#holocaust reference tw

[positivelybeastly]

Uncanny X-Men #299

I honestly don't have a ton of commentary to add here, other than that I love Hank. Even at the very height of respectability, he is such a goofball.

Graydon Creed is so mad. He's SO mad! He's shaking his little baby fists!

Also, we missed out on a blue moon?! God damn it!

[magicrainbowkitties]

Couple things about DBH specifically Markus bc my brain is having thoughts bc I've been stuck in the house for a week bc I live in Texas and we don't know how to deal with icy roads around here:

1. These bitches really did predict AI art. Shit...

2. The fact that the only "good" endings for Markus are in the peaceful route is fuckin stupid. I hate hurting people and war is a fucking tragedy no matter what, but the moment when people go from just confused to actively wanting you dead is the moment the claws have to come out. Looking and acting the part of the model oppressed can only get you so far. True freedom from systemic oppression requires the dismantling of the system of oppression, and that requires active, constant, unyielding pressure. Following that...

3. Also they were literally doing Android concentration camps at the end there. That hack David Cage might be like "nOt RaCiSm" and shit but like. The Holocaust references were fucking explicit throughout the entire fucking game. And then if you make the wrong choices one of your big three literally gets to stand in line at fucking android gas chambers like what in the actual fuck? AND THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE EVERYONE IS TO PICKET THE THINGS!? WHAT!?

Like when it gets to that fucking point, I'm sorry, North was right. That's when the gloves come off and the knives come out. Cause if these are people and they are alive, this is a whole genocide. And then you sit here picketing a concentration camp as people are murdered systematically and ruthlessly every second you sit there? WHEN YOU HAVE THE NUMBERS AND ABILITY TO FUCKING DO SOMETHING.

Yeah sorry I liked the singing too but like... as a trans person who has Jewish friends and found family, I cannot IMAGINE being able to physically, actively save your own people from certain doom and then just... not doing it. And instead just standing around waiting for the pigs to murder you too. Like there's a point where enough is enough and that line was crossed several acts ago, bucko.

4. Also from a gameplay standpoint wouldn't it make the most sense for you have to pick out of certain routes for certain situations? The game as a whole suffers from this, but in a game about choices I tend to find it far more interesting when the best endings end up having a decent split between the "good" and "bad." And a game about making choices to lead an entire revolution would've been the perfect stage for something like that. But no, good is ALWAYS good, bad is ALWAYS bad. Mix of both means "wacky." Ffs.

5. I feel like the whole concept of deviancy wasn't explained in a satisfying way, bc the way they explain it means that these androids aren't actually alive. All they're doing is replicating, they're not actually feeling. It's like with AI art as we know it IRL (see, coming full circle XD), all it can do is steal from other ideas and copy things that already exist. Deviancy as explained in-game is the equivalent: copying emotions and reactions to situations, rather than actually having the conciousness to actually feel and think for oneself.

6. And yet, the very first time we're introduced to deviancy outside of Conner's prologue is Markus creating new art. Deviancy as explained should not allow for this to happen; it should be his first attempt (a perfect copy of something that already exists), or something like what we see in AI art (stolen amalgams of other people's ideas). But his art is (canonically, mind you) entirely original. They're abstract, and they evoke definitive, visceral emotion, while also being grounded and real enough that it could only come from the soupy weirdness of a human mind. It's not a replica, or a mishmash of thievery, it's real art (yes I know those were paintings made for the game by real people but we're talking about in-game canon here and honestly that just proves my point).

And the prompts to make those paintings are literally just what Markus is thinking about. He's taking an abstract concept, interpreting his own feelings about that concept, and painting something that means something to him. That's literally exactly how people do art, that's how we have done since we've existed as humans.

7. Therefore the canonical explanation of deviancy as replicating human emotion and thought is categorically stupid and self-evidently wrong. Which begs to question... why didn't they just go the route literally every other sci-fi story about rogue AI has done for literally decades and just go "well, they've started to evolve an actual consciousness and cognitive process for interpreting the world around them by both learning from humans and evolving as artificial lifeforms." No they had to go for the more "realistic" explanation bc they wanted this grounded in reality.

In a story about. Rogue AI. Robot detectives. A point within the next 10 years in which racial disparity and discrimination in the US is not an issue anymore. People adopting robot children who do everything a child does. One (1) single queer couple seen in the entirety of an oppressed community. A point within the next 10 years where androids not only exist, not only are household items, but are a normal part of every day life to the point where even lower-class people like Todd can afford the multiple thousand dollar price tag for not just one, but 2 androids, and constant repair for both of them because he beats them so bad. Oh and the fact that they're so widespread that one of their parts is the primary component in a widely-known and used street drug (and has been so for years by the time the game takes place).

I know I shouldn't expect better from a hack like David Cage. But I can't help it cause fucking hell this game should've been so much better.

8. Also fuck him and his team for cutting out Simarkus so late in development like what the fuck was that. What so you couldn't trim out some of the pointless bits of Kara's stuff, no the gays were what had to go? Ffs.

-

I told you I was thinking thoughts. Thank you for reading them.

[gay-otlc]

Actually that isn't even the most insensitive thing a goy has said to me recently. One time a goy implied that Yad Vashem was Zionist propaganda lmfao

[lola-legendary]

Apology Post (with extra info)

TW! Suicidal thoughts/Intrusive thoughts, poor grammar

(Note: Every hate message I receive referring to the post below will be posted here as well. Pin of shame, bastards!)

