#persecution tw

[auschizm]

Hi, I have a rent/question. I am schizautistic and I struggle mostly with delusions of persecution from other people. And in order to live my life in the best way possible for everyone, I have now spent years refusing to act on my feelings of being attacked by the people I I interact with. As a catholic person I believe that everybody deserves to be treated the best way I can, and I'm stubborn enough to live by that rule. Except it leaves me vulnerable for people who would actually hurt me as I can't tell the difference between true toxic people and the bullshit my brain is feeding me. Also, my low empathy makes that I couldn't care less if I hurt people's feelings.

So globally, life is so fucking exhausting because I have to make monumental efforts to be a decent (I won't say good) person. Any thoughts on how I could handle that differently ?

I think you're doing the right thing already, and what's worth noting is that even if some people have bad intentions, this should not change your dedication to not harming people. If people treat you badly, the most constructive response is boundaries and distance - not revenge.

[scvcnmore]

Was that [ALBA BAPTISTA]? Oh no no, that was just [RACHEL SUMMERS], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [MARVEL/X-MEN]. They are [TWENTY-THREE] years old, use [SHE/THEY], and [ARE NOT] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

Rachel Anne Summers is the daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey from Earth-811. She was conceived while her mother was possessed by the Phoenix Force, and due to this the force itself considers Rachel to be almost like its own child. It's perfect vessel

A lot of things went very not-right in her universe, very fast. The assassination of Senator Kelly actually came to fruition, which led to a lot of anti-mutant sentiment. Her mother died in a nuclear explosion. Her father died at the hands of a Sentinel. The school was attacked and razed by federal troops, leaving her the only survivor. She was found by Professor Xavier's body and taken to the lab of the sadistic Ahab, who then tortured and brainwashed her into becoming a 'Hound' used to track other mutants....and this was just her childhood

She eventually broke the brainwashing, and was deemed useless and sent to one of the mutant encampments. This is where she meets Kitty Pryde and they go through the attempt of changing their past to save the future with time-travel, but Kitty wound up in the 'present' of Earth-616 instead. Later on, Kitty would send Rachel back in time instead to spare her as their camp (and earth) was being destroyed, but she too would end up in present day 616 instead

Many adventures, mostly misadventures really, ensued. The reactions of this earth's Scott and Jean were not initially the best or good at all really but over time they've come to resemble a family, along with her brother Nate (Cable - whom she at one point raised in the future, before being simultaneously sent to the beginning of time and end of time...fun times)

She's worked with many iterations of X-teams, including X-men, eXcalibur, X-factor, the Marauders. She's recently gotten herself sent to Otherworld to help her pal Betsy Braddock, and now she's here. Back to teaching Psychic Defense 101 and constantly having to warn other telepaths they really don't want to try and pry when in her mind. It never ends well for them

Rachel fell victim to the kill-or-be-killed event, having foregone killing her own target. As such, she is currently unaware of her actual life, and currently believes herself to be the daughter of an equally unaware Logan Howlett, and sister to an unaware Rose Winters

She still lives 'at home' with her dad, and is very much a daddy's girl even though she'll never admit it. As far as she's concerned, he's been more than enough of a parent on his own, and there's never really been any reason to question to why her mom's never been in the picture. Rachel figures one exists, of course, if only because that's probably where the ginger genes came from

Rachel is several years older than her sister, but no one would be blamed for assuming it was the other way around. If hard-pressed, she'll just say her brain is far too busy trying to keep her powers in check to also be expected to produce more than a single braincell at a time (though this aspect of her personality is definitely not a result of the lack of memories lol)

She currently has a a full-time job with one of the local security firms (her job as a professor forgotten) and is more than chill with having her time split between it, her family, and her very strange looking dog, Amazing Baby

Once her memories return, Rachel will recall everything up until just before the events of the new X-Force run

Upon her arrival in D.C. she is still learning and acclimating to the powers that come along with having reached her prophesied point as Askani

She does still have the Shi'ar tracking mark on her back and her hound marks on her face, though the latter are usually telepathically hidden

Her wiki: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Rachel_Summers_(Earth-811)

@ivehurtpeople, @mcrcki

[greensaplinggrace]

“but the otkazat’sya are suffering too!” girl the otkazat’sya have one thousand safe havens to choose from. because it is their entire country and they are the privileged majority. they never have to fear that they are alone or isolated or vulnerable in a land that caters directly to them. do you understand. the grisha have one safe haven in a land that fucking hates them and seeks to strip away their basic human rights at every second. they are not the same.

