#i also want to say that i am not *advocating* raising your kid to be a child ghost soldier
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*raises hand slowly* major fan, love your work! I actually only recently discovered your Bleach works in the last few years and I think I've reread all of them at least 3 times. But after reading your "The Greatest Family in Soul Society" series, I've been wanting to ask: How do you think they reacted/handled the aftermath of events in the Bleach Special One-Shot? Specifically Ichika, who possibly for the first time witnessed one of her parents in legitimate danger?
But anyway, CONGRATS ON 1 MIL!!! YOU DESERVE IT! :)
Thank you very much!! 💕
So for starters, if the Hell Arc every actually becomes a thing, I strongly suspect that this will be get addressed on-screen. Kubo clearly intended both Ichika and Kazui to have prominent (although probably not protagonist-level) roles. If this happens, Rukia and Renji will probably either handle this in some terrible way that causes Ichika to feel like she has to go against them and redeem herself or they'll get, like, trapped in Hell or something and she and Kazui will have to go rescue them. It is incredibly rare to see good relationships between parents and their children portrayed in fiction, and my expectations are on the floor for this one.
I talked to my husband about this for a long time this morning because I couldn't think of a single example of a good parent-child relationship in media where both characters have roughly equal narrative weight, and he couldn't either. Usually, the choices are a) parents dead or out of the picture, b) parents are awful and selfish and learn the error of their ways, or b2) generational trauma, which is the same, but parents bad behavior is excused because their parents did it to them. There is also c) stoic parent with lifelong duty raises stoic child to fulfill the same duty, which is the best of the lot, but it's still not great. It's also not really Renruki's style, especially because they've got Byakuya right there as an example of what being raised like this does to a person.
Maybe Kubo will come up with something interesting, though! I would love to see it if he did!
With all that out of the way, I'll lay out how I think it should go, or how it would go if I were writing it, I guess.
For starters, we are still in a shounen anime. Bleach plays the "young person witnesses an act of violence and is saved" card constantly. As anime goes, I think Bleach actually does a fairly decent job of acknowledging the trauma that goes along with this, but it's also usually deployed as a thing that spurs the "witness" character to want to get stronger. Furthermore, the witness character usually has no sort of support system and receives no comfort after the fact--Kensei saves child-Shuuhei and then calls him a wuss before peacing-out. I doubt Shin'ou had any sort of trauma support group for Renji, Momo, Izuru and Shuuhei after their disaster fieldtrip --in all likelihood, the attitude was more like "wow, you got to see Captain Aizen in action, how lucky for you!" Even in the aftermath of the scene where Renji rescues Jinta and Ururu, Jinta is shown sitting by himself rather than seeking comfort from either of his "parents" (who, granted, are focused on healing Ururu). That one has an added bonus ofJinta-has-always-treated-Renji-extremely-disrespectfully and then Renji saves him and gets gored pretty gruesomely.
In contrast, Rukia and Renji have both been on the "witnessed the trauma" side of this before, and never had adult figures in their life to help them process anything. They lost and buried three friends before they even went to shinigami school. I think they know how much that sucked and how much damage it did to them psychologically and would be pretty sensitive to what Ichika is feeling. It's actually kind of funny because if they hadn't gone through a lot of trauma together, they might just be stoic about it and think that maybe their own kid should just suck it up, but they were definitely able to see how much it affected the other one. Like, part of the reason they even had a kid was to try to make up for the shitty childhood the other one had to go through.
Rukia and Renji probably run a pretty weird household because on one hand, they spent their own childhood taking care of themselves and making their own decisions and living with the consequences. They did a lot of actual crime, like a lot. Trying to tell their kid what to do would feel like a weird overreach to them. On the other hand, they're soldiers, so they are used a formal discipline system where sometimes you get punished because that's how you learn and make up for your mistakes. Overall, though, I think they respect Ichika as a person they are trying to guide to adulthood, much the way you guide a green recruit into becoming a strong officer. Yeah, she shouldn't have snuck along on a mission for lieutenants, and now she knows why. They're probably still going to yell at her and make her sweep the yard or something, but that's she's their kid, and they know that waiving the punishment would make her feel even worse.
Also, while this may be the first time Ichika has witnessed her dad getting stabbed (and it may not be), it's not like this idea is new to her. I'm sure Rukia and Renji have come home with injuries before, or not come home, and she had to go visit them at the Coordinated Relief Station, or possibly had even go stay with Uncle B for a while. (Uncle B, whose own father actually did die in the line of duty and I've read at least one fanfiction where he was there). A thing I like about Rukia and Renji as characters is that they respect each other's decisions about what danger they are willing to walk into. If they err, it's generally on the side of not stopping each other enough, and I think that is both very stupid and very charming of them. It speaks to the overinflated confidence they have in each other, and also I am tired to death of overprotectiveness being spun as romantic, when 90% of the time it's just patronizing or selfish.
I guess to sum up, I'd say I would like to see Ichika come out of this with more respect for the gravity of her parents' job (vs. the 'dad and Ikkaku went to have fun without me no faaaaaiiirrr' attitude she started the one-shot with). It is interesting that she was able to see the Hell-guys when the lieutenants weren't able to. I hope that isn't something that just gets dismissed (and if nothing else, I think this is a case where Kyouraku as Head-Captain would be like "no I want to hear this" where Yamamoto would have been like "I don't listen to children!") I would prefer to see her get included in the action intentionally, where she's nervous about it, but trying to put up a front of bravado (both because she doesn't want anyone to know how much it scared her seeing her dad get stabbed trying to protect her and also because this is peak Young-Rukia-and-Renji behavior). Seeing what her parents are like on the job, realizing they're both extremely cool but also huge doofuses, and slowly gaining real confidence in herself because they show confidence in her would be a pretty refreshing story, imo.
#ichika abarai#no breaths from hell#i answered this b/c the asker was really nice and b/c it hasn't come up in a while so i'm sure some people weren't aware#but i generally do not take asks or requests about ichika#i tried real hard b/c i know people really like her and i wrote those stories in an attempt to make Parent Representation that I didn't hat#but a thing i learned while doing it is that#it's exhausting & unfun for me to have to think about renruki as parents i just want to think about them doing stupid things and making out#and i don't want to come off as a hater but i get SO many asks about her if i don't put my foot down#anyway this post comprises my ichika content for 2024. thank you in advance for your understanding.#i also want to say that i am not *advocating* raising your kid to be a child ghost soldier#rukia and renji are fictional characters in a fantasy warrior setting#i let my kid go skateboard by herself at the school playground we are not the same
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Hii hii,
First hand i am already gonna apologize if what i am about to request makes you uncomfortable, so feel free to delete this.
How do you think skz ot8 will react to 9th member reader showing off their abs to stay at a concert randomly? Like reader really loves flexing their muscles but to see their abs is like the rarest of the rarest thing ever.
I bet the guys who will not be touching the muscles with their hands *cough cough felix* will be touching with their eyes.
Again i apologize if this made you uncomfortable.
Have a great day!!
stray kids when the 9th member shows their abs at a concert
genre: crack, slightly suggestive???
warnings: mentions of body parts/abs, obviously!!
please like and reblog if you enjoy ;D
chan
covers jeongin's eyes
he's surprised but also in a weird way proud?
idk he welcomes you to the chocolate line ig
there goes another member who flaunts their stomach muscles as if their life depends on it
he's glad he isn't the only one showing his abs off ngl.
minho
raises an eyebrow
blinks a tremendous amount of times
*insert confused cat face*
staresssssss
but then just claps and cheers you on because he's supportive like that.
changbin
your hype boy
cheers into the microphone when you show your abs off
which you get shy and embarrassed by.
probably spends the rest of the concert trying to expose them again...
it's for stay though??
hyunjin
our dramatic king is probably fainting at the sight
he's appalled and reacts in the same way an old, victorian woman would act if they saw such a display
gasping, holding his hand over his agape mouth, and contemplating his existence
stays find his reaction hilarious, ofc.
jisung
he's an advocate
basically encourages it
and probably joins in knowing him
stays literally almost die at the sight of the two of you showing off your stunning abdominal areas
double kill.
felix
in awe.
touchy-touchy
i mean it's so hard not for him to just reach out and touch your abs and especially since you don't show them off a lot
so he acts on impulse and does it
stays want to be him so bad, fr
seungmin
grimaces and looks at you in disgust
a full face of judgement
like... he doesn't wanna see that??
