#urban Craft uprising

[stefari]

DO YOU LIVE IN SEATTLE?!

Well good news. I have put together a Holiday pop up with some of my pals. And it would mean the world to me personally if you showed up. You don’t even have to buy anything and we will still try and feed you snax

So show up ok?

Here is a look at some of the cool stuff we will have (all tags are IG handles)

[mmmmalo]

Slurquest

This is an exploratory post proposing several approaches for apprehending Homestuck (Alternia in particular) in terms of racism and homophobia. Results vary.

For various reasons, I feel the frameworks are best introduced through analogous microcosms. I have a nascent personal canon of films which are not* referenced in Homestuck, but which nonetheless function as potent paratexts for the apprehension of its narrative constructs. The foremost member is Forbidden Planet, a film involving a machine that draws the violent fantasies of a man's dreams into reality, creating monsters that enact his otherwise repressed anger. SBURB deploys a similar mechanism: the game's boot log concludes with the phrase "launching manifestation systems", and accordingly we later see that imps, ogres, and trolls are all born from psychological fissures in a given player, manifesting from the emergent anxieties of the people they target. Comparing the content of an altercation with the (apparently traumatic) event that preceded it (and therefore induced it) offers a peek into the pathologies of the triggered**/accosted characters. Eg ogres climb up the side of the house immediately after John experiences vertigo, indicating a deep-seated fear of falling.

* afaik

** No, we are not using "triggered" as a pejorative. Not yet at least. And when we do, it won't be the way you think.

Recently my canon gained another entry: John Carpenter's Halloween. It share with Homestuck a love of "misrepresentation", in both its playfully duplicitous and racially fraught senses, as well as a certain preoccupation with paranoia.

Halloween (1978) is about a masked man (Michael), recently escaped from an insane asylum, stalking and killing the suburban teens of his hometown. Michael's former psychologist (Loomis), firmly persuaded that Michael is the very embodiment of Evil, refashions himself as a hunter and lies in wait with a gun at Michael's childhood home. The home, abandoned and left to rot after a young Michael murdered his sister there on a past Hallows' Eve, has come to be regarded by locals as a "spook house"; trick-or-treaters dare eachother to brave its haunted steps. The unseen Loomis seeks to deter these tiny trespassers for their own safety. But the deterrence method Loomis chooses is strange: he puts on a Big Black Guy voice and, feigning ownership of the homestead, tells the kids to get lost. Elsewhere in the film, a bit of set dressing echoes this choice: in the midst of an otherwise pristine suburb of green grass and bleached white houses, we glimpse of a patch of black graffiti on the sidewalk that simply says EVIL. An impression begins to form that the metanarrative rationale for describing Michael as a bogeyman, for insinuating that beneath his white mask is a formless shadow, is that despite Michael's whiteness, he functions as a vehicle for racialized fantasies of invasion. The insane asylum, seen only at night, represents the chaotic city. Michael's presence brings the night to the suburbs, and with it all the urban terrors (black) from which the suburbanites (white) thought themselves insulated. Spooky!

While there might be an edifying function to this deception (I came away from the film with a deep contempt for the fear mongering psychologist, personally), I mostly tend to think of Halloween as a good, mean prank: like Caliborn disguising his king as a queen and relishing Calliope's outsized responses to its impotent threats, Carpenter crafts a black killer ensconsed in white and proceeds to giggle at the viewership's unwitting investment in a racist narrative for which Carpenter himself holds no sympathy -- or so I imagine, believing as I do that such a game would be in accord with the spirit of Halloween's mischievious namesake.

( I sometimes wonder if James Cameron was playing a similar game when he cast a white man named SCHWARZENEGGER as the face of an imminent genocidal uprising of once subservient machines. But anyway )

Betty Crocker is only the surface of Hussie's engagement with conspiracy. Homestuck, like Halloween, is built upon veiled allusions to reactionary paranoia. John's vertigo is relative; what John perceives as a "fall" can be fruitfully reframed as "the ascent of that which was once below". John takes note of an increasingly grim Rose's ascent to power and roleplays a return to gender norms ("ironically" of course), soothing the vertigo of social mobility with the image of Sleeping Beauty. Alternia, though ostensibly located in the unthinkably distant past, in turn functions as a reactionary nightmare vision of the future: it is a world dominated by BLACKS and HOMOS, and therefore post-apocalyptic. This is evinced by Homestuck's playful self-censorship: the story contains various euphemisms for n*ggers and f*ggots, through which the racism and homophobia become associated with a more familiar medium for paranoia, the casts' anxious regard toward the fourth wall. The denotation of slurs, therefore, will be our organizing principle.

Part A: Racist Slurs

Gamzee uses "ninja" as a sugar free "nigga" in the Epilogues; terms of endearment like "my ninja" and the like. As it turns out, this usage can be projected backward into the early acts: the phrase "NINJA SWORD" acts as a euphemism for "N-WORD", such that Dave hurling his blade at a crow can represent hurling slurs at a black person (It just slipped out. Dave is distraught). That a flock of crows would later, in a dream, represent for Dave the innumerable portals of the 4th wall through which he observes himself is thus consistent with the racial connotations of the term "peanut gallery"*, which was invoked in Act 1 to describe John's "allergy" (ie fear) of the judgemental gazes of others. The allergy joke is followed by an early hint of Her Imperious Condescension (a "Hi-C" commercial), a villain with black speech affectations whose title connects her to the peanut gallery's scorn, and who is eventually defeated by a NINJA SWORD**.

* The peanut gallery is also racialized via allusions to Charles Schultz's Peanuts: Snoop Dogg's visage watermarks the proceeding when John is commanded to Snoop on Rose (1693), and the resident Brown Charlies (Barkley and Duttle) are presented as a philosophical visionary and a dreaming prophet, respectively (1706, 2988).

** Technically it's Dirk's UNBREAKABLE KATANA, but the pejorative-encoding of "ninja sword" transfer to the "anime sword" preferred by Act 6.

So racial minorities are associated with the gaze of the audience, peeking in from the 4th wall -- a motif originating in Problem Sleuth, where the literal 4th wall of Problem Sleuth's office was peppered with the eyes of minorities, faces on a mural celebrating racial diversity. The veiled pejorative of NINJA SWORD channels aggression (and other emotions) towards both concepts.

Another paratext, this time embedded in Homestuck: Deep Impact, for which John has a poster, is about fears of white replacement. An early scene takes care to associate the word "waves" with both the soundwaves of black musicians (Elle Fitzegerald, Duke Ellengton [sic]) and tidal waves (yet another ELE, the "Extinction Level Event" which drives the film). The film's black president and his prodigious voice* are thus presented as existential threats on par with the imminent flooding of the Earth, recontextualizing various responses to watery doomsday as abstracted reactions to the rise of black people in America. Homestuck draws upon this association of blackness and water, beginning with the Lalonde household (where the lights are out and the air is filled with the sound of running water), continuing in Barkley's association with oceans and "dunking", and perhaps culminating in the black-affecting Condesce's flooding of the Earth. In the middle though, we have Alternia, which is a somewhat drier fantasy of a world overtaken by blackness. 3 points:

1. The highest echelons of Alternian society are black-coded, and rap is an aristocratic art form.

Gamzee and Equius makes this difficult to miss, but a subtler point is that this cultural ascendance makes blackness aspirational: Karkat, for example, seems to express racial envy (like gender envy, but for black people).

Gamzee manifests after Karkat looks over his Thresh Prince poster, implying that Gamzee's presence as a black-ish voice is an elaboration on Karkat's feelings toward Troll Will Smith. It might seem odd that despite Karkat calling Smith his hero, he expresses nothing but contempt for Gamzee's mode of speech. But admiration and hostility are reconciled by envy*. Karkat's irritation towards Gamzee's miracles (ie being dazzled by the richness of sensation) is underlaid by a sense of injustice, that Gamzee (by merit of his "blackness") has access to sensational joys that are inacessible to Karkat. Gamzee protests that explanations steal the magic from his miracles; Karkat on some level agrees, and exists in a state of feeling robbed.

* Another reconciliation, and one that we'll see a lot of, lies in the simple fact that this world of black predomination is conceived as a racist construction. Therefore, anti-black sentiment persists within it. Even so, envy is a useful paradigm.

Over the course of the story, we can see hints that Karkat wishes to reclaim that "stolen" blackness: finding identification with a "black guy" through Will Smith's sickle and Jack Noir's shared blood; Karkat assuming the mantle of his ancestor, who Suffered in chains; Karkat dressing up as Geromy for Halloween ("karkats problematic nobody tell him" says Dave); Karkat regarding* Dave's assertion that he is "so much more than Obama" as an insurmountable expression of love... but more on Karkat later.

* Dirk was narrating, but his words are bound to the thoughts characters were already going to think, much the same as Vriska's timeline interference in Act 5 asserts responsibility for things that were already going to happen.

1a. The apparent esteem for hoofbeasts is a subset of black cultural ascendence; horses are yet another veiled pejorative.

Dirk draws attention to the proximity of "nicker" to "nigger" in Detective Pony by injecting the phrase "vile slurs omitted" afterward, a gag echoed in the mosaic that fails to obscure a highly offensive horse dildo belonging to Horuss, who similarly observes that "Trigger" sounds like a wonderful name for a hoofbeast. Equius is obsessed with submission, but Zebruh is an outright slaver. We might in this vein construe John's traumatic fall from the slime pogo (the probable origin of the fear that manifested as ogres) as a racist's reframing of the end of slavery, a sense of having been unfairly bucked off one's horse. For illustrative purposes, I've taken the liberty of replacing the word "niggers" with "horses" in an old comic of Hussies:

The original joke being that the speaker's enthusiasm is tethered to a sense of domination. As a followup, here's an excerpt from page 7689, in which I've taken the liberty of replacing the word "horses" with "niggers":

(Vriska): What do you think, Meenah?

MEENAH: aboat what

(Vriska): Niggers!!!!!!!!

MEENAH: ummmm

MEENAH: they ok

MEENAH: kinda dumb and smelly

MEENAH: be makin like

MEENAH: fucked up sounds out their big ass snouts and floppy lips

Meenah here distances herself from black speech and bodies. It bears repeating that our cast subsists within a racist world; even "black" characters can express racism.

2. Miscegenation is a central paradigm of Alternian sexuality.

Anxious allusions to race-mixing have come up before: John's books make short disparaging references to "listless octoroons" (69, 629); Lil Cal manifests three panels after we see naked black & white puppets chained to each other (448); and ICP's depiction as evil (literally the result of combining Laurel and Hardy with the ecto-essence of Hitler, according to the cursed lore) is a result of their being the exemplar of whiteness "tainted" by blackness, a cultural spin on miscegenation. They are evil /because/ they are white rappers, their monochrome facepaint emphasizing the admixture.

I could go on. But the main point is,

"White" + "black" = gray, hence the trolls.

2a. "Slurry" was a hint. Troll reproduction is described by the phrase "incestuous slurry" not only because trolls impart their genetic material to their own mother, but also because "motherfucker" is used near exclusively by characters affecting blackness. The Freudian Oedipus is black, and mother he fucks is paradigmatically white: in one case, following the conclusion of WV's chess game, black's resounding victory over white is immediately provided a natal counterpart in the form of BROWN liquid erupting from the belly of a PINK can of Tab*. This association of childbirth/hatching with (racial) uprising later returns via Tavros, a brown-blood whose game of Fiduspawn (which spawns a horse, appropriately enough) prefigures his links to the Summoner's rebellion.

* As though in reaction to WV, the white-carapaced PM carries two letters bearing the postage marks of Rhodesia, the defunct colonial government of what is now Zimbabwe (896). There are two colored stamps bearing the name to her right, and a notice regarding "Southern [Rhodesia] Stamps" to her left.

2b. The example of WV and the racial polarization of mother & child inform us that miscegenation is being construed in terms of black men acting upon white women. This arrangement suggests the possibility of latent racial tensions in the mother/child dynamic of Porrim and Kankri, and we find them: within Porrim's critique of Alternian patriarchy, there are traces of antiblackness. When Porrim encourages Latula to cease performing for the public gaze and "be herself", she singles out Latula's black-flavored speech affectations for elimination, first striking at the proliferate 'yo' and Latula's use of zees for pluralz, then expressing contempt for the phrase "all up inz". Explaining Kankri's racial entanglement requires a digression.

2c. In another point of commonality, horses and black men are both sexually stereotyped by prodigious cock size -- modern miscegenation porn often advertises itself under the label BBC, "big black cock". In MSPA, the racialized gaze of the 4th wall is itself construed as a phallic intruder, a BBC. One example of this is in the Intermission, where Snowman weilds a whip called "Black Inches", a euphemism for dick borrowed from a black gay porn magazine*. Snowman seizes Spades Slick's arm with the whip and leaves him humiliated. This scene functions as a violent repetition of a prior humiliation, in which Snowman does no more than observe Slick goofing off: in this instance her very eyes are the Black Inches**, and the embarrassed Slick relieves himself of the horse hitcher between his legs in the emasculating gaze's wake.

