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#also the catholic should be queer in some form
lemonduckisnowawake · 1 month
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You know, if we really want vampires as a queer allegory, we really are missing out on stories where vampires and Catholics work together and are normal friends. Give me the allegory of a Catholic whose very beliefs are so, clearly real but also hurt their vampire friend in an equally real manner. Give me them trying to understand not how to combat the reality the Catholic believes in as evil or whatever, nor come to the conclusion that God is an evil/vindictive being, but that He IS good and true and wonderful. Give me the vampire wrestling with their very nature being broken according to a good God. Give me the vampire either coming to the conclusion that he wants nothing to do with God, but from a place where they enjoy their vampire nature and have come to accept it as something irreplaceable, that they believe it's good apart from God. Or give me that vampire come to the conclusion that the goodness of God that is so lethal to them is also lethal to normal humans, it's just more evident and obvious with them. Give me them having to fight for their place in the church, and their Catholic friend doing the same, because the body of Christ excludes no sinner because they aren't defined by their sin anymore and are called children of God. But give me them also being so exhausted by the discrimination and hatred and outright threats to end their life, or the church telling the vampire that God hates them and will burn them as soon as they step foot on "holy ground of church." Give me them finding a balance between accepting that they never will "be a normal whole human" and being okay with that while also recognizing that particular vampire nature of theirs IS broken. But when it stopped being their defining feature, their identity, it stopped hurting so much in the face of God. Yeah, garlic still burns it. So does holy water and most holy objects. Consecrated ground is an iffy subject, too, as is blood and communion and sunlight. Because, like it or not (and character arc says they accept who they are without letting it define them), they're still a vampire.
You know. Maybe an alternate take on vampire as queer allegory.
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birdsareblooming · 9 months
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im so tired of having to defend myself on both sides
like. ok. i'm queer right. bi, demigender, aro, etc. also you know a girl, demi or not. all the time i have to defend myself from american christians who via mistranslations and misinterpretations spread by horrible leaders for generations have been led into a cult-like hierarchy that tells them to hate me when hate for us isn't in their book or supposed to be in their ways.
i'm also "christian". i hesitate to use the full term because of how bad american christianity has gotten. but i believe in the same god nontheless. every day i feel i have to defend myself from queer people as well
like. i so get it. as i have just established american and european christianity has gotten so fucked up and literally off-script that i'm shocked we haven't gotten another 95 thesis and a completely new branch. it's awful horrible and people who believe in such ideas should not be in power. to the point where calling myself a christian feels wrong. at least in america.
i need ya'll to have some nuance.
firstly the understanding that those who hate queer people, non-white people in any form, women, whatever else. isn't even in the text they follow. people have misused it since it was written. preaching just the verse saying wives should care for their husbands and not the one right after saying husbands should love their wives. taking out verses referring to god's "womb." about adam might not even being a man, as in, more likely nonbinary, the verse about david getting an errection when hugging johnathan. changing verses about cleanliness into women and men not wearing the same cloths. changing verses about cultural codes and allowing a world where people have to resort to prositution into verses condemning homosexuality. [X]
like. you know the matrix. was written as a trans metaphor. then a bunch of alpha sigma grindset rich white boys took it and appropriated it, misinterpreted it, used it to boost themselves and hurt women. it's like that. those people don't make the matrix a bad movie, they just don't know it's a trans metaphor. and trans people who enjoy the matrix are like. normal and cool.
as you can see i am passionate about this. i have all this stuff memorized not only to defend my queerness but my christianity as im doing now.
there are queer christians. there are certainly poc christians as right now, south america and south africa have the highest christian populations, to the point where they're sending missionaries to america.
again i'm asking for some nuance. when i see posts basically saying "the christian god is dumb" or "satan was right actually" and blantent misinformation about what the bible says. like those kind of posts hurt my heart. my god made me queer and loves me for it, i believe in a kind god, most good christians do. i feel like other religions don't get this treatment and it's just to spiritually piss off your catholic parents.
speaking of, in doing so you seem to forget about other abrahamic religions.
i once saw a post criticizing something directly from the old testament, out of context of course. saying god was cruel and the belives were flawed and all this due to one verse. people tend to forget, or not know, that the "old testament" is the tenoch. slightly different book order, same writings.
christians, muslims, jewish people, worship the same god. different names for god, some god, same base. if you make jokes about christianty willy-nilly, you're going to accidentally hit someone else. and even if you don't, you may hurt someone still.
it doesn't hurt because i think it's "sacrilegious" or i think you're going to hell. it hurts because my community doesn't care. my community doesn't see the nuance in people and decided a specific religion is the enemy. a specific group of people is the enemy. ive been marked as the enemy
it's casual jokes to you, to me it's making fun of my god
listen, by all means make fun of the assholes. i make fun of them every day. millionaires who use privet jets than preach and love to overlook the many verses condemning the rich and saying rich people don't go to heaven. people saying that as a woman of god you shouldn't enjoy sex. weirdos online and irl that seem to think patorizing random people will get them to church. dumb white people. it's great. fuckn. mormons and jehovah's witness leaders who are straight up running a cult based on a thread of the original intention. and it's funny because they're the assholes.
but don't attack the base religion itself. understand that the religion isn't inherently harmful, certain branches, beliefs, misinterpretations, and leaders certainly are. but please be kind to the people who are normal
before you make a post saying you're gonna. i dont know 'kill the uncaring god' that you're hurting people like me, any abrahamic religion, anyone who believes in a god possibly. also that's basically my parent, it's like you're insulting my awesome mom to my face bc my older sibling sucks. like thats just mean to her for no reason.
i'm just. tired. im stuck in the middle and i hate that i have to make this post because like. this is my home and my people and im tired of seeing this shit from my peers and family. just. have nuance. care about people. don't just say shit about a religion if you don't know its true.
im tired.
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laylawatermelon · 1 month
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Now that I'm thinking about it I wanna theorize/call for action outside of buddie (don't worry i WILL return with a vengeance) but now I'm on a bit of an Eddie Diaz kind of run.
I'm reading a fanfic now of Eddie's sisters which kind of spawned me to think about his relationship with them and kind of think about his family dynamics and expectations and what's coming up for his storyline.
Now they mentioned bringing his family in, specifically his sisters, and i think this storyline ties into Marisol (noname i swear this drives me crazy when i think about it?!??! PLEASE if you want me to care/be invested gimme a last name!) and his Catholic guilt/sense of responsibility/man of the house complex.
They've introduced how his upbringing brought him a lot of guilt and a sense of duty (to serve and protect amirite? Dang religion can be a perfect line to how modern society works but lemme save that for a thesis or something this is about 911 on abc🤣)
Back on topic though, there's a really nice post talking about how he's military family and how that affected his and Shannon's relationship. (x)
Reading that helped me to appreciate the writing and details.
I also want to talk about the beautiful work being done on Twitter and Tumblr about the Miami Vice costume theory and coincidences.
(heh throwback Tuesday and takeover thursday came in clutch with finding these x )
Yes i do ship buddie, but if I look at it not just as a romantic things but as they are written as kind of parallel soulmates who run along the same line of development.
One always spurs the next to grow and change and are heavily involved in some way even if that way it's just being themselves.
Buck being open with his sexuality will trigger something in Eddie. What it is can vary.
I think if we look at it with non shipper glasses, Buck's freedom will lead to Eddie's freedom. What I mean by that is since Eddie had came to the 118 Ryan mentioned how each year he was there the more he learned about himself and other people.
I think what Eddie would be at free from the image/expectations of what a family should look like/be.
He knows what a family could look like in a queer/unconventional way. Bathena's unit, Chimney and Maddie's family (let's say cause they're not currently married with a toddler church would pass out), and HenRen's family.
The could be and should be is the important part.
Eddie grew up being told what he should be and what his life should look like. Evidently his life went none of the ways it was intended to go.
He's a widower single father from a teen/young pregnancy and veteran. Sure he's a firefighter now but he has no "complete" family.
The way they're emphasizing the mother aspect throughout his story is still fascinating.
(i also thought of something hilarious as like he probably imagined/process mothers as like the Virgin Mary or something when they brought up how he can see woman as mothers but not really women at the same time)
(also Madonna whore complex was mentioned and it's also a fascinating way to look at it as he can either desire or love.)
Shannon seems to be the only exception and even that is iffy. I would also say that when she became a mother the desire kind of left? I think the mother aspect solidified for him when she left them I would say.
Yes they did have sex but that was a (very bad, horrid) form of communication between them. They both avoided stuff at some point in some (eh it's like 20/80 her and Eddie) cases.
Every other woman he has dated has kind of been a substitute, for a lack of a better word, replacement for the role of mom.
Now he knows what moms should look like in all shapes and forms. He knows what dads should look like. He's knows what his family should look like.
Granted he did get rid of some of the flaws of his father and the way he was raised which also ties into the way he is.
Eddie was parentified at an early age. (I will say as a black/poc person that there tends to be adult responsibilities placed on our communities kids from young partially because of culture but mostly because of the inherent unevenness that we have to struggle to make balance worldwide in different facets and environments.)