probably says 'ew' into his microphone just to make his point oh-so clear
which both the members and stays are very amused by
jeongin
has his eyes covered by chan's hands
pushes his hands away and then instantly regrets it
'the innocence is gooonnneeee'
it's like a horror movie: he doesn't know whether to look away or keep watching lmao
#stray kids#skz#kpop#skz headcanons#skz reactions#stray kids headcanons#stray kids reactions#skz scenarios#skz imagines#stray kids imagines#stray kids scenarios#skz x reader#stray kids x reader#kpop imagines#kpop scenarios#kpop reactions#kpop headcanons#stray kids reacts#skz reacts#kpop reacts
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Good evening, I was wondering if you had any good sources for people trying to learn/reconnect to Romani culture? I’ve been trying to learn more lately as my great grandmother left Europe during ww2 and was only allowed to keep her new children (in our current country, the one she fled to) if she didn’t tech them her language, religion or anything really (same with her new husband who was a refugee from another country). Wouldn’t even tell grandma what country she was from to narrow it down, but we recently found out about her eldest kid in Denmark. Would you know of any reputable resources I could access?? There’s a lot of bull shit floating around the internet and I’d hate to be misinformed
I'll start this by apologizing ahead of time for the length, as there is so much information that I feel is important when you are wanting to reconnect with Romani culture. Also, I'm not an expert and a didicoy myself. I do not have Romanipen and do not speak for all Romani. I am just someone who wants to help Roma and didicoy alike with their struggles.
First thing to understand is that Roma are not a monolith (obviously) and that our culture, religious practices, food, clothing, music, art, etc. all varies from vitsa to vitsa and even family to family. There are similarities of course, but never assume that just because one vitsa does one thing that means that its universal. A lot of gadje that try and write Romani characters get this wrong.
Some of our biggest similarities, though, are what keep us together across vitsas, especially our language, our oppression, and our Romanipen. Romanipen is a serious thing, often dictating whether you're "truly" Romani or a gadjo. Whether or not someone has Romanipen is based on whether they speak Romani Chib, were raised in a Romani community, follow Romani laws and traditions, know Romani history and oppression, etc. Because of the importance of Romanipen, some vitsas do not consider didicoy (Roma who were raised in gadjekane society and do not have Romanipen) as Roma and consider them to be gadje. This does not mean didicoy can never be accepted back, but it does mean that there is a lot of work that goes in to reconnecting with the culture.
So, where can you start? In my opinion the easiest way to start learning is through Florian Tacorian. He's Kalderash Romani and he talks about Romani culture, language, traditions, and oppression, including rating characters that represent Romani people in fiction. He's very digestible for gadje and didicoy to learn from. His YouTube channel is found here:
Once you feel comfortable with the info you learn from him, you can delve deeper by reading books about the Romani experience. Many Roma have written their experiences and history into published works (I'll link a list later in the post), but one that I've personally read from is Ian Hancock. He's Romanichal from Britain and he now teaches linguistics and other subjects at the University of Texas in Austin, TX.
Ian Hancock's works:
I suggest: We Are the Romani People and Pariah Syndrome
And here's a compiled list of Romani authors if ever you want to extend your knowledge to other experiences:
Furthermore, I truly believe that advocating for Romani Rights and learning from current events is half of learning about Roma as a whole. Our oppression is on-going with public opinion of Roma being wholly ignorant at best and vehemently hateful at worst. Reconnecting should also be spearheaded by a desire to uplift Romani voices and to advocate for equal rights. To be more educated on current Romani events, the European Roma Rights Centre is the best place for it.
European Roma Rights Centre:
Next, the most desired part of reconnecting I'd say, is learning Romani Chib. The reason you may not see easily accessible lessons for Romani Chib is because it is closed, meaning only Roma are allowed to learn it. This doesn't mean lessons for didicoy don't exist and there are resources available to learn Romani Chib. Personally, I'm learning American Kalderash from Ronald Lee's books. Even though I'm not Kalderash (at least to my current knowledge), it is still a useful dialect to learn, especially if you live in North America and want to converse with other American/Canadian Roma.
Keep this in mind, pretty much each vitsa has its own unique dialect and, based on the region, each dialect may have different loan words from the country that that vitsa resides in. Ronald Lee will not teach you how to speak every dialect, but, if you get the ground work in and talk to more and more people, you may be at least able to understand what someone from a different vitsa is saying using context clues and thus build your own vocabulary.
Link to Learn Romani by Ronald Lee:
Link to it's sister book, Romani Dictionary (English - Kalderash) by Ronald Lee:
Lastly for this section, community is a huge thing for Roma, it's the biggest thing that has kept us alive through being exiled, persecuted, enslaved, and assimilated completely in the over 1,000 years we've been out of India. It's also something that many didicoy have a big problem with, considering the points above on how hard it is for didicoy to be accepted by Roma. It's not impossible, nor is it hopeless however.
Some Roma will take pity on you because you didn't choose to be raised a gadjo, some Roma will see you as an aspect of racism and be defensive, some won't care and treat you on the basis of your character instead, and some will just ignore you. Again, Romani people are not a monolith and 10-12 million minds all with different lives will have incredibly varied opinions.
It is key to keep this mind and most importantly, to be neutral about this internally. You did not choose for your ancestors to undergo persecution, you did not choose to be raised in the dark about your heritage, and you did not choose to be born with mixed blood.
The best you can do when approaching the community is to be respectful, but engaged. As a didicoy you both can't be entitled to practice every aspect of the culture, but you also can't be too afraid to try what you're allowed to. If you are unsure of your place, ask. If you have a question about a practice, ask. If you are interested in aiding and actually being a cog in the community, you can also just ask. "No" is not a bad word and understanding why you're rejected if and when you are is a good mindset to have when you're trying to build trust in the community, too. On the flip side, if you are presented an opportunity to practice within the culture, take it. If there are Romani events in your area with an open invitation, visit and actually experience first-hand. Talk to people, tell them your intention and if you are genuine, you'll get farther than you might think.
As for online communities, I suggest starting with r/Romani on Reddit. There are a lot of posts from didicoy asking about where to start, like you. Read the comments on those posts and you'll see a lot of advice from Roma with all different experiences. And don't gravitate towards the advice that makes you feel good, just the advice that makes logical sense to you.
r/Romani:
Again I'm sorry that this is not only so long, but also that it took so long to get out. When answering these questions, I try to help with any aspect that I can, but I still want people to engage with the community themselves. I wish you the best of luck and I hope that you find the answers you've been looking for.
We are all in this together. Te aves baxtalo 💙❤️💚
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been watching chicago med and i’m either on s3 or s4 BUT i am starting to absolutely despise natalie manning and her character (ill put it under a readmore because i got a lot of words and she absolutely disgusts me)
First off, I know that she's an ER doc specializing in peds (though, maybe its because of how fast I watched everything but I never saw any epi specifically say that but its there whatever).
My disgust comes from how 1)she approaches people that aren't physically/mentally/emotionally prepared to have children and 2)how hypocritical she is. So lets get into it:
Her approach to her patients with children:
I appreciate her dedication to childcare– whether this be giving the child the best of care or advocating for their rights when the guardian/parent(s) aren't listening. The thing... some of the things she's done or said are so surface-level, that they don't account for what happens after they leave the ER. Take the epi where she accidentally got a mother and her baby separated because she suspected child abuse due to a stained hematoma from child birth. Her medicine was sound, of course— anyone would suspect child abuse in that scenario. What I didn't like, and this patient (abbrev. pt) rightfully called out, was her judgemental ass. Like listen, I've worked in the medical field for years and even if you are judgemental towards something, you should NEVER let it affect how you treat/care for pt. Nat says she judged teh mom for being a single mother raising her child but... babygirl, you're a GD doctor. Your mother-in-law literally watches your kid FOR FREE. Your husband died from war– you know exactly who he is! That single mother was literally working two jobs just to support her and her baby. She even said that she doesn't know who the dad is so clearly she can't just "drop" the kid off at grandma's. People literally do the best that they can in the situation that they're in, whether purposeful or accidental. Whether or not they make sense is a wholedifferent thing. Like the other epi where the pt's older brother was a sociopath and the parents decided not to institutionalize him. As outsiders, ofc we'd be on Nat's side about taking him away from hurting his brother. But that's the thing– we are outsiders!! Nat's saying all this stuff yet if put in the same situation, she'd likely do the same thing as what those parents did and continue to keep him around. The decision to have kids is already an unfortunately loaded question but what about after? She has little to no care of her pts past the exit. This can get longwinded so if anyone wants more lmk otherwise imma stop here for this.
