A diehard Mangahood fan’s opinion on why YOU- YES, YOU- should watch FMA 2003

(Yes, those are his actual lines in this scene. These are the Netflix captions.)

2018 is off to a great start, with both FMA anime being back on Netflix! But ever since Brotherhood overtook 03 in popularity years ago, the FMA fandom has been so deeply divided on the subject of the two anime that even today, a lot of FMA fans who have never seen 03 vehemently refuse to watch it, simply because they heard from someone else that it’s bad.

As someone who’s been in the FMA fandom for about 9 years, could easily go on for hours about the endless problems with 03, and firmly believes the manga is better than both anime anyway, I think that this attitude is bullshit. While I understand that 03 is not everyone’s cup of tea for sure, I think refusing to even try it is a very narrow-minded approach that will only make you miss out. So, from one Mangahood fan to another, here’s my take on why YOU should give 03 a try now that it’s back on Netflix!

A whole 51 episodes + 1 movie worth of FMA content you haven’t seen yet! Come on, what better reason do you need? For those of you who are always craving more of those good good Elric boys and their merry band of friends, here’s a perfect opportunity to see them in all sorts of new situations, in all their fully animated and voiced glory! More fight scenes! More banter! More brotherly love! More Riza Hawkeye shooting things! More alchemy! It’s a deal you can’t miss.

Learn about the FMA fandom’s history! Ever wonder why Hohenheim seems to get so much more hate than he deserves, or why that one Ishvalan kid who got like 3 lines is sometimes called Rick? Have you ever found yourself in the deep reaches of DeviantArt or Google Images and found strange images of armor Al with tattoos, Rose with dark skin and pink bangs, an edgy-looking kid with similar clothes to Envy, or a low quality gif of Havoc crying and aggressively writing in a journal captioned with “I have all these feels”? Confused about the phrase “In those days, we believed that to be the world’s one, and only, truth”? Do you occasionally see content of the “Tringham brothers” or “Alfons Heiderich” and not understand who they are? Have you seen the “tiny miniskirts” clip on YouTube, but never been able to find it in context? Just where did the titular tumbleweed of International FMA Tumbleweed Appreciation Day come from, anyway?! All these questions and more can be answered by watching 03!

Beautiful music! A lot of great music came out of the 03 era, such as silly OST pieces like Pint-Size Alchemist or Favorite Daughter; Beautiful pieces like Equivalent Exchange or Memories; Haunting choruses like Ishbal or Dante; Fun and memorable theme songs FMA’s oldest banger, Melissa, or the Resembool Trio anthem, Hagane no Kokoro; And of course, the unforgettable masterpiece of a duet that spawned a legacy transcending years and languages, Bratja aka Brothers.

Talented voice actors! 03 had a slightly different voice cast from Brotherhood. For the dub, we’ve got the loveable and unforgettable Aaron Dismuke as Al- You might know him for his triumphant return in Brotherhood as young Hohenheim, but he was the original Alphonse Elric, when he was just 12 years old! Aside from that, we’ve got Chris Patton as Greed, Dameon Clarke as Scar, Monica Rial as Dante, and “sexy Greed” Troy Baker as Robocop himself, Frank Archer! And for the original Japanese version, there’s Nana Mizuki (Lan Fan in Brotherhood) as Wrath, Tooru Okawa as Roy, Megumi Toyoguchi as Winry, and Junichi Suwabe (perhaps best known as Victor Nikiforov and Aizawa Shouta) as Greed. And more!

Bonus content from the manga that wasn’t in Brotherhood! While Brotherhood initially rushed through the beginning of the plot under the assumption that we’ve all seen it 500 times already so let’s get to the new stuff, 03 actually took its time and included episodes based off the early stories, such as Youswell or the battle on the train. Not only that, but 03 also includes episodes based off some of the bonus chapters (Dog of the Military, the military festival, the one where Havoc went on a date with Catherine) and even some content from the light novels (The Tringham brothers, the haunted warehouse).

An interesting reimagining of FMA, with new perspectives explored, and new characters! It’s true that 03 has a very different plot and overall tone from Mangahood, and maybe it’s not for everyone, but why is the mere concept of being different seen as a bad thing? Think of it like a fanfiction, an interesting AU with its own distinct flavor. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy 03′s style! It features interesting (not always good, not always bad, but certainly interesting) new characters, such as Dante, the Tringham brothers, Wrath, Sloth, Frank Archer, Lujon and Lydia, and Rick and Leo. It also explores new possibilities and new directions that the manga didn’t. Ever wish Nina, Sheska, Lust, Rose, Martel, or Mason got more character development? Do you wonder what the state alchemist exam might be like? Do you think the homunculi simply being created by Father is too boring an origin story? Are your favorite superhero comic storylines the ones that involve alternate universes crossing over with each other? Ever wanted to see a cyborg shoot bullets out of his mouth? Are AMVs featuring Scar set to early 2000s emo music your niche but passionate hobby? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, 03 is the anime for you!

Also ngl, some of the fight scenes are really cool. Ed vs. Greed in particular... now THAT was some animation, woah. I love it.

In conclusion, if you’re a FMA fan and you haven’t seen 03 before, I highly recommend you check it out! After all, it can’t hurt- Either you’ll enjoy it and have a fun time with more FMA content, or you’ll learn for yourself that you don’t like it, and can simply stop watching. But you’ll never know until you try! Please, don’t listen to bitter, negative fans who only want to drive you away from something you might enjoy. (Ngl, most of them probably weren’t even around before Brotherhood came out anyway; I can tell you from experience that before Brotherhood got really popular, 03 was actually considered to be a really good anime, and had it not been so successful Brotherhood would never have even been created.) Open up to new possibilities, and give 03 a try!

I added 403 tags in 2021

#warriors - 127 posts

#rvb - 79 posts

#drawtectives - 30 posts

#drawfee - 28 posts

#tma - 27 posts

#wwdits - 27 posts

#sanders sides - 26 posts

#star trek - 21 posts

#comics - 20 posts

#venom - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 106 characters

#and the clan starts going through a famine bc the researchers are unintentionally disrupting their hunting

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I did the challenge that was made by @satzzzwarriorcats and it’s very fun! 

219 notes • Posted 2021-06-09 15:04:22 GMT

#4

OKAY Drawtectives Finale fanart part two. I died laughing every time I thought of Emery in arm jail so I had to draw it. 

catch me on the ground after getting so attached to these characters,,., blease they gotta come back

223 notes • Posted 2021-02-28 17:37:33 GMT

#3

me: ugh I hate tropes

the trope: a person is host to some powerful entity and they have witty banter with each other

me: omg a person is host to some powerful entity and they have witty banter with each other

Featuring: Venom (moreso from the 2018 movie), Hector and Vincent (Wereworld), Jeremy and the SQUIP (blended from the book and musical), Prosper and Alastor (The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding), Greedling (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), and O’Malley and Doc (Red vs. Blue). 

282 notes • Posted 2021-06-19 19:35:38 GMT

#2

Drawtectives: Orc Lore

So in honor of S1 of Drawtectives almost being over, I decided to rewatch all the episodes and compile all the “orc lore” Jacob spills, because it is delightful. I know people have suggested doing this but I haven’t seen anyone actually compile it all, so I’m sorry if you already have and I missed it. Also there were some things I left out because they felt more like just a joke, or weren’t important enough, or too non-specific. Some of the lore is contradictory but it’s so impressive for improv worldbuilding. Anyways! Enough of that. Read on: 

Episode 1:

- York is orc on his father’s side, human on his mother’s

- His father is the tribe’s leader

- “Humans are kind of like pets to me”

- “I don’t know anything either, but I’m basically unkillable” - just a good York summary

- Has a case he keeps bones in

- Murder is a normal thing at orc parties

- The bone economy is introduced

Episode 2:

- York cannot write (does not understand the process of writing?)

- Orcs heal sickness by violently shaking the afflicted

- York is pretty good at mental math

Episode 3:

- Common misconception; York can read, just in the “orc runes”, not English

- Does not know what dollars are

- The bone economy is expanded upon; dragon bones are very valuable

- In orc culture you are polite to people who can kill you; rudeness is reserved for those you feel comfortable around

- York only learned about “motives” recently

- York is unaware of what jokes are

- He has never cried before?

- Food is eaten raw and possibly still alive

- In the bone economy, “candle bones” are worth 5 turtle bones, turtle bones are worth 5 rat bones, and a rat bone is worth 5 bug bones (bug bones are being phased out as a currency)

- Northern bugs do have bones

- Things that are the best to eat are the hardest to kill

- York’s hairstyle is popular, because he forced others to adopt it

Episode 4:

- “I’m about to humor your boy out the window” is just a very good quote

- York has trained warhounds before

- Wild trains live in wild train country. They cannot be slain or tamed, and are incredibly fast. It is the only thing York is terrified of 

- Orcs cannot refuse an invitation; half-orcs must give a tentative maybe

- Wild trains are a serious threat to York’s tribe

- York has “bad blood” with the Wild Lands

- Bikes are used to escape wild trains

Episode 5:

- Only one channel on TV is received in the Northern Tribes; orcish soap operas are most common - “Tusks of Our Lives”, “Maul My Children”, “One Fight to Live” (which has 37 seasons)

- Only one band in the Northern Tribes; Birds of Prey

- York is unaware bands other than that one existed

- York does not know what a camera is 

- Also does not know how TV works (”little people inside the box”)

- Cannot recognize his own face in a photo 

- Only lemons grow/are sold in the Northern Tribes

- York had a “yellow-slick toad” named Tammy as a child; previous crying point disproven as he cried at least 15 minutes when it died

- Wild trains are also called “ground planes” sometimes

- York has murdered his brother in an “unrightful claim to the throne” and “blood feud”

- He is apparently an orc prince; this does line up with the lore about him being the tribe leader’s son

- (Non-orc worldbuilding: boker, billiards, Grendan Fury, Go Bish)

Episode 6: (the piss episode)

- Orcs… do both at once, as it were

- He doesn’t wipe………

- “Pee is compliment, blood is insult”

- Class discourse is an important discussion in orcish culture

- Mirrors do not exist in the Northern Tribes

- Northern cats are apparently eight feet long and eight feet tall, roughly cuboid, and kept as battle cats

- “Northern hill squirrel”

Episode 7:

- Orcs are strongly anti-tobacco; instead they do mushrooms

- YORKY SNACKS

- York once held onto an antelope for two weeks

- “It takes five pickles to hold a potata” - common orcish childhood quote

- Fuzzy potatoes are a crop in the Northern Tribes; they are hard to perceive, and if you don’t put on your “pickle glove” before you hold one things will get real weird

- York does possess the ability to write both “eat my butt” and “wow now thatsa potata”

Episode 8:

- Orcs have two stomachs, requiring more food to fill them; they don’t need to eat for two days after the stomachs are full

- He “empties both stomachs at once”

- York has been in many knife fights

- Expansion on wild trains: they can be killed, evidently, but only if you sneak up and attack their engine compartment while they’re sleeping, if confronted you must lure them into a false sense of security. Wild trains do know when they are being depicted in art and can sense it, will attack (?)

- Whatever leg wrestling is about

- Apparently once York killed a rhino by fanning his hand but I’m not sure if that was real or just to push Emery’s buttons

- “Is he doin slammer on me” - I just really like that

- Orcs are only babies for a couple hours

- YORK FEET PICS

- Possibly non-canonical but Jacob said York is on his Rumspringa and that is very funny

Episode 9:

- Non-orc actors and programs are being shown on orc TV?

- Orcs do not have dimples

- Old actors are called “road dogs” in the Northern Tribes

Episode 10:

- Ghosts exist in this world, but not in the Northern Tribes (“when people die, they die hard”)

- Reconfirmed: York is good at math

- Spilled milk is cried over in the North (it will make York cry)

- Has no pockets

(Updating:)

Episode 11:

- Not much but it’s a big one: 

Orcish elders have knowledge of Julia (and her artistic decisions)

One-Shot Stream:

- Orcs “feel time differently” - described as being like dog years (1 day feel like 3 days)

- Semi-related: orcs believe that people are never coming back when they leave and are surprised when they do

- York believed only murder was a crime

- Dogs love York

- York does not know what his birthday is

- After a birth in the Northern tribes, people “take a stick and scratch in the mud” the words ‘He was born’ so others know

- He doesn’t know what glass is? 

- “Faster than you can shake a leaf at a twig”

563 notes • Posted 2021-01-13 23:31:21 GMT

#1

HOLY COW I MISSED THESE GUYS!! 

822 notes • Posted 2021-08-01 19:39:55 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

