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stillunusual · 8 months

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The word "Nazi" has a specific meaning to normal people, but to vatniks and tankies it has five basic meanings…. "anybody I don't like" "anybody who disagrees with me" "anybody who's a citizen of a country that Russia wants to invade" "anybody who opposed or simply didn't want to live in one of the tyrannical regimes I simp for" "anybody who was oppressed or killed by one of my favourite mass murderers" EDITED TO ADD: a tankie clown reblogged this post and made some typically asinine comments, so I thought I'd elaborate a little bit…. Tankie clown: @well1x is either referring to the fact that a lot of the "deaths under communism" listed in "the black book of communism" (which gives us the 10 million number or whatever) are quite literally Nazis in WWII, or they're referring to the fact that the only people who have been made to deliberately suffer under communism have been literal Nazis and fascists (generally speaking)

Joining the tankie cult requires you to live in a delusional clown world and believe in a shit ton of made up (and often contradictory) nonsense that requires a considerable repertoire of mental gymnastics (and lies) to maintain….

@well1x is literally trying to claim that all victims of communism are "nazis and facists" (sic), which - back in the real world - is a very obvious lie. It's also a blatant example of victim blaming. For example, most of the millions of men, women and children who were robbed, raped, imprisoned, sent to the gulags, tortured, starved to death, executed or ethnically cleansed by Stalin's henchmen were not Nazis or fascists, and many were innocent of any crime. The vast majority of the population in Stalin's Soviet Union also had to put up with crippling poverty and backwardness, the brutal suppression of their religious and community life and the total lack of freedom.

Based on his comment, I doubt if the tankie clown has ever read "the black book of communism" and I'm also not sure why he mentions this book in particular, when there are thousands of others that thoroughly document the numerous crimes of the regimes tankies insist on being the useful idiots for, and I think it's safe to assume that he hasn't read any of those books either (in fact, I doubt if he's ever read any book whatsoever)…. Tankie clown: Karina then shows an image of (presumably) some kids in the Ukraine famine. This is completely unrelated though because this famine was not manufactured by the USSR as say the Irish famine was by the English. Can't really attribute natural disaster to "muh communism"

Again - a typical genocide-denying tankie lie.

Tankies generally start by saying that the holodomor was Nazi propaganda, and when you debunk that they claim it was just a natural disaster, and when that doesn't work they make up some bullshit about how millions of farmers who barely had enough to live on were wealthy kulaks who burned crops and slaughtered cattle (and therefore deserved to die). And when you point out that the red army actually broke into their homes and confiscated all their grain, every cow or chicken or any other food they had, and that the Soviet authorities blacklisted villages, sometimes purely for containing relatives of Ukrainian independence fighters, and prevented the villagers from leaving, shot them for even collecting ears of grain from the fields, and watched them starve to death - tankies will just deny it, or laugh, or pretend that millions of holodomor victims were all rich landlords (and therefore deserved to die) etc etc….

I've also never seen English people pretending that the Irish famine never happened, or claiming that the victims deserved it, or that it was a good thing, or that Britain should re-conquer Ireland. On the other hand, it's difficult not to notice Stalin's smooth-brained groupies swarming all over social media every day denying or justifying the holodomor and other crimes of Russia and the USSR, and hoping that Russia not only re-conquers Ukraine but also Finland, the Baltics, Poland and other countries it has invaded and occupied in the past.

There's no point trying to reason with tankies using facts, logic or common sense - and appealing to their sense of decency while they're simping for their favourite mass murderers is a complete waste of time. Tankie clown: Karina then says @well1x is defending imperialism(???), defending ethnic cleansing (which …what??), dreaming about labour camps and mass shootings (for Nazis yes plz), and does not do any praxis (based on?).

Yep - most tankie clowns claim to be communists while simultaneously embracing Russian fascism, supporting the imperialism of Russia’s mega-rich ruling class, mindlessly repeating the Kremlin's propaganda and cheerleading their war crimes. These morons seem to have no idea that the Russian Federation is an empire made up of many conquered states that Russia invaded, occupied and colonised in the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, or that Russia's war against Ukraine is a brutal attempt to reassert control over one of its former colonies. Russia's history of imperialism is at least as bad as that of any western country - and they're still doing it in the 21st century.

And I have seen countless examples of tankies speaking openly of wanting to mass murder their ideological enemies (or people they don't like) - because they also delude themselves into believing that if their revolutionary dreams ever came true, they'd be the ones doing the arresting and killing, despite the fact that in a real revolution they'd be about as much use as a fart in a spacesuit. They also have no idea how their small dick energy is somehow going to bring capitalism to its knees, which they'd inevitably end up crying about if it ever actually happened in reality.

Most of them are complete losers who spend the majority of their time sitting in their bedrooms huffing their own farts while reading tankie fan fiction online. Tankie clowns also claim to be against western imperialism and capitalism, despite living comfortable lives in western capitalist countries and owing everything they have to capitalism, including the freedom to use their capitalist smartphones or laptops to post anti-capitalist tantrums on social media platforms owned by western capitalists (thus helping these western capitalists to maximise their profits).

This is generally the sum total of a typical tankie's - ahem - "revolutionary" activity.

The vast majority of tankie clowns wouldn't dream of ever giving up the comforts of capitalism to move to one of the authoritarian shitholes they stupidly simp for, because then they might not be able to play their favourite capitalist video games anymore….

It's also a fact that Russia and the USSR have ethnically cleansed millions of people. Tankie clown: OP takes this insane train all the way to the station, and says @well1x is talking about anyone they don't like which… no. They're talking about the traditional Nazis.

No - they're falsely claiming that all victims of communism are Nazis and fascists. Learn to read…. Tankie clown: But also let's break this down. Who does OP think is being called a Nazi? "anyone I don't like" I mean I don't like Nazis, but I don't think everyone I don't like is one lmao. Funny tho, dude throws around the word tankie until it has no meaning.

In my experience, if you disagree with tankies about anything, they will pretty soon call you a fascist or a Nazi. It's they who throw around words like "fascist" and "Nazi" until they have no meaning (and most of them hilariously claim to be opposed to fascism while simultaneously supporting it - if it happens to be Russian). Tankie clown: - "anyone who disagrees with me" if you disagree that all human beings deserve to live a dignified life regardless of race/sex/gender identity/sexual orientation/age/disability/whatever then yeah you probably are a Nazi

Straw man. See above….

It's also amusing to observe the doublethink of somebody who apparently believes that "all human beings deserve to live a dignified life" while simultaneously thinking that when his favourite mass murderers oppressed and/or killed huge numbers of people it was perfectly OK…. Tankie clown: - "anyone who's a citizen of a country that Russia wants to invade" why the fuck are we talking about Russia? Believe it or not OP, USSR does not stand for "United Soviet States of Russia" lmaoooo

We're talking about Russia because most tankie clowns support Russian imperialism and mindlessly parrot the Kremlin's propaganda about how Russia's latest invasion of Ukraine is some sort of special de-nazification operation (see above). Tankies are generally so ignorant, gullible and stupid that they will literally believe anything the Kremlin tells them…. Tankie clown: - "anyone opposed or simply didn't want to live in one of the tyrannical regimes I simp for" tyrannical regimes lmao. These were only "tyrannical regimes" for people who actually were in fact Nazis.