Hypocrisy:
She's a straightup hypocrite. Early seasons, she followed most of the rules. She wasn't Will, ya know? But what got to me was how the show writes her cases. Ex. she had changed a treatment plan that Will was against because she didn't think it was that. Mind you, Will's under fire from that DNR incident. Before the autopsy, Will is rightfully angry that she switched treatment plans, despite her trying to justify it. Never change a treatment plan! Even with disagreements, shit will happen. There are contraindications, there are escalations, there's a bunch of different things that can happen even if the change is small. Not only was Will trying to be a good doctor, he was also trying to be a law-abiding, rule-following doctor. What about the time when she fought tooth and nail to use an experimental, not FDA-approved (not even a multi-stage study) drug to treat a cancer pt. Ofc, Will is furious that she's adamant on the switch and lo-behold, the pt dies. Now, this concoction could've worsen the cancer right? Except, rather than writing it so it either didn't have an effect or had a miniscule effect, the autopsy revealed that her concoction actually shrank it a few cms. Aint no fucking way that it did that-- mainly because there were no clinical trials documenting it. I mean, GIRL, WHAT ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS? Medicine isnt a magic potion unforunately. The time when she went off on that skivvy priest and his 14-year old wife is also on my list. She yells at Will or whatever doctor about professionalism but her attitude towards him (though RIGHTFULLY SO) was peak unprofessionalism. I mean there is a lot of bureaucracy in almost any institution, whether profit or nonprofit, but when anyone else breaks it, they get serious consequences. When Nat does it, its just a damn warning. Hell! What about when they induced a death-appearing coma to the guy that was abusing his wife? Shittt son, I'm surprised Will agreed to that given his DNR incident. God forbid that pt actally fucking died-- they both would've lost theirmedical licenses.
I just have so much to say! She gives me 'popular in HS' vibes since she is "always" right, rarely gets any true punishment/consequences and yaps of unprofessionalism to other people when she literally does the same thing. What crossed it for me and its the reason why I'm writing this now is when she snapped at Dr. Charles when she cut the dosage in half for a bipolar pregnant mother. You mean to tell me that YOU were in the right because you don't have time to keep up with every new psych journal? You literally specialize in peds– youre supposed to keep up with any and everything child-related, including pregnancies! Chief! God forbid there's new research and because you dont have fucking time to do some research (or at least keep up with medical literature), you end up killing a pt due to ignorance.
Maybe its how the writers are writing her but she's just... DISGUSTING. As a self-identifying female, I'm all about feminine/female power but this? Nah chief– Maggie is better written than she is and she's "just a charge nurse"!
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Edelgard isn't big on physical affection in my stuff, due to her trauma. The list of people she'd comfortably accept even a hug or shoulder pat from is very limited. Just Hubert at first, then adding Dorothea (I ship them so hard), then adding Byleth after that. Ana and the kids are on that list too of course, but they don't come into play until after the war. Lysithea and possibly Hapi are in there somewhere, but I haven't figured out where. Beyond that it would be tentative at best.
Your thoughts?
Thanks for asking !! ^^ I agree, it'd take a lot for her to be comfortable with physical affection, even more so public displays of affection. She would accept it in some measure of capacity from her closest allies in my opinion, her partner (any flavor of Edeleth is still my favorite personally) and her family. I also do agree that she'd be more open to being physically affectionate with people who have gone through the same thing as her- they would understand on a deeper level. But how would that affection look like, especially between siblings ?
I think an underrated form of physical affection for Edelgard is hand holding, both romantically (with her partner) and platonically. And this is of particular significance regarding Loki, her younger brother.
See, growing up with TWSITD, Loki never got a lot of physical affection. But suddenly finding himself in a safe environment with people he could trust not to hurt him, his siblings, allowed him to become more and more physically affective. Although he was once touch-starved, he is now incredibly big on getting hugs or any other firm of physical affection, no matter the reason. With Aline and Adel, this isn't a problem. He can go up to them and whine about how he wants to be carried bridal style and he will be, especially if he asks Adel.
But then... that makes it all the more complicated in regards to El's trauma. A good compromise they found is Edelgard holding Loki's right hand. This is very emotionally significant to them because Loki's right arm is burnt and that's definitely his weak spot, which he takes great care of (and which he amputates after the war in favor of a prosthetic arm). As such, he's always incredibly wary of people touching it. I don't picture Thales as being physically abusive often (since he "raised" him) but that's definitely been a pressure point in the past- so Loki only lets people he deeply trusts hold his right hand. As such, he literally places his trust and love in Edelgard's hands. The first time he allowed her to take his right hand was actually when he accepted to walk her path with her, when she reached her hand out to him while he was having a mental breakdown over everything he had been told having been lies.
Another form of affection they both have is Edelgard giving her cape to Loki when he feels down so he can burrow himself in it.
Aline and Adel themselves have pretty heavy trauma regarding the experiments. Aline has done a tremendous work to reclaim her own body and accept her scars, especially by changing her vestimentary style and discovering that she loves wearing short dresses instead of the most covering and conservative ones that the Imperial etiquette advocates for- and she has also needed to be physically available to comfort her younger surviving siblings. For instance, she often holds her brothers or runs her hand through their hair while they wait to fall back asleep after a nightmare. However, although she is okay with physical affection, she hates being taken by surprise- if you touch her shoulder when she's not expecting it, you would trigger her fight or flight response- and she will punch you in the face out of pure instinct. And she will rarely be the one seeking physical comfort.
I have to say though, I am NOT impartial to Aline softly taking her sister's face between her hands and kissing her on the forehead in Edelgard's darkest moments. Or gently holding both of her hands in hers while their foreheads touch.
Adel meanwhile would be the one most prone to hugging Edelgard, but he makes a big effort not to. They're the two siblings most uneasy about their scars and they both cover up a lot to hide it- a way he would show Edelgard physical affection is by holding her by the arm while they walk around, trusting her with where they're going (since he is blind).
And finally, Siyn. Siyn struggles a lot with bodily autonomy for quite some time, and with the way she sees and treats her own body. But after the war finally comes a time where she can start treating it as something other than just a tool for fighting. This is also at this point that she becomes Edelgard's partner. I have a feeling they would take it very slow, and slowly become more physically comfortable with each other- and while Siyn would absolutely respect El not wanting too many physical displays of affection, I'd love for them to get to a point where they can proudly walk out holding each other's hand for comfort. Maybe even kiss in public. In private, they would take to cuddling more often. No matter the romantic partner El ends up with (if she does end up with someone), they would still have to take it extra slow regarding any form of physical affection.
What's really interesting is that I'm pretty sure that while she would allow Hubert to hug her or something, he probably wouldn't feel the need to. xD Ferdinand would probably be more inclined to hug the both of them out of the blues and while they'd feel uncomfortable, they'd appreciate the gesture. They'd need to set some boundaries, too. I do agree that Edelthea would also do pretty amazing in that particular domain. I have a feeling that early on at the Academy, Dorothea would have understood that Edelgard wasn't comfortable with physical affection, and Edelgard slowly opening up to her would make for some incredibly sweet moments between the two partners. I'd love to see it !!!
I'll share more thoughts if my brain stops being jelly at some point=)
#fe3h#edelgard von hresvelg#edeleth#edelthea#hresvelg siblings#loki blaiddyd von hresvelg#adel von hresvelg#aline von hresvelg#siyn eisner#byleth eisner#fe3h ocs#ask#thanks so much=)
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My Role in Interpretation: Nature and the Environment
For me, as a developing nature interpreter and a growing human, there are a lot of values and ideals that are important to stay true to when I’m out there in the world, observing and interpreting. I’ve discussed and reflected throughout this course about who I am as an interpreter, so it’s only fitting to share that as I sign off for my final blog.
I remember mentioning in my first blog post how I felt this field of conservation and interpretation is where I was meant to end up. I wanted to talk more to that and why I chose to pursue this type of work.
First off, I was an anxious kid when I was younger, not that that changed very much. I remember learning about climate change in science class, and it blew my mind when I found out this isn’t how it’s always been. There was a time when people didn’t worry about their emissions, or fret over a hole in the ozone layer, or talk about tipping points and irreversible damage and the ocean levels swallowing us whole.