If every language is acquirable, its acquisition requires a real portion of a person’s life: each new conquest is measured against shortening days. What limits one’s access to other languages is not their imperviousness but one’s own mortality. Hence a certain privacy to all languages. French and American imperialists governed, exploited, and killed Vietnamese over many years. But whatever else they made off with, the Vietnamese language stayed put. Accordingly, only too often, a rage at Vietnamese ‘inscrutability,’ and that obscure despair which engenders the venomous argots of dying colonialisms: ‘gooks,’ ‘ratons’, etc.12 (In the longer run, the only responses to the vast privacy of the language of the oppressed are retreat or further massacre.) Such epithets are, in their inner form, characteristically racist, and decipherment of this form will serve to show why Nairn is basically mistaken in arguing that racism and anti-semitism derive from nationalism – and thus that ‘seen in sufficient historical depth, fascism tells us more about nationalism than any other episode.’13 A word like ‘slant,’ for example, abbreviated from ‘slant-eyed’, does not simply express an ordinary political enmity. It erases nation-ness by reducing the adversary to his biological physiognomy.14 It denies, by substituting for, ‘Vietnamese;’ just as raton denies, by substituting for, ‘Algerian’. At the same time, it stirs ‘Vietnamese’ into a nameless sludge along with ‘Korean,’ ‘Chinese,’ ‘Filipino,’ and so on. The character of this vocabulary may become still more evident if it is contrasted with other Vietnam-War-period words like ‘Charlie’ and ‘V.C.’, or from an earlier era, ‘Boches,’ ‘Huns,’ ‘Japs’ and ‘Frogs,’ all of which apply only to one specific nationality, and thus concede, in hatred, the adversary’s membership in a league of nations.15 The fact of the matter is that nationalism thinks in terms of historical destinies, while racism dreams of eternal contaminations, transmitted from the origins of time through an endless sequence of loathsome copulations: outside history. Niggers are, thanks to the invisible tar-brush, forever niggers; Jews, the seed of Abraham, forever Jews, no matter what passports they carry or what languages they speak and read. (Thus for the Nazi, the Jewish German was always an impostor.)16 The dreams of racism actually have their origin in ideologies of class, rather than in those of nation: above all in claims to divinity among rulers and to ‘blue’ or ‘white’ blood and ‘breeding’ among aristocracies.17 No surprise then that the putative sire of modern racism should be, not some petty-bourgeois nationalist, but Joseph Arthur, Comte de Gobineau.18 Nor that, on the whole, racism and anti-semitism manifest themselves, not across national boundaries, but within them. In other words, they justify not so much foreign wars as domestic repression and domination.19 Where racism developed outside Europe in the nineteenth century, it was always associated with European domination, for two converging reasons. First and most important was the rise of official nationalism and colonial ‘Russification’. As has been repeatedly emphasized official nationalism was typically a response on the part of threatened dynastic and aristocratic groups – upper classes – to popular vernacular nationalism. Colonial racism was a major element in that conception of ‘Empire’ which attempted to weld dynastic legitimacy and national community. It did so by generalizing a principle of innate, inherited superiority on which its own domestic position was (however shakily) based to the vastness of the overseas possessions, covertly (or not so covertly) conveying the idea that if, say, English lords were naturally superior to other Englishmen, no matter: these other Englishmen were no less superior to the subjected natives. Indeed one is tempted to argue that the existence of late colonial empires even served to shore up domestic aristocratic bastions, since they appeared to confirm on a global, modern stage antique conceptions of power and privilege. It could do so with some effect because – and here is our second reason – the colonial empire, with its rapidly expanding bureaucratic apparatus and its ‘Russifying’ policies, permitted sizeable numbers of bourgeois and petty bourgeois to play aristocrat off centre court: i.e. anywhere in the empire except at home. In each colony one found this grimly amusing tableau vivant: the bourgeois gentilhomme speaking poetry against a backcloth of spacious mansions and gardens filled with mimosa and bougainvillea, and a large supporting cast of houseboys, grooms, gardeners, cooks, amahs, maids, washerwomen, and, above all, horses.20 Even those who did not manage to live in this style, such as young bachelors, nonetheless had the grandly equivocal status of a French nobleman on the eve of a jacquerie:21 In Moulmein, in lower Burma [this obscure town needs explaining to readers in the metropole], I was hated by large numbers of people – the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me. I was sub-divisional police officer of the town. This ‘tropical Gothic’ was made possible by the overwhelming power that high capitalism had given the metropole – a power so great that it could be kept, so to speak, in the wings. Nothing better illustrates capitalism in feudal-aristocratic drag than colonial militaries, which were notoriously distinct from those of the metropoles, often even in formal institutional terms. 22 Thus in Europe one had the ‘First Army,’ recruited by conscription on a mass, citizen, metropolitan base; ideologically conceived as the defender of the heimat; dressed in practical, utilitarian khaki; armed with the latest affordable weapons; in peacetime isolated in barracks, in war stationed in trenches or behind heavy field-guns. Outside Europe one had the ‘Second Army,’ recruited (below the officer level) from local religious or ethnic minorities on a mercenary basis; ideologically conceived as an internal police force; dressed to kill in bed-or ballroom; armed with swords and obsolete industrial weapons; in peace on display, in war on horseback. If the Prussian General Staff, Europe’s military teacher, stressed the anonymous solidarity of a professionalized corps, ballistics, railroads, engineering, strategic planning, and the like, the colonial army stressed glory, epaulettes, personal heroism, polo, and an archaizing courtliness among its officers. (It could afford to do so because the First Army and the Navy were there in the background.) This mentality survived a long time. In Tonkin, in 1894, Lyautey wrote:23 Quel dommage de n’être pas venu ici dix ans plus tôt! Quelles carrières à y fonder et à y mener. Il n’y a pas ici un de ces petits lieutenants, chefs de poste et de reconnaissance, qui ne développe en 6 mois plus d’initiative, de volonté, d’endurance, de personnalité, qu’un officier de France en toute sa carrière. In Tonkin, in 1951, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, ‘who liked officers who combined guts with “style,” took an immediate liking to the dashing cavalryman [Colonel de Castries] with his bright-red Spahi cap and scarf, his magnificent riding-crop, and his combination of easy-going manners and ducal mien, which made him as irresistible to women in Indochina in the 1950s as he had been to Parisiennes of the 1930s.’24 Another instructive indication of the aristocratic or pseudo-aristocratic derivation of colonial racism was the typical ‘solidarity among whites,’ which linked colonial rulers from different national metropoles, whatever their internal rivalries and conflicts. This solidarity, in its curious trans-state character, reminds one instantly of the class solidarity of Europe’s nineteenth-century aristocracies, mediated through each other’s hunting-lodges, spas, and ballrooms; and of that brotherhood of ‘officers and gentlemen,’ which in the Geneva convention guaranteeing privileged treatment to captured enemy officers, as opposed to partisans or civilians, has an agreeably twentieth-century expression. The argument adumbrated thus far can also be pursued from the side of colonial populations. For, the pronouncements of certain colonial ideologues aside, it is remarkable how little that dubious entity known as ‘reverse racism’ manifested itself in the anticolonial movements. In this matter it is easy to be deceived by language. There is, for example, a sense in which the Javanese word londo (derived from Hollander or Nederlander) meant not only ‘Dutch’ but ‘whites.’ But the derivation itself shows that, for Javanese peasants, who scarcely ever encountered any ‘whites’ but Dutch, the two meanings effectively overlapped. Similarly, in French colonial territories, ‘les blancs’ meant rulers whose Frenchness was indistinguishable from their whiteness. In neither case, so far as I know, did londo or blanc either lose caste or breed derogatory secondary distinctions.25 On the contrary, the spirit of anticolonial nationalism is that of the heart-rending Constitution of Makario Sakay’s short-lived Republic of Katagalugan (1902), which said, among other things:26 No Tagalog, born in this Tagalog archipelago, shall exalt any person above the rest because of his race or the colour of his skin; fair, dark, rich, poor, educated and ignorant – all are completely equal, and should be in one loób [inward spirit]. There may be differences in education, wealth, or appearance, but never in essential nature (pagkatao) and ability to serve a cause. One can find without difficulty analogies on the other side of the globe. Spanish-speaking mestizo Mexicans trace their ancestries, not to Castilian conquistadors, but to half-obliterated Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecs and Zapotecs. Uruguayan revolutionary patriots, creoles themselves, took up the name of Tupac Amarú, the last great indigenous rebel against creole oppression, who died under unspeakable tortures in 1781. It may appear paradoxical that the objects of all these attachments are ‘imagined’ – anonymous, faceless fellow-Tagalogs, exterminated tribes, Mother Russia, or the tanah air. But amor patriae does not differ in this respect from the other affections, in which there is always an element of fond imagining. (This is why looking at the photo-albums of strangers’ weddings is like studying the archaeologist’s groundplan of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.) What the eye is to the lover – that particular, ordinary eye he or she is born with – language – whatever language history has made his or her mother-tongue – is to the patriot. Through that language, encountered at mother’s knee and parted with only at the grave, pasts are restored, fellowships are imagined, and futures dreamed. 12. The logic here is: 1. I will be dead before I have penetrated them. 2. My power is such that they have had to learn my language. 3. But this means that my privacy has been penetrated. Terming them ‘gooks’ is small revenge. 13. The Break-up of Britain, pp. 337 and 347. 14. Notice that there is no obvious, selfconscious antonym to ‘slant.’ ‘Round’? ‘Straight’? ‘Oval’? 15. Not only, in fact, in an earlier era. Nonetheless, there is a whiff of the antique-shop about these words of Debray: ‘I can conceive of no hope for Europe save under the hegemony of a revolutionary France, firmly grasping the banner of independence. Sometimes I wonder if the whole “anti-Boche” mythology and our secular antagonism to Germany may not be one day indispensable for saving the revolution, or even our national-democratic inheritance.’ ‘Marxism and the National Question,’ p. 41. 16. The significance of the emergence of Zionism and the birth of Israel is that the former marks the reimagining of an ancient religious community as a nation, down there among the other nations – while the latter charts an alchemic change from wandering devotee to local patriot. 17. ‘From the side of the landed aristocracy came conceptions of inherent superiority in the ruling class, and a sensitivity to status, prominent traits well into the twentieth century. Fed by new sources, these conceptions could later be vulgarized [sic] and made appealing to the German population as a whole in doctrines of racial superiority.’ Barrington Moore, Jr., Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, p. 436. 18. Gobineau’s dates are perfect. He was born in 1816, two years after the restoration of the Bourbons to the French throne. His diplomatic career, 1848–1877, blossomed under Louis Napoléon’s Second Empire and the reactionary monarchist regime of Marie Edmé Patrice Maurice, Comte de MacMahon, former imperialist proconsul in Algiers. His Essai sur l’Inégalité des Races Humaines appeared in 1854 – should one say in response to the popular vernacular-nationalist insurrections of 1848? 19. South African racism has not, in the age of Vorster and Botha, stood in the way of amicable relations (however discreetly handled) with prominent black politicians in certain independent African states. If Jews suffer discrimination in the Soviet Union, that did not prevent respectful working relations between Brezhnev and Kissinger. 20. For a stunning collection of photographs of such tableaux vivants in the Netherlands Indies (and an elegantly ironical text), see ‘E. Breton de Nijs,’ Tempo Doeloe. 21. George Orwell, ‘Shooting an Elephant,’ in The Orwell Reader, p. 3. The words in square brackets are of course my interpolation. 22. The KNIL (Koninklijk Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger) was quite separate from the KL (Koninklijk Leger) in Holland. The Légion Étrangère was almost from the start legally prohibited from operations on continental French soil. 23. Lettres du Tonkin et de Madagascar (1894–1899), p. 84. Letter of December 22, 1894, from Hanoi. Emphases added. 24. Bernard B. Fall, Hell is a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu, p. 56. One can imagine the shudder of Clausewitz’s ghost. [Spahi, derived like Sepoy from the Ottoman Sipahi, meant mercenary irregular cavalrymen of the ‘Second Army’ in Algeria.] It is true that the France of Lyautey and de Lattre was a Republican France. However, the often talkative Grande Muette had since the start of the Third Republic been an asylum for aristocrats increasingly excluded from power in all other important institutions of public life. By 1898, a full quarter of all Brigadier-and Major-Generals were aristocrats. Moreover, this aristocrat-dominated officer corps was crucial to nineteenth and twentieth-century French imperialism. ‘The rigorous control imposed on the army in the métropole never extended fully to la France d’outremer. The extension of the French Empire in the nineteenth century was partially the result of uncontrolled initiative on the part of colonial military commanders. French West Africa, largely the creation of General Faidherbe, and the French Congo as well, owed most of their expansion to independent military forays into the hinterland. Military officers were also responsible for the faits accomplis which led to a French protectorate in Tahiti in 1842, and, to a lesser extent, to the French occupation of Tonkin in Indochina in the 1880’s . . . In 1897 Galliéni summarily abolished the monarchy in Madagascar and deported the Queen, all without consulting the French government, which later accepted the fait accompli . . .’ John S. Ambler, The French Army in Politics, 1945–1962, pp. 10–11 and 22. 25. I have never heard of an abusive argot word in Indonesian or Javanese for either ‘Dutch’ or ‘white.’ Compare the Anglo-Saxon treasury: niggers, wops, kikes, gooks, slants, fuzzywuzzies, and a hundred more. It is possible that this innocence of racist argots is true primarily of colonized populations. Blacks in America – and surely elsewhere – have developed a varied counter-vocabulary (honkies, ofays, etc.). 26. As cited in Reynaldo Ileto’s masterlyPasyón and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840–1910, p. 218. Sakay’s rebel republic lasted until 1907, when he was captured and executed by the Americans. Understanding the first sentence requires remembering that three centuries of Spanish rule and Chinese immigration had produced a sizeable mestizo population in the islands.

Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities

Fic Writer Interview

I suppose I should... actually get around to doing this.

I was tagged by @maderilien, @stormwarnings, and @willowcrowned! (that’s what I get for putting off doing this, I get ganged up on.) (I’m just joking, I am very touched that you all thought of me)

How many works do you have on AO3?

49

What's your total AO3 word count?

339,898

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

oh fuck there's so many. uhhhh 32 apparently. big yikes. I'm just gonna copy-paste the list over, that'll be easiest. A lot of these are overlaps but alas such is life

1. Star Wars - All Media Types (24) 2. Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (18) 3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types (7) 4. TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms (4) 5. Homestuck (4) 6. Doctor Who & Related Fandoms (3) 7. Avatar: Legend of Korra (3) 8. Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling (3) 9. Marvel Cinematic Universe (2) 10. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) (2) 11. The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types (2) 12. Doctor Who (2) 13. Ender Series - Orson Scott Card (1) 14. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) (1) 15. Iron Man (Movies) (1) 16. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (1) 17. Original Work (1) 18. Sherlock (TV) (1) 19. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) (1) 20. Big Hero 6 (2014) (1) 21. Emelan - Tamora Pierce (1) 22. The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien (1) 23. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga (1) 24. The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien (1) 25. Captain America (Movies) (1) 26. Paranatural (Webcomic) (1) 27. Torchwood (1) 28. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica (1) 29. Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types (1) 30. Star Wars: Rebels (1) 31. Doctor Who (2005) (1) 32. The Hobbit - All Media Types (1)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

To nobody's surprise, my top 5 fics by kudos are (in order) the first 5 parts to the Jedi Shmi AU.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Oof. I used to. But I ended up spiralling pretty badly uhhhh a couple years ago and had to stop. I feel like I should reply to comments, especially those wonderful long ones, but even though I do this whole writing thing, I always have a really hard time, like, knowing what to say to them? Like "akjsdfk;jf thank you" always feels inadequate, but writing a well thought-out reply takes a stupidly large amount of brainpower, and I'll leave them marked as unread if I want to reply to them and then they just accumulate in my inbox and I end up spiralling again, since it just continues to exist as a mental load of something I have to do and the avoidance just gets bigger and bigger the longer I put it off and–

look, I just get into my own head too much about it. I respond to questions, usually. I love all the comments but I can't let myself overthink it, and the easiest way to do that is to not let myself reply.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I guess Obi-Wan’s Terrible Horrible No-Good Very Bad Life doesn’t count because it... doesn’t have an ending yet? and I don’t know how angsty that ending is going to be. Even Composing Hallelujah doesn’t count because it ends happier than in canon, even though it’s... y’know, not exactly happy-ending.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you've written?

Hahaha I don't do crossovers often, but I have done them, and the craziest one I've actually written is probably my Sailor Moon/Puella Magi Madoka Magica fic. It’s especially crazy because I’ve only seen a few episodes of sailor moon lol

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

lmao YEP

There's this one, like Ender's Game/Doctor Who fic I wrote and posted on FFN back in middle school. And it got a ton of hate, as far as I can tell mostly from the same person, talking about like, how bad and non-canonical and whatever it was. And when I migrated over to AO3, I reposted it there too. This was in like 2012. The migration, at least, the fic was written in... idk, 2010?

And then. In 20-fucking-19.

I got a comment saying "Terrible. Makes zero sense. It’s like the author threw canon out the window and took a shit on it." like lmao what??????

(for reference: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361723?show_comments=true#comments and https://www.fanfiction.net/r/7621672/)

(like what the actual fuck was this person on)

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Not any that I've been brave enough to post. And… also… nothing that I've actually written more than a few paragraphs on… I keep chickening out. I did recently make a deal with a friend, though, so… we'll see. If I do, it’s probably going to be quite dark, because that’s the kind of smut I like to read.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I sincerely hope not.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!! See how the blackbird walks into russian and just recently In all your wanderings into french!!!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've tried. It's never gone… especially well? I don't think any of them ever actually ended up complete, they all just petered out after a while.

What's your all time favorite ship?

