#I agree that the issue they raised is very real in UK

[shut-up-rabert]

I wanted to know a bit about the whole Uttarakhand incident and I was reading the article that firstpost released and... Inhe kya hogya?? They literally wrote "love jihad is something that was made up by the right wing party" and basically the whole article was very left wing, I was very surprised.

I guess I should have specified I meant their YT when I recommended them💀 Palki Sharma has done her part in making the videos more rational, but the papers itself? Yeah, it was involved in the Greta Thunberg toolkit drama, hence why I wrote 'surprisingly' firstpost.

I more or less recommended it in lieu of recommending Wion and HT, which feels to me that it leans right (yt wise, atleast) so there's that.

#asks #anon bhai ki asks #Maybe I should write about Uttarakhand aswell #Its a rather messy situation #The group involved feels like it is inherently extreme right and have done some serious damage by threatening and marking and all #I agree that the issue they raised is very real in UK #But taking law in your own hands is just scary and agitating given how RW organisations tend to do this often #Government kanche khelne ke liye bithai hai?

[hussyknee]

do u really not see the difference btwn writing fanfic on the internet and buying a game whose storyline is actively being written by white supremacists and having the money go directly into the pocket of the most vocal & influential terf in the UK? that's not even touching all of the other racist and offensive bs in her series inc her antisemitism, appropriating first nations cultures, her asian racism, etc? i guess thats why you dont have 'antisemitics dni' on your blog

First, let me be clear – I do not give one single shit about Harry Potter. They are the best memories of my extremely shitty adolescence, I still read fanfic from time to time, but other than that, if I never hear the word "Harry Potter" again it will be too soon. I care about the fact that you clowns are

encouraging bullies and endangering mentally ill marginalized fans

leeching the air from leftist and queer discourse

fuelling a Western culture war that distracts from combating systemic transphobia

making suffering Black and brown communities, who mostly see white and Western trans people, think that trans people don't have any real problems beyond video games

Now, on to your ask:

I said never said not buying the game was the same as writing fanfic on the internet. I said that the furor over buying the game is leading to everyone who had anything to do with Harry Potter, including just writing fanfic, being bullied. I've had to unfollow so many people for reblogging posts attacking people for being in the *fandom*.

Asking people to refrain from doing something to prove that they care, especially demanding that they don't, has never in the history of activism worked. Black people have been speaking out against copaganda shows forever and STILL get harrassed. Indigenous people have been asking people to boycott Avatar and gotten nothing. Some people comply, but more do the thing simply out of contrarianism, and the entire issue becomes a culture war divided along political affiliation. People on the right go out of their way to do the thing, the people on the center and center-left won't really care, and people who identify as leftist divorce themselves even more from the rest of the left as being no better than the right, which eventually devastating results when it comes to actual elections and agitating for political change.

What works a lot better is harm reduction. Pirating is harm reduction, asking the HP fandom to offset JKR's fuckery by making their own merch, promoting indie games and donating to trans healthcare funds is harm reduction. People won't stand for being policed, but they like giving and also not paying for stuff with a clear conscience. You would have raised so much fucking money and promoted so many different things in all this time you've spent giving the game negative engagement clicks and keeping it trending on social media so long after its release.

You keep insisting that people shouldn't be fans because JKR equals her fandom with her own influence. This is called buying into the right-wing narrative. The woman is delusional (I can't think of a non-ableist word atm, and I honestly think that she's not all stable) and you're enabling her and her terf cult. We created the online HP fandom ourselves back in the aughts, before there was any merch, before movie rights were ever sold to WB, a full decade before her advertising machine ever woke up to the fact that an internet fandom existed. JKR has lost relevance for HP fans a long time ago; imagine the slap in the face for her if the fandom starts countering her bigotry by very prominently engaging in trans activism? The JKR terf cult in the HP fandom are a minority, like TERFs themselves (they're only so loud because the right-wing promotes the shit out of them). The vast majority of fans are just the kind of vaguely well-meaning cis people who don't agree with transphobes but are pretty ignorant about trans issues. And I do mean the vast majority, because literally a billion people grew up on her books and only a bare fraction is on social media at all, and even fewer even see the leftist drive to boycott the franchise.

Let's talk demographics. Because of the aforementioned vastness of consumers, the majority of HP fans are cis het, abled, neurotypical Millennials. Because of the way internet penetration works, the majority of HP fans online and even in fandom are white or Western. Leftist spaces mostly attract young and marginalized people, and transformative fandom is full of neurodivergent women and queer people. Which means the majority of people you're reaching are young queer neurodivergent people who have limited economic power themselves. And the people most vulnerable to and impacted by policing and harrassment are trans, Black and brown, Jewish, mentally ill, poor. Do you see the problem? You're policing the very bottom rungs of the socio-economic ladder on the off-chance of maybe influencing a privileged few who might give a damn.

This is literally why we say that boycotts, especially over social media, don't fucking work. Firstly because they penalize the most disenfranchised consumers, it's hard to reach enough people to even explain why they matter, it's hard to keep up with the constant discourse and changing information, and it relies entirely on performance. Someone can stay quiet or nod along furiously to whatever you're saying and then just...go out and buy the thing. Social censure doesn't work when you have the option of not having to face the consequences. Contrary to hellsite opinion, the Fantastic Beasts franchise died because it sucked, and Harry Potter is dying because it's fading from relevance and JKR is being an embarrassment. The wider market doesn't even know y'all exist.

As for the game being racist and antisemitic...you come on my blog, a South Asian who has been in fandom for twenty years, and try to tell me about racism in media???? NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF ALL MEDIA IS RACIST AND ANTISEMITIC YOU ABSOLUTE CLOWN. I'm from South Asia, our children grow up on books written by colonizers! LORD OF THE RINGS is white supremacy! NARNIA is white supremacy! Disney and Marvel is one of the biggest figures in US military industrial complex that razed the Middle East to the ground. It's so ubiquitous that we have to accept the racism and white supremacy as a matter of course to engage with any Western media! And even then fandom is so racist it's hard to even exist in it! We get run out of it when we try to talk about it. You suck on white supremacy every single day you live like it's your Mum's teat! Do you know what it's like to hear whiteys ranting that people who consume this one game they hate are being antisemitic and racist??? While still fawning??? Over cop shows???? And Disney???? And sending Black people??? Death threats??? Over a game???

I don't say "anti-Semites DNI" for the same reason I don't say "racists DNI". Nobody identifies as a racist or antisemite, that's not how systemic oppression works. Radfem and Zionist and Communist are political identities. Radical feminism is underpinned by transphobia and racism, Zionism is currently entrenched in Palestine occupation, Western communists refuse to acknowledge USSR and Global South genocides. See how that works?