Again - this is the kind of reality-denying nonsense I'd expect to hear from a tankie clown. One thing that really appalls people in the central and eastern European countries that experienced the reality of being occupied by the USSR and/or Russia, is the staggering ignorance and stupidity of western useful idiots who have no idea what it was actually like, and are not only dumb enough to join the tankie cult, but insist on westsplaining to the victims and their descendants about how the horrors they and their families suffered (usually for doing literally nothing) either didn't happen ("cuz the CIA made it all up") or claiming that they somehow deserved it ("cuz they were all Nazis/fascists/kulaks/slave owners").

Back in the real world, these were tyrannical regimes for tens of millions of ordinary people who had done nothing to deserve being subjected to tyranny…. Tankie clown: - "anyone who was oppressed or killed by one of my favourite mass murderers" yeah basically that's what I've been saying.

Thanks for proving my point….

And please note that smoking weed on your mum's sofa isn't actually going to bring the world revolution closer.

That was just a joke…. 🤣😂

#vatnik #tankie #tankie clownland #useful idiot #keyboard warrior #ignorance is strength #history #communism #ukraine #holodomor #soviet union #ussr

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aristidetwain · 28 days

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“Legends of Earth”: The 2020s “Doctor Who” Anthology Which Never Was

Something very special today. Usually, when it comes to the production history of more or less Doctor Who-related fiction, I natter about the obscure and deuterocanonical — but did you know that around Summer 2020, Emil Fortune was working on creating an anthology of Doctor Who short stories riffing on “Myths & Legends” of Earth, whose title eventually settled as Doctor Who: Legends of Earth?

Due to the poor sales with which DWU books increasingly became saddled during the Chibnall era, it was ultimately canned. Had it happened, it would have constituted a rare case of an official Doctor Who book in the ear of NuWho opening up pitching calls to first-time writers, with the point of the book having been to reach out to beginning writers from outside the UK, to write about elements of their native cultures in particular.

As another reliable source explained: “It sounded really really cool, and [Emil] was trying so hard to do it right. Reaching out to all the right people. Getting totally new voices in. It would've been amazing.”

Perhaps more pitches will become known in time; for the time being, I have only been able to track down one of the prospective writers, S. Brennan, who submitted two pitches related to Irish folklore — archived here after the cut with permission.

(I was actually meant to do this months and months ago — my heartfelt apologies to S. for letting it slip through the cracks.)

Coat of Charms

S. Brennan's first suggestion was a Sixth Doctor story riffing on St. Bridget of Kildare.

The pitch was developed further after this initial offer, with it being confirmed to Brennan that an extended-universe companion such as Evelyn unfortunately could not be used for this project, and would have to be replaced with a TV companion.

With Coat of Charms eventually proving difficult to develop into something which fit the intended tone of the book, they pushed onwards with another pitch, this one featuring an even more prominent figure from Irish folklore.

The Way of Battle

Per S. Brennan's connection, however, this pitch was never discussed further, with them assuming that the book had already been “canned” by then.

A sad end to what would have been one of the most interesting offerings of the BBC-licensed EU of the 2020s. The only silver lining is that no exclusivity contracts or NDAs had been signed with prospective writers — meaning that those lost stories can be discussed, and perhaps brought into being through some other medium, whether it be something like BF's Lost Stories range (it would certainly beat scraping through Terry Nation's drawers for first drafts) or beyond the aegis of the BBC altogether.

At any rate, if anyone reading this post has more information on Legends of Earth and related stories-that-might-have-been, please get in touch!

#Doctor Who #Legends of Earth #S. Brennan #Sixth Doctor #Second Doctor #Evelyn Smythe #Jamie McCrimmon #Melanie Bush

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jokeroutsubs · 9 months

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Nace Jordan for Slovenian online journal Aleteia

From performing at Ritem srca (Rhythm of the Heart) to Eurovision: "I value honesty the most"

03.06.2023

Interview with Nace Jordan, bassist of Joker Out

"Thank you, don't count on us..." This is a segment of their currently hottest song Carpe diem, taken out of context. Two weeks ago at Eurovision we were counting on them quite a lot. Despite finishing 21st they did not let us down, as we got to witness an energetic, playful and colourful musical delicacy.

We are glad you managed to take some time for Aleteia during the exciting post-Eurovision events. The youngest member of Joker Out according to length of service, and the wisest according to age, the likeable bassist Nace Jordan.

Congratulations for your wonderful Eurovision performance. Have you gone deaf due to the crowds that have excitedly welcomed you yet?

(laughter) We haven't gone deaf, but the reactions were very nice. We heard that people in Slovenia were watching and loudly cheering for us, especially during the semi-finals performance. All of this is very 'extra'.

Did anything disappoint you in Liverpool?

I can't say we were disappointed about anything. Maybe I would mention that they were promising us 'crazy' parties, which take place during Eurovision. They were great, but not as special as we were promised.

How long has it taken for the adrenaline to calm down after Eurovision?

Personally, I have not yet managed to recover from it all. All together it was very mentally and physically exhausting, but because of our love for music, we managed to pull through.

When coming home, was it difficult to switch from a huge event, where everything is about you, and come into a familiar, calm environment and simply go to the store?

We are lucky enough that since coming home from Great Britain, we have had so many things happen that we haven't yet had any time to lead a normal life, even to go to the store to buy something.

Currently we are positioned on various European charts. (Author's note: On the day of the interview (interview posted 03/06/2023) the group is fourth on the Spotify Global Viral chart; the only fellow Eurovision contestants above them are Finnish representative Käärijä and Swedish representative Loreen. Overall they have surpassed the 1,500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Source: evrovizija.com.)

Marvelous!

All of this feels unreal and nice and it gives us a lot of energy. In addition, many are beckoning us to concerts abroad. The dreams of each musician are to once spread from the narrow area of Ex-Yugoslavia to the markets all across Europe. We decided that we will risk it, since the people want to hear us. We announced a concert in Dublin which we will perform with our Irish Eurovision friends. Let me say that the concert was sold out in 20 minutes. These are truly 'insane' numbers, which are not letting us catch our breaths after Liverpool.

The excitement of the crowds does not surprise us. When and how did the members of the group even meet?

Bojan Cvjetićanin and Kris Guštin met at a performance in secondary school, where Kris was the reporter of the school newspaper. After a while, Bojan invited Kris and Jan Peteh into the band. After a while Jure Maček joined, and last year myself as well.

You came into the band last, yet it seems as though you've been with the boys since their beginnings in 2016.

That's right.

Nace, we have already managed to observe you well on stage. We see that you're all smiles, brave and energetic. How would you describe yourself?

Really? (laughter) I would describe myself as silent and smiley. Due to me being the oldest member of the band (Author's note: Nace is 28, the ages of the other members vary between 23 and 24), I have noticed that I have a different view of things than the other members of the band.

So the age gap is noticeable?

I think so.

In short, describe the other members of the band.

Bojan is intuitive, Maček playful, Guštin serious. And I can't describe Jan in any other way than saying that he is a pure artist.

Do you have other occupations, not connected to music?

I can speak for the entire band when I say that no one does anything besides music. Well, Bojan may occasionally appear in a commercial or two. (laughter)

What is the atmosphere among you? Do you trust and help each other?

No doubt, without it we couldn't have handled the pressure of Eurovision. Everything was easier because there were five of us. If someone was feeling down, the others noticed right away and gave him some space. Or offered him to talk - whatever he needed in that moment.

I liked it how you said at the press conference in Liverpool that you wouldn't consume alcohol before the performance. I have also noticed that you know how to express yourself in interviews. And we can't forget the fact that you sang in Slovene at Eurovision. Do you think it's important to maintain our language?