Once again, this is about 911 on abc, not my thesis😭.
I just imagine him standing on a stool to cook food for his sisters or some other things like laundry. Or even worse the cannon car accident with his pregnant mom. (I love to make myself cry)
Eddie had technically been a parent since he was a kid. He literally became the man of the house or the father. So i guess that entailed taking on the emotional and sometimes physical burden of the father role.
I guess when he was actually a father and not just the role he felt the weight of responsibility again and panicked. It makes sense he has a habit of running since he never had the opportunity to do so as a kid (since he never got the chance to be one).
So after Chris it was once again role of the father but now with added responsibility of bringing money to provide the household which he didn't have to do in that role.
It was hard then so it became even more difficult.
So he gave his body to the military and returned wounded in mind and body, and with a disabled son who needed insurance and stability and a wife who just needed him.
And he needed to be a man. Again and again and again.
He broke out of the loop when he got to the 118 (bless the haven that is that building) met Buck, then Carla and Bobby who offered a safe place for his kid.
He was no longer alone and had distanced himself physical from the church but mentally still shackled in his beliefs.
After this Buck and Tommy things and he's not present we're going to focus on how a family could look for him.
Last season and recently they mentioned the fact that his aunt had been divorced and he didn't know.
There was also mention of family secrets.
There was also Marisol and Chris together which I'm guessing he wasn't to happy with her but it's either or since we haven't seen them together so it's a 50/50 chance. More like 90/10 he's annoyed or feels weird about his mom being replaced). Since we touched on him repairing his relationship with his mom and subsequently girls and women/relationships he wants to be in now that may shift his image of Marisol suddenly being more present.
Slight Buddie tangent (i gotta let the beat out for a sec raaa-) but the fact that he's still hanging out with Buck pretty consistently (well we can say he's his other parent who's sadly been in his life almost longer than his mom 🥺 lemme stop I'm crying) but it might decrease due to his and Tommy's relationship. (They're two firefighters with very busy schedules ofc he's not present they got work to do chop chop!/j)
In turn this leaves Chris with one less stable parent figure and it's forced to turn to Marisol who may be overeager to please him.
This can lead Chris to probably feeling uncomfortable with the changes because he's happy his dad's happy but he's not happy because it feels like his family's changing again too fast, and what if she leaves then his dad's not happy and a whole other sleet of teenage issues and angst.
So what I predict their storyline to be going it's that Eddie tries to find his own freedom from the church and maybe even the expectations of his home community would have on him.
Buck will be radiant in himself at the wedding, so will Hen and Karen, and Marie and Chimney, and Bobby and Athena.
He'll look around and look inward.
He'll stop focusing on what his life should look like and focus on what it could.
And that life could be just as radiant as the family he's apart of now.
(and that's all i could ask for 🥹)
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a-witch-in-endor · 10 months
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i binged mo in like 2 days omg... i feel like a walking zombie rn how am I supposed to go on AAAAAA my heart is pounding LIKE??? it gave me SOO MANY EMOTIONS CRYINGGGGG this is The Atla Fic Ever
but more importantly, I just want to say that this fic is changing my perspective on religion. im athiest, and quite honestly I've never been able to truly understand religion. I'm a strong believer in science, so religion just has never made sense to me. reading mo though, and connecting with a character who believes so deeply in his religion, and seeing how overall, religion is meant to provide guidance to understanding the world and forming morals, I feel like I've grown a lot of respect for religion in general
it's still hard for me, because a lot of my experiences with religion (or I should say, christianity/catholicism specifically- I feel like I should make it clear that I don't judge people for following religion, I just have never seen/understood the appeal) have been with people around me who are religious and therefore very homophobic or anti-abortion etc. I'm not trying to start political discourse ofc, but experiencing that consistently has not really put religion in a positive perspective for me
but reading mo and taking lots of time to think about religion in general, and how I do have friends who are religious and still supportive of lgbtq+ ppl, or who are even queer themselves, I feel like maybe I've grown as a person to become more open minded towards religion. when someone tells me they're christian, honestly I find myself closing up around them. I don't want to make it obvious I'm queer because I feel like they'll judge or disapprove. but I think that's an unfair assumption to make
I think religion, and how it ties into a people's culture and history, is beautiful. I worry that I'll always be wary around christianity, but I'll continue trying to keep an open mind. I understand now that the original beliefs of a religion and the actions of some of its followers are not one in the same, and that the teachings of a religion can call for peace while some followers ignore this. I realize that I should not judge an entire religion simply because there are some practicers who deliberately misinterpret the original teachings
I know the religions in mo are not quite the same as the ones that I am uneasy around. but nonetheless you've helped me see religion and its followers in a new light. and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so excited to see how the story continues, thank you for taking the time to write and continue this story for as long as you have, and for helping people like me expand our worldview and become more enriched
Ah, OP, I'm really pleased to hear that it's been a meaningful experience for you. I know a lot of people have complex relationships with religion. In fact, I think anyone who doesn't have some complexity in their relationship with religion is probably a rare specimen.
Powerhouses like Christianity are hugely affected by the amount of institutional power they've enjoyed, and you know what they say about the impact of power. But there are a lot of beautiful ideas there, too. If you're ever looking for a way to encounter more than the political powerhouse of the church, I recommend reading about liberation theology - and specifically (Catholic Priest) Gustavo Gutiérrez's A Theology of Liberation.
That all being said, I don't want to undermine the fact that there's a lot to be wary of in religious tradition, especially around perspectives on gender, sexuality, and such. It is not my perspective that these things are baked into religion specifically. It's that anything that links us to the what-came-before is going to include the problems of what came before, and religion has a lot to do with tradition, so it often falls into that trap.
I just happen to also rate the part of religion which is also about being in relationship with past and future, about continuous revelation, about liberation and obligation, about living life with consciousness and constantly asking what it means to be human and what we owe ourselves, one another, and God.
Anyway, this was barely coherent, but it comes down to: thank you for sharing. :-)
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I'm about to go edit a transcript for my research but I've been thinking a lot about people who are gone, versions of ourselves that are gone, and I wanted to have a ramble about fragmented memories of another time. I was raised roman catholic until my cousin (who I view as more of a brother) died when I was 14. I went to church on sundays, I had several of my sacramants - only missing my confirmation (aside form you know, stuff like marriage). I started to realise I might be queer long before I left the church, though I didn't always have words for what I was thinking and feeling. The priest I had grown up with was eccentric to say the least, prone to bouts of anger but also compassionate. I'm not sure what his personal issues were, but they manifested as a very changeable personality. I have trouble remembering faces sometimes, but for some reason I can really picture his... But not from church. When I remember him, its from the times there was a problem with out boiler and he came over to help fix it (he used to be a plumber). I also remember going to his house to talk to him about uncertainty in my faith and things like that... He was always quite open and understanding. I was never confirmed, because I chose a male saints name. I've long since realised I'm Trans, but I argued long and hard about being able to pick a boys name for my confirmation and my school was against it, my parents were against it, the broader church community was against it. Only my priest supported the idea. He said he was happy to do it. Nobody would let him, and a year later he was asked to step down in his position within the church. I have no evidence that was because of me, but it felt like I probably didn't help.
I've had problems with faith since, with people using it as a weapon, as a reason to be cruel to others. I simply can't believe in any form of God anymore, and I'm okay with that - just like i'm okay with other people having that belief. But whenever I think about what religion should be I think back to my old priest - who had once told me that God had made me just the way I was, and I should never be ashamed of that creation. Who had been willing to call me by a mans name long before anyone else I knew. Just thoughts...
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actualmermaid · 11 months
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I present to you The Venerable John Boswell, who should be remembered by every church and every Christian who considers themselves “open and affirming.”
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If you have heard of John Boswell, you've probably heard of his name in conjunction with words like "controversial" or "disputed." This is an absolute shame, because I've been getting to know him and his work over the last couple of months for a different project, and I've come to think of him as "my dead friend." According to an (alive) friend in religious studies, "a saint is just a dead friend who can pray for you," so I am presenting him in the form of a traditional icon.
Iconography:
"The Venerable": in one sense bitterly ironic, since Professor Boswell died young. On the other hand it calls back to the Venerable Bede, also a historian whose work has been "challenged."
Tongue of flame: a traditional symbol for the Holy Spirit. One of the traditional gifts of the Holy Spirit is the gift of "speaking in tongues" and the "interpretation of tongues." Professor Boswell spoke or read at least 17 modern and classical languages.
Harvard Doctoral robes: a symbol of his academic achievement and authority. Professor Boswell was educated and worked in some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, and was briefly the chair of the Yale history department before he had to step down because of his illness. Someone like Thomas Aquinas probably would have considered him a social equal. He was not "a single controversial historian" with a couple of crackpot theories.
