truthaboutalice

[truthaboutalice]

it’s hilarious to me when people call historical fashions that men hated oppressive

like in BuzzFeed’s Women Wear Hoop Skirts For A Day While Being Exaggeratedly Bad At Doing Everything In Them video, one woman comments that she’s being “oppressed by the patriarchy.” if you’ve read anything Victorian man ever said about hoop skirts, you know that’s pretty much the exact opposite of the truth

thing is, hoop skirts evolved as liberating garment for women. before them, to achieve roughly conical skirt fullness, they had to wear many layers of petticoats (some stiffened with horsehair braid or other kinds of cord). the cage crinoline made their outfits instantly lighter and easier to move in

it also enabled skirts to get waaaaay bigger. and, as you see in the late 1860s, 1870s, and mid-late 1880s, to take on even less natural shapes. we jokingly call bustles fake butts, but trust me- nobody saw them that way. it was just skirts doing weird, exciting Skirt Things that women had tons of fun with

men, obviously, loathed the whole affair

(1864)

(1850s. gods, if only crinolines were huge enough to keep men from getting too close)

(no date given, but also, this is 100% impossible)

(also undated, but the ruffles make me think 1850s)

it was also something that women of all social classes- maids and society ladies, enslaved women and free women of color -all wore at one point or another. interesting bit of unexpected equalization there

and when bustles came in, guess what? men hated those, too

(1880s)

(probably also 1880s? the ladies are being compared to beetles and snails. in case that was unclear)

(1870s, I think? the bustle itself looks early 1870s but the tight fit of the actual gown looks later)

hoops and bustles weren’t tools of the patriarchy. they were items 1 and 2 on the 19th century’s “Fashion Trends Women Love That Men Hate” lists, with bonus built-in personal space enforcement

[truthaboutalice]

There’s always a lingering question that I ask myself, which is why do I, a cis bisexual woman, enjoy romance between two men so much?  

There are easy answers, like that it’s just fetishizing.  And like, I find men attractive, yes.  But I also find women attractive.  I don’t have a problem with enjoying het romance, assuming I can find good ones.  I enjoy stories with female characters I can relate to.

But there’s something much deeper at play, IMO.  A friend of mine who is a gender studies professor was the first person to point this out to me, but a lot of women enjoy m/m romance and gay porn because of the lack of women.  It removes a source of pressure and sexism.  Without any women present, you don’t have to constantly evaluate the sexism of their portrayal, or be reminded of negative experiences in your own life.  It allows women to experience romance and especially sexuality without all the baggage that comes with it in our patriarchal society.

This was recently illustrated to me rather dramatically.  I read a recommendation for a het romance.  And it sounded cute, and came highly recommended.  The tropes at play were fun.  Until I read a snippet and realized this was a romance between a woman and her boss.  I had a visceral negative reaction.  

Instantly I’m thinking of sexual harassment stories I’ve read and heard from other women. I’m thinking of how uncomfortable it would be to have your boss develop feelings for you.  How icky the power dynamics would be, etc.  

And then I realized…this wouldn’t bother me if it were two men.  Now, there’s no logical reason for that.  Sexual harassment is just as wrong when its object is a man.  But I know I’ve read fics with a similar premise and never thought about it.  Because when it’s two men I can accept this is just a light romance, a fantasy, meant to be fun and sexy and not to represent the real world.

But I can’t when it’s a het relationship.  There’s too much baggage there.  Too much societal history of abuse.  I can’t relax enough with the premise to enjoy that story.  

Now some people can.  And that’s fine.  And some people are never going to be okay with power imbalances like that regardless of gender.  That’s also fine.  I don’t think having either reaction makes one morally superior.  It’s okay to just enjoy light entertainment for what it is without going into deep analysis.

But it’s much more difficult for me, and I think for many women, to relax and enjoy romantic and sexual stories when they involve female characters.  We’ve been burned too many times by shitty depictions, by shallow role models, by abuse portrayed as romantic.  We have developed a stress response, a trauma response to heterosexual romance.  We are hyper-reactive to a wide variety of triggers in regards to it.   But removing women from the equation makes stories safer for us.  And maybe it shouldn’t?  In an ideal world?  But for many of us, that’s the truth.

[truthaboutalice]

Repeat after me: - Veganism is not affordable - Veganism is not cruelty free - Veganism is not the best choice for everyone

[truthaboutalice]

Its funny draco helped harry and his friends stop the war two times. One unknowingly and one knowingly at the risk of his family. Imagine his face if harry told him about the wand and the Dumbledore situation. Like I love the theory of draco's wand being way ahead of him and showing proof that draco is giving his loyalty to him. The wand choses the wizard. Draco's wand knew already which wizard he was going to follow. He chose harry.

YES! I woleheartedly agree. I could write a mile-length essay about this: 

“I love the theory of draco’s wand being way ahead of him and showing proof that draco is giving his loyalty to him. The wand choses the wizard. Draco’s wand knew already which wizard he was going to follow. He chose harry.”

However, such an essay has already been written (alas, not by me, lol). A brilliant analysis by @pottergerms  that shook me to my core. 