Bitch, you didn't just come at me about JKR's indigenous cultural appropriation when I was among the few who were trying to discourage people from supporting Fantastic Beasts back in 2016 and literally got flamed for it. You people did not give a single shit about Natives back then, and you don't give one now. Just like you don't actually care about Jews and never did. I literally never heard about why and how openly alt-right people keep getting this kind of power and position in the gaming industry. Conversations about antisemitism in gaming and antisemitic tropes in entertainment haven't gotten this much traction. No wider revelations about how entertainment media directly funding and promoting social harms. But sure, it's about antisemitism and racism and has absolutely nothing to do with a mess of white queers realizing they can weaponize it like a cudgel against anyone they believe are against them. We know you whites. You care about excuses to take the moral high ground without having to do any self-interrogation or cost to yourself.

Finally, to give y'all one example of where the current discourse around this stupid shit is at:

Fuck you.

#harry potter #fuck jkr #transphobia #antisemitism #racism #fantastic beasts #western leftists #white privilege #white people #imperialism #knee of huss

[v-arbellanaris]

Your da meta is amazing and very eye opening. All about Justina/magic/chantry really got me. And I had a thought, this belief that mages are devil like figures/are always vunerable to demons stems from the Chantry. I get it. But why the qunari believe the same thing? (The Qunari - Saarebas codex) It bugs me that people of a completely different culture with no previous contact to the Chantry went to same conclusion. They only conquered Par Vollen during 6th age. Part 1/2

2/3 During the Exalted Marched they lost possibly because of lack of magic on their side. Is it possible that they created Saarebas later? Also I always wondered if Tamasarans are not simply lying about many things just so people they raise follow orders. Like -magic must be tightly controled because its a tool of war (they borrow a chantry tale to justify it), Or: metal and swords are precious resource (lets tell soldiers that its their soul they cannot loose) Or sell, to make the thought of

3/3 becoming a Tal Vashoth mercenary so much unthinkable. They also lost the tome of Koslun in 7th age so they have to make up new wisdom instead of following it by the book? Not to mention the cutting out the tounges thing. Because mouth-sewing is even more of a nonsense. I mean, how would they eat? Did Koslun really write all of this? Wasn't he a philosopher and a poet?(qun being based a bit of plato's republic)Sorry this is so chaotic. Qunari-magic lore is giving me a headache. Any thoughts?

hello! thank you so much, i'm glad you're liking my meta!!!

it's not chaotic at all! i definitely get what you mean. this is gonna get a bit long so im going to tuck most of this under a cut!

from an outside perspective, i think the qunari are intended to draw a lot of parallels to the ottoman empire (especially pertinent considering real world templars), except there is - perhaps unsurprising, considering how much of qunari canon is established during da2, and world events that were happening on the time e.g. bush's war on terror etc - a lot of inherently islamophobic tropes built into bioware's conceptualisation of the qunari, which they later tried to backtrack on in DAI to some extent. but islamophobia is endemic to bioware's concept of the qun and qunari, and the reason that's so important to establish and understand is because it sheds light on what they intended the qun to represent. there was (and still is, in many circles) arguments around how things like sharia law and islam-majority countries are "backwards" and "barbaric" on many different issues, which are often used 1) to justify discriminatory laws, invasions, wars, political assassinations etc (by conflating islam with extremism etc) and 2) to detract from how the same problems also still exist in the west and are not "solved" or "over" by any means. homophobia, sexism, ableism, transphobia, anti-migrant sentiments, anti-native sentiments, antisemitic attitudes, antiblackness, colourism, fatphobia, etc are as present in countries like the u.s., the uk, as anywhere else, even if its dressed up differently. so understanding that sort of explains why bioware did what they did with the qunari - the qunari exist as a narrative tool to tell you: it could be worse. sure, the chantry locks up their mages in the circle - but it could be worse! they could sew their mouths shut and lead the mages around on a leash. sure, the templars kill civilians seeming to aid mages - but it could be worse! the ben-hassrath exist. etc etc. the qunari exist as an ideological bogeyman; the islamophobic and orientalist tropes it draws on reflect the time most of this canon was written in, and are therefore essential to the narrative purpose the qun is supposed to embody, as far as bioware is concerned.

i do agree the way bioware written them is just… very aggravating. i think essentially, you can play it a lot of different ways, including the way you've suggested, though i would need to think through the potential implications more considering the tropes & cultures the qunari draw on, to make sure im not feeding into the racist & islamophobic narrative that bioware uses for them since at this point, the parallels can't be avoided unless you're writing the qunari from scratch. for example, in your above suggestion, my immediate thought was abt the tome of koslun. the tome of koslun's contents may be based on plato, but the reverence it's treated with and the general... everything else about it reminds me of the qur'an. the qur'an can be memorised & recited from memory by people (google tahfeez for an explanation, but most muslims know a handful of the shorter chapters) and a lot of care is taken when copying the qur'an; copies of the qur'an are supposed to be identical, and those that are not cannot be used for recitation. so i would hesitate to say that the qunari simply made up a bunch stuff and claimed it was from the tome of koslun, because it's a big religious taboo to do similar things with the qur'an.

and there's actually a fantastic thing here, which i've reblogged before, suggesting a rewrite for the qunari which is written by a muslim, which ive always liked! and it's certainly more thought through than anything i've got atm lol

like ive been tossing up a few ideas myself, to try and... rather than rewrite the qunari, to reframe them. i think da2 offers a lot of opportunities to go "well varric lied" and i admit, im not above taking advantage of the narrative style to suit my own purposes. like of course there's all this weird islamophobic bullshit with the qunari; varric is talking to cassandra, the right hand of the divine. ofc he's going to appeal to stereotypes the chantry has about the qun in his story. i'm still trying to piece together how i would do that, though, and where/why i would make changes.

specifically wrt to the saarebas, i had wondered whether i could make it something they do specifically to thedosian mages - tevinter mages caught in battle with seheron, for example. bull, after all, makes it a point to note that qunari can also be elven or human or even dwarven, but in da2, every saarebas we see is as non-human as the arishok. southern mages (circle mages at least) go their entire lives terrified of who and what they are, which makes them dangerous to themselves and also to others, because they're more susceptible to demonic influences (which! not true! but i think it would be interesting to have the argument from the qunari that the circles & chantry propaganda are breeding grounds for abominations because they're prisons, rather than mages themselves being the issue) (compared to, maybe, a qunari mage - mage being a dedicated position just like ben-hassrath or sten, treated without any stigma). tevinter mages are outright dangerous to them, actively wanting to harm them, and so "typical" saarebas treatment - though, i'd also omit the mouth sewn shut thing for similar reasons - is more like... prisoner of war treatment (which is not MUCH better tbf)? especially considering the qunari use "bas" for people outside the qun but qunari mages are called saarebas, it's always struck me as a bit weird since qunari mages are still... part of the qun? so. dangerous thing, for mages existing outside the qun, like circle mages or apostates or tevinter mages, but not their own mages? idk tho, im not committed to anything yet lol

#asks #i actually dont know if this will be helpful to you but im also working on it still sfljsadfj #vee rewrites da #i suppose ??? dskfjg #EDITED FOR SOME CLARITY ALREADY SORRY

[ingravinoveritas]

Appreciate your analysis re: v-day posts! I’d meant to ask but tumblr ate it so I’m glad there were other inquiring minds. I also thought maybe the card was from Georgia and pondered the pride flag at the end of the carousel. It’s hard to parse without context but of course can fit a general “love is love” sentiment.