Palm frond: a traditional symbol for martyrs. In a very broad sense, a martyr is someone whose death can teach us something, or is otherwise "theologically significant." Professor Boswell died of AIDS in 1994. HIV/AIDS is not "God's judgment upon sinners," as some conservative fanatics believe. It is a mindless disease that governments and other institutions (including churches) allowed to spread unchecked in gay communities for years, simply because they were gay. It was only when "respectable" people began coming down with it that medical research began in earnest and public health protocols were put into practice. It was, and still is in some places, a public health disaster even now that effective treatments for it exist. Professor Boswell was one of the vanguard of AIDS patients who died before effective treatments were available, and part of a generation of queer elders who should still be with us. He would be 76 years old in 2023.
"The crown of glory for me is with you": this is a line from "The Passion of SS. Serge and Bacchus," which Professor Boswell translated into English for the first time, which makes it widely available to people outside of small, elite academic circles. In the legend, Bacchus has been martyred and has appeared to Sergius in a vision. He uses this line to encourage Sergius to stay strong until they can be reunited in heaven. In another sense, the icon of Professor Boswell is encouraging the people who admire him to keep up his work. Keep digging up subversive, queer Christian history, and keep challenging him. We didn't stop writing English history after the Venerable Bede, and we won't stop writing LGBTQ Christian history after the Venerable Boswell.
Hagiography:
Professor Boswell, known as Jeb to his friends and family, was said to be remarkably kind, generous, funny, and sensitive. He was beloved by his students and respected by his colleagues. He became a devoted Roman Catholic when he was a teenager, and attended Mass daily. He was approachable and open regarding the challenges of being both gay and Christian, and was also openly critical of the Church in spite of (or perhaps because of) his personal faith. He challenged both religious conservatives, for obvious reasons, and also "enlightened secularists" whose dogma held that "organized religion," and Christianity in particular, was the root cause of all homophobic discrimination in the world. There are many people who would have preferred to let his life and work quietly slip into the past, and there are even some who have actively tried to erase him, but John Boswell will not be erased. In my opinion, Professor Boswell should be officially commemorated by every church that considers itself "Open And Affirming." This modern movement builds on work done by Professor Boswell, and he must be respected in all of his twinky, flamboyant, brilliant, and life-giving glory. He declared that queer people could know God without shame or self-censorship, and that the Church could be made to repent and welcome us as it once did.
Further Reading:
If you have a couple of hours, I recommend the single known video recording of one of his lectures: Jews, Gay People, and Bicycle Riders (1986). This is an excellent introduction to his work.
https://www.christiancentury.org/article/first-person/john-boswell-s-faith-lit-generation
https://qspirit.net/john-boswell-historian-gays-lesbians/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17004797/john-eastburn-boswell
https://www.wm.edu/as/dean/boswell/about/index.php
https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/john-boswell
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/pwh/index-bos.asp
https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/12/resources/5188
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lesbiansforboromir · 2 years
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Hello! I am here today to post an agonisingly long HC about Gondorian-Dunadain/Faithful held beliefs and philosophies on sex and marriage. As per Tolkienian necessity when trying to apply to canon, this is going to be incredibly catholic, homophobic, racist and sexist BUT we’re also subverting it later so... keep hanging on!
Firstly, to define the generally accepted in-world scholastic origin for a lot of these beliefs, some of which are metaphysically ‘true’ for the in-universe offered mechanics of souls. I will be initially stealing a few concepts from an ancient magnum opus fanfic called Hands of the King, namely that   Silmariën (daughter of Tar-Palantir in Numenor, ancestress to Elendil and essentially the mother of the Faithful Dunadain) had a massive and foundational impact on the culture of the Faithful. The Silmariën Discourses are a well reproduced and distributed collatation of all her writings on all aspects of living a ‘Faithful life’ that she wrote throughout her life. And whilst they touch on many diverse topics, sex and marriage is one of them. 
Of course, these ideas were heavily influenced by Numenorean understanding of elven traditions, hence LaCE is also an in-universe document in a manner of speaking, written by even earlier Numenorean scholars during the periods of great friendship between elves and Numenor. 
And then, whilst the Silmariën discourses serve as the basis for these customs in Gondor and Arnor and are still quite a common sight within Gondorian libraries and upperclass bookshelves, even taught in schools to a certain degree, other sages and scholars in both Arnor and Gondor have added too or debated their details for generations since then. Hence amongst the Southern and Northern Dunadain you will find differences of custom and perspective. 
And finally, whilst this is technically the attitude of the ‘dominant’ culture in Gondor, it is at the same time technically a culture belonging to an ethnic minority. Even if it is the widespread and reinforced perspective, taught to every citizen within Gondor, it is in no way the only perspective and opinions upon it are complex and diverse throughout the many people groups that make up the country itself. With all that in mind, here is the basic framework of the traditonal viewpoint;
- Obviously, the first major point; sex is for marriage and procreation alone. It is a joy, but only when it is shared between you and your 'one', your partner in body and soul. Otherwise it is a corruption and a symptom of your tragic fall from grace. - In Elves this concept is spiritually enforced, the Faithful (and elves themselves) believe that elves cannot have sex outside of marriage for sex to them is a matter of bonding souls in and of itself and to share that intimacy with anyone who wasn’t your bonded partner would cause harm to you. This is because elves interact with the world using their souls, their bodies are more like vessels, it is their souls that bind them to the world. - However, because humans are connected to the world by their bodies and when they die they leave the circles of Arda never to return, they have been allowed the clemency and mercy of a less restrictive and more fluid matter of choice. It is a grievous hurt to be separated from your soul’s partner, so the atani are allowed ‘lesser’ bonds of love and companionship as they pass through the world. - But this clemency has a downside, it allows room for corruption. This corruption appears in many forms, such as polygamy, queer attraction, promiscuity, marriage for anything but love and sexual violence, but each of them are all to be deeply pitied as signs of a weak and feeble mind and heart that has succumbed to the evil influences of Arda-marred. Such people can resist their corruptions, but they should not be allowed to influence others. - As Silmarien explains it; "If Men are made to be visitors of short passage, then it is right that they shall be loath to bind themselves to someone else and be sundered from that beloved; two wills are deprived of their choice and much grief must follow. Men could give their forms in marriage, yet withhold their full will, something the Elves simply could not do. While this might lessen their grief at the inevitable passing of their mate, it also left open the door for corruption by the Enemy, for Men were tempted very easily into bestial ways, abusing this grace by sharing their bodies promiscuously." - It is generally accepted amongst the Dunadain that, if you are 'a man of high race’, you are more protected against this corruption than those of less blessed lineages. And the truer the blood of Numenor runs in you, the more you are expected to lead a ‘blessed’ life and wed your heart’s true partner. But you are not exempt! Through life or evil thoughts, one might still become corrupted and be inspired to baser deeds and corrupted lifestyles, making you alike to the heretics of old Numenor. - But the Atani should not despair, for (uncorrupted) men are still capable of the same depths of devotion in marriage as elves. Those of high race can indeed experience similar aspects of soul-bonding, ‘willing’ their souls together and knowing that person on a more intimate and spiritual level, sensing their presence and so forth. And this is believed to be the ‘true nature’ of men. - And in combination with that, as a combat to this problem of corruption, marriage as a ceremony allows a more physical solution to the issue of men’s wills and partners, both as a public declaration of that will, as well as an aid to those averagely-corrupted men. Marriage creates an environment that will, hopefully, lead men towards their natural ‘willing’ and a blessed life. 
There is some division over one passage within Silmarien’s discourses;
"While Men may not be compelled to will their marriage in the manner of the Eldar, holding forever steadfast to a single choice, still they are capable of it and it is their proper nature. In marital congress are their wills given unity with their forms. It is known among the Dúnedain for some to will thusly from the start or all at once, and those who do are changed and never repent of their choice. Most who will, however, come slowly to this state; their willing is weaker and may sometimes be broken or relinquished. Even so, most Dúnedain will know this joy. To be pitied are those who, like lesser Men, cannot or will not fulfill their natures. They are corrupt."
In Gondor, in the later third age, it is no longer socially acceptable to speak the opinion that ‘lesser men’ are incapable of the same depth of love as the Dunadain. This does not mean none hold that opinion, only that society has enough middle men within it, even in the higher classes, that they have pushed social graces toward a less derogatory view. Though it still often influences the Southern Dunadain philosophy. 
However, within the northern dunadain, it is still a fully accepted wisdom and partly accounts for both their isolationism and the lack of Dunadain marrying into wider families in Eriador. Cautionary tales from Northern Dunadain to their sons and daughters run thus; it is tragic but you must not fall for the illusion of love in the eyes of these middle men, their devotion cannot be true, you are destined for a higher love.  
SO! That’s all the bigotry out of the way, now for my headcanoned ‘true’ mechanics of all this that I am holding as canon for my character and world interpretations on this blog. These hcs both semi-apply to the ideas of ‘fea’ as they are set out, but also allow gay people to exist and for elves to be able to sleep with who they want without canonically being a sickness of the soul or whatever. 
So, yes, Elves have souls that are more seperate from their bodies. They are immortal, as in they live so long it might as well be classed as forever within the confines of Aman. And their body is not what keeps them there, it is just the way they move around the world and interact with it physically. Whereas mortals,  (putting a pin in dwarves for the moment) such as humans and hobbits are bound to Arda by their bodies alone and when their bodies are killed so is their connection to this world and they leave to ‘somewhere else’. Unspecified. As such, elves and their bondmates will not suffer the sorrow of parting forever, whereas humans might. Hence, elven souls ‘bond’ during sex, whereas humans must ‘will’ for it to occur.
