#it turns to modern veiling societies

[thelibraryiscool]

What is the name of the Greek veiling book you read?

It's called Aphrodite's Tortoise: The Veiled Woman of Ancient Greece! I'm not a hellenist so you can take my assessment with a grain of salt, but I really enjoyed it - the methodological grounding is compelling and there's some really lovely close readings of the art and texts.

[eiloveir]

𝖙𝖎𝖉𝖆𝖑 𝖜𝖆𝖛𝖊.

🔞 definitely ain’t for minors (contains frequent strong language and alludes to sexual content)

none are affiliated with the canon naruto series; this is solely an alternate universe of my own creation, purely fictional and set in a modern context compared to the original manga and anime plot.

pairing: uchiha itachi x female reader

gently bathing the streets in hues of reddish neon, an almost beautiful ambiance enveloped tokyo, a city that lived day and night. a woman glided with grace and elegance amidst the steady stream of people. everywhere she went, her appealing appearance attracted admiring looks from those nearby. driven by a thirst for attention, excitement, and power, she smirked quietly beneath her veil of black mascara. she had mastered the art of overcoming life’s challenges by leveraging her beauty in a society that often rewarded charm and appearance.

she understood the harsh realities of their world: those with the face of an angel were granted privileges others could only dream of. it was a brutal truth that even when harboring hatred or committing crimes, they could escape consequences with a mere flutter of their eyelashes.

her beauty was her shield, her weapon, her means to an end.

her heels clicked in time with the pavement as she moved, her movements purposeful yet worn out. she was surrounded by a plethora of sounds and images from the city, yet she didn’t lose focus because she knew where she was going. she eventually found herself at her designated spot after what seemed like hours of dealing with the streets that resembled a maze. she took a moment to compose herself before skillfully removing a phone from her sling bag.

“dei, are you there?” she inquired, her voice barely above a whisper.

the connection crackled, and after a moment of silence, a voice responded tersely, “hm. what is it?” she grimaced and rolled her eyes, a subtle display of frustration meant as a signal that her task was nearing completion, yet all she received was a nonchalant nod in return.

irritated, she demanded, “what am i supposed to do here, idiot?”

“didn't the boss brief you?” deidara asked, his voice is steady with amusement. her frustration seemed to amuse him rather than bother him. “so, are you already there?”

“god, deidara, just tell me!” she commanded firmly, her tone uncompromising. deidara chuckled softly, clearly enjoying her irritation.

“y/n, you need to infiltrate that place. the club is owned by kara. your mission is to gather evidence to bring them down. they’re our rivals, and you know how things work in the mafia world.” deidara’s explanation was concise, devoid of hesitation. almost as an afterthought, he added, “don’t worry, i believe someone’s already there to assist you.”

she exhaled slowly, her annoyance simmering beneath the surface. the implication that she needed help stung her pride. it seemed the leader’s decision was not without some disregard for her capabilities; she prided herself on being competent and self-sufficient.

“it’d better not be hidan.”

she prepared herself for the challenge ahead. glancing at her phone one last time before returning it to her purse, she straightened up and made her way towards the club’s entrance. above, colorful lights flickered ominously. with her senses sharp and her mind focused, she was ready to step into the lion’s den.

the game was on, and she intended to play by her rules.

pausing for a moment in the midst of the crowd, she took in her surroundings. her eyes scanned the scene: older men leering at dancing women with predatory gazes, friends sharing a joint enveloped in a cloud of smoke, and a couple lost in a passionate kiss cheered on by their friends.

nothing appeared overtly suspicious yet.

she ascended the stairs towards the second floor, where secrets might lurk. just as she was about to climb, a hand unexpectedly tapped her shoulder. she turned to see a man, visibly intoxicated but well-dressed, not much older than herself.

“oi, deepa, do your damn job! boss will kick your ass!” a red-haired man suddenly appeared beside him with a commanding voice that cut through the noise.

boss? she wondered, intrigued by the possibility of a potential asset in her investigation.

“don't interfere, code,” deepa retorted sharply, pushing the red-haired man aside to approach her with a drink. she hesitated, cautious of the drink’s contents, but accepted it with a feigned smile. perhaps playing along could work to her advantage.

“thank you,” she purred, adopting a coy grin as she prepared to adopt a new persona. “but what about him?” she teased, gesturing towards the red-haired man, mischief twinkling in her eyes.

“damn it, you’re insufferable.” code muttered to himself, glaring at deepa, flipping him off, and ruffling his hair in frustration before walking away.

she found herself face-to-face with deepa, the man she intended to exploit for her ends. his invitation to retire to a private room seemed to be an attempt to lure her into a familiar situation. yet, she maintained her charade with a smile. as they settled onto plush sofas, deepa poured drinks, offering one to her.

“so, what’s a pretty girl like you doing here?” he asked, his compliment catching her off guard.

“can’t girls have fun?”

clearly enjoying her banter, deepa smiled at her witty response. “of course. you’re welcome here.” he said, pouring himself another drink. he extended another offer to her, though she refused to sip from the glass, knowing they might be poisoned.

“you know, i’ve never seen you here before,” deepa said after a moment, breaking the silence. “are you new in town?”

she shook her head slightly, projecting a shyness. “just passing through,” she responded firmly yet gently. “i heard there are some exciting spots around here.”

“and what do you find exciting?” deepa chuck as he leaned back, studying her intently.

lowering her gaze playfully, she murmured, “you know, good music, interesting company,” she paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. “and perhaps a few surprises.”

he grinned, clearly enjoying her company. “surprises? i like surprises,” he said, locking eyes with her. “and i guess you do too, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”

raising her gaze, she met his with a playful glint. “you could say that. and what about you? you seem to know this place well.”

“you could say i have a vested interest in this place, i’m responsible for its operation, after all.” he replies, swirling his own drink in his glass.

"so, you’re the boss, huh? that makes sense, considering how well you know the place.” with slightly raised eyebrows, she pretends to be surprised. she just caught the largest fish to aid her in her quest. with slightly raised eyebrows, she pretends to be surprised.

deepa chuckled softly, amused by her assumption. “let’s just say i have a... role in the operations here,” he corrected her. “i’m not the official owner, but i do have a fair amount of influence.”

bingo.

as y/n prepared to advance her mission by cornering him, an abrupt and silence fell over the room. in an instant, he moved swiftly behind her, pressing her against the sofa with a deadly quickness. stepping onto the back of the sofa, he loomed over her, the cold barrel of a gun unforgiving against her temple.

his breath was hot on her neck as he whispered, “you’ve played a convincing game of innocence so far, but i’ve always had a sharp eye for deception.”

heart palpitating, y/n’s thoughts whirled as she considered what to do next. though she had been waiting for this moment, the realization that he was so close still made her shudder. remaining composed, she cocked her head slightly, letting her hair cascade down like a curtain to partially veil her face from his inquiring stare.