The fact that we sang in Slovene at Eurovision should say it all. We love Slovene and we find it the most appropriate for expressing ourselves, both in songs and conversation.

In the song Carpe diem, among other things, you sing about how you are against hate. How do you, as Nace Jordan, take steps toward a kinder society?

Let me correct that the song itself is not only against hatred, but it also talks about how we have to seize each day and look at the bright side. We ourselves are the only ones who have control over the fact that we wake up in the morning and make the best of the day. Personally, I make a person's day by smiling at them and consequently giving them a good feeling.

During your concerts, unexpected things are bound to happen. Would you let us in on any such event?

Not everything is of public nature. But I can mention that recently we had a concert in Umag. It took us a very long time to find the entrance to the concert hall. Luckily, we managed to find it right before the concert. We were really close to missing our own performance. (laughter)

Nace, Joker Out is not the first band in which you played. In the past you have collaborated with many Slovene performers, you are a member of Diamanti ('Diamonds' - the RTV house band) who take care of the musical accompaniment for the show 'V petek zvečer' ('On Friday Evening' - a show on Slovene national TV).

I don't know how much longer, sadly time is tight.

Your friends mention that you're a real-life 'jukebox', as you still remember the melodies of all the 200 songs that you performed during your times on the cruise ship.

That's true.

How was it, playing on a large ship away from shore?

When others went to study, I went to play on the ship. At that moment I chose to dedicate my life to music. This was one of the nicest and best decisions I've ever made. The half year spent on the cruise ship shaped me into the musician I am today. Living on a ship with so many people was a real school of interpersonal relations.

Was the music you performed always according to your taste?

Of course not, amongst the less favoured were for example German hit songs. (laughter)

I can't not mention that you were a member of the accompanying band at 'Ritem srca' ('Rhythm of the Heart' - festival of modern Christian music) and at the concert of 'Radio Ognjišče' ('Radio Fireplace' - a Christian Catholic radio in Slovenia). What is your memory of that experience?

I was looking forward to performing at Ritem srca this year as well. But sadly we had concerts and practice with Joker Out, so it wasn't possible. Ritem srca is one of the more pleasant festivals in Slovenia and I do not have a single bad experience with it. All participants were not only kind but also in good spirits and energetic. That is exactly what the world needs, it's 'carpe diem' in principle.

Who is the best performer of spiritual rhythmic music according to you?

I can mention Matej Šoklič, who I know personally. And Franci Rotar. Franci is a real 'character'. Every time I meet him he brightens and improves my day.

Speaking of spiritual music... Have you had to give up something that did not align with your personal beliefs during your musical career?

I avoid politics.

At the moment, Joker Out are a role model for many youths. What do you admire in a person?

It may sound cliché, but I appreciate honesty the most, both a frank critique and praise. With time I forget that I'm good at something, so it feels really nice when someone reminds me of it.

Translation cr.: @beeoftheanxieties

#joker out #nace jordan #bojan cvjeticanin #bojan cvjetićanin #kris gustin #kris guštin #jan peteh #jure macek #jure maček

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thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 6 months

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Out of all your stories, which one do you think Aro faces the most baffling (sheer confusion, "wait what") situation? Even the ones he doesn't appear on and just learns what happens in the aftermatch can count.

This was surprisingly difficult, so I'm just going to pick one and I'm sure @therealvinelle will argue with me or offer up a counter example.

I'm going to choose And Then There Were None by me and @therealvinelle

Aro doesn't come in until the epilogue and this is because he has a large "wait, what" moment off-screen. He first notices that the Cullens have all suddenly died save Carlisle and Renesmee who have run off to live in the middle of nowhere. Aro is very confused, wondering what could have happened to them, but decides after the Breaking Dawn debacle that it doesn't concern him.

Then the Denali are all murdered, then the Irish, the list goes on and it's all of Carlisle's friends all around the world who were at the trial.

"The fuck?" Aro asks and wonders why this is happening. Someone's clearly killing off all his enemies but it's not him and not making him look good.

When the number ticks up to 30 (30?!) he finally cracks and seeks out Carlisle for an explanation. He's prepared for anything. He's not prepared for anything. The explanation is that Bella Swan went crazy and killed everyone.

Why did she go crazy? Nobody knows, but it seems to have to do with Jacob having jumped off a cliff (and whether this was suicide or not is also unclear). How did she manage it? Does she have super powers now? Nobody knows that either.

Carlisle has been hanging out depressed in a cave partly out of fear but mostly out of being too depressed to function. He had no idea all his friends were murdered by Bella who is-- how?!?!?!?!

And Bella murder the Cullens? After all of that nonsense at the trial? After having risked her life several times to be with Edward?!?!?!?! Why not just choose Jacob?!?!?!?!?!

Aro ends that story very confused even though he gets all of it from Carlisle's perspective.

All our other stories, mad things happen, but Aro's usually able to piece most of it together by the end and even though he says "lol u crazy" he's usually involved in some of the shenanigans enough that he can't point fingers (Two Men and a Baby was almost what I selected, but Aro brought half of that on himself when he decided "And now I must murder everyone, I will pretend I want heterosexual sex").

And Then There Were None is the only one I can think of that really comes out of left field for him, completely, and stays there even after he's filled in.

#twilight #twilight renaissance #and then there were none #aro #meta #headcanon #opinion

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thethirdromana · 2 months

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I'm home alone on Saturday evening, what is there to do but go to Netflix and watch a truly appalling romcom? The cat's with me and I have alcohol: it's time for Irish Wish.

I normally rate Alexander Vlahos as an actor so I'm not quite sure what's happened here. His accent is to an actual Irish accent what this is to an elephant:

Picard's son from Picard is here! He's throwing fistfuls of charm at the dubious script and some of it is sticking.

Aww, Maddie is clumsy! What an unusual trait for a character in a romcom.

Fascinated by the choice to dress the mystical Irish fairy in a silk headscarf and a salwar kameez. I mean, it works, it's just... unexpected.

The puff sleeves are awful but I'm honestly impressed that Maddie has a wedding dress that she can run in.

Maybe I'm just failing at genre conventions for this kind of romcom but it feels like it would be helpful if Paul were even a tiny bit likeable, just to give some sense of why Maddie has feelings for him, and also to make it seem like maybe Emma wouldn't be getting such a raw deal out of it.

Is it just that he's loaded and has a massive house?

I've just realised that the house is supposed to be a short journey from Lough Tay, in County Wicklow, but Maddie flew into Knock Airport. And yes, I know that expecting film geography to make sense is a mug's game, but I'm also not sure why they would choose Knock Airport and not Dublin? Is this airport product placement?

Was it that they didn't think it would be plausible for Maddie to end up on a quaint old-fashioned bus from Dublin, but it was plausible that the same quaint old-fashioned bus would drive for three hours across most of Ireland to drop Maddie at the most plot-convenient location?

Oh, and now we're at the Cliffs of Moher. A six-hour round trip from Paul's house.

Let's not even get into the James Joyce thing.

James (not Joyce) tells Maddie that it would "hardly be difficult" to move her wedding to the other side of the country the weekend before it's due to take place. And the sentiment is sweet, but as someone who has organised a wedding, I have to say: it would, in fact, be difficult. Really quite difficult.

It's just not the most straightforward location to hold a wedding, you know?

I can't believe they're doing the classic "he teaches her how to shoot" scene, but with darts.

DARTS. The sexiest leisure activity.

And the height of romance is being weirdly judgmental about someone who you've known for a day.