I don't really have an "all-time favorite" anything, let alone a ship. I'm a horrible multishipper and I'm going to cause problems on purpose

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Sigh. Probably my intricate, 30-something-k unpublished Silmarillion Helcaraxë fic. It has so many moving pieces. I know where most of them end up but it's going to take so much effort to get there

What are your writing strengths?

writing

What are your writing weaknesses?

writing

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Hm. Given that I mostly write fic for SF/F, I don't run into the "real life languages" problem a lot. I end up working with conlangs of various complexity, for the most part, and for those… I'll sprinkle in a word or two if it makes sense, especially swear words and stuff. But for most of those conlangs, grammar is… less well-determined than vocabulary, so I almost never do phrases, let alone full sentences. I'll just put it in italics (if the POV character understands it) or say "and they said something unintelligible in [x language]" or the like.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I think………. let me check the dates on this. I think the actual first fanfiction I wrote was sometime in fifth or sixth grade, for this "Zenda" book series I read?? Either that or Harry Potter.

What's your favorite fic you've written?

A big shout-out goes to The Lichtenberg Figure, which I can’t believe is the only Tamora Pierce fanwork I’ve published, but for my favorite... it's gotta be Messenger. Like, looking back, there is a bunch about it that I am very not happy with, and a lot of things I think didn't come across the way I wanted, and things I would not write the same way now, years down the line, as I have very differently balanced understandings of… well, a lot of these same characters. But, fuck, I just can't let go of Mandalorian!Beru.

No pressure tags!! @apaladinagain @determamfidd @faeymouse @lumateranlibrarian (apologies if you’ve already done this one and I haven’t seen it!)

Final Fantasy 15 Thoughts (Spoilers!)

So, I just finished playing Final Fantasy 15 Royal Edition and I have many feelings about it. As I understand it, I have avoided many of the basic gameplay and story problems by buying the Royal Edition, which has all of the patches, dlc's, and fixes many of the bugs encountered when FFXV first came out. Oh, and I have watched the brotherhood anime and the Kingsglaive movie. Overall, my first experience with FFXV is much more complete than it was when the game was initially released (that is my understanding anyways). To be clear, I enjoyed playing FFXV (at least a good portion of it), but I have many issues with it too. One of my main issues with FFXV is the plot, especially the plot following the rite in Altissia. I have read many complaints about how dark FFXV gets after this point and how it becomes a very narrow, plot driven narrative as opposed to its earlier more easygoing and open world setting. To some extent, I agree with these complaints. This change in the game feels very sudden and forced to some degree. However, I personally tend to play heavily narrative games because I like deep, complex plotlines. This turn into a plot driven narrative is not my main issue, though it was, in my opinion, too abrupt a change in the game. My main issue following the events in Altissia, simply, is that the game wasn't as much fun to play after that point. For a game promoting the concept of brotherhood and comradery, that pretty much disappeared after the events in Altissia. Don't get me wrong, I understand the events in Altissia were traumatic for all of the characters and that caused most of the tension, but it was like we were playing with a different group of characters than we started with. All of the comradery seen previously in the game, from the pep talks, to characters interactions, to the short quips in battle (My fav was between Noctis and Ignis, the "You got my back" and "Always" in reply) had created this atmosphere of a team, of a brotherhood that was connected not just by duty, but by genuine friendship. 

But then Altissia happens, and the group just...completely falls apart. There is such an emotional whiplash between the first part of the game and the second part of the game, and its jarring. I honestly felt uncomfortable playing the game after the events in Altissia because the atmosphere was tense and strained, and the comradery present in the first half of the game became nearly nonexistent. Frankly, the game never recovers from this mood shift, and the rest of the game has a sort of sullen, discomforting feel to it. And I know people would argue that the brotherhood comes back together at the end of the game, but I would argue that true reconciliation never happens between the characters, instead making their comradery at the end a byproduct of their circumstances. They never truly deal with the problems created by the events in Altissia and afterwards. They just push them aside because they need to do so in order to work as a team and save the world. Now, is it possible that the remaining trio living in darkness may have dealt with their issues and figured things out, but we wouldn't actually know because we aren't privy to anything that happens during those 10 years. Maybe the game wanted you to understand Noctis's perspective in this way (though they don't really touch on how incredibly disorienting that time skip must have been for Noctis). However, the point stands that there was never really time at any point in the rest of the game following Altissia for the group to reconcile and come back together as a cohesive unit.

That leads me to another huge issue I take with the plot of this game. The ending. I know, already, there are people who will comment and say that "Not everything has a happy ending" and "The sacrifice was necessary to save the world", and so on and so forth. My issue with the ending comes back to the question of why. Especially after having watched Episode Ardyn, I just don't feel that the game gives us a clear cut reason as to why any of the ending needs to happen the way it does. Ok, so the sun goes down and doesn't come up after Noctis is pulled into the Crystal, which means demons have pretty much free reign and everything is much more dangerous. Got it. But why did the sun disappear? I know the game explains that there are organisms infected with the Starscourge that release a light-absorbing miasma, which are the cause of the lengthening nights (though you need to be fairly thorough in your examination of items to learn this). It also mentions the idea that the Oracle dying is related to the longer nights and the disappearing sun, though it never really explains why besides the fact that the Oracle can heal the Starscourge. While I understand that her healing those with Starscourge helps to limit the amount of miasma being put into the world, it seems rather unlikely that one person can ever hope to keep up with that demand. Also, we only ever saw Luna heal people who had not fully turned into demons yet, and I would assume that those people aren't giving off the same level of miasma as fully turned demons. And, we know those fully turned demons exist, in the form of demons the party runs into and the MT's that the empire uses. I'm just not sure it is believable that the Oracle, by themselves, is actually healing enough people to actually prevent the endless night in the first place. As for the other part of the explanation, how did those organisms proliferate to the point where it caused an endless night? Based on what we hear from characters in FFXV and read in the research notes, the appearance of the longer nights was incredibly rapid, which begs the question of why those organisms suddenly started infecting creatures and producing this miasma so quickly in comparison to any other time in the history of this world (as far as we know). All in all, I can't think of a solid reason given in the game as to why the endless night even happens, or perhaps, why it hasn't happened already. 

Moving on, after Noctis is absorbed into the Crystal, we do a ten year time skip. Back to my question of why, why did Noctis have to be in the Crystal for 10 years? I know he went in to gain the power of providence, but 10 years seems a bit excessive. Maybe that’s just me. Ignoring the fact that almost all of the living things in the world would have died without 10 years of sunlight, the fact remains that, in all likelihood, most of the creatures living in that world would have perished, either by being killed by demons or due to a lack of resources. In all honesty, there probably aren't many people alive by the time Noctis returns, and it’s hard to say if a civilization would actually be able to recover from that kind of devastation. Anyways, let's move on to what is my biggest contention with the plot. The prophecy. I have to say, I really, really dislike this plot point in the game. For one, it makes no sense. The true king, in this story, exists to purge their star of the darkness. Ok, cool, love the vague terms. But again, why? The darkness, which basically refers to the Starscourge, has existed for at least 2000 years at this point in the world. If the gods were so invested in this issue, why didn't they address it earlier? Why wait for a so called chosen king after at least 2000 years of this darkness ravaging their world? And what makes Noctis the chosen king? Simply because the gods said so? If that is the case, why didn't they choose a chosen king earlier? I know, after watching Episode Ardyn, that Ardyn was also a chosen king with the ability to absorb Starscourge from other people into himself. An ability, I might add, granted to him by the gods. But when Ardyn tries to ascend to become a king, the Crystal, where Bahamut resides, suddenly rejects him because of his ability (which, again, was given to him by the gods), and so he is rejected basically by the gods via the gift they gave him. Which makes no sense. As we know, this action leads to the circumstances we see in the game. 

To me, at this point, it seems that the gods on Eos are incompetent and create this prophecy in order to fix the problem they created. This seems to become more glaringly obvious when Bahamut tells Ardyn (in Episode Ardyn) that he literally is a pawn in their game to fix the problem they created. At its core, that is what makes me so very frustrated with this prophecy plot line. It seems that the characters in this game are no more than pawns being made to do what the gods tell them to do, and that everything in this world is preordained. Not only does that rake against my own beliefs as an individual, but it ruins the purpose of the game for me. If everything is preordained, then what is the point? It also hurts my perception of the characters as well because the characters, except for Ardyn maybe, never think to go against the determinations made by the gods, they just go along with it. They never stop to consider trying to find another way and instead simply accept their fates as is. I understand there is something inherently powerful and moving in sacrificing yourself to save others, but making it fate instead of an active choice lessens the impact. Noctis doesn't choose to sacrifice himself to save Eos, it is forced upon him. There is no sense of choice here, merely one of acceptance. The cruelty of Noctis' preordained fate disturbs me. Not only is Noctis just randomly chosen to die to save the world, but the gods see fit to inform his father of that when Noctis is 5. I cannot truly imagine the depth of sorrow and helplessness probably felt by Regis in being told that his son is basically a sacrifice. Undoubtedly, knowing that weighed heavily on Regis and I'm sure at times that knowledge put a dour edge on his time with Noctis. One of the saddest things about Noctis' fate is how little time he actually gets to live. I know he is technically 30 at the time of his death, but he really only lived 20 years. Not only is his life cut short, but he actually loses a third of it in the process of becoming the ideal sacrifice for the gods. To me, Noctis' fate is just unbearably cruel. And don't misunderstand, I actually like games that have darker themes and angst in them, but I think there is a balance in crafting stories and this story didn't quite find a balance. And the thing is, I think the creators of the game have acknowledged that too, as they have now created 2 alternative storylines where Noctis doesn't die and his fate is subverted in some way. Personally, I prefer the message given in the Final Fantasy 7 remake where the characters actively fight against a pre-determined destiny, instead of simply accepting their destiny as is. I have more thoughts on the subject of Final Fantasy 15, but for the moment I will end my writing here.

(for the ask thing) any book/tv show/movie/song recommendations?

BRO! I heckin got you man! Now, I’m gonna skip the song and book recommendation bit because that sorta thing isn’t really my scene. BUT! In terms of TV? My rec list is like a mile long. I’m gonna include a read-more line, actually. 

BBC Merlin: You know I had to put this on the list. But the fact that you’re on my blog means you’ve probably watched this one, so I won’t go into detail about it. Available on Netflix

Mob Psycho 100: Just a cute, sweet story about a bunch of psychic kids trying to kill each other. A story with this much fighting has no right to be so wholesome. Mob is just a good boy, he doesn’t deserve all this! Fair warning, its messages about identity, self love, and growth WILL make you feel Emotions. Available on various anime pirating websites

Red vs Blue: The found family game is SO strong in this one. By far the best found family plot/dynamic I have ever and will ever experience. The characters are all so solid, yknow? Like it took me three rewatches to understand the plot, but I didn’t even care because I loved the characters SO MUCH. It’s also really, really funny (although some of the jokes have aged a bit poorly tbh). Basically about a bunch of space marines who goof off and accidentally dismantle corrupt governments along the way. Available on Youtube

Supernatural: Is it cringey? Yeah. Does the fandom suck? Also yeah. Is Destiel overrated? BIG yeah. But it’s got monsters, magic, family, and a plot that doesn’t revolve around romance - and really, what more could you ask for? And sure, a lot of people don’t really like the later seasons, but idk I actually prefer them. Season 15 has me THRIVING. I mean come on - character vs author?! Fighting the guy who literally wrote you into existence because he doesn’t want to give your story a happy ending?! Say what you will about Supernatural, but it’s one of the most imaginative shows I’ve ever seen. Available on Netflix

Avatar the Last Airbender: You like stellar animation, intricate worldbuilding/magicbuilding, and a perspective on war that is surprisingly mature for a kids show? Check it out. This show is without a doubt one of the best animated series of all time. Go on. Watch it. It’ll change your life. Available on Netflix

The Umbrella Academy: Time-travelling assassins. Superheroes. Ghosts. Talking monkeys. Murder mysteries. Baller soundtracks. This show will never give you what you expect. I don’t even think I could properly describe it to you. Available on Netflix

Detective Conan: An anime. It’s about a teen detective - think Nancy Drew but bloodier - who witnesses a crime and is fed an experimental poison in order to keep him from telling anyone. But instead of killing him, the poison turns him into a 6-year-old. So now he’s got to solve crimes and take down a criminal organization while in the body of a child. Naturally, shenanigans ensue. Fair warning, the main character becomes a bit of a Mary Sue in later episodes, but the first 300 or so are pretty fun. A few episodes are available on Netflix, but not any of the good ones. You’ll need an anime pirating website for that

Knives Out: My favourite movie ever, of all time. It’s a murder mystery that both subverts and pays homage to its parent genre in all the right places. It’s funny, it’s intelligent, and has a spectacular ending! Although I do wish the fandom would stop being so horny for Ransom, I mean he’s literally racist...No clue where you can find this tbh, I saw it in theatres

Derry Girls: Now I’m not normally a big fan of realistic fiction/sitcom stuff. Despite how funny they are, I’ve not even watched The Office or Parks and Rec because that normal daily life stuff just doesn’t peak my interest. And yet, somehow this story about a group of Irish high schoolers just has me enthralled. Very funny, very well-written, give it a watch. Available on Netflix

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Another anime. Phenomenal animation? Check. Fascinating plot and characters? Check. Detailed magic system that gets my lore-obsessed heart fluttering? Big heckin check. So basically two kids try to use Fantasy Science to bring their mom back to life, only the experiment fails and has some pretty nasty consequences - one boy loses his arm and leg, while the other loses his entire body and has his soul bound to a suit of armour. Now they gotta go through government conspiracies, ethical dilemmas, and Daddy Issues to try and get their bodies back. Available on Netflix

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Yet another anime. I know, I know, I’m a nerd, get over it. This show doesn’t have a complex plot or even complex characters, tbh, but what it does have is some amazing humour. It’s extremely funny, and it’s also just a nice show to kick back and relax to. Basically this guy who’s so op that he could rewrite the laws of reality on a whim is stuck dealing with relationship drama in high school despite being very, very asexual and very, very tired. Mostly he just uses his powers to avoid people and eat junk food, which is honestly a mood. Available on Netflix

Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Honestly I’d recommend almost anything that’s Scooby Doo-related because that was my childhood obsession. I used to have like 20 of the movies on DVD before my mom gave them all away. To this day I still love Scooby Doo, and watch it whenever I get the chance. But if you ask any SD fan, they’ll probably tell you that Mystery Incorporated is the best, most intelligent, most creative installment in the franchise. And they’re right (although I do wish there was less relationship drama...) Available on Netflix

Evil Genius: This is a documentary series about the Collar Bomb Robbery. Now, despite what the above list might indicate, I actually watch a LOT of documentaries, and if I were here to recommend all of them then we would be here all day. Not really ‘funny’ like the other entries on this list, it’s actually rather tragic, but definitely a cerebral viewing experience. Available on Netflix

Screwball: Now this is a documentary that IS funny. It’s about drug scandals in baseball. But the dramatic scene re-enactments are done with child actors that are all wearing fake beards and pretending to be drug dealers. It’s not only a fascinating subject, but it’s got amazing editing and visuals that have me in awe. Available on Netflix

Behind the Curve: Yet another documentary. This one’s about the rise of the Flat Earth movement. You’ll spend most of the time on the verge of having a stroke because of how stupid it all is. Available on Netflix