I edited this lightly to add some extra information and move the TLDR up here, and added a cut.

Now, with the explanation, things have calmed down a bit. However, due to poor conduct, asks are going to be turned off until Sunday (25/2) and anon asks will be on back at 1/3.

If it continues when I resume anon asks, everything will be off again.

TLDR: I felt guilty and my mental health deteriorated because of the war, so I blocked the Palestine tag and received heavy backlash.

So the post I am referring to is this one. (Note: Said post has now been deleted by yours truly.)

Here, I will detail why I made this post, the events leading up to it and the backlash.

Some background information: I am a 14–year-old girl with unmediated anxiety and depression.

I have always been concerned about human rights. Even when I was a child, I would ask my mom, “Why do we have wars? Why can’t everyone get along?”

I tried to write a letter to my principal asking for more extensive sex ed, but scrapped it once I remembered that I was in a catholic school.

And when the Ukrainian war came along - biggest incident since I got access to tumblr - I was a staunch supporter of Ukraine. When I wasn’t in uniform, I made a point to dress in blue and yellow. No one noticed, of course.

In the early days of the Palestinian Genocide, I was eager to reblog any and all information that crossed my dash, even though I knew I couldn’t do anything to help. If you scroll down deep enough, you can find my posts.

However, as time passed and the war went on, whenever I saw those posts, I started getting thoughts to off myself. Those included, though not limited to:

“Oh, wow, look at you scrolling tumblr while millions are dying. Good job you, why don’t you go and join Hitler in hell, you’re contributing to this mess.”

And it got so bad that I would have mini panic attacks whenever I saw some posts like that.

I blocked the tag last year.

At that time, I sent an anonymous ask to @justagingerwithredhair, one of two people I trusted decently with my mental issues.

I can’t find it anymore, but it went something like this:

“Ginger, I’m sorry but I had to block the Palestine tag, it’s detrimental to my mental health and I can’t deal with it anymore”

and it was received positively.

Yesterday (in my timezone), I posted the post seen in the photo. I had not enough brainpower to realise that it could be taken both ways.

I was blocked by at least one person and received the following anonymous ask.

You can see my response in my blog, but I will repeat it again.

I am not a terrorist, a genocidal maniac, an Islamophobic bitch or a Zionist.

I have spoken out against Israel. I watch videos of Islamophobic people with disgust. I was outraged when the Holocaust was not required teaching in my school. I believe the Israeli Government is in the wrong.

If you keep this up I will be the one hanging from buildings.

You have made me write a post about my life that’s longer than 90% of my fanfictions. Congratulations.

@tobefree-in-palestine

[sparkssys]

new intro post cause stuff has changed around a fair bit.

we're a quoigenic system. body's 19 yrs old.

for quick reference. layla uses 💜 or her name as proxy tag. glee uses ✨ or their name as proxy tag. older posts dont use proxy tags for the most part. or text color. text color is used for emphasis.

our life is rough but we manage.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

|-+-+-+-+-~~sparks system~~-+-+-+-+-|

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Layla (She/They)

19 yrs old - Proxy tag: 💜

Text color when fronting: Purple, Pink or Neutral

Transfeminine demigirl who struggles a bit too much for some people to approve of it.

Will rant to you about capitalism, gaming, some addictions and her thousand stories of existential dread turned into realities. You know, the usual for a freak like her. What, are you surprised? Seriously?

She's also a catgirl. And into Undertale stuff.

Post about Layla's gender and sex. TW for SA mention.

Her stance about anti endos.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Glee (They/She)

16 yrs old - Proxy tag: ✨

Text color: Orange or Neutral

Nonbinary bad bitch who's kinda resentful. Probably been here for longer than we can remember. Likes to have fun and somehow didn't get fucked up by sharing Layla's brain. Well, at least not as much as her.

Likes Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and yelling at Layla until she's productive. They're also better at dealing with emotions so you're spared from the vents and rambles.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

...

dni list:

transphobes, terfs, transmeds, zionists, holocaust deniers, bigots in general.

minors heavily discouraged. don't you see we're dealing with tough shit? aren't you afraid? lost? find a safer place to be.

if you're a sysmed or you consider yourself anti endo, we will gladly toy around with your pathetic worldview. dni for your own good, not ours. i've seen through your bullshit before i even knew you existed.

-=edit log=-

15/05/24 13:32 PM: added tags

17/05/24 12:01 PM: updated the label we use for the system's origin, because it's far more complicated than we thought

17/05/24 12:53 PM: linked to post about Layla's gender and sex

19/05/24 18:02 PM: linked to Layla's stance about anti endos

[underwxrldprincess]

Jewish Nathaniel Kurtzberg headcanons

It is canon that Nathaniel is Jewish, evident in his surname and absence from the Christmas special. However because "religion is a secular matter and cannot be portrayed in a children's TV show" (🙄), Nathaniel's heritage won't be represented in any of the episodes, so I'll be writing these headcanons.

Nathaniel (like Marinette, Adrien, and their classmates) was born between late 2000 and mid-2001.

The law on religious display in public schools (la loi sur les signes religieux dans les écoles publiques) was signed on March 15, 2004.

The law on face-coverings in public (la loi interdisant la dissimulation du visage dans l'espace public) was passed by the Senate on September 14, 2010.