Picard Junior is giving it socks, in fairness. I hope he gets to do this kind of thing in a better film than this at some point.

Also, Irish fairy lady is... St Brigid? Probably best not to dig into the theological implications of St Brigid-as-trickster-spirit.

The music after the Big Damn Kiss goes on just a tiny bit too long.

It is genuinely unclear to me whether Maddie intends to write a book on the Cliffs of Moher, as in about them, or physically on them. Feels like it could be either in this film.

Well, if nothing else, I hope Knock Airport's marketing team are pleased.

#irish wish

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meowmeowriley · 2 months

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@27potatochips have a lil snackie. I'll post more when I'm not at work.

Small snippet of Outlaw Outta Time

***

"Ah'm gonna kill you. Nice and slow, ah'm gonna stab ye in the stomach and split ye open. Gut ye like an animal!" Is what he would've said if he hadn't been bound and gagged, then tossed on the back of a horse.

This was perhaps the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to Soap, and he'd been through resistance training. There was just something so intensely upsetting about being caught unawares by a man with a fucking lasso. Then to be hog tied of all fucking things. Soap was seeing red. Both because of his temper and the red cloth tied around his eyes. the gag had been introduced when Soap refused to stop hurling insults at the man. It didn't stop him, just made it even harder to understand than his accent normally did. Every bump or jump from the horse jostled him, further rising him up. He'd been backhanded three times already for his racket, and he aimed to have a concussion by the end of this. Maybe if he were lucky he'd forget it even happened.

"Charles? That you? The hell you got there?" A southern American drawled. He couldn't place where the other was from, but definitely also American.

"Arthur. Caught him snooping around. I'm bringing him back to Dutch." Charles, Arthur, Dutch. Soap mentally cataloged the names. These guys weren't professionals, if they were so happy to sling their own names around so easily. That made his capture all the more maddening.

"Hold on." The southerner spoke again. Soap could hear him urging his horse closer. "Native hairstyle? What're the chances he's Scottish?"

"Thought he was Irish. Belligerent. Like Sean." Soap was abso-fuckin-lutely fuming.

"Can you keep a secret?" There was no verbal response, Soap assumed Charles had nodded, Arthur continued. "Think he belongs to my friend. Toss him on my horse or follow me." These guys were in for a rude awakening the second Soap got away. He didn't belong to anybody. He was going to make sure that they were aware of that.

He did his best to count the turns in the road, the minutes as they passed by, the ways he could potentially murder these two for his humiliation. He listened intently to the conversation between the two men, trying to pick out more information.

He could hear a man laughing and speaking animatedly. His accent was... fucking weird. Soap had only heard someone speak like that in old timey black and white movies. Arthur whistled and then called out "This yours?" Soaps temper flared and he began thrashing about, spewing insults as he writhed. If they were gonna man handle him off this horse he was going to make it as difficult as humanly possible.

His blindfold was removed and he blinked. Thankfully they were in relatively dense forest and his eyes didn't have to readjust to see his cap- his husband? That was absolutely his husband. In his anger he'd forgotten he technically did belong to someone. Simon. He stopped yelling into his gag, stopped thrashing about as he took in the sight of the love of his life. Simon had gone native, it seemed, dressing like the man who'd captured Soap, though it being Simon, he was in all black. A skull print bandana covered his lower jaw, but his eyes sparkled with mirth as he smiled down at Soap from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat.

"How'd you do that? He stopped?" Charles was bewildered.

Simon removed the gag from Johnny's mouth and leaned in, planting a kiss on his lips. The angle was awkward, with Soap having to lean his head back as far as it would go, but damn he'd missed him. It was worth a crick in his neck. When Simon eventually leaned back to get some air, Soap's mouth caught up with him before his brain was really back online. "Those chaps assless?" He knew his smile was dopey, but he couldn't care less.

"All chaps are assless, Johnny." Right. He knew that. Totally. Shit Simon looked good. Who knew Soap was gonna develop a cowboy kink?

#ghostsoap #soapghost #ghoap #cod mw2 #call of duty #modern warfare #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #rdr2 #arthur morgan #albert mason #arthur/albert #rarepair #charles smith #fanfic #text post #fanfiction

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strangestcase · 6 months

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I’m trying to start reading gothic literature, but I don’t really know where to start. What books in the genre would you recommend?

Cracks knuckles.

Start off with a selection of Edgar Allan Poe short stories. There's a reason he's considered the best Gothic writer. Most if not all of his fiction falls squarely into the gothic genre, even his non-horror production. The more you read the better, but The Fall of the House of Usher is one of the best representatives of the Gothic you can find. Also check out his poetry and scientific essays, if you can, the guy was a real Renaissance man. He also wrote one novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, which, along with Lovecraft's In the Mountains of Madness and Cambell's Who goes there? aka The Thing From Another World constitutes some sort of "trilogy" (since each story was based on the one prior).

Then you can move on to other short story selections. Short stories are easier to read and digest, I think, and plenty of fun. I recommend the following authors:

J. Sheridan Le Fanu- Irish writer that took a page from Irish folklore and legends. Madam Crowl's Ghost is a favorite of mine.

R. Louis Stevenson- usually a children's author, Stevenson liked to merge genres and used pretty interesting concepts for his horror production.

Guy de Maupassant- he was commisioned to write, so he often recycled entire concepts and plots, leaving us with many different versions of the same story (and a lot of heavy-handed morals. god bless).

Charles Dickens- predictably enough, he specialized in ghost stories

M. R. James- James' short horror stories have some of the most interesting monster concepts I've ever read, from a haunted dollhouse that recreates the events of a real-life haunting, to a possessed pattern print.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer- little man puts the "Dark Romanticism" in, well, Dark Romanticism. If you know Spanish, do yourself a favor and read his short stories untranslated.

Elizabeth Gaskell- wrote plenty of good horror stories, and often from a female perspective, which is always a treat.

Bram Stoker- his stuff is very hit or miss, but when he hits, he hits hard. Read The Judge's House for a very nasty ghost story and then toss Stoker into the garbage because everything else he wrote is either comically racist or just dumb.

And now as for specific must-read short stories:

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman- maybe the true monster was medical misogyny all along! (Obvious content warning for graphic medical abuse, misogyny, and domestic abuse.)

What was it? by Fritz O'Brien- short story in the vein of "hey wouldnt it be fucked up if this happened?" Don't read if you have sleep paralysis.

The Open Door by Margaret Oliphant- a missing child, a mysterious door, and forces beyond human comprehension.

The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood- would you spend a full night in a haunted house? (Very paranoia inducing, it's such a treat.)

The Ghostly Rental by Henry James- in which the "ghosts" aren't actually ghosts, but something far, far weirder and cooler.

The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs- this tear-wrenching and suspenseful little tale will forever remind you to be careful what you wish for...

The gothic literature "classics", as in, full lenght novels and short novellas, can be a bit difficult to read due to length. My personal recommendations are:

Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley- a foundational text of science fiction with a nestled narrative frame and themes of personal and social responsability, bodily autonomy, and freedom. Young alchemist Victor Frankenstein attempts to blur the line between life and death, and unwittlingly sets off his downfall in the process by creating a humanoid creature he can't control and won't respond to. CW child death, death by axphysiation, incest, description of unsanitary environments.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R. Louis Stevenson- it is considered the first modern psychological horror story, and, while it's a mere sixty pages long, each and every one of them is packed with a dark revelation about tight-laced Victorian society. When his lifelong friend writes up a suspicious will leaving everything to a stranger, a lawyer decides to look into it, leading him down a spiral of discoveries all related to a disturbing experiment. CW suicide, graphic descriptions of violence, drug abuse.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan le Fanu- very much a classic vampire tale, with an interesting sapphic spin, in which the predatory lesbian trope bleeds, pun intended, into a twisted love story. Laura is a young girl who considers herself prim and proper, until the day the charming Carmilla stops by the family manor claiming to be her soulmate, sparking off a romance marked by a series of strange events. CW implied sexual assault, gore.