“funny,“ she replied softly, her voice laced with confidence that masked the tension within her. “i could say the same about you.”

deepa’s grip tightened on her shoulder, a subtle warning of his control over the situation. “don’t mistake my curiosity for ignorance. who sent you here, and what do you want?”

y/n stayed composed, her thoughts racing to reassess her strategy. when she was this close to getting the information she needed from him, she could not afford to give away too much. she answered his focused look with a measured glance, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered how to respond.

“does it matter?” she countered smoothly, her tone measured with defiance. “you’ve clearly taken an interest in me. why spoil the fun with unnecessary questions?”

his fingers tightened on her shoulder before he released her, a flicker of irritation crossing his features. he straightened up, his expression hardening as he regarded her with suspicion.

“you’re playing a dangerous game.” he warned, his voice low but firm.

y/n leaned back against the sofa, her posture relaxed yet poised for any sudden movement. “aren’t we all?” she quipped, her words a reminder of the balance they both maintained in the world they inhabited.

before deepa could respond, the door to the private room swung open abruptly, startling them both. standing in the doorway was a tall man with long raven-black hair, his silhouette imposing against the dim light of the bar beyond. his manner emanated an authority that immediately altered the atmosphere in the room.

“deepa, you should know better than to handle your guests so roughly.” the man spoke—a calm yet authoritative voice.

deepa’s gaze flickered between y/n and the newcomer, his jaw tightening with restrained frustration. “who the hell are you?” he demanded, his voice edged with disbelief.

the man’s eyes, dark and piercing—met deepa’s with an intensity that left no room for doubt.

“i’m here to ensure she gets what she came for.”

y/n didn’t have any idea who this man was, but she played along—better than having someone pull the trigger of their gun on her head. she looked at the man, examining his face; she didn’t recognize him at all. but thanks to him, deepa’s attention was diverted.

“y/n of the akatsuki, you surely didn't come here unprepared, did you?” deepa asked, her heart skipping a beat with a sinister edge as he spoke her name. it was unsettling that her membership in the akatsuki was acknowledged; she had never disclosed it to anybody outside the group.

“you’re underestimating me, aren’t you?” she said confidently, getting closer to his face. she grabbed his hair and yanked it, making him wince in pain. “bitch.”

y/n cautiously stepped away from deepa, feeling a sudden coldness against her arm—a sharp pain from his stab. shock momentarily froze her, her mind struggling to grasp the sudden violence. “when did he?”

before she could react, a gunshot rang out, breaking the tense silence. the sound reverberated in the club, blending with screams and the abrupt cessation of music that intesified the panic that gripped the air.

her eyes widened as she saw the man, gripping a blazing gun with a tense expression. her voice shook involuntarily, confusion clouding her thoughts. “what have you done?”

“you’ve already messed this up,” he retorted sharply, drawing his gun swiftly. his intense stare unnerved her. ignoring her questions, the man grabbed her arm and guided her through the panicked crowd of the club. “let’s go before they catch us.”

the earlier atmosphere of the club had collapsed into anarchy within. screams that were high in pitch with the smell of alcohol and perspiration. the unexpected hush that followed the music’s abrupt cessation, which emphasizes the seriousness of the situation—fueled panic like a wildfire.

a police megaphone exploded, sending a strong voice resounding off the walls with its urgency among the chaotic scene. the words hung heavily in the air. “this is the police! immediate evacuation is mandatory! leave now to avoid any involvement!”

the man hurried y/n through the crowd and out into the parking lot, his focus solely on escape.

as they drove away, y/n tried to collect her thoughts, adrenaline still coursing through her veins. glancing at the man beside her, she finally spoke, “you can slow down now.” eyes flicking from the road to his unreadable expression. the changed from city life to the quiet of suburbia was abrupt; the car suddenly parked in a secluded spot surrounded by tall trees and silence.

the man complied silently, cutting the engine with a decisive click. stepping out into the cool night air, he opened his door, the quiet rush of the breeze filling the silence. as she took in their surroundings, y/n trailed behind, her footsteps leaving gentle imprints on the ground. contrary to the earlier chaos, her breath formed little clouds in the cold air.

the shock of the sudden events began to subside, replaced by curiosity and a need for answers. turning to face the man, y/n’s voice broke the quiet of the night. “how do you know this?”

for a little period, the man stared at her, his face difficult to interpret in the low light. with his cigarette shining brightly in the dark, he took a contemplative drag. his face was lit by the glow from the ember, which produced deep shadows that showed his features. he let out an exhale, the smoke curling around him like thin, spectral tendrils before vanishing into the evening air.

“i cleared your mission.”

“who are you?”

the man turned to face her, his black eyes meeting hers with a gentle, yet intense, stare. his features’ distinct contours were brought to light by the way the shadows moved across his face. he carefully extinguished his cigarette, allowing the flame to disappear into the night. his presence was dominating and mysterious as he moved to close the distance between them with a subtle ease. he took off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders. the material smelled warm, somewhat smoky, and very much like him.

“you might catch a cold.”

she silently exchanged emotions with him as his gesture made her heart skip a beat. she felt oddly protected and at ease because of the jacket’s warmth in comparison to the cool night air.

“i’m uchiha itachi.”

[bace-jeleren]

Do you happen to have any ideas on what other magic the gathering characters are currently up to in the Beyond the Neon Veil-iverse?

Well, the Neon Veil-iverse is a world that's steadily becoming more and more cut off from magic, so a lot of the characters probably live relatively normal lives.

There's a small subsection of characters, though, who are probably like Neon Veil-iverse Kaito and The Wanderer, who live secret, double lives when they're not existing in modern society. Like, I bet in Innistrad, werewolves are pretty few and far between, and are documented and monitored by the state. But, Arlinn Kord, who works as a lawyer in a lawfirm that regularly represents the magic and non-human population, is an undocumented werewolf who has a complicated relationship with her lycanthropy.

Kaya has a day job of working as a conservator-restorer, but by night she and her fellow conservator, Teysa, run a ghost hunting business. Kaya just wants to live a normal life, but Teysa holds it over her head that, if it wasn't for her, Kaya wouldn't have been able to afford the education that got her the conservator-restorer job in the first place.

Coincidentally, Dack Fayden, who also works the same day job as them, is actually a notoriously talented art thief who the authorities have yet to catch, but wound up getting tied up in Kaya and Teysa's schemes when he attempted to steal an old museum artifact that was super fucking haunted. Instead of turning him, Teysa instead used her preferred method of blackmail and ropes him into their schemes, often at a moments notice. Unlike them, business for Dack hasn't exactly been booming since.