So…. any thoughts about David as Phoenix on Masked Singer? I’d probably expire if it was true.

Anon #1: You're very welcome, re: my V-Day post analysis! Glad you enjoyed it so much, and I agree about the lack of context (which leaves things open to many possibilities), but also agree that it could be a general "love is love" sentiment.

So...I have no idea how I've now ended up with two Anons about the Masked Singer, but I am thoroughly amused because that is not at all a show I watch (either the one here in the US or the UK version). It just sort of gives me accidental furry vibes and I tend to try and keep maximum safe distance from anything in that genre, so, yeah...there you go. Haha.

But I did finally manage to take a peek at a few clips on Youtube (Phoenix's most recent performance in the semi-final is here, for those who haven't seen it), and have formulated some thoughts. Firstly, by way of disclaimer, one of my things with being autistic is that I sometimes have auditory processing issues, so hearing a singing voice through an anthropomorphized animal mask already fries my brain slightly.

HOWEVER...I have spent the last three years listening to both David and Michael's voices far more than I would care to admit (I've written entire posts on here about Michael's voice and its devastating effect on my lower regions, and I even have a #the things he does with his voice should be illegal tag, so I am beyond familiar with the dulcet tones of that mellifluous Welsh voice). And I feel that I would also know David's breathy tenor and occasional raised octaves when he gets all passionate any day of the week.

Given my familiarity with both Michael and David's cadences, my feeling is that Phoenix is neither one of them. I can see why people think it's David (the flailing limbs) and I can see why people think it's Michael (the voice almost sounds like Michael doing his American accent). But physically, Phoenix is too thin to be Michael--Phoenix's legs are skinny and noticeably do not have the thicc athleticism to them that Michael's do. And the voice just isn't quite his, nor David's, but rather almost like someone doing an impression of one of them (or both) to throw the audience off.

And that is pretty much my assessment of Phoenix on the Masked Singer. I would absolutely love to see Michael and David singing together one day for real, though (minus the fur suits, though I'd totally be down for Michael as Elton John and David as Kiki Dee again), because they both do have gorgeous singing voices and would no doubt give us an incredible duet. Fingers crossed...

#anonymous #reply post #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #michael sheen #welsh seduction machine #the masked singer uk #phoenix #i'd also be down for David as Phoenix from X-Men and Michael as Wolverine #give me all the forbidden lovers good girl bad boy vibes yes plz #just when you thought the X-Men couldn't get any gayer #i need to lie down now #thoughts #discourse

[fractallion]

Politically Correct Conference Panels.

Another post that didn’t quite make it - written on a phone as I was listening to professionals on stage talking about ‘fake news’. That wasn’t how the panel phrased it - but still, it was what they were talking about … and not very well - far too politically correct …. I made these notes and have not spent a great deal of time ‘cleaning them up’.

Some of the keynotes I jotted down on the day …

MORAL LEADERSHIP

GDPR

TRUMP

GOVT CLOSE DOWN

DEFUND MUSK

BUSINESS MODELS

US CENTRIC - WITH A BIT OF UK

FOX DOMINION CASE

CAN’T GET OUT OWN HOUSE IN ORDER

FALSE EQUIVALANTS

.. and there was so much more. But it was ten days ago now … so …

I sat through two panels, close enough in topic that two panelists were on the stage both times. All good, solid stuff … but to me, there was more to be gleaned (learned?) by what wasn’t said than what was. Representations from the U.S.A., U.K., Poland and Ukraine. I sat and listened and took enough notes to write a book.

At the end of the first panel, 5 people including me put hands up to ask questions … one was taken and then not unanswered.

At the end of the second panel, even more hands went up, this time I was chosen as one of two .. and we both got responses.

Note … responses, not answers.

My question was apparently video’d by a film maker - and I was told I will be able to get a copy of it. If I do - I will be sure to post it here.

I distilled my notes to three issues that came top of mind as I listened. In broad terms, the discussion was around fake news and disinformation campaigns. My three points follow - NONE of this was raised across some 11 professionals on the stage. Instead the

1) The money … follow it.

Facebook has zero motivation to ‘make things better’ .. they make money by being engaged .. they do that by creating and manipulating conflicts between people.

The case that Fox lost against Dominion .. and more to come .. did a fraction of the damage that Facebook did, but for all the wrong reasons they have laws that protect them from publishing lies. Fox’s fines meanwhile are already around 1 billion dollars

The same can be said of Twitter .. but they are even worse thanks to new management. But - twitter’s management receives billions of tax payer monies … for traveling to space and building cars amongst others. Cut his funding until he does something.

2) Laws.

It was pointed out that in Europe there are far more laws than the US … to protect people. ( I would agree .. the cynic in me would say that this is not going to change any time soon, primarily because US law is mainly about protecting business not people.

That said, just to pick one of those EU laws … GDPR, the resultant fines are rounding errors to the corporations being fined .. so potential fines are built into the accounts as the cost of doing business

3) Hierarchy versus Network.

it’s all very well saying we are a hierarchical bureaucracy .. and so it is hard to bypass the bureaucracy.

Really?

Have you been watching Trump over the past 7 years? He didn’t wait for permission to tweet.

Not only that but Gaetz, Boebert, Greene et al are all cutting through the bureaucracy to the point that the govt is two days away from being closed down (as I was taking notes) - with defunding Ukraine being the high? Point of their agenda.

AND AND AND …

A total of some 11 people who waxed lyrical on the issues - and not one talked about REAL issues. What a waste.

[crossdreamers]

Mumsnet and the fostering of transphobic radicalization

The investigatve reporter Katie J.M. Baker has written a very interesting analysis of the “gender critical” anti-trans movement in Britain and the role the site Mumsnet has played in this regard.

In the article, called “The Road to TERFdom”, Baker explains how.

Mumsnet is a British site for women. It presents itself as liberal, but these days the content is dominated by anti-trans rhetoric. It has become one of the main channels for TERF propaganda in Britain. The discussion repeats the traditionalist view of gender being nothing more than biological sex, echoing the transphobic arguments of the far right.

 Baker, who is an American who have moved to London, writes:

At first, I was surprised to find in these threads the same paranoid and repeatedly debunked fears about trans women assaulting cis women in bathrooms and prisons that I associated primarily with right-wing U.S. senators. 

But as I did more research, I learned that such fanaticism had been present in the U.K. for some time. In 2017, when two members of parliament hosted a chat on Mumsnet to discuss the issue of women returning to the workplace, commenters were more interested in discussing whether the politicians believed trans women were women. 

The politicians tried in vain to focus on questions related to employment rights, but the posters argued that the issue couldn’t be discussed unless they could first agree upon a definition of “woman.” 