So I’ll quote a part from it - about the issue of trust as a root of the entire business why Draco’s wand ‘changed’ its allegiance and whether it truly did :  

—————————————————

Here’s what JKR has said about the whole Hawthorn wand business:

‘So one would expect a certain amount of loyalty from one’s wand. So even if you were disarmed while carrying it, even if you lost a fight while carrying it, it has developed an affinity with you that it will not give up easily. If, however, a wand is won, properly won in an adult duel, then a wand may switch allegiance, and it will certainly work better even if it hasn’t fully switched allegiance for the person who won it. So that of course is what happens when Harry takes Draco’s wand from him…’

Not trying to correct JKR because she’s the fucking author, but doing it anyway: Draco and Harry didn’t duel, dear Joanne. He only took the wands in a hurry. He never disarmed him. Proof?

As Ron ran to pull Hermione out of the wreckage, Harry took his chance; he leapt over an armchair and wrested the three wands from Draco’s grip…

Well, well, well. No duel. How… interesting.

JKR’s argument here is that, even though they didn’t properly duel, Draco was disarmed the muggle way, with a good old shove. Well, again, not trying to diss her own understanding of her world, but this pathetic wrestle doesn’t count. If that was all it took, then wands would be pretty useless, hm? Their allegiance should survive a shove. They’re expensive, God’s sake!

Let’s read JKR’s own canon a bit more, shall we?

Harry looked down at the hawthorn wand that had once belonged to Draco Malfoy. He had been surprised, but pleased, to discover that it worked for him at least as well as Hermione’s had done.

Pleased. Heheh. So gay. Anyway.

It’s funny that she included this in the book, because it contradicts her own laws of wands. According to them, if you steal/borrow someone else’s wand, it won’t change allegiances, obtaining only “fair results”. The allegiance only changes if it’s won.

Well, JKR, Hermione’s wand works perfectly for Harry even though he never disarmed her. Just like Draco’s, who he also never disarmed. So why do they change loyalties, or at least share loyalties? Harry sees both wands as friendly, and he naturally uses both with no problems.

So here’s my personal theory, from everything I’ve read and all the time I’ve spent overthinking the issue without being paid a single pound:

Harry had their complete, absolute trust.

(Ok, it sounds stupid, but bear with me.)

People were part of the war for many reasons, right? For their families, their friends, themselves, for justice and all that. They keep their reasons until the end, hopefully. Right? Even those fighting for Harry, they had their own reasons.

Now, what was the main reason Hermione ended up in the middle of this war? It’s not in her nature to fight, she’s not a warrior. But she knew she had to help Harry. It was only Harry. She didn’t have family fighting alongside her. She didn’t have any other allegiance.

Why she never, not even once, mistrusted Harry? Ron did and they were so close. That’s because his primary reason for being there was his family, not Harry (that doesn’t mean he didn’t love or trust Harry, but he would choose his family, if he had to).

This absolute trust Hermione had for Harry has the same origin as everything good in Harry Potter: sacrifice. She gave up her own parents, her own story. She made a huge sacrifice for Harry. She gave up her doubts and any other loyalty she had to follow him.

What about Draco, you ask?

He had his family as his only loyalty throughout his whole life. But that went to shit, to be honest. His whole world stopped making sense. Everything he believe was a lie. He didn’t trust his parents anymore, even though he loved them immensely. He was so confused (“I love a good turmoil”, his wand said, happily).

And I think sacrifice is exactly what happened to Draco at Malfoy Manor. He made it by not identifying Harry, by betraying his own family and Voldemort and risking his own life (and he does that again in the Room of Requirement).

At that moment, his only hope, his only trust in the world was Harry. Because if Voldemort won, he was fucked. Not only because he didn’t want to live in that world he once thought perfect, but because he was a shitty Death Eater, he didn’t want to kill or torture. He didn’t believe in Voldemort anymore. He didn’t have anything else to believe, at that exact moment.

When he “lost” his wand to Harry, his allegiance had already changed in such a visceral way that it was easy for them to share his wand (and the Elder Wand, by proxy). Because he trusted Harry with his heart and soul.

…

And remember how Narcissa’s wand didn’t “understand” Draco?

Her wand is unknown, but it’s said to resemble Lucius’s, so it was probably Elmwood, a wand considered desirable for purebloods. Imagine that. The nature of her wand was not the same as his at all. She was selfish and didn’t have any allegiances but her own family. Even when she makes that final sacrifice, lying to Voldemort, it’s for Draco. She couldn’t care less about Harry’s life.

So her wand not adapting to him is a huge indicator that his loyalty wasn’t with his family at all anymore. They were with Harry now (the whole “DON’T KILL HIM! DON’T KILL HIM!” shebang is like a neon sign, innit?).

And loyalty means much more than just wands in Harry Potter. The two Death Eaters who betrayed Voldemort, Snape and Regulus, sacrificed their lives, reputation, love (doesn’t matter which kind). They were something so foreign to Voldemort he never once thought they betrayed him.

Because loyalty free of ulterior motives is love in its most visceral sense.

…

I will never accept the Hawthorn wand changed allegiances, because we have proof it didn’t have any reason to, and it’s not in its nature to just do it. Furthermore, in Cursed Child Draco even uses this old wand again.

He never lost the wand’s loyalty completely, he just shared it with Harry.

© @pottergerms

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The entire iconic and brilliant analysis you can read here:

“The Hawthorn mystery: why did Draco’s wand work for Harry?”