* The magazine Black Inches shows up in Jail Break (50).

** Since the zigzag of a lightning bolt is used to represent the scratch of a disk, and the tendrils of the Red Miles represent tears in the fabric of reality, it seems likely that Black Inches would in some sense be yonic as well as phallic -- but one thing at a time.

A still earlier example is found in Problem Sleuth, where the massive eye of a horrorterror peeks through the 4th wall, its massive tendrils probe Ace Dick, and the violated AD walks away in shame, recalling the shame he was made to feel for being fat in his youth. The idea is that the probing tentacles ARE the judgemental gaze. The outer gods in Homestuck are similarly racialized. The brown skin of the Duttle (alchemical fusion of Charles Dutton and Squiddles) perturbs Jade because the tentacles now look like black dicks. Rose borrows a fear of water from Deep Impact*: Rose's "avarice for the inscrutable", her interest in drowning amid the Deep Ones, becomes associated with Charles Barkley via the "Chaos Dunk" John performs in her slumber. Later, the reference to tentacle rape in Rose's chumhandle is made manifest when Doc Scratch "smothers [her] with surprise noodles" (3632), his barrage of inscrutable question marks teasingly sexualized, after which the now-darkened Rose gets rendered as the basketball player from SBaHJ. Again, both Brown Charlies are associated with the Peanut gallery. And the gaze of the Horrorterrors is further racialized by a name: "Oglogoth" as in "gothic ogle" as in "dark leer".

* Is the aversion to water also part of Rose's cat motifs? The phobia was initiated by Jaspers' apparent drowning after all...

The etymology of Darkleer is our path back to Kankri: the omnipresent glare of the red sun is synonymous with the dark, leering ogles of the 4th wall. This is likely why Gl'ybgolyb has the title "the Rift's Carbuncle", the carbuncle being a mythic, glowing ruby. Latula's black affectations are referred to as "rad" to emphasize the link between redness and blackness. Porrim tells Latula to stop performing and be herself, but the red blooded Kankri (who finds fault in all) embodies the judgemental gaze to whom performance is addressed, a point underlined when Kankri informs Latula that he is ALWAYS WATCHING HER, even in moments she believes to be totally private. This gaze is, again, phallic: Dave, the first to be haunted by the red glow of endless webcams, rejects the criticism of the readership by slicing apart the phrase "insufferable prick". This literal reading of "prick" (and its connection to judgement) is one justification for transforming the Kankri's mythic title of the Sufferer into the Insufferable -- he is the prick. For this all these reasons, we can assert that all the terms emphasizing the length of Kankri's judgemental red diatribes ("prohibitously loquacious harangue", "enormous in progressive virtue") are coded references to Big Black Cock*. Poor, innocent Karkat takes the brunt of it.

* One wonders if Horuss's usage of "Trigger" as a minced oath retroactively casts the n-word over all of Kankri's meticulous content tags. "Nigger warning"

3. The elimination of the limebloods was white genocide*.

The blood of the cherubim establishes that lime is the opposite of candy red, so if red=black, lime=white. The racial element of black/white is emphasized by Caliborn affecting black speech (eg KNIFE A BITCH, eg MONEY AS FUCK)** while Calliope is an avowed teaboo (how convenient that the chief pejorative for English people is "limey"). Caliborn kills Calliope, breaks his chains, and escapes to a freedom encoded by decayed Statues of Liberty, lying in the sand -- a reference to the Planet of the Apes, yet another movie about black ascent in the social order (and the fear that this consigns whiteness to oblivion). It follows that the elimination of the limebloods, retroactively framed as Lord English repeating his predomination over Calliope, his "mating" her, likewise encodes a triumph of black over white (which again is also a central paradigm of Alternian sexuality: miscegenation).

* At the risk of contradicting myself, I should note a reservation here: if Caliborn relishes painting his words in Calliope's blood, and ICP is characterized a white affectation of blackness, would it not be sensible to regards the death of lime as a black genocide, after which black speech was appropriated? As though, in the spirit of the "I LOVE NIGGERS" comic, laying claim to group-exclusive language and asserting dominance over that group go hand in hand? I suspect that the lime-as-black account might be superimposed on lime-as-white, as though the reversal of Halloween's Michael were here bi-directional -- colonization likely being the framework in which masculine-white acts upon feminine-black. But we'll talk about bivalent cocks and James Cameron's Avatar shortly.

** Caliborn-as-black grounds his claim (leveled at Jane) that "bitch" and other pejoratives are actually terms of endearment in a distorted understanding of AAVE, as though the use of "bad" to mean "good" were a universal principle. Jane listens to rap music and cries dot jpeg.

Part B: Homophobic Slurs

THEY'RE ALL MEN. BECAUSE I SAY THEY ARE. AND I WANT THEM TO BE.

IF I BELIEVE HARD ENOUGH IN THEM BEING MEN.

THEN THAT FACT BECOMES ABSOLUTELY INDISPUTABLE AS A PERMANENT MAN REALITY.

(Caliborn, concerning the Felt)

If the paradigm of miscegenation dictates that men are "black" and women "white", it follows that the white genocide of the limebloods was also a mass femicide -- yet another retroactive repetition of Caliborn killing Calliope. Every motherfucker on the planet submits genetic material to the Mothergrub, not a soul gestates, and therefore everyone on Alternia is "male", just as Caliborn desires. The castes adjacent to the missing lime might gesture at the womb (Nepeta's bloody cave, Kanaya's midwifery), but all reproduction occurs via "gay sex". Male-on-female miscegenation is abstracted into a paradigm of gender relations, only having any bearing on material relations by way of analogy. The world has been overcome not only by blackness, but by gayness.

A consequence of the above is that EVERY GIRL ON ALTERNIA IS A TRANS GIRL. Roleplay is coded as a feminine activity not only in replication of real world perceptions of rp communities, but to associate Alternian women writ large with performance. FLARP is a "game for girls" not (just) because girls are more dangerous but because girls roleplay, categorically. Feferi describes her cuttlefish rescue as a roleplaying scenario, Nepeta is Nepeta. Kanaya... is perhaps best approached by contrast with Karkat.

Karkat is likely the only exception to the all-male rule: his status as a mutant lime blood implicates him as Alternia's only surviving female, and thus its only trans man*, red concealing lime. His aforementioned race envy would then double as gender envy, blackness being the Alternian paradigm of masculinity. Karkat chose his sickle in imitation of Troll Will Smith, later emphasizing the connection with the sickle HOMES SMELL YOU LATER, likewise a Thresh Prince reference. Kanaya's love of fashion (of "the aesthetic over the utilitarian") is a statement of her transfemininity, while Karkat's utilitarian insistence that trolls think fashion is stupid becomes an anxious assertion that his masculinity in non-mediated, as though a hint of performance in his demeanor would out him. The nubby horns, the suggestion of menses from the Blood aspect symbol, the jokes about hysteric fits, & the love of romcoms... they all begin to seem like tells. Does Porrim insist Kankri wear a sweater in order to censor the female presenting nipples, I wonder.

* I've heard Sollux was presented as a trans man in his Pesterquest route (I haven't played Pesterquest). I think Vriska route's presentation of her as a trans girl was correct, so the Sollux route makes me wonder if this approach is wrong-headed. OH WELL

Karkat shoosh-papping Gamzee (the sound effects are in lime) becomes an image of "white female" soothing the "black male" -- "pap" as in pap smear, mother's offering the baby milk. I'd even guess the entire "pale" quadrant is a pun on the pacifying power of whiteness (dairy and racial, but they've been equated through the paradigm of white motherhood) -- this becoming the reason why Equius, our leading example of moirallegiance, loves milk. Does "filial pail" mean "white mother"? Is the powerful horseman shattering the milk container a violent miscegenation joke, as though he breaks the mother? Is that why Karkat (potential white mother) of all people voices the concern (twice!) that contact with Equius will shatter him? DON'T TOUCH ME. Anyway

1. "FAIRY" IS A SLUR

In the wake of Vriska's pesterchum route, tumblr user abraxasgrip posited that Karkat referring to Vriska as FAG (the seemingly accidental acronym of "Future arachnidsGrip") and Vriska's general status as a blue "fairy" should be considered parcel to a trans narrative*. She was right! The entire notion of trolls pupating into butterflies upon ascension is in part a trans allegory, not unlike the modern designation of nascent trans people as "eggs", waiting to hatch.

* For that matter, I half-wonder if "Vrissy" was chosen for its proximity to "sissy".

Earlier I mentioned a racial dimension to the paradigm of birth in Fiduspawn, but here we can focus on the gender. The fairy girls on Tavros's wall are an extension of the urge to fly, as though fairy girls are the butterflies unto which Tavros intends to pupate. Tavros being unable to sink into his cocoon (ie unable to iniate metamorphosis) because of his HUGE HORNS functions as metaphor for bodily dysphoria. Vriska is introduced as one of Tavros's poster made manifest, the fairy ideal to which he aspires, and she denigrates Rufio because his red hair represents a bloody stump, a point of castration*. The ideal feminine dismissing Rufioh as fraudulent and fake emulates taunts that trans women, even following bottom surgery or what have you, will never be "real women". It bears repeating that this Alternia-as-paranoid-fantasy is arose from a homophobic/transphobic world view (one that slurs together all it would describe as feminine men), so characters tend to express the prejudices that drove their own creation.

* In Openbound, Rufioh attempts to "break up" with the dick-faced Horuss 8=D in service of a dysphoria metaphor. Damara, taking a role akin to Vriska's above, locked away Rufioh's "happy thought" to illustrate the corresponding lack of euphoria.

Also, if Karkat is female, "STOP PLAYING GAMES FOR GIRLS" functions not only as one of Karkat's defensive assertions of masculinity, but as yet another example of "real women" denigrating "imitations".

It should be noted here that chasing after the butterfly entails chasing after the cocoon, which bears connotations of death (eg the cherubim use a magic tomb, the sarswapagus, to turn from boy to girl and back). In some cases the objective (the feminine) collapses into the mediator (death), such that femininity is construed as intrinsically morbid. Mommy becomes a mummy, pregnant with scarabs. Jake's interest in blue girls intersects with his love of skulls: When Aranea asks "Do you want me to talk until I'm blue in the face?" Jake gulps not only because of the thought of literal blue skin, but because exhausting one's Breath means death.

We'll talk more about Jake later, because the narrative insinuation of necrophilia that follows him is channeled into a very particular homophobic/transphobic construction, but for now let it suffice that the butterfly Grandpa shoots has the colors of the trans pride flag.

2. HIS HONORABLE "TYRANNY" MEANS "TRANNY"

The Condesce attempted to recreate Alternia on Earth, implementing blood castes and installing (black-tainted) clown presidents in imitation of the Grand Highblood. What then is Guy Fieri supposed to emulate? The cursed lore alleges the name to be a mispronunciation of "guy Feferi", but what does that have to do with his position as a Supreme Court Justice? How is Fieri related to His Honorable Tyranny? The answer is as simple as the names: "Tyranny" means TRANNY*, and "Guy Fieri" sounds like GAY FAIRY.

* I talked about Kankri as a figure of judgement earlier -- I wonder if his status as a trans man has anything to do with the nickname "Kanny"

Terezi is likewise a trans girl, and her kangaroo court functions as a castration fantasy: dragons are phallic, she strings them up. "LEMONSNOUT" means "PISSNOZZLE". ("Lemonsnout represents Vriska!" you protest, "we see Lemonsnout on Terezi's desk when she informs Doc Scratch of the cueball!" To this I reply, "The design of Vriska's dotted eyepatch is lifted from the Goonie's 'One-Eyed Willie', who represents a penis!")

Terezi wishes she could have a baby, you see. When Terezi says her lusus dreams about babies, Karkat says "I thought you didn't have one", and Terezi replies "I don't yet, I'm not allowed to." The omitted subject is doubled: Terezi is allowed neither a lusus nor a baby. This motif plays out again in Terezi's roleplay with Nepeta: the phallic dragon (Terezi refers to the dragon head as her "alarming and splendiferous girth") attempts to steal and consume the child, representing the assumption of pregnancy. Cronus (named after a god who consumes children) similarly has a seahorse lusus in reference to male pregnancy.

Earlier still, this wish is encoded in the crime of Senator Pissnozzle, dipping his snout into a "beetle coffer". The invocation of scarabs implies that the Pissnozzle poked into a mummy, meaning that Terezi (whose name invokes Tiresias, the blind prophet of the play Oedipus Rex) is simultaneously punishing incestuous access to the death-mother and the intrusion of the masculine into the domain of the feminine. As with Terezi and her desire for baby: NOT ALLOWED. This society is at least as homophobic as it is gay.