The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- I consider it an early attempt at daylight horror, and while the plot is mostly romantic drama (canonically bisexual romantic drama!), the descriptions make everything else worthwhile. Beautiful model Dorian Gray's life is changed when he befriends a cunning aristocrat, which prompts him to wish to remain young forever while his portrait ages in his place... and his wish is granted. CW extreme antisemitism, suicide, graphic descriptions of gore and violence.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James- a ghostly classic which is marked by its ambiguity and the opacity of its plot, all which make it all the more disturbing, if a little hard to follow at times. Bly Manor has appointed a new nanny to take care of a pair of twins, but soon enough, she finds out not all is well in the house, and a dark force might be preying on the children. CW implied incest, implied child abuse.

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen- technically an example of very early cosmic horror, sitting at the intersection between Poe and Lovecraft, and clearly influenced by late Victorian scientific advancements. Some particularly gruesome deaths lead a group of men to slowly uncover the past of a one Helen Vaughan, and nature of a procedure performed on her mother before her conception. CW implied child abuse, suicide, sexual harrassment, human experimentation, extreme intersexism.

And those would be it!

#doc talks #gothic fiction #gothic literature

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thenightling · 6 months

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The spelling of Yule is not "erasure."

The reason most English speaking countries call the holiday Yule instead of Jul is not a matter of cultural appropriation. It is not an attempt to disrespect the original Scandinavian languages. It is actually an attempt to preserve the original pronunciation in countries where the J does not sound the same. In German, for example, the J isn't "Jay" like it is in English. It's actually called a Yacht (how we, English speakers pronounce the yacht boat). Had we kept the J spelling in English language countries it's a hard reality that it would have eventually been pronounced as "Jewel" because that's how we pronounce the month July. It would be very difficult to get English speaking countries to accept the original spelling of Jul (Yule) now because we have terms like Yuletide and Yule log. We have actual seasonal merchandise, Christmas cards, and Carol lyrics that spell it Yule. And writing "Jul" in the US is easily mistaken as the month July. Pronounced very differently from the Norwegian / Danish / Swedish Jul. "We set off fireworks on Jul 4th"

Also Wicca was officially founded in the UK so the Wiccan spelling is Yule.

Someone made me bristle by comparing the "Yule" spelling to the English doing away with Gaelic words. Rest assured that the Norwegian spelling isn't disappearing in Norway, Denmark, or Sweden so it's very different from what happened in Ireland. And I think that comparison is very disrespectful. There were people who were severely punished just for speaking Gealic in public or teaching it to their children. No one is being discouraged or punished for using the original spelling of Jul / Yule. In this case it's not to erase a culture but just so people who don't pronounce J as "Yacht" understand how it's supposed to sound. Do you really want to hear Americans start pronouncing it the way we do the month of July? Because that would eventually happen. It's happened to a lot of other things like the name Jasmine. It's only pronounced the original way when spelt Yasmine here. Ironically if we had kept the original spelling THAT would have lead to the erasure because of how we commonly pronounce "J." The original pronunciation would be lost. It's very, very rare for any use of J to retain a "Yah" pronunciation in English speaking countries. It almost never happens.

We also don't spell Vlad the Impaler's name as Wladislauv Dragulya because we don't pronounce our Ws that way. To get the original Wallachian sound we need to spell it as Vladislaus Drakulya (or as Dracula the way an Irish man very famously did).

Also the original Nordic writing wasn't even using this alphabet. The early Nordic writing was Futhark runes so much like the Greek Hekate / Hecate none of us are using the original spelling of Jul / Yule. We're just acclimating for modern language and accents. It's VERY different from what happened to Gaelic and I am disgusted that someone felt the need to make that comparison.

I swear some people just look for reasons to be angry.

#Yule #Jul #Christmas #Wicca #Wiccan #Pagan #Neo Pagan

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oflights · 4 months

Text

top 10 books of 2023!!

thank you for tagging me, @elskanellis! i started drafting this right away, ran out of time to post it on 12/31, and am ~circling back now. i read 50 books in 2023, and these are my top 10 faves!

titles, brief #thoughts, etc. under the cut!

Himself, by Jess Kidd

this was so incredible and heart-wrenching and exciting to read. devastatingly beautiful/cheerful dirtbag lad busts into a small irish village to find out what happened to his mother, who was almost certainly murdered, and turns everything upside down. every character is so entertaining and funny and sharp, even the villains. the ending is incredible.

The Winners, by Fredrik Backman

i'd recommend this whole series, even if you don't care about hockey; it's so, so good and emotionally devastating. at its base, the series is about a hockey team in sweden, but really, this series belongs to the character of Benji Ovich, and it's a masterclass in building up a queer hero. it's unflinching in dealing with all that he goes through, and handles a lot of really difficult topics with deftness. the heart of his story, for me, is the question of what happens when you're in love with your best friend who is actually a despicable, evil person, and how can you ever forgive yourself for it?

The Iliad, translated by Emily Wilson

do i have to evangelize this one anymore? it's so fucking good. i've read it about 10 times at this point, i just couldn't bring myself to be finished with it. it's so refreshing and approachable and makes every single character leap off the page. it doesn't pull a single emotional punch (because homer doesn't! and wilson's like "don't look away!")

A Map for the Missing, by Belinda Huijuan Tang

this is one of those books that really comes together as a whole; i didn't know it was going to be a fave until i was finished with it. a chinese immigrant has to go back home to help search for his elderly father, who's gone missing. as he goes, every single thread of his past is tugged on and unravelled and the complexity and depth the narrative achieves is really astounding. the last few pages are an absolute gut-punch.

A Power Unbound, by Freya Marske

purely here for how it redeemed the entire series for me. i'm actually not a big romance person, though i did read more romance than ever this year; i just usually tend to get bored with the same sorts of romance tropes over and over (probably because that's what i read fic to get, not tradpub novels). this one doesn't do anything new or reinvent those tropes or anything, it's just really, really good and engaging and hot. the romance outshines the magic system/plot by far. i'd recommend the series overall, but this one has the best relationship in it AINEC.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett

why do i always like middle grade authors who pivot to adult books waaay more than YA authors who do the same? like how are they so much better? that's definitely the case here. this is really fun fairy book (i went through a fairy phase over the summer) and packed a surprising emotional punch and a really lovely romance. i think it helped that the main character have major howl and sophie vibes. i'm excited for the sequel to come out in a few weeks!

Slewfoot, by Brom

god this was absolutely horrifying and brutal and also incredible? i actually can't believe this is here because it lost me through some of the worst of the witch trial torture (it goes really hard on it, as a warning, and i almost stopped there. her poor cat :/ i can almost never handle it when a cat dies) but!! i'm glad i stuck through because of the ending, which is phenomenal and makes every other bit of it worth it. the mythology is terrific and terrifying, too.

Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan

possibly the best novella i've ever read? it just packs an incredible punch; it doesn't waste a single word, every square inch is a devastating look at the magdalene laundries and it doesn't hold back at all. so, so good.