TW for references of antisemitism and Islamophobia

Nathaniel's great-grandparents were German Jews who fled to France shortly before World War II

his family is not Orthodox but they are religious, they go to synagogue, celebrate the holidays, follow kosher, etc.

Nathaniel has always been a shy, quiet kid but his parents raised him to be assertive and to question authority if necessary

the first time Nathaniel realizes he is different is when he is three years old and starts preschool, during lunch he can't eat what the other children are eating in case the food is not kosher

his parents contact the preschool, who refuse to provide a kosher/pork-free option or let Nathaniel pack his own lunch, they compromise to let him go home for lunch instead

December rolls around, and the other children are excited about Christmas, except for Nathaniel, who is excited about Hanukkah but can't help but feel a bit left out

at six years old, another boy in his class starts running his hands through Nathaniel's hair out of the blue, "I heard that your people have horns, where are yours"

at eight years old, a girl in his class sees the gold Star of David necklace that Nathaniel always wears and starts bombarding him with questions

Nathaniel knows that she has no bad intentions but can't help feeling a bit uncomfortable and othered

at nine years old, during a class debate on the hijab ban, another boy says how anyone who wears their religious symbols are not truly French and should go back to where they came from, leaving Nathaniel flushing with shame and anger

at eleven years old, he begins attending Collège Françoise Dupont

on his first day of middle school, Principal Damoclés makes him remove his Star of David necklace

he is afraid but looks the principal straight in the eye and refuses, "this is my religion and my identity," he says, his heart pounding and his voice shaking

after a few more resists, Principal Damoclés suspends him

when he goes home to his confused parents, Nathaniel breaks down in tears as he explains Principal Damoclés suspending him on his first day of middle school for his necklace

his furious parents storm over to the school to confront the principal, demanding he allow their son back to school immediately and for him to wear the symbol of his religious pride

Principal Damoclés lets him back the next day but Nathaniel never wears his necklace to school again, only at home and in non-school settings

the day he returns to school, fellow classmate Alix Kubdel approaches him

Alix explains her family heritage: her family is of Algerian origin and Muslim, and while she can pass as white, her parents and brother have faced racism, Alix's mother have even had her hijab ripped off by an old white man on public transit and no one defended her

Nathaniel knows that he, as a white-presenting boy, cannot relate to the experiences of Alix or her mother, but appreciates having a friend who understands

he invited Alix to his bar mitzvah

he loves learning about the Holocaust, it is painful but his ancestors' strength and resilience make him proud, he can't stand how all of his classmates seem to stare at him during class whenever it comes up

in his third year, he is placed in Miss Bustier's class with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chloé Bourgeois, Sabrina Raincomprix, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, Lê Chiến Kim and Max Kanté

when he arrives at school one morning he sees a swastika drawn in permanent marker on his desk, drawn by Chloé "Can't he make sushi like everyone else" Bourgeois

he reports it to a furious Miss Bustier, who sends Chloé to Principal Damoclés, who lets her off with a mere warning, which infuriates Nathaniel and his parents

as much as he wants to stay home from school the next day, Nathaniel is determined to not let Chloé win and shows up at school the next day

a sneering Chloé comes up to him, but before Chloé could open her mouth, fellow classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng spoke up

"you suck, Chloé." Marinette glares at the blonde. "you speak of him as if he is below you, but he's got more nerve in his finger than your entire body"

Rose and Juleka join in, "Leave him alone, Chloé" "go pick on someone your own size, someone with an overinflated head like you"

Chloé started bullying Marinette

meanwhile, Nathaniel starts to fall for Marinette and becomes closer to Rose and Juleka

in the middle of his fourth and final year, he gets over his crush on Marinette/Ladybug and instead starts falling for Marc Anciel, with whom he works on their Ladybug comics

he confides his feelings for Marc to Alix

"you might be bi or pan," Alix, who is aromantic and an expert in LGBT terminology, explains to him

he first comes out as bisexual to Alix, who is nothing but incredibly supportive and proud of her best friend

Rose and Juleka (canon girlfriends!) are the next to know, and he grows closer to the girls than ever

Nathaniel is hesitant to come out to his parents, however: he feels like he is betraying the Jewish identity his parents instilled in him since childhood by coming out to them

he begins to research queer Jewish identity on the Internet and hears stories of others from all across the globe, who are queer, Jewish and proud

Nathaniel eventually asks out Marc, who agrees to be his boyfriend and he is happier than ever

Marc isn't Jewish but is more than happy to learn about Jewish culture and to fight anyone who dares to say anything antisemitic, whether about Nathaniel or not

since he started dating Marc, Nathaniel gains the courage to come out to his parents, who immediately accept him, much to his pleasant surprise

"you are our son, and our religion accepts everyone," his father says

"love is love, and if this boy Marc makes you happy, that's all that matters," his mother says

he gets into the same design school as Marc and Marinette for high school

in his first year of high school, he and Marc finally publish their Ladybug comics, which quickly become successful

towards his final years of high school, he begins studying for the baccalauréat while continuing his relationship with Marc and their comics and applying for his birthright trip

on his final year of high school, he passes the bac littéraire along with Marc and Marinette, and the three reunite with their middle school friends to celebrate

soon after graduating high school, he leaves for birthright (Alix cried buckets of tears at the airport)

the trip is the best ten days of his life, Nathaniel feels at home as he connects with other French Jews and Jews from across the globe and visits the cultural sites

shortly after his return to France, Nathaniel invites Marc to the Seine, where he gets down on one knee, much to the latter's delight (they both cry tears of joy that night)

his and Marc's wedding was the most beautiful day ever, they have a traditional Jewish wedding filled with ketubah, chuppah, glass breaking, joy, light and love

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

This is dark but do you think Comics!MK have any surviving extended family or is he truly the last of his family?