To wit: when Terezi notes the "unmitigated cheek" of the Senator strutting around with pilfered scarabs beneath his clothes, she is complimenting the Senator's ass. Terezi then recommends the court take recess to puke. This is a compliment of sorts, because vomiting blood is one way trolls produce genetic material: the conversation prior to the trial feature Karkat summoning the image of girls "erupting like a vomit volcano" at the sight of Sollux; this image of bile and fire is followed by a dragon drawn by Terezi, who retches with a BLAR; and the phallic status of dragons informs us that vomiting amounts to ejaculation. Anyway,

When Karkat responds to Terezi's cryptic baby talk with "WE NEED TO GET YOU OUT OF THAT FUCKING TREE AND INTO A PROPER GODDAMN LAWNRING," what we should hear is "GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS." It's an early iteration of the infamous "STOP PLAYING GAMES FOR GIRLS" that accompanies Tavros's attempted flight. (Another instance of Blood pulling down an ascendant trans girl: Dave offering bloody bro fistbumps to keep John from blasting off.)

3. "HUMAN CIGARETTE" MEANS "FAG"

Cronus ostensibly couches "human cigarette" in quotation marks to signal that he is introducing new terminology to the conversation, but in much the same way as Caliborn would describe his King as "Queen", readers can take the quotes as indication that some manner of substitution is afoot. The suggestion of euphemism (and the fact that Cronus doesn't smoke the cigarette) doesn't just offer a joke about how Cronus likes putting sticks in his mouth -- it's a comment on Mituna.

"Human cigarette" is a rephrasing of TROLL CAEGAR, Terezi's two headed coin. The precedent of G substitution in TROLL JEGUS allows the cigar pun to slip by unnoticed. The two heads of the coin, and its scratched/unscratched eyes, are quickly embodied in the form of Sollux, who likewise has alternated eyes and two-headed motifs. He even carries on Terezi's abuse of the pissnozzle by slicing through his BEEHOUSE MAINFRAME tower -- the yellow MIND HONEY represents piss. The taste of piss turns Sollux into a vomit volcano, a grandiose iteration of the (imagined) spittake resulting from John drinking pee disguised as apple juice. BLUH! The eruption of lasers from his hivestem resembles ejaculation, again pointing to the reproductive function of disgust.

Now we need to superimpose several points:

a. The blast also signals that "Sollux Captor" (sunlight capacitor) can function as a store of energy, a battery. This was the use to which HIC put the Psiionic, using him to power her ship, a cruelty that Cronus (speaking to Meenah) deploys to defend his own abuse of Mituna. This is one point of convergence between batteries and cigarette/cigar: posing a person a fuel, a resource to be burnt out (hence the emphasis on Mituna being brain-fried).

b. Rose has a small tirade in early act 6 about cigars being a phallic symbol, and we should take her word for it: when Meenah goes to take a bathroom break during the interfission, its not until a newly blind Sollux stumbles into the ship's hold with Meenah that her bladder meter starts to decrease. This is another reference to the Psiionic, posing the yellow-blooded Captors as a pissnozzles awaiting depletion. Meenah quips "like captor like captor" afterwards to underscore this parallel (though she formally only refers to Sollux falling down, as Mituna is prone to do).

The dick is a synecdoche of the boy, and as the GameGrl theme tells us, GIRLS RULE & BOYS DROOL. Which is to say, girls and boys are posed as defacto mother/child pairs, because children (being black boys) are all "motherfuckers" in the Oedipal sense. But on Alternia, access to the mother is mediated so the little gay babies (to borrow Meulin's turn of phrase) all have to fuck eachother instead. Hence, "human cigarettes" (ie troll caegars, ie batteries) are fags.

4. "FAYGO" ALSO MEANS "FAG"

Drinking Faygo is synonymous with kissing a dead head, such that Gamzee's soda habit prefigures his attempted revival of Tavros. A shot of Aradia decapitating a frog statue (2065) cuts directly to Eridan picking up a red Faygo. Later, Gamzee advises Eridan to "chug that shit like you and the bottle was reunited lovers", invoking a passionate kiss. Eridan does so, upon which we see Feferi revive Sollux (the Caegar) with a passionate kiss. Eridan demurs on the spittake, but Karkat gags, and Spades Slick consummates the gesture with a reference to puking blood.

Later on, the most dramatic boy-on-boy kiss of the story replicates this structure: Jake takes the bleeding head of Dirk and kisses him to life. Onlookers gag, and a vomit volcano erupts in the background. Bluh.

But hey, on the subject of Jake breathing life into dead people,

5. "WINDBAG" ALSO ALSO MEANS "FAG"

Here we'll need to be familiar with an aspect of Homestuck's metaphysics again, so let's proceed from Jade's fear of lightning:

a. Jade's first imp manifests after she spies a yellow aurora coursing through the sky in the shape of a lightning bolt. Since imps appear in response to psychic turmoil, this establishes that for whatever reason, lightning is a source of fear for Jade. Furthermore, the imp arrives in a reproduction of Bec's introduction, associating Bec with this fear of lightning.

b. Elaboration on the phobia arrives in the form of 1. the image of Johnny 5 being struck by lightning and assuming consciousness and 2. the corpse of dream!Jade being animated by the infusion of Becsprite, after which she immediately requests death. What Jade fears is no less than life itself: life is regarded as a coarse intrusion upon the serenity of death.

c. Another way to put it: in conceiving of her very life as originating from a numinous elsewhere, Jade becomes terrified that the will coarsing through her body is not her own, that she is an automaton, a puppet. But the terror is selective. Note that during her introduction, Jade only attributes her failures to alien wills: the discordant flute play and botched memory game are framed (by Jade) as reader interactive segments, while kickass bass solos and success with the modus are framed (by Jade) as a consequence of Jade assuming total control.

d. The flute example is instructive: another name for the spark of life, the divine pneuma, is Breath. Hence when Tavros attempts to revive Vriska, we see the Breath aspect symbol flow from his mouth. For whatever reason, Jade seems to regard Grandpa as the source of her (unwanted!) Breath, despite his being dead: she disparagingly refers to him as a "bag of wind" while recalling one of his old tirades. When Jade nearly shoots herself but instead shoots Grandpa, suicide and murder are rendered synonymous insofar as Jade is striking out at (someone presented as) the source of Breath. The puppet cuts its strings and is motionless forever.

e. Corpse kissing arises from more than necessity: rescuscitation has apparent overtones of necrophilia. Caliborn illustrates this when he claims Calliope will leave a truly "breathtaking" corpse. Jake's intro drags him into this paradigm with a joke in which the phrase "beating a dead horse" is twisted into the visceral "assaulting the mushy carcass of a horse who passed away long ago", playing upon the sexual dimension of "assault". Blue girls are beutifully dead and the pneuma is seemingly phallicized. Grandpa had Jade's corpse sitting around for a long time.

f. So it came to seem that Jade's relationship with Grandpa had undertones of sexual assault. It became unnerving that Jade seemed to go grimbark at the sight of Jake's banana hammock, that Jade's corpse fell from the sky in Candy at the mention of rape, that another will takes over Jade's body when Meat!Roxy muses that ectobiology did not require their consent to make them make babies. Jadesprite's desperation to die, to empty herself of Pneuma, obtained a connotation of uninvited semen, the memory of which could trigger extreme responses. It seemed frivolous that Jade's dreambot beat up Grandpa's effigy while dream!Jade pummeled the Courtyard Droll, but the association turned ominous when CD killed Jade with an explosion of white goop as a lightning aurora coursed overhead... in short, all signs seemed to indicate Grandpa was a rapist. I'm still somewhat convinced this is true.

But its also true that Homestuck is a conspiracy theory, self-consciously depicting homophobia. A nudge towards a paradigm shift arrives when Jane compared Jake to Arrested Development's Tobias Funke: "How could he not see the pain he was causing with his oblivious demeanor, his repressed feelings of attraction toward men, and his total inability to understand other people's feelings in spite of his credentials as an analrapist?" The message being, much as ICP is framed as evil by dint of being "tainted" with blackness, a Grandpa might be framed as a rapist by dint of being gay. Suddenly the ominous pneumatic dimension of Jade calling Grandpa a "bag of wind" seemed to be a consequence of the more readily apparent contempt Jade has for Grandpa's overwrought manner of speaking. Jade (or else the narrative to which both Grandpa and Jade are subjected) uses "bag of wind", and the elaborate metaphysical assault narrative it invokes, to call Grandpa a faggot.

This filter can superimposed on much of what seemed ominous. The impression that grimbark Jade was triggered by traumatic memories of Jake's groin wraps back around to her open contempt for the garments: she responds negatively to Jake's undies because they're REALLY FUCKING GAY (derogatory). Jade spurning the gift of Ahab's Crosshair (a symbol of lightning, and thus phallic life) becomes inseperable from Eridan's contempt for human reproduction (ew! pussy is gross!)... and speaking of lightning, we've discussed the pneuma's relation to life but less so it's relation to will.

6. "COLONIZER" MEANS "SODOMIZER"

Emphasis on "colon". The gist is that fags, in their femininity, are conceptualized as tresspassers upon the virgin land of womanhood. Recall a dream Jake had, remixing a scene from James Cameron's Avatar, a film in which a colonial soldier is able to assume the body of the blue skinned natives. Jake speaks exploitation and condescension: "Ooh Neytiri, I'm learning so much about myself through your primitive culture." Jake awakens to find Neytiri replaced with Aranea, another "blue girl" upon whom the fantasy of bodily possession is transferred, presumably possessing as much sexism as the quote had primitivism.

A more involved example would be Damara, and her apparent possession by arch-colonist Lord English:

a. Rufioh's use of "doll" in reference to Damara implicitly compares her to the host plush of Fiduspawn, suggesting that she is in some sense a lifeless vessel through which some other thing perpetuates itself. (Which applies to literally everyone in the story, this being fiction, but it becomes a point of focus here.) Damara speaks in staccato bursts like Caliborn, which in light of the above could suggest she is literally "possessed" by Lord English, being puppeted around by an alien life force that moves through her (again, Fiduspawn)

This sense of possession is compounded by Damara being "fake" Japanese -- per tumblruser fishmech, her Google-translated speech is likely diegetic, meaning Damara's sloppy Japanese is acquired and she's what might be called "Japanese kin" in the context of Openbound's various otherkin characters and internet archetypes. Alternatively, we have the standard understanding that Beforan Japanese is intrinsically a “fallen” form of the Japanese that exists as-we-see-it on Alternia, with the caveat that Caliborn is the demiurge responsible for the generation of this degraded form -- and that Caliborn is the one who kins sexy anime girls (his admiration of the self-creating girl on the How To Draw Manga Cover comes to mind), making Damara his avatar/self-insert, and leading us back to the motif of possession.

But this could be folded back into the subjective experience of a Japanese-kin Damara, as though she perceives her seeming inability to be “authentic” as the fault of a cruel and/or incompetent God -- or rather, it is only through the eyes of God (the reader) that Damara's language is degraded, but since Damara sees herself through our eyes, the apparent inauthenticity of Damara's Japanese communicates a subjective sense of inauthenticy which Damara feels towards her own speech. Sometimes the gap between character and authorial voice in Homestuck is brought to attention to underscore a feeling of profound alienation in a given character, a sense of not belonging in their own skin... dysphoria, in other words.

b. As mentioned earlier, the paradigm of colonization also has a racial element to it, seemingly reversing the black/white coding of masculine/feminine as explored elsewhere. "Damara is Japanese tho" you say. "Ninja means nigga" I remind you.

Conclusion

God I wish I knew how to conclude this. The organizing principle of offensive puns is all that kept this profane intersectionality together. My only real thesis is that I believe we've been pranked, and that the ability to recognize the discursive twists that constitute the deception (or rather, our collective misreading) seems broadly useful. Beyond that, I don't know. I'm not even certain I've done an adequate job separating the metaphorical from the literal on Alternia, to whatever degree those two things are distinct. My head is swimming. I believe some things of substance have been expressed here, but time will tell what details survive subsequent sifting.

I guess as a closing note I'll just mention that before June clicked, I was pretty convinced John was gay. Now remaining traces of that gay reading seem to have been slurred into superposition with the trans reading? Feels kinda nice somehow

[phoenix-joy]

"Black queer women have shaped American culture since long before the era of gay liberation. Decades prior to the Stonewall Uprising, in the 1920s and 1930s, Black "lady lovers"—as women who loved women were then called—crafted a queer world. In the cabarets, rent parties, speakeasies, literary salons, and universities of the Jazz Age and Great Depression, communities of Black lady lovers grew, and queer flirtations flourished. Cookie Woolner here uncovers the intimate lives of performers, writers, and educators such as Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Gladys Bentley, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, and Lucy Diggs Slowe, along with the many everyday women she encountered in the archives.