Katie J.M. Baker

Baker writes that  the forum reminds her of her reporting on the ways men are radicalized by the toxic online “manosphere,” “where pick-up artists (PUAs) and men’s rights activists (MRAs) recruit followers by exploiting real fears (such as economic anxiety) and blaming marginalized outgroups (women, people of color, Jews) for societal failures.”

As people get drawn into these communities, they become obsessed with a misguided sense of victimization and start to focus single-mindedly on their newfound worldview, Baker argues. 

Baker suggest that some of them are drawn to the transphobia of Mumsnet, after giving birth, feeling the isolation following from a lack of support of mothers in the UK.  

This is something we often see in the radicalization of privileged white middle and upper class people who  find their status threatened. Instead of attacking the system that creates their suffering, they find scape goats (independent women in the case of male misogynists and incels, Jews and people of color among fascists and white supremacists, and trans women in the world of TERFs). 

I believe this is a very important observation: Bigotry of this kind is driven by a deep fear of being left out of the good things in life. They have been raised to believe in a social contract where every generation is getting a better life than the previous, and now this no longer seems to be the case.

Extremist radicalization is not predominantly found among the poor or those who have already have lost their social status. Instead it is found among those who now see that the status they grew up to expect is under threat. 

They may be right about their way of life being under threat, but the reasons for this possible loss are complex and often requires them to question their own world views and place in society. It is easier to blame it all on some outsiders, preferably a marginalized group that they have already been raised to despise. Trump appeals to their racism, the TERFs to their transphobia.

Baker writes:

If Mumsnet’s women’s rights forum is popular because it responds to the experience of being stuck at home without support or community, it’s done so in a way that leaves Mumsnetters in a political cul-de-sac. 

The community isolates its members in a bubble of transphobic thought that leaves them free to develop their bigotries without needing to encounter the human beings affected by them. 

It also inculcates members with a tragically narrow idea of feminism, one that rejects other people fighting for gender liberation.

Indeed!

Read the whole article here.

Top photo from the article: Carrie Longton and Justine Roberts co-founded parenting site Mumsnet, which includes a message board that's come under fire for transphobia (Photo by Jenny Western/Corbis via Getty Images).

Katie J.M. Baker is a national reporter for BuzzFeed News who has covered campus sexual assault for years. She has also worked and written for a variety of other publications, including Newsweek, Dissent, Al Jazeera, Jezebel, the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

[olderthannetfic]

I mean there are issues within m/m fanfiction, the problem is the arguments we see take things to the extreme. Either there's no issues and it's just women exploring their sexuality and how dare you mock the things women like! OR It's homophobic how dare straight women fetishize gay men! When in reality there are tropes and trends that do lean more towards homophobia or heteronormativity but there's no space for us (slash fans) to call that out without having to defend against the extremes.

--

This is so hilariously moderate that I think everyone would agree with it if they take it at surface value and don't read into your words.

Anyone who is a veteran of decades of fannish debate will read into your words.

The basic issue is that the conversation people typically want to have about things that are homophobic or heteronormative is pretty 101. They're coming to this fresh with great earnestness, but to someone like me, it's just going to sound like sealioning because we've had these same arguments in slash fandom and in queer communities going back decades.

For example, here are the standard Not Queer Enough bad things that make us just like the breeders according to 80s/90s queer community wank:

marriage

raising children

monogamy

roles of any kind including butch/femme

99% of A/B/O Is Just Het Tho or BL Is Bad Because Ukes wank sounds like all of this over again.

And then there's the eternal fight about whether Pride is for kink and adults and free expression of sexuality or whether it's for corporations and kids in strollers. Conform and kick your less acceptable members to the curb as a political strategy to get rights or be inclusive punk rebels but make fewer strides in legislation? It's a legitimate and eternal struggle in minority groups.

The obsession with Good Representation™ is part of this. So is not liking stuff that overlaps your group with kink and socially unacceptable sexual fantasies. In other words...

RESPECTABILITY POLITICS

.

If somebody sends me an example of a specific fic or trend they think sucks, I'll keep an open mind...

But I can tell you I have yet to hear an argument about any actual fic on AO3 that made me agree it was homophobic or heteronormative rather than just standard porn bullshit that the lizard brain loves.

People are always wringing their hands about shit that is super common in romance novels and erotica and live action pornos alike because audiences love it.

So for example, I really hope nobody expects me to take seriously an argument about m/m fanfic being bad for any of:

penetration = real sex, all other sex = foreplay

virginity is real and matters

ravishment

biology works how is hot and/or convenient to the plot

everyone has a giant dick

safe sex is boring and we're going to pretend STDs don't exist

everyone is a giant nympho slut

everyone is unrealistically monogamous

dick so good it converted someone

kink with zero negotiation first

zero realistic psychological consequences for anything

etc.

Someone's going to go, "Okay, okay, not literally always, but you have to agree that sometimes this trope is bad. Or it's bad that it's like 99% of fics."

No.

No I don't.

At zero times do I agree that it's a problem all porn does the dumb penetration=real sex thing. Yes, it's dumb. Yes, it's unrealistic. It's there because it's hot. If you find it un-hot, write something else.

I'm totally down to have a conversation about which trends are stupid or boring, but homophobic? Heteronormative? LOL.

Fundamentally, every single conversation about problems in m/m fanfic on AO3 starts from the assumption that fic should be looked at from a reader's perspective. This is the reader's whole media diet. They learn queerness from fic. They learn sex ed and biology from fic. They don't have access to other queer media. They're learning the wrong messages. Blah blah blah.

I look at fic as more like someone's porn (or the emotions equivalent) they wrote for themselves in their diary and were nice enough to let others see as a favor. Sure, occasionally, I think "Wow, author, I am so sorry for you that you view bodies and sex this way", but even then, how do I know it's not just that they're a bad writer? The only thing I'm learning from their fic is that some very weird stuff makes me horny. If I have trouble putting that fic in a wider context of realistic queerness or non-fanfic erotica or whatever else, that's my problem, not the writer's.

The only "problem" with m/m fanfiction on AO3 is that I cannot find any first time sex pollen RM/JK A/B/O where they're both alphas and JK is on the bottom and RM feels comedic levels of melodramatic guilt over it while JK's entire internal monologue is just the word "thighs" over and over and over.

[m-jelly]

Hi Sweet Jelly! Can I request an angst fic? I loooveee angst tho I'm sensitive to pain, weird isn't it? I aim to ask about a story in a setting of WW1 wherein Levi is a German soldier who fell in love with a French maiden (the reader), their loved bloomed due to different circumstances and the barriers between them made their love stronger even the world, the time, the people, and the odd chances are against it? So basically, it's a forbidden love between them, against all the odds their love is strong enough to go through hardships and challenges? Levi and the reader both die to fight for their passion and love and they met again and they have their happily every after in Heaven or Paradise? Thank you Jelly 💋

Very cute and romantic concept, I like it. I'll do the best I can with this. In the UK we are taught a lot about the war, but it's been a while since I've been at school. So, I might be rusty xD I'm going to do them meeting under dangerous circumstances. Possibly she's in a captured town and forced to work? As for the ending, I'm going to opt for reincarnation because they both deserve to be happy with a future, as well as having children and Levi being raised by his mother again and her living <3

The war of us

Pairing: Levi x Reader

Genre and tags: WW1, German soldier Levi, French maiden reader, romance, falling in love, forbidden romance, hints of smut, angst, happy ending, war.