[truthaboutalice]

I have a really complex relationship with religion, but here’s something positive

[truthaboutalice]

Woah woah, hold up. I just realised that I haven’t talked about Wayward Son yet. I’m really surprised, wow.

Alright, so lets get started with what I thought about it.

As you all know, Carry On is a fantasy novel. Sure, it’s mostly known for Snowbaz, but it’s still a fantasy novel, with goblins and magick and all that. In that perspective, I quite liked Wayward Son. It was really good and fun and exhilarating. (Though not as much as Carry On.)

But looking from a Snowbaz perspective, I was highly disappointed at first. Like, 2 chapters in and I’m already bawling like a baby. I was freaking out because I thought that we were gonna get yhis fluffy and sweet road trip book with so many happy Snowbaz moments (I’m pretty sure we all expected that), but what we got was the opposite. And I wasn’t really taking a break from reading it, so I couldn’t really even take some tome to comprehend all the stuff happening.

But now, in retrospect, their relationship was realistically portrayed, and I was looking for perfect. Sure, their imperfections are definitely what make them perfect in this book and I love that, but it was also realistic. This is what all of us should’ve been expecting, except only a few did. Now that I look back, this is obviously what would’ve happened. It all makes so much sense. Of course Simon wouldn’t be happy after having all of that happen to him. After killing the Mage (ugh) who was like a father figure to him. After having his magic, the only thing that he thought defined him, taken away. Of course Baz would’ve still been insecure and his worries for Simon must’ve grown a lot after all that happened. Of course Penny would’ve been miserable watching her best friend all through school become this depressed person. Of course Agatha would’ve freaked out a bit and definitely left after what she (almost) witnessed that night when she didn’t even like being a mage.

All of this, it’s all perfectly realistic and realistically perfect.

I felt really betrayed at first. It was like I had given my heart and trust to Rainbow on a silver platter and she broke my trust, stomped on my heart and ran away. But she didn’t. Instead she gave me something that I love more than I love what I hoped Wayward Son would be about. She gave me something even better and I love it. It’s imperfect and messy and complicated and I love it.

(Another thing, I think it’s pretty obvious that there’s going to be a third book (I mean, c’mon, Wayward Son ended on an obvious cliffhanger) so let me just say: RAINBOW ROWELL YOU BETTER NOT PULL AN ‘ELEANOR AND PARK’ ON MY PRECIOUS SNOWBAZ OR SO GOD HELP ME I WILL SUE YOU!)

[truthaboutalice]

Ultimate Drarry Fic List!!

It’s finally here!

This is an ultimate list of every fic I’ve ever read and recommended. Not to be confused with my ultimate favorites list!

For an elite masterlist of my top Drarry fics of all time click here

Click on the title below for a link to each fic, plus full summery with warnings and excerpts.

Stories are grouped by theme. 

Updated 6.2.19

Lees verder

[truthaboutalice]

Drarry Fic Rec #31 (or something like that)

Right Hand Red by lq_traintracks (lumosed_quill)

For an elite masterlist of my top Drarry fics of all time click here

Word Count:  73,173

Summary: Harry felt Malfoy’s breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory.Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy.Malfoy felt inevitable.

My Notes: The characterization is great in this fic, and the UST! This fic is littered with it! When Harry pines, we all pine. Painting!Snape is heavily featured, and we stan! Beautiful look inside Harry’s feelings/thoughts on how Draco has changed after the war. Just read it, trust me!

Warnings: EWE, Figuring out/coming to terms with sexuality, Bottom!Draco, Mentor!Snape (mild),

Excerpt:

Harry let go of Malfoy’s warm hand. “See you.”

“Yeah.”

They parted ways, walking off the mat in opposite directions, but Harry’s heart still pounded like they’d been going for the Snitch.

It pounded like it never had for Cho or Ginny or anyone.

Harry sat back down in his big squishy chair as Dean drew from the hat again and a new game began.

Harry sat in his big gay chair with his pounding gay heart and what was left of his throbbing gay erection, and it was all so bloody clear, he didn’t know whether to feel immensely relieved or scared out of his mind.

Because he wasn’t just gay. He was gay for Malfoy.

And that was a whole new level of acceptance.

[truthaboutalice]

I love how bitter you are about Zutara b/c honestly like same. So much same

F O R E V E R  B I T T E R.

i mean…

classic ‘enemies to lovers’ beginning

also ‘opposites attract’ to the max…. “you rise with the moon, i rise with the sun” coME ONNNN

aLSO both have SECRET IDENTITIES that mirror eaCH OTHER AS HERO / ANTI-HERO whose COLOR THEMES are the OTHER ONES main COLOR JFC

“zuko kept her necklace to track her” UH-HUH “TRACKING” PURPOSES suuuuuuuuure (this little moment for sure launched a thousand fics of him starting at it wondering why he didn’t want to give it back uGH my heart)

um LOCKED TOGETHER IN A CAVE?? WHERE THEY START TO UNDERSTAND WHERE EACH OTHER ARE COMING FROM / HOW THEY HAVE STRUGGLED AND/OR MESSED UP??? AND HOW ZUKO HAS CHANGED???

um um uMMMM then he betrays her / them and it is heARTBREAKING and aAAAANGST AF (which is just *kisses fingers* shipping perfection)

and tHEN zuko EARNS (***EARNSSSS****) her forgiveness for all of his mistakes and then teaches HER about how to know the difference between justice and revenge…THEY COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER SO WELL DAMNIT

zuko becomes part of their Found Family and lOOOK AT THEM FIGHTING PERFECTLY AND COMPLIMENTARY IN SYNC AHHHHH

and then.