Examining blues songs, Black newspapers, vice reports, memoirs, sexology case studies, and more, Woolner illuminates the unconventional lives Black lady lovers formed to suit their desires. In the urban North, as the Great Migration gave rise to increasingly racially mixed cities, Black lady lovers fashioned and participated in emerging sexual subcultures. During this time, Black queer women came to represent anxieties about the deterioration of the heteronormative family. Negotiating shifting notions of sexuality and respectability, Black lady lovers strategically established queer networks, built careers, created families, and were vital cultural contributors to the US interwar era."

[designdekko]

12 murals that show street art is taking over Indian cities

Street art in India is slowly changing the way we view art from the elusive nature of art galleries to a much wider platform with a broader audience. While Street Art always existed in India, this cultural movement has only now started getting popular in India and is quickly transforming the landscapes of urban India to join other international cities like New York, Hong Kong, Berlin, and Melbourne.

Also Read | Montreal, Canada : New outdoor furniture section on degaspe.ca

Only about a decade ago, graffiti and street art recalled the rebellious. Today, these street artists are reshaping several cultural festivals while art movements like St+ Art India are campaigning country-wide to get street art the degree of respectability it deserves. We bring you 12 such stunning street art murals that are rejuvenating Indian cities and show the swift rise of street art in India.

1. Kala Bhavan, West Bengal 

Late veteran painter, professor, sculptor and muralist KG Subramanyan paints an entire façade of Kala Bhavan’s painting department building in black and white. Interestingly, the Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan was a turning point in Subramanyan’s career. He painted this building at the age of 86.

2. Unusual Usual by Do & Khatra at Makhta, Hyderabad 

This mural comes after the duo observed the living style of old citizens in the area. This piece of a rickety man indeed evoked some reactions in the small neighbourhood in Hyderabad.

3. Aunt Rosy by Do and Khatra, Goa

The duo has created another mural in their signature style in Goa. Aunt Rosy is their representation of Goan culture. The inspiration again came from local living habits.

4. The Hands, Goa 

Australian artist Guido Van Helten travels around the globe and creates works that are culturally relevant to the place he is working in. When in Goa, he met Theresa Wallace, an 82-year-old artisan who has been working with pottery for over 60 years. Wallace’s hands were the muse of this creation by Helten.

5. Lake Road, Kolkata

Durga Pujo brings in the best out of this city. In 2017, artists decided to take the streets as they created a kilometre long Rangoli for the festival. And it sure did take the internet by storm.

6. High Five Artisans by Sameer Kulavoor

Kulavoor sees an acute need to celebrate the handmade in this technological world. This street art is a resurgence of the homemade, artisanal and DIY lifestyle. Kulavoor believes that the act of creating with his own hands is deeply human. In India the strategic advantage of our craft skills and the need to value, preserve and nurture local culture is obvious. ‘High Five!’ celebrates this uprising!

7. Viacom18 paints a Mural near office spaces

As part of its CSR activity, Viacom18 took it upon itself to help keep Mumbai ‘Chakachak.’ To start with, it painted a mural near its office with visual artist Rob to create one of the biggest canvases in Mumbai. The mural depicts garbage with messages like ‘Being Green is Staying Green’ and a pollution-free city. It features cartoon characters Motu Patlu, Milkha Singh and Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom knocks out all the trash from the city.

8. Dutch artist Daan Botlek’s ‘men’, Bangalore 

Dutch artist Daan Botlek transformed Palace Road using some clever street art. The series of blue and white figures only made sense when the mural was fully ready.

9. Shahpur Jat, Delhi 

Street Art began in Delhi began with illustrations in this small neighbourhood. A walk through the street of colours has a message for all

Also Read: Easy Guide To Choose A Color Palette For Your Space

Source Link

[sovasolar]

The Future of Renewable Energy: A Closer Look at Solar Power

Within the expansive realm of sustainable power, one particular source gleams with exceptional brilliance – solar energy. Amidst humanity's quest for eco-friendly remedies to counteract climate change and diminish dependence on non-renewable resources, solar power emerges as a beacon of optimism. In this discourse, we embark on an expedition to probe deeply into the forthcoming trajectory of solar energy, unveiling its latent potential and influence on our global sphere.

Harnessing Ingenuity: The Ascension of Solar Energy

In recent times, solar energy has encountered a striking surge in acclaim and adoption across the globe. As apprehensions regarding environmental deterioration and energy security intensify, governments, enterprises, and individuals increasingly gravitate towards solar power as a feasible substitute. A pivotal catalyst propelling this momentum is the incessant ingenuity within solar technology.

Transitioning from conventional photovoltaic cells to sophisticated thin-film solar panels, manufacturers persistently stretch the boundaries of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Standing at the forefront of this pursuit of sustainability are enterprises like Sova Solar, renowned for their unwavering dedication to excellence and ingenuity. As a distinguished solar panel manufacturer in India, Sova Solar has played a pivotal role in sculpting the future of solar energy within the nation and beyond.

Empowering India: Nuclei of Solar Panel Fabrication

India, blessed with copious sunlight and burgeoning energy requisites, assumes a leading stance in the solar uprising. Urban centers such as Delhi and Kolkata have emerged as prominent nuclei for solar panel production, catering to both domestic demands and international markets. The presence of premier manufacturers like Sova Solar has substantially contributed to the evolution of these industrial clusters.

In Delhi, the epicenter of India's political and economic landscape, solar panel fabrication has witnessed unprecedented expansion. With an emphasis on precision and innovation, enterprises in the vicinity spearhead the transition towards eco-friendly energy solutions. Sova Solar, equipped with cutting-edge manufacturing facilities and a sustainability-centric ethos, epitomizes the essence of excellence in solar panel fabrication.

Likewise, Kolkata, renowned for its cultural opulence and entrepreneurial fervor, has evolved into a bastion of solar innovation. Manufacturers in the locale benefit from a skilled labor pool and a conducive ecosystem, enabling them to deliver superlative solar solutions. As the demand for renewable energy continues its ascent, Kolkata's role in solar panel fabrication is poised for augmentation, buoyed by trailblazers like Sova Solar leading the vanguard.

Sustainability at the Core: The Sova Solar Distinction

What sets Sova Solar apart as the preeminent solar panel manufacturer in India? The answer lies in its steadfast commitment to sustainability and excellence. At Sova Solar, every facet of the production process is meticulously crafted to minimize ecological footprint and optimize efficiency.

From procuring raw materials to product conceptualization and dissemination, sustainability is ingrained at every juncture of the supply chain. Leveraging avant-garde technologies and adhering to rigorous quality benchmarks, Sova Solar guarantees that its solar panels deliver unparalleled performance and longevity.

Furthermore, Sova Solar's ardor for innovation propels incessant enhancement and adaptation to evolving market dynamics. Whether it entails refining solar cell efficiency or exploring novel applications for solar power, the enterprise remains at the vanguard of technological progression.

Embracing the Solar Renaissance: A Rally to Action

As humanity stands poised at the threshold of a renewable energy revolution, the future gleams with unprecedented promise. Solar energy, with its boundless potential and sustainability, emerges as the linchpin to a cleaner, verdant planet. By endorsing entities like Sova Solar and embracing solar technology, we chart a course toward a sustainable tomorrow for posterity.

In summation, the destiny of renewable energy lies within our grasp, and solar power presents a glimmer of hope amidst the myriad challenges confronting us. Let us harness the boundless vigor of the sun and embark on a voyage towards an effulgent future.

Join the Solar Crusade Today!

Initiate your journey towards a sustainable future by opting for solar energy solutions from Sova Solar. Connect with us to gain insights into our offerings and discover how you can contribute to the solar revolution.

Together, let us forge a world illumined by the sun – one solar panel at a time.

[fashionloverz]

Street Chic: Embrace the Trapstar T-Shirt Revolution

In the ever-evolving world of fashion, trends come and go, but some manage to capture the essence of a generation and create a cultural revolution. The "Trapstar" t-shirt phenomenon is one such trend that has taken the fashion world by storm. Combining urban aesthetics with a touch of rebellion, these t-shirts have become an emblem of street chic, making their mark on the fashion landscape. Let's dive into the captivating journey of the Trapstar t-shirt revolution and how it has transformed streetwear into a cultural and style statement.

The Birth of a Rebellion: Unveiling the Trapstar Culture

The Trapstar London culture emerged from the depths of urban neighborhoods, blending music, art, and fashion in a unique and defiant way. This movement drew inspiration from hip-hop, street art, and the vibrant energy of the streets. The Trapstar t-shirt, with its bold graphics and unapologetic attitude, became the canvas on which this cultural uprising was painted.

From the Streets to the Mainstream: A Rapid Rise

The allure of the Trapstar t-shirt quickly transcended its grassroots origins, capturing the attention of celebrities, musicians, and influencers worldwide. Its journey from the back alleys to the red carpet was swift and impactful. The fusion of luxury and urban culture in Trapstar apparel disrupted traditional fashion norms, carving a niche that celebrated individuality and authenticity.

Embracing the Trapstar Aesthetic: The Power of Street Chic

The Trapstar t-shirt revolution didn't just introduce a new fashion trend; it ignited a philosophy of street chic. The juxtaposition of edgy graphics and high-end fashion elements became the hallmark of this style. Those who embraced it were not just wearing a t-shirt; they were making a statement about their identity and outlook on life.

Breaking Boundaries: Challenging Conventional Norms

What sets the Trapstar t-shirt apart is its ability to challenge conventional norms and embrace non-conformity. It's not just an article of clothing; it's a symbol of breaking free from societal constraints and expressing oneself boldly. The Trapstar revolution encourages individuals to embrace their uniqueness without fear.

The Art of Mix and Match: Versatility Redefined

One of the remarkable aspects of the Trapstar t-shirt is its versatility. It effortlessly complements a wide range of fashion pieces, from distressed jeans to tailored blazers. This adaptability has allowed the Trapstar aesthetic to infiltrate various style genres, creating a fusion that appeals to both the rebellious and the refined.

Crafting a Lifestyle: Trapstar Beyond Fashion

The Trapstar movement goes beyond mere fashion; it's a lifestyle that celebrates authenticity and creativity. By donning a Trapstar t-shirt, individuals become part of a community that values self-expression and artistic expression.

Empowerment Through Clothing: The Trapstar Philosophy

Wearing a Trapstar t-shirt is a form of empowerment. It's a reminder that you can pave your path and challenge the status quo. Each design carries a message that resonates with different people, sparking conversations and inspiring change.

The Trapstar T-Shirt Revolution: A Lasting Legacy

As trends continue to evolve, the Trapstar t-shirt revolution remains an indelible mark on fashion history. It has shown that clothing can be a medium for cultural commentary and a canvas for self-expression. This revolution has brought the streets to the forefront of high fashion, forever blurring the lines between luxury and urban aesthetics.

Conclusion: Redefining Fashion, Embracing Identity

The Trapstar t-shirt revolution symbolizes more than just a style; it's a testament to the power of fashion as a tool for self-expression and cultural reflection. Embracing the Trapstar aesthetic means embracing the idea that fashion can be a form of rebellion and a celebration of individuality. So, as you slip on that Trapstar t-shirt, remember that you're not just wearing fabric – you're wearing a piece of the ongoing revolution that challenges norms and celebrates authenticity.

FAQs About the Trapstar T-Shirt Revolution

Q1: What is the origin of the Trapstar t-shirt trend? The Trapstar t-shirt trend originated from urban neighborhoods and drew inspiration from hip-hop, street art, and the energy of the streets.

Q2: How did the Trapstar t-shirt movement become mainstream? Celebrities, musicians, and influencers embraced the Trapstar t-shirt trend, propelling it from the streets to the mainstream and red carpet.

Q3: What sets the Trapstar t-shirt apart from other fashion trends? The Trapstar t-shirt isn't just fashion; it's a symbol of breaking boundaries and embracing individuality and authenticity.

Q4: How does the Trapstar movement empower individuals? Wearing a Trapstar t-shirt is a form of empowerment, as it encourages self-expression and challenges societal norms.

Q5: What is the lasting impact of the Trapstar t-shirt revolution? The Trapstar t-shirt revolution has redefined fashion as a tool for cultural commentary and self-expression, leaving a lasting legacy in the fashion world.

[gingerhotelsindia]

Rooms in 3-Star Hotel in Faridabad | Ginger Faridabad

Ginger Faridabad a 3-star hotel offers budget-friendly stays with standard amenities like free wifi, a well-equipped health centre, in-room dining, an air conditioner, a tea or coffee maker, a mini-refrigerator, and an LCD or LED TV with satellite-connected channels for entertainment as well as a digital locker. Ginger offers accommodation with air conditioning and a flat-screen TV. For guests who are watching their diets, the resort also offers healthy food options. Ginger runs a front desk that is staffed around the clock to assist visitors. One of the most well-liked and reasonably priced 3-star hotels in Faridabad is Ginger.