Concept: Levi is a German soldier Captain during WW1. His group takes over a town in France. While stationed there, Levi meets a maidan made to work to accommodate the soldiers. Levi is taken by her and begins to develop feelings, but their romance is forbidden due to her being a captive and he must be dedicated to his job. Their romance blossoms, but it comes crashing down around them. Born again, you both find each other with faint memories of your past life.

This story is not historically accurate. This story is inspired by real events by the anonymous requester. Any names and towns mentioned are a work of fiction.

Levi walked at the front of his unit with his gun at the ready. In front was a town they needed to occupy to get a foot in controlling the outer edges of France. He had his troops behind him with cars, weapons, explosives and a tank. He saw that the town was not occupied by anyone, so it meant it was an easy steal. The only issue were rebels. He readied his gun and led the unit to the town centre to see the townspeople either running in fear or staying still to watch what was happening.

Levi climbed up onto the tank, then shot a sniper in the church tower and spoke french. "This town is now under German occupation. Co-operate and no one has to die."

Levi ordered his soldiers and spread control over the whole town. He stopped too much trading and made sure all trading went through him. The small hotel became the home to him and higher commanding officers, and the rest slept in camps in key locations around the town. All townspeople had to work for them, such as supply them with food, drink and blankets for warmth.

While Levi was there, he had noticed you. You were a pretty thing for a quiet town and he had heard you speak some German. He was curious why someone as pretty and educated like you was in a town like this. He'd seen you avoiding him, which he wasn't surprised about because he was the captain and he took your home from him. He knew you were aware of him because you'd look over at him and look away quickly. He'd catch you staring at him sometimes, then you'd blush and runoff.

Levi beckoned the owner of the hotel closer and spoke to him about you. The owner informed Levi you were his daughter and you'd behave yourself, just not to hurt you. Levi ordered him to make you his assistant and you to tend to him. Your father wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't really say no to a German Captain. So, he agreed.

You shook a little as you prepared Levi's tea and a sandwich for him with freshly baked bread by you. You weren't scared of Levi, you were just nervous around him because he was handsome and smart. You knew you shouldn't like him, but you did. You wanted to get to know him a little bit better. You'd been watching him since he arrived. At first, you thought he was a beast because he killed someone, but then you saw how good he was with the townspeople and the children. You thought he was a sweetheart that was made to do bad things.

You picked up the tray with his things, then walked past nervous people in the hall. You stopped by his door, then lightly knocked and waited for him to give you permission to enter. You walked in and felt your heart flutter at the lovely smell in the air from Levi, along with how handsome he looked as he wrote at the desk. You bowed to him as soon as he looked at you.

Levi sat back and said your name. "Right?"

You put the tray down. "Yes, Captain."

"Nice to meet you finally."

You blushed. "Yes."

He picked up his tea. "You've been avoiding me. Is it because I scare you?"

You shook your head. "No Captain, you don't scare me."

"Good." He sipped his tea. "Mm, this is good."

You smiled with pride. "I'm glad you like it. I take pride in the tea I make as well as the things I bake."

Levi looked at the sandwich. "You made all this?"

"Yes."

He picked up a slice and ate it. "So soft. I'm glad I asked for you to take care of me."

You smiled in pride, then bowed. "I'll take great care of you."

"I look forward to it." He grabbed a book and lifted it. "You speak German, correct?"

You nodded as you blushed. "I do, Captain."

"Give this a read. Take a seat and just enjoy."

You gripped the book. "Thank you, but are you sure? I don't think people would be very happy if I were to sit with you."

"Sit."

You sat down on a chair. "Yes, Captain."

Levi carried on eating his lunch and enjoying his tea. He'd look over at you and watch you read, then he looked over again and saw you were asleep. He got up from his chair, then took the book from you and bookmarked it. He covered you with a blanket, then he tucked your hair behind your ear. He gazed at you for a while and admired how pretty you were. You couldn't believe that something as sweet as you were here with him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You and Levi started spending a lot of time with each other. Levi had requested for you to be around him at all time, so you did. You'd sit with him and read the books he gave you and you'd give him some french ones. The two of you connected on a deep level that you'd never done before with anyone. Things were intense between the two of you, but neither crossed the line, until one day Levi was on patrol.

Levi walked down a dirt path away from the main part of town. He stopped a moment, then looked around. He marked down in his book the time and there was no signs of anything. He carried on walking and spotted you sat on a wall with one leg up, which meant your long skirt had ridden up. Your hair was kept over one shoulder, you had casual boots on and no makeup. He rather liked seeing you in casual things, instead of being dressed up.

"Brat." He walked up to you. "What are you doing out here?"

You took his hat, then put it on your head. "I'm enjoying the sun."

"Right where I patrol?"

You faked a gasp. "You are on patrol here? Today!?"

He smiled a little. "I am. You come here for a reason?"

You leaned over and took his book and pencil, then you started drawing in his book. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Levi grabbed his book from you. "This is a military issued book. You could get into a lot of trouble for stealing this and defacing it." He looked inside and blushed. "Oh. That's me with a heart."

You hummed a laugh. "You going to punish me?"

"Well, no." He put his book away. "I'm supposed to though, so don't mention this to anyone."

"I won't, only if you kiss me."

Levi blushed hard. "Well, that would be highly unprofessional of me. All of you here are our prisoners. I cannot involve myself with someone like yourself, or we'll both be in trouble."

You slipped both your legs off the wall. "So, you don't want to kiss me? Okay, well I'm sure I can find some other handsome soldier who'd happily kiss me instead."

Levi grabbed your waist, then lifted you off the wall and into his arms. Before you could speak, he kissed you. His kiss was a little rough at first, as if he was angry at you for teasing him, but then it was gentle. He lowered you down onto your feet, then pressed you against the wall. He cupped your face gently, then kissed you so sweetly over and over.

Levi pulled back as you both panted and gazed at each other. "This, this is forbidden."

You nodded. "I know. If you want to stop and walk away, then say now. I'd rather have my heart broken sooner than later."

Levi looked around, then lifted you up and put you over his shoulder and ran with you. He went right for an abandoned barn and carried you inside. He threw you onto a mound of hay, then pounced onto you making you giggle. He covered your face and neck in kisses, then pulled back and took his jacket off. He tossed the jacket and panted as he looked you over. He smiled at you, then wrapped his arms around you and kissed you.