Which, in terms of morality, are all neutral facts until you include the machinations of the Valar and Eru and what they WANT it all to mean. I am galvanised by the idea that, whilst some technical aspects of these things are true, the actual meaning of them have been distorted, first by colonialist elves, who then encouraged colonialist humans, and whom were all inspired by Valar unwilling to believe themselves wrong in any way despite the fact that Morgoth also distorted their understanding of the world they had sung of to begin with. And meanwhile Eru does not care about any of it, he only cares if his 'right to the throne of the world’ is being challenged. 
The concept I am running with is the idea that the true ultimate 'divine' aspect of the world comes from the Secret Fire, which Eru used to kindle life yes, but which is in fact a distinct entity from him, unknowable even to him. And in kindling life, it naturally diversified into it’s own aspects of life in completely neutral ways that were meant to coexist and collaborate to produce a harmonious world for the benefit of all. But, upon being placed into a world still ruled by Valar (whom are canonically flawed in actions, motives and understanding whilst also possessing great power) that world and the new life within it was subject to their influences and persuaded by their held beliefs of the ‘right’ way of life, that some of the diverse aspects the secret fire took that they did not understand were ‘corruptions’. Hence the elven faithful belief system was born.
Which, (completely and utterly whoops by accident and unbiased happenstance on my part) creates the situation where Boromir and all of Gondor can say 'I don't care what is divinely ordained to be right as god claims it and I do not care if it is for some great plan I could never understand, I know it to be wrong in my heart' and they are fundamentally correct for saying that, because they (and all other creatures in arda) ARE the secret fire and are therefore actually more divine than Eru is in the end.
They can be handed all of these truths about souls and bonding and death and all the works of the Valar and Morgoth's corruption and so forth that all SEEM to support these Valar-originated concepts and the elves and Eru's divine supremacy and ownership over all creation etc and still say I don't care, I don't care if I'm divinely wrong. I'm humanely right and I would rather hold to that mundane choice than be holy in the eyes of a divinity that claims these things.
Hence some ‘heretical’ elves can nod and agree, yes, elves bond, souls become entangled. I have bonded many times, I have shared my soul with many, both in the elven way, the dwarven way and the human way. I unlearned what I was taught and listened to what my soul told me, that elves can create their own realities, we can decide what things mean to us, what a soulbond of love looks like. The fact that I am more soulfully made up of all the pieces of many people who loved me is a beautiful strength not a corrupted weakness.
And Boromir, whom had in essentials been agnostic to the whole thing as a young man and was then confronted by the strange evidence of him being ‘of high race’ in his natural ‘willing’ to Theodred. He eventually acknowledges, yes, I am experiencing some of these things people talk about, which makes it seem like what the Faithful preach is true, and therefore I am corrupted and my love for Theodred is a corruption, despite my ‘willing’ to him. But I have decided I don't care. This is the life I lead, this is the love I have. If it is not acceptable to God then he should have given me a different life and made me a different man.
And Denethor who spends his whole life trying to negotiate with divinity, he cares, he does, he wants to be faithful, he wants to be good! But faith keeps failing him, failing everyone and everything he cares about, he has been abandoned by God in the midst of a holy way FOR God, and yet so many of these seemingly innocuous things are wrong? And eventually he is angry and betrayed and says fine, I will be what you believe me to be, this thing you call a great sin is far kinder and far more just than anything divinity has ever asked of me.
And all of them are right! Because the Secret Fire is divine, in and of itself, and what it wills is what is right for it’s own existence. 
THERE again so sorry, this is even longer than I thought it would be.
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dionysus in tsats
contains slight spoilers for tsats!
ok i mentioned in a previous post how i love dionysus and his story had so much potential to be included in tsats, so here's just some stuff i wish happened/were mentioned.
(preface to say that i did love all the interactions with him, i just wish we had... more)
if you're going to add ANY queer characters, the first one mentioned should literally be the god of homosexuality, cross dressing, and effeminacy
like all the minor characters were wonderful, but cmon! ancient greece wasn't exactly as open to equal/consenting gay relationships as people think, and strict gender stereotypes were really degrading to trans people (especially for "feminine men")
so if you consider dionysus's whole life basically, he would have had it really rough!!! like nico!!!
i think that if anyone could have helped nico/other campers come to term with their identities, it should've been mr. d, and it would have been such a different side of his we wouldn't have seen before
like a scene with him talking to nico about his relationship with will or talking about nico's whole catholic guilt sexuality crisis — that's the kind of dionysus content I NEEDED
i feel like the whole amphithemis storyline wasn't as well-explained/in depth as i wanted it to be
i was SO EXCITED to hear about this bc dionysus's childhood is super interesting and i wanted to see which interpretation of the myths rick/mark went with
it would have been so cool to maybe hear snippets about ancient greece, what happened to the other lamian centaurs, how this singular one ended in tartarus
or even maybe someone, i don't know, REASSURING AMPHITHEMIS THAT "THE CHILD" IS A GROWN-ASS GOD
when will and nico were recounting their journey to chiron and mr. d, i would have also loved to see some reaction from dionysus about his former caretaker being a mania in tartarus
also some acknowledgement of dionysus's madness! in a lot of versions of the myths, hera actually drove dionysus mad for a year (don't quote me on that timeline), so i think he could have had an interesting aside, if not full convo, about sympathizing with amphithemis being driven mad
there's a quote that's something like "dionysus stared dreamily at will as he described the underworld" or something like that — i wish we got a comment from mr d on what the underworld used to look like when he went down there (to save his mother semele who he brought to immortality)
according to riordan wiki (but very conflicting in greek mythos), dionysus was a demigod during the (original) gigantomachy, so i wish wish wish we got a comment on maybe what that was like or talking to the most recent batch of demigods about how to recover from it
a therapy session/talk between nico and mr d would have been really cool to read, or even a post-nightmare talk after mr d finished eating his popcorn
more dionysus/chiron interactions? some myths say that after he was raised by the nymphs, dionysus was sent over to train under chiron for a bit to gain wisdom and stuff, so i would die for some more of their relationship
also i've been wanting this for years now, but a dionysus reveal where he actually looks like his true form (aka literally stunning) would've solved my life problems. especially in such a gay book.
this is all i can think of for now but i'm literally planning on writing a bunch of chb and dionysus stuff soon because i'm in my "hyperfixate on a singular greek god's conflicting life story and deciding what i most agree with instead of studying for midterms" era :)
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demiaroacejolynekujo · 8 months
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Tarot Account: @babybatwitchxxx
Pride Icon Account: @radinclussakurauchiha
🦋About Me🦋
💚Call me Jolyne (not giving out my irl name for privacy reasons)
💚She/They
💚Cis Woman (Although I've been questioning if I'm Nonbinary or not. Still figuring it out)
💚24
💚Demi AroAce
💚Autistic + Anxiety
💚Radical Inclusionist/Anti Exclusionist
💚Antishipper/Anti Proship, Anti Comship, and Anti Darkship
💚Leftist
💚Intersectional Feminist
💚Ex Catholic
💚Beginner Satanic Pagan Witch
💚Beginner Tarot Reader
💚Abuse and SA victim
💚Fat
🦋My Beliefs🦋
💚Anti Proship Neutral (as in against anyone who claims they're proship "neutral". Anyone who claims are neutral are lowkey proship)
💚Fiction can affect reality
💚Pro Choice and Pro Bodily Autonomy
💚Pro MOGAI
💚Pro Microlables
💚Pro It/Its Pronouns and Neopronouns
💚Against anyone who believes that Its/Its Pronouns and Neopronouns are transphobic (it's also ableist to be against these pronouns as they're created by Neurodivergent and disabled Trans people)
💚Pro Xenogenders
💚Anti Amber Heard/Anti Amber Heard Supporters (Supporting Amber after she admitted to abusing Johnny Depp is TERF rhetoric. TERFs believe that abusive and terrible women should he absolved of their actions because they're women. I'm not a Johnny Depp fan, but using his shitty actions as a way to erase his status as a domestic violence victim is victim shaming. You can acknowledge that Johnny is a terrible person and an abuse victim at the same time.)
💚Men can be victims and suffer under the patriarchy
💚Women can be abusers and benefit from the patriarchy
💚Anti "Kill All Men" (Wishing death to all men and wishing to commit male genocide is eugenics as marginalized men exist.)
💚Against anyone who compares being Trans to blackface (These two things should not be compared to all. It's racist and transphobic to compare the two since Trans people of color exist.)
💚Cancel Culture doesn't exist (it was made up by people who don't want to hold themselves accountable for their shitty actions. There's a difference between calling someone out of their bullshit and going after someone for something so small.)
💚Pro Sex Work
💚Pro Porn/Anti Porn Industry
💚Anti Christianity/Catholicism (and against all denominations of Christianity)
💚Anti TERF/Radfem/MERF/TEHM/SWERF (or any fascists who appropriates feminism with their bigotry)
💚Pro Kink
💚Queer is a political term and identity. Not a slur.