Not every generation was told they were the last hope.
I had originally wanted to become a vet. I always say I changed majors from Animal Biology to Wildlife Biology and Conservation because I didn’t want to be doing the same spays and neuters for the rest of my life. The truth is, when I first heard about WBC, I was drawn in and it felt like I had this “aha moment” where I realized my purpose and where I would excel. Since then, I’ve learned just how to fulfill this purpose. I’ve heard over and over that it’s hard to make a career out of animal/environmental care and conservation. But that’s not why people rally to make these big movements for conservation, raise awareness, and advocate through their interpretation. So what drives us, what drives me?
I’m not in it for the money. I know I’m selfless and honest and respectful and empathetic. But these aren’t the values I want to describe just me, I want these ideals to be associated and intertwined with my interpretation, to guide and direct it.
Selfless
Selflessness means putting others before yourself. When I say I think it’s important to be selfless as an interpreter, what I mean is that you constantly have to be thinking about the audience you are providing your interpretation to. Interpreters aren’t doing this service just to hear themselves talk or just to cash a cheque. I became an interpreter because I cared about getting important messages out to people that want to listen. You can’t disregard your audience because they are the reason we interpret, and they are how our interpretation will spread.
Honest
As an interpreter, I never lie to an audience, and I will always stick by this. I won’t make an issue bigger than it is, but I also won’t sugarcoat it to lessen the sting of reality. People are seeking interpretation and its services because they want to learn. I want my interpretation to be meaningful and relevant. We discussed in Unit 6 the importance of integrity, mostly in regard to historical interpretation, but this ideal is applicable to interpretation as a whole. It’s my job to make my message entertaining by itself, not add useless, half-true, or distracting filler for the sake of entertainment. An interpreter’s role is to lay out the facts, and move people to make them care about the message.
Respectful
I feel this one is pretty self-explanatory, but the idea behind this is that people copy what they see. Of course, we want to practice respect all the time, but sometimes people forget that applies beyond human-human interactions. I think it’s not only important to be respectful of the people I talk with, but also of the animals I may handle to demonstrate messages, or the plants I pass on a nature hike, or just the way I talk about my appreciation for the environment around me. I think it’s especially important to verbalize to an audience the respect I am showing when demonstrating appreciation for something because it encourages mutual respect between them and me, and also them and their environment.
Empathetic
I want to be mindful of other people and how my interpretation may be further perceived based on different privileges. I think this was an important topic we reflected on in the course earlier, and moving forward something I will be (and already have been) conscious of when designing my approaches for interpretation. I think being empathetic can make me a better and more effective interpreter this way since I am constantly thinking about how to be more inclusive by changing my message, delivery, target audience, etc.
I aim to inspire people with my passion and enthusiasm for wildlife and environmental conservation. Sometimes I want to inspire action and change, other times I just want to make someone care. Not all of us interpreters will be reaching the same audience, so it’s important to work together so that we can rally everyone together for a common goal, a positive experience that can one day lead to positive change.
Art, science, technology, and teaching are the approaches I tend to gravitate toward as an interpreter, and I think are best suited to me as an individual. I like to use these four in combination because they can have different effects on how your message is presented and interpreted. Teaching is personable and unique, but so is art. Art doesn’t require much talking sometimes and can lead to deep reflection. Science is cool and fascinating, and also empowering for audiences. Technology is becoming more accessible and can elevate interpretation.
I didn’t leave myself very many words to summarize my post, but I hope some people out there relate to some things I’ve said and have more to add themselves. I definitely could go on, so if we meet on the other side of this screen, let’s chat about nature interpretation! You can tell me what you learned and I will share what I have too. Cheers to a good semester, best of luck.
Teagan :)
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ramblings about family, growing up, and the hunger games under the cut. no trigger warnings just trying to not clutter your dash :)
when i first read the hunger games, i was in middle school. i lived in coastal america, with my parents who were born and raised in appalachia. when i was a kid, the blue mountains and green woods represented grandma and papaw's house, summer and fun and beauty. pretty much until my grandparents' generation, my family was all coal miners and farmers for a long, long time. my mom and uncle (who still lived in my parents' hometown) tried to make it a point to emphasize to me that district 12 was based on our family's home. i kind of ignored them, because i was 12 years old and thought i knew everything. lol. as i got older, into my high school years, i really balked at how close my parents felt to their southern, mountain roots. the trump election had just passed, a lot of left-leaning spaces were trying to blame the south (honestly, with some degree of merit), and the infamous (derogatory) hillbilly elegy had just been published. all of these things impacted the way i saw my family and my home. i phased out the little bit of twang in my voice, i sneered at my mother's pride. i was different than them.
then i went to college close to my family's home, with people who had no roots there. i fell back in love with the mountains, and i learned more about the labor history etched into my bones. i started to chafe more at the people trying to abandon appalachia and the south because they only saw the worst in the people here. oh, don't get me wrong, i'm not saying appalachia is a beacon of leftist ideals. at some point, too many hillbillies and rednecks forgot that corporations are their enemies and decided (wrongly) that POC and queer people were. i am saying that POC and queer people have homes in the south and in appalachia. the belief that everyone should want to live in blue states and blue cities and have no connections elsewhere is. not helpful. and i remember how some of the people who advocated for the "stupid hillbillies elected trump" idea were also obsessed with the hunger games. interesting.
i started rereading the hunger games now, as a college grad most of the way through a master's degree. closer to my roots than i've ever been. reading tbosas for the first time actually flashbanged me, bc i have cousins with family names that characters in district 12 use. suzanne, what do you know??? but suzanne collins's picture of appalachia is. very important to me. it's not perfect, but the impact of a resource extraction economy on a region is, in my opinion, depicted very clearly and compassionately. especially off the heels of the jd v*nce era, collins actually making an effort to demonstrate compassion and diversity of ideas in her characters makes a serious impact. i know it's a sci-fi dystopian ya novel series, but i think there's a reason it holds up when other books in the same genre don't. and i think her depiction of district 12 is a major part of it.
this started as a 3-sentence shitpost. i'm supposed to be grading papers. oops.
#is this too niche?#idc#appalachiaposting#is that a tag#it is now#the hunger games#thg#the ballad of songbirds and snakes#tbosas
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it’s really stunning to me to watch so many women on tiktok advocate for women to stay at home and be financially dependent on men but frame it as a superior kind of feminism
Like this is not about judging stay at home parents or women who choose not to work outside the home, I have no opinions on your individual choices
What I am seeing isn’t about an individual talking about what works for them, it’s video after video talking about how empowering it is to opt out of the work force and rely on a man (who makes more money than you anyway, they will point out) to pay your bills. Some go so far as to suggest women who want to hold their own financially are “pick me’s”. Which I can definitely understand the appeal of not working outside the home, and the desire to reject capitalism! But I just think glossing over the risk you take when you become financially dependent on someone else is dangerous, and then to brand it as a more evolved feminist fake is simply repugnant. It’s also…not a rejection of capitalism, it’s just assuming a different role within it.
In a similar vein I just saw a video of someone saying the reason millennials feel adrift with parenting and have issues with their parents is because they “weren’t parented, they were babysat” and said that if both of your parents worked you essentially weren’t raised by them, so one parent needs to stay home so as to not emotionally neglect the kids (gee, wanna bet which parent that would be in a straight couple?) which is such fucking bullshit I can’t even get started on it, but let’s just say fuck anyone who is implying that parents who work don’t count as real parents, or that if you don’t stay home with your kids you’re neglecting them, but anyway they did tie it into “the feminist lie of having it all”
anyways, in addition to the ways in which young women in fandom are being radicalized towards the alt-right, I absolutely believe there are a lot of traditionalists out there who are very effectively using social justice language and capitalizing on real anxieties to convince women that returning to “traditional family values” is a more feminist and anti-capitalist approach
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God, I just read a second post about sensitivity readers (this time fairy tales, obviously the first ne being Roald Dahl), and I am already tired of their existence.
Can we leave older authors and cultures' their stories alone? Roald Dahl literally didn't wanted his stories to be edited by publishers, and fairy tales are centuries old.
Besides, the talk about inclusivity falls flat when you're talking about fairy tales.
Where are gay couples in fairy tales supposed to exist, considering that in the times these fairy tales were written you could get locked up for life or even killed for it. What else are you going to add from modern day society to fairy tales? Human rights? (funny how sensitivity readers don't bother with adressing the lack of human rights women had at the time in fairy tales, but blame it on a lack of agency from the heroines. Which gets me to the rampant victim-shaming of these sensititvity readers).