There are twin and queen room categories available at Ginger Faridabad. For those who require specific accommodations, the hotel has rooms that have been particularly created so they may remain comfortable. A hotel experience worth every penny is guaranteed at Ginger Tirupur, one of the best cheap hotels in the city.

Faridabad is thought to have been named for the well-known Sufi mystic Baba Farid. The site is extremely busy all year long with pilgrims visiting from all locations.

It is challenging to find other hotels that offer the same level of quality services and leisure time at Ginger Faridabad's affordable prices. Only 11 km away and in the ideal location, close to the railroad station. Ginger Faridabad is conveniently located close to other points of entry, including the bus terminal and the airport. In terms of lodging, Ginger is one of the best hotels on Mathura road.

What is the area around the hotels in Faridabad like?

On the Aravalli range, there is an old reservoir from the 10th century called Surajkund. With an embankment created in the shape of an amphitheatre and set against the backdrop of the Aravalli hills, Surajkund (roughly translated as Lake of the Sun) is an artificial Kund (Kund = lake or reservoir). According to legend, Surajpal, a monarch of the Tomar dynasty, constructed it in the tenth century. Tomar, the younger son of Delhi's monarch Anangpal Tomar, was a sun worshipper and as such, he had erected a Sun Temple on the river's western bank. The annual Surajkund International Craft Mela is held in Surajkund, is close to Ginger lodging in Faridabad.

Badkhal Lake is a magnificent lake hideaway, a haven of joy, and a place to vacation. The man-made embankment that surrounds the lake and holds back its waters makes it the ideal location for water activities. The lake is bordered by hills. There are small, cosy, and compact rest cabins on one inlet of the neighbouring hill. An enjoyable boat journey can be arranged by hiring a private jetty. A small and pleasant bath facility has also been built near Badkhal Lake.

The sound of trumpets and drums echoes off the walls of Raja Nahar Singh Palace in Ballabgarh, along with the brisk footsteps of tourists. And the joyous cries of admiration at the sight of this immaculately kept mansion of the fabled Raja Nahar Singh. The palace has been designated a historic site and was built in the 18th century. In our nation's history, the uprising of 1857 was a significant turning point. The minor state of Ballabgarh's king, Raja Nahar Singh, was a significant figure in the Indian Independence Movement. Palace his ancestor Rao Balram, who came to power in 1739, built the first sections of Raja Nahar Singh's palace. Up until about 1850, some of this building was still ongoing. Urban areas have grown up around the palace today. But the guests are nevertheless mesmerised by the palace's magnificence. The Retreat- Today, the exquisite pavilions and courtyards of Raja Nahar Singh Palace glow once more with a royal ambience carefully accented by six tastefully decorated guest rooms, restaurant, bar, lounge, and public areas, beautified with antiques, artefacts from the past, stone jellies, and intricately carved arches that transport one back to the times of the Raja Nahar Singh.

There are numerous 3-star hotels in Faridabad that can meet your needs, but none can ever compare to the services provided by Ginger hotel. The Ginger Hotel properties give every request made by a visitor their utmost attention. Travellers can improve their stay at Ginger Hotel by making use of the facility's cutting-edge amenities and first-rate services.

We hope to see you soon at Ginger Faridabad.

[snakesandkittens]

Got some new pins at Urban Craft Uprising that fit in perfectly on my jacket!

[vintagepatternwarehouse]

ATTENTION CRAFTERS IN THE NORTHWEST!!! 

Don't miss the URBAN CRAFT UPRISING | Seattle's Largest Indie Show

June 30 - July 1, 2018  Seattle Center Exhibition Hall

Check out our full color brochure in the swag bags for a full list of products available on-line.

vintagepatternwarehouse.com

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird:  The Hand of Andromeda Ch. 2 ( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps) (New chapters will be posted first to patreon and then moved here)

The Ageis system was not what one would consider a pinnacle world of civilization in an age of interstellar travel. At best it was a backwater system deep in unclaimed space between the Rylon Collective and Havatal Republic the system with only one habitable planet, Ageis Prime.

The planet itself was largely barren, consisting of entire continents of jagged rocks and acidic seas. Only a small belt of land near the equator was remotely capable of sustaining life and supported small clusters of forests isolated from the harsh surrounding landscape.

First development of the planet was made by the Xlaxon Mining Guild when a remote probe of theirs scanned the system and found valuable minerals scattered around the planet. Shortly after a group of indentured laborers were imported to the planet and a mining operation was established, initially consisting of a landing pad, machine shop, processing facility, and several other living quarters.

Just as the operation was about to get underway however the Xlaxon Mining Guild found itself drawn into what is now known as the “Guild Wars”, which were a series of escalating conflicts fought between rival mining organizations. To put it mildly the Xlaxon’s did not last long and were quickly consumed by a larger guild. In the confusion of the guild wars the newly establish mining operation on Ageis Prime was lost in paperwork and quickly became further isolated from the rest of the galaxy.

With no overseers left and a semi functional colony all to themselves the newly transplanted workers began to form their own society on the planet and carved out a small patch of the planet they could call their own. It was nothing to brag about, but given their limited resources they made due. Several years passed before the planet would encounter a small group of mercenaries that would change their destiny forever.

A group of mercenaries calling themselves “The Fishermen” landed on the planet, which had now grown into a dense urbanized city, looking to finally establish a base of operations. There was initial resentment from the inhabitants as the established ruler of the planet, a self-proclaimed warlord known as “Kevin the Heartless”, ordered his enforcers to drive off the mercenaries. The battle was swift and the better trained and armed mercenaries easily overpowered the enforcers with the struggle finally ending when the warlord himself had his head bitten off and spit out by the mercenary’s Predatorian leader.

The inhabitants were surprised to find their new overlord was much more merciful than they had expected. While the mercenaries did establish themselves on the planet they also brought with them a vast amount of wealth from numerous sources. The normal baggage train of any military group flocked to the planet and set up shop. Bars, brothels, weapons dealers, mechanic shops, and even an official branch of the intergalactic bank quickly set up as the mercenary band began to sell out their services. As their fame grew the group not only enriched themselves but oddly enough began investing in the planets community’s as well.

Schools and hospitals were built for the growing population, a new police force and government system was established for official recognition and participation by the people of Ageis Prime, and most beneficial of all were several terraforming towers that were installed around the planet which began replacing the harsh world with an increasingly comfortable climate. With all of these improvements the general population lauded the Fishermen and heaped praise after praise on to them.

In the span of three years Ageis Prime had gone from a forgotten backwater to the galactic hub of the dead zone of unclaimed space; a pillar of civilization in the dark void of forgotten space.

Yet for all their generosity, the Fishermen still controlled everything from the shadows. It was an unspoken law of the land that nothing of importance was done without their leader’s approval. Even to run in an election a nominee had to first come see their boss and present him or herself to see if they’d amuse the Predatorian; if he didn’t find them amusing than they were expected to drop out, lest an unfortunate accident befall them.

At any given time the mercenary group was contracted out between ten to fifteen jobs ranging from basic security details for high value personnel and facilities, to waging wars on distant planets on part of an ad hoc detachment. This abundance of work was rather common as both the Rylon Collective and Havatal Republic lacked the means to enforce their wills in the unclaimed systems between their two borders. This didn’t even come close to the dozen or so different criminal groups that inhabited this unclaimed space who were always in need of additional muscle.

There were of course rival organizations to the Fishermen such as the Abvara Syndicate, Pelpens Pirates, the Brotherhood of Orion, and the Band of the Hig who each had their own sizable forces; yet each of them were constantly switching between periods of stability and bloody internal struggles for leadership. This facet was not seen inside the Fishermen thanks not only to their structuring, but also to the visionary leader that formed and continued to lead the group even now.

Sitting at the very top of the organization was the Predatorian, a massive mound of raw muscle, sharpened teeth, and with a twisted sense of humor only psychopaths could fully appreciate. Rising from a former slave he had first formed the Fishermen from the same slaves he was freed alongside during a bloody slave uprising. After taking control of ship that had once held them captive he steered it to the nearest port and sold it off, then used the funds to train and equip the slaves into a standard fighting force.

His name was Mr. B.

No one in the organization knew if that was his real name or not but what they did know was not to mock it. The last person that did had their fingers bitten off one at a time by Mr. B before they were thrown out on to the street. Mr. B later said that hearing all their jokes about his name had made him hungry for some “finger food”. He was ruthlessly efficient in his work and he expected that from all those under him. His combat experience was rivaled only by the commando units of the galactic governments. Yet for all his combat talent and training he was not as skilled when it came to logistics and the day to day operations common for such a large group. Thus he was greatly benefited by his second in command who was aptly proficient in such matters at such a young age.

A nine and a half year old human child named Lizzy Stalwart.

If there was little known about Mr. B there was even less known about his adopted daughter Lizzy Stalwart. Freed from the same slave ship Mr. B had been previously held, she had been by his side ever since. Rumor was she had been the one to trigger the mass unlocking of cells on the ship which led to the ship wide revolt of slaves against their captors.

While Mr. B handled the military aspects of the group it was Lizzy that managed the books. She had a keen insight for numbers and was always able to keep the group well-armed and fed as they went contract to contract. A common saying among the grunts of the organization was that you’d never run out of blood with Mr. B, and never run out of bullets with Lizzy Stalwart.

Despite his brutish demeanor, Mr. B had a natural soft spot for Lizzy and he had taken her under his fin so to speak and had come to see her as his daughter. The two of them were set to take on whatever the galaxy could throw at them, and they had an army behind them to throw it right back for payback.

The transport shuttle slowly descended to street level before killing the thrusters. The bus driver checked his systems and pulled open the door latch to the street.

“Fisher HQ!” they called out to the passengers behind them.

Vick grabbed his satchel bag and hefted it over his should as he stood up and made his way to the door.

“Let me guess,” the bus driver said as he finally reached the front; his eyes taking him in for a moment before he smirked, “trying to swim with the big boys?”

Vick smiled at the man as he got off but didn’t answer him. The shuttle thrusters kicked back on and the craft once again rose upwards into the air before speeding off down the road leaving Vick in the billowing cloud of dust it left behind.

He coughed several times and swiped the dust from his eyes before the cloud parted and revealed his final destination; the headquarters of the mercenary Fisherman.

It was a vast compound just outside of the city limits easily taking up nine city blocks in size. It held its own private landing pads, medical facilities, housing and training grounds, munition depots and manufactures... It was like an entire city itself dedicated to killing for money.

From the moment he had quit his dead end job as a dish washer of Veega Ce, Vick Novikov had thought of nothing but this moment. He had spent every credit he had ever saved to purchase his passage off world and the compact pistol strapped to his right thigh.

No longer would he be looked down on by those around him, no longer would people shove him out of their way as if he was garbage in the street, no longer would kids throw fucking rocks at him and laugh like the little shits they were.

Today Vick was going to become someone new, someone better, someone to be respected and feared.

Today, Vick was going to become a Fisherman.

[southeastasianists]

On November 7 2016, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s military, proudly delivered a presentation on the military’s efforts for democracy to the European Union Military Committee (EUMC) meeting in Brussels. To the surprise of many, he had been invited as the guest speaker for that meeting of the EU military chiefs by the then-EUMC Chair General Mikhal Kostarakos.

In its press statement, the EU mentioned that the participation of Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in the meeting was an achievement of “military diplomacy helping Myanmar to regain its position in the world’s political scene”. On that trip, Myanmar military’s chief also met with the EU officials to discuss “further military ties” before visiting Italy for engagements with military officials and defense companies.

This was followed by another trip to Austria and Germany on April 22 2017.  While there, Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing met with his German and Austrian counterparts and made several visits to local defense companies and industries. Around that period, not only the EU, but the United States also planned to gradually re-engage its military to military relations with the Myanmar military, initially by extending some training programs with the junior officer corps.

Narrative of Constructive Engagement

Wishful thinking was then prevalent in the West that advancing constructive engagement with the Myanmar military could enhance the professionalism and democratic outlook of its officer corps and speed up their withdrawal from politics. That sort of thinking primarily flowed from the narrative that after political liberalization in 2011, the military was ready to gradually retreat from politics if its leadership could be assured that the new constitutional order led by the civilian authorities could function without threatening territorial integrity, security and stability.

In reality, the military carefully planned to ensure its power under a disciplined democracy and lacked a genuine desire to disengage from politics. Under the 2008 constitution, they predetermined the extent of space for civilians to operate within, to what extent they would scale down political intervention and when they would intervene to shut down the nascent political space. As an armed forces which deeply perceived themselves as entitled to rule the country in perpetuity, the military has never intended to fully disengage from politics.