💚The R slur will never be a reclaimable slur
💚Against anyone who calls Autism "Asperger's Syndrome" (it's named after an Austrian doctor who was affiliated with the Nazis and killed Autistic children that didn't fit his standards)
💚Anti Veganism (Veganism is ableist and classist)
💚Anti Antitheism (Antitheism is deeply rooted in white supremacy and is harmful to people in marginalized religions.)
💚Anti Yandere Simulator/Anti Yandere Dev/Against anyone who still plays the game after Yandere Dev got exposed as a groomer
💚Anti Yandere archetype (it's based on harmful stereotypes of people with Borderline Personality Disorder)
💚Anyone who says that women shouldn't wear makeup, shouldn't wear revealing clothing, shouldn't get plastic surgery, and shouldn't become a sex worker (by choice) is anti bodily autonomy
💚Against people who are anti children (people who are against children and say stuff like "fuck them kids" or "I hate kids" probably have some deep-rooted trauma and should consider seeing a therapist. Adults should not be projecting their trauma onto kids. Also, saying you want to hurt any random child you see will end up with you being charged for child endangerment)
💚Against anyone who believes that hitting their children is a form of punishment (hitting your kids for whatever reason is abuse. And this is coming from someone whose been hit by both parents.)
💚Pro Self Shipping (self shipping is okay as long as you're shipping yourself with a character that's close to your age)
💚Against adult self shippers who ship themselves with underage characters
💚Against any fanart/fanfiction that sexualizes underage characters/against any fanart and fanfics that "ages up" underage characters just to sexualize them (sexualizing fictional minors is just as bad as sexualizing real minors. Pedophilia is still the same regardless of whether the minor in question is fictional or not.)
💚Against anyone who ships real life people
💚Anti Real People Fanfiction (making fanfics of real life people is so fucking weird. Stop treating real people like fictional characters.)
💚Against any Autistic person who refers to their Autism as Asperger's Syndrome/Anti Aspie Supremacy (Aspie Supremacists are low support needs Autistic people who believe that they're more superior than high support needs Autistic people and other high support needs disabled people. It's also rooted in white supremacy as well.)
💚Against anyone who still uses terms like "high/low functioning", "special needs", and "mentally challenged".
💚Anti White Supermacy/Neo Nazism
💚Anti Republican/Apolitical/Libertarian/Centrist
💚Anti Autism Speaks and against anyone who supports it
💚Anti Harry Potter/Anti Fantastic Beasts/Anti JK Rowling/Against anyone who still consumes JK's work after she outed herself as a TERF (buying secondhand and fanmade merchandise and reading/producing fanfics is just as bad as you're continuing to give her work relevance and keeping it mainstream even though she's not profiting from anything secondhand and fanmade. This includes any book she wrote under the name Robert Galbraith, who was an Anti LGBTQIA+ conversion therapist.)
💚Hazbin Hotel Critical/Anti Helluva Boss/Vivziepop Critical
💚Pro Mspec labels (I don't fully understand those labels, but I'm not going to use it as an excuse to exclude them from the community.)
💚Against non-Lesbians who think Trans men can't be Lesbians (as a cis non-Lesbian, it's none of my business if a Trans man identified as a Lesbian as long as they're not hurting anyone)
💚Against anyone who ships canon Lesbian characters with male characters
💚Against anyone who ships Gay male characters with female characters
💚Against anyone who ships canon Ace/Aro characters with Allo characters
💚Against anyone who believes that blashwashing is real (blackwashing was created by anti black racists as a way to silence people of color when talking about representation in media)
💚Anti Transmed/Anti Truscum/Anti Gender Critical
💚Pro Self Diagnosis/Anti Fake Claiming
💚Anyone who mocks Joe Biden for his stutter and accuses him of having dementia are ableist (Biden has a speech disorder, which causes his stuttering. I'm not a Biden supporter, but as a disabled person, you're saying that disabled people that they can't hold high positions of power by making fun of the way he speaks.)
💚Anti Harassment
💚Anti Suicide Baiting
💚Anti Fatphobia/Anti Fat Shaming
💚Anti Radqueer
💚Pro Palestine
💚Anti Israel/Anti Zionism
💚Anti Enemies to Lovers trope (and against other toxic relationships tropes)
🦋Fandoms🦋
(This will be filled out at one point. I'm just too lazy to do so 🙃)
🦋Rules🦋
💚Reblogs have been turned off on my posts to prevent people whom I don't want to interact with. This includes restricting comments on my posts, too, for the same reason. I suffer from anxiety, and it's just easier for me to filter out who I do want or do not want to interact with.
💚Any asks and DMs from people I don't want to interact with will be deleted. If anyone continues to do so, will be blocked.
💚Anyone who I don't want to interact with will be instantly blocked if they tag me in any posts. I'm not gonna waste my time and read your stupid ass post. Also, it will open me up to any form or harassment.
💚Any asks and DMs complaining about my beliefs list will be deleted. I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna argue with people my beliefs. It's not worth my time and mental health.
💚Any asks and DMs about the Amber Heard vs. Johnny Depp situation will be deleted. I don't support either person as they're both terrible people. Also, the situation has been over for more than a year now, and it's basically beating a dead horse. I was simply trying to make a point that you can be a victim of something and be a shitty person at the same time, as well as that person's shitty actions should not be used as a way to erase their victim status. I was trying to make a point that men can be victims, and women can be abusers. Abuse has no gender.
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cumulohimbus · 9 months
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Life Updates
This last weekend I went to a Pride fest a little over an hour away, and wild things ensued.
1. I ran into some friends I met at my local pride this last summer, and even though it took a second for us to recognize each other, it was phenomenal to see them. I ended up staying the night at their place (I'll get to why in a sec).
2. I ran into people I went to Catholic elementary/middle school with. They were running an art booth. It was cool to reconnect with people I'd shared a formative childhood experience with and not be the only one who ended up queer.
3. I ran into my now retired therapist, the one who helped me pursue an autism eval and who wrote the pivotal letter that allowed me to get top surgery. I gave him a hug. I'd only ever interacted with him virtually and he is much taller in person. He seems like he's happy and doing well.
4. I didn't see any furries about so I took it upon myself to don my mascot head, just to gauge the reaction. A lot of people came up to me and got pictures with me, including a mom and her kid who really loves furries. I don't even consider myself a furry; like, I don't participate in the community at all anymore. I just think my fursuit head turned out vvv cute, and I didn't spend around 2 years making it from scratch for it to just collect dust in a closet somewhere. It made me really happy that other people also thought it was cute. It was nice being Spark for a while.
5. I went to a drag show with my friends from the local Pride. We were in the front row. It was so cool to see professionals performing.
6. My friends and I went to an after party at a club. I'd never been to a club before and didn't know what to expect. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be until the end when the establishment closed and the cops were outside directing folks. While there I ran into someone I was in the Arts Magnet Program with in high school; they were there for their sister-in-law. They told me that whenever I'm ready, other former classmates would probably like to hear from me, and that they'd probably be more accepting of me than I realize.
I didn't achieve my goal of being kissed, but that's okay. I fell in love with my friends in more ways than I care to admit. Nothing more will come of it than friendship, and that's okay too. That's what I needed tbh. I realized the full extent of my loneliness and how badly I need friends right now. I didn't know how bad it was and now that I do, hopefully I can do something about it. I cried a lot, probably because I was more drunk than I've been in years. My friends let me stay at their apartment so I didn't have to sleep in my car.
7. The next day we went to a garden and saw lots of pretty plants and fountains, including the biggest, bluest Larkspurs I've ever seen in person before!!
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8. I cried for approximately half of my drive back home. I probably should have pulled over, but I was running on less than an hour of sleep, and I had grad school homework I needed to finish before midnight, so I pushed through. I realized goodbyes have been getting harder. A couple of weekends ago when I visited college friends for the weekend, I cried for a long time on my drive home then too. It seems it didn't take long of being off T for my tear ducts to function again. Something else is wrong with me though, I shouldn't be crying so much over goodbyes; I have my suspicions. I'm sure a particular goodbye that happened more recently isn't helping, but mostly I think I just feel alienated from people like me where I live currently.
I need to get a new vehicle soon so I can travel more. I want to go on dates, both casual and serious, in the near future. I want to kiss and be kissed, if just to feel like I'm alive. I wish I wasn't a terrified kid in a 25 year old's body. I feel like I can't be taken seriously when it comes to romance because of the ways my trauma has broken me into the person I am today (tbf, being transmasc means I look like a 14 year old boy, so that doesn't help the whole maturity thing either).
I'm coming to terms with how much grief I carry with me everyday. I think that's the most alienating part of it all; I think that's where all the loneliness comes from.
Sadness aside, I really like grad school so far. It doesn't feel hard yet because it's all stuff that interests me. I also got a really nice scholarship package for my first year and that's pretty cool. I'll finally feel alright ordering the print copies of my book, Fidelity to share with friends/family. The sequel, Autonomy, is currently in the works. They're both basically zines that ended up being lengthier than initially intended, and they include a mix of poetry, prose, and photography. I know I don't really have a following here, but if it just so happens that you read all the way to this sentence, if you'd like a free pdf of Fidelity, hmu, I'd be happy to send one your way.