Wdyt about Israel Palestine

i think that anybody trying to bring a real life attempt at fucking genocide into petty fandom bullshit maybe needs to take a step back a little. what the fuck is wrong with you people.

i think that i don't know nearly enough about the situation to make a statement about anything, but it's pretty damn obvious that israel is making an attempt at wiping out palestine. next person to bring this subject into my ask box as fandom discourse is getting blocked by the way. there are people fucking dying out there right now.

i also think that it's fucking ridiculous to take a statement out of context and try to spin it in some accusatory direction, considering the context is that the otkazat'sya hold irrevocable power within this fictional universe and seek to cull the grisha despite their safe haven. which is genocide. last I checked genocide is bad. it really shouldn't have to be stated that this is fucking fiction versus reality, though. literally what the fuck.

[carina-smythbarbossa]

For Carina @flyaboveitall

Although it was a very big adjustment to make, Carina was a survivor above all. She had survived on her own with nothing but a diary and an image of her father she had created to give her a purpose. A purpose that eventually led to him. She had been persecuted for being resourceful, intelligent, and independent. As she sits in this coffee shop mindlessly stirring her drink, she looks to another nearby. "Pardon me, I was wondering what a modern-day woman can do here that would get her accused of witchcraft in ... well, older times. I want to make a list and do each item. Admittedly, out of pure defiance."

[sins-of-the-sea]

The Master's Sermons: ‘Sin’

"Gather round, my children. And let me tell you something interesting about sin and transgression....

"Who is humanity to tell what is right and wrong? Once upon a time, your ancestors had no qualms with breaking open the skulls of rivals in order to feed or multiply. There are beasts who would drown others for the sheer fun of it, or even use their corpses to act upon them what you would imprison your fellow men over. Why is it okay for the dog to rip apart another dog by the throat to protect their territory but not the man?

"'We are not dogs! We are civilized!' says humanity. And you are not wrong. Civilizations evolve over time due to changing values. But who are you all to say your progress is in the right? Once upon a time, different people in what is now known as the Americas allowed people to live as other genders, until the colonizers came and suddenly it is evil and wrong, then have the audacity to prohibit drink but introduce alcohol to these people anyway. Nations say women can dress one way, then the opposite the next, then a different opposite the next. There is never any consistency. And to say 'dress however you want' or 'believe however you want' has its own consequences. You tell people to live however you like until they say something you don't like.... and it would not take long until the pitchforks and torches are raised.

"Humanity is not far from the beasts as they think they are. Their ability to reason and be aware are all only because their brains have more neurons to fire at certain times. You are not special for having opposable thumbs, being able to use tools, or deciding that eating meat is cruel. You wear clothes for the base reasons of either keeping warm, attracting mates, or prancing around on principle. You develop weapons for the purpose to harm and kill. Even things like technology are developed for a very basic reason: to make your lives easier. Are your vessels truly any different from the wings of birds or fins of fish? Are your letters and communication devices any different from the dances of bees or the howls of wolves? So often you all deny you are better than your base natures--your hungers, your thirsts, your arousals. And you would dare to make sins out of them.

"So it is no wonder there is so much suffering among you all, especially as it is amplified through the actions of humanity. You see something you don't understand, you vilify it right away. If something terrible happens, you find someone to blame, be it plagues or famine. It makes you feel good, doesn't it? To feel superior over someone to ride this notion of Virtue over others? Does it feel good to call upon your friends over someone who writes poetry over a beautiful woman? Do you feel justified in having someone lose their livelihood because they chose to raise a child? Do not lie. Do not be dishonest with yourself. You may be human, but you also have your base natures to yourselves. Even with all your posturing on how righteous you are for condemning the sinner, all you do is lie to yourselves on your arbitrary virtue.

"And do not think once you are humble, simple, and kind. That is all a façade, a lie you tell yourselves because of this 'virtue' you supposedly hold. The fact you do not brag or have made grandiose acts of goodness does not make you any better than the criminal and the thug. To say you never lie, cheat, or steal means you are lying to yourselves as well.