AND THEN.

AAAAANNNNNDDDD.

TTTTHHHHEEEEENNNNNNN.

This sequence in the finale. This stunning, emotional, heartbreaking sequence that in addition to be just UNBELIEVABLE animation also has Azula pinpoint that Katara is a WEAK POINT for Zuko and targets that weak point and zuko juMPS IN FRONT OF A DEADLY LIGHTENING BOLT TO SAVE KATARA I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT

EVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN

BELIEEEEEEEEEEEVE

them my goSH !!!!!!!

If there is ONE ship I will fight to the death for, it is them. 

we. WERE. R O B B E D.

[truthaboutalice]

x

[truthaboutalice]

This is very intresting! There is so much wrong information in the world and it's nice to see people being educated!

Really? You’re really going to say this? 

First off: see this? 

This is my masters’ degree in anthropology. I’d show you my BA, but it’s at my parents’ house. I’m three and a half years into a PhD in physical anthropology. I’ve been employed to do physical anthropology at one of the world’s best natural history museums. My area of study? Teeth and diets. I’m not here to argue veganism or vegetarianism, I’m here to tell you, point by point, why you’re devastatingly misinformed about our place in the primate family tree, along with my peer-reviewed sources behind the jump. I know we live in a “post-truth” society so maybe being presented with the overwhelming consensus of the scientists who currently work with this material is meaningless to you, and honestly, this probably isn’t going to make a bit of difference for you, but I can’t let this slide. Not in this house built on blood and honor. And teeth.  

1. The evidence for being closely related to chimpanzees is vast and well-understood thanks to advances in DNA analysis. We share a huge amount of DNA with them, and not just repeating patterns in non-coding DNA. We have numerous genes that are identical and likely diverged around 7 million years ago, when Sahelanthropus tschadensis was roaming the earth. S. tschadensis was a woodland species with basal ape and basal human-line traits. The most notable was the positioning of the foramen magnum towards the central base of the skull and not emerging from the back suggests bipedality. This, along with other traits such as small canines worn at the tip, which implies a reduced or absent C/P3 honing complex (the diastema), suggests that this is actually a basal trait and the pronounced diastema we see in other species was a trait that came later. But more on that later- back to chimps and what we mean by sharing DNA. Our chromosomes and chimp chromosomes are structured far more like each other than other mammals. Furthermore, the genes located on these chromosomes are very similar. Chromosome 2, for instance, is nearly identical to two chimpanzee chromosomes. (Chromosome 2 in humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans is different from Chromosome 2 found in apes and is actually the remnant of an ancient mutation where Chromosome 2 and 3 merged- you can see that from its vestigial centromeres and the genes found on it. We can’t get DNA from fossil material, but Neanderthal and Denisovan subfossils have demonstrated that this reduced chromosome count- we have one fewer pair than apes- is a typical trait of the Homo genus). Here’s a side by side comparison of Human and chimpanzee chromosomes. 

Gene coding regions are colored- bands at the same place mean that there’s two identical genes at that locus. Our similarities to lemurs, on the other hand, aren’t on homologous chromosomes. We have similar coding around the centromeres but the genes express themselves differently. The structure of non-ape primate genes is also significantly different; when the first chromosomal comparisons were done between humans and lemurs back in the 1990s, it was discovered that lemurs have much more highly-concentrated heterochromatin at their centromeres, whereas the structure of human and chimpanzee centromeres is similar. The major differences in chimp and human DNA are in the noncoding regions; most of our genes have identical structures. 

2.  All primates evolved from a lemur-like organism, not just humans. Here’s one of them. I’ve seen her in person. Pretty cool, huh?

Her name is Ida and she’s a member of the genus Darwinius. But that’s just like saying all primates evolved from something that was basically a tree shrew- which is also true. See, one of the main points of evolution is that organisms are continually changing throughout time. We didn’t jump from lemur-like organism to human; changes were slow and gradual and the lineage isn’t really a straight tree. The fossil species we have and know lead to different lines branching out. Some things died off, some things flourished. Heck, look at the Miocene- twelve million years ago, there were hundreds of ape species. Now there’s twenty-three. (Sixteen gibbons, two chimp species, two gorilla species, two orangutan species, and one human species. There’s also some subspecies of gorilla and gibbon, but I’m only counting the primary species.) It’s hard to trace things back, but saying that we evolved from lemur-like species is obtuse and obfuscates the real point, which is that Homo and Pan descended from a relatively recent-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things common ancestor. 

3. Our dentition is unique to the extant primates, but not australopithecines. Our teeth look very much like other members of the genus Homo, the extinct ones, as well as many of the australopithecines. We also have very similar enamel proportions to gracile australopithecines; apes have much thinner enamel overall.

But what did australopithecines eat?