The narrative of the military’s voluntary withdrawal from politics fell apart completely when it seized power on February 1 2021. Some might argue that the military did not have a plan for its coup and that tension between elected civilian leaders and the military in the previous five years led to the takeover. During the first five years of National League for Democracy (NLD) rule, the civilian government held to a conciliatory stance towards the military, and there were no incidences that risked threatening the territorial integrity of the country or the institutional autonomy of the military.

With hindsight, however, it becomes clear that civil-military tensions only reached a crucial boiling point with the November 2020 election, the result of which compelled the military leaders to launch the coup. It was a choice wrought not by civil-military contestation but by the military’s fear that the NLD, if they remained in power for two full terms, would become firmly entrenched in a political leadership role that would enable them to finish off the military’s remaining political prerogatives and economic privileges.

Constructive engagement with the military by Western democratic countries did not transform the military into a professional organization, but instead inadvertently emboldened and legitimized its leadership to do whatever they wished. Less than a year after Snr. Gen, Min Aung Hlaing’s trips to the EU, the world was stunned to witness the military committing the brutal crimes in Rakhine State that a UN fact-finding mission labeled a “genocide” against the Rohingya minority.

In fact, this was nothing new in the modern history of Myanmar. There is a long history of military atrocities, ranging from campaigns of terror that may amount to crimes against humanity in the ethnic minority areas to brutal suppression and mass slaughter of civilian protestors in urban environments. Constructive engagement without holding the military to account for its past crimes, and without promoting the roles of its civilian counterparts, had the unintended consequences of virtually strengthening the military’s political positions and legitimizing its barbarous atrocities.

Narrative of the pro-democratic and stabilizing force

Similarly, there is another narrative that the next generation of Myanmar military officers would be more liberal and pro-democratic. This narrative was widely popular even before the “8888” uprising of 1988. In this narrative, Western investment in the future generations of Myanmar’s officer corps via academic opportunities and exposure to the West could depoliticize and professionalize the force. However, no evidence has emerged that the new generation of officers have changed their approaches and ideological orientations. On the contrary, they became woefully more antagonistic towards Myanmar’s pro-democratic forces.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi seems aware of this fact, despite her persistent conciliatory overtures towards the military as “her father’s army”. When the veteran journalist Bertil Lintner asked her in February 1989 if there were any younger officers who were more sympathetic to her, she replied, “No. It’s the opposite. Some of the older officers are okay as they are still loyal to my father [General Aung San, the founder of the Myanmar military]. The younger officers are the worst. They rose to prominence under Ne Win [the first military dictator who established the precedent for coups in Myanmar] and were hardened in combat in ethnic minority areas.” Now, the new officers who ascended to the top positions under Than Shwe [the dictator who created the post-2010 political reform] deposed and arrested her and also followed their predecessors in murdering the people they vowed to protect.

Another prevailing narrative is that the military is a “stabilizing force for the country”. The military has justified its political interventions with this narrative since 1958 and, through its propaganda machines, some analysts and even some neighboring countries has bought into that narrative. They believed, as the generals always claimed, that unless the military played its active political leading role, the country and its sovereignty would be at risk of disintegration. Even after the coup, Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said that “the military is the only force holding Myanmar together and always striving to prevent the country’s disintegration.”

Historically, as Andrew Nachemson once wrote, the military is “a force of chaos, not stability”. In 1962, the military staged a coup with the dubious justification that the country was at risk of drifting towards disintegration due to the federal ambitions of the ethnic minority groups under civilian rule. The military has persistently hung onto that justification ever since, despite the 1962 coup leader Ne Win regrettably admitting that “he would not have carried out the coup if he was well-informed of the Buddha’s Dhamma (teaching) at that time”.

Notable Shan scholar Chao Tzang Yawnghwe also argued that instead of keeping the country together, “the 1962 coup brought about havoc and ruin to the country, damaging the political links between the various ethnic components of Myanmar”. Also, in the recent coup, the military has obviously destabilized the previously stable political order by bringing an end to the country’s brief experiment with political development and dragging the country into chaos and towards the status of a failed state.

Narrative of Restoration of Democracy

The final key narrative is that military rule is transitory and temporary with the generals being ready to voluntarily transfer power back to elected civilians as they have promised. That narrative was also widely circulated in 1962 and 1990 after the military staged coups. Following the 1962 coup, General Ne Win said in the fourth meeting of the revolutionary council held on March 16 1962 that “the military would not rule the country for a long time”. Ne Win’s military council promised to pave the way back to constitutional rule led by a civilian political leadership. However, the military leaders of the council simply exchanged their uniforms for mufti, crafted the constitution as they wished and ruled the country for 26 years in different incarnations.

After the 1988 coup, the then military chief General Saw Maung promised that the military would return to their barracks and transfer power back to elected civilians after the 1990 election. In reality, the military would rule for another two decades. In 2021, coup leader Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said again that military rule will be temporary, and that it will hold elections and transfer power back to civilians. That narrative has been catching the attention of the international community, mostly countries from the region.

Nevertheless, the coup leaders, as the UN special envoy Christine Burgener has said, “appear determined to solidify their grip on power” by annulling the 2020 election won overwhelmingly by the NLD, extending their stay in power from a one-year emergency to August 2023, and declaring Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing as the prime minister of the newly-formed caretaker government. Just six months after the coup, it has become obvious that the narrative of temporary military rule is fundamentally flawed.

All these narratives relating to the military have been more or less integral in the approaches of the international community towards Myanmar. The policy makers of the international community have not yet relinquished the hope that the junta will voluntarily restore civilian rule. Also, they believe, as Biahari Kausikan is convinced, that the military is the only indispensable stabilizing institution that can keep the country together. Consequently, constructive engagement with the military without imposing too much pressure on it, as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is now cheerleading for, is the only way to enlighten the officer corps and to guarantee a return to some form of civilian rule.

The military’s political prerogatives have been deeply entrenched in Myanmar politics for a long time. As an army ingrained with a distrust of civilian politicians and entrenched with the notion of playing the leading political role in the country, any hope that the junta will voluntarily transfer power back to a civilian government through elections is nothing more than a daydream.

Recent evidence has demonstrated that the officers of the Myanmar military have been extremely hostile towards pro-democratic forces and that they haven’t hesitated to destabilize, even to destroy, the country in order to rule it. Similarly, another round of the constructive engagement promoted by ASEAN is definitely destined to fail. Rather than resort to the old narratives attached to the military, the time has come for the international community to demystify the old narratives and to reconsider its approaches in formulation of policy concerning Myanmar.

Ye Myo Hein, aka Ko Ye, is the public policy fellow at the Wilson Center’s Asia Program and the executive director of the Tagaung Institute of Political Studies.

[archerinventive]

Oh man! Had such a blast running around with friends last weekend at the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire!  A huge thank you to everyone who said hi, and for all the hugs. ^^ <3 

It was great seeing so many people and getting to do some of my all-time favorite things like eating way too much turkey and drinking my weight in Sarsaparilla rootbeer. Lol  

Now it's back to the workshop in preparation for The Urban Craft Uprising on the 5th where I'll be selling medieval-inspired wears and more. woo!

[capricornus-rex]

Someone Left to Save (9)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by Anon

Summary: The Mantis crew arrives to the capital of Ulfin, in the planet of Pevera, under siege. They meet the local rebel cell spearheaded by the former Republic admiral, Jax Beneb, who seeks to destroy the Empire’s occupation that was aggressively imposed upon while exploiting the planet of its natural resources. A plan is devised to destroy the Imperial’s main base of operations—as well as their influence—in the planet; however, it was a do-or-die mission that you and Cal had gotten yourselves caught in.

A/N: I’m trying to come up with ways on how to write and publish like I normally would. Good thing I have a few spare tech I can use!

Tags: Force-Sensitive! Reader, Inquisitor! Reader, Jedi! Reader, Fake Death, Jedi turned Inquisitor, Seduction to the Dark Side, Turn to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, Aftermath of Torture, Torture, Psychological Torture, Redemption Arc! Reader, Possible Redemption, Premonitions | Additional tags (also TW): Destructive habits, Depressed! Cal

Also in AO3

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 | Previous: Part 8 | Next: Part 10 | Masterlist

9 of ?

The forgers at the Imperial armory fashioned your mask with a hybrid of square and triangular accents. Meanwhile, you donned the ash-gray ensemble that goes underneath your armor plates. In the set, you’re granted a pair of pauldrons, gauntlets, greaves to go with the calves of your pants, and a breastplate with a red stripe along at the hem. They all fitted like a glove.

The piece de resistance is all that’s left.

You watched the Imperial armor technician weld and solder the helmet until it morphed into their ideal, desired shape. Sparks flew, shimmered to light the room, and then die out almost instantly. Bit by bit, you’re starting to see his artistic vision realized.

“I do not discriminate. Newcomer or otherwise, I put a lot of attention to detail in all of my crafts,” the technician thought out loud, perhaps sensing your curiosity and worry that it might not look as good as the others.

“I’m sure you do, considering how many we are right now,”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether there’s dozens of you. I can make one unlike the other—always.”

He harrumphed a scoffing laugh as a response, taking pride in his declaration before continuing.

The armor technician has finished the shaping phase, next he lets it sit for a minutes before cooling it with vapor. You watched the whole process with great intent and curiosity, at the same time, it’s as though you’re watching your new face being created right in front of your very eyes.

He gingerly took the helmet in both of his hands, cradling it with an esteemed carefulness—treating it with royalty and high regard, for crafting an Inquisitor’s mask was a heavy yet rewarding task to complete. This particular forger was an expert crafter, he hand-designed and sculpted most if not all Inquisitors’ helmets and masks. Feeling the weight of yours in his hands, he carefully stepped away from his smelter and toward you; like a monarch’s crown, he presented it to you and inched it closer for you to take it.

“Twelfth Sister,” addressed the armorer.

The gloss of the duraplast once cooled distorted your reflection on its convex surface. A part of you doesn’t recognize this face, the other acknowledges it but doesn’t accept the reality—at least not yet.

From the armorer’s hand to yours, the helmet rests in its rightful owner’s grasp. You hoist it to the top of your head and then lowered it once you’ve aligned it. One moment, your eyes were shrouded by black, and then the next thing you know you’re seeing red—literally—through the visor of your helmet, though you see things as clearly as you’d normally do.

“It’s a perfect fit,” you said blankly, although the comment delighted the armorer very much.

He bowed and returned to the front of his smelter, he’d afford small glimpses of you getting used to the helmet. From your end, there were functions that you’re new to—such as infrared scanning—and there were buttons disguised as accents on the side of the mask that respond to these features.

“Interesting,” you mouthed to yourself, not caring whether the armorer heard it or not.

You tried breathing through the mask, fortunately for you, this won’t hinder the strenuousness of your fighting style—let alone movements in general—as well as catching your breath. For a moment, it’s as though the same world was unraveled before you with brand new eyes—ones that stopped fighting the hatred and used it as strength, rage that blinds yet helps you see with great clarity, the intoxication to power was a permanent leech on your skin and you relished it.

Now completely outfitted in your Inquisitor’s garbs, you make your exit out of the armorer’s chamber and head out to join your “brothers and sisters” in conference. Being the newest, therefore the lowest in rank, the crew and Stormtroopers have mixed feelings about you—though you could care less.

They looked at you with curious yet skeptical eyes as you strode past them. You arrived in the conference hall, heads turned to the door at the sound of the sharp, metallic buzz and then revealed you standing on the other side.

“Ah, the newbie, right on time!” the male Twi’lek Inquisitor chirped, his pointed porcelain white teeth standing out of his glistening, obsidian-black skin.

You stepped in, took that one gap in the line and seemed to have closed the circle surrounding the holotable. You didn’t miss much of the briefing, though they picked up where they left, you intently studied all the holographs that are flashed on the table: battle tactics, ship routes, and person profiles. You listened to the Second Brother explain everything down to the last detail; you saw what kind of person  he is when the two of you aren’t swinging your sabers at each other’s neck, trying to kill one another.

The next part of his presentation included a whole collection of head shots. He explains that they are the current, surviving Jedi across the galaxy. The images of unnamed faces encircled the holotable and slowly rotated for each and every one to see. Below their portraits are short, bulleted write-ups of the latest reports about them: be it last known locations, current agendas, potential accomplices, and recent activities.

After the one you’re looking at, the next one made you quiver in your armor—you can spot that splash of red hair, a naïve freckled face, that boyish charm and a scrapper’s roguishness from a parsec away.

Cal’s head shot rotated and froze right in front of you; blank, jade eyes blending in with the fluorescent blue of the holograph as it stared through your helmet’s visor.