"Sin and transgression should not be condemned, it should be praised--for it is your base natures unfiltered, unadulterated by humanity's flimsy definitions of goodness and virtue. Strength and power were always what determines survival in the wild, and it is through the exploits of virtue that allows the wealthy and the elite to rise above you. Why should you play by the rules they laid our, or the ones they abide by? Why continue to let the taxpayer take all your hard-earned money for a king that starves and scourges you? Why let the man whom you loved and trusted live after he condemns you for being honest with yourself? Let not the lies of the Holy Books of the world lead you into self-imposed misery in the name of virtue. Declare that there is no God. Declare that there is no Heaven. And even if they exist…. Are they places you want to go to or people you want to rub shoulders with? To be with kings who defined prosperity by how many backs he broke to overfeed his personal court? To be with the heroes who made entire civilizations extinct?

“The notions of goodness are lies. Lies. They are declarations of beliefs that only serve to extort and exploit. ‘Love’ is just a rush of euphoria a mother has for ensuring her progeny survives, or a mate experiences when finding the right set of genes to make sure his blood lives on. Poets and philosophers–foolish men who have declared plucked chickens as no different from humanity–have made the notions of love, brotherhood, and family more than what they truly are. And due note that it is because of ‘love’ that Christians try to exterminate Jews because of their love for Christ, or fathers banish their daughters when they declare them their sons. Love, in fact, is why I have the Seven with me instead of in the grave. Love is, after all, the reason a child is stuck in a cellar for ten years, or left behind alone in a city. Love is abandonment. Love is exile. Love is scourge on your back, either by man or by God. Tell me I am wrong, and I will show you evidence in the millions I am right.

“I am a speaker of truth eons old, denied by souls who are terrified of the very idea of being wrong their whole lives. By accepting me, I empower. I strengthen. I am a benefactor. I am release. I give reason to not fear Hell, the dark, the depths of one’s sin. And through me, those who bind themselves to me will become greater than what humanity claims to be. And by embracing Sin, one can become greater than their base nature by empowering it instead of denying it. And through me, humanity’s supposed virtues will wash off like foamy droplets of the sea.”

[aleksanderscult]

Leigh Bardugo should become universally criticized just for the fact that she presented a victim of persecution and his actions as worse and more important to deal with than the genocide that takes place in that world.

She really said: "It's not the genocide we should worry about. It's that man and his efforts to stop it".

And people applaud her for it instead. Wow. You're all seriously fucked up.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Residential school deniers tried to dig up suspected unmarked grave sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, not believing a May 2021 announcement from the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc that as many as 215 Indigenous children had been buried there, according to a new report. "Denialists entered the site without permission. Some came in the middle of the night, carrying shovels; they said they wanted to 'see for themselves' if children are buried there," said a Friday report from Kimberly Murray, the independent special interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves and burial sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. She did not say who the denialists were or when they came to the site. But the unauthorized visits to the site are the work of a "core group" of Canadians who continue to deny, defend or minimize the physical, sexual, psychological and emotional abuse inflicted on Indigenous children in the Indian Residential School System "despite the indisputable evidence of survivors and their families," Murray said at a Friday news conference. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[cabinetofotherthings]

i have a historiographical quibble with how the antisemitic campaigns in the soviet union in 1948–1953 are often framed as an extension of the holocaust in the scholarship rather than being fully considered within the context of the soviet nationalities policy. except when i'm applying for funding from institutions that do holocaust studies. then i'm fine with it

[thisgingerhasnosoul]

Sooooo I’ve been doing this thing lately that’s super dumb and traumatizing where I go to websites like the Holocaust Encyclopedia or the Holocaust Memorial Museum and read about the details of the Shoah. And like, I know I should stop because it’s awful and triggering and usually makes me even more anxious, but it’s also been a big help in validating my feelings and fears and ignore all the gaslighting so I don’t feel so crazy and paranoid, and I don’t really know what to do anymore 🙃

[thescrappyraccoon]

CW: specific mentions of Christian religious abuse (the rapture, etc.), hell, death and panic attacks

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When I was a kid, I grew up in a really harsh Christian religious home. My hellfire & brimstone preacher- grandfather pastored the church we attended, and I learned early on that the God of the Bible was vengeful, angry, and just waiting to punish us for our sins. The church was in the Pentecostal vein, so I was also taught that if I died without repenting of those sins, I would go to hell. That became one of my obsession-compulsion loops; I was constantly confessing of anything and everything, just in case I had sinned in a way I didn’t clock.