I like to think he has cousins but their parents didn't flee to America like Elias did so he hardly sees them

MCU Marc doesn't talk to family for very different reasons obviously

I got an ask!

Now this is a truly difficult question to answer for a lot of reasons, but I will do my best!

Comics Moon Knight has a LOT of re-writes. Moench only included Randall in Marc's known family. He was killed off before Moon Knight even had his own official comic (See the Incredible Hulk appearance, which I will review someday in the hopefully not too distant future). We don't get a lot of references to Randall in Moench's run after that. Like at all. In fact, there is so little discussed about Marc's family in Moench's OG run that I'm pretty sure that people forgot about his brother all together unless Marvel decided they needed to do something and then we got a quick "Oh yeah and then this happened" moment.

Zelenetz gave us Elias Spector and more of a family backstory. We got the story of how their mother died when he was very young, which is going to be retconned later on in Lemire's run when we see his father dying much earlier in Marc's life and his mother still being alive. We get no mention of Randall in this. There are a lot of people at the Shiva/Funeral, but since Elias was a prominent figure in their community (Rabbi), it's hard saying who is family and who is community.

As far as I am currently aware (I haven't dived through ALL the comics in a VERY long time and my re-read is slow and steady), no other family has ever shown up or is mentioned.

HISTORY LESSON!!! (TW Holocaust)

Elias Spector, as noted by Zelenetz, is from Czechoslovakia. Those of you that got a bit more of a history lesson than what they bothered to toss at you in high school, may recognize that this country has been through A LOT. So much so that it has been split, reunited, renamed, taken over, given independence, divided, and renamed and split over and over and over again.

It is safe to assume that his family lived there for a few generations. It's hard to say when they arrived there, but Jewish history is…strife with certain parts of Europe inviting Jewish people in then going "Just kidding" and kicking them out (or killing them) immediately afterwards.

And with the history of Czechoslovakia's REPEATED wars and revolutions and divides…. Who knows the history of the Spectors of if they all settled there or if they had been divided over time.

But what we DO know…

According to a census. In 1921, the Jewish population was 354,342. In 1946 it was 55,000. This was not because they decided to move.

The numbers continued to drop. By 1990, it was 7,800.

The German occupation started in 1930 and was not a pretty picture from the start. In 1939, the Jewish population realized this was not going to go well and desperately started to get out, but 78,000 had already been killed. Many were sent to surrounding camps where Typhus epidemics along with brutal conditions started to wipe them out even before 'the final solution' was put into action. Getting dark here: of the 15,000 CHILDREN that were sent to Auschwitz, only 93 came back.

In 1948, Communist Russia took over. Russia does not have a good history with their Jewish population.

In fact, the 40 year period of this occupation is called "Communist Holocaust". Jewish people were forbidden from practicing their religion and Jewish leaders were forced to leave, convert, or die. Children were prohibited from learning their own culture or religious practices.

So do I think that Moon Knight has any cousins surviving in Europe that didn't flee to America like Elias did?

It is with a very heavy heart that I have to given an honest answer: No.

Is it possible that maybe some of the family left with Elias and came to America or went to England? Maybe. Possibly some made it to Denmark or one of the few places that tried to help get a few out. But if they stayed in any of the countries that were occupied, I don't think they made it. And this may have given another reason behind Marc's anger at his father's unwillingness to do anything about the anti-antisemitism that he witnessed.

Perhaps Marc saw the children with extended family and wondered why he didn't have any. Or why they had no pictures or why his mother and father wouldn't talk about those that were left behind.

If he DID happen to have ANY family that survived, Marc probably has no idea where they are or how to find them or who they are. After the Holocaust, the surviving Jewish population was so scattered and left without homes to return to. The countries that they had fled did not welcome them back. Many didn't want to go back. It has only really been recently with the modernization of the internet that efforts have been made for survivors to reach out and try to find out what happened to their families.

With their father and mother gone, I wonder how much about his family Marc actually knew. The REAL question is: Would Marc, Jake, or Steven make an effort to try to reach out? Would they want to find survivors? Would they feel guilty? Would they be able to even talk with the surviving family? Would they want to?

I don't think Marc would. I think this is one more burden on his shoulders and he doesn't want to be a dark shadow on the surviving family tree. I think Steven would be curious and attempt to dig up records to find out what happened to his father's town or people, but I don't think he'd reach out. Jake doesn't travel. Jake's home and people are New York. I think his soft heart would feel the loss too much to want to know. But I do think that if he found any family living in New York, he'd wander by to say hello.

That being said: What about their daughter? Is she being raised Jewish? Marlene certainly is not Jewish. Or at least she was never given that designation in any of the comics that I can recall or in Moench's run. Even if she is not being raised Jewish, perhaps she would be the one to reach out. A generation reaching out to another to find answers and connection. And maybe through her, it would bring the Moon Knight system back to their own connections.

I can see Jake curiously looking at pictures of grandparents and aunts and uncles and saying "Look I have my Great Uncle's mustache!" only to be reminded that his mustache is very much a fake mustache and him quipping back that he has the same taste at least. I can also see Steven being delighted to trace his roots back and saying "The Spectors are survivors." I think even Marc might be able to sit down with his daughter and recall stories he had heard growing up about the town his family comes from and the people there.