You felt like you were melting against the hay as Levi kissed you with all the passion in his heart. You gripped at his back as he took control of yours and his pleasure. You'd never lain with a man before, so you were a little nervous, but Levi took such delicate care of you. He explored your heat while you squeezed his head between your thighs. You felt heavenly orgasm after heavenly orgasm just from his tongue.

Levi held you gently in his arms when he entered you. He took it slow because of the slight pain and discomfort, but after a bit you felt pleasure. You and Levi moved with each other and tried pleasure for you both. Once you both started talking, it was perfect. Levi was a very giving lover and took care of you. Your pleasure was above his own in every single possible way.

Levi held you against his chest with one arm around you and another running up and down your side slowly. "Are you okay? I wasn't too rough, was I? I know this isn't ideal for your first time. Tch, I'm sorry."

You lifted your head and smiled at him. "Levi, I don't want perfection. We're in a world that's far from it. First times aren't supposed to be perfect." You smiled. "I found it very pleasurable."

"I'll do better next time."

You hummed a laugh, then kissed him. "I'm glad there is a next time."

He said your name and tucked the hair behind your ear. "What we have is against a lot of rules, but I really want it to work. We'll have to sneak around and not show affection in front of others, but we'll make this barn our place."

You smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes. I'd love that."

"When this war is over, no matter how it turns out, I want to go somewhere with you. I want to be with you."

You hugged Levi tightly. "I want that too."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Levi and you kept what you had secret. You'd lightly touch each other in town, but you'd often meet at the barn for dates and to make love to each other. Levi would set up a picnic there, other times he'd hold you and tell you stories about Germany and you in turn would tell him about life in France. You both made many romantic plans with each other and hoped that it'd all come true for you both. Everything was becoming perfect for you both as you lived in your own world, but it wouldn't last.

Your father kicked open your bedroom door, then grabbed your upper arm and dragged you into the street. He threw you to the floor. "I expected better from you, but you are nothing but a traitorous whore!"

You winced a little. "Father, I don't know what you mean."

He opened his arms and walked around. "Ladies and gentlemen of this fine town! We have suffered, been hurt while under the rule of the Germans!" He pointed at you. "Yet my daughter seems to be in better health than the rest of us!"

You hugged yourself. "Father, stop this."

"My daughter has been sleeping with the enemy! She's been whoring herself out to the Captain!"

You gasped as people began to whisper about you. "Father, I'm not a whore. I've done nothing wrong."

He back handed you across the face. "Shut it!"

Levi walked with some of his soldiers into the town centre. "What is going on here!?"

Your father snarled at him. "You and the rest of you Germans can get out of my town! You forced your way in and you're losing the war now! Get the fuck out and let me deal with this traitor!"

Levi looked at you with blood coming from your mouth. "Don't you dare touch her."

"She's my daughter. I can do as I please." You screamed when he hit you again, then kicked you hard. You tried to crawl away, but he grabbed a fistful of your hair and yanked you back. "If you want her, take her."

You whimpered as you looked at Levi. "Don't."

Levi gave you a pleading look. "I can't let this happen."

"Captain."

Levi stepped forwards. "Let her go. If you continue to beat ths woman, I will shoot you. I will not allow an unarmed and innocent person to be beaten."

Your father held you in front of him. "She's my daughter." He gripped your throat tightly. "I'll do whatever I want with her. You don't have a child, so you wouldn't know!"

Levi watched as the air was leaving your lungs. "Let her go!"

You shook your head as tears ran down your cheek. "D-Don't."

Your father pulled a gun from behind your back, the very thing you were warning Levi about, then shot Levi in the chest. You screamed for Levi, then you felt a rain of bullets from the German soldiers hit you and your father. You fell back with your father and felt nothing but pain. You gasped as you felt blood filling your lungs and your body felt weighted.

Levi knew he was dying. He could feel something was very wrong with his heart. He looked over to you, then dragged his body over to you. He called your name, then dragged you into his arms. He saw you were crying as blood oozed out of your bullet wounds. He could hear your ragged and knew then that you were also dying.

Levi smiled sadly at you. "Forgive me."

You lightly touched his cheek and mouthed I love you to him.

Levi held you and smiled. "I love you too." He ignored all the gunfire around him and people screaming. "So much." He breathed slowly and saw the light in your eyes go, which was the killing blow to Levi. He stopped holding on and let himself slip away and hoped he'd meet you again.

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Levi stood in the town and looked the town over as he felt a little confused. Since he was little, he had slowly been gaining memories of another life. He remembered blood, screams and loss. He'd spoken to his friends about it and they all had similar feelings as well. His mother said she stopped remembering things up to a certain age, then there was nothing. The most painful memory was of a beautiful french maidan from a town a Captain took over.

He wandered into the town and smiled at everything there. He looked to a statue and read the comments on it. He waved to someone walking past. "Excuse me, could you tell me about this statue of these two figures?"

The man nodded. "Of course. This is dedicated to a German Captain and a french maidan during WW1. This town was occupied by them, but those two found love. They kept it hidden, but it didn't work out. One day her father dragged her into the centre, beat her and shot the Captain. The soldiers shot him, but as a result shot her. Both died here on this spot together."

Levi could hear the screams and feel the blood. "Thank you." He sighed, then walked around the town and spotted a cafe named after you. He smiled a little, then walked over to it. He went to walk in, but he almost slammed right into a woman leaving. "Tch, sorry."

You looked at Levi. "It's my fault. I am away with the faries." You gasped as you stared at Levi. "Hi."

Levi smiled a little when he recognised you. "Hi."

You blushed a little. "Would you like a cup of tea Captain?" You flinched. "I-I mean."

Levi smiled at you. "I'd love one. I'll treat you, seeing as this is a reunion."

You giggled and nodded. "Yeah."

He went to the counter and ordered food and drink, then walked with you out of town and down a familiar path to the barn as you both talked about your lives in this lifetime. Levi stopped where the Captain had first found you sat on the wall. "I can't believe we both remember. It's like a dream."

You smiled at him. "I can't believe it either." You took his hand, then leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I feel so drawn to you. I'm compelled to be with you. I came all this way just to find you. I never thought you'd be here."

Levi smiled at you. "So, what do we do now?"

"We run to that barn and repeat a few things our past selves did."

Levi blushed bright red. "Y-You."

You giggled and kissed him. "Or, we can just go on a date."

He nodded, then lifted you up and sat you on the wall. "I like the date idea." He opened the bag from the cafe, then gave you your hot drink and a cake. "To finding old loves."

You tapped your drink agaisnt his. "Old loves."

#aot levi #levi #fanfic #levi x y/n #levi ackerman #levi x you #aot fanfiction #levi fanfiction #snk levi #aot x you #captain levi

[sapphichymns]

Kerblam just seems to be reduced to gotcha, like Who has never had bad political takes before (Zygon double parter for instance) and Chibnall at the very fucking least treating Ryan better than RTD did Mickey and Moff treat Danny.