It's very clear these sensitivity writers don't even get the POINT of these fairy tales to begin with, so how can they condemn fairy tales when the moral of the story clearly eluded them?
Take their criticism towards Cinderella, for instance. The emphasis of transforming into a beautiful princess is deemed as problematic, as well as her falling for the prince on first sight. Cinderella, is a VICTIM OF ABUSE, in a time where women literally couldn't have their own assets or properties and she's dressed in filthy rags compared to everyone around her. ANY victim of childhood abuse wanting to have a better life for themselves and things like nice clothes without holes after being so horribly neglected should NEVER be shamed for it. If there is anything that is problematic, it's the sensititvity readers victim-shaming Cinderella.
The prince just happened to be handsome and kind too, because guess what, fairy tales are supposed to give hope and install morals in young kids. A handsome, rich dude that helps you escape your abusive childhood was literally THE dream of any real girl put into Cinderella's position at the time, it was their fantasy to keep them going. And it taught them morals too, because Cinderella received help because she was a kind-hearted, good girl who didn't allowed her terrible life to shape her into a terrible human being. Not because she was pretty. There are still childhood abuse victims who depending on their childhood relate to what Cinderella went through, and had similar escapist fantasies to her fairy tale. Are these girls problematic too? Get out of here.
Don't even get me started on the lack of racial inclusivity. DUH, fairy tales were mostly written in the Old World, these are homogeneous countries that in these historical times seldomly had any person of a different race in their country, several writers probably never even saw a person of another race before! Why advocate rewriting history for crying out loud?! There is a lack of diversity, because it reflects the ACTUAL historical time period. Also intersting, how this article solely talks about the lack of diversity in European fairy tales, and not fairy tales that became more popular across the globe in recent years from non-European cultures like Princess Kaguya (which also lacks racial diversity. Funny how none of them is crying about the Japanese).
If they want fairy tales to be fitting in with the times, how about people wrote new fairy tales, or their own reimagenings instead of bashing on centuries old stories. If they think kids could get the wrong ideas from it, put a disclaimer in the book saying this story takes place centuries ago and does not reflect current society if that is SO important to you. Also, how about uplifting more non-European fairy tales? They lack diversity as well but it would add more variety to the popular fairy tale catalogue.
I'm not even going to go deeply into some of the points they raised, like the emphasis on beauty when they literally gloss over Cinderella's pure heart themselves or the stupidity of saying beautiful people are priviliged to a happy ending when most of the time at least half the couple was priviliged because you know, they are a prince/princess and not because they are good looking? Sure, Sleeping Beauty and her Prince are priviliged because of their looks, not their wealth and status...
Or the 'ageism' issue when many of the villains aren't just old, but they are step-parents, evil mother in laws, etc. Because evil stepmoms and evil mother in laws apparantly aren't a real thing, huh? (I suggest them to go to Reddit and read some crazy, entitled MIL stories, they do exist. Same goes for people like stepmoms who give zero shit about their stepkids, I could direct you to my dad's wife for that one).
#fairy tale#sensitivity reading#this is all bullshit#Stop victim-shaming Cinderella already because its getting so old#Justice for childhood abuse victims#When someone doesnt gets the moral of the story#When you thought people had finally stopped shaming Cinderella for grabbing her best chance to escape#I am so tired of feminists shaming abused women in less priviliged positions#This is exactly part of the reason why feminism developped a bad rep
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Cult asker again, I wasn’t raised in a cult but in a high-demand religion for sure. And I can definitely see how that might have influenced me as an E9. It’s been in my subconscious since a little kid to be nice, palatable, and obedient etc, so I am kind of a ‘doormat’ even though from what I can tell not all 9’s fit that label, or at least believe they fit that label.
I think you would have been nice, palatable, and probably obedient even without those outside influences, since most 9s go with the flow -- but they are also open-minded, tolerant, and sensitive. They all struggle with establishing boundaries and learning to separate themselves from the wishes and desires of other people, as attachment types.
I’m also hesitant to go all in on a different belief though—that could be 9 or an indecisive 6 fix that doesn’t want to disappoint others.
Is your family still involved in that religion? Your friends? That will make it harder for you to step away from it, if that is what you want to do. It's natural that you would be gun-shy about choosing a different belief system, because the current one has disappointed you or felt traumatic or entrapping for you. For what it's worth, my 9 friend just told me yesterday that she hesitates to get involved in things for a while (beliefs or with people) because once she does, she is "all in." 9s can get absorbed into things and find it hard to pull away from them, so it's natural for them not to want to attach to something easily.
Of course my Fi cringes at all of this but doesn’t get much of a say—I usually just use it to play ‘devil’s advocate’ with my own opinions.
I really, strongly encourage you to separate yourself from people, both physically and mentally, and examine your belief system. Think about your faith, or the beliefs you are considering, and find out what YOU really think about them. Dig into Fi, it will ground your 9-ness and bring out more conviction, stubbornness, and a greater sense of yourself. To stand strong as a 9, you need to know what you want, and who you are, and what is meaningful to you. And to do that, you need to spend time pondering those things and making up your mind about them, so when you are around others, you can hold onto them.
One more question—do you think a 6 would abandon its ‘skeptical’ tendencies in a situation like this and just be all out loyal to its security?
I think that depends a lot on your MBTI type. I also grew up in a strict environment (Baptist, though I am now evangelical / non-denominational) but as an ENFP 6, I questioned things a lot. If it didn't make sense or seem possible, I was skeptical about it and came up with my own theories about it (eg, it makes no sense that Satan can wander into heaven whenever he likes -- Job must be an ancient story and not "the truth"). I hold onto the things that I like and believe in, and I reject the rest. Fi and 6 makes me selective in what I am willing to believe and what I won't put up with. But I have seen other 6s, more fearful ones (or more drawn to Si-driven ideologies) be more "all or none" / "I have to believe this or I'm wrong." I struggled with feeling that way more when I was young; the older I have gotten, the more my beliefs have relaxed, I no longer need to be 'right' about everything to feel safe, and I don't need others to believe the same things I do, because no one does. I am unique.
You don't have to swallow all of a belief system, believe all of it, or justify it. You can pick and choose, you can combine things from different belief systems based on what you hold dear, or you can reject it all and do your own thing. That is your right as a human being, even if you have to go along with stuff to keep the peace. In truth, most people are not completely on board with EVERYTHING taught by their religion. A lot of it is just not applicable anymore, because civilizations advance and modernize their thinking.
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“I Am YEG Arts” Series: Frances Whitford
It’s been said that grandparents are the voices of the past and the door to the future. For Frances Whitford, there are few truer sentiments. It’s why she describes her business, Beadwork & Bannock, as a creation of love and legacy to her grandparents and Métis culture. Lucky for us, that gratitude and knowledge are both gifts she’s eager to share with everyone. From passing down traditions to her children to championing the Indigenous Artists Market Collective (I.A.M), Frances looks forward to continuing to promote and support the perseverance of Indigenous art and culture in our city. Artist, advocate, granddaughter, and teacher—this week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Frances Whitford.
Tell us about your connection to Edmonton and why you’ve made it your home.
I have a lot of family here. I’m from northeastern Alberta, just outside of Fort McMurray, so Edmonton was the closest major city and our go-to for everything—so we’ve always been connected to it. Even as a kid, we’d go to Lac Ste. Anne every summer, and then to K-Days because my grandmother had sisters and family here. From there we’d go around to Lac La Biche to the powwow before heading back home. So ever since I was a small child, I’ve spent a few weeks of every single summer here.
As an adult, what really drew me to Edmonton were the opportunities for my three children to grow. Being in a small community is great—the support you have is good, everyone knows your name, and your history, and all of those types of things—but sometimes that can put a real damper on personal growth when it comes to just wanting to spread your wings and be yourself. So all the genres of opportunities presented to them here were very alluring to all of us.
I also found the Indigenous Artists Market Collective (I.A.M) here, and that was amazing. I always say that when I found them, I found my tribe. As Lorrie Lawrence always says, it’s like a melting pot of Indigenous artists.
Tell us a bit about Beadwork & Bannock and how it came to be.