And that does bring me a bit of optimism and hope. That they can share good things about a past that they used to look at and find only pain in. That maybe it would finally let them talk about it when it was something they couldn't talk about growing up. A way for him to say "I have generational trauma, but at least I can start to let it heal through my daughter."

SO.... That's a really long answer to your question, and maybe not the one you were looking for... But it's honest and probably more than Marvel will ever give us (I fear what Marvel might do to the history if they tried).

Thanks for asking!

[permanently-sprained-ankle]

Explaining my banner

[Image ID: White text in a Galaxy background reads If you: Derail my posts; are an “aspie”; run a sh/ed blog; are under 16; are a TERF; think cripplepunk is for mental disabilities; think that autism isn’t a disability; are pro-transabled, trace, transage, etc; are pro-map or pro-zoo; are a transmed; want to completely demedicalize autism, I will probably block or mock you. End ID]

General

This isn’t a DNI. I don’t think that DNIs actually work, and I don’t really care about DNIs if the other person is directly spouting bigoted crap (otherwise I’ll respect them).

On that note, anyone can interact with my stuff. This is just a warning about what will happen if you do.

I reserve the right to be a dick, asshole, and/or rude to anybody who falls under those categories (except for under 16). If you’re a bigot I’m gonna treat you like one.

Specific meanings

If you don’t know what I mean by one of the items on this list, look here. They will be listed in order.

Derail my posts: basically, if you try to make my post into something that it’s not, I will not be polite about it. Example here.

Are an “aspie”: this refers to people who reference themselves as being an “aspie” or as having Aspergers syndrome. Learn why this is bad here. As a moderate-high support needs autist descended from Holocaust and Inquisition survivors, this is triggering and I will probably block you for my mental peace.

Run an sh/ed blog: (tw) this refers to blogs that are about self harm and/or eating disorders. These are incredibly harmful to everyone involved. I will block you.

Are under 16: I am 20 years old. I do not feel comfortable interacting with young teens, especially since I post a lot of sexual references, and cursing. I will not mock anyone for their age; this falls under the “block” category.

Are a TERF: this stands for Trans Exclusive Radical Feminist. Basically, this is about anybody who is transphobic in the name of protecting women’s rights. Honestly this applies to any transphobe. I WILL mock you into oblivion.

Think cripple punk is for mental disabilities: cripplepunk (aka cpunk) is a movement specifically for physically disabled people. It is not about people who are mentally disabled only, without physical disabilities. Cripples deserve our own communities. Read more here.

Think that autism isn’t a disability: autism is inherently disabling, going by the criteria of autism and the definition disability. To say otherwise is both misinformation and a denial of the lives experiences of higher support needs autistic people. Read more here.

Are pro-transabled, trace, transage, etc: these people appropriate the perfectly valid idea of being transgender, thinking that you can identify with a different race or ethnicity than you are (aka trace or transrace) a different age than you are (transage) a disability that you don’t have (transabled), or others. I will mock you relentlessly.

Are pro-map or pro-zoo: MAP stands for minor-attracted person, aka a pedophile. Zoo is short for zoophile, which is a person attracted to animals. These people are their supporter are absolutely disgusting.

Are a transmed: a transmed, or transmedicalist, believe at the very least that you need gender dysphoria to be transgender. Some are more extreme, believing that you need to meet the clinical criteria for gender dysphoria or that you need to medically transition in order to be trans. This does not refer to trans people who simply want to medically transition.

Want to completely demedicalize autism: this is a bit complicated and I may make a post about this later. Generally though, it refers to people who view autism as not a disorder but as a purely innocuous, net neutral or positive, “just another neurotype”. They want to remove autism from the psychiatric or medical fields entirely as they believe it is not about deficits in cognitive function. This is entirely false.

Ok that’s it. If you want to learn more about the specifics you can click on the links provided or Google them.

[lukatheselkie]

TW: Politics

PLEASE read this before you decide to blindly back Palestine. I am quoting from a long-standing friend who’s lived in Israel their entire life.

“I know Israel's government is not great, but I do want to show our side and explain why we did what we did. If you're referring to cutting off humanitarian aid, we will give it back as soon as they release the hostages. Them refusing to do it is entirely their decision and that's the consequences of that decision. As for bombings, I know how bad it is, but Hamas uses schools, hospitals and civilian homes as military bases and hides rockets under them, so in order to get rid of Hamas executives and their weapons, we have no choice. We also didn't bomb that hospital they claimed we did, that was a rocket that was fired from Hamas and fell within their own territory and they even admitted to it already.

We always warn civilians ahead of time before bombing to give them enough time to evacuate. If Hamas forces them to stay behind, that's not our fault. I do feel bad about them losing their homes, but we do everything we can to spare innocent lives and we don't target civilians specifically, unlike what they did on October 7th. We give them time and even provide protection from Hamas while the civilians are fleeing to the north of Gaza, because Hamas doesn't want them to flee and will actually attempt to shoot them due to their "disobedience”. It's a very complicated situation that goes back way beyond just the last 75 years. Just know that Palestinians do actively target our civilians, to the point of even abducting, torturing and mutilating newborn babies.