Everything. We know they were eating fruits and nuts based on microwear analysis and strontium analysis, but we also know they were eating meat- and in pretty decent quantity, too. We’ve found all kinds of butchering sites dating back millions of years and in association with Australopithecus garhi, the earliest tool user, but we can also see this in tapeworm evolution. There’s many, many species of tapeworm in several genera. But three of them, in the genus Taenia, are only found in humans. And these species diverged from… carnivore tapeworms. Their closest relatives infect African carnivores like hyenas and wild dogs. 

Tapeworms that are adapted to the specific gut of their host species need a certain environment, as well as a specific cycle of infection so that it can reproduce. A tapeworm that infects hyenas is going to be less successful if it somehow makes the jump to a horse. But if the hyena tapeworm was able to adapt to our gut, that suggests that our stomach was hospitable enough for them chemically to survive- which brings me to the intestines.

4. Our intestines are also unique. Yes, we have longer intestines than carnivores, but we also don’t have cecums like herbivores. We are omnivores and that means we still needed to retain the ability to digest plants. 

The key to being omnivores is omni. All. I’m not saying we should only be eating meat, I’m saying our ancestors ate a varied diet that included all kinds of things. If we weren’t omnivores, why would we have lost the cecum’s function? Why is the human appendix only a reservoir for the lymphatic system, as it is in carnivores? The cecum is an extremely important organ in herbivores, as it houses the bacteria needed to break down cellulose and fully utilize fiber from leaves. But we don’t have that. Instead, we compensate with a long gut. Our ancestors absolutely did eat fruits and nuts and berries, but they also ate other stuff. Like scavenged carcasses and bugs and probably anything they could fit in their mouths. Which- actually, primate mouths are interesting. Humans and chimpanzees have enclosed oral cavities, thick tongues, and jaw angles much more like herbivores than carnivores- suggesting a herbivorous ancestor. That’s not something I’m arguing against at all. But again, we have adaptations for eating meat and processing animal protein because we are an extremely opportunistic species. 

5. Our canines are true canines. First, semantics: having a diastema does not canine teeth make. We refer to the canine teeth by position- even herbivores, like horses, have them. They’re the teeth that come right after the incisors. All heterodonts have the potential same basic tooth types- incisors, canines, premolars, molars- in various combinations and arrangements. Some species don’t have one type of teeth, others don’t have any- but it’s silly to say that the canine teeth aren’t canine teeth just because they don’t serve the same function as a gorilla’s or a bear’s or some other animal’s. It’s basic derived versus primitive characteristics. 

Now that we’ve got semantics out of the way, let’s talk about that diastema. The lost diastema is a derived trait, which means that our ancestors had it and we lost it over time. All other extant non-Homo primates have a canine diastema. All of them. However, when you look at australopithecines, we see that many of them either don’t have it or have it in a reduced capacity. At the earliest known hominin site, Lukeino, we see Orrorin tugenensis with reduced canines compared to ape fossils and modern apes- and… you do know that apes don’t use their canines for eating meat, right? Like, primate canines serve a very different purpose than carnivorans’ canines. It’s suggested that the large canines are for social display moreso than anything dietary- bigger, more threatening teeth are useful if you’re a gorilla or chimpanzee fighting to the top of your group’s social structure. 

I’m going to refer you to a blog post written by Dr. John Hawks, a good friend of my advisor and generally a pretty cool guy. He’s got a nice writeup on the evolution of hominin teeth and how the human line’s teeth have changed through time. 

Also, of course our teeth are going to be smaller. When we compare archaic Homo sapiens fossils to modern skeletons, their teeth and jaws are much more robust. This is likely related to the introduction of soft foods- and by soft, I mean cooked grain mush- to the diet around the time of domestication, right before the population explosion that happened about 10k years ago. In general, post-domestication human jaws are much smaller and more crowded than any other humans and hominins that came before.

6: Neanderthals did die out, but not in a catastrophic event like we think of with dinosaurs. While there are no living Neanderthals today that we would classify as Homo neanderthalensis, there is plenty of evidence that we interbred and likely outcompeted them as a species due to our overwhelmingly large population size (hypothesized based on number and locations of remains found). While there’s only a small percentage of Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA lines in human populations today, it’s quite likely we lost a lot of that due to genetic drift and population migration- Neanderthals, after all, had a much more limited range than Homo sapiens sapiens. Their eventual extinction is a mosaic of events- outcompetition plus assimilation. The line between Homo sapiens sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis/Homo sapiens neanderthalensis is blurry- there’s some physical anthropologists who actually think we should be including them within our species as a subspecies- but they are extinct in that the specific subset of hominins with distinct karyotypes and potential phenotypes no longer exists.

And if you don’t know, now you know.

Keep reading

[truthaboutalice]

I just. I don’t like this view of “millennials vs Gen Z”. This is NOT supposed to be a competition of who got fucked over the most and who’s “actually fighting back”.

Millennials are fighting back just by surviving in a job market where the minimum wage doesn’t cover the living cost. Millennials are awesome at “killing” the diamond, golfing and napkins industries. Millennials are using the internet to make sure things that corporations want to keep in the dark are exposed. They’re open LGBTQIA-friendly business, they’re supporting each other with online donations so everyone can survive this shitty economy.

