I've learned through activism and my educational background in Women's Studies that power is power. It can corrupt anyone in spite of themselves. Women are not immune to such corruption. Women's movements can be just as destructive as they are constructive especially when used to disguise bigotry and pure hate. This concept is not new and it was the foundation for the third wave of feminism. It is troubling to me at how shocked and appalled the reactions by the general public continue to be whenever women are exposed as central to hate speech and bigotry. Accountability should always be the standard in any movement. Women continue to oppress other women by weaponizing feminism.

"While the organization is new, its politics are anything but. The mobilization of right-wing women, particularly mothers on a mission to protect children by battling educators and school boards, has been central to conservative politics in the US for much of the past century. And while schools might be the focal point of their activism, groups like Moms for Liberty aren’t composed primarily of education activists concerned with “parental rights.” They also have to be understood as a core part of a broader and longstanding reactionary movement centered on restoring traditional hierarchies of race, gender and sexuality — a movement in which conservative mothers have always played a particularly powerful role."

"Though none doubted that Aegon Targaryen was the final authority in all matters relating to the governance of the realm" is an intriguing line, especially when it's promptly followed by explaining how much autonomy and political strength the Queens had.

I think part of of what makes it interesting, is that it is definitely true on some level, but why is it true and to what extent is it true... that's what is interesting? I'm not sure how to explain it, but I think it's incorrect to think that the "historian's" bias only leads to omissions of truth and additions of falsehoods. Here I feel like, there's overall weight given to this statement that comes from the bias.

Because the book pretty often seems to show that they pretty much act in lock step with each other (to the point where it seems like, while Rhaenys is alive anyway, they don't appear to publicly argue), the Queens also sit on the iron throne, which is literally the symbol of power and authority over the land. Visenya is later able to publicly browbeat him and force him to concede when creating the Kingsguard. These things imply a level of political power.

But that's not me saying that Aegon isn't the voice of final authority and power, he very clearly is, just by the nature of him being declared the King. But that's clearly a position his wives put him in, when they landed on the hill, Visenya crowned Aegon and Rhaenys dubbed him King and shield of the people. Aegon is the king, but his sisters are kingmaker, which is a position of authority... except that role gets officially handed over to the Faith. The day the Faith crowns Aegon is the date his reign officially starts which is interesting because it grants the Faith the power to legitimize Aegon's reign over his wives. But even so, his wives sit the throne, the dragon banner is a three headed dragon and Aegon builds his city on the site where he was first crowned by his wives, not in Oldtown.

I guess what I'm saying is that there's an interesting tension here between Aegon, his wives, and the faith, and each group's level of power and authority. And the "historian" doesn't seem to want to interrogate it or question it because it fits neatly enough into his worldview that anything that doesn't can be easily handwaved away as an oddity.

It feels like all three of these groups have power. But Visenya and Rhaenys used that power to grant Aegon authority and maybe they would have been seen by history has having authority as kingmakers as well, but the act of the Faith crowning Aegon being the "official" crowning, means that the Faith gets the authority of acting as Kingmaker. The Faith and Aegon grant authority to each other in a way that leaves out Visenya and Rhaenys (quite literally since they weren't even at his "official" crowning).

begging women to learn what ‘empowerment’ means………

1963 Refrigerator 🤔

i do unironically think the best artists of our generation are posting to get 20 notes and 3 reblogs btw. that fanfic with like 45 kudos is some of the best stuff ever written. those OCs you carry around have some of the richest backstories and worldbuilding someone has ever seen. please do not think that reaching only a few people when you post means your art isn't worth celebrating.

mmm soob

Selfshippers who ship with weird/unappealing characters. I love you. Like hell yeah you go get with Mr Crocker. Go get with lord faarquad

iceland is threatening to pull out of eurovision unless israel is removed... please g-d let them blacklist israel that would be so huge

inspired by the scariest words my dm has ever said to me and the subsequent coolest (AND SCARIEST) scene of my life

Lord of the Rings fanart! I watched for the first time recently and loved it

🙃 Regular reminder that while Hozier has amazing love songs, he is ALSO very outspoken about his leftist politics, specifically anti-fascism, anti-racism, reproductive rights, Palestinian rights and more.

Take Me To Church and Foreigner’s God are scathing critiques of organized religion, specifically the Catholic Church and the colonization of Ireland.

Moment’s Silence is about oral sex but it’s ALSO about how that specific sexual act is often distorted to a show of power rather than that of love.

Nina Cried Power is an homage to various (mostly Black) civil rights activists from the US and Ireland and a call to follow their path.

Be criticizes anti-migrant policies and Trump and his ilk.

Jackboot Jump is about the global wave of fascism and about protest and resistance.

Swan Upon Leda is about reproductive rights and the violent colonial oppression of Ireland and Palestine.

Eat Your Young is about the ruinous way the 1%/capitalism and arms dealers prioritize short-term profit over everything else to the detriment of the youth/99%

Butchered Tongue is about Irish and other indigenous languages being suppressed and erased by imperial powers.

If any of the above surprised you, please, please delve deeper into Hozier’s music, you’re missing such an important part of his work.

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

[ID: A poem titled: Kupu rere kē. [in italics] My friend was advised to italicise all the foreign words in her poems. This advice came from a well-meaning woman with NZ poetry on her business card and an English accent in her mouth. I have been thinking about this advice. The convention of italicising words from other languages clarifies that some words are imported: it ensures readers can tell the difference between a foreign language and the language of home. I have been thinking about this advice. Marking the foreign words is also a kindness: every potential reader is reassured that although you're expected to understand the rest of the text, it's fine to consult a dictionary or native speaker for help with the italics. I have been thinking about this advice. Because I am a contrary person, at first I was outraged — but after a while I could see she had a point: when the foreign words are camouflaged in plain type you can forget how they came to be there, out of place, in the first place. I have been thinking about this advice and I have decided to follow it. Now all of my readers will be able to remember which words truly belong in -[end italics]- Aotearoa -[italics]- and which do not.

Next image is the futurama meme: to shreds you say...]

(Image ID by @bisexualshakespeare)

Niffty’s new hobby

we have to stop letting the usa have such control/influence over international politics

if there's one thing this last episode has affirmed for me about Alastor it's that he FUCKING HATES being reminded that he's not the most powerful creature in hell.

Like, he hates being ignored by Carmilla when she says she doesn't care why he was gone

He hates Lucifer ON SIGHT

He threatens to KILL Husk when he dares to mention that Alastor is working for someone more powerful than him

and now this.

Alastor freaking out because he almost died. Something almost killed him. He can fucking die. There is something more powerful than him out there. And it's not something he can ignore or brush off because it almost killed him.

Alastor hates the reminder that he's not as powerful as he tells people he is. He isn't indestructible, he isn't invincible. And he fucking hates that.