Be kind to yourselves, and stay curious,
-Lark
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irrealisms · 2 years
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☕️ + we know the devil. i know ur icon is venus wktd & i’d LOVE to hear ur thoughts on the game if u’ll indulge me
ABSOLUTELY so we know the devil is something i have.... deeply and profoundly bittersweet feelings about
when i was 14 and had my first real experience of The Divine which led to me getting put on antipsychotics i latched onto Venus very very hard. i had the same haircut as venus and i was constantly kind and self-effacing and sincere and compulsively apologetic and i saw lights and angels around every corner and there was Something i wanted, and it was connected, the wanting and the lights, i wanted it in and around me and the entire world, but i didn't know what i wanted or what to do with all the want. and my previous blog's avatar was venus wktd not in her devil form but as a human.
and now i am 21 and i am not a queer high schooler, i am Catholic, and the thing I wanted so desperately that my entire life was bending around that want wasn't the devil or being trans or gay sex? it was God, the God that the game is so intensely angry at, the God in whose name troubled teen camps are made that convince high schoolers they are the devil & the devil is freedom and love & God is everyone you are afraid of and told you that you are not good enough and you are going to hell. the thing that I wanted wasn't what the girls in wktd want, it was the thing that hurt them. and, like... what do you do with that? bc the game is coming from a place of such trauma that i can't be mad at it, only mad at every church that caused it to exist, and at the same time it still speaks to the part of me that is 14 and seeing light that i know i should be afraid of and wanting it instead, and being desperate for a story in which this is [holy and good and beautiful and Right, the sort of thing to show the whole world] and not the sort of thing that gets you sent to the guidance counselor or the hospital
and my icon then was venus's human form and now it is her devil form because.... i get to have what i want now, i guess.
and i've also thought and talked somewhat about venus as psychosis narrative/as a textually psychotic character lol & there's also absolutely something abt, like, me age 14 was incredibly incredibly scared of myself & pursued/went on antipsychotics/therapy/psychiatry willingly vs. i started this blog not long after Going Off antipsychotics and being very critical and wary of therapy/psychiatry
also this whole thing is about venus but i do also have an immense outpouring of thoughts about jupiter.... i have a lot of the same ocd [i am too much Want and it is going to hurt everyone and there is nothing i can do about it, i am evilwrongbadcontaminated for my Want and i cannot stop it, i am inherently violent and hurting others by Wanting] Stuff as she does. however it's uh kind of super funny-inconvenient that in a lot of ways i have them in the Opposite direction recent years-- see, well, a lot of the above... i wasn't raised Christian and i actually feel quite guilty a lot of the time about being and wanting to be Christian! because it hurts people in the way Jupiter is hurt! but at the same time i find that [repressing myself and my wanting] to be so deeply relatable. and it's not that i don't find Jupiter's direction unrelatable, either... i have a lot of issues around [finding kink very appealing] which are very Jupitercore lol
and also on a surface level in general i spent my childhood and teen years in girl scouts in a group of Three Friends where one of us was perpetually being left out due to The Buddy System and it depended on the year which of us it would be. and now they have both graduated college and moved away and i have not been in a group of three or at a scout camp making bad decisions at 3am in years... it's very much a game that was made for me at one time and now i have outgrown in some ways. it's complicated!
anyway this post is long enough but. point is. ohhhhh it was so influential on me and it shapes the narrative of my life and also i am at a point where i am opposed to it (in the sense of, standing on the opposite side from) in many ways and this is kind awkward but also it is still a part of me. feel free 2 ask/talk more to me abt it i love talking abt it tbh
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jtownraindancer · 6 months
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hello! i would LOVE to watch jamestown but am a little apprehensive because of possible triggers? so i thought i'd ask! is there anything i should watch out for? in the vein of like... sexual assault, hate crimes (tho this is a given bc period piece but like. how violent would it get?), and frequency of character death? thank you!
​ Hello Anon!
Absolutely a fair question, and one I'm very happy to answer! I'll address each of these one-by-one, and if there are any other possible triggers you're wondering about, please feel free to ask~
This is going to spoil some of the show, so I'm putting my full reply below the cut.
​Sexual Assault:
Right off the top of my head, there is one very distinct instance of sexual assault, right in the beginnings of Season 1 (may even be Episode 1 if memory serves). The rape itself is not graphic- there's a build up, but the scene ends before anything is actually shown. However! The attack is a defining moment for quite a few of the main cast- relationships are formed based on reactions to it (all resoundingly in the victim's corner!), and it is mentioned off-and-on again throughout the series.
Hate Crimes:
I don't… I can't quite say there are many hate crimes as we would know them, but some general things to look out for…
There is a very tentative relationship between the Colonists & the Pamunkey Tribe, a tension which builds up into the final episode where a lot of characters are killed on screen- mostly background. (Season 3 was arguably the most graphic of the lot, starting with the private execution of an alleged "traitor" to the governor.)
​The slave trade hangs heavily over the series starting at the end of Season 1, an introduction that tastes even more bitter when it's discovered that they were acquired illegally (and against the wishes of a majority of the colonists). I… I have much I'd like to say about it, but to do so would spoil a lot of plot points later. I will say however that there's nothing particularly graphic in this end (and Pedro and Marie alone are worth watching the show for!)
For queerphobia, there… wasn't much? The most that comes of it are a few instances where Thomas & Jocelyn both make jabs at Nicholas for his 'tastes,' though in the end it's clear they both really do care for him. Also in regards to an intersex character, the only fault found in her is the deception that allowed him to come to Jamestown to begin with. There's also the strong implication that not only does another character remain open-minded about folks pursuing certain 'bedfellows,' but the possibility that he himself may be queer. (Kind of a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but definitely there.)
Religion-wise, there is definitely a period-accurate bias towards Protestantism (and a hatred/suspicion of Catholics which will come up several times), and references are made about wanting to "convert" the indigenous population, but that's about the extent of it? Some characters do use ''Christianity'' as a cover, but uh… Spoilers on that end. Put succinctly… In spite of a period-accurate lean towards Protestantism, there are still a few characters who definitely are not of the same mind. In the main cast alone, I can think of at least three Jamestown residents who stand apart from the others in terms of spirituality (or lack thereof).
Violence:
While there's not a lot of gore in this show, there are certain scenes that can seem gruesome in the context. As I found this show through PBS, I wasn't expecting a lot of gore itself, but the implications involved, and the very rare, rare moments where things are actually shown, carry enough weight on their own. (There is one scene that comes to mind with a smuggler and some molten metal, but I couldn't seem to look away; Farlow was fucking terrifying. 💀)
Character Death:
Some great news! Most of the characters survive this series!
Bad news! The characters who do leave will probably hurt!
Would like to again offer a warning for the finale of Season 3, which leads into the very real beginnings of the Indian Massacre of 1622, a slaughter that took out nearly 1/4 of the Virginian colonists. The show does not get graphic, but the implications, and the brief hints we're shown on screen do plenty of damage.
Overall:
There were quite a few liberties taken with this show, and at times it feels vaguely soap opera-esque in the writing choices. But overall I did enjoy this one, and I would recommend it! Even if you decide to watch just for Alice, Verity, and Jocelyn, I would still ask you to give it a try because there are so many interesting characters to meet in this series, and it does offer a decent (if over-exaggerated) glimpse into life in Jamestown.
If you're still interested in giving Jamestown a whirl, I hope you enjoy it! (And please feel free to scream in my inbox and/or DMs about it.)
Thanks for the ask friend; I hope this helped, and if not, please don't hesitate to reach out. Love and light!
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allsassnoclass · 1 year
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hiii hazel it's been a while i hope you're good! for the asks i'm picking these emojis 💜💚💙 and i'm also asking for your top 5 narnia characters and also top 5 songs at the moment -monse <3
@lukemichaelcalumashton hi monse <3 hope all is well with you!!!
💜 - What Label(s) Have You Identified With for the Longest? asexual! that's my longest label and my main one. the one that feels like home. if i ever shift and realize that i don't fit the technical definition for whatever reason it'd make me incredibly sad to leave behind so i probably won't leave it anyway and i'll just still call myself ace lol
💚 - How many queer people do you know irl? well! my entire high school friend group is queer. i have a picture from my 9th grade birthday party and literally everyone except for 1 person in it later came out as queer in some form. however, i don't talk to most of them anymore because we naturally drifted away, and a lot of my college friends were cishet. however, i do work in theater, so i know a lot of queer people! many many!
💙 - When you first learned about the Queer community, did you immediately realize ‘That’s me!’ Or did you consider yourself a ‘really good ally’ for some time? nope! i didn't realize, and i didn't really consider myself an ally for a long time either (raised catholic, and catholics as a whole have not been as nice towards queer people as we are called to be). it wasn't until i found the label of asexual that i had a lightbulb moment, and it took a while after that before i realized i like girls
Top 5 Narnia Characters
Prince Caspian-is this just because I loved the movie as a kid and he's so so so so cool and also i now associate him with a very close family friend who i love dearly? quite possibly! but that doesn't mean i'm wrong!