I'd say characters like Ashiok and Oko, who are really closely tied to magic, l have lives similar to their canon counterparts, and are probably denizens of a realm separate from the mortal one- although Oko probably integrates himself into modern society a lot more.

[dreadfutures]

7, 16, 19 for DA4 asks!

Thank you for joining in on the HYPE!

7. Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

Honestly, Vivienne or Cassandra.

I know, I know, but hear me out.

After Inquisition, Jaws of Hakkon, after Cassandra's personal quest, these women have to have changing opinions about magic in the world. I would love to have conversations about coming to terms with societies flooded with magic, how they are not evil merely because of that freedom. Possession is reversible! Spirit companions can be peaceful!

It would be an opportunity too to make up for some of the weakness in DAI's/Trespasser's writing with the Andrastian characters not questioning their beliefs enough in my (and many others') opinions. I don't think that they don't, to be clear: I think Cassandra's reign as Divine is way more reform-oriented (depending on your choices) than most people interpret her ending slides to be. But I wish they had confronted their beliefs more in Hakkon, and I wish we could see them ten years later--with a Mortalitasi, and a Tevinter commoner, and an elven Veil Jumper at our sides.

16. What's one crack theory you subscribe to (yours or someone else's)?

So I really wish we can swim. We can jump and parry and dodge. CAN WE SWIM? GOTY for me if so.

But I feel like probably not, so. Crack theory. (I didn't think this would count but someone else said swimming for their answer to this question so I guess it does.)

19. Are you planning to replay any of the previous games, watch Dragon Age: Absolution, or read any of the books/comics/short stories, or are there other games you want to play in the meantime?

I was planning on replaying DAI to get Ixchel's Bad World State in order, but…

My tastes in games have changed a lot over the years in terms of tecnical gameplay. For pause/play and strategy Turn Based games, I much prefer Owlcat or Larian. For goon-slaying chaos, I prefer Dynasty Warriors. For smooth-feeling real time combat, I am a souls girlie.

With the news that we won't be using the Keep but rather manually making our choices (very welcome news, personally!), I feel far less pressure to slog through the combat and resource gathering.

I wish I could play DAO, but!!!! No matter how I patch it, no matter how I cleanly install it, no matter how I run it, I cannot escape the game-locking crash in Denerim Market. And I don't have it on console. And it's such an out-dated gameplay and so below industry standard and quality of life of modern pause-and-play strategy combat that… I just am not incredibly interested (though I wish I could have a playthrough with Hal ;-; I really do).

I loved DA2, it is my favorite story -- blatantly pro-immigrant and confronting the xenophobia and racism of the post 9/11 west; no, I don't see the "both sidesing" as much as everyone likes to moan about, I think you really have to misinterpret a lot of the intention to think it's purposefully "both sidesing" -- but I've played it once, and I don't really need to do it again.

[seaofimaginarysins]

The magical world, more formally called 'The Veiled World' is the hidden society of magical and supernatural beings living beyond the notice of mundane humanity. While some such beings choose to live either among humans, disguising their more fantastical traits to pass as one of them, or otherwise in concealed communites behind layers of secrecy spells built away from the reaches of human civilization, the vast majority of them instead choose to take up residence within the Everafter.

The Everafter is a sort of 'Otherworld', or perhaps more accurately, a 'World between Worlds'. Infinitely large, infinitely malleable, ever-changing, ever-evolving, the vast majority of the Everafter is unexplored and uninhabited, with the near-entirety of its residents choosing to settle within its most well-understood and well-documented 'Nexus', the Overcity. The Overcity is, in a sense, a reflection of human civilization. A modern city, infinitely large and infinitely complex, constantly shifting and rearranging itself, and in some instances even partially overlapping with a city in the real world! A poor soul could take a wrong turn and find themselves hopelessly lost, not even realizing they'd left behind their own world and entered another one altogether.

[indignantlemur]

You’ve talked about visual art a bit, but I was wondering what other types of art/creation Andorians might be partial to (for example: writing, music, theatre, ecc.)

(For writing: I know there’s a big importance in fairytales so I was wondering if they leaned more towards short stories, rather than longer novels or poetry)

(You’re incredible and your writing is amazing btw!)

Hello! Thanks for the ask - this is a great question! (Also: aww, thank you! <3 )

Andorians are huge on music and theatre. The Andorian opera is renowned across the Federation (and beyond) for its technical excellence and emotive storytelling. All Andorians are born with perfect pitch, which gives Andorians a beautiful talent for music in all its forms. Their orchestras are slightly less well known than the operas, but no less talented - and often lauded for their technical excellence. Additionally, while Andorian vocal chords are very similar to Human vocal chords, they do have small structural differences which allow for a slightly broader range of sound on average than Humans generally can achieve. Humans can absolutely perform Andorian operas, but some pieces are extremely taxing and require exceptional range. Also, every single mistake, no matter how slight, will be as loud as a fog horn to every Andorian in the audience so... no pressure.

Theatre and opera developed hand-in-hand for Andorians as a natural development from story-telling during the worst parts of the year where it was too dangerous to venture outside for more than short durations and only if absolutely necessary. From these roots came a deep love of adapting historical and mythological events into dramatic scenes, though it admittedly took a bit longer for fictional stories to catch on as viable sources of inspiration.

(Andorian theatre kids go hard - bodily harm is frequent and expected. The band kids are weirdly militant and treat rehearsal like it's actually life or death, no matter what their instructors say. The choir kids are absolute prima donnas - but the problem is, they actually have the range and talent to back their attitudes up.)

In terms of writing, the long tradition of story-telling gives life to this as well. Andorians have long, spiralling epics that follow the lives of the heroes almost from birth until death, but they also have short stories in the form of folk tales and mythology.

As Andorians developed as a society, writing fiction really took off as a medium for self-expression and, in some cases, a means of offering scrutiny and criticism around a facet of their society. Andorian murder-mystery novels are well known for their twists and turns, often featuring no less than three or four sub-plots revolving around the central plot (at least one of which is a red herring), and they all have painfully, exactingly detailed descriptions of procedure and processing. Andorian romances are either tragic or absolutely filthy - or both. They're not quite as big on fantasy, for some reason. No one can quite get a satisfactory answer out of Andorian authors on that one. Their science fiction is actually pretty interesting, but it tends towards Orwellian themes, usually handling moral quandaries centering around private personhood in a world of ever-encroaching technology and surveillance.

As for poetry, Andorians do enjoy poetry and produce quite a lot of it, but the subject matter tends to be (a) vibrantly colourful and full of visual cues, (b) modern stories modelled on ancient sagas, or (c) enigmatic and heavily veiled in metaphors. The lattermost are considered the most personal, and generally the meaning is only known to the author and, if applicable, the intended recipient(s). Often times, these pieces are kept private even after the author's death, and only very rarely will examples of this kind of poetry make their way to the general public.