Half a Soul, by Olivia Atwater

i'm so glad i discovered olivia atwater this year! this was during the Fairy Phase and it was just really fun and engaging. again, big howl and sophie vibes (this is such a high compliment from me) and i really love the second book in this series, too. it's just a really fun world to get lost in, and i'm excited to read more from this author this year.

He Who Drowned the World, by Shelley Parker-Chan

i had some problems with this, and i didn't love it as much as the first book, though i actually think most of those problems could've been solved with a third book and a longer runway. really wish this was a trilogy. that being said, this was still incredible. i loved every single narrative thread, there were zero emotional punches pulled, and i still think about these characters all the time. read this series if you haven't!!

#book talk #bookblr #2023 reads #book reviews #book recs #excited for 2024 already; i'm going back to 40 books lol #50 was too much pressure #40 is good because if i read more then it's just gravy!

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a-small-writer-in-a-big-world · 1 year

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God, this is gonna sound really stupid, but I've been thinking about this since I saw your Irish reader x 141... but like imagine all their reactions to well the queen of England's death... like I can just imagine the reader and soap drinking the night away singing songs and the other 3 pouting in the corner... sorry this is really fucking stupid I just think it would be fucking hilarious considering most of the 141 are brits.

(also love your work, always puts a smile on my face <3 )

Aww thank you ❤️

But yeah they were definitely not thrilled about her death

Luckily, or unluckily, for all of you, you were on leave when it happened

Everyone was home and recently caught up on the news since it was sometimes difficult to stay up to date on current times when you couldn't have your phones with you

You had gone home with Soap this time, not wanting to be alone because the past mission had been tiring and you were too used to having someone around. You weren’t sure if he felt the same but he was gracious enough to open his home to you.

You both were laying on the couch together, dozing in and out of naps while the TV was on in the background for noise.

Then the program cut out and you wet listening to the news announce that the Queen was dead, shocking you both out of your dazed states

“What?” You immediately picked up your phone and went searching, Soap doing the same before you both realized that it was the truth.

“She’s dead!” Soap screamed.

After that, you both texted the others to see if they heard then it got a little blurry. Drinks were poured and you both ended up wasting the entire rest of the day and the night drinking away at Soap’s house or at pubs with other celebratory patrons. Happy was an understatement.

The others were a little less happy than the two of you.

Price was upset because he worried about the fact that he might have to attend some sort of vigil or ceremony for the queen since he’s a captain.

He grumbled about how he, “hates politics,” and that he hoped no one but you two idiots messaged him the entire time the country went into a period of mourning

Gaz was mad because of the period of mourning. A lot of the places he went to closed their business for the entire ten days and he was stuck at home.

Ghost was so indifferent to it he didn’t even see the texts or any of the news announcements until a few days later. He had been in his own world until he needed to go somewhere and saw it was closed

They laughed at you and Soap though when they found out how hard you partied.

Just my thoughts on it. They may be military but Price has issues with authorities figures and Gaz is probably too young to actually care. Ghost just doesn’t care about stuff like that.

#simon ghost riley #captain john price #john soap mctavish #kyle gaz garrick #mw2 ghost #cod ghost #ghost mw2 #cod price #price mw2 #mw2 price #mw2 soap #soap mw2 #mw2 gaz #gaz mw2

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hearts4robs · 3 months

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Ahh thank you! I love match-ups! Can I ask for a Marauders Era male match pls

General info: Female. 24. Asexual. Irish. Brunette.Blue eyes.152cm. No piercings. No tattoos (although I'm half reluctantly saving for a big one to cover my thigh because I'd rather see some cool artwork than the stupid scars that I made 🙃)

Fav tropes: Angst. Bffs to lovers. Idiots in love. Secretly pining. Hurt/comfort. Misunderstandings.

Ideal type: A fictional man lol

Personality: INFJ. Reserved. Reclusive to an extent and I'm not sure if that's just my nature or if it's cuz of the former years of mental illness just socially stunted me 🙃 or smth. Optimist by choice (negativity comes natural to me so I always make myself look to the bright side of situations and people). Turn the other cheek is my motto in fact I am rather a pushover and find it very hard to say no to people. Will take the path of least resistance and do my best to keep the peace. Often become the mediator of family/friend disagreements. I love fall/winter, November is my fav month and I'm legit sad that it won't be back again for a whole year :( Hobbies include listening to music (love all music but the blues hit the best), embroidery, attempting to make my own clothes but its difficult, evening walks alone, reading (mostly Agatha Christie, Donna Tartt and H.G Wells, I love gothic fiction), watching TV, reading fics on Tumblr, shopping. I'm a tea drinker because caffeine doesn't mix well with me it amps up the heebie jeebies, plus spearmint tea is quite soothing

Ideal date: a casual comfortable tea date. Or getting take out drinks from a cafe and visiting the flea market or vintage stores and just wandering about. If its not a first date then movie or boardgame night. Or a like a book club date where just the two of you swap copies of your fav books all highlighted and annotated and talk about it. The best date ever would be a day trip on the British Pullman, authentic 1920s train carriage, everyone formally dressed in vintage attire, multiple course meal while journeying through the English countryside in a private carriage, then visiting the Canterbury Christmas Carols or old castle ruins or Oxford, bonus points if the trip is in November

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧: 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬

“Babe,” you say, unwrapping the crackling paper around the cinnamon roll in your hand. “Did you know that the Americans heat up their tea water in their microwave?”

Remus’ eyes flicker to your face, then back to the mugs in front of him while he stirred the tea spoon around.

“You’re kidding?” Remus mutters, eyebrows knitted together as he taps the spoon on the edge of the mug, making sure it doesn’t drip on the carpet as he put it down on a napkin.

“I’m not kidding, I saw it once.” You insist before taking a bite of the cinnamon roll. “I swear!” You continue, mouth now full of tasty, spongy cinnamon roll.

“Fucking American’s.” Remus mutters in disapproval, fighting a smile as he sips his tea, leaning back against the foot of his bed.

You snort out a chuckle as you grab the mug Remus had prepared for you, washing down the tasty dessert with tea. “Ye don’t say.”

Headcanons:

Remus has a small embroidery kit in his bag, just in case you get bored or need a distraction from anything.

On the first date, Remus took you with him to a book shop in mid November. You shared a scarf, a thermal mug filled with tea and browsed books for hours. Now it’s a monthly thing. (Happens at least twice in November, just because he knows about you and November).

Remus asked James for relationship advice at first and it set back the relationship by a fucking month because Remus didn’t know how to execute whatever James wanted him to do.

Remus gets really dry lips in the winter, and when you insisted on buying him vaseline, he felt so offended he got all sassy about it.

I promise i don’t hate Americans, I just don’t get why you guys don’t just use a kettle?😭🙏

#★ robins events ★#★ robins match up event! ★#remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #marauders x reader

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oh2e · 5 months

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Since you’ve posted extensively about James Barry - I would love to know if you have any idea of how he represented his nationality while in the military.

He was said to have claimed London as his birthplace during his student years and identified as English in his thesis. However, I haven't come across any such details about his later years. Considering he was known to give varying birth years, I wonder if his claims about his origins shifted too.

There's obviously also the letter to his brother John (1808 I think), where he mentioned the honour of dying for one's country and his own desire to join the military. This could be sarcastic given the family's problems, but it might also suggest he was patriotic-ish towards a British identity.