Pretty much. The other day, I watched Mr TARDIS' "Why Online Fandoms Will NEVER Be Happy With DOCTOR WHO" (he truly typed the title like that) and he talks about some British politician using DW being woke to their campaign then adding the politician would agree with Kerblam. Which just....sigh.

Its funny how now the fandom is excited because RTD will handle this kind of thing better when his era was not great about capitalism. Or class dynamics considering how much of a big deal that is in the UK.

RTD asked Tennant to change his accent from Scottish due to not wanting the Doctor's voice "touring the regions"; Eccleston leaving due to how the production was being treated (you know, something that actually happened in real life and not over some fictional company); Rose and Donna becoming rich (imagine if when Ryan and Graham left, 13 just gave them lottery tickets instead...); Rose goes from lower class to middle class between S1 and S2; a weird adoration for Royalty; etc.

I know Chibs has his flaws (like any other writer in existence) but I'm tired of how people moralise the reasons why they dislike this era, then ignoring when the past has the same issues. This whole gotcha movement feels performative.

For example, yesterday, I saw a post talking about the racism in Moffat and RTD (don't remember the specifics) but then it says Chibnall did worst in terms of companions because of Ryan having a dad who isn't in his life. Which its true but then its forgetting how Mickey was the same and Bill was orphaned and being raised by her aunt....

We could be having interesting conversations but it's impossible. The fandom is busy with these silly showrunner wars and fandom wank than trying to discuss anything with nuance.

#Ask Me #cauldronofmorning #Doctor Who

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

"So why fandom insists on punishing Louis for living with his obligations is beyond comprehension to me."

The question a lot of Louies are asking these days is WHO is Louis obliged to, and they're not satisfied with the Larrie answer of "perpetual 1d contracts."

It's been over a year since he left Sony, yet he's still with E and seeing F. If only Louies weren't so invested in him being gay they wouldn't be walking away. Harry doesn't get this because 90% of Harries think he's bi so they can accept his gfs (although most of them hate Olivia).

The focus needs to come off Louis' sexuality and scrutinising his songs for lgbt subtext yet this seems to be why most Louies are here.

It's a very complicated fandom.

I think that the way this ask is formulated, is that you are looking at things from the way that industry would like fandom to look at it, that is, the tail wagging the dog.

If fans are so anxious about who’s fucking whom, who’s dating whom, who’s kid is real or not real, then we’re not really asking the crucial questions, such as who is controlling how fandom thinks about these questions?

Sexuality and representation are very important to fandom. However these issues aren’t necessarily important to a general public audience, and the whole point of my post is that Louis has no chance to grow a general public audience, whereas Harry has had huge global opportunities to expand his audience.

Harry has casual listeners, casual streamers, people who know his name but really don’t know his background, but who associate him with pop-culture relevance. The casual public doesn’t care about internal fandom discourse. They really don’t care about Harry’s sexuality. They listen to and buy his music, and they might go see a show because he seems like fun.

Louis has no opportunity whatsoever to grow this audience. He is banned from UK radio. He wins a Euro poll but can’t get played. He sets records in livestreams but no one reports on it. His album charts but no one cares. He raises $2 million in charity – one of the highest UK donations from entertainers in 2021 — and no one reports on it. His profiles are banned from mainstream music media, except to mention him in relation to his personal life and One Direction.

To put this another way, Harry creates and controls his audience. In Louis’ case, his audience controls him.

Fans are almost Louis’ only asset. His team is impotent. That’s why our actions have such huge repercussions for Louis, but doesn’t really matter for Harry, who is able to throw money and influence toward any PR problem. He’s straight, he’s bi, he’s a man, he’s a woman— Harry deftly deflects from everyone. Harry’s power in media outweighs any fandom discourse. 

To use a nautical metaphor, Louis is sailing on a tiny sailboat. Harry is steering a battleship. There is no contest.

All of Louis’ fans can agree tomorrow that he’s straight, a dad, and dating Eleanor, and it wouldn’t matter a bit.

Because the entire world already believes this. And it doesn’t matter.

The media continues to report and highlight what should already be accepted as facts, to hammer home the point that Louis’ “brand” is gutter gossip, not music.

The birth certificate? The paternity test? Who gives a shit. Louis’ family life is a weapon to control his fandom. Why fandom can’t see it is beyond me— talking about this over and over is like trying to teach bricks. We can speculate until the cows come home— it only hurts him. Hurts and hurts and hurts.

I’m exaggerating a bit. The fact that Louis’ songs do get some iHeart radio exposure means that this exposure is allowed, maybe to give the illusion of freedom. His signing to BMG gives an illusion of freedom. Being able to host this festival is a big plus. Finding award-winning producers who are willing to work with him is testament to Louis’ grit, his talent and maybe some lingering fame. He hasn’t been completely shut down, for sure. But that’s very far from being allowed to grow and thrive. You know what’s a miracle? That Louis still wants to do this, at all.

Fandom speculation about sexuality? That’s a three-ring circus signifying nothing. TPTB wants us to fight all day about it while they bury Louis’ career.

Addendum 12 september 2021:

Louis pays for a live outdoor concert event at a historic London venue for 10k people— completely free to them— and it isn’t reported on by one major media outlet. This is the extent: the announcement on MusicWeek, and coverage in Popsugar, Celebmix, and an American college paper. His VEEPS livestream has more than 30 MILLION views on Tiktok: no mention whatsoever. We don’t know the VEEPS sales numbers, eight days later.

In contrast:

• Lottie Tomlinson gets an article about being there (Daily Mail).

• Bilk gets an article about being a support act (Daily Star).

• Louis donated £4K to a band, Maruja, and there is an article (Manchester Evening News) and the BBC interviews the band. However, the band had to Google him, and the interviewer mocks 1D music.

• Louis posts on Twitter and Instagram to congratulate Emma Radacanu on her US Open win, and is included in an ESPN article as “part of the band One Direction.”

Louis’ press does not reflect that he is a solo artist with an album behind him, international solo fans, a successful festival and a record-setting livestream, and a sold out tour.