Thanks for the ask! I hope I answered everything!

[sy666th]

The painting "Unequal Marriage" by Vasili Pukirev (1862) was surrounded by legend. It was said that after looking at it, older men who were planning to marry young women gave up their intent.

The painter's work is an open and courageous denunciation of the Russian society of the time. In particular, the custom was condemned (universally in vogue in the not too distant past and still present today in some countries) whereby young girls were often forced into arranged marriages with men much older than them.

The painting was highly successful and generated heated debate in the press, with its supporters praising it for representing a serious theme of modern life, unlike the usual genre scenes, which tended to be nostalgic or sentimental.

The canvas is based on an episode that actually happened and is full of details. The same painter - who was rumored to be romantically linked to the bride - depicted himself on the far right with his arms crossed, as a sign of opposition to what he is witnessing. Two old women appear half hidden in the crowd: one can be seen between the groom and the priest, the other can be seen behind the religious man: it is probable that they are the groom's deceased wives. The priest himself is hunched over and partially in shadow, perhaps to symbolize some sort of divine condemnation of this union.

However, the figure of the young, beautiful and sad bride is illuminated. Under the oblique and inquisitorial gaze of her almost-husband, she mechanically performs the ritual and keeps her gaze turned to the ground, her eyes red from crying. We can only imagine her state of mind but perhaps these verses come to our aid:

As if, once the sentence was pronounced, frozen they were escorting you from the luxurious prison of doubt to the gallows, and to the dead, -

when the veil your eyes had sewn - a creature gasped - "Pity" - What anguish was then the most atrocious - To die, or to be alive?

(Emily Dickinson)

📌Vasili Pukirev, The Unequal Marriage (1863)., State Tretyakov Gallery - Moskow

[zyin]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/576c7b6f2899350f0b12cf28f723eb8d/66a2bf1b5b7f6451-2d/s640x960/862edbd24a7ac298acaf739128e729ae31a6728d.pnj I watched some Snoopy clips on Twitter, it's a cheaply veiled PSA for gov't propaganda: Hey kids you want to be a Scientist, they're cool... Snoopy pretends to fly. Point is even if you never watched Snoopy indoctrinate you:

We're all ingrained with the idea this life is the only one we must live for. But if we pay attention we rarely make it to our 100th attempt at any one thing because our soul gets bored with creation [created things], we need our CREATOR to fill us that is fulfillment.

Tim Keller said the problem with modern people is we feel we deserve a good life, meaning we don't deserve bad things. As a result, rather than accept what is, & try to learn what each event is teaching us about ourselves. We instead try to find a way to force reality to fit our desires or perspective. [Tim Keller: Power for Facing Trouble]

In 1973 Karl Menninger wrote book noting how society replaced morals with medical model: For most of our problems, we use a medical model.

For example: People who are terribly bitter, they will not forgive. But what do they say: They’re hurting, never admit they’re bitter. Hurting—that’s a medical term for a moral problem. You do NOT have a medical problem; you’ve got a moral problem!

Research findings show 90% of Americans believe they show the kind of love in life, that if everybody showed, would make Society all right. Yet Psychologists say no one is ever healed because we are constantly being damaged by others.

Even Brain Surgeons have noted the brain surprisingly does not feel pain & Dr. Wilder Penfield said no matter what he did, he could never cut-out enough of a person's brain to remove their personality. [Michael Egnor: Evidence Against Materialism]

Saying this shows there is something untouchable beyond the physical realm, the thing David Attenborough says is why he remains agnostic because he's seen blind termites incapable of detecting his presence & so he wonders if we have the same lack of sense perception to detect GOD. The Bible says we know GOD exists, & every time we fail in life is one step closer to meeting our MAKER voluntarily or literally.

[YouTube: Off the Kirb Ministries | Sir David Attenborough - Did You Catch It Too?]

Have you ever invited JESUS into your mess?

I was procrastinating at work by going on my phone, saw I got an ask, and then it turned out to be more work. You think I can read? 😒

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: Dark Academia

Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Long Black Veil is the story of Judith Carrigan, whose past is dredged up when the body of her college friend Wailer is discovered 20 years after her disappearance in Philadelphia’s notorious and abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary. Judith is the only witness who can testify to the innocence of her friend Casey, who had married Wailer only days before her death.

The only problem is that on that fateful night at the prison, Judith was a very different person from the woman she is today. In order to defend her old friend and uncover the truth of Wailer’s death, Judith must confront long-held and hard-won secrets that could cause her to lose the idyllic life she’s built for herself and her family.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation - also known as Babel.

Babel is the world's center of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, to magical effect. Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel's research in foreign languages serves the Empire's quest to colonize everything it encounters.

Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to sabotaging the silver-working that supports imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide: Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence? What is he willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down?

Babel - a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of translation as a tool of empire.

The Cloisters by Kathy Hays

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

This is the first volume in the “Alex Stern” series. A highly anticipated sequel, Hell Bent, is expected early next year. 

[aita-blorbos]

AITA if I (M1000+) destroy the world in attempt to save it?

I was once a general under a powerful matriarch of my people who led us against the dwarves she intended to conquer. As her fellow strategist and personal guard, I admit I participated in this war despite my disdain for violence. However, I grew more wary when our people discovered something deep in the underground dwarven realm that [redacted], to which we closed off the tunnels in fear of [redacted]. Although our matriarch had come to her senses in light of [redacted], several of my fellow generals grew with even more power lust than they already had. Yet it appeared that enslaving our own elven people with the dwarves' stolen magics was still not enough to whet their appetites, as they foolishly believed they should obtain ultimate power. It escalated into the murder of our matriarch for refusing them, and I was too outmatched to stop it.

To such lengths of their hubris, my peers deluded themselves to be gods. Although I had long harbored disgust for these generals, and even if I had refused to participate in their disgusting practice of slavery, to remain passive in my complicity would lead to catastrophe beyond comprehension. So I rallied the citizens to rise up against their masters in a mass slave rebellion, and secretly authored spells for a Veil at a magnitude never before attempted. This massive Veil would sever the living in near entirety from magic: the source of my own and the generals' overwhelming power, and by extension, the collective mage abilities of my people.

To quite literally split the world in two was not a preferred choice. But every alternative appeared worse at the time if I failed to stop them. By erecting the Veil, I sealed away the remaining generals behind it in the new spirit world. In the mirrored living world, our grand cities and libraries elevated by magic columns fell, bridges crumbled, and thousands of my people were killed in the collapse of our infrastructure.