I grew up raised largely by my grandparents. They were very old-school, very Métis lifestyle, so I spent a lot of my youth on our family trapline, which my brother still runs with my cousin Jason. Despite being so immersed in my culture throughout my life, I didn’t realize then how blessed I was—not until 2011 when my grandmother passed away. She had developed Alzheimer’s around 2006, so it really felt like we lost her a lot sooner, but during that time was when I really began to realize that, wow, once she goes, all of this is gone.
My grandmother was an artisan herself and used what she earned to help supplement the family income. I loved watching her work, and a lot of time I’d get to play around sorting beads… but watching her create all these amazing things and seeing every part of the process—from trap to this beautiful pair of moccasins—was pretty cool. So when she passed away, I made my decision to allow myself to dream about making a living preserving my culture and being able to share it with others and teach my kids. Beadwork & Bannock was the answer. And there’s just so much good that has come from it. It is literally a legacy of love for my culture, my grandparents, and everything they’ve instilled in me. There were quite a few years of dreaming it up in my mind and wanting to be where I am now, but just knowing that this knowledge is for me to pass on to as many people as I can reach makes me very happy.
What inspires your design choices and the stories that your beading and clothing tell?
Again, it goes right back to my grandparents and realizing how much culture they preserved in me that I didn’t realize I carried until I was older. A lot of my beadwork designs are inspired by the work of my grandmother and from learning and exploring our Métis culture. As I did my genealogy, I realized just how far-reaching my Métis ancestry is when it comes to Canada and the United States. Because we were the landless people, we travelled so often that there are bits and pieces of my grandfathers’ and great grandfathers’ and great-great grandfathers’ families from Montana all the way through Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It’s pretty amazing to see that. So often I’ll look at all this beadwork from all over these places and feel such a connection to it. And at first, I don’t understand why until I realize it’s that ancestry that draws me in.
What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d had when starting out? And what’s something you knew instinctively that’s still serving you?
The advice I wish I’d had starting out is don’t limit yourself—don’t limit yourself to what you can and cannot do. When I first started, I felt very much that I was in this box and had to stick to mitts and moccasins and the traditional things my grandmother made. But as I’m evolving as an artist, I like to bring in contemporary elements and incorporate new-age thinking with the old—like repurposing fur coats. It’s conservation in itself. And a lot of what we do as trappers is conservation work. Some people have the misconception that we’re out there hauling out these furs and mass-producing and selling them. But, no. We’re actually doing a lot of environmental monitoring. So, for example, if there’s a species that’s low, we’re not going to harvest it. We’re going to refrain. Or if we’ve noticed a species is diseased, we’re submitting that all to the government to be tested to make sure that it’s not something invasive to these species.
The something I just knew from the get-go would probably have to be the importance of transferring knowledge. That was just the biggest driver for me after losing my grandmother and realizing that a lot of her knowledge was gone. Though I only have bits and pieces of it, I’m learning and growing on it every day, remembering more as I carry on. I also realized how important it is for us through truth and reconciliation to share that knowledge back and to give it to our future generations so that they can continue to grow on it and ground themselves with it—because that’s what it did for me.
I strongly believe that the knowledge and traditional practices I was given were meant for me to transfer, not to hold. Letting everyone know there is space for all of us to share and learn these things is something I’m very happy to do.
Tell us about someone who mentored you or helped set you on your path.
That would be my brother. I can really say that my brother has always been one of my biggest supporters and champions. When my grandmother passed away, the two of us sat down and had a conversation about my kids really needing to go to the trapline with him. They were all very small then, but I knew they needed to go with him alone because at that age Mom is everything—Mom, do this. Mom, do that. The trapline is a very wonderful and magical place, but it can also be very dangerous, so I knew they needed to build their relationship with him and the respect he required for them to safely enjoy trapline living—and to learn to grow their wings and be independent. So when my son was around 6 and my other daughter was 10 or 11, they went for their first weekend on the trapline with my brother. And that all started it. That’s when we both realized that if we didn’t transfer that knowledge, it’d be gone. From there, we started to talk about all the things that Grandma would make and decided to give it a try. The rest is history!
Who’s someone inspiring you right now?
Right now, I would probably say the artists with I.A.M. They have so many stories and inspire me so much with their resilience. There’s such an incredible amount of knowledge coming off each of these artists that stems from their families and their histories. And it’s just so inspiring to me to see our art coming back and being appreciated for what it is. The dedication each and every one of them shows to their craft is incredible. We even have one artist, Agnus Jones, who I believe is 89 years old. She does a lot of the similar work that I do, and the last time I saw her at the market I told her that, in my eyes, I am just an apprentice, she is a master, and that—one day—I hope to be as good as her.
Last year, you and your son designed a T-shirt for Orange Shirt Day. What was that experience like for you?
Normally, T-shirts are right out of my element, but I just felt called to tell this story (of our family’s journey of truth and reconciliation)—and to include my children. Part of our coming to knowledge of our past with residential school really shed light on understanding that we have our own story to tell. Knowing that the world is seeing the truth now, we needed to stand in our own truth. So I just really wanted my children to understand their history, as much as I can teach it, and as much as I can learn it myself to pass it on to them so they can understand why we are the way we are these days and which direction we need to move in. I needed a positive outlet to empower them to know that healing is possible, and necessary, and important for them to think about. That’s the real legacy I’d like to leave—that we need to move forward in a positive light, and that sometimes extracting a positive from a negative situation is the best way to grow and heal. That’s what I hope my T-shirts will do.
Tell us a bit about what you’re currently working on or hoping to explore next.
What I’m working on right now is focusing more on my beadwork detail. I just want to grow a little bit more, and explore a little bit more, and venture out into making new things, like satchel-style purses.
I’ve been exploring new mediums and playing around with caribou tufting, too. And it’s like, as soon as I understand my connection to these animals and these things, all of a sudden the creative comes in and I want to work with parts of them!
The kids and I are also working on more Every Child Matters T-shirts and collaborating on some other designs.
What do you want people to understand about the importance of buying Indigenous products from Indigenous artists?
It truly is a preservation of culture and of legacy. Our Indigenous art tells the story of our history, of our connectedness to other cultures and other places, and reminds us of the unity that we need to continue to share. I think it’s good to walk in your individual light and be proud of who you are and where you come from, but it’s also good to be proud of other cultures too—to raise them up and know that you stand in unity with them. So that’s what I’d like people to know: that when they purchase Indigenous art, they’re not only supporting an artist, they’re actually preserving a culture. And that’s an amazing thing.
Describe your perfect day in Edmonton. How do you spend it?
My perfect day in Edmonton would probably be spent exploring one of the many festivals or attractions that you literally find every weekend and everywhere you turn. Spending it with my kids, of course, because I love that.
You visit Edmonton 20 years from now. What do you hope has changed? What do you hope has stayed the same?
Well, I do hope that all the festivals and everything have stayed, but what I really hope to see is more reflection of the Indigenous presence that is here in the architecture and everywhere you turn. It’s starting to look like that now, but I’d really like it to be strongly visible. For example, the history behind the river lot that was here really needs to come to the surface—and in a good way. Because even though it’s a dark history, it’s a very positive place, and I love being there.
Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! Click here to learn more about Frances Whitford, Beadwork & Bannock, and more.
About Frances Whitford
Frances Whitford is originally from Anzac, Alberta, but now calls Edmonton home. She was raised by her grandparents and grew up surrounded by Métis culture and craft, spending much time on the family trapline. Frances learned most of her craft from her grandmother, a Métis artisan, who made various pieces for the family and to sell in an effort to supplement the family’s income. Her grandfather was a trapper who would supply the furs and hides needed for her grandmother’s craft. Today, Frances’s brother has stepped into the role of trapper and supplies a large amount of the hides and furs that allow Frances to continue to learn and hone her skills.
Frances’s pieces, such as moccasins, mukluks, gauntlet mitts, and other Métis-oriented items, are made mainly of traditional and commercial-tanned moose hides, as well as beaver, fox, lynx, rabbit, and various other types of furs. Some of her Beadwork & Bannock pieces also include her beadwork.
As Treasurer of the Indigenous Artists Market Collective (I.A.M), Frances looks forward to continuing to promote, support, and participate in the advocacy and perseverance of Indigenous art and culture that she sees thriving in this city.