The summer before 3rd grade my grandfather found some movies and decided the church would host summer movie nights for families. I was required to attend, of course; “I’d the church door is open, we’re going to be there” my parents often said.

The movies my grandfather found were low budget Christian films (of course 🙄) about “The End Times”, AKA the years building up to the return of Christ when he would rapture all believers and take them to Heaven before brutally and horrifically punishing the sinners that remained through something called The Tribulation (the time frame when the Antichrist would assume worldwide power) before sending them all to hell.

Keep in mind, I was EIGHT YEARS OLD. I know I was made to watch all of them, but I only remember one called A Thief in the Night. I vaguely remember the sequences prior to the rapture happening, but bc I VIVIDLY remember what followed: Christians ego hadnt repented before the rapture and were “left behind” were arrested and executed by guillotine; others were trying hide in the woods but were being hunted down before execution. I’m certain that I dissociated through much of those movies. As a little one, they were absolutely terrifying to me, and immediately started having nightmares that lasted well into my 30s.

That fall when school started, I was allowed to walk home for the first time. On one particular sunny Tuesday afternoon, I walked home as usual. Our car was in the driveway, but when I went to open the door, it was locked. I want the doorbell thinking maybe my mom was in her bedroom and forgot to unlock it, but she didn’t come to the door. The back door was locked too, and by the time bc I got back to the driveway, I was having my first panic attack. I was convinced that the rapture had happened, and I had been left behind. I sat on the driveway and leaned against the car, hyperventilating and sobbing.

I’m not sure how long that lasted before I knew had to think of a plan. I decided my best chance of survival was to break the glass on the back door so that I could unlock the door. I would go in, get my toughest clothing and shoes, and fill my backpack with food before running to the woods. I knew there were 100s of acres where my friend lived a few miles away. I knew I wouldn’t make it out alive; I had been left behind, and the only way to get to heaven was to die a martyr. But at least I could try to survive for awhile first.

Soon after, my mother arrived home. On Tuesdays my grandmother and mother went to a nursing home in a neighboring town to conduct church services. They had been kept late for some reason, and while they were normally home long before me, today they had been running late. They could tell I had been crying, and scolded me for being too sensitive.

Fast forward to tonight. I’m laying in bed snacking and watching TV while resting from a busy-for-me day. A helicopter or low flying plane flew over my house, loud enough to rattle the window in my room. A few minutes later, I realized I was still calm.

There were YEARS—from the day on the driveway until my late 30s—when that would have sent me spiraling. I lived in constant fear about the rapture, the Antichrist, persecution of Christians, etc. But tonight, I didn’t react. I noticed it bc it was loud, but nothing else. I smiled to myself and thought “Wow. I’m ok.”

Sometimes when we’re in recovery from complex trauma, it can feel like we’re not making progress. Just earlier today I got so triggered by something related to my ex, and then a part of me was so frustrated that it still bothers me. But the truth is, it’s still fresh. My divorce was only finalized **last week.**

These might seem disconnected but truthfully, I NEEDED that place to fly over so I could see at least some forward momentum. If I can get over that, I can get over this. I’m going to be ok. Someday, a similar thing will happen, a thing that triggers me about my ex, and I’ll realize I’m not reactive. I’m ok. That day isn’t today, but it will be. I will be ok.

Image description: a Caucasian woman lies against 2 blue and 1 turquoise pillow. Her hair is purple, almost chin length on the right side and shaved on the left side. She is wearing a gray t-shirt.

[anniflamma]

Alright, now we have Kind Of Kings from Beloved King: A Queer Bible Musical!

This one will probably be my last from this musical. The other three songs, Obedience, All The Broken, and Fallen, are good songs, but I have no idea how to visualize them...

Maybe Obedience... buuut it is my least favorite out of the six songs.