The effort exhausted me, and I fell into a millennia-long sleep to recover. I mourned my people, but I hoped those who survived would be free from their bonds and rebuild in safety from the abuses of those monsters, even if at a terrible cost.

But when I awoke, to my horror, nothing had turned out as I intended. My people had been left vulnerable in the collapse of their empire only to be raided by another that settled on the continent within decades: humans. My people had once again been enslaved or treated as third class citizens for the following centuries. They struggled for their independence, for their basic rights under human-led society, and fought back with more failure than their meager successes as their lands were gradually stolen. No human empire was clean of their blood on their hands. It seemed the elves' oppressors had only changed in name.

Even worse, an all consuming power called the Blight had leaked through my Veil and ravaged this world indiscriminately during my slumber. Blights were often years-long, if not century-long wars upon the world by the infected reanimated dead. In their ignorance, the only means the people of this world knew how to interrupt these Blights was to slay those great dragons, awakened from their slumber deep underground, that led the undead forces. These modern peoples do not know the forces they are tampering with.

They only bought themselves time against the Blight is all I'll say on the matter. Because as a result of the centuries-worth of death these Blights have wrought, the magical properties of spilled blood have weakened the integrity of the Veil considerably over time. The barrier is warping and thinning as it steadily creeps towards uncontrolled collapse, even if it will take further time to do so. It should require little imagination to know the utter destruction the literal colliding of two worlds back into one will cause. Not to mention the threatened release of my maniacal peers from their spiritual prison I crafted. I hadn't sealed them to avoid their bloodshed, but because the first of my people are notoriously difficult to kill. As much as I detest their arrogant claims of godhood, I cannot deny their horrific godlike power.

Did I merely delay the inevitable? Should I not alleviate the destruction best I can by intentionally disabling the Veil as its author in the first place? I could try to tell the people of this broken world I'd created that I take no joy in my part in this. I could try to explain the necessity of bringing the overwhelming power of the spirit world upon their heads, but would it bring them any comfort? Would they resent me or the outcome of their deaths any less if I had a "good" reason?

I made an excruciating mistake. This cannot be the only option: two worlds dashed into scraps, slowly dying. I admit I already know the answer, but... AITA if I usher in an entire generation's apocalypse because removing the Veil is the only way I know to face the coming destruction sooner or later? If I want to restore the world to the one of magic during the time of my people? I'm so sorry.

[magicinkjasp]

The Spirit Bares it's Teeeth- Book Review (Part 1)

The bolded leaders indicate the CAWPILE method. (characters, atmosphere, writing style, plot, intrigue, logic and enjoyment)

Before I write my book review on "The Spirit Bares its Teeth", I would like to echo the author's sentiment. This book is hard, it contains SA, body harm, graphic violence, ableism, pregnancy and other such topics. It touches open nerves. It will hurt, especially those who have scar tissue built. There is no obligation to read it, and those who don’t, I too applaud you. There is more bravery in walking away that words can ever express. The Spirit Bares it Teeth follows Silas in 1800 Victorian England. In this world building there are people with violet eyes who can manipulate the veil between the living and the dead. These people are called speakers and they have their own little government.

(C)The characters in the book are written with care, each of their voices and characteristics are unique. When it comes to the main character, Silas, there is no doubt on his motives and what drives him to do what he does. The secondary characters of Louise, Charlotte, Isabella, Daphne, and George were a whirlwind to watch. They were each equally memorable, with their placement in the story and their actions that lead to certain events. Even the characters we never met first hand were memorable, in the way the other characters describe them. The cunningness and their depictions drove the story forward and into the heart. They each helped turn the story into the beauty it is. Between them, I did not particularly see growth, but more so a crumpled piece of paper turned flat. As the whole story progressed we were able to see them for who and what they truly were. It is something I deeply appreciate in this novel.

(A)The book was highly immersive, I could clearly picture everything that was being described. It was gross when it came to the medical gore. In some scenes I did notice the use of less description, and this too was amazing since it allows the audience to imagine what they view as more grotesque. The scenes were palatable, and convincing in the twist and turns of organs. The time period relevant language also did an amazing job portraying the atmosphere of the time. When it came to the multiple conversations of gender, it was also convincing. As a trans individual, the way Silas described their feelings made total sense, it mirrored how I felt in my own body and gender. The book made me angry, and I hope that was the point, since it is noted that Andrew Joseph White, writes out of anger. The injustices queer people, neurodivergent people and anyone else ‘othered’ by society can be reflected in our modern society. It points to what is still wrong and what people everywhere are trying to solve, what they die fighting for.

(W)When it came to the writing style, I enjoyed it. It was not difficult to follow and all the medical analogies and jargon were easy to pick up. With that it added a whole other dimension to the book. The addition of the rabbit in the book was an interesting concept, but perfectly describes the way people try to stay alive, even if it is not the best. It was another part of the writing that added dimension. In about the first half I noticed more narration than actual dialogue. It was not a truly bad thing, I liked being in and out of Silas’ mind. As the action picks up, there is more dialogue. The quirks in the writing made it all the more engaging and interesting to read. With the type of writing style A.J White had, I will be sure to pick up more books of his.

(P)The plot was both direct and indirect. The pacing was a rather even one, it felt slightly slow at the start but it really wasn’t it, it was leaving everything to build up. Once the pieces of the puzzle started to click, it seemed obvious as to where the plot was going, but at times I would stop and question if it really was heading that way. For me, that made it all the more engaging, to see which way it truly went. It allowed me to cheer for the characters and lament their losses. The plot itself was not the most complicated one I have seen, but a good middle, it has threads to tie up rather than just a string. With the ending of the book, there were pieces left behind, but it gave the characters life beyond the pages. It is also something I enjoy, when characters live past the book, when a life can be envisioned for them.

[madonnamadeofasphalt]

*walks up to you with no warning or introduction and immediately starts talking*

At its most basic, just like science fiction is about our fears and hopes about the future, fantasy is about the weight of history and tradition, you know. And it’s not just the standard pseudo-Medieval fantasy with kings and knights, either. In fact, it’s most obvious in urban fantasy, science fantasy, dieselpunk and steampunk, all of that kinda shit. There’s always a society blindly plunging forward into the future and not noticing the ancient conflicts that are at play, the ancient ideas and magics that are determining its actions.

There are monsters in the woods, and they don’t like how little woods they are left with these days. Maybe they’re coming out of the woods now, to haunt the civilized. Maybe they’re plotting civilization’s demise. And civilization itself is full of its own haunts, its own everlasting forces, that the civilized are only half-aware of. Aren’t Adam Smith, Giovanni Gentile, Karl Marx, Mikhail Bakunin or Edmund Burke more powerful still that any parliament, dictator or corporate board on the planet? Do we not live in a world that was shaped by the decisions of kings and emperors whose crowns gather dust in museums, by the nations whose very languages turned into riddles for the archeologists? Are our borders not a legacy of blood?