The Movies That Made Us: Okay okay okay last documentary on the list I swear. This one’s exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a series talking about the behind-the-scenes production of iconic movies like Home Alone and Ghostbusters. I eagerly await the second season. Available on Netflix

Monster Factory: If you’re familiar with the McElroy brothers and their brand of humour, you’ll love this. Griffin and Justin team up to make the most disturbing avatars they can create using video game character creators. The origins of the Final Pam meme. If I had a shirt with a quote from Monster Factory on it, I’d die a happy man. Available on Youtube

Baman Piderman: The dumbest show I have ever watched, but it’s so adorable and stupid and I love it so much. It doesn’t really have a plot, but later episodes allude to the presence of one and I’m upset because there are so many mysteries/questions hinted at and we’ll never get answers because it’s been abandoned. PLEASE watch it. Available on Youtube

Stranger Things: Okay, season 2 was a bit of a let-down imo, but season 1 was ICONIC and the Scoops Troop subplot in season 3 deserved its own freakin spinoff. I’m not joking. I didn’t even like s3 all that much, but the only reason it’s my favourite is because the Scoops Troop plot was so great. People call this show ‘horror’ but I don’t think it’s scary enough for that, although it is admittedly kinda spooky. If you like 80s nostalgia and the horror aesthetic, then I’d give it a watch (Do it for Scoops Troop. Do it for Robin). Available on Netflix

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart: Despite my overwhelming love for this film, I’ll be the first to admit it’s kinda mediocre. The plot is weird and the romance feels forced, but despite its flaws it manages to be one of my favourite movies. Mostly I just like it for the unique concept and beautiful ending. Also the music is off the par man. Probably because the writer/producer of the movie was the lead singer for a French band called Dionysus (what? I do my research). Available on Netflix

Wakfu: I haven’t seen past season 3, but so far it’s pretty good. You go in thinking it’s just a wholesome action/adventure show about a kid who can create portals - but then it just. Sucks you in. From its bopping theme song to its fantastic found family to the unique worldbuilding, you very quickly fall in love with it. It’s got a cool plot and also talking dragons, and it doesn’t get better than that. Available on Netflix

Mystery Skulls Animated: Technically not a TV show so much as it is a series of animated music videos with a plot, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the greatest things of all time. It’s basically Scooby Doo but if Shaggy got possessed by a demon and killed Fred, causing Fred to become a ghost hellbent on revenge-killing Shaggy in return. And if Scooby was an ancient Japanese spirit that bit off Shaggy’s arm, forcing him to wear a metal prosthetic. Yeah, MSA is wild. It’s only got three videos out so far, with a fourth one coming out this October, but there’s already so much lore! Available on Youtube

Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared: Ah yes, yet another cringey entry on this list. But you know what? Cringe culture is dead!!! And despite its fandom being...like that...DHMIS really is a cool show. Think if Sesame Street was like haunted or something. The episodes about creativity and telling time remain the most unsettling, imo. Definitely worth a watch. Available on Youtube

Inanimate Insanity: Oh boy. Am I seriously recommending you dip your little fingies into the object fandom? Yes. Yes I am. This show is so obscure it makes freakin Detective Conan look popular. At its core it’s a parody of Total Drama Island and Survivor but with anthropomorphized inanimate objects as characters (hence the name). Season 2 is actually really, really good and surprisingly competent. You just gotta get through season 1 first. Available on Youtube

The X-Files: Wow, a live action series on this list? Who woulda thought??? But seriously, this show is really fun. Memes and jokes aside, I love it. Scully and Mulder are fun characters with great chemistry (both platonic and romantic), the Lone Horsemen are hilarious, and every episode is a unique adventure into the most creative acid trips the human mind could conceive of. Phenomenal from start to finish (if you ignore the last season). I have no clue where you would watch this. Pirate it, probably

Buzzfeed Unsolved: Two idiots investigate cold cases and haunted locales while being utter dumbasses about it. You know the “hey demons it’s be ya boi” meme? That came from these guys. Available on Youtube

Kingdom: Ngl, I didn’t go into this expecting zombies. Or for it to take place during Korean feudalism, for that matter. But mediocre dubbing aside, this show has such a clever concept. It takes the zombie apocalypse genre and gives refreshing, unique twists to old tropes that they feel like something new. Seo-bi is my wife and she deserves all the love and appreciation in the world, and those are just Facts. Available on Netflix

My Hero Academia: Superhero high school anime. I personally am not a fan of later episodes/arcs, but the first three seasons are pretty dang good. Diverse, colourful ensemble cast that you easily grow to adore, interesting commentary on disability (although I’m not qualified to give any actual takes on that), and a school curriculum that makes me very, very concerned for the wellbeing of these children. Plus all the superpowers - aka ‘quirks’ - are super imaginative and, well, quirky! I just wish people would stop shipping the main character with his childhood bully...You’ll need to pirate this one too lmao

Danny Phantom: The highlight of this show is its ‘phandom’, because unlike someone (*cough* Butch Hartman), we’re not a bunch of cowards. It’s about a guy who messes around with his parents’ lab stuff and accidentally acquires the ability to die! Well, half-die. He can turn into a ghost and fight other ghosts. Although the show never explores the existential, traumatic fallout of being kinda-sorta-dead, the potential for something deep and emotional is there. Plus there is a LOT of accidental subtext for a Big LGBT+ Metaphor. So much so that the Trans Danny theory is basically canon. Uhhh not available on Netflix anymore so it’s time to whip out your pirate hat, matey

And there you have it! Like I said, I have a lot of TV recommendations. And I just KNOW I’m forgetting a ton, but this is already really long so we’ll have to cut off here. 

Thanks for the ask! <3

Fic Recs

I really don’t read as much as I should, but there have been some really great ones. MCU and X-Men recs under the read more.

I think... if I counted right, this is 25 recs here. I may have gotten carried away a little bit. Enjoy.

--- --- ---

Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked by Kellyscams Rating: Explicit

Steve's just moved back to Brooklyn after spending ten years in California trying to make a life for himself as an artist right after high school. Having escaped to the other side of the country following the sudden death of his mother, Steve feels guilty about abruptly leaving all his friends for so long, unfulfilled, scared and nervous about started college at his age, and unbelievably lonely. So when he meets Bucky Barnes, a young sex-worker, at a bar the night before his first day of classes, temptations might be too high to resist.

One night paying for sex with the most sinfully gorgeous guy is nothing to brag to the papers about, huh?

S'not like he'll ever see him again anyway...

...Right?

And we pulled each other like gravity by hllfire Rating: Explicit

Erik accompanies Charles, Crown Prince of the Xavier Empire, to his first diplomatic meeting on the planet Themis, where he finds out something about the Prince and they end up talking about the past and how their paths had crossed before.

Fill for the Day 1 of Cherik Week: Space AU.

Bitter Sweet by LadyDarkPhoenix Rating: Teen

Bucky comes home from the war, finds out he has a daughter he never knew existed and now he must cope with life after the war while taking care of her.

Alternate timeline where Bucky's rescued after falling from the train, but Steve was never told and goes into the ice anyway.

Broken by NotEvenCloseToStraight Rating: Explicit

It took months of therapy for Bucky to break his Winter Soldier conditioning, and Steve was there for him, encouraging him to talk about his past, his fears, his time as the Soldier. And Bucky talked about everything-- except why the barest mention of an Alpha makes him panic. When Steve brings Bucky home, Alpha!Tony is ready to welcome Bucky with open arms and wings, but Bucky can't look at him, can't be in the same room without his wings flaring out to keep the Alpha away, a broken Omega panicking in the presence of a strong Alpha. But Tony is a good Alpha, and the team pulls together to help Bucky, showing him what it means to be loved, to be healthy and whole, and one day when Tony holds his hand out, Bucky trusts him enough to take it. And Bucky realizes that with a family behind him, with the safety hes found in the Omegas, the companionship from the Betas, and the unconditional love from the Alpha--HIS alpha, he isn’t broken at all. But with a team like the Avengers, tragedy is never far off, and this one rocks the family to their core. How can they fix the broken pieces of their lives when their Alpha is gone?

Close to you, I’m home by OneWithoutAName Rating: Teen

As Erik is searching the manor, he finds something strange in the attic. He knows that he needs to go to Charles, if he wants some answers. After all, why would there be a nest in a small dusty attic room, when there were countless rooms with ridiculously soft beds all around the manor?

Goodbye Brothers by LadyDarkPhoenix Rating: Teen

A look at Dum-e during the events of Iron Man 3 and beyond.

It’s Not What You Think... by LadyDarkPhoenix Rating: Teen

Bucky walks in on Tony dirty talking in the lab but it's not what he thinks.

Letters to Bucky by NotEvenCloseToStraight Rating: Explicit

Stuck in rehab after a near-fatal accident, Tony reaches out via letters to a soldier overseas, and Bucky is more than happy to write back, drawn to Tony for a reason he can't quite name. One or two letters turn into a years worth, then come the phone calls, with Tony quickly realizing that Bucky's voice, with that rolling Brooklyn accent might be his new favorite sound. When Bucky shows up unannounced at Tony's door, one thing leads to another and maybe a confession or two is made. But Bucky's tour overseas isn't over yet, not even close, and they have months more of distance between them. Then Bucky disappears, missing in action, and Tony doesn't know if he will ever get his soldier back. And if Bucky DOES make it home, will he be the same boy from Brooklyn who sent Tony love poems, or has his time away and his injuries changed him for good?

BONUS CHRISTMAS CHAPTER ADDED 12/10/18

Let your light shine by OneWithoutAName Rating: Teen

Inspired by Moomin TV series from 1990 and the episodes “The invisible friend” and “The invisible Child”. It’s the start of the summer break and Erik, a 13 year old boy living in a small house with his mother in the outskirts a small(ish) English town, is stuck in home because of the rain. The evening seems to get interesting though, when a strange man arrives with an invisible telepath boy and asks them to help him become visible again.

Loving a Vampire by Feelingsinwinter Rating: Mature

In the 19th century, Tony is a greatly appreciated and skilled inspector. His dire need to find the murderers and killers to every case he is given is well known among the people and while it doesn’t always help him to get the answers he needs, at least it makes it easier to convince people to talk to him. When Mary Ann Nichols is found dead, Tony Stark doesn’t know the investigation will put his life in harm’s way, put his marriage with one James Buchanan Barnes on shaky ground and shove him in a situation he wasn’t ready to face.

When a murderer does their best to earn the name of a monster, Tony is ready to do anything to stop them.

My beacon in a storm that is the world by OneWithoutAName Rating: Teen

Erik hated this planet. And he had seen a few along the years as a pilot of the most troublesome research team that had ever existed.

Or, they find a new alien species and Erik catches a bad case of feelings ragarding his relationship with Charles.

Of Broken Dreams and Mended Hearts by Kellyscams Rating: Explicit

When the House of Barnes is left in massive debt after the death of George Barnes, their oldest son and heir, Bucky, is forced to sacrifice his own hopes and dreams by entering an arranged married to Steve Rogers. Steve seems kind enough, has a prominent job in the government, and was even voted Society's Best Catch. But the House Rogers is significantly higher in status than Bucky's family, which means Bucky is marrying up in Society, and marrying up doesn't only come with rewards, it also comes with certain...expectations and losses--some of which Bucky might be willing to do anything to avoid. And those opportunities might come his way.

Unless, of course, he actually starts falling in love with his new husband...

Pirates Heart by NotEvenCloseToStraight Rating: Explicit

The 1700s, the Golden Age of Piracy, and Captain Steve Rogers has all he wants: a ship, a loyal crew, Bucky at his side, and the horizon offering a new adventure everyday. But an impulsive kiss gone wrong leads to a marriage between Steve and Tony Stark, and now Steve doesn't know what to do about ANYTHING. Steve loves Bucky, but something about Tony draws him in. Tony is too innocent for this life, but he picks up a sword anyway. Bucky is Steve's, but when he offers his hand to Tony and now the three of them are something new. When the truth about Steve's mission to ruin the Stark name comes out, Tony runs away, leaving Steve and Bucky behind in search of answers to the secrets hidden from him his whole life-- about his company, about Uncle Obie, about his parents death.

Steve and Bucky cant abandon their mission against Stane and Tony cant deal with the answers he finds in New York. Is this the end? Is Tony gone forever? Or will he leave his old life and return to the sea and the Pirates that hold his heart?

**BONUS CHAPTER ADDED 2/4/19!!** **BONUS CHAPTER ADDED 5/15/20!!**

Random Encounter by g33kyclassic Rating: Explicit

Charles is just a typical London commuter...until he sees the most gorgeous man on earth standing a few feet away from him.

Regret is in the past by OneWithoutAName Rating: Teen

Six years after first class, the cold war escalates and the missiles are fired, destroying the world as it was known. Those who managed to live, fight for survival against each other and against the living dead. One would think that the mutants have advantage, but Shaw was wrong in his assumption that the radiation would make them stronger. On the contrary, it made them weaker, their powers only half of what they used to be. In this world of waste land, Erik and what’s left of the brotherhood are trying to survive. It’s five years later, they are cornered by the zombies while they were trying to gather supplies in abandoned town. The situation seems hopeless, until a silver haired boy appears out of nowhere and tells them to be ready to run.

Small Indiscretions (Can Save the World) by LadyDarkPhoenix Rating: Teen

Captain Steve Rogers has defeated the Red Skull but lost his own life in the process, leaving behind a grieving Peggy and guilt-ridden Howard Stark. After looking to Howard for comfort following her great loss, Peggy finds herself facing the scariest mission she’s ever encountered: motherhood.

While this news is devastatingly unwanted for Peggy, Howard sees this as a golden opportunity to give his bride Maria the child she never thought she could have. With a little convincing and promises that she won’t have to be involved with the child’s life if she doesn’t want to be, Peggy agrees to keep and have the baby for the Starks, own personal comfort be damned. She wasn't planning on it being so hard, or finding someone she didn't want to lie to along the way. AKA what if Peggy Carter was more than just Tony Stark’s badass aunt?

The Consequence of Hiding by g33kyclassic Rating: Explicit

Charles is completing his PhD at Oxford when he finds himself in dire need of a new job to support himself and Raven. Erik is a grumpy Mutant Student Counsellor who has yet to fill his student assistant position. Enter Prof. MacTaggert and her matchmaking ways to bring her student and her friend together (in platonic, professional compatibility, of course). Will things stay platonic for Charles and Erik? Only time will tell.

The Funeral by LadyDarkPhoenix Rating: Teen

Tony attends the viewing and funeral of his parents. The other members of the company's board are not amused by his actions there.

The Risks by OneWithoutAName Rating: Teen

Inspired by post on Tumblr It takes Erik by surprise how Mystique doesn't seem to remember just how much Charles has done and risked for them, for their kind. But it seems that Erik wasn't quite aware of the risks either.

The Robot Who Could Feel Pain by slightly_salty_ace Rating: Teen

In which Tony leaves Afghanistan more machine than human. Or rather, Iron Man leaves Afghanistan. To the world, Tony Stark is dead.

Or...

Steve is convinced that Iron Man is just a robot with sass because the future is a strange place and he's stopped questioning things.

But when someone from Tony Stark's past returns, putting Iron Man in danger, Steve is forced to start asking questions. Specifically questions about his feelings towards a certain red and gold robot.