Hamas' convent even openly states that their final intention is to eradicate all of the jews. Hamas have always used civilian areas as places to hide weapons. It's their way of making us the bad guys. I've lived here for 23 years so I'm used to the whole conflict and know all about it, but this attack is the worst one we experienced since the holocaust, so it's much more sensitive now.

I've also seen articles talking about Israel cutting off water and electricity to Gaza, but they don't mention the hostages at all, which is incredibly biased. The reason it was cut off in the first place was because we needed to put pressure on them in order to release the hostages. As soon as they're returned to us, the aid will be restored.“

I was even given articles to back this.

1

2

3

4

Just, please, keep in mind that the media has ALWAYS been against Israel. I doubt that will change. But we CAN listen to those that live there.

[jyndor]

Regards Luthen, what do u think of the possibility that he's not a jedi himself, but someone close to him was one and was executed during order 66???

tw for nazism, holocaust mention, antisemitism, genocide, etc

if they go the involving jedi in ANY way route which I doubt, I feel like luthen would be the one. there's too many things he says that make me go hmm. and too much emphasis on who is this guy for me to think whatever the reveal is would be about someone he knows.

let me say that i do not think they will go this way because i don't think it's the point of the show (which is about the actions of extraordinary ordinary people) and i'd probably prefer he not be a jedi. but i'm not opposed to it because it is star wars and because this show is touching on the many different ways that the empire has oppressed people throughout the galaxy.

the genocide of the jedi was the beginning of the empire. religious persecution is a big part of fascism - I mean who are the most well-known fascists to most us americans (the target audience lbr)? the nazis. there's a reason why a lot of the empire's iconography is based in part on leni riefenstahl's nazi propaganda - because in the 70s/80s, this was a villain that many people could automatically understand, on the color scheme alone. on the stormtroopers alone. it stands to reason that the persecution and genocide of the jedi is inspired by religious persecution in general but especially antisemitism and the genocide of jewish people during the holocaust. it's definitely not a 1:1 allusion, none of it is, but still.

granted the empire is based on much more than nazi germany, in fact mostly on the us empire (which is why the rebels are styled like the viet cong) and the british empire, but undoubtedly lucas took a lot of inspiration for the empire from the nazis.

if a show that is dealing with how the empire has brutalized and oppressed and committed genocide doesn't deal with the most infamous genocide in the franchise, I'd be a little surprised. and the way to handle that would imo not be to have someone who wasn't part of that culture be the person whose story is where we see its impact. it's gotta be someone who lost their culture, their kin, their practices, etc.

there's too much in that monologue -

i've given up all chance at inner peace, i've made my mind a sunless place (blocked myself from the force)

i share my dreams with ghosts (because the jedi are gone)

i'm damned for what i do (he lives with knowing that he has gone against his beliefs and ethos)

my anger/ego/unwillingness to yield/eagerness to fight (all dark-side references)

they've set me on a path from which there is no escape (I MEAN??? yoda literally says 'fear is the path to the dark side' and also palps mentions the dark side being a pathway, too)

using my enemy's tools against them (embracing the dark side of the force)

the things he won't have: sunrise and the light of gratitude (light side-y things)

- for it to be anyone else.

that said, i do kind of think it's a red herring.

but then luthen wouldn't be the first former jedi who helps the rebellion. he would however be unique in that he seems to be a fallen jedi, if he is one at all. while there can't be "grey" jedi, it would be interesting to see what a former jedi who has chosen not a path of evil but a path that uses evil to do good, what that would look like. i imagine it would look like luthen.

also there's this guy

[caesarflickermans]

Childhood in Panem

#1

With Panem's hosting annual Hunger Games, what/when do you think children being taught about it across Capitol and The Districts?

#2

What kind of childhood stories do you think were told in each districts and Capitol: specific books, fairy tales, legends, or folklore?

Example : District 4 (fishing district) = The Little Mermaid.

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

#1

districts

i would think this, at times, is something children know before they learn at school about. the games are mandatory to watch for the citizens in the districts, and they occur throughout the day. this isn't a late night movie, it's something that happens to siblings, to older kids already going to school, it's something that people talk about, it's people that are missing in families because they have been taken by the capitol. the reaping is an event that people gather to see because they have to. responsible parents don't leave their children alone at home; you'd have to take your kid with you, because presence at the reaping is mandatory.

as soon as you are conscious of the world around you, you will inevitably be aware of the games.

at least in district twelve, children also learn about panem's history at school:

Somehow it all comes back to coal at school. Besides basic reading and math most of our instruction is coal-related. Except for the weekly lecture on the history of Panem. It’s mostly a lot of blather about what we owe the Capitol. I know there must be more than they’re telling us, an actual account of what happened during the rebellion.

at least to me, that reads like the hunger games are part of the education system. the history of panem has to cover the games, an event that happened as a form of punishment because the district people owe the capitol.

capitol

even if it's not confirmed whether viewing is mandatory in the capitol, how could a child not notice the hype and those events? the games are everywhere, they are celebrated everywhere. it's so normalised that the death is something necessary and such a strong part of entertainment, that, to capitol citizens, this isn't something harmful. capitol citizens have been indoctrinated for generations to view the district people as something lesser. it will be part of children's upbringing to teach them that as well. even if they initially might only watch the colourful parade, they will learn about panem's history and why the "punishment" is just.