And the Gen Z kids? The Gen Z kids are rad. I remember a post about something like the millennials making a collective promise to never become a disenchanted generation that only criticizes the next one and I want to point out that this “millennials vs gen z” trend is trying to do exactly that: split us apart. Prevent millennials from being the older siblings that teach the younger siblings to throw a good punch and turn them into the annoyed adult complaining about “those kids” on their lawn. We are the two groups that grew in a connected world of information. We are two very unique generations.

I think that it’s our duty for us millennials, as a disrespected, underpaid, very angry generation to stand up by our younger siblings, and fight together the oppressive systems that brought us all to this point.

[truthaboutalice]

After Medusa saw the Trailer of Ralph Breaks the Internet~ 🐍🐍🐍

[truthaboutalice]

This is a very important message! Thanks Dan for using your platform to do something incredible!

Have the courage to exist.

Hello internet. 

Today, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day and as a cause very close to my heart I am releasing a new range of merch where all proceeds will go to the charity I represent - Young Minds, to help fight for young people’s mental health.

In 2014 I made the video ’Existential Crisis’ where I dropped the surprisingly profound quote ‘Embrace the void and have the courage to exist’. This was a message that in a universe that won’t give you the answers, it’s up to you give your life meaning in whatever way makes you happy. 

In the years since uploading this video, I’ve spoken to many people who have told me how those words resonated with them and inspired actions, art (and even a few tattoos) so I thought this would be the perfect way to put some goodness back into the world and give you courage when you need it.

As of now the quote is available as both a simple black (of course) t-shirt:

And a flag for you to pin up on a wall like a poster, raise on a pole ..or just wear like a cape if you feel like it:

shop.danielhowell.com

When it comes to mental health I know all too well how difficult it can be just to exist, but days like this where people come together to show support for each other and raise awareness show that none of us are alone. A year on since I posted ‘Daniel and Depression’, where I was open about my struggles with mental health, I feel so much support from people around the world and pride that what I did may have helped others. I encourage anyone reading this who sympathises not to struggle in silence and otherwise to reach out to the ones you love and tell them you are there, it could make all the difference.

I hope that you like the sentiment and please get involved to support a wonderful charity, and as I said in a recent live show - if I can make it through life to this point, so can you.

Thanks Dan

[truthaboutalice]

College (Larry):

All the Right Moves

Can’t Fool Me    

If I don’t have you      

Won’t Say I’m In Love

Walk That Mile

8th Year (Drarry):

Lumos

Who Shagged Harry Potter?

Love Comes Tumbling      

Something I Don’t Want to Stop  

The Owl Who Came for Christmas    

Dom/Sub (Larry):

Reduce Me To A Pleading Cry

pray for some sweet simplicity      

Kiss me on the Mouth and Set me Free

Like an Endless Summer

Smoke Dreams from Smoke Rings

Dom/Sub (Drarry):

You And Me

There’s No I In Team     

The Destiny You Sold   

100,000 Galleons  

Shining, Like A Present   

Fake/Pretend Relationship (Larry):

Like Candy In My Veins

Dance to the Distortion

come on jump out at me  

My Lights Stay Up  

Find You Home

Fake/Pretend Relationship (Drarry):

In the Shadow of Your Heart

The Gentlewizard Club

A Convenient Impracticality    

dirtynumbangelboy

Quick, Malfoy. Kiss me.         

Famous/Non-Famous:

tangled up in you

Saved Tonight

Then We Talk Slow  

‘Til I Tasted You

Turning Page

Friends With Benefits (Larry):

rivers ‘til i reach you      

Shape of You

In Circles of You and Me      

Manifest Destiny

Your Kiss

Frien(emies) With Benefits (Drarry):

What Real Thing?      

Little Talks      

We Are Young

Strange Bathfellows

Party of Two  

Getting Back Together (Larry):

The End Should Be A Good One       

Things Gone Cold

How Could I Ever Forget

Drifting, Weightless        

Take Me Back to Where We Started 

Getting Back Together (Drarry):

Make Me a Headline

After Hours at the Ministry of Magic

Packing the Flat       

A Song, Incomplete    

Second First Chances    

Hate to Love (Larry):

Love’s Truest Language

Don’t Want Shelter        

Fall At My Door

so let’s cross the lines we lost

On The Open Road 

Hate to Love (Drarry):

Touch Me Fall

Five Weddings and a Potions Accident

Eternally Consistent 

I Feel You

Wild        

Jealousy (Larry):    

Looking Through You

No One Else Will Do

Now That It’s Over

Far Away.

Once Bitten

Jealousy (Drarry):

Time to Eternity

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor 

in the electricity of your touch 

Never Feel the Burning Light 

Synchronicity      

Roommates (Larry):

Carried Away Like Butterflies 

Talk Dirty To Me     

How Fast You Fall

Just The Thought of You Can Drive Me Wild  

You’re My River Running High           

Roommates (Drarry):

Muggle Technology and Heroism

(The Piece) I was Missing All Along

All Must Draw Near 

A Dented Old Street Sign       

Surrender Unto Sleep

Unrequited Love (Larry):

 If I don’t have you (there’ll be nothing left)

Safe and Sound (You’ll Always Be)

Go Nowhere Tonight       

things unspoken      

Three’s A Crowd

Unrequited Love (Drarry):

Your Place or Mine?        