The Shared Dream by TurtleTotem Rating: Teen

Charles's cryo-pod malfunctions and wakes him up a century before everyone else. Will he spend the rest of his life alone on a ship full of sleepers? (A Passengers AU.)

The Soldier by LadyDarkPhoenix Rating: Explicit - Read Warning and Tags!

There's something wrong with Bucky. Something very wrong and it may have dire consequences for his friends and loved ones.

Time Falls Away by NotEvenCloseToStraight Rating: Mature

The Battle of New York: Tony flies himself and the nuke through the wormhole and when his suit shuts down and he starts to fall, he knows he's going to die. But then he wakes up in an alley in Brooklyn, two strangers staring down at him in confusion and Tony is sure he is dreaming when he shakes hands first with pre-serum Steve Rogers, and then Bucky Barnes. Trapped in 1942, Tony befriends Steve, and falls in love with Bucky but America is at war, and Bucky and Steve ship out to join the cause. Tony knows all the stories about the Howling Commandos and knows what’s coming for the soldiers, and has to live through history as first Bucky falls, and then Steve disappears. Tony is left alone in the 40's, crying himself to sleep in the house he had shared with his best friend and his lover. But then he wakes up on the pavement in New York, the Hulk roaring in his face, Steve staring down at him, and he has to wonder if it was all a hallucination. When Tony fell through the sky, did he fall through time as well? Why does Steve act so cold towards him? Were he and Bucky really that happy together?

Did it all really happen, or is Tony in love with a life he can only have in his dreams?

We want the same thing by hllfire Rating: Mature

Charles is locked up underground, where his telepathy won't be a problem, deemed too dangerous now to be kept free. Erik pays a visit.

Fill for the Day 2 of Cherik Week: Dark!Charles.

Your Love Alone Is Not Enough by LadyDarkPhoenix Rating: Explicit - Read Warning and Tags!

In an alternative post Civil War, Clint and Bucky fell in love and tried to make a life together. But then Thanos happened and Clint embraced the darkness within himself trying to cope with all his loss.

This is how after Bucky returned, Clint still can't cope with what happened and who he's become. How even though he seems to have it all, his own mind is his now his greatest enemy. Bucky tries to help but how do you help someone that doesn't believe he should be saved?

some cdp facts

last hiatus i made the crime does p(l)ay(list), (and the one i made this arc too!) and people seemed to like that! i also referenced making this in my ‘five fun facts’ post, so, here you are!!

below the cut there are few arc one/two spoilers, so if you haven’t read cdp yet, go give it a read and then come back here!

more than half of the plot was written after chapter seven, which is why some of the characters seem a bit different in their personalities there than after. 

i nearly completely forget that Wes got beat up in ch 5 and I almost wrote him without his rib and facial injuries

CDP was originally only supposed to be ~15 chapters, as i thought that i’d have run out of steam by now. boy was i wrong.

Leo was never meant to be a heavily focused character, and he was only going to be in the ‘raven room’ chapter. the role Leo plays was originally supposed to be done by a different character altogether. the character he’s based off of is from the original plotline, where instead of Damien feuding with Leo, it’s Joven feuding with the xiaolong’s leader’s daughter, who was characterized as being very loyal to both her father and the gang. her characterization (brash, commanding, and loyal), turned into Linghun. she was supposed to threaten Joven and act as a distraction before disappearing after arc one, probably having been killed off in the gauntlet

kate was supposed to be a one off character, but i ended up loving writing for her, (and i needed a character who was involved in Mari’s crime scene clean-up), so i added her to joven’s backstory, and gave her some more personality

ryan todd was supposed to have bigger sway in arc one, and have it end with his accidental death, but i wrote a few lines for his podcast and he ended up sticking around.

sunny was also supposed to have a much bigger role, but he didn’t fit super well, and i ended up keeping him to the sidelines

the only characters that were locked in to existing were the main five, the strippers, sohinki and lasercorn, and matt raub. everyone else was written in later.

mari was the first one to get a backstory, boze was the last.

though this has been briefly (albeit not explicitly) mentioned throughout the fic, the canonic ages of each character are as follows: Mari - 26; Joven - 27; Damien - 22; Boze - 24; Wes - 26; Courtney - 25; Shayne - 23; Noah - 21; Keith - 24; Olivia - 22; Sohinki - 25; Lasercorn - 30; Kate - 26; Sarah - 29; Matt Raub - 38; Leo - 24; Sunny - 37; Tim - 32

Most of the characters also didn’t have solid ages until arc two

i actually have mockups for the official Jackrabbit logo in my google doc for the plot (might post it for fun idk). i’ve done a few sketches, but the official logo has been recorded in there. i might make something out of it if i manage to finish all of CDP

the second thing i planned out for CDP after chapter one was the epilogue chapter that will follow arc three. and i basically knew how the fic would end the moment i started it.

CDP arcs all take place over varying amounts of time, arc one roughly takes place over several weeks and arc two takes place over four months. (i’m still trying to plan out how long -time skip wise- arc thee is going to take)

CDP begins roughly in the beginning of November (due to the fact that that’s when i started writing it), but time acts differently in the story as there are never any concrete ‘dates’. Wes mentions it being january in ch 35, and damien mentions that it’s february in ch 43, but those are the only times i really gave actual months

there was very nearly going to be a christmas episode, but i felt like it messed with the pacing too much

i wrote most of the pre-CDP plot/backstory at the end of plotting out the fic

The name ‘Xiaolong’ is actually a word in Chinese. I meant the word to be ‘dragons’, but after consulting two of my Chinese-speaking friends they have both informed me that it actually means ‘little dragon’. once again google has disappointed me, but given me a nice name.

The original name for the Xiaolong was the ‘Swhi Zi Long’ which (very roughly) translates to ‘blood of the dragon’

I still can’t spell the Russian words for ‘bear brotherhood’ correctly, which is why I frequently refer to them as just ‘the brotherhood’

Kate’s number, referenced in chapter 12, is 555-0930. The final four numbers is the date Kate and Joven got married

the Jackrabbit’s address - 1301 Verloren street is a mix of two different things. 13, the day i was born, 01, the year i was born, and ‘Verloren’, which is the verb for ‘to forget’ in german

damien references something in one of his early chapters that can be seen as somewhat of foreshadowing to what happens in chapter 55

a single chapter of CDP, (which are roughly between 1,500-4,000) can take anywhere from 2-7 hours to write, depending on my focus and depth of editing

the shortest chapter of cdp is around 1,000 words and the longest chapter is 5,400 words long

there’s a base 64 easter egg in chapter 43. (the code that leo gives to damien to unlock the storage space translates to a french phrase, (la douleur exquise), which basically means ‘the heart wrenching pain of wanting someone you can't have’. and if that ain’t a mood with leo’s feelings towards damien.)

the final five chapters of arc two were supposed to be formatted very differently. the arc was supposed to end with a damien chapter, but i felt like it messed with pacing too much to add more people’s points of view. instead we got some extra stuff and some cute coze interactions and more boze backstory, so it payed off well!

unlike arc one, the plots of each of the chapters of arc two were written WAY before i published them. some of them changed based on how the characters changed, but most of them have been the same, 

the bare plot for arc one is roughly 3.5 pages long, the bare plot for arc two is 5 pages long, and the bare plot for arc three is 7 pages long

there will be 35 chapters this arc, as well as one, most likely very long epilogue chapter.

cdp will return this friday! for making it all the way through the list, have a few paragraphs from the next chapter - 56 - the aftermath

Mari’s heart was pumping out of her chest.

The ambulance sirens wailed around her as she followed closely behind in her car. The technicians hadn’t looked hopeful as they’d loaded the bodies into the back of the van.

There had been so much blood.

She’d been standing in the back, barely paying attention, trying to focus on the set numbers. Then the explosion had bloomed across the room. She had felt the sonic hum deep in her chest, and the ringing in her ears still burned, even now.

Mari slammed her fist into the steering wheel, letting out an ear splitting shriek as she let her emotions bubble over. Her friends might be dead. She had never thought that it would actually come it this.

She thought that they were safe now that the Titans were gone.

Sohinki’s words now echoed hauntingly in the back of her head.

The ambulance in front of her ripped into the hospital parking lot. Personel in white coats and white gloves ran with crash carts from the front door as soon as the ambulance stopped.

Mari found a parking spot quickly, putting the car into park before running towards the van, barely thinking to lock her car behind her. She could see them pull a gurney out of the back, moving it quickly towards the front entrance as doctors and ER techs shouted numbers at one another. Joven stepped out of the back, out of breath and sweaty, covered in blood.

15 things about Ishval that Brotherhood cut out

After rewatching Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood recently, I was once again extremely disappointed at the amount of content the anime cut out when it covered the Ishval war in episode 30. Volume 15 of the manga (which was entirely dedicated to showing the war in detail across four chapters) still remains my favourite volume of the whole series, so I wanted to talk about 15 things that Brotherhood cut out. Some of them are minor scenes and some are more major plot points.

The images I’ve included in this post have been taken directly from the Viz Media manga, as I really dislike the poor quality scanlations of FMA that are out there. I would highly recommend buying Volume 15 for yourself, even if it’s the only volume of FMA you ever own.

The things I’ll be covering are:

Neighbouring country Aerugo’s role in the war

The Ishvalans as people - their lives and strengths

The Rockbells’ extra scenes

The military’s order to kill the Rockbells

Roy, Hughes, and Hawkeye’s extra scenes

Hughes’ extended scenes as a squad captain

Corruption of high-ranking officers and internal assassination

Armstrong’s extra scene

Torture & human experimentation of Ishvalans

Doctor Marcoh & Doctor Knox’s extra scene

Roy’s role as the Hero of Ishval

Scar’s brother’s scenes

Roy’s squad

Children as the victims of the war

The overall portrayal of the war, and how Volume 15 was written/illustrated

** VERY LONG POST UNDER THE CUT, VERY IMAGE HEAVY **

Let’s begin!

1. Neighbouring country Aerugo’s role in the war

Aerugo is the country to the south of Amestris. It’s mentioned in the series that both countries are constantly fighting a war on the border. During the Ishvalan war, the Amestrian military discovers that Aerugo is supplying weapons to Ishval in order to aid them in defeating Amestris. (ch.58)

This discovery is then used as an excuse to purge all Ishvalans from within the military, by claiming that interior soldiers were the ones supplying the weapons. (ch.58)

Later on, when the war has become a full-blown extermination, Ishvalan civilians are seen at the Aerugo border pleading with the border forces to let them in as refugees. Aerugo, despite previously aiding Ishval with weapons, refuses to let them in. (ch.60)

2. The Ishvalans as people - their lives and strengths

Throughout the beginning of Volume 15, we’re shown short glimpses of the everyday lives of ordinary Ishvalans. We see their markets and their homes; we’re shown children playing in the streets and adults talking to each other. This is later juxtaposed with the destroyed landscape of rubble, blood, and bodies (which I’ll talk about more later on). It really helps to reinforce the fact that Ishvalans were just innocent people with ordinary lives as opposed to only existing to be exterminated and further the plot, which is the impression I got from Brotherhood.

Also cut out from the anime is just how powerful the Ishvalans were. Take this panel from chapter 59:

This is just one of a few examples in which Amestrian soldiers are discussing how strong the Ishvalans are. It’s stated that if not for the intervention of the State Alchemists, Ishval probably would have won the war by strength alone.

3. The Rockbells’ extra scenes

The amount of screentime given to Winry’s parents in Brotherhood is so disappointing. In the manga we got to see a lot more of them. It was shown that a lot of their Ishvalan patients were hostile towards them (ch.58)

We see them struggling to treat patients as their medical supplies become scarce and slowly stop being provided to them. They were even warned about the extermination campaign and told to leave Ishval to avoid being killed (ch.58)

Of course, they both refuse to leave and instead stay to continue to treat patients. We see other Amestrians bring food and supplies for the Ishvalan patients, and some Ishvalan children even appear and offer to help the doctors treat people. Overall, the Rockbells are shown to be hard working and to have hope for the future despite their struggle. This hope is later tested towards the end of the volume as more and more people are brought in and medical supplies run out.

4. The military’s order to kill the Rockbells

I couldn’t believe that this was something which was cut from the anime. In the manga (chapter 60), a higher-up commands Kimblee to discreetly kill the Rockbells, as their treatment of Ishvalan patients is damaging Amestris’ efforts in the war.

Kimblee is happy to take the job, but the Rockbells have already been killed by Scar when he arrives. Kimblee then remarks that he admired their conviction to continue treating patients to the end.

Much later during the Briggs arc, Kimblee mentions to Winry that he was part of the squad which recovered her parents’ bodies and mentions their family picture. In actual fact he had been sent to kill them. The assassination plan was never revealed to Ed, Al, or Winry.

5. Roy, Hughes, and Hawkeye’s extra scenes

I’ll only touch on this briefly, as Brotherhood did include most of the scenes where Roy and Hughes were discussing the war and their ideologies. However, a big scene which Brotherhood cut was one in which Roy and Hughes are unexpectedly attacked by an Ishvalan and are saved by Hawkeye’s sniper shot. (ch.59)

This is a much more interesting way to reunite Roy and Hawkeye IMO, since both we the audience and Roy see her actively taking part in the war.

6. Hughes’ extended scenes as a squad captain

This is probably the part which I most wanted to see included in Brotherhood. We see Hughes actually being a soldier, and being damn good at it. In chapter 60 he’s assigned to a sector under the command of Brigadier General Fessler, who I’ll discuss more in point 7. Hughes is ordered to lead a squad into a very dangerous battlefield and as a result sees many of his men die.

It’s at this point that Logue Lowe raises a white flag and requests to be taken to King Bradley to offer his life in exchange for an end to the war. Hughes is the one that Logue Lowe makes contact with, and their interaction is quite heartfelt. Both sides just want the war to be over.

Hughes agrees to take Lowe to Fessler, his commanding officer, which leads me to my next point...

7. Corruption of high-ranking officers and internal assassination

Before Hughes’ scene with Logue Lowe, we’re shown that Commander Fessler is a reckless, arrogant soldier. He sees war as a game and has no issue sending his soldiers out into dangerous situations. As a result, he gets a lot of Amestrian soldiers killed unnecessarily, and it’s clear that everyone under his command finds his attitude repulsive.

This all comes to a head when Hughes and Basque Grand escort Logue Lowe back to Fessler to request an audience with King Bradley. Fessler yells at them and orders them to take the Ishvalans out and shoot them all. Having had enough of his deplorable nature, Basque Grand takes matters into his own hands and assassinates Fessler on the spot.

None of the other soldiers are fazed by this. They unanimously decide to blame Fessler’s death on a “stray bullet”, and allow Basque Grand to take command.

8. Armstrong’s extra scene

In Brotherhood we’re shown Armstrong’s breakdown and subsequent removal from the battlefield. However in chapter 59 there’s an extra scene which adds more to Armstrong’s character and his emotions about the war.

After dozens of Ishvalans are shot dead against the wall he created with alchemy, Armstrong is overwhelmed with guilt and makes a hole in the wall to allow two survivors to escape.

The survivors seem grateful towards Armstrong, but after escaping they are immediately blown away by one of Kimblee’s explosions right in front of his eyes.

Kimblee then comments to Armstrong that if anyone else had seen him aiding Ishvalans, he would have been court martialed. Armstrong collapses to the ground, traumatised and defeated.