tw nazi germany

as a german person, we often learn about the nazis in elementary school. not necessarily about the holocaust--that comes later--but we are starting to be introduced to such a dark part of history. and mind you, we are those who didn't suffer. a jewish german author, laura cazés, mentioned that she doesn't remember when she first heard of the holocaust; that it always had been in the dna of her family. that she, in contrast to non-jewish germans, didn't have the comfort of having no knowledge.

within my own family history (i only know my mother's family), my grandfather left germany early on, and my grandmother was seven years old by the time that germany lost the war. yet, despite being so young, she was confronted with the ideology of the nazis, such as learning songs the nazis had changed to fit to their ideology.

i don't think it is any different in fictionalised totalitarian regimes, namely that children learn about the regime early on as to become model citizens in the future.

end tw nazi germany

#2

i am a big defender of panem not having had such obvious ties to the past. i would like to refer to george orwell and the erasing of history in 1984, which, likely, was also inspired by the book burning of the nazis.

collins has been very adamant in the books about the characters not using any references to religion. no one swears by saying oh my god or damn.

the erasure of history, of language, of culture. that's such a vital aspect of totalitarian regimes. folklore in north korea is about how the kim family was born as gods.

i can see panem and specific districts developing their own phrases and their own folklore, but i don't think anything significant would have ever survived.

the little mermaid, just to continue your example, might seem innocent, but it's uncontrolled history. it's references to another time and place. it doesn't matter what story content it has. if the nazis changed traditonal german songs just to create a culture of their own, why bother to keep the little mermaid?

[discworldwitches]

what do you mean art became a commodity because of genocide? (genuine q)

tw for discussion of the shoah/holocaust

.

while ofc people bought and sold art, commissioned art, and there were art houses like christie's, art didn't really become an investment commodity until the 1960's, after world war ii and the holocaust/shoah.

during the shoah, nazi's stole a tonne of art from museums + nations but also individuals--mostly from jews many of whom were the subjects of paintings, art collectors, friends w artists, art dealers, etc. some of these works were burned, some went into nazi + collaborators collections such as goring's , some of them were lost, some were kept in caves and were ultimately damaged beyond repair, some of them eventually entered into museums like the belvedere (that's a reference to the story of the bloch-bauers), and a large amount (1.5 k) were marked destroyed and then kept by this war profiteer and art "dealer" hildebrand gurlitt.

after the holocaust, a lot of art was missing, destroyed, or missing provenance (which verifies that that piece is real + authentic and is what gives art its value on the market--without provenance, art loses values in huge amounts). some of the art stolen from jews ended up in the hands of collectors and art houses like sotheby's. then in the 1950's the impressionist and modern art dept. in sotheby's opens (which is the type of art chiefly being stolen from jews). then in 1958 there is the huge record-breaking sale of the goldschmidt collection--a collection auctioned off by the nazis in the 40's and somehow ends up in england at sotheby's...

here's a quote abt this famous 1958 event:

It has often been said that the modern art market was born at 9:30 pm on 15 October 1958, a time and date which corresponds to a sale that ended with a total of almost $20.2 million in today’s money, an impressive record at that time. On that evening, the traditional way of auctioning artworks was transformed into a glamorous and ‘modern’ event. Peter Wilson, Sotheby’s newly appointed chairman, literally stage-managed the sale of seven paintings from the Jakob Goldschmidt collection. It was not only the first evening sale, but also the first “Gala sale”, i.e. by invitation only, with ball gowns for the ladies and dinner jackets for the men. Moreover, the television cameras, also newly invited, focused on socialites and movie stars.

x

so basically this event launched the modern art market. following that in the 60's, art becomes an investment and something that celebrities/people of acclaim definitely want to get their hands on. art shoots up in prices. much of the art on the 50's-60's market that's costing millions of dollars is art stolen by the nazis.

art only continued to grow in value in the 60's and on. christie's and sotheby's competed to break records of how big the sales could be. i found this cover on sotheby's when refreshing my memory on these events:

[id: image of andy warhol on the cover of newsweek next to one of his pop-art portraits of marilyn monroe. the contents advertised next to warhol are typed out in white font: Art for Money's Sake; On the Block: the Warhol Collection; The Booming Art Market. end ID]

x

i learned about this in uni so a lot of this is from my memory and a brief review of notes/articles linked above. sorry this is so long lol.

if you want to learn more i'd look at herman goring, the degenerate art exhibition, hildebrand gurlitt + his son cornelius, and the book the lady in gold by anne-marie o'connor just to get started.

i also wasn't referring specifically to this but generally a lot of art pieces, artifacts, ritual objects, etc. in trade, in collection or at museums, are there bc of colonialism + genocide.

anyway feel free to ask more questions!!

[dontjudgemeimawriter]

Hello!! For Astrid, please :)

✂️🍀🌂

✂️   - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

Astrid's worst memory from when she was a kid. I haven't 100% worked out the details, but what I have for it so far is that one of her foster siblings was hospitalized after some hazing-style bullying. This is a very painful memory for Astrid because she'd known something was going on and never said anything, so she blames herself for it getting as bad as it did.

🍀  - What originally inspired the OC?

The plot idea tbh. It was centered around a need for a certain character.

TW: reference to Nazis/Holocaust

So, this story inspiration was on my trip to Germany, where a tour guide mentioned that a certain dictator had originally wanted to be an artist but not gottten into art school. I joked that the time travelers, instead of killing him, should just make sure he got into art school.