Modern fantasy settings speak to all that through symbols that make it all the more literal. The dragon used to sit on a golden hoard in its cave, but now it has taken a human form and it’s running an international corporation. There are vampires hiding in plain sight, literal living corpses of your ancestors, influencing the world from the shadows and feasting on the blood of their descendants. We have taken old magics and old wisdom, and we’ve put it behind glass, and we charge cash for the privilege of looking at the sacred mysteries, but that didn’t make them lose their power. Wizards and faeries, spirits and demons, those who know that which has been forgotten, see through the veil of progress, aware that it’s only the newest version of what was before. Some say that there is no past and no future, that there is only the present. They are fools. The past is, in fact, the most real of the three, for the other two are only becoming while the past is already here, you’re always surrounded by it, you cannot run from it because there is nowhere else to run to.

So anyway, I’ve been kinda into World of Darkness lately, are you interested in playing?

[ink-of-a-thousand-currents]

Mmm I definitely have Thoughts on site lore and Ancient lore. And I mean, for the most part I (as well as many people) use site lore more as Inspiration/Building Blocks for further lore building.

I've been meaning to get around to writing lore for my Clan and in general, so. I guess I'll just make some notes on the current Ancient Lore and what I think and where I'd go.

Deciding to put this under a read more since it's a lot more than I meant to write lmao

Gaolers - Part of this being because they were the first, and therefore had the most hype around their introduction, but so far lorewise Gaolers still have probably the most impactful story. Them being forgotten by modern society makes sense; withdrawn, a small population of creatures that never evolved into their softer modern counterparts. Which is another thing that makes Gaolers stand out; they're the only Ancient with an explicit connection as being ancestors of one of the Modern breeds. The whole This Thing Is You But Older, More Primal And Dangerous is just. Soooo good. Gaolers as a design have grown on me recently, so it definitely generates some ideas.

Banescales - BANESCALE LORE. BANESCALE LORE. My favorite of the bunch, but this is partially that I am someone who loooves music. The idea of Banescales having been a musical society, and now all that remains is the song that was left to their children as they protected their eggs... god it's just so beautiful to me. Plus the parallel to how Coatls ended up having a notably musical language... The idea of the Flamecaller mourning her first children and passing on their gift. The Coatls and Banes bonding over this similarity. I love them, I need more Banes.

Veilspuns - I'll be honest. I don't remember anything about the Veilspun lore. Legitimately. I love Veil's designs but their lore just Did Not Stick. I'll have to go reread it and probably rebuild it somehow lmaooo

Aberrations - Okay, I also kinda forgot this one, but they literally crawled out of the Wyrmwound, right?? Like, sort of had a "cast away by their god" type of thing? Failed experiment energy? Idk if that was actually what happened, but it's the take I'm going with.

Undertides - They felt betrayed by their god so turned their back on him, and then reintroduced themselves to modern society upon the Surge in the Elements. Cool! Interesting! I think this could be very cool to explore, especially with the modern members of Water Flight who have effectively been abandoned by Tidelord (as far as we know. Dad come back.) Also, strong ties with a specific sect of Maren! Neat! Not as potent of lore to me, maybe, but it's interesting and has potential. Execution was ehhg but I can work with the concepts.

Aethers - I love their lore yes its stupid yes its goofy and I adore them for it. If I go through with my lore crafting I'll keep all this because the other Ancients having cool and fucked up lore next to these dumbass sparkly floofs is hilarious to me.

Sandsurges - Okay I DID. Think the "pay" bit in the story was funny. But I do think a "cooler" take could have been done, with Sandsurges having a better reason to have been unknown to modern dragons aside from "They were underground all along" whsgsgs. I think you can combine the best of both world by saying they return upon seeing the exploitation of modern Lightning society, and the building of something Big and Dangerous, with allusions to this having been done in the past and having had consequences to Ancient Sandsurge society... AKA, they're here to teach the young'uns about unions.

Auraboas - Okay, so. The issues have been brought up several times, and most of us are aware at this point. I can see the angle they were going for, for a sci-fi-esque hivemind tyoe of situation. I also don't necessarily disagree with the decision to make it Nature. While Arcane might make more sense for sci-fi themeing, I think choosing a different Flight makes it a little less on the nose. In any case, I think the concepts are there, but were executed very poorly and with a decent dose of "ignorance and tone-deafness." I think the story specifically should have treated the elder Auraboas with more compassion for their fears for their children and difficulty in communicating with modern dragons. Way less infantilization, and more "person struggling with a language they barely know, reaching out to someone they never would have otherwise out of desperation." (By this I mean I think they could have written the difficulty in communicating far better than they did). The Loop is interesting as well, though very hard to grasp as a concept. This is partially on purpose, and partially because I kind if think staff purposefully left some things vague because they didn't actually want to try and figure out how the concept would work, lol (which I can't entirely blame them for, especially since with Site Lore sometimes less is more, allowing for multiple interpretations by users).

Another note: in both the recent Lightning and Nature ancient stories, they're both stated and/or heavily implied to have already been known about by certain dragons In The Know, so to speak. I have some mixed thoughts on either, and might incorporate them differently. Sandsurges as sort of secret workers was a little funny and backed up the Weird Shady Company Execs thing, but it could be interesting to make it a sort of, deliberately covered up because We Can't Have Them Teaching The New Hires How To Unionize!

As for Auraboas... Not really sure. I can see them being a culture that has been largely self-reliant for their existance, hence the lack of contact with modern dragons. But, given their connection to the Behemoth (and maybe a connection that could be elaborated on), maybe they've appeared or collaborated with moderns in the past over threats to the Behemoth. So, mutual knowledge, but no sustained contact since it was A) difficult and B) outside of curiosity, most on both sides saw little reason to establish further contact. A sort of living alongside one another but never really talking, like neighbors you see sometimes but don't talk to. It's only the disruption of the Loop in the younger generation that both kickstarts a greater Need to connect, but also a bridge for easier communication.

[topazadine]

I wanted to put to paper (or text technically) some of my feelings about Palestine.

My thoughts are, of course, not really important in the grand scheme of things. I am a white American who has never been to Palestine and likely never will go. However, I am a human.

It is truly horrific to see so many people utterly destroyed through no fault of their own. Just because someone else wants the oil buried on their land. Just because someone has decided that they don't deserve to exist.