I think that other musicals like "King David" by Alan Menken & Tim Rice or "David" by Sight & Sound Theatre are a bit more interesting. I don't know, if I continue with my hyperfixation on David/Jonathan, then I would probably use the other musicals instead. UNLESS "Beloved King" releases the whole thing!!! One day... One day...

[artcinemas]

seeing how the government deals with sharjahan case and the kunan poshpora case needs to tell you everything you need to know about how the systematic oppression of the trauma of rape victims is turned into a reason to propogate hatred.

[redtail-lol]

I don't understand how some Christians genuinely believe they're oppressed or persecuted for being Christians. Yeah some select people are Weird About Religion but Christians are not widely persecuted at large in western society. They're extremely privileged.

Like yes I can surface-level "rationalize" by saying it's just that the ultra-bigoted Christians aren't legally allowed to refuse service to gay people or treat trans employees like shit anymore, or that actual science that contradicts the Bible gets taught in schools because it's evidence based, and they think this equates persecution because their religion was demoted from unofficially a national truth to something you choose to practice privately that can't be forced on others. But my lack of empathy makes me have to point to every example that Christians still have extreme privilege in the western world that they colonized because the surface level rationalization isn't enough, I genuinely still don't get it.

Christians, the whole world gets breaks on your holidays, something not afforded to other religions unless their major holiday happens to be close to yours. Other religious people have to ask for breaks to observe their holidays. By default you get yours. Christians, schools do events for your holidays before the breaks, singling out yours over the others. Other religious people are sometimes forced to participate in a tradition for your holiday, often the commercialized version of it but sometimes with a religious aspect (for example, my school's choir sang Christian songs for their christmas concert.) Christians, shops close early on Sundays because it's your special day of the week. This only moderately inconveniences others, but still showcases that your religion is catered to. Christians, the people in the political world of the west are by and large Christians, and they often let their Christian beliefs shape their political decisions. LGBTQ people didn't have rights to exist for many, many years, because the Bible said homosexuality was a sin (even if this is a mistranslation, original verse was about gay incest). Women were denied rights based on Biblical gender roles. Churches are found more frequently than any other religious center in the western world, and they're tax exempt.

If you want actual religions that are persecuted, look at Muslims. Visibly Muslim people are shown racism as well as being treated like terrorists for merely being Muslim. People assume they're the most extreme, misogynistic, queerphobic religion because that's all their religion is painted to be (despite the fact their beliefs are very similar to those of Christianity in those regards, and progressive Muslims exist the same way progressive Christians do.) Look at Jewish people. They're the centers of conspiracy theories that do successfully prey on people, the Holocaust happened, and today people are using Palestine as a shield to be actual neo-Nazis. Look at the dozens of erased non-Abrahamic religions that are treated as props like Buddhism by westerners if they're not entirely forgotten.

Being a Christian is a privilege. The worst you'll ever face for being a Christian is some people being weird about religion. That sucks but that's not oppression. And some Christians are just as weird about non- christians all the time. You don't have to make up oppression that doesn't exist because of people being antitheist dipshits that hold no power in the real world, or because you're not allowed to use your beliefs as an excuse for contributing to actual oppression

[anti-ao3]

please i'm begging you to stop joking that you're "delusional" about your favorite media and whatnot. delusions aren't, like, you wanting your OTP to be canon. stop fucking dumbing down real mental health symptoms or so fucking help me!!!!

[shalom-iamcominghome]

It's actually quite wild to me to know that some xians have this idea that jews and muslims are more catered to than they are like...

I'm looking forward to observing jewish holidays and shabbat but I am not looking forward to my employers or my uni potentially not accommodating the holidays (though obviously xian ones will automatically). Not to mention my fear of antisemitism - something that is alive to this day and is just as deadly as ever.

Not to mention that we live in a post-9/11 world where in the U.S. especially, muslims are seen as muslim first (in a derogatory way). Like, you do not have to look far into the minds of some people to find the islamophobic caricature that lives in their mind rent-free.

I don't doubt that some people have uncharitable ideas of xianity, but by no means does that mean jews and muslims are seen as better or are treated better, because that isn't the case (at least as far as the U.S. is concerned).

[eclaire-went-bam]

if i see one more of my friends finish off having a likewarm ahh opinion with "but maybe i'm just delusional idk" i'm going to blow my brains out