As we know Regency - early Victorian wasn’t a very good time to be proudly Irish among the UK ruling class. He also lived through the Irish Potato Famine, which makes his stance even more intriguing. Did he conceal his Irish Catholic background throughout his life? What about his accent? Moving to England in his teens, he could have adopted a new accent, which wouldn’t be too difficult with determination I guess.

As a side note, apparently his father Jeremiah was eventually deported to Australia, tearing the family further apart. 🥲

This is such a good question! And something I’m really interested in learning more about.

My current theory is that Barry didn’t obviously identify as Irish in public. Ireland and Britain were merged in 1801 to become The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, though obviously England had been ruling Ireland long before that. Therefore Barry would’ve grown up in Ireland possibly already considering himself British. Historically there hasn’t been such a divide with being both (making that important distinction between being British and being English), much like how many Scottish people today are happy to consider themselves British also. Barry is often described as being Scotch in countenance and having studied in Scotland I wonder if he did let people assume he was Scottish rather than Irish. The accents aren’t too dissimilar to an ignorant ear and that would also allow him to get away with the odd word as Gaeilge in a way identifying himself as english wouldn’t. I know he gave his place of birth as London at some point but there is nothing to say he didn’t tell people his family were Scottish, or even Irish though I doubt it.

The thing about mentioning dying for one’s country, many Irish people died in World War I because they signed up to fight for Britain. Many. Ireland in 1914 was in a similar place to Ireland in 1801 regarding Britain’s rule, just the other way around. A lot of people regarded the war as their chance to fight for their country - yes even if they were proudly Irish they felt this was their fight too. (Not everyone obviously otherwise the Rising wouldn’t’ve happened but a not insignificant number of Irish people did go off to fight for Britain because they felt it was their duty.)

Ah the thing about the Great Famine (1845-1852) is that Barry was far far away at that point. I’m not sure how much he would’ve known about it and most (all) of what he did know would most likely have been from English newspapers, which we know are not necessarily fair on Ireland even today. However Barry was also born within living memory of an earlier famine (1740). James Barry RA was born in 1741, right at the tail end of that famine, and so Mary Anne Barry was probably not far behind him. I think there was 5 children in the family? Not many so they probably weren’t born too far apart. From my quick google to check when James Barry RA was born it also says his father (Dr Barry’s grandfather) was a coasting trader between England and Ireland.

Barry is sometimes claimed to be the child/grandchild of Lord Buchan, a Scottish Earl, and I wonder if his accent played into that. I could be wrong but James Barry RA’s insistence to be extra kind to his fellow Irish makes me think that although he lived most of his adult life in England he didn’t lose anything from home, probably including his accent. Barry MD may possibly have picked up an English accent when he was over there or he may have not. Which brings me back to my previous point of him passing himself off as Scottish. (Side note: while some people can pick up and drop accents at the top of a hat, I was raised in Ireland to parents with English accents and I never got an Irish accent. Maybe this is why I never see Barry as having lost his accent.)

Regarding Barry’s Catholicism - I’ve read very little but considering he spent most of his life abroad I am inclined to think that there would only have been one or maybe two Christian churches in the area that people attended regardless of their specific denomination. In South Africa this would’ve been a Dutch church, most likely the Dutch Reformed Church. Though of course it wouldn’t surprise me if the Church of England commandeered the Dutch Reformed Church buildings and made them C of E. Either way, I doubt Barry was proudly Catholic, not when working for the British Army.

I think I did know Jeremiah got deported but by all accounts it wasn’t much of a loss considering Mary Anne had been ignoring his correspondence, Barry had become Barry and therefore was not corresponding to anyone from home and John was in the military. It’s possible, considering the places James and John went, that they were actually closer to Jeremiah in Australia than they had been to Jeremiah in Cork.

I’m really interested in researching Barry’s Irish nationality, his Catholicism and also his knowledge of the Irish language, which at that point in time was about equally known as English was in Ireland. Especially in towns and cities and a lot of people could understand both even if they couldn’t speak both. It’s an angle that doesn’t often get considered - I presume because Barry moved to London, trained in Edinburgh and worked with the British army in British colonies - but it’s doubtful to be something that can be overlooked easily especially at the time.

I’m not unhappy when I see older pieces describe Barry as British because technically he was, but I feel that regardless of his own feelings towards being Irish or British, it is neglectful to call him British now. Ireland struggles to claim our notable people because Britain likes to get their claws in, whether because they moved to the UK, ignorance, or something else. And the fact that most historical notable people were Anglo-Irish doesn’t help but the fact that James Barry RA is *always* referred to as Irish and makes me determined to refer to Barry MD as Irish at any given opportunity.

At the end of all that - I know very little. Most of what I’ve said there is pure speculation and theorising from what we do know. I don’t know a lot about being Irish in the British army in the 19th century. I don’t know about religion in South Africa at the time. I don’t know about the opinions regarding being born Irish and British. I don’t know how Barry felt about the Great Famine. I don’t know if he was a staunch Catholic or if he…converted to being Anglican. I don’t know if he spoke Irish. I don’t know if he even wanted to be considered Irish. I don’t know and while some of that is things I can learn, a lot of it is not. I enjoy talking about it and I want to learn more.

#also this was near completely unresearched at all because I wrote it on my 40 minute commute to work on the underground #I do have a post about Barry and the Irish lanaguge if you want. it’s somewhere out there or dm me and I’ll track it down and send the link #also. I’m working on a page hosted by neocities about barry and these are all things I really want to discuss and learn more about #so if you’re interested in Barry please do stick around I am thinking about him a lot #my own post #ask #dr james barry

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glorious-mysteries · 2 months

Text

In my Irish Fiction class, we read a book called Milkman. It's set in Belfast, in the late 1970s, and is about an eighteen-year-old girl who is being stalked by a local paramilitary known only as Milkman. The narrator is telling her story 20 years after the fact, and reflects on not having the language to describe what was happening to her at the time:

At the time, age eighteen, having been brought up in hair-trigger society where the ground rules were—if no physically violent touch was being laid upon you, and no outright verbal insults were being levelled at you, and no taunting looks in the vicinity either, then nothing was happening, so how could you be under attack from something that wasn’t there? At eighteen I had no proper understanding of encroachment.

Our professor told us to start the book early, as the prose is dense and students have found it difficult in the past. On the day before we were supposed to have it read, I stayed in at school for an evening class. On my way there, I came across a girl the in the Irish course, in the year below me, with her copy of Milkman open on her lap. She was still in the first half.

"How are you finding it?" I asked her.

She said it was difficult, but that she was enjoying it. She said the descriptions of the protagonist's psychological deterioration resonated with her, as she herself had been stalked earlier this year.

I shouldn't have asked about it, but I did. I was surprised. I asked her if it was someone at the university, and then immediately said I was sorry, because, really, who would want to disclose the details of their being stalked to an acquaintance. She said it was okay, but that she wasn't going to answer me. I went to class and tried to forget about the whole thing.

A few weeks later, I was sitting with some people in our department's student lounge, discussing the works we had read for that course. They were all heavy, but we all agreed that Milkman was the darkest. One guy said that he was afraid that the book would end with the protagonist surrendering to Milkman's attempts to coerce her into an affair, but that he was glad that it didn't. Not as dark as it could have been, in other words. This seemed to me a correct assessment, so didn't think much more of it before we all dispersed for the day.