It's been incredibly hard to sleep lately. When I close my eyes, I think of all the atrocities I have seen during the day through the comfort of my laptop screen: children blown apart, men trying desperately to dig their loved ones from the rubble. Women holding their shrouded babies for one last time. Journalists breaking down on TV because they feel like the world has abandoned them - because it has. A man going mad with grief for losing his beloved mother, something that hit me horrendously hard because of my own unquenchable love for my mom.

Many people have said that they can't imagine what the Palestinians are going through, and I agree. My own emotional dictionary isn't anywhere near comprehensive enough to understand how they are feeling; I can fathom only shadows of the immense, constant tragedy they are facing. Insatiable hunger; endless thirst; the trudging trauma they don't have time to process because a new horror is bearing down on them only seconds later. Life narrowed down to simple survival, aware that there is no escape.

What I can understand, however - in my own shrunken, incomplete way - is the rage. Why wouldn't they be angry? Few people have had such a right to fury as the Palestinians. They are viciously dehumanized, treated as worthless on their homeland, told they have no right to the place that their father, and their father's father, and their father's father's father and many generations more, has lived in peace and plenty. Their crops burnt. Their homes bombed. Their families slaughtered in an instant with weapons that never should have been invented, much less used on a helpless, entrapped community.

The only thing that brings me comfort now, the only way I can't turn away, is that the world is waking up.

I don't speak of it much because I don't want to be seen as proselytizing, but I'm a Nichiren Buddhist. The Daishonen taught that in the Latter Day of the Law, when the word of Buddha has lost its power to propagate enlightenment, the people will begin to rise up as one and lead the world to a better age: a collective awakening.

No matter your spiritual beliefs or lack thereof, I think we can agree that we are experiencing a mass opening of the eyes. We are removing the iron veil that has made us believe that we are powerless and disconnected, that we are all separate communities with no obligation to one another - or that we must dominate anyone unlike ourselves.

That's not true. We are all connected. The longing for freedom is the most human of emotions: the desire for safety, for comfort, for respect. A Palestinian has a different worldview than me, a different language and upbringing, but deep down, we need and want the same things. We need food, water, clean air, sleep. We want to learn, to express ourselves, to find love and belonging.

For too long, we have believed ourselves separate communities and thus inoculated ourselves against feeling the struggles of others. That is being blasted open by watching others be destroyed in ways we cannot imagine. It should never have come to that, and the fact that we are only learning this through massive bloodshed is a failure on the part of every society. This collective awakening is coming at too high a cost: the loss of one life is too many. Palestinians should not be our zeitgeist; they are not lessons or allegories. They are living, breathing people going through monstrosities beyond comparison in the modern world.

But the only way we can fight for them is by recognizing that their freedom is our freedom. None of us are safe in a world that dehumanizes anyone. We are one people, one race. We are all connected by a billion threads that can never be cut, can never be untangled. Their destruction is ultimately the destruction of all of us.

Each person is a whole world unto themselves. We are watching thousands of universes being destroyed for no reason but maniacal greed and racism. And it is disgusting. And we all have an obligation to stop it by any means necessary.

Many people seem to believe that compassion and empathy make you weak, but they are wrong. Compassion is one of the strongest forces in the world. Empathy is an unbelievable treasure that must be protected and wielded as a shield against despair. The deep tears you cry for a stranger are the lubricant that turns the gears of history toward a better world. Your vicarious rage is your weapon which, when used correctly, can work miracles. Your prayers are not meaningless words but magic that bends the universe toward justice and peace.

Our solidarity is a beautiful terror tearing down the institutions that oppress us until they crumble to dust.

So we must cry. We must rage. We must continue screaming until our voices are heard. And we must bear witness to this. We must never look away until the last bomb is dismantled and we are all free.

Solidarity forever. From Cleveland to Palestine with love, every day.

[sarahsshelf]

Monthly reading update for February

I meant for this to be another bimonthly one, but I forgot to update it a couple weeks ago, and by the time I remembered it was almost the end of the month anyway. At the time, I was thinking "it's a short month, I've not been reading much, it'll be fine" but it turns out I actually did read a lot. So it's gonna be a long one today:

Arkady Martine - A Memory Called Empire

Spent most of this time thinking that it was just a political intrigue type book disguised as science fiction (not necessarily a bad thing, I love scheming!). The sci-fi elements are a bit more important than that, upon reflection (e.g. the imago machines play a pretty significant role), but the scheming is the real reason to read it. If you like the early chapters of Dune better than the revolution part, you probably don't need me to tell you that you need to read this. I'm definitely going to be getting the sequel next time I'm at a bookstore.

Amelia Earhart - 20 Hrs., 40 Min.

Earhart's been a longtime hero of mine, albeit one I don't think about much these days. I found this one in a box of old books I pulled out of the basement to sell to the used bookstore, and that childhood love led me to hold onto it. Sadly there's not really much of interest in there; the autobiographical part doesn't cover any ground I'd not heard before, and the supposed central event of the book (crossing the Atlantic) is handled over the course of about 5-10 pages. If you want to hear about weather keeping her trapped in Newfoundland for weeks, then maybe give it a shot? But I'd not recommend it.

Cecilia Gentili - Faltas

This one was absolutely incredible; really loved Gentili's narrative voice. It's about growing up trans, growing up abused, growing up poor, but despite all that it feels almost triumphant. Probably that's because it's written in the form of letters to people who didn't leave the town, whereas she got out and made something of herself. Not really able to talk about what I loved about it, but I'll definitely be recommending it.

Forman Brown - Better Angel

It's gay fiction (thinly veiled autobiography) from the 1930s, what more need I say? He reads too much, gets a superiority complex about his intelligence, and ends up unfit for heterosexual society. Basically, he's just like me. He seems to have a very dim view of 20th century gay society though; perhaps the result of discovering homosexuality through reading ancient Greek literature? But what would you really expect from a socially respectable gay guy from 90 years ago?

Junichiro Tanizaki - Quicksand

Immediately after reading The Makioka Sisters for the first time, I was ready to proclaim Tanizaki as one of my favorite authors ever. Every book I've read of his since then has slowly been changing my mind on that. Superficially, The Makioka Sisters seems like it sticks out in his discography (it's almost like Jane Austen, whereas his other work seems to be different ways sex can ruin your life), but it doesn't really? It's all just different ways of saying that he thinks modernity is killing Japan; in this one, Tanizaki's modernity of choice is bisexuality. It's kinda fun reading about the evil lesbian for a bit, but it all just comes to a sudden stop, as if he got bored with it and just threw one last chapter in to provide an ending.

Min Jin Lee - Pachinko

I am such a sucker for these multigenerational family sagas. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Homegoing, Pachinko: I'll read them all, just keep them coming. I'd not known anything before about the Korean community in Japan, and now I do (or at least I think I do), so that's pretty cool as well. Noa is, sadly, another "he is so me" type character; always reading, a bit snobby, dead-set on being One Of The Good Ones.