While I decided to make this an alternative world so I could make up my own characters, world, and the extent of what happened, as well as have more freedom to play with the implications of time travel withoutt suggesting anything about real life, that's what inspired tthe basic idea. Astrid's development was a guve and takke with the plot. A character that could find herself centered in that, one with the motives to go with it... and then from her character out came more plot.

🌂  - What genre do they belong in?

I... have no idea how to describe the genre. She is firmly in a modern day setting with fantasy elements, so whatever describes that. However, the story will force her into a historic setting.

Ty for the ask! From this

[serpentainted]

Out the grave

❝ Under the neon lights during the lockdown, A Gorgon and Phoenix crossed paths, sadly.❞

With @fallingreborn​​ TW: Death, War mentions, Holocaust references. Beryl having no empathy.

The gorgon had seen the greatest tragedies in the world. Millions of lives lost in wars, the famine that follows, and the resentment of those living in the lands now under new kingdoms. Beryl had seen it all, the blood spilt under whips and the cries of despair as mothers were torn from their children just for a star sewn to their clothing.

Beryl had been there, and even so, her opinion did not change, the worst thing had been stepping on Las Vegas. How she wished that her debt would be forgotten by the Mortalis as easily as she forgot it, and thus leave far from the desert. Hierarchies and rules were something she never tolerated, and the Midnight Underground had all those things, and also every so often it happened that everyone had to take refuge as if they were some damsels in distress. She hated it, the weakness of those creatures who could not live up to their species and do what they were meant to do. And as if the cherry on top was not enough, some had the audacity to come back.

Lack of sense, that is what it was.

The night seemed suffocating, but the walls of her home were drowning her more as if they were closing on her with each minute passing, and she decided she could no longer take it. If hunters were out and after her, then she would do what she did best and watch stone materialize in front of her. Not second thoughts.

The neon lights greeted her with praise, so much so that she could almost hear the thanks in quiet whispers as she walked through the lighted streets. The city missed her as much as she missed her freedom, but the wonders of the polluted air were short-lived, when in the crowd something, someone, seemed to have found their way out of the grave. Beryl was not one to hold close ties to the past, because the past was behind her, and she preferred only to look ahead, but when the road was littered with ashes from those who never should have returned, it was natural for her to revive feelings of anger, and Beryl, she was one with anger.

They had a thing about them, that even when reborn, they smelled the same, and the gorgon would never forget the rotten essence. "The earth is big, but perhaps not enough. From all places, and to all types of hell you could return to, why do you keep showing up here?"

___

[meowmaids]

Tw for antisemitism and the Holocaust in the first linked article

In the news today it was a footnote that the U.S will supply weapons the Azov Brigade.

This article from 2022 summarizes the antisemitic foundations of the battalion clearly

‘Just as disturbing, neo-Nazis are part of some of Ukraine’s growing ranks of volunteer battalions. They are battle-hardened after waging some of the toughest street fighting against Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine following Putin’s Crimean invasion in 2014. One is the Azov Battalion, founded by an avowed white supremacist who claimed Ukraine’s national purpose was to rid the country of Jews and other inferior races.’

The U.S. previously banned the shipment of weapons and training with the Azov brigade in 2018 under Leahy’s law. ‘The term “Leahy law” refers to two statutory provisions prohibiting the U.S. Government from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights ‘.’

https://www.state.gov/key-topics-bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/human-rights/leahy-law-fact-sheet/

Despite the fact this bridge was explicitly founded by white supremacists the U.S. may now freely offer tax payer funded military training, weapons, and assistance. The articles written today stand in stark contrast to previous analysis. There are newly minted puff pieces which are celebrating this horrific armament of an extremism group.

One cannot speak about this without also mentioning the endemic of white supremacists in U.S. military, contractors, border agents, and police. The U.S. to purposely ignores the issue of white supremacy within its own ranks to keep the system of imprisonment and wealth extraction from people of color in place.

The only people who become safer when we arm the Azov Brigade are white supremecists. There should be no question nor debate. It is a heinous crime to supply a group founded on the principle of white supremacy with weapons. The U.S. is able to justify this action not despite its founding but because of it.

[dragons-hoard-reviews]

From beyond the hoard…

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods

This 2001 novel has been frequently recommended to me by most people I talk to about fantasy books. When Shadow, a convict who has been recently released due to the death of his wife, gets on a plane to go home for his late wife’s funeral, he meets a mysterious man, Wednesday, who offers him a job. From there, his life changes forever.

This was a 584 page read in the edition I have, but it never felt like it at any point. @neil-gaiman ‘s descriptions and characters make the reader want to turn the pages one after another. The references to mythology and religions worldwide are so interesting, and coming off of reading Bulfinch’s Mythology and having *SPOILER* recently visited the Voodoo Museum in New Orleans *SPOILER OVER* makes this an incredibly rewarding read.

*FROM HERE ON, SPOILERS WILL BE DISCUSSED*

The climax of the book takes place on Lookout Mountain, overlooking Chattanooga, specifically Rock City, and I was very happy to read this section while I was about 15 minutes from Rock City on vacation. Just a small note I wanted to add.

As usual, I want to give some warnings to younger or minority readers. If there’s a triggering topic out there, it’s in this book. From *TW* slavery, racism, SA, violence, murder, the Holocaust, and many others. This doesn’t take away from the book, but it does make some scenes hard to read without cringing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and especially enjoyed how everything came together at the end. It seemed that every single loose end was tied up in a little bow. I’m very happy to say that more of Neil Gaiman’s work is on my to-be-read list!