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It’s also how some stays are calling the ones who have morals stray kids antis like we’re not antis we just want to hold them accountable and bring awareness of what’s going on!!! I’m so glad that a few of us on here actually have morals and we’re not sucked into that mindset of keeping kpop over our morals
In a different topic but not really I was doing well but yesterday my emotional state hasn’t been well and I had an anxiety attack where I felt as someone was pressing my chest and making it so hard for me to breathe and I feel it was because I felt as if I wasn’t doing enough in boycotting like I am aware of what to boycott and I’m participating in boycotting but I often feel like I’m not doing enough and I feel like I’m being considered a performative activist and rn with people who are calling out others for not posting on their socials (I’ve been reposting and bring awareness because that’s all I can do and also participating in the boycott as much as I can!) for not doing enough but often times many people do know what’s going on but they don’t post it because their out doing protest yk or speaking out in public places. I too have been staying away from kpop twitter and kpop tik tok because some stays honestly don’t have morals and it sickens me even after trying to give them awareness they still don’t care!
I hope you’re doing well and I’m so glad your page is a safe space and I’m so thankful that a few of us actually have morals and I consider you guys my mutuals/friends!!
I love you very much and star you’re always in my mind I’m always thinking about you and hoping you’re doing well!
-🩶
Ohhh TRUST me I’ve gotten my fair share of people thinking I “anti skz” because I’m boycotting this comeback lmaooo
I’ve seen the boys in concert several times and I write hundreds of thousands of words in fan fiction about them in my free time. And I have a giant fucking skz tattoo on my arm that will only decay with my body when I die. To turn around and say I’m a “skz anti” is laughable at best. I’m losing followers everywhere and I couldn’t care less, like please go ahead unfollow me if you’re going to advocate against humanity
I feel the similar pressure of “not doing enough” so robustly. I am right there with you. It raises all sorts of questions about what I consume right now and how far so much of this extends. So much so that I’m like… how can I be writing about them when people are dying, and they’re staying silent about it? Even my own work makes me annoyed right now.
I will always maintain my stance and I will always advocate for my page to be a safe space, and that extends beyond just skz fan fiction.
I love you so much and I’m thinking of you always, please know that we’re all doing our best and your frustration is so, so valid. ❤️
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the thing with the breakdancing dad thing is like . for clarify i am in almost the same situation as ppl think shes in i was raised by my mom who was financially neglecting me and cutting my dad off from me when he wanted to see me and she was taking the child support money he was paying her to spend on herself i am the person who is the most in a position to sympathize with him but like i just dont. bec okay
that wasnt that many videos and the fact that its all holidays and special events isnt at all contradictory with 'he was there for some big events but he wasnt There in our lives', and the fact that this is also just like how home videos tend to work makes them really not convincing "evidence" of a happy childhood. like were u expecting to see videos of her saying she fucking hates her dad and hes never there for her To The Camera. when i was with my moms side of the family obviously you smile for pictures and act cute in front of the camera bc they get mad at you if you dont! also hes REALLY invading their privacy by posting videos that arent even of her and are instead of his other kids who literally have nothing to do with this. ALSO childhood evidence is always going to be skewed in the parent's favor bc the kid straight up isnt old enough to rly be able to advocate for themselves. notice how the videos switch to photos as she gets older meaning we have no idea how they interacted when they talked and the one text message she shows is them interacting rly awkwardly like two distant acquaintances
man fuck this dude for calling it "brainwashing". like Again it literally happened to me my mom was lying to me to steal money that was meant for us but he could just. say that. the concrete thing she did wrong. instead of being like It Was The Genders.
theres no proof that he paid anything. he said millions but like he just said that. people can lie. very silly and quirky that he has video evidence of his 10 yr old kid talking about youtube as definitive proof he was a loving father but he cant figure out how to censor one of the bajillion emails they send you when you pay medical bills. tbc i dont rly think he shouldve posted either bc again sensitive information but if youre gonna doxx your kids at least do it in a way that looks less like youre trying to use unreliable footage to make an emotional appeal over the Factual Innacuracies. same thing with screenshots of all the insane bitchy things your daughter and wife are totally saying
the most damning thing: dude you have your daughters phone number. if you really had a good relationship and she was exaggerating to make a story funnier you wouldve messaged her like "??? we made lasagna together last week why didnt you tell me i abandoned you at your mothers doorstep" and she wouldve been like "im sorry father i sold you out for views" and then she wouldve made a video breaking keyfabe. personally i dont believe women are insane gender-brainwashed lunatics so i figure she had her reasons
he stresses their politics differ a lot so my actual projection is that i figure madi as a kid was fine with her dad only showing up for holidays and not really being around and wasnt really thinking about money stuff but then as she grew up she started re-examining their relationship and drifted away from him as he became a sexist bitcoin breakdancer and so eventually she had a negative enough view of him to make a pretty uncharitable video bc if you and your dad had a huge argument over him being a sexist bitcoin breakdancer and then you saw a tiktok challenge about funny trauma you might very well think "oh man. the fact that my dad divorced my mom and then started a breakdancing career is funny as hell. im going to flatten this fairly complicated family history to fit into a tiktok" and then when her dad who she doesnt like anymore made a public response she doubled down bc fuck that guy he hates women. its not like shes sending hitmen to his front door she made a mean tiktok. ppl are acting like this has destroyed his reputation but im gonna go out on a limb and say that the ppl making fun of him for being a deadbeat dad are probably not ppl who otherwise wouldve been fans of a sexist bitcoin breakdancer. i think his core audience was never gonna be shattered by this which i am more sure of bc even before he posted a reply bitcoin bros were gathering around him like protective mother birds. if he didnt want his daughter to disrespect him and re-examine his treatment of her as an adult with a more critical eye, personally i would suggest he be nicer to his daughter and not call her brainwashed or talk about how its all genders fault. i think that would really help convince her to have a more positive view of him
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letter to mother in law
I'm writing this shit
in epic poetry
written in my own
fucking writing voice
calligraphy
and it would be
just your luck
if I got famous
just because
you bitches
slay me
like the knights
used to slay dragons
and you fucking know
those dragons were way
more awesome
than any
of those fucking knights
maybe not for humans
or civilizations
but just to take a moment
in collected and concentrated
awe
and imagine
those mythical creatures
in our lives
around our hearts
isn't that where you really
and secretly
and truly
dream?
Oh that's just me
talking about the things
that spin and dance around
in my brain
while all you can do
is listen to the garbage complaints
of the son you obviously
didn't raise to think for himself
just obey
and avoid the consequences
I don't play that way
always had to as a kid
I'll say whatever you need to
slip into whatever role
you think you're
manipulating me
into
see where you take this
wonder where it will go
then stop
change my mind
and do what I please.
It's my life.
I get to.
I am raising three young adhd children.
I say that because it matters.
It's a condition diagnosed by people who
spend years
learning about emotions
document the data
that has been collected
then studied by researchers
over years
with a motivation to
understand the behavior patterns
of humans who seem
to have an issue of extra energy
and a different way of
perceiving the world
and how you can make their lives
and your own life
raising them
more harmonious and enjoyable
for all of you
just by educating yourself a bit more
about how mental health works
it's like you think mental health
is a thing
and not an intentional
maintinannce
of not raging out
when everything and
everyone you care about
seems to see
is how you're failing to be
the kind of human
they want you to be
because you came here to be you
and they want a different version of you
but you're you and
you're me
and all our relationships
are mirrors where we
recognize parts of each other
and have to either
integrate it or
absorb it
or take it into your heart
without any kind of filter
because they are the ones
who teach you how to
write love on your heart
and some of them
choose to brand you with it
and tell you not to
scream when it burns
because that means you're
not tough
and only the strong
survive
some of them buy
brushes and ink
and write it in
permanent color
and the older hearts
get the love
lovingly tattooed on their heart
if they want to
and it's sharp
and it also burns
but not like the brand
and some hearts
carve the names
who branded them
off of themselves
with lightsabers
or talons
and find a way to
make the scar tissue
beautiful mess
a mural of
a journey tapestry
with a tragic beginning
but those were hard lessons
all of us end up learning
along the way
they just got it faster
I guess
because life is nature
and nature is here to
grow stuff
and see what kind of
wild things survive
so we survived
with the names
we love
on our hearts.
To me you are the woman
who taught Ben that
Meet Joe Black
is the right way
to think about love.
I know that he will
watch The Mask Of Zorro
by my side
with Theo
who was a cowboy
for Halloween
and Ben was a cowboy too.
You have a picture of
Fiona wearing
a pink cowboy hat
in your bathroom
and a pegasus on the shelf in there
with so much stuff about horses
I always felt a little at home.