Qiu Miaojin - Last Words from Montmartre

I'd read Notes of a Crocodile a while back and never really knew what to make of it. There was a bit of a narrative there, but not really? And you never got a sense of anyone. Anyway, Last Words from Montmartre is like that too, but a bit more understandable as the narrator is trapped in a spiral of isolation that it's too late to get out of. Knowing Miaojin's fate, it's hard not to think that the distance between author and narrator was extremely thin, if not non-existent. I started feeling really bad about my own life while reading this, and I think that it was probably a contributing factor, because I started to feel better as soon as I finished reading.

Luke Dani Blue - Pretend It's My Body

It's a trans short story collection, but none of the stories really do much for me. Maybe the one about the "con" who's planning to upload her consciousness to the Internet? Maybe it's just a small sample size, but nearly all of the trans short fiction I've read hasn't really done anything for me in the past (Casey Plett's work being the main exception). I'm not sure why that would be the case though, because basically every trans novel ends up impressing me? I guess it's possible I don't like short fiction as much as I think I do. If y'all have any other trans short story recommendations, I would love to hear them though!

[beardedmrbean]

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/16/archives/trusting-khomeini.html

Another legacy media article aged like fine dairy.

It's NYT, how far off were they on heavier than air powered flight again?

I gotta look

You should see where they hide corrections, when they have to do them or get sued.

Gonna do the whole article text because there's a paywall so this way the curious don't have to worry about that. _______________________________________

PRINCETON, N.J. — Part of the confusion in America about Iran's social revolution involves Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. More even than any third‐world leader, he has been depicted in a manner calculated to frighten.

President Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski have until very recently associated him with religious fanaticism. The news media have defamed him in many ways, associating him with efforts to turn the clock back 1,300 years, with virulent anti‐Semitism, and with a new political disorder, “theocratic fascism,” about to be set loose on the world. About the best he has fared has been to be called (by Newsweek) “Iran's Mystery Man.”

The historical record of revolutionary zeal's degenerating into excess is such as to temper enthusiasm about Iran's future. Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs, including the character and role of Ayatollah Khomeini.

An early test of his prospects is being posed by the outbreaks of violence in Teheran and elsewhere in the country. Some chaos at this stage of the revolutionary conflict was virtually inevitable, given the cleavages and climate of intensity in Iran. It is uncertain that Ayatollah Khomeini can control the extreme left or even those segments of his own followers who bear arms. What happens in the next few days is likely to determine both whether the movement's largely nonviolent record will be spoiled further and whether a new political order can be successfully brought into existence.

In recent months, before his triumphant return to Teheran, the Ayatollah gave numerous reassurances to nonMoslem communities in Iran. He told Jewish‐community leaders that it would be a tragedy if many of the 80,000 Jews left the country. Of course, this view is qualified by his hostility to Israel because of its support of the Shah and its failure to resolve the Palestinian question.

He has also indicated that the nonreligious left will be free to express its views in an Islamic republic and to participate in political life, provided only that it does not “commit treason against the country” by establishing foreign connections — a lightly‐veiled reference to anxiety about Soviet interference. What the left does in coming days will likely indicate whether it will be seen as treasonous.

To suppose that Ayatollah Khomeini is dissembling seems almost beyond belief. His political style is to express his real views defiantly and without apology, regardless of consequences. He has little incentive suddenly to become devious for the sake of American public opinion. Thus, the depiction of him as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems cer tainly and happily false. What is also encouraging is that his entourage of close advisers is uniformly composed of moderate, progressive individuals. For another thing, the key appointees to the provisional Government include Mehdi Bazargan, the Prime Minister, Karim Sanjabi, leader of the National Front political federation, and Daryoush Farouhar, deputy leader of the National Front; they are widely respected in Iran butside religious circles, share a notable record of concern for human rights and seem eager to achieve economic development that results in a modern society oriented on satisfying the whole population's basic needs.

In the political background, of course; is a strong, active sense of deference to the views and judgment of Ayatollah Khomeini. This is not a matter of coercion, or even agreement, but of the special character of the movement. It is inconceivable, for instance, for someone as devout as Mr. Bazargan to govern without manifesting, naturally and without any compulsion, acute sensitivity to the values of Shiite Islam. including responsiveness to Ayatollah Khomeini's views. Yet, as every religious leader is quick to underscore, the Shiite tradition is flexible in its approach to the Koran and evolves interpretations that correspond to the changing needs and experience of the people. What is distinctive, perhaps, about this religious orientation is its concern with resisting oppression and promoting social justice.

As if to contrast its vision with that of the Shah's rule, Ayatollah Khomeini said recently, in France, that in any well‐governed society “the ruler does not live very differently from the ordinary person.” For him, to be religious Is to struggle for these political goals, yet the religious leader's role is to inspire politics, not to govern. Hence, it is widely expected that he will soon go to the holy city of Qum, at a remove from the daily exercise of power. There he will function as a guide or, if necessary, as a critic of the republic.

In looking to the future, Ayatollah Khomeini has spoken of his hopes to show the world what a genuine Islamic government can do on behalf of its people. He has made clear frequently that he scorns what he considers to be the so‐called Islamic Governments in Saudi Arabia, Libya and Pakistan.## Despite the turbulence, many nonreligious Iranians talk of this period as “Islam's finest hour.” Having created a new model of popular revolution based, for the most part, on nonviolent tactics, Iran may yet provide us with a desperately‐needed model of humane governance for a third‐world country. If this is true, then indeed the exotic Ayatollah may yet convince the world that “politics is the opiate of the people.” __________________-

Couple lines that stand out

His political style is to express his real views defiantly and without apology, regardless of consequences. He has little incentive suddenly to become devious for the sake of American public opinion. Thus, the depiction of him as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems cer tainly and happily false.

I'd say they'd learned their lesson and that's why they were so hard on Trump for having a similar style, but they never learn their lesson.

Ayatollah Khomeini said recently, in France, that in any well‐governed society “the ruler does not live very differently from the ordinary person.”

This is your mausoleum

Your dead carcas is there, granted yes your home was more humble, but it still beat the hell out of most everyone else there, kinda fun knowing protesters firebombed it recently even if I'm not a fan of that kind of thing.

In looking to the future, Ayatollah Khomeini has spoken of his hopes to show the world what a genuine Islamic government can do on behalf of its people.

You wanted to know that you should have talked to some of the older folks in the Balkans or even just cracked open the old books of records that the Ottoman Empire kept, maybe check the section where they kidnapped Christian children, forced them to convert to Islam, then used them to form the standing army of their empire. ___________-

Times keeps up with their swing and a miss style of journalism.

Shocking