion of emotion. With gordon we see this most often with anger. Him losing his temper and lashing out at his friends. But here we see it with laughter. Rebecca tells a joke that gets him so fucking giggly he physically cannot stop and that impedes his job.

What I'm saying is that Gordon's sense of self worth and ability to function is held together by spite and prayers. And if you break down his many ever so diligently maintained walls he will fully and completely break and crumble into nothingness, unable to properly function. Gordon tries so hard to be this image of perfection. Perfection that is entirely unobtainable and impossible. He wants to be his version of perfect but he physically cannot

[wumblr]

Hi, I'm new here. Sorry if you've already answered this question; I'm new here. I saw your post about the Biden-Harris nuclear plan. I've long-since been loosely optimistic about nuclear as a petrol alternative, but knew that more reactors in the imperial world intrinsically means more bombs as well. Reading through articles here is starting to confirm some suspicions. Have you talked already about serviceable energy alternatives, or is the solution basically to just dismantle capitalism, or?

the IEEFA PDF on the most recent (third) reblog is pretty clear that renewables (wind, solar, and batteries) are the viable/cost effective mid-term strategy. these are not without their own problems (land use, resource consumption, and again batteries) but they are a better option than nuclear. it also points out that full-scale nuclear is more cost efficient than SMRs which i can't dispute, and i wouldn't theoretically have a problem with it if it weren't for the capitalism. you don't gain anything by scaling them down, and IEEFA makes the excellent point that privatized off-grid SMRs do not maintain a consistent baseload supply in the way that full-size on-grid reactors do

waste handling is a sticky problem but it's exacerbated by profiteering and corruption (unfortunately not magically solved by a revolution, either). more reactors only inevitably means more bombs in a war empire, but eliminating capitalism doesn't magically resolve all geopolitical strictures nor does it necessarily equate to eliminating war. i think it would be foolish to build them now and kick the can down the road about seizing power from capital ("you're handing the climate change machine a new 50 year megawatt generator," i keep saying). my main axe to grind is that nobody is taking any of it seriously. that's rude to somebody's kids and i'm still mad it's been done to us. if you want new reactors, know the deal with the devil you're signing, so that you will know when they slack off on their end of the bargain and start doing ohio nuclear bribery incidents and progressively abdicating decommissioning responsibilities for san onofre by reselling it over and over. saying this has made a shocking number of people very angry at me, i assume because their worldview rests on the existence of a magical solution. well, there isn't one. sorry

i'm a degrowth communist. i don't want new reactors. so, i think we should start asking where we can reclaim parts of the energy budget from industry instead of building out more capacity, but, lol. not so long as the democratic party exists, i'm afraid. they sure have been "ironclad" about that! there may be capability to persuade the political establishment toward degrowth but i'm not optimistic, since they love parading around a 0.01% solution for a 100% problem (like carbon capture). because it allows the illusion to continue

(you would think the most energy intensive sector of industry would be computing, for the amount of time we spend talking about energy consumption for crypto, ai, and datacenters, right? well, it's chemicals. i just found that out while fact checking the post. paper also still consumes more than computing, apparently. (third of the top three is "oil/coal products" which is a bit nebulous and i would have to dig into the report the EIA is referencing, MECS 2018, to figure out what's going on there. surely some of that is going back into energy production, right? so, energy production is one of the largest energy consumers? i guess that tracks, but i haven't dug. i assume it also refers to other products.) i think this was in the post but i also love to say "It's Lawrence Livermore National Library Energy Flow Sankey Diagram Sunday!" and point out that 67% of energy in the US is lost to waste heat, labeled rejected energy in the diagram. obviously that runs up against laws of thermodynamics but surely we could be doing better than that)

that was all about energy. you asked about bombs. unfortunately i have to tell you we are likely not going to live to see disarmament. maybe if we stop building reactors, disarmament will become inevitable, at best, in a hundred years. maybe if we seize power from capital it could be administrated more quickly. but, for the foreseeable future, mutually assured destruction is the only thing preventing them from being detonated. thank god for the rosenbergs