The next afternoon, we were in a communications class. We have been discussing democratic discourse and demagogic discourse; rhetorics of civility and incivility. That day we were discussing when and how incivility crosses the line into verbal abuse. Before giving us information on the rhetoric of abuse, our professor asked us to define the word for ourselves. What do we think "abuse" is? Then she asked if anyone would share their answers. The guy who the previous day had expressed relief that the protagonist of Milkman had thrown off her stalker gave a long, convoluted definition of "abuse" that hit a lot of contemporary leftist talking points. Nothing he said was incorrect, and I didn't disagree with him, but I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. It is well-known that this guy is, by his own repeated admission, "really into leftist politics" and that he seems to use these as a front to say inappropriate things to his female classmates.

That night, some of us from the department go to some clubs downtown. I am reminded of the club scenes in Milkman, which feature poisonings and attempted shootings, and which were some of my favourites in the book. As we are talking, the name of the wannabe-leftist comes up. He said something weird to one of our friends--no surprise there. We talk about how we're glad we'll be rid of him soon. I guess we forgot about the presence of our one-year-younger acquaintance, who will be staying on behind with him after we graduate (wannabe-leftist is older than us, but has been lingering in our department for years and years). I notice that younger acquaintance doesn't look quite well, and against my better judgement, I ask what's wrong.

"Remember when we were reading Milkman, and I told you that I was stalked?"

It takes us a moment, but we all gasp. We knew he made us uncomfortable, but we didn't realize it was as bad as this. Younger acquaintance tells us about how she didn't have the words to describe what was happening to her. How being polite didn't work. How she finds it hard not to be polite. How eventually he "got the message." How she felt mean delivering it. We swear that we'll have her back--that we'll all have each other's backs--from now on.

I think of how much has changed since the 1970s, and how much hasn't. Men like this are the same, no matter what political climate they're in. Encroachment is easier now. How different our lives are from a fictional eighteen-year-old's during the Troubles, and how similar.

#these last few weeks have been insane with work and preperations for end of term exams and events and graduations #but i have also been constantly ruminating on this. i have to get it out there.#perturbing experiences in my last weeks of university

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irelandseyeonmythology · 1 year

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Dia duit! Do you happen to know of any other blogs about Irish culture and language that aren't racist about it?

Dia is Muire Duit!

Embarrassingly, I don’t interact with all that many other people who do this sort of thing, mainly for 3 reasons:

(1) Professional distancing -- Small field, everyone knows each other, which means that if I find anyone or anyone finds me, there’s a not-small chance that we know one another IRL. There’s a reason my palms get a little sweaty when I think about new people coming into Tumblr, and a solid portion of that’s that I don’t want....too much attention on what I do here and, especially, not on my main. (Which I know is the equivalent of holding up a meat stick to a bunch of dogs and going “DO YOU WANT THE MEAT STICK?”) I can’t really vent about my department on main anymore simply because, even though names aren’t attached to things, it’s ridiculously easy to narrow me down if you know what to do. I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong, but there’s a difference between Me On Here VS Me in a Professional Context, and it’s been difficult to try to make that sort of...shift from being a shitposting teenager to suddenly being an Academic™. (But also, I don’t want people to think I’m unapproachable, either -- rule of thumb is “Mutually Assured Destruction.” You know I’m on Tumblr, I know you’re on Tumblr, and we both never mention it.)

(2) Wanting to distance myself a little from what I do Every Day -- Posting on here and interacting with people who are willing to seek me out on here is fine, I like that, I enjoy doing it, I enjoy everyone who follows me, but it’s much more on my terms here. (Hence the inconsistent posting schedule.) When I was younger, before this was my job, I could be around it constantly, and it was a lot of fun, but now it’s like....it’s a Lot, now that it’s my actual life. I check in on the Irish Mythology tag every once in a while, but I can’t really follow it like I used to just because it’s this constant state of *engagement* for me, in a way that, say, French musicals that three people in the world like don’t have.

Brain tired, brain needs nappy.

(3) I’ve seen some people on here, when I’ve looked into blogs to follow be....well. Bitches. Especially re: Americans taking this on and, as an American myself who is very serious about my line of work, it does. Rather sting. (I have a lot of complex opinions on the whole business that I won’t get into now, but the tldr is that I get why people can be hesitant, especially with the borderline fetishization of Ireland in the States but, at the same time, the effect is often scaring people who have a genuine interest in this sort of thing away and, when it comes to an endangered language....the more people we have taking the time to learn it, the better.) (But also, if you imply that my degree, which I got from an *Irish* uni is worthless, the claws will come out. I made a lot of sacrifices for that....glorious....piece of poster board in Latin.)

BUT. BUT.

I do have a few. I want to emphasize that these aren’t all the Good People who do Irish Things on Tumblr, these are just the ones, off the top of my head, I can think of.

@trans-cuchulainn Excellent resource on the Ulster Cycle, A+ shitposts

@finnlongman Another Ulster Cycle specialist

@ad-ciu A former colleague and friend of mine, one of the only human beings in the world I trust with Mythological Cycle content. Not on as much these days because they’re doing things like “schoolwork” and “having a life” and “getting a PhD”, but genuinely a wonderful person to follow so you can catch when they do post.

@amylouioc Wonderful artwork inspired by medieval Irish lit, explicitly anti-racist, multicultural Tuatha Dé, Nuada is a snacc.

@forfeda-project Another A+ art blog, am considering getting their pub shirt for Fled Bricrenn to wear at conferences.

@bloctg4 Shitposts in the Irish language, brought to you by Ireland’s own Irish-speaking TV station (or, rather, an intern at said TV station.)

Just want to emphasize -- I definitely don’t believe these are the only non-racist Irish themed blogs on Tumblr, these are just the ones that came to mind, especially since these days I’m the social media equivalent of a hag hanging out in a little cave, sometimes poking my head out to drop a shitpost before returning, shaking my head and muttering.

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the---hermit · 2 years

Text

19|10|2022

Today I decided to rest again. I should start planning my thesis presentation for my graduation, but I also need some rest. So today I really tried to treat myself by reading a lot and just doing what I felt like doing. I am having ups and downs with my anxiety, I thunk it's mainly due to all the stress accumulated in these past months, but hopefully a bit of rest will help.

Productive things I did today:

read a lot (both physical book and audiobook)

did a couple of inktober doodles since in these past days I haven't really done that

practiced Irish on duolingo

Self care things I did today:

took the day off and relaxed

read first thing in the morning

payed attention to drinking enough water (if I am not at my desk with my glass of water in front of me I tend to drink less, so I am doing my best to drink a lot even on my days off)

made myself banana pancakes (I wanted to do this for weeks and it was amazing)

continued watching the second season of Deadend Paranormal Park

Tranquil's studying challenge// day 6

Do you find yourself procrastinating? What are you procrastinating right now? Be honest haha

I just talked about procrastination in a ask I was sent. I personally do not find myself procrastinating because it triggers my anxiety. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it can happen, but I usually avoid it, especially if we are talking about difficult and challenging tasks. Having that weight on my mind drains me and as I was mentioning it triggers my anxiety terribly. So my philosophy in life is to do everything as soon as I can. The more challenging the task the quicker I want to get it out of my to do list. Clearly I am a human being so there's things in life I procrastinate, at the moment the thing that I have been procrastinated the longest has been coming out to my family. That is something I want t get off my personal to do list, and even though I know it will probably be fine once I do it, I have yet to find the courge to do it.

📖: Bunny by Mona Awad, The Wolf And The Woodsman by Ava Reid

#studyblr #studyinspo #uniblr #productivity #self care #food #pancakes #tranquilfallbuddies #book #journal #notebook #studying #bookblr #currently reading #myhoneststudyblr #serendistudy #journaling #mine #the---hermit

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