Lucy Pevensie-my projection character <3 as the youngest sibling in a group of 4 who looked a lot like georgie henley when lion witch and wardrobe movie first came out, she's always been my character
Reepicheep-he's so cool. he's a mouse with a sword! what more could you want in a character
Jill Pole-yeah this is because silver chair is really the only book that i've technically read (we listened to the focus on the family radio program versions when i was little, but i don't have clear memories of it). i liked her!!! shout out to her!!!
Edmund-character development <3
Top 5 Songs at the Moment
"Curses" by the Crane Wives-bro there's a clarinet. there's harmonies. "ashes to ashes, dust to dust/the devil's after both of us" and the way that it switches to "ashes to ashes, dust to dust/tell me i am good enough" for the last verse???? yes! there's so much character to this song and i love it
"Grudges" by Caroline Kole-I like songs about women getting revenge and this song is perfect for my current blorbo nie huaisang like the lyrics are extremely accurate plus he would definitely exclusively listen to girl pop if he was a modern character
"Sinner" by Andy Grammer-should this song actually be on the list? idk i'm just vibing right now but i like when songs sound slightly western. this song sounds like one that the band train would make
"The Weather" by Lawrence-i remembered recently that this song exists. i love it. it makes me feel things, it's beautiful in it's simplicity, and i just really like lawrence as a band in general
"Sugar Cloud" from Ride the Cyclone-my favorite song from this musical <3 in a show about teenagers who violently died competing to be brought back to life, to have a song so unashamedly joyful and celebrating a completely ordinary life is wonderful, especially taken in context following Constance's monologue
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How to Activate and use Facebook Dating
Developing and refining dating methods has been a critical component of human evolution research, and has provided numerous insights into the timeline of our past. If you want to find someone to have a relationship with, you’re dating. Since Facebook already has photos and some data about you, there's not much you have to do on this front, though you can edit information however you like. נערות ליווי בחיפה Users access Facebook Dating through the Facebook app, which you probably already have on your phone. Budget: Do you want to stick to free websites and apps or do you have the budget (and interest) to pay for some extra bells and whistles? This really is a free Filipina dating site and there are some very sweet women who you can initiate or receive contact from without having to pay a single thing! In fact, many Christian dating apps also offer services to Jewish singles and Catholic singles, who sometimes are and sometimes aren’t technically classified as Christians. Make sure you also have your age displayed, to avoid an age group that you aren’t comfortable with; do not lie about your age. The Secret Crush feature lets you choose up to nine of your Facebook friends and Instagram followers you have a - what else - secret crush on.
The rub is that the people you meet on Facebook Dating are likely people who are on Facebook a lot. Hinge users also experience more genuine queer people (and less unicorn hunting) on the app compared to the other big players. Unlike Tinder and Bumble, which seem to have broken gaydars, Hinge sees far fewer reports of men popping up in your feed uninvited. You can know how to date a younger woman, but all that knowledge is for naught if you don’t have the energy to actually put it into action. You also have the ability to save your search settings, so you don’t have to fiddle around setting your filters every time. You don’t always have to be so serious, but you should be specific and interesting. You also run the risk of seeing people you have mutual friends with, which can be a pro or a con, depending on what you want out of the experience.
Put up a picture of yourself, so people can trust what they see. In the Liked You section, you will see all the Facebook Dating users who liked your profile. Facebook resembles a prize case for these dedicatory kinships. To create an account on Bumble, sign up with either your Facebook account or your phone number. Facebook Dating has swiping just like Tinder, Bumble, and many other apps, so its learning curve is pretty flat as well. We compared the internet's top full-on dating sites, trendy swiping apps, and geek-specific sites to find the ones where geeks can express themselves and find that twin flame. So what are the best dating sites for geeks? The company also uses its own form of currency called "Zoosk coins" that are available for purchase. As the rock cools, minerals form. Most of the time one can use the different amounts of parent and daughter present in different minerals within the rock to tell how much daughter was originally present.
After completing your profile and preferences, it's time to swipe. If it is lame or ordinary, people tend to skip the details given further in the profile. Here’s how you can take on examples of writing a profile for online dating, and use it to your advantage. You don't have to use Bumble to date ("Bumble Date"), however. They'll be notified that someone added them as a secret crush in the app, and if you happen to have added each other as crushes, you'll match and your names will be revealed. Before using Bumble, you'll also want to set your match preferences. Next, set up your match preferences. The UX is similar, where you swipe to match with users. Finding your perfect match on Zoosk might be easy, but actually meeting or chatting with them might be a different story. The premise and user base might be in the Tinder and Bumble realm, but these three aren't interchangeable. But how does Bumble work - and is it better than Tinder?
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abrazimir · 2 years
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Hello! I am here today to post an agonisingly long HC about Gondorian-Dunadain/Faithful held beliefs and philosophies on sex and marriage so that the next hc I post will make sense. As per Tolkienian necessity, this is going to be incredibly catholic, homophobic, racist and sexist BUT we’re also subverting it later so... keep hanging on!
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Firstly, to define the generally accepted in-world scholastic origin for a lot of these beliefs, some of which are metaphysically ‘true’ for the in-universe offered mechanics of souls. I will be initially stealing a few concepts from an ancient magnum opus fanfic called Hands of the King, namely that Silmariën (daughter of Tar-Palantir in Numenor, ancestress to Elendil and essentially the mother of the Faithful Dunadain) had a massive and foundational impact on the culture of the Faithful. The Silmariën Discourses are a well reproduced and distributed collatation of all her writings on all aspects of living a ‘Faithful life’ that she wrote throughout her life. And whilst they touch on many diverse topics, sex and marriage is one of them. 
Of course, these ideas were heavily influenced by Numenorean understanding of elven traditions, hence LaCE is also an in-universe document in a manner of speaking, written by even earlier Numenorean scholars during the periods of great friendship between elves and Numenor. 
And then, whilst the Silmariën discourses serve as the basis for these customs in Gondor and Arnor and are still quite a common sight within Gondorian libraries and upperclass bookshelves, even taught in schools to a certain degree, other sages and scholars in both Arnor and Gondor have added too or debated their details for generations since then. Hence amongst the Southern and Northern Dunadain you will find differences of custom and perspective. 
And finally, whilst this is technically the attitude of the ‘dominant’ culture in Gondor, it is at the same time technically a culture belonging to an ethnic minority. Even if it is the widespread and reinforced perspective, taught to every citizen within Gondor, it is in no way the only perspective and opinions upon it are complex and diverse throughout the many people groups that make up the country itself. With all that in mind, here is the basic framework of the traditonal viewpoint;
- Obviously, the first major point; sex is for marriage and procreation alone. It is a joy, but only when it is shared between you and your 'one', your partner in body and soul. Otherwise it is a corruption and a symptom of your tragic fall from grace. - In Elves this concept is spiritually enforced, the Faithful (and elves themselves) believe that elves cannot have sex outside of marriage for sex to them is a matter of bonding souls in and of itself and to share that intimacy with anyone who wasn’t your bonded partner would cause harm to you. This is because elves interact with the world using their souls, their bodies are more like vessels, it is their souls that bind them to the world. - However, because humans are connected to the world by their bodies and when they die they leave the circles of Arda never to return, they have been allowed the clemency and mercy of a less restrictive and more fluid matter of choice. It is a grievous hurt to be separated from your soul’s partner, so the atani are allowed ‘lesser’ bonds of love and companionship as they pass through the world. - But this clemency has a downside, it allows room for corruption. This corruption appears in many forms, such as polygamy, queer attraction, promiscuity, marriage for anything but love and sexual violence, but each of them are all to be deeply pitied as signs of a weak and feeble mind and heart that has succumbed to the evil influences of Arda-marred. Such people can resist their corruptions, but they should not be allowed to influence others. - As Silmarien explains it; "If Men are made to be visitors of short passage, then it is right that they shall be loath to bind themselves to someone else and be sundered from that beloved; two wills are deprived of their choice and much grief must follow. Men could give their forms in marriage, yet withhold their full will, something the Elves simply could not do. While this might lessen their grief at the inevitable passing of their mate, it also left open the door for corruption by the Enemy, for Men were tempted very easily into bestial ways, abusing this grace by sharing their bodies promiscuously." - It is generally accepted amongst the Dunadain that, if you are 'a man of high race’, you are more protected against this corruption than those of less blessed lineages. And the truer the blood of Numenor runs in you, the more you are expected to lead a ‘blessed’ life and wed your heart’s true partner. But you are not exempt! Through life or evil thoughts, one might still become corrupted and be inspired to baser deeds and corrupted lifestyles, making you alike to the heretics of old Numenor.  - But the Atani should not despair, for (uncorrupted) men are still capable of the same depths of devotion in marriage as elves. Those of high race can indeed experience similar aspects of soul-bonding, ‘willing’ their souls together and knowing that person on a more intimate and spiritual level, sensing their presence and so forth. And this is believed to be the ‘true nature’ of men.  - And in combination with that, as a combat to this problem of corruption, marriage as a ceremony allows a more physical solution to the issue of men’s wills and partners, both as a public declaration of that will, as well as an aid to those averagely-corrupted men. Marriage creates an environment that will, hopefully, lead men towards their natural ‘willing’ and a blessed life. 