Tread That Fine Line      

Ask For It      

Baby, it’s Cold Outside        

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine      

Slow Burn (Larry):

Fool’s Gold

You Might Want to Marry My Husband 

Like an Endless Summer

(Take Me Home) Country Roads 

Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You)      

Slow Burn (Drarry):

Nothing Like the Sun

How I Met Your Father 

measures of our days and nights

Life skills outside the curriculum       

Dear Enemy      

Soulmates (Larry):

i’ll take your pain

Things Gone Cold 

can i be him?

Poison Me With Love

Veni, Vidi, Amavi       

Soulmates (Drarry):

punch-drunk fingerprints

hello goodbye

A Choice of Wings       

Burning the Ground

Written on the Heart        

+ D R A R R Y   B O N U S:

Accidental Bonding:

Hope Springs Eternal      

Hungry

The Ties That Bind Us

Harmonised Consciousness 

In Evidence of Magical Theory

Magical Accidents:

The Invisible Man

Higher and Higher 

Tug-O-Want

Side-Along      

The Rewards of Bravery

Veela:

Two Weeks 

Angels and Devils 

In His Nature 

Shine, Even in the Darkness    

Conception of Dreams       

[truthaboutalice]

the Adsertor

Hello everyone, first of all I want to thank you for reading this story. I am working on a larger project but before I can give it my all I would like to improve my writing skills. English is also not my native language and I am dyslectic so all tips and advise are welcome! It would be a wonderful if you could leave some supportive criticism, thank you in advance.  The story itself is entirely my own. I own the characters and the world. If there would be any similarities between other universes or characters it will be purely circumstantial.  I also want to explain the world a little as this is a prequel of some sorts (the big series I am still writing, this is to train my English and writing skills)

·      The world is high fantasy and other world fantasy 

·      The world has two ‘dominant’ species 

-       Humans 

-       Chimaerae, plr (chimaera sgl) (were human once but evolved, they have                 animal features and the families are classified in animal famillias (You will get it when you read it)

·      There are 3 types of magic 

-       Personal magic (Every Chimerae has some form of magic that only he or she has, some are very mundane others lean more towards what we call magic)

-       The shift (Chimaerae are shape shifters. They can shift between human and animal features. The average Chimaera has three different shifts.)

-       The universal magic (the world also contains magic. You don’t have to be a magic wielder to be able to use it.) 

The chimaera all have the same amount of power. If their shift is stronger their personal magic will be less so and vice versa.  

To the two people who will actually read this: I will try to upload once a month and I think this is everything you need to know beforehand. So sit back, make yourself comfortable and please Enjoy 

Alice xx 

Summary

Marcus Cervidae is the son of the Duke of the North and has decided to join the secret Royal Championship. The winner can earn fame and quite a bit of money and is selected as the personal protector of the Crown Prince. Although Marcus has received an excellent education and a magnificent training in al the aspects of warfare, the opponents are all but eager to see a noble trying to take their one chance at fame and money. Marcus has no allies and he starts to regret his decision of being part of the project. When suddenly a 21st participant shows up three months into the training. Only two things are known about him. One: He used to be a slave who fought during the Gladiator Games in the SouthTwo: his name, Nero. They find peace in each others company and Marcus and Nero establish a peculiar friendship between a Lord and a slave. They learn and grow together but only one can be crowned Champion. 

Chapter one: The Beginning 

Marcus Cervidae, second son of the Duke of the North, stepped into the lunchroom. The mood was dull, which was a surprise because every single one of the Chimaera here should feel honoured. It was a sacred cause after all. Aeron Pantherae Leonis, The Crown Prince of the Chimaera had returned from wherever the hell he had been. The Prince hadn’t been seen for more than five years when he suddenly reappeared again and requested a bodyguard. He and the King had asked the Senators to each provide a champion to represent them in a quest to pick the bravest warrior and crown him protector of the Prince. The whole ordeal had been a secret, not a soul in the outside world knew about it. Marcus had always dreamed to be a warrior, not a scolar like his father and older brother and he had seen his chance. At first his father hadn’t been to keen of the idea of his son being the Duke’s champion but Marcus had begged him and they had made an agreement. If he would fail, which was most likely as he wasn’t a professional killer as many of the other Participants, Marcus would come back home and Study at Academy’s Peek, just like his Brother Octavius. Marcus had been happy with the agreement but now he was standing in the lunchroom of the Bunker-that’s what they are calling the training complex of the championship-he couldn’t help but feel as if he maybe hadn’t thought his plan through. The lunchroom was already filled with people. He saw the staff working in the back, serving the food. It looked alright, not the type he was used to but he could roll with it. The tables were positioned in different ways. Some could serve more than eight people, but if you wished to dine a little more intimate there were tables for two as well. He sighed. Meeting new people was not one of his strong suits. He never knew how to react to other people his age as there were none but his brother in the North, where he grew up. He sat down at a longer table where a group of young men and women sat listening to the story of a boy. They didn’t even acknowledge him and prayed to the gods they wouldn’t recognise him. Marcus had wanted to leave home as soon as he possibly could. He had seen his chance and he took it. But he had never imagined how he needed to interact with these people. Most of them looked really buff and capable of killing him in a variety of ways. “Look who joined us!” a Maouri girl said. Her eyes were solid dark brown but no other features indicated her Famillia. He should have known he couldn’t be that lucky. Of course they recognised him. “What are you doing here, my Deer Lord?” she snickered “Your estate is more northbound, if you were wondering. I am sure you can ask the staff for a guide.” The rest of the group tried to hide their sneers, with the emphasis on tried. Marcus decided then and there he did not like this girl and her little clique but he wasn’t giving up that easily. He had honour to defend after all. Marcus hoped his irritation wasn’t present in his voice when he spoke: “I was sent here by my father, to participate in the championship along with the rest of you.” The group looked at him as if he had sprouted antlers and to be fair he was able to do that. “somebody has daddy issues” whispered someone. He ignored that comment. “This isn’t a place for deer,” the Maori girl’s tone turned a little darker, “I can assure you that you will be hunted down, there will always be a target on your back, my lord.” Marcus knew when to pick his fights “I think everyone here wants to be crowned champion, It’s only fair you try your best.” And with that comment he got up and left the lunchroom to find the dormitory.