9. Torture & human experimentation of Ishvalans

It’s no secret that Ishvalans were experimented on in order to create philosopher’s stones. This is clearly touched upon in Brotherhood, although the manga arguably makes it more horrifying.

What Brotherhood didn’t include is the fact that Ishvalans were being subject to torture under the guise of experiments.

I’m very glad that the scene inside the building was not illustrated. It’s already chilling to see Doctor Marcoh reacting to the screams and Doctor Knox’s casual explanation. The fact that we’re not able to see what’s happening and have to use our imagination is enough to get the picture.

10. Doctor Marcoh & Doctor Knox’s extra scene

Speaking of Doctor Marcoh and Doctor Knox, the entire scene between them is very interesting. In Brotherhood we don’t see them interact much (if at all) until the end of the series. In the manga they are discussing their roles as doctors. They even mention the Rockbells and how they differ from each other as doctors.

This panel is nicely mirrored by the following panel on the opposite page:

It’s hard-hitting to see characters we care about questioning the reasons for the war, and how their abilities are being used to kill rather than to help. It’s not a case of them acting like victims, but more voicing the fact that the world is wrong and something needs to change.

11. Roy’s role as the Hero of Ishval

This is yet another scene which I was surprised that Brotherhood cut out. In the first 14 volumes of the manga we see Roy being addressed as “The Hero of Ishval”, but the reason is never explained. In chapter 61 it’s revealed that he was the one who actually ended the war by killing the “last” Ishvalan, a defenseless old man with a dog.

Roy’s face is masked in the beginning of the scene. He allows the man the chance to say his last words. The Ishvalan smiles and he chooses his words carefully, looking Roy right in the eyes as he says them:

Roy’s face here says it all. Those words will haunt him for the rest of his life. The war is over, but it doesn’t feel like a victory. Gaining the title of the “Hero of Ishval” does nothing for Roy but fill him with self-hatred (this is shown a few pages later).

12. Scar’s brother’s scenes

Another point which I’m only going to touch on briefly. I do think that Brotherhood covered all of Scar’s brother’s scenes, however I personally dislike the fact that Scar’s flashbacks were spread out over several episodes. It almost felt like Scar’s brother had less scenes in the anime because of this. It’s much easier to follow his story when it’s included within the war and isn’t split into rushed parts.

The manga also emphasises his optimism and his belief that Amestrians and Ishvalans have a lot in common and can live peacefully together. He truly believes that individuals can change the flow of the world to become positive.

13. Roy’s squad

During the Promised Day arc, Roy calls upon several men to help him in the coup d’etat. In Brotherhood it isn’t really explained who these men are, where Roy knows them from, or why he recruited them to help out. Well, in the manga we’re introduced to them much earlier on and we learn that they’re all surviving members of Roy’s squad during the war.

Roy feels guilty for not even knowing the men who were underneath him. He reflects on the fact that he can barely remember the names of his comrades who died, and doesn’t know a thing about the Ishvalans he killed. The surviving squad members thank him for ending the war and hail him as a hero, which leads Roy to further self-hatred and he states his vow to protect as many people as possible since he doesn’t believe that he should be hailed as a hero at all.

14. Children as victims of the war

Brotherhood seems to shy away from the fact that a lot of the Ishvalans who were killed were children. Throughout the anime we’re occasionally shown children running or crying, but never outright see children injured or dead (at least, not up close or in a graphic way).

On the other hand Arakawa is not only unafraid to show children as the victims, but actually emphasises how many children were killed.

We see the Rockbells struggling to cope, and Sara becoming desperate as she tries to save a child. We’re shown Ed, Al, and Winry sitting at home to really put forward the fact that children of their age are the ones getting killed in the war.

15. The overall portrayal of the war, and how Volume 15 was written/illustrated

The main difference that I see between the manga’s portrayal of Ishval and Brotherhood’s adaptation is that the manga really made it feel like a war. Brotherhood has some bloody scenes, but nowhere near to the extent that the manga shows.

At the start of volume 15, there’s a brief note from Arakawa about the writing of these chapters. She states that she interviewed WWII war veterans, read books, and watched films and footage at length to make sure she portrayed war as realistically as possible. Her research really shows throughout the volume. In most scenes, even if it’s a scene of two characters having a conversation, dead bodies, rubble, and blood are commonly visible in the background. This increases more and more as the chapters go on, showing the destruction pile up as the Ishvalans are wiped out.

As well as bodies, we also see people being killed very violently. We see victims of Roy’s flame alchemy charred, crying, and struggling to breathe as he finishes them off at close range, something which Brotherhood never showed.

There’s an incredible inverted colour two-page spread which showcases all aspects of the war together. There are panels of the state alchemists carrying out their work, panels of explosions and children crying, dead bodies and charred corpses, with Envy laughing maniacally by the side. I’d post it here but I really wouldn’t do it any justice by having it shrunk down.

The final thing I wanted to say is just how much of a genius writer Arakawa is. FMA was released monthly when it was being written, and yet all four Ishval chapters fit perfectly in one volume and flow into one another with this incredible atmosphere which builds up right to the end of the war. It’s an atmosphere that I can’t really put into words, but it’s something which leaves me with a feeling of sadness, unease and satisfaction all at once every time I read the entire volume from start to finish. I refuse to believe that Arakawa didn’t plan this ahead to make sure all four chapters ended up as one volume.

To conclude I want to reiterate my plea: please buy volume 15 of the FMA manga and read it if you haven’t done so already. The many excerpts which I included in this long post are only a fraction of what these four chapters have to offer. Brotherhood’s depiction of Ishval doesn’t even come close to matching up with Arakawa’s incredible, thoroughly-researched portrayal of war, and reading this part of the manga will help any anime-only fans to appreciate the series even more.

Thanks for reading!

GladNis: How do you think they first met? What were their opinions on each other then?

Thank you for the ask! Oooh I’ve never gotten one like this. And agh this question warrants a longer answer. Beware most of this is purely head-canon ^-^

I think they probably met when they were both relatively young because we know that Ignis grew up with Noctis and Gladio was meant to be the prince’s shield probably from very early on in his life. But while they knew of each other I don’t think they knew each other really well until later on.

Ignis being Ignis probably learnt all the major noble families of Lucis with their brief history and their traditional duties. So he did know a certain Gladiolus Amicitia existed. And Gladio probably was allowed into the Citadel every once in a while so he must have seen Iggy.

Them actually getting to know each other probably started around the time when Gladio started to train Noctis. That means he was probably at least around 15? And Ignis 14?

I don’t think that they talked too much to begin with. They just had too much of a different attitude to their duties and they didn’t meet outside of the Citadel. While for Ignis looking after Noctis and being his advisor was his life for Gladio being a member of the palace guard was a job. At least that’s the feeling I got from Brotherhood. Ignis is never shown doing something that is not related to his work in some way. Or to have any family or even acquaintances outside of the palace. While we do know that Gladio has a father, a sister, a home where he returns not just to sleep. (I mean did you see Ignis’ room in Brotherhood. That looks barely more than something where you can sleep or maybe read.)

So because of these differences they might not have even talked that much let alone formed a frienship. But this gradually changed. I can only guess what caused it. Maybe it was because of a list of small things. Just imagine Gladio seeing Ignis in the sparring room for the fisrt time. He probably realized that Ignis wasn’t just there for his intelligence and to attend the council meetings to take notes. (Oh no Iggy is no simple retainer, he’s the prince’s cleaner, cook, chaffeur, bodyguard, advisor, confidant and occasional nanny.) And Ignis might have seen Gladio interact with his little sister, not just be a strict palace guard. Or he saw Gladio read literature when he was on a break. Not that Iggy thought that literature was beyond Gladio, but still it was surprising to see him so drawn into a book.

And then they started to talk and formed a trust and a friendship probably neither of them really expected. A familiarity like that probably made a Citadel feel less empty. So by the time Ignis’ Brotherhood episode happens they have a mutual trust and know each other well enough so that they can talk about their charge so honestly. At this point Gladio knows Ignis is not infallable so he gives him advice about Noctis (of all the people). And Ignis knows that Gladio does care and has that kind of emotional intelligence to see what’s happening so he takes his advice to heart.

And this turned out to be much longer than I wanted it to. I’m also not good with words. So sorry if the phrasing might be awkward, it’s more or less just a stream of consciousness.

Non-Fiction Resources for Chronicles of Darkness by Gameline

June 6th Update: It seems that Tumblr has a limit to how many links you can put in one post. As a result, I’ve moved the resources for Dark Eras, as well as the links organized by topic, to a separate post that you can find at this link. 

*************

Much like I did for Eberron, I’m putting together some links to non-fiction materials you could use for Chronicles of Darkness. Since CofD is set in a dark mirror of our world, there are a lot of materials that could go in this post, but I will try to be selective. While I am keeping Chronicles in mind while I do this, you could use these links for any other RPG that is set on historical Earth (I’m looking at you, Call of Cthulhu!) Some links may show up more than once if they fit in multiple categories.

This post is very much a work in progress and probably will never be complete because of the broad availability of applicable materials. If you know of a resource that you don’t see on my list, please feel free to reblog/reply/DM me to say what the resource is and why it should be included on the list. I’ll do my best to add it in.

General Websites

Crash Course: It’s free, it’s on Youtube, and it’s in a ten-minute episodic format. 

Coursera: Coursera is a website where university level classes are available for free. You can also get certifications from Coursera for a fee so you can build your resume while planning your next chronicle. 

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: Dan loves historical “What if?” moments, and with good reason. If you want to hear the most badass historical stories, examine how drugs, alcohol, and human stupidity impacted history, or get a sense of what it was like to live through the most brutal historical eras, this is the place for you.

edX: Another excellent site with free courses that you can upgrade for a certificate. A good place to look for courses in the humanities and religion. 

Great Course/Great Courses Plus: GC and GC+ are not free services, but they have such an extraordinarily high production value that you can understand why. History, science, culinary theory, economics, anything you can think of is covered in the Great Courses catalogue. Great Courses Plus is their streaming service, which at $15/month for an annual subscription is a killer deal.

Google Books/Google Scholar: My first goto for research of any kind, and the first place I advise my students to begin their research. Seriously, I’ve written papers, then had them published just using these two. Use them. 

JSTOR: If you have operated in any kind of academic circle for the last two and a half decades, you know JSTOR. Full access is tough to come by unless you are currently enrolled in a university, but you can still sign up for free to get access to journals on topics you just can’t find anywhere else (like the Mutapa Empire). Sign up with multiple users if you have to. It works. Trust me. 

Open Yale Courses: University classes, taped lectures, and course materials, all from one of the best educational institution in the world. Take advantage of them. 

The Vault: Declassified FBI documents. A lot more of them involve the paranormal than you may expect. An excellent source of inspiration both for things that actually happened or that people think happened. 

Writing with Colour: The best place to go to check yourself for unintentionally problematic depictions of POC in your games. Also a great read if you are looking for details and cultural beats for NPCs you don’t share a background with. They are awesome and you’d be surprised how many chronicle ideas you can get just by binging their archive. 

******************

Mortal Chronicles

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

Maya to Aztec - Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed: Awesome resource if you are planning to run a Skinchangers game using the Aztec Dark Era. 

Medical School for Everyone - Pediatric Grand Rounds: A good place to look for ideas for Innocents 

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

Beast the Primordial

General

Ancient Marine Reptiles: Yeah, I know, Beast is supposed to be about dragons and monsters, but I guarantee you that plenty of ancient reptiles are also stalking the Primordial Dream. Plus, aquatic reptiles are awesome and don’t get enough face time with the public, so you might want to think about your next Beast being one. 

Dino 101: The ultimate course about Dinosaurs. Very beastly. 

Early Vertebrate Evolution: What’s so scary about ancient fish, you ask? Only razor jaws and bone for skin. 

Secrets to Sleep Science

Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origins of Birds: At five lessons long, this course is pretty short, and the content matter is fascinating (says the biology teacher).

Dark Eras

African-American History: From Emancipation to the Present

The Civil War and Reconstruction Eras

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Signature Settings

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Mountains 101: If you are going to visit Kathmandu, you better be thinking about how mountains will impact your Chronicle!

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

Changeling the Lost

General

Secrets to Sleep Science

Successful Negotiation - Essential Strategies and Skills: A very, very Changeling course. 

Dark Eras

Atlas Historique de Paris: I can’t read French, but I am assured by people who do that this is an excellent resource. 

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

Underground Atlas of Paris

Signature Settings

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

Demon the Descent 

General

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies

Crash Course Computer Science 

Crash Course Games

Digital Signal Processing

Internet History, Technology, and Security

Inventions That Changed the World

Robotics - Ariel Robotics

Successful Negotiation - Essential Strategies and Skills: Also a very, very Demon course. 

Dark Eras

Living in the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon

Maya to Aztec - Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed

Ottoman Empire

Signature Settings

Cultural Competence - Aboriginal Sydney

A History of Hitler’s Empire

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Hollywood: History, Industry, Art

Ottoman Empire

World War II - A Military and Social History

Geist the Sin-Eater

General

Death: Seriously, that’s all the course is called. It’s Yale, its good, the name is just to the point. 

Soul Beliefs 1 - Historical Foundations

Soul Beliefs 2 - Belief Systems

Soul Beliefs 3 - How Does It All End?

Dark Eras

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

The Great War

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Indigenous Canada

Signature Settings

The Early Middle Ages (284-1000)

History of the United States 2nd Edition

World War II - A Military and Social History

Hunter the Vigil

General

Introduction to Forensics

Aegis Kai Doru

Archaeology - An Introduction to the World’s Greatest Sites

Introduction to Ancient Greek History

Ahl al-Jabal (Source)

Ismaili Gnosis: Okay, breaking alphabetical order here, but this one is special. If you have a passing familiarity with Islam, you may have had the initial thought that the write-up of Ahl al-Jabal doesn’t look like anything you’ve seen before. That’s because Ahl al-Jabal are Nizari Ismaili Shiites and trust me when I say it is extremely accurate (minus the vampire hunting). Ismaili Gnosis is an excellent source for current events, history, and particularly metaphysics as it applies to Ismailis. 

Assassin Legends: The Assassin State of the Crusades is legendary, but what most people know about them is just that: legend. If you are using the Ahl al-Jabal, either in historical or modern chronicles, let Farhad Daftary bust the myths about the Nizari State for you. This link only gives you a preview on Google Books, so some pages will be missing, but it is still worth a read. 

Ama-San (Source) 

Oceanography- Exploring Earth’s Final Wilderness

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History 

Ascending Ones

History of Ancient Egypt

Ashwood Abbey

Wine Tasting - Sensory Techniques for Wine Analysis: Are you really part of the Abbey if you aren’t a wine connoisseur? 

Ave Minerva (Source)

The History of Rome Podcast 

Azusa Miko (Source)

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History 

Barrett Commission (Source)

Crash Course US Government & Politics 

The Bear Lodge (Source) 

Mountains 101

Bijin (Source)

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History 

The Cainite Heresy (Source)

Gnosticism - From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas

Lost Christianities 

Cheiron Group

Critical Business Skills for Success

Economic History of the World Since 1400

Division Six (Source)

Crash Course US Government & Politics: Division Six may not actually be a part of the US Government, but they sure think they are, so understanding how they think they fit in isn’t a bad idea. 