There is some division over one passage within Silmarien’s discourses;
"While Men may not be compelled to will their marriage in the manner of the Eldar, holding forever steadfast to a single choice, still they are capable of it and it is their proper nature. In marital congress are their wills given unity with their forms. It is known among the Dúnedain for some to will thusly from the start or all at once, and those who do are changed and never repent of their choice. Most who will, however, come slowly to this state; their willing is weaker and may sometimes be broken or relinquished. Even so, most Dúnedain will know this joy. To be pitied are those who, like lesser Men, cannot or will not fulfill their natures. They are corrupt."
In Gondor, in the later third age, it is no longer socially acceptable to speak the opinion that ‘lesser men’ are incapable of the same depth of love as the Dunadain. This does not mean none hold that opinion, only that society has enough middle men within it, even in the higher classes, that they have pushed social graces toward a less derogatory view. Though it still often influences the Southern Dunadain philosophy. 
However, within the northern dunadain, it is still a fully accepted wisdom and partly accounts for both their isolationism and the lack of Dunadain marrying into wider families in Eriador. Cautionary tales from Northern Dunadain to their sons and daughters run thus; it is tragic but you must not fall for the illusion of love in the eyes of these middle men, their devotion cannot be true, you are destined for a higher love.  
SO! That’s all the bigotry out of the way, now for the headcanoned ‘true’ mechanics of all this that I am holding as canon for my character and world interpretations on this blog. These hcs both semi-apply to the ideas of ‘fea’ as they are set out, but also allow gay people to exist and for elves to be able to sleep with who they want without canonically being a sickness of the soul or whatever. 
So, yes, Elves have souls that are more seperate from their bodies. They are immortal, as in they live so long it might as well be classed as forever within the confines of Aman. And their body is not what keeps them there, it is just the way they move around the world and interact with it physically. Whereas mortals,  (putting a pin in dwarves for the moment) such as humans and hobbits are bound to Arda by their bodies alone and when their bodies are killed so is their connection to this world and they leave to ‘somewhere else’. Unspecified. As such, elves and their bondmates will not suffer the sorrow of parting forever, whereas humans might. Hence, elven souls ‘bond’ during sex, whereas humans must ‘will’ for it to occur.
Which, in terms of morality, are all neutral facts until you include the machinations of the Valar and Eru and what they WANT it all to mean. I am galvanised by the idea that, whilst some technical aspects of these things are true, the actual meaning of them have been distorted, first by colonialist elves, who then encouraged colonialist humans, and whom were all inspired by Valar unwilling to believe themselves wrong in any way despite the fact that Morgoth also distorted their understanding of the world they had sung of to begin with. And meanwhile Eru does not care about any of it, he only cares if his 'right to the throne of the world’ is being challenged. 
The concept I am running with is the idea that the true ultimate 'divine' aspect of the world comes from the Secret Fire, which Eru used to kindle life yes, but which is in fact a distinct entity from him, unknowable even to him. And in kindling life, it naturally diversified into it’s own aspects of life in completely neutral ways that were meant to coexist and collaborate to produce a harmonious world for the benefit of all. But, upon being placed into a world still ruled by Valar (whom are canonically flawed in actions, motives and understanding whilst also possessing great power) that world and the new life within it was subject to their influences and persuaded by their held beliefs of the ‘right’ way of life, that some of the diverse aspects the secret fire took that they did not understand were ‘corruptions’. Hence the elven faithful belief system was born.
Which, (completely and utterly whoops by accident and unbiased happenstance on my part) creates the situation where Boromir and all of Gondor can say 'I don't care what is divinely ordained to be right as god claims it and I do not care if it is for some great plan I could never understand, I know it to be wrong in my heart' and they are fundamentally correct for saying that, because they (and all other creatures in arda) ARE the secret fire and are therefore actually more divine than Eru is in the end.
They can be handed all of these truths about souls and bonding and death and all the works of the Valar and Morgoth's corruption and so forth that all SEEM to support these Valar-originated concepts and the elves and Eru's divine supremacy and ownership over all creation etc and still say I don't care, I don't care if I'm divinely wrong. I'm humanely right and I would rather hold to that mundane choice than be holy in the eyes of a divinity that claims these things.
Hence Sarte can nod and agree, yes, elves bond, souls become entangled. I have bonded many times, I have shared my soul with many, both in the elven way, the dwarven way and the human way. I unlearned what I was taught and listened to what my soul told me, that elves can create their own realities, we can decide what things mean to us, what a soulbond of love looks like. The fact that I am more soulfully made up of all the pieces of many women who loved me is a beautiful strength not a corrupted weakness.
And Boromir, whom had in essentials been agnostic to the whole thing as a young man and was then confronted by the strange evidence of him being ‘of high race’ in his natural ‘willing’ to Theodred. He eventually acknowledges, yes, I am experiencing some of these things people talk about, which makes it seem like what the Faithful preach is true, and therefore I am corrupted and my love for Theodred is a corruption, despite my ‘willing’ to him. But I have decided I don't care. This is the life I lead, this is the love I have. If it is not acceptable to God then he should have given me a different life and made me a different man. 
And both of them are right! Because the Secret Fire is divine, in and of itself, and what it wills is what is right for it’s own existence. THERE again so sorry, this is even longer than I thought it would be.
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i-snort-queer-media · 3 years
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Can we talk about how important this tweet is for a second?
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I'm gonna say this again once a Trailer for Season 2 drops but this person is absolutely right and it reminded me of something @ground-zoro posted a while ago:
Netflix does NOT put enough work into promoting Warrior Nun, it is up to us fans, I think someone on the production team even mentioned that they only got renewed because Netflix saw how dedicated the fans of this series are. Things we can do are listed down below, feel free to add :)
The plot of Warrior Nun develops relatively slowly compared to other shows on streaming platforms. Normally we have a clear "team" and clear team dynamics by episode 3, and the couple gets together either in the middle or at the end of the season and the end goal of the protagonists is also clear very early on. Because streaming platforms want audiences to binge watch, there isn't really time for good slowburns or for the 'real conflict' / 'real enemy' to be revealed later on.
This slow pace was one of the things reviewers didn't like on Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB and maybe WN also lost some viewers who didn't complete the first season because only at the end of S1 we have all those things I listed above.
Warrior Nun has potential and I think it needs and deserves at least 3 or 4 seasons to tell its story, our job is to make sure that happens and these are some things we can do:
▪︎ once a trailer comes out we need to promote it online as well as offline so that even people who only watched Season 1 casually remember the show and come back for Season 2 (ergo WN doesn't lose viewers)
▪︎ once the episodes are out we should watch them within 28 days, complete the season and if possible, watch more than 2 episodes directly after another!!!(This is something that the Netflix algorithm really likes)
▪︎Rewatches also help
▪︎ If you have access to other Netflix accounts, watch WN on them and give a positive rating. You can mute your laptop/TV while doing homework, workouts, work, etc.
▪︎ make TikToks, Twitter and YouTube edits and memes of Ava and Beatrice (add more moments from S2)!! THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP! We all know that queer people watch stuff with queer couples in it and often you find out that there's a wlw couple on social media. The wilds on Amazon Prime, for example, partly became so popular because people already knew that they could expect a lesbian couple (Shelby and Toni) in it because they saw them on TikTok.
▪︎ don't only promote Warrior Nun in English but also in your native language/ the languages that you speak. One of this show's biggest strenghts is that it was able to get many views from non-english speaking countries and we should take that into consideration.
▪︎ spam the RenewWarriorNun Hashtag on Twitter
▪︎ leave a good rating on Netflix
▪︎ leave good reviews and ratings on IMBD/Rotten Tomatoes etc. and point out the strenghts of the show and that S2 (hopefully) ties the events of S1 together.
Strenghts of the show are: queer representation in the form of Avatrice as well as Mary, Shannon and Chanel, the scenery, cast diversity, multiple languages are spoken, fight scenes/ action, an overall feminist theme, the theme of dealing with catholic trauma, A BADASS SISTER BEATRICE DAMN, the show doesn't shy away from using swear words, the humour, etc.
▪︎ when you see ppl looking for show reccomendations (with queer representation) on TikTok, Tumblr, Twitter, etc. recommend Warrior Nun in the comments, bring it up so that people will see the title of the show more often.
▪︎ when recommending the show, remind ppl that the plot of the show/ the romance isn't supposed to feel rushed and that by watching the show they contribute to a renewal.
Because productions in Europe, especially Spain, are often cheaper than productions in the US I hope that Netflix won't be too hesitant to renew Warrior Nun for a third season, especially after Warrior Nun was in the Netflix Top Ten (I think) in many countries after it came out so it is our goal that S2 can reach that status as well.
Thank you all, I think Warrior Nun has an amazing fandom ⚔
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