 “That couldn’t have gone worse.” He thought. The doors to the boy’s dormitory cracked open and a boy sprinted out, almost colliding with Marcus. He quickly apologized and ran off. Marcus sighed, he had imagined a totally different scenario. Luckily the dorm was now empty. There were four bunked beds. “Great” he whispered to the impersonal space. Five of the beds were already claimed so he chose the top bunk farthest away from the rest of them and threw his bag onto the thin mattress. He had not brought any personal items and was glad of it. He did not want these people to see him as soft or scared. It was apparent he would already need to prove his worth. He took out his clothes and refolded them before he put them in his assigned locker for personal items. Toothbrush, toothpaste and a hairbrush were waiting in the locker. He also found a piece of soap. The only other thing he had brought was he sword. It was a long sword, to hold with both hands. It was the perfect length to use on horseback or in his case when he was in his animalia form. The Famillia of the Duke were Cervidae, deer. They were direct descendants of Tammany, the lord of the forest himself, a fact he’d always felt proud of and he was very proud of his shift even if he could only shift to one other form, not the usual three. He could transform his entire lower body into the lower body of a stag and his naturally pointy ears grow longer and antlers grow from his skull. Although he can only shift once, his personal magic is extremely strong. The male has the ability to let every plant, vine, flower or tree grow the way he wants it to, in any form he wants it to. Because he was born on three October but has the powers of the Spirit of Spring, his mother had always called him a child of Autumn claimed by Spring. He lay down on his mattress, one arm supporting his head and let his magic flow. Little vines crawled down from the cracks in the ceiling. They reached his fingertips, circled down his hand and wrist. The calm practise of magic let him blow off a little steam and it wouldn’t be for the last time he wondered: Had he made the right choice?

 Three months, He had been here three months and nothing had changed. The bossy Maouri girl, Nikora Macropi still looked at him sceptically although she turned out to be not the biggest pain in the ass. That would be Gunnarr Hippopotamidae. A giant brute with arms like tree trunks and who never seemed to leave her side. The male was just simply rude. He tried to avoid them most of the time but it is less efficient when you are all sleeping in the same room. At least Gunnarr wasn’t that bad when Nikora wasn’t there to witness it. The nights he let Vines grow from the ceiling excluding him from the rest of the room and giving him some breathing room. Marcus minded his own business. He trained as much as he could, tried to perfect the moves and the exercises, it was the only time he truly enjoyed. He always ate alone at his table for two. Most of the time someone stole the other chair so they could sit at Nikora’s table. She almost looked sympathetic. He was in the training room again. He had a strict schedule. In the morning before the majority was awake he would practise the different moves they taught so as little people as possible saw him fail. After breakfast he would workout his arms and a brake before the lessons start. He would do the mandatory exercises with the rest of the class until lunch. Then he had a two-hour nap before he worked on his legs for a little and weapon training which differs every day. After dinner he worked on the special exercises again so he could fully manage them. Right now a double kick wasn’t working and he became more and more irritated. He seemed to twist his body in the wrong way and couldn’t figure it out. An advantage of having no friends is not being obligated to socialize, so he could practise more. He had been in the gym for four hours when his stomach grumbled and took it a sign to take a brake and go get dinner. He didn’t bother to shower before he went. He was going to train later anyway. The doors opened and he immediately noticed that the room was remarkably quiet as it was usually quite hectic. Now he could only hear the whispers of Nikora’s clique. He grabbed his dinner but none of the stares were on him but still he couldn’t sense anything off. He walked to his usual table when he noticed all the glances were following him. He snickered, Go figure. When he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw a stranger sitting at his table. The entire room seemed to hold its breath. The Stranger was pretty enough, not muscular but lean. It certainly wasn’t what you would expect in a competition like this one. He hadn’t raised his head yet and he was eating the same dinner Marcus had picked up. The Male’s blond hair seemed a bit greasy, he had a rough stubble and his skin was quite pale but not pale enough to be Moezungu. The stranger looked up and the Stag noticed his light brown, almost honey coloured cat eyes. He also had been staring at the male for a solid minute. “eh hey” the stag stammered and sat down. That night when he went back to training he wasn’t really focused. He listened to the gossip about the stranger. He learned two things; The male used to be a slave who fought in the Gladiator Games in the South, he had not only fought but had won. It made Marcus feel a little sad that he was now stuck here. It was as much a prison as the Amphitheatre. Also the male had now a name, they called him Nero

[truthaboutalice]