The Faithful of Shulpae (Source)

The Ancient Near East - History, Society, and Economy

Habibti Ma  (Source)

The United States and the Middle East - 1914 to 9/11

Hototogisu (Source)

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History 

The Hunt Club (Source)

Forensic History

Illuminated Brotherhood (Source)

Addiction and the Brain

The Addictive Brain

Drugs and the Brain

Keepers of the Source (Source)

Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behaviour

Keepers of the Weave (Source)

Indigenous Canada 

Knights of Saint Adrian (Source)

Why Evil Exists

Knights of Saint George (Source)

The History of Christianity

Les Mysteres (Source)

Crash Course Mythology 

Cultural Literacy for Religion

Great Mythologies of the World

Les Voyageurs (Source)

Indigenous Canada 

The Long Night

The Apocolypse - Controversies and Meanings in Western History

The History of Christianity

Lost Christianities 

The Loyalists of Thule

A History of Hitler’s Empire

World War II - A Military and Social History

The Lucifuge

Why Evil Exists

Maiden’s Blood Sisterhood (Source)

How to Become a Superstar Student

The Modern Political Tradition

Malleus Maleficarum

The History of Christianity

Lost Christianities 

Why Evil Exists

The Merrick Institute (Source)

Medical School for Everyone - Pediatric Grand Rounds 

Secrets to Sleep Science

Network Zero

Internet History, Technology, and Security

Night Watch (Source)

Why Evil Exists

Null Mysteriis

Animal Behaviour

Introduction to Forensics

Mountains 101 

Otodo (Source)

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History 

Why Evil Exists

The Promethean Brotherhood  (Source)

Decoding the Secrets of Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Greek 101

Latin 101

Miracles of Human Language - An Introduction to Linguistics 

The Story of Human Language

Protectors of the Light (Source)

Indigenous Canada 

The Reckoning (Source)

Heroes and Legends - The Most Influential Characters in Literature

The Scarlet Watch (Source)

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Task Force VALKYRIE

Crash Course US Government & Politics 

History of the United States 2nd Edition

World War II - A Military and Social History

Talbot Group (Source)

Psychological First Aid

The Union

Cities Are Back in Town - Urban Sociology

Utopia Now (Source)

Great Works of Utopian and Dystopian Literature

Vanguard Serial Crimes Unit (Source) 

Introduction to Forensics

The Vault: The FBI’s online archive of popular declassified documents. Lots of weird stuff, and the perfect source of inspiration for VSCU.

Yuri’s Group (Source)

De-Mystifying Mindfullness

Healing with the Arts

How Music Can Change Your Life

Dark Eras

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

History of Ancient Egypt

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Indigenous Canada

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

Signature Settings

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Mage the Awakening

General

Addiction and the Brain: Mage 2e’s theme is “Addicted to Mysteries.” Understanding that addiction is a good place to start. 

The Addictive Brain

Ancient Philosophy - Aristotle & His Successors

Ancient Philosophy - Plato & His Predecessors: If there is one course on philosophy you take for Mage, it should probably be this one. At four lessons, this is a pretty quick one to complete. 

Gnosticism - From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas

Magic in the Middle Ages

Dark Eras

Great Zimbabwe in Historical Archaeology

History of Ancient Egypt

Introduction to Ancient Greek History

Politics and Long-Distance Trade in the Mwene Mutapa Empire

World War II - A Military and Social History

Signature Settings

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Hollywood: History, Industry, Art

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

Mummy the Curse

General

Archaeology - An Introduction to the World’s Greatest Sites: Let’s go find some Relics!

History of Ancient Egypt

Introduction Ancient Egypt and Its Civilisation

Soul Beliefs 1 - Historical Foundations

Soul Beliefs 2 - Belief Systems

Soul Beliefs 3 - How Does It All End?

Dark Eras

The Early Middle Ages (284-1000)

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

The Great War

Great Zimbabwe in Historical Archaeology

Ottoman Empire

Politics and Long-Distance Trade in the Mwene Mutapa Empire

Signature Settings

The American Revolution

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Promethean the Created

General

Introduction to the Biology of Cancer

Understanding Cancer Metastasis

Dark Eras

African-American History: From Emancipation to the Present

Epidemics in Western Society since 1600

Signature Settings

Antarctica: From Geology to Human History

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

History of the United States 2nd Edition

National Geographic Polar Explorations: Follow the steps of Doctor Frankenstein. 

World War II - A Military and Social History

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

Werewolf the Forsaken

General

Animal Behaviour

Dark Eras

African-American History: From Emancipation to the Present

The Ancient Near East - History, Society, and Economy

Cybele: The Great Mother of the Augustan Order

The Great War

Hardcore History - Punic Nightmares

The Early Middle Ages (284-1000)

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Signature Settings

The Civil War and Reconstruction Eras

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Mountains 101: An awesome course in general, but especially useful for Werewolf’s signature setting, the Colorado Rockies. 

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

War for the Greater Middle East

Vampire the Requiem

General

Clans

Animal Behaviour

History of Ancient Egypt

Introduction Ancient Egypt and Its Civilisation

Carthian Movement

Circle of the Crone

Magic in the Middle Ages

Invictus

Lancea et Sanctum

Magic in the Middle Ages

Ordo Dracul

Ottoman Empire

Dark Eras

African-American History: From Emancipation to the Present

The Civil War and Reconstruction Eras

The Early Middle Ages (284-1000)

Epidemics in Western Society since 1600

The Great War

Living in the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon

Ottoman Empire

Digital Tour of Tutor London

Signature Settings

Foundations of Eastern Civilization

History of the United States 2nd Edition

Introduction to Ancient Greek History

Understanding Japan - A Cultural History

Omar and Tlaib came clean about who they are and what they want. But is anybody paying attention?

U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib held a news conference Monday to condemn the Israeli government for last week's decision banning the congresswomen from entering the country. By Steven Emerson Published August 21, 2019

Omar and Tlaib’s trip was organized by Miftah which has a long track record of promoting anti-Israel incitement and previously glorified suicide bombers for "sacrificing their lives for the cause." The group has also disseminated anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on several occasions.

@Frimet Roth: Republican Tlaib cried  about her mother being “dehumanized" at Israeli checkpoints.My child Malki, a US citizen murdered at 15, would be here today had a checkpoint stopped murderer and a 10 kg bomb from entering Jerusalem. Remind Tlaib:  checkpoints prevent terrorism terrorism - save lives

Many observers cite President Trump's pressure as the main reason behind Israel's last-minute decision to ban the congresswomen. However, other key factors are at play — including the fact that the congresswomen's itinerary was organized by a group with a history of glorifying terrorists.

The trip, titled "U.S. Congressional Delegation to Palestine," did not include any scheduled visits with Israeli officials.

From the outset, their trip — almost exclusively planned to take place in Palestinian population centers — was intended to be a one-sided propaganda tour to paint Israel as an occupying aggressor. It is not surprising that their follow-up press conference was just another episode in the congresswomen's vendetta against Israel.

While both congresswomen are right to point out troubles facing Palestinian society — they both miss the mark by entirely absolving Palestinian leaders for their constituencies' woes and criticizing major Israeli security measures without providing even the slightest context.

Tlaib recounted memories visiting Israel in her youth before detailing defensive Israeli counterterror measures.

"The delegation would have seen firsthand. Yeah, why walls are destructive, not productive. They could've asked the people in Bethlehem how walls cut people off away from economic opportunities, from a way to live and do psychological damage that lasts forever," Tlaib said.

Israel's security barrier — which largely separates the West Bank from Israel — may disrupt Palestinian social and economic life to varying degrees. But Tlaib's framing omits the fact that Israel put these measures in place following countless Palestinian terrorist and suicide attacks during the Second Intifada throughout the early 2000s. Counterterrorism experts cite Israel's security barrier as one of the most effective counterterrorism measures that drastically helped reduce Palestinian terrorist attacks and Israeli casualties. The wall did not alter Palestinian terrorist motivations. But it denied terrorists free entry to kill hundreds of Israelis. It is unfortunate that average Palestinian citizens are affected in adverse ways by these hurdles. But to frame these protective measures solely as a means to destroy Palestinian life is inaccurate and inherently dishonest. The security barrier was erected to stifle Palestinian terrorists, who continue to devote most of their resources and attention to killing Israelis.

The same is true for security checkpoints. Omar and Tlaib presented them as instruments used to punish Palestinians, but Frimet Roth offered a sad reality check. Her daughter, Malki, was 15 years old in 2001 when a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up inside Jerusalem's Sbarro pizza shop.

Since that brutal attack, the Palestinian Authority has paid more than $900,000 to the suicide bomber's family and accomplices, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Supporters of Palestinian terrorism, on the other hand, view attacks against Israeli civilians as heroic and legitimate resistance. These supporters include groups like Miftah — the organization which planned and funded Tlaib and Omar's proposed trip. In 2006, Miftah wrote a report referring to a 2002 Jerusalem suicide attack as an instance of "Fighting Back." As the National Review noted, Miftah published an article in which describes Dalal Al Mughrabi as "a Palestinian fighter who was killed during a military operation against Israel in 1978" and as one of the Palestinian people's "national heroes."

Mughrabi led a 1978 bus hijacking attack in which 37 Israeli civilians were killed. She is among the terrorist killers celebrated by the Palestinian Authority with monuments, summer camps and schools named in her honor.

Miftah has a long track record of promoting anti-Israel incitement and previously glorified suicide bombers for "sacrificing their lives for the cause." The group has also disseminated anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on several occasions.

The congresswomen pointed out that Miftah co-sponsored a similar trip for other members of Congress in the past. However, that 2016 trip occurred a year before Israel passed its 2017 anti-BDS law — which allows Israel to reject entry to anyone tied to or actively promoting the global BDS movement.

Both Tlaib and Omar have generated controversy for some of their anti-Israel positions, including Tlaib's full support for the BDS campaign to boycott Israel and encourage business and academic institutions to divest investments in companies which do business in Israel. Tlaib compared the campaign to a boycott against Nazi Germany, while Omar has repeatedly made anti-Semitic statements including Jewish money controls American foreign policy.

Critics of BDS emphasize the program's real goal is eliminating the state of Israel. That's difficult to deny when you consider the words of BDS leader Omar Barghouti: "We oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No Palestinian, rational Palestinian, not a sell-out Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine."

Neither politician mentions Palestinian terrorism or Palestinian incitement or Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel a Jewish state as obstacles to peace in the region. "The occupation is real; barring members of Congress from seeing it does not make it go away. We must end it together," Omar said on Monday. This one-sided sentiment does not sound like someone who earlier boasted of meeting "with constituents holding a wide range of views on the conflict." Either Omar self-selected which constituents she'd meet with or she fully ignores the views of Israel supporters.

During the press conference, Omar argued that U.S. assistance to Israel should be contingent on how Palestinians are treated and questioned continued aid in response to Israel's ban on the congresswomen: "We give Israel more than $3 (billion) in aid every year. This is predicated on them being an important ally in the region and the only democracy in the Middle East. But denying a visit to duly elected members of Congress is not consistent with being an ally and denying millions of people freedom of movement or expression or self-determination is not consistent with being a democracy."

Omar sarcastically references Israel as "the only democracy in the Middle East" using hand quotes. Depending on how one defines democracy, it is true that there are other democratically elected leaders in the region including Tunisia, Turkey, and Iraq. However, according to prominent indices measuring freedom worldwide, Israel remains the region's sole liberal democracy.

The opposite is true for the Palestinian territories, whose governments systematically repress dissent and stifle many freedoms of expression and association, according to Human Rights Watch. On the same day as the anti-Israel press conference, PA police prohibited a Palestinian LGBT group from organizing any activities in the West Bank. The police even threatened to arrest the activists, arguing that their agenda is against the "values of Palestinian society." Israel, on the other hand, is one of the friendliest countries in the world when it comes to LGBT issues. But you won't hear these two congresswomen cite this huge distinction between Israeli and Palestinian society.

Instead, the act continued. Tlaib appeared surprised when asked about the controversy surrounding Miftah.

"So we're also taken aback and learn from everybody else that there was some issues regarding it. Again, I think especially Ilhan Omar and I are extremely careful in vetting because there is a close eye and policing of our actions that is so much more weighted on us than any other members," Tlaib answered.

"Extremely careful in vetting?" If Tlaib is so careful about who she associates with, then why does she continuously surround herself with Islamists who espouse anti-Semitic and pro-terrorist views? Either Tlaib failed to properly vet her go-to entourage or she endorses what prominent U.S.-based Islamists consistently spew.

In April, she met with an American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) delegation. Several AMP leaders, including its chairman and its executive director, previously worked with a group called the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), which served as the propaganda arm of a Muslim Brotherhood-run Hamas-support network in the United States. According to an IPT exclusive, Tlaib was caught smiling in photographs with anti-Israel terrorist supporters twice this year.

Tlaib has also expressed a need to "protect" anti-Israel figures like CAIR leader Zahra Billoo.

Billoo, like other U.S. Islamist figures, consistently opposes any type of engagement or interfaith dialogue with organizations that maintain ties to Israel. She's at least honest enough not to hide her hate, admitting that she does not believe Israel has a right to exist. She has repeatedly condemned Muslim leaders as illegitimate if they oppose BDS. Like core BDS supporters, Tlaib similarly has advocated for a "one-state solution" — which is essentially the destruction of the Jewish state.

BDS is considered anti-Semitic because it singles out the world's only Jewish state.

We have yet to see Tlaib and Omar stand on a podium and hold a news conference against any other Middle East government with far worse human rights records than the Jewish state..

Steven Emerson is an internationally recognized expert on terrorism and national security and considered one of the leading world authorities on Islamic extremist networks, financing and operations. He now serves as the Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, one of the world's largest archival data and intelligence institutes on Islamic and Middle Eastern terrorist groups.

The bizarre murder of Jamal Khashoggi – what it tells us about the post-truth world

By Victor Hill

26 October 2018                                                                                                 17 mins. to read         

On 02 October a Saudi journalist was murdered in bizarre circumstances in Istanbul – John le Carré meets Stephen King. Everything you think you know about this event is the product of the rampant global information war. Victor Hill joins some dots.

Epiphanies

Every once in a while an event happens that, though it might seem obscure and of only local importance at the time, in hindsight turns out to be a trigger of transformative change.

The bizarre murder of a not very well known Saudi Arabian journalist who had fled his home country in fear for his life in 2017 and sought refuge in the United States is not, on the face of it, an Earth-shattering event. But the ramifications of this incident have huge consequences and it reveals much about the world in which we now live. The world today is characterised by a perpetual information war between key global players. Whom should we believe, if anybody?

If this sounds academic I’ll explain why this incident could damage the shares of pivotal defence equipment manufacturers and pep the existing upward trend in the oil price – with potentially massive impact on global markets. It could also help bring Labour to power in the UK.

Information War One: Turkey against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

I’m assuming my readers know the gory basics. Khashoggi went into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on 02 October to get a certificate of divorce – and was never seen again. It is not necessary to rehearse the exact sequence of events that befell Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul – such as we know them to be. But it is necessary, from the off, to emphasise that all the information we have so far has been elaborately spun by the Turkish government from its highest echelons – almost certainly at the behest of President Erdoğan himself.