It's okay that I changed your feelings
about me when I
lashed out
with the fourth draft
of hate poetry
raging at your husband
because he's critical as fuck
as a pattern of behavior
and it's annoying
I've mentioned this
politely in prose
hate poetry
is the second warning
I'm just making up
arbitrary rules here
but follow them
or else you get
my creative hobby
of making my
grievences
into poetry
and you can literally
sue me
because I'll never stop
advocating
for myself
in a way
that pleases me.
But only if you ignore my direct communication.
Or try to abuse me with your mean judgements and words.
Also, I respect reasonable boundaries.
I also like to approach conflict and not avoid it.
I also give you the option of having me not come to Ben's stuff at your house. I won't take it personal and I am completely fine staying home alone. I don't need to be a reason of conflict or something that keeps the family separated.
I know what it's like. I am separated from my two of my kids for some holidays. It is what it is.
You don't have to like me. I don't have to be part of things. I just don't want Theo to miss out.
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i just want to remind everyone outside of poland (if any of you actually care) that the recent abortion ban is not the first attack on women’s rights. the “black marches” against the new abortion laws have been organized for past five years because the subject has been brought up multiple times, usually as a cover up for new laws the government wanted to push through without the attention from polish gp which is, in my opinion, the most disgusting act, using an issue so emotional and sensitive for so many people just so that people wouldn’t look at their hands.
a few weeks ago polish government decided to withdraw from the istambul convention whose main objectives are to protect women from tradition-based domestic abuse. even with this document being signed, polish women were suffering from domestic abuse in silence with no help from the authorities or other family members.
throughout their governing, the current leading party has been in on a war against anything that might “threaten the traditional christian family values.” that means calling lgbtq+ folks a facist (or neo-bolshevik, depending on their mood) ideology, not people, refusing to introduce sexual education at schools (spreading the false information about it sexualizing children and exposing them to pedophilia,) mocking and demonizing feminism and gender studies, calling it an ideology, too.
two female pro-life activists, kaja godek and zuzanna wiewiórka, have been recognized and supported by the government. the first one is advocating for a total abortion ban, especially when the pregnancy is the result of rape. the second one was awarded by the ministry of justice for violating a teenage gril’s privacy, expoisng her unwanted pregnancy to her parents. the girl wanted to have an abortion, and wiewiórka posed as a pro-choice activist ready to help her find a safe way. instead, she forced the girl to go through the pregnancy and, allegedly, domestic violence.
a far right politician, janusz korwin-mikke, who is also in the european parliment, is widely known for his mysoginistic views, saying that women are less intelligent than men, that “you always rape a little” and other disgusting things i do not want to write down.
the new mp of education and academia has said that women should be married and have childern before they’re 30, and then they can think about their careers, that lgbtq+ folks are not equal to “normal people,” and that there is no time to think about human rights at the moment.
the access to abortion, even before the recent ban, was always difficult. most of the doctors had the right to refuse to perform the surgery, the social stigma was always unbearable. furthermore, there has never been any access to the day-after pill. the contraception in poland is a very sad joke. thousands of women are scared of having kids because they might lose their jobs. and the government does not care about the women nor the children after the pregnancy. if the child is born disabled, there is no help from anyone except good-willed people. if the mother does not have enough money to raise a kid - there is no help from the authorities that are so loud about protecting the unborn lives. there is practically no access to any psychological help in case of miscarriage, seeing a child’s death, raising a disabled baby. and foster care or orphanages? the government does not give a single fuck about these places, the conditions of these institutions, and people that live there.
we, polish women, folks with uterus, have been disrespected, mocked, humiliated and uncared for by the government and by the thriving mysoginy in this country. and we are angry.
petitions don’t work, what you can do if you care enough to help is spread awarness about what we’ve been going through, demanding a statement about the issue from your authorities because what can help is international pressure. they are stripping us of our basic rights, and even though i am angry, i am also very scared of the future.
please, don’t look away.
and to my polish friends,
***** *** nie możemy dać tym gnojom wygrać
#poland#polska#piekło kobiet#abortion#abortion ban#abortion law#strajk kobiet#jestem załamana tym wszystkim
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What I Think Your Favorite Demon Brother Says About You
warning for deprecating and some nsfw humor. also this is all for the memes i doubt anybody fits all these boxes
Lucifer
every otome game you’ve ever played has a man that looks exactly like him. and you go for it. every. time.
no. i’m not joking. go into your otome memory databank and look at all the character you’ve romanced. that’s right, you black-haired red-eyed vampire loving bitch they’re all the same
speaking of: you say “oh haha sparkly vampires ew real vampires or horrifying creatures of the night” but you secretly want to be sucked dry by a vampire of the handsome sparkly sort
you are religious about ao3 fic tagging (as you should be)
you have looked into those websites where you sign up to be a sugar baby
Mammon
the childhood friend trope was not an option so you stuck with this
it takes exactly 76.6% of you ONE comfortable casual conversation for you to fall in love
You have what it takes to make several viral tiktoks. Not for your wit though they all end in you getting hurt
You don't know if you're going to/what you want to go for in college. Even if you're currently in college.
“you’re ALREADY annoyed with me?? Try having me in your head all the time forever!!”
20 million phone games because they bore you too easily and you forget to delete them
you’ve had to swear yourself off of amazon lest you spend every last dollar on sketchy finds
Leviathan
you’re either so familiar with psychological projection you’ve somehow morphed it’s meaning in your mind to something different entirely or you are not familiar with it at all
you (or your friends) know/knew the Russian national anthem and would frequently make the obligatory communism jokes high schoolers find so funny for some reason
you were the friend who openly admitted to their friends that you wrote fanfic
You kin
You had a google+ and used it regularly
Also a wattpad (and you still have a wattpad?)
You wish text signatures were still a thing
Satan
you are/will be the former gifted kid who burned out two years into their degree and are now/will be having an existential crisis for a solid few years
you believe in catboy supremacy
All of your OCs are/were "super quiet and shy but mess with her friends and she'll killies you!!!1!!1"
you secretly wish you had a reason to go somewhere nice and dress up
Scary good at mafia-style games
“your mind and your meat are huge”
if you ever take an ethics class you WILL be the person who lets it get to their head and won’t shut up about kantian ethics
[raises hand] if i may play devil’s advocate?
Asmodeus
you filter fics on ao3 by explicit only
you either spend 2 hours minimum getting ready in the morning or you don’t but you DO have a pinterest board full of outfits you’d spend 2 hours minimum getting ready in the morning for
Your shortcomings are the fault of your zodiac sign
You fell into the mustache pattern trend in like 2013
There is at least one social media site where you have/had over 1k followers
“here let me in the dressing room, I’ll help you change!”
someone asking you to zip up the back of their dress is the highest form of flattery and clasping a necklace on someone is the most romantic gesture in the world
you like high school musical
Beelzebub
you want a guy that’s sweet, a guy that’s tough, a feminist who likes to pay for stuff
crunching sounds are good ASMR for you
himbos are good for the soul (and while beel is not quite a himbo it’s close enough to count)
your courting process involves asking a significant other to crack a watermelon between their thighs
YES it is reasonable to go to walmart in your pjs at 1 am on a school night they have GUSHERS
if there is any type of ball within your vicinity you WILL pick it up and toss it up in the air aimlessly. this is not up for debate
tiddies (any gender) are best used for friends’ pillows (second best purpose: crumb catchers)
Belphegor
cMoN fUcK mE EmO bOy
you are told you cannot have something so you immediately need it (moreso than is to be expected)
you’ve used that one sad kaneki icon before
You torture your sims and only play to get a taste of what it feels like to be god
you secretly still like those black-and-white images with the borderline insensitive depression quotes
you’ve gotten in trouble for the stupid stuff you’ve looked up online for one reason or another
you would stick your hand in a lion’s cage just to pet the kitty
you definitely had a secret simon curtis phase
#obey me#obey me shall we date#obey me swd#lucifer#swd lucifer#obey me lucifer#mammon#swd mammon#obey me mammon#leviathan#obey me leviathan#swd leviathan#satan#obey me satan#swd satan#asmodeus#obey me asmodeus#swd asmodeus#beelzebub#obey me beelzebub#swd beelzebub#belphegor#obey me belphegor#swd belphegor#lucifer hcs#mammon hcs#leviathan hcs#satan hcs#asmodeus hcs#beelzebub hcs
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