The most crucial part of your past life stares back at you.

The male Twi’lek, namely the Fourth Brother, noticed you in the corner of his eye, sensed your uneasiness and discovered your intrepidity replaced with a sudden, dramatic loss of self-confidence. The Second Brother continued his exposition.

“According to our latest intel, these are the Jedi currently in hiding. Some of them are so bold enough to join factions, such as the traitor—the former admiral Jax Beneb who made with a faction in Ulfin,”

“This one, Cal Kestis, joined them not too long ago. He travels with the Mantis crew comprised of its pilot, a Lateron named Greez Dritus, the right-hand and former Jedi Cere Junda, and… er… a witch. We don’t know the latter’s background, we can only confirm she’s Dathomirian.”

“She’s called a Nightsister,” you corrected the Second Brother.

“He and his crew got themselves involved with the uprising in Ulfin,” the Fifth Brother continued.

“Until the Imperial fortification was bombed—no thanks to Twelfth Sister right here.” The Seventh Sister finished with a voice of chagrin and sarcasm.

There were soft gasps and quiet murmurs amongst the other Inquisitors who apparently had no prior knowledge.

“In my defense, I wasn’t one of you that time,” you dryly chuckled before adding. “Took a few good voltages before you broke me, eh Seventh Sister?”

Feeling outclassed, Seventh Sister rolled her eyes and avoided eye contact from you. The sight of her furrowed eyebrows and the crease on the side of her nose warranted a satisfied, mischievous smirk. You bobbed your head at an angle while the next head shot proceeded, and then Cal’s image rotated to the female red-skinned humanoid with cropped brown hair on your left—this one is known as the Eighth Sister.

Second Brother continued with his plan, catching everyone’s attention by clearing his throat and getting back to the objective at hand. The point was to fan out to selected planets and systems where the Jedi stragglers ought to be and hunt them down—which is their original prerogative ever since the Inquisitorius was formed. Before anyone else could call it, you pressed a button which prompted the ring of head shots to spin wildly until the picture of Cal glows right in front of you.

“I’ll find him, along with Cere Junda,”

“Pheh! Hey, who says you get to have first dibs?!” the Eighth Sister screeched.

“Do you know them like I do?” you raised your voice against her and you were met with a stifled silence due to the lack of a good answer. “You’d be more productive in recovering junk parts salvaged by Jawas than finding the Mantis crew and the Jedi boy!”

The same silence hung around the holotable. You seem to have a knack in making anyone who spoke against you to hold their tongues. It seems everyone was waiting for you to elaborate on your rationale.

“I know the pilot’s flying tactics as well as Cere Junda’s technical tinkering that go hand-in-hand. The Nightsister is not to be underestimated lest you won’t be meeting her good side; and her powers exceed urban legend—she can cloak a ship like a normal cloaking device would, she can raise the dead, she can bury you alive six feet under without even touching a hair on you. That’s how potent her magick is. The boy, on the other hand, I know the most—his fighting, his emotions. Point is: I’m the best chance in finding them.”

You glanced left and right, searching for an objecting reaction from the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother, and then looked straight into Second Brother’s eyes.

“And you can’t deny that, Second Brother. So do the two right beside you.”

The rest of the Inquisitors turn to the Second Brother for his reply, he gave in and he cannot deny that cold, hard fact—that you were once in connivance with these people. And so, you’re granted with your chosen targets; the others followed suit in selecting which Jedi to go after.

—–

Cal wakes up in a cold sweat again. It has become a frequent occurrence, an unwanted habit that he’s trying so hard to kill.

The weeks turned into months, he’s honestly lost count that he had to ask someone else.

They’ve moved on from Jax Beneb’s rebel faction and went off-world. At first, it was difficult convincing the boy that they had to go and leave the planet, as there’s nothing coming back to him as much as he hoped, and whatever he’s waiting for is just dead air. He had developed a destructive habit of drowning himself in trances—he’s practically returned to where he was before: where he loses control in meditation, doing so has distorted his subconscious vision; he eats only once a day—sometimes not at all—and locks himself up in his room. BD-1 is his only companion through and through, but not even the tiny droid can get a word out of the Jedi boy.

The bracelet, your bracelet, is now worn around his wrist; but in the first time he’s secured it on his arm, the leather cord felt like it was burning and searing through his skin, but when others would take a look at it there’s nothing out of the ordinary. The metal pendant, with the scorch marks obscuring the finish, felt like a red-hot branding iron on his arm, his hand twitched and jerked, yet he couldn’t bring himself to swat away or rip the trinket off.

He hated the pain, but it was the only comfort he knew of remembering you by.

A self-imposed penance.

He blames himself for not coming sooner to get you out.

“[Y/N] would hate to see you like this, Cal,” Merrin started to scold.

There was nothing the Nightsister got out of the Jedi.

When he looked at her straight in the eye, she flinched; and then she got a closer look of the sorry state he’s in—there were dark circles around his eyes, the swelling and the redness of the lining of his eyes suggested restless nights whiled away with crying, untreated cuts and bruises spotted his knuckles and the damning evidence is the small yet noticeable streaks of blood on the gray walls.

“Merrin, I can’t crawl out of the grave that I’ve dug for myself,” Cal shuddered, his voice muffled as his mouth was blocked by his knees folded and drawn to his chest. “I know she’s still here. And I’m talking like the sentimental kind, no, I really know. You have to believe me. You all must think I’m crazy.”

“You don’t see or hear any of us saying so,”

“I know, I just… I don’t know if I’m imagining overthinking it but I just feel like you guys are only humoring me,”

“I don’t do that kind of thing, Cal, it’s not in my nature,” Merrin shook her head. “But I miss [Y/N] too. More than you’d like to know.”

Cal sighed and didn’t speak further. Merrin dismissed herself out of his bedroom and reminded him that Cere had left a plate of dinner for him before closing the door. When he was left alone again, he hung his head low and ran his fingers through his loose, unkempt hair.

He had been alone for most of his life, but this was a different kind of loneliness—one that he isn’t entirely used to. The emptiness, the silence, and the depression bore an alien, coldly terrifying air that hung heavily around his bedroom. The engine hum drowned out his sobbing as he tucks himself away in bed, deliberately forgetting his meal outside.

Cere feels all of that grim emotion pooling inside that room, she wonders how much of those feelings will she pick up if she opens that door—could she take it? Will she be overwhelmed? These were the questions she asked herself.

“Give him some more time. I don’t think he needs us right now, Cere,” Greez glumly said, stopping her in her tracks in any attempt of consoling Cal.

Cal could not sleep—another problem he’s dealing with. He lies with his back flat on the bed, tears trickle down his temples and pools on his pillow just below his ears, he feels like he’s nestled in his deathbed. He can close his eyes, but he cannot catch a wink of sleep. Sometimes, he mistakes dreaming for meditation—of the other way around.

As the meeting pronounced adjourned, they scrambled out of the conference hall while you’re left alone. Arms crossed with one another, you stared at the set of head shots you projected on the table—Cal and Cere. Even though you know them so well, you wondered what kind of information the spies have written about them in their reports.

Your eyes trailed to the write-ups for each profile.

CAL KESTIS

Last known location: Ulfin City in Pevera, Goltan System

Potential accomplices: Cere Junda, Greez Dritus (shipmate), unidentified Dathomirian female

Recent activity: Involvement in rebel-initiated terrorist assault

Charges: Conspiracy and acts of terrorism against the Empire

CERE JUNDA

Last known location: Ulfin City in Pevera, Goltan System

Potential accomplices: Cal Kestis, Greez Dritus (shipmate), unidentified Dathomirian female

Recent activity: Involvement in rebel-initiated terrorist assault

Charges: Conspiracy and acts of terrorism against the Empire

You sighed as you finished reading through the facts of their profiles. You turn away from the holotable and stand in front of the mirror that oversees the operations happening outside the Fortress in Mons Golotha. It’s originally a spice mine owned by a crime syndicate who capitalized in the illegal spice trade, but since the occupation and establishment of the Fortress Inquisitorius, the propriety was handed over to the Empire.

Through the window you watch the moving specks that are the people slaving away to harvest the raw, unprocessed spice, loading them into crates and then into freighters. But the turmoil of these pitiful workers weren’t your focus, you’re channeling it to finding Cal’s connection in the Force and through the Force. The storm in your mind has calmed for a time, allowing you to think and meditate clearly; even in the darkness, you see a light at the end of the path. You pursue it, as you run towards it like an excited, curious child you utter his name.

Cal…

His eyes shot up, he was on the verge of falling asleep already until he heard his name in the distance. He sat up, surveyed the bedroom and found nothing. He shrugged it off as nothing and decided to lie back down… but the voice called again.

Cal...

Now this time, he recognizes the voice. He bolted up.

“[Y/N]?!” he gasped.

Where are you?

“Where are you?”

You didn’t answer, one question led to another.

I need to find you. Tell me where you are.

“I… I’m in—”

“So, Twelfth Sister! How’s the hunt coming along?”

The boisterous Fourth Brother interrupted you and deprived you of the most vital part of your plan. He barges right into your personal space; before he could utter another word, you grabbed him in a chokehold using the Force and slammed him against the window wall. The impact was so hard that a crack appeared right behind his head almost like an icy halo.

The grit of your teeth hissed out the words, “What. Do you. Want?”

He gurgled his words but turned out into frothy noises, you saw him tap for submission on the glass and his ankles buckling.

“What is it that you have to say that is so important that you had to interrupt me and my meditation!?”

“I…. Guhhkk! Wanted to ask if… aagghhk! You plan to go alone!”

You released the Twi’lek, he fell to his knees coughing and clutching his neck.

“I work alone. Go.”

You turn away and wait for the Fourth Brother to leave your sight. Despite calling each other brother and sister, there was no filial connection amongst one another; simply put, it was only tolerance and putting up with each other’s bull. You, on the other hand, hate everyone. Some of them may have not played a part on your turning, but you can’t help but remain hostile towards them—the Eighth Sister deduced that it’s a normal feeling when you’re the fledgling of the Inquisitorius.

You leave the room and make for the hangar to your TIE Fighter.

Meanwhile, Cal was met again with silence and the ecstasy he felt in hearing your voice—even just in his head—died with his melting smile. He sighed and slipped under his sheets again, his heart ached as he coaxed himself to sleep.

Another long night awaits.

[larsmaischak]

Race, Gender, Class and the Old vs the New Left

With an afterword by Sojourner Truth

1960s

Capital:  Maybe we look bad, now that the Soviets have female tractor drivers and engineers, and Africa is governed by actual Africans, while we have a labor market that privileges white men?

New Left:  The Old Left has not done enough to recognize the specific ways in which women and African-Americans are oppressed.

Old Left:  Who has been leading all those Civil Rights marches, if not the left?  Who has been paying for the field organizers and buses, if not the labor unions?  Who has been pushing for equal pay and equal rights for women, if not socialists like Margaret Sanger?

1970s

Blue Collar Workers: Let’s beat the crap out of some hippies.  USA!  USA!

New Left:  See?  The Old Left is for the war, and against the counter culture, and all that.  They are squares!

Old Left:  You know that the craft unions representing those reactionary white, male workers have a long history of exclusion of women, immigrants, and African-Americans that goes back to the 1880s, right?  That’s different from our industrial organizing tradition that goes back to Eugene Debs, the Wobblies, the CIO…

New Left:  Workers are the enemy!  Let’s focus on women and people of color!

Old Left:  Now wait a minute!  95% of women and people of color rely on wage work for their income!  They are working class!

New Left:  Let’s march through the institutions!  I’ll be a lawyer!  You can get tenure!

1980s

Capital:  Let’s squash Communism and the unions!

New Left:  What unions?  Were there any left?  How quaint!

Old Left:  We have to defend the rights of workers!

New Left:  Workers are (a) fine, and (b) sexist, racist, reactionaries.  Shut up!

1990s

Capital:  Look, the Soviet Union is gone!  Let’s modernize our economy, and return personal responsibility to the individual!

Old Left:  Responsibility for what, exactly?

Capital:  For how they survive a modernized economy without adequate wages, health care, housing, and retirement benefits.

New Left:  Did you know that all those old, secure, well paid jobs were held by - gasp! - white men?  It is about time that they let go of their privilege and give women and people of color a chance.  Did you know that women and people of color like flexible jobs and thrive in them?  The kinds of jobs for which working class men are frankly not suited?  That require intelligence and education?

Old Left:  You mean making wage-work less secure and rewarding, more stressful, and placing the burden of obtaining the required education on the individual workers is good for women and people of color?

New Left:  Aha!  You are still your old racist, sexist, unreformed selves!

2000s

Old Left:  Fight Globalization!  For the rights of indigenous people, women, workers, for environmental protection!