There have been weeks of drip-drip allegations coming from Turkish media. In particular, the Turkish newspaper Sabah seems to have been fed daily chunks of meat (if you will forgive the pun) from Mr Erdoğan’s information machine. (Sabah is partially owned by Mr Erdoğan’s extended family.)

Turkish sources have demonstrated that 15 Saudi hitmen carrying diplomatic passports arrived by private jet the same morning and returned that evening. The entire macabre murder – involving amputation of fingers while the victim was still conscious and his dismemberment while still breathing – was apparently taped. Initially, the Turks claimed that Khashoggi had been wearing an Apple watch which broadcast events inside the consulate. I’m told this is unlikely. More probable, Turkish intelligence had bugged the Saudi consulate – something to which they will never admit. In fact, while the murder looks pre-meditated, the Turks probably anticipated it. On 23 October Mr Erdoğan addressed the Turkish parliament on the matter. The word was that he was going to reveal everything– the naked truth – but he didn’t. Instead, he held back. He said that the Saudi authorities had committed a savage pre-meditated murder on Turkish soil and that he wanted the perpetrators to be tried in Turkey. He was gracious about the Saudi monarch, King Salman, and did not mention the Crown Prince at all – a subtle move which could be an attempt to divide the two.

Mr Erdoğan is not exactly a friend of free speech. Under his increasingly autocratic rule dozens of journalists have been incarcerated on spurious charges. It is absurd to suggest that Turkey has a free press. When the Turkish President talks about getting to the naked truth we should ask why he has suddenly become a proponent of transparency. The whole affair could easily have been glossed over if the President had thought that in Turkey’s interest.

The real reason why Mr Erdoğan has taken aim at Saudi Arabia is that the incident offered an opportunity – a stick with which to beat his tormentors. Turkey’s economy is in poor shape, its currency is in free fall, and there is still a massive refugee problem on the Syrian border. The country needs money. Turkey’s relations with Saudi Arabia have deteriorated steadily during the Syrian civil war as both states backed different factions. Turkey is now aligned with Qatar – a state with which Saudi Arabia is in open conflict – where it has established a military base. The two countries are bitter rivals in East Africa where they both seek influence and resources. In Nairobi, their respective embassies – both large, aggressive structures – compete for ostentation.

Hannah Lucinda Smith thinks that the contest is for nothing less than the political leadership of the Muslim world[i]. Consider that, until 1922, the Ottoman Sultan was nominally the Caliph (i.e. spiritual and temporal leader) of the entire Islamic world. Turkey’s all-powerful President has welcomed exiles who are broadly aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood from across the Muslim world – from Morocco to Indonesia. For Saudi Arabia, the Muslim Brotherhood is the devil incarnate – it represents a totally different form of political Islam which is republican rather than monarchical, and populist rather than tribal.

And there is something else that Mr Erdoğan wants and needs. That is to improve his tattered relationship with the United States – the country that kicked Turkey with new sanctions when it was economically down. This was a great chance to tweak the lion’s tail. The country that would be most embarrassed by these revelations was never going to be thick-skinned Saudi Arabia but hyper-sensitive America whose intrusive media would judge the administration by its response.

Information War Two: KSA against the Muslim Brotherhood and its western apologists

President Trump has been blowing hot and cold since the incident was first disclosed. Mr Khashoggi was no friend of his. First, Mr Trump threatened to punish Saudi Arabia; then he appeared to go along the farce that there had been a fist fight; then (on 23 October) he accused the Saudis of the worst cover-up, ever. The episode has been almost as uncomfortable for the Americans as for its perpetrators.

If Khashoggi’s brutal killers were monsters – that doesn’t mean Khashoggi was a saint. He was a one-time insider within the House of Saud who became a dissident and a critic of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bi Salman (“MBS”). He left Saudi Arabia (possibly even then in fear of his life) in 2017 and took refuge in the USA. There, he became a darling of the liberal American commentariat who follow events in the Arab lands, with regular TV appearances. He built up almost two million followers on Twitter and got himself a column on The Washington Post.

The Washington Post, let us recall, was bought by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, out of his small change for $250 million in 2013. The newspaper has been a consistent opponent of President Trump and all his works and represents the globalist Olympian billionaire liberal establishment which small town, red neck America so reviles.

Mr Khashoggi was not a typical US newspaper columnist. You might assume that he was a progressive voice fighting for freedom and democracy in Saudi Arabia – in which case you would be wrong. He was an avowed supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, the loose political form of militant Islam which held power in Egypt from 2011 to 2013, when it was overthrown by President el-Sisi’s coup. According to John R Bradley[ii], who worked with him, Khashoggi never had much time for liberal democracy. He supported the “moderate” Islamist opposition in Syria – whose crimes are a matter of record. He was anti-secular. His vision was that the ruling cadres of the Arab world should embrace the Arab Spring. Turkey’s ruling Justice & Development Party (AKP) is, to all intents and purposes, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Apparently, Khashoggi’s plan was not just to marry a Turkish bride but to move to Istanbul and to run a TV station that would broadcast across the Arab world. What’s more, Mr Bradley thinks that Khashoggi had “dirt” on the dealings between the House of Saud an al-Qaida.

But why would the Washington Post take on a dark horse like Khashoggi? Of course: to get up the Trump administration’s collective nose. That is why the crazier element within MBS’s inner circle probably thought the Americans would let their infamy go.

The Iranians, of course, have now picked up on this. On 24 October a senior spokesman for the Islamic Republic declared that Khashoggi’s murder could not have taken place without American connivance. But the Islamic Republic against America is another very long-standing information war.

Information War Three: Saudi Arabia against the West

The narrative from Saudi Arabia over the last two years has been remarkably credible – until now. MBS is the great reformer. He is young, dynamic and modern. He has allowed women to drive cars at last (though, apparently, the female campaigners for this cause languish in prison); he has relaxed the official animosity towards Israel (Israeli spokespeople have even appeared on Saudi TV news); he has curtailed the religious police (they no longer thrash people at will for not observing prayer times). Wow! Progress!

The former Foreign Secretary, Mr Johnson, once said that MBS was the best thing to happen to the region in a decade. The 33-year old prince, he thought, was utterly different. Perhaps Mr Johnson had failed to read his red boxes again: the mandarins knew all along that the young prince has had a reputation for cruelty and ruthlessness since he was a teenager. In a Newsnightcameo on 23 October the Prince was compared to Saddam Hussein by a Saudi insider. He’s impulsive, narcissistic, he’s a psychopath and he’s also suffering from delusions of grandeur. (I wonder how many fingers that will cost this brave man.)

The Crown Prince, who can be charming if not exactly charismatic, has created a cult of personality around himself – but until now Western commentators have been happy to laud him as a champion of change. Last month a Saudi dissident who runs a satirical website was attacked and beaten up by thugs outside Harrods. The dissident shouted: You can’t do this – this is London. The thugs replied: F**k London – the Queen is our slave and her police are our dogs…

So it’s not just the Russians who plot amongst us with impunity. Refugee Uighurs have been beaten up by Chinese agents on the streets of London too. But the Metropolitan Police are too busy arresting pensioners for being in arrears with their council tax to take any notice of such foibles.

Information War Four: The BBC against Saudi Arabia

Every night this last week she has given us her renderings of doom (in a South Dublin accent) from the front line in Yemen. Ms Guerin is a woman who wears flak jackets as others wear Prada. Like Cassandra, she speaks of dreadful deeds. And she has a case.

The BBC TV Yemen correspondent reports that the people of Yemen are starving; they are dying of communicable disease and are facing periodic bombardment by Saudi forces using British-supplied weapons. She pins the blame squarely on the Saudi regime and its backers.

This is, of course, exactly the propagandist perspective disseminated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The countervailing view – not aired aby the BBC nor elsewhere in mainstream media – is that it is the Iranians have unleashed this plague of locusts. There is not space here to untangle the complex history of a marginal, unhappy country. Suffice to say that Yemen has been in a state of civil disturbance – either in the form of civil war or disunion – since the British vacated the territory of Aden in the 1960s. The Iranians have now stepped into this snake pit. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized power from the elected President in January 2015. (OK, President Mansour Hadi was the only candidate in the 2012 presidential election.)

This is Saudi Arabia’s back yard – even if the Saudis look down on Yemenis as proles. (Despite Yemen’s ancient history: the Queen of Sheba was from Yemen.) Just to focus their minds, ballistic missiles have been fired from Houthi-controlled areas against the Saudi heartland. That was enough for MBS to set out to lance the boil.

Just stepping back from the fray for a moment, Ms Guerin is a radical leftie with a particular narrative of her own around the oppression of the Palestinians. A year before she moved from Ireland to England to work for the BBC she stood as an MEP for the Irish Labour Party – a bunch of extreme Corbynistas daubed in emerald green. When she was the BBC correspondent in Gaza she attracted the fury of the Israeli commentariat (not just Likud) for her pro-Palestinian stance. She even declared that there was “no evidence”that Hamas had been using human shields, despite Israeli assertions of such a practice[iii]. It is not just Israelis who were appalled by her reportage.

Ms Guerin is part of that element within the BBC which has sympathy with Mr Corbyn’s Momentum and its anti-Israel, pro-Hamas stance. Ex-BBC journalist Paul Mason is now effectively head of ideology within Momentum. Many observers in Israel and America are deeply concerned that such elements within the BBC have gone feral.

I am not anti-BBC. The other BBC Middle East correspondent, Sebastian Usher, much on our screens of late, and the BBC Security correspondent, Frank Gardiner are outstanding journalists and writers. Their pronouncements are reasoned and well sourced. We may conclude that the information war exists even within the ranks of our own beloved BBC.

And it’s not just the Beeb. Recently, I tuned into ITV to watch Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road. Ms Lumley, resplendent in a multi-coloured chiffon veil, air-kissing her Iranian guides, told us all how absolutely fabulous the country was. Do these people have any idea of the horrific extent of human rights violations in the Islamic Republic? Or that it aspires to the total elimination of Israel?

By the way, the official Houthi slogan is derived from that of the 1979 Iranian Revolution: God is great. Death to America. Death to Israel. God curse the Jews. Victory for Islam.

Should Britain sell arms to Saudi Arabia?

The accusation is then that British weapons are being used to kill innocents in Yemen. For Labour-inclined opinion the issue is clear: Britain should cancel all arms shipments forthwith – as Germany (a minor supplier) has done. It is a fundamental issue of principle said human rights lawyer Philippe Sands (whose critique of American foreign policy has been translated into Farsi) on BBC R4. Labour’s Lady Thornberry and Ms Lucas of the Green Party have said much the same. But that might ignite more problems than it solves.

Firstly, there would be massive economic cost. Lord Lamont revealed in the House of Lords on 23 October that Saudi Arabia accounts for 40 percent of all British arms sales. According to the Financial Times, British arms sales to Saudi amounted to £10 billion last year. In 2013 it was £30 billion. These figures represent many thousands of highly skilled jobs at BAE Systems (LON:BA.) and its suppliers.

Moreover, BAE Systems and others are locked into long-term contracts with the Saudis to maintain the aircraft and weapons platforms that they have been supplying for many years. A blanket embargo would force them into breach of contract which would put all other British exports – even dairy products, of which the Saudis are increasingly fond – into question. There would most certainly be costly litigation and painful reprisals. We can be sure that the Saudis would reduce oil production so as to increase the oil price as much as possible. That could even tip the world into recession. Secondly, there would be costs in terms of Britain’s influence with Saudi Arabia and its close partners in the Gulf. Britain is a player in this region by virtue of both hard and soft power. To ban arms sales would remove our diplomatic clout. As Lord Heseltine has said, we would lose all influence we have to persuade the Saudis to behave better.

Thirdly, an arms embargo would simply not achieve the desired result of forcing the Saudis to be nice. On the contrary, they might cut up nasty: bomb the Yemenis even harder and kill more dissidents. How could we stop them?

Fourth, we are not even the principal supplier of arms to the Saudis – that position is occupied by Mr Trump’s America. When President Trump visited Riyadh in May 2017 he signed off a $110 billion letter of intent with King Salman to provide high-grade weaponry. (Though, apparently, only $14.5 billion of that deal has been delivered so far.[iv]) And if the Americans were not to take up the slack, the Russians or the French would readily step into the void.

Fifth, be careful what you wish for. Even if it were possible to starve the Saudis of arms, let’s consider what might happen. If the Saudis were to withdraw from Yemen, the Iranians would almost certainly gain a free hand to set up a client state there dedicated to destabilising the entire region. Not only could they then continue to fire rockets at Riyadh, they would also encroach on Oman – Saudi Arabia’s friend and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member.

The Omanis are not majority Sunnis – three quarters of them are of the Ibadi school of Islam, a product of an early schism within the Islamic tradition. Oman has been fortunate to have had a strong and outward-looking leader in the form of Sultan Qaboos bin Said (Sultan since 1970) who is a great friend of the UK. Were it not for the intervention of Britain’s SAS in Oman in the 1970s and 1980s the country would almost certainly have fallen to Marxists insurgents – as did benighted Yemen.

And the contagion would spread to neighbouring states in the Horn of Africa – to Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. The Iranians would probably wrest the strategically vital naval base in Socotra island (currently leased by the UAE) enabling them to project their particular form of millennial, theocratic Islam across East Africa.

No American president would allow that to happen without a major war. Is it really “moral” to hasten such a cataclysm?

America against Corbyn’s Britain

If Mr Corbyn comes to power, possibly as soon as next year in my estimation, he will take British foreign policy in an entirely new direction – away from America and her allies and towards Iran and its satellites, of which Hamas. I can imagine that Mr Trump would cancel all US-UK intelligence cooperation within a month of Mr Corbyn’s arrival in Downing Street. That would toll the end of BAE Systemswhich relies extensively on high-tech US suppliers.

At a moment when Brexit makes our future relationship with Europe highly uncertain, to break with America would be suicidal. The London market, already traumatised by the prospect of mass nationalisations, could go into total meltdown.

Nothing is true and everything is possible…

We shall probably never know the full truth of the strange and disturbing end of Khashoggi’s life. As I write, there is still no body – though many rumours of where the pieces may lie. The Crown Prince has made a smiling address to the Riyadh investment conference, Davos in the Desert, vowing to find the culprits. (One does not suppose that Dr Fox was much missed.)

The one thing we canbe sure of is that we live in a global information war. Peter Pomerantsev wrote a book about Mr Putin’s Russia which I have referred to in these pages before entitled Nothing is true and everything is possible. His thesis was that post-modern autocrats rely on getting people to believe their…I won’t say lies– rather I’ll say…their narratives.

We live in an era of intensively competing narratives. Of course, each atom of information can still be adjudged true or false (and that is still essential). But the more important question is: Which narrative is it in your interest to believe?

[i]The Spectator, 27 October 2018. See: https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/10/turkey-vs-saudi-the-real-story-behind-khashoggis-murder/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_content=271018_Weekly_Highlights_43_NONSUBS&utm_campaign=Weekly_Highlights

[ii]Death of a dissident, The Spectator, 13 October 2018.

[iii]See: https://honestreporting.com/tag/orla-guerin/

[iv]See: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/12/politics/trump-khashoggi-saudi-arabia-arms-deal-sanctions/index.html