New Left:  Hooray!  You know how we can get all those good things?  By opening up our markets for Free Trade!  Modernize!  Knowledge economy!  Global village!

Old Left:  That sounds an awful lot like the stuff corporate consultants are saying …

New Left:  Many corporate consultants are women, people of color, and even gay or lesbian!  We are not surprised that you fossils are still afraid of those groups gaining power at the expense of white men!

Old Left:  White men, like the indigenous women in Chiapas backing the Uprising?

New Left:  Cultural appropriation!

2010s

Old Left: Listen, have you paid attention lately to the free fall of the working class through the tattered social safety net?  There’s a swath of human misery and devastation from opioids, the starving of public institutions like schools and libraries, neoliberal schemes to penny-pinch urban areas that literally poison people with their tap water, …

New Left:  OBAMA!  Oh, the dreamy, well-spoken, intelligent, Obama!  Sigh!

Old Left: … as we were trying to say …

New Left: It is the Millennium of Modernity!  History is at an end!  All contradictions in the world, all conflicts, have been laid to rest!  Hosiannah!

Old Left: ... and these unaddressed problems will not just go away.  We have to pay attention …

New Left:  Will you SHUT UP ALREADY about the flyover states and the human scum that dwells in them!  We’re trying to listen to NPR, here.

2020s

Capital:  Enough with this democracy business.  It allows the wrong people to have their dirty fingers on the levers of power.  Didn’t we have a pretty good system in place for dealing with this stuff?  Steve?

Bannon:  Heil Trump!

Capital:  Sounds good.

Fascism:  Cultural Marxism has too long incited women and other inferiors to aspire to a status far above their place.  It is time to restore America to Greatness by putting these people back in their place.  By force, if needed.

New Left:  See what you’ve done!  All your decades of coddling the working class, those reactionary white men!  Now they’re back in full force, and all because of you and your idiotic refusal to go with the program.  We had it all!  Tenure!  Professional jobs!  CLOUT!  NPR!  MSNBC!  And you ruined it all!

Old Left:  Let’s talk about SOCIALISM …

New Left:  All the rights of LGBTQ+ people, women, people of color, and you want to throw that all out by capitulating to the Fascists?

Old Left: No, actually, we want to fight capital, so that the reactionaries are deprived of their funding and support.  Then we can rally the vast majority of the people, who are working for wages to survive, around their common interest as working, suffering, hoping, creative, loving humans.

Sojourner Truth:

I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. …  That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?

Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/sojtruth-woman.asp

[missmist93]

Top-4 Badass Female Rulers

Strong women in power more than once sparkled like bright stars on the canvas of history. Let's take a look at some of them that have left their mark on the history of Russia. 1. Princess Olga Our first officially known female ruler and the first Orthodox ruler. She’s a princess who ruled Kievan Rus from 945 to 960 as regent under her young son Svyatoslav, after the death of her husband, Prince Igor.  She was known as a proud, wise and brave woman. She signed several lucrative contracts with neighboring lands, laid the foundation for stone urban planning, streamlined tax collection and paid attention to the improvement of the lands under her control. There is a legend about how Olga outwitted the Byzantine king. He, marveling at her intelligence and beauty, wanted to marry Olga, but the princess rejected his claims, noting that it was not proper for Christians to marry pagans. It was then that the king and the patriarch baptized her. When the king again began to harass the princess, she pointed out that she was now his goddaughter, so he couldn’t marry her anyway.

But her cruel revenge for the death of her beloved husband is best known. In 945, Prince Igor died at the hands of the Slavic tribe of the Drevlyans after repeatedly collecting tribute from them. After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent 20 "best husbands" to Olga, deciding to woo her to their prince Mal. Olga pretended to agree to the Drevlyans' proposal, and, allegedly in order to honor the ambassadors, ordered her subjects to solemnly carry them on boats to her palace. Meanwhile, a pit had already been dug in the courtyard, into which, by order of Olga, the ambassadors were thrown. In 946, Olga went out with an army on a campaign against the Drevlyans. According to Russian chronicles, after an unsuccessful siege during the summer, Olga burned the city of the Drevlyans, Iskorosten, with the help of birds, to whose feet she ordered to tie lighted tows with sulfur. Some of Iskorosten's defenders were killed, the rest obeyed. After the reprisal against the Drevlyans, Olga began to rule Russia until Svyatoslav came of age, but even after that she remained the de facto ruler, since her son spent most of his time on military campaigns and didn’t pay attention to managing the state.

2.  Marfa Boretskaya, also known as Martha the Mayoress Formally, Martha was never a ruler, but she had great influence as the widow of the Novgorod mayor Isaac Boretsky, and she was one of the leaders of the Novgorod opposition to Ivan III. In the Novgorod folk legends, Martha appears in the form of a strong and domineering ruler who firmly held her position no matter what. In the 15th century, autocracy spread across Russia, but the Novgorod principality remained a stronghold of democracy. Martha and her son, the Novgorod dignified mayor Dmitry, in 1471 advocated the withdrawal of Novgorod from dependence on Moscow. Martha was the informal leader of the boyar opposition to Moscow; she was supported by two more noble Novgorod widows. Martha, who possessed significant funds, negotiated with the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Casimir IV on the entry of Novgorod into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the basis of autonomy while preserving the political rights of Novgorod.

Upon learning of the negotiations on the annexation of Novgorod to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Grand Duke Ivan III declared war on the Novgorod Republic and defeated the army of Novgorod in the Battle of Shelonsk (1471). Martha’s son was executed as a political criminal. However, Novgorod's right to self-government in its internal affairs was retained. Martha, despite the death of her son and the actions of Ivan III, continued negotiations with Casimir, who promised her support. In 1478, during a new military campaign, Ivan III finally deprived the Novgorod lands of the privileges of self-government, extending the power of autocracy to them. The veche bell, which used to call the townspeople to meetings, as a symbol of Novgorod democracy, was taken to Moscow. Martha's lands were confiscated, she and her grandson Vasily were first brought to Moscow, and then sent to Nizhny Novgorod, where she was tonsured a nun under the name of Mary in the Conception (since 1814 - Holy Cross) monastery, where she died in 1503. 3. Princess Sophia Alekseevna Romanova Another strong woman with a tragic fate. Voltaire said about her: “She had a lot of intelligence, she wrote poetry, was a skilled writer and orator, she combined a pleasant appearance with lots of  talents; they were overshadowed only by her ambition".  She ruled as regent of Russia from 1682 to 1689, during the minority of her brother Ivan V and half-brother Peter I.  A daughter of tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and Maria Miloslavskaya, she lost her father during a period of violent feuds that broke out between relatives of her deceased mother and stepmother. According to the laws of that time, only a man could inherit the throne. Sophia had no rights to it, although she was an older sister. After the Streltsy revolt, in May 1682, the warring factions reached a compromise and chose two tsars, two half-brothers - Ivan V and Peter I. Sophia headed the government under both minor tsars.

Sophia achieved that her name was included in the official royal title "Great Sovereign and Grand Princess and Grand Duchess Sophia Alekseevna". A few years later, her image was minted on coins, and from 1686 she already called herself an autocrat and the next year she issued this title by a special decree. The policy of the reign of Princess Sophia in many ways contributed to the renewal of public life. Industry and trade began to develop noticeably. The country began to produce velvet and satin. The Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was opened. International contacts are being established. Sophia began to reorganize the army according to the European model. Even the noble supporter of Peter I, Prince Kurakin, admitted: Sophia ruled “with all diligence and justice, so there was never such a wise government in the Russian state. And in the whole state during her reign great wealth flourished, commerce, and crafts, and science also multiplied... and the freedom of the people triumphed". But time passed, Prince Ivan died and Prince Peter grew up. Like Sophia, he actively advocated reforms for the good of the state, but Sophia flatly refused to cede the throne to her half-brother.

Sophia lost power while trying to eliminate Peter, who had already reached adulthood. In 1689, relations between Sophia and the boyar-noble group that supported Peter I escalated to the extreme. As a result, the party of Peter I won the final victory, and the royal biography of Sophia ended. All supporters of the princess lost their real power, her name was excluded from the royal title. Sophia herself was sent without tonsure to the Novodevichy nunnery in Moscow, where she copied church books and wrote a lot. During the Streltsy Uprising of 1698, Sophia repeated her attempt to gain power. In her letters to the streltsy, she asked to support her and oppose Peter I. The uprising was brutally suppressed. Sophia was tonsured as a nun and imprisoned in the nunnery forever.

The tragic story of his half-sister prompted Peter I to issue a decree on succession to the throne in 1722. The decree canceled the ancient custom of transferring the royal throne to direct descendants in the male line and provided for the appointment of an heir to the throne at the behest of the monarch. 4. Catherine II or Catherine The Great The 18th century in the Russian Empire was the heyday of the Russian "kingdom of women" - and the most beautiful flower in this garden was Empress Catherine the Great. The country's longest-ruling female leader (1762 – 1796). She came to power following a coup d'état that overthrew her husband, Peter III. Under her reign, Russia was revitalised; it grew larger and stronger, and was recognised as one of the great powers of Europe.

She wasn’t Russian in blood, but she became one in spirit. Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst converted to Orthodoxy and received the name Catherine, studied Russian language and Russian culture.  The Empress formulated the tasks facing the Russian monarch as follows: - to educate the nation to be governed; - to introduce good order in the state, to support society and make it comply with the laws; - to establish a good and accurate police force in the state; - contribute to the flourishing of the state and make it abundant; - to make the state formidable in itself and inspiring respect for its neighbors. Under Catherine, special attention was paid to the development of women's education, in 1764 the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens and the Educational Society for Noble Maidens were opened. The Academy of Sciences has become one of the leading scientific bases in Europe. In the provinces there were orders of public charity. In Moscow and St. Petersburg there are orphanages for homeless children, where they received education and upbringing. The Widows Treasury was created to help widows. If we talk about the disadvantages of her rule, then they include favoritism, corruption and connivance with the nobility to the detriment of ordinary people and especially serfs.The ideas expressed by Diderot and Voltaire, of which she was an adherent in words, didn’t correspond to her internal politics. They defended the idea that every person is born free, and advocated the equality of all people and the elimination of medieval forms of exploitation and despotic forms of government. Contrary to these ideas, under Catherine there was a further deterioration in the situation of serfs, their exploitation intensified, inequality grew due to the granting of even greater privileges to the nobility. In general, historians characterize her policy as "pro-noble" and believe that despite the empress's frequent statements about her "vigilant concern for the welfare of all subjects", the concept of the common good in the era of Catherine was the same fiction as in general in Russia in the 18th century.

[brialavellan]

For whatever OC you want: 💍⚖️🎁👽🗺️

💍 Does your OC have a specific item that is priceless to them but may (or may not) be completely worthless to someone else? Is there a story behind this item or is it just because they like it so much?

Mirwen's first toy ever (gifted by Krem to 'Manehn for Mirwen) was a stuffed halla she named Ghili. She still has it and refuses to admit the sentimental value but she definitely has sentimental attachment to it bc it reminds her of happier, more innocent times. Mirwen might argue innocence is for fools and she doesn't mourn the loss of innocence but that's more of her bitterness showing than actual conviction.

⚖️ What is the biggest crime your OC has committed? Are they a thief, a cheat, a liar? What is the smallest, most petty crime they’ve committed? Or do they not do crime at all?

Mirwen is a blood mage now, which is illegal in Thedas but not something I'd personally consider criminal. And I mean, I guess all of my OCs could be considered murderers to a certain extent but I wouldn't say they've committed any other crimes.

🎁 What would be the perfect gift to buy your OC? What would be the worst gift? Are they themselves any good at gifting things or are they really indescisive? How do they wrap their presents?

The perfect gift to buy 'Manehn would be anything Dalish made but the worst gift would be anything that's "Dalish made", if that makes sense. She can tell the difference between humans making some bullshit and actual Dalish craftsmanship. She used to sell Dalish crafts for the clan, after all.

👽 Describe your OC as if they were an urban legend or myth!

Some say Mhairi works the darkest magic in secret and she twists the hearts of men against the defenders of the Chantry faith. She's an infamous apostate - blamed for the fall of the templar order and, by extension, the fracturing of the Chantry. She's believed to be responsible for every Circle uprising since Kirkwall. She's an agitator and rebel, but to the Circle mages who want freedom, she is an aspirational figure, one who'd rather flee or fight than submit.

🗺️ Does your OC like going on adventures? Have they ever discovered something really interesting and significant or are they just too busy getting lost? Where is their favourite place they’ve been? Least favourite?

Fiona has been lots of places between to Queenly duties and, later, Warden business. She found the Anderfels quite beautiful in its harshness. She finds Orlais too dainty and pretentious. She loves Ferelden the best (she takes a lot of pride in where she's from)

Thank you for the ask! ❤️