#louis tomlinson #fandom discourse #but you’re right #fandom needs to stop obsessing over his sexuality and private life #when it matters #we need to unite

[shirkers2018dirsanditan]

the issue with certain lgbt advocacy orgs, a great example being the uk’s stonewall, is that they have unfortunately adopted some of the most extreme tenets of ‘gender identity theory’ (? for lack of a better descriptor). so the existence of detrans people is reacted to with hostility or suspicion because they are a threat to a part of that ideology (‘because these people inherently are this thing no one who has these experiences would ever want to detransition’ etc). this is really damaging bc it means that they effectively have foregone protecting dysphoric individuals (and gay people, in many ways) and especially dysphoric teen girls. any talk of introducing other options for dysphoric individuals as alternatives for those who probably shouldn’t transition or as a precursor before the serious medical intervention that transition is is offered, is viewed as inherently anti-trans rather than people pro-dysphoric people’s ability to access varied healthcare as though transitioning works for some, it verifiably does not work for everyone and is offered to children at younger and younger ages as a catch-all solution when often there’s other factors at play (misogyny, CSA, neglect, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, autism in girls, etc). I’m probably just saying things you already know but it’s just disastrous for everyone when advocacy orgs give up serving the interests of people they supposedly represent, bc none of this protects trans people in any way. it just makes them more liable to being taken advantage of by medical professionals and surgeons who ultimately have their own monetary investment in trans healthcare that is obviously highly suspicious on its own

tbh i don’t think it has anything to do with “gender identity theory” as you put it and more to do with two facts: 1) lgbt orgs, like many social orgs, have long had a sexism problem, and 2) lgbt orgs have become increasingly corporate over the past few decades. detrans people are very inconvenient if you want to make money off of unregulated medical treatment that you have no training to perform. like, in the 60 minutes piece, one of the psychologists to work at the first gender clinic in the US pointed out how several unlicensed clinics have popped up all over the country that dont follow the WPATH guidelines or even the basics of informed consent….and i am aware of many detrans people that criticize the affirmative model, but even people who have pioneered that model are raising concerns. which is why i think like yes, differing views on gender are relevant, but it’s a facade for these deeper issues that have long existed, you know? it’s not actually anything new even if though its an unprecedented situation. if that makes sense lol

but i do agree with a lot of what you are saying, in that it leaves all dysphoric people out in the cold. people not only deserve safe medical treatment, but they deserve proper informed consent and follow up. what is unacceptable is clinics that posit themselves as reducing harm and providing aid, when what they’re really trying to do is skirt the guidelines to make money off of people who are sometimes in a desperate or difficult situation. thats also why these conservative bans on treatment are not designed to help anyone (obviously) because they are only going to force people into a more desperate posture. they also offer no meaningful remedy or reform or regulation. but of course we know they don’t care. what hurts is lgbt orgs participating and defending these kinds of practices. and it does have the effect of limiting self-expression and self-conceptualization by pushing this idea that you HAVE to medically transition to be authentic, which is what’s often stated in the cruel backlash to detrans women in particular. that they aren’t/weren’t “real” trans people. but what does that mean exactly? and how is that determined? obviously a lot of these women are reidentified, but what about those who aren’t? or are somewhere in the middle? what about trans people who have regrets? who have, for lack of a better word, botched procedures? who don’t respond well to blockers or hormones? what are they supposed to do if organizations that purport to represent them are hellbent on maintaining a culture of silence around these issues? why tell kids who are still developing their sense of self that this is the primary or sometimes only path they can take, as too many orgs do? why create new binaries if you’re claiming to want to eliminate them? a lot of the implications of this discourse are the same old essentialism, and that’s a problem. but that is what happens when you have movements that despite their reliance on and overlap with feminism, opt not to meaningfully challenge gender as a system of oppression. and men across the board have had this problem, it’s just that men in the lgbt community aren’t any exception

#look what the president of HRC said in that detrans story for 60 minutes #he literally implied detransitioners werent real people and werent marginalized #like? what the hell? #anon

[bi-dazai]

okay while we're on the subject of eating healthy and exercising, I want to vent/talk about weight loss. This is gonna be a rly controversial, very personal and extremely long post but I do want to make a point. I'm not going to discuss every fucking nuance of haes or my EDs. But for clarity, know that my eds are complicated and were mostly osfeds - minor anorexia osfed in high school and bed osfed when I was 18-19. after i realised how fat i was the minor anorexia came back and over the pandemic it became full scale anorexia nervosa.

I'm 5'3. The healthy weight range I should be in is in the high 40s-low 50s. I went up to TWICE that by the time I was just nineteen years old. It wasn't fun being fat. I consumed as much fat acceptance, fat activism content as I could, I pretended I was confident and happy even when I was fat. But I wasn't. Because people don't just get obese accidentally. A little overweight, yes. But obese? No. You get obese from depression, from giving up. You don't want to move so you don't. You're sad all the time, and the body positivity circles say eat comfort food, whatever and as much as it makes you feel better!! Do you know what that is? That's encouragement of BED. Do not say that. Because I did that. I ate sugar and junk food, I was still depressed.

I was reading these posts that were claiming fat people shouldn't be weighed at the doctor, that your weight shouldn't count, that BMI is incorrect and doesn't matter, etc etc. There were posts saying that they got "perfect bloodwork" (what even is that? I knew that was wrong, I've had chronic iron deficiency for a decade!) even though they were fat, so they had to be healthy, right? I got shown pictures of obese ballerinas and obese weightlifters blah blah blah. And I grew and grew, and I got to almost 85kg on the fast track to 100kg before reality smacked me in the face and I realised I was shortening my lifespan by decades.

Here's what it was like being obese!

- joint pain, constantly

- could barely walk anywhere without feeling out of breath

- couldn't find any fashionable, good quality clothes (plus size stores either carry unfashionable clothing, or fashionable but cheap quality clothing. I don't like to waste money on cheap clothes)

- more acne than I'd had in years

- oily skin

- more difficulty feeling "full"

- JOINT FUCKING PAIN

- rashes from skin rubbing against skin!

- even larger chest, making me MORE dysphoric

- back pain!!

- snoring - this is not just embarrassing. This is potentially deadly.

- DYSPHORIA

- KNEES. JOINT PAIN.

- DYSPHORIA

this was just things I felt physically, noticeably! The things that my fat was doing on the inside was even worse. Fat isn't just this layer of packing peanuts that appears on top of you. It coats your organs. It gets everywhere. It makes your entire body run worse.

Fat also makes it much more likely for you to not just GET cancer, but it it also makes it harder to FIGHT cancer. Being obese makes almost every single goddamn sickness on the planet worse because when you have THAT MUCH fat tissue the hormones and shit it secretes fucks EVERYTHING up.

Yes there are obese bodybuilders. Yes there are obese ballerinas. Let's talk about those two.

There are plenty of drs and dieticians who have pointed out the obvious - if an obese person was really, actually eating healthily and exercising every day, they would not stay obese forever. Its not magic, it's thermodynamics. CICO done right works for everyone. If you are eating healthy, appropriate portions for weight loss at your TDEE and exercising it would literally be IMPOSSIBLE for you not to lose weight!! Even more the heavier you are because when you exercise you carry around a lot more weight.

Obese weightlifters are still obese. They are not proof you can be obese and healthy. They are still going to die younger if they do not lose weight.

Let's talk about fat ballerinas. The only ones I've seen are trainee ballerinas, not professional ones. And their performance looks impressive at first, until you look closer. You notice their balance is never quite perfect, their control can be amazing and the best ever but they'll still be off. Why? Because fat moves around with your movement, and it displaces your balance and your line of movement. It's simply not possible to do something like ballet dancing as a fat person without risking major injury as well. En pointe is already stupid dangerous for the skinniest ballerina. Going en pointe at anything above 60kg is going to get progressively suckier the heavier you go. And god help your ankles because falling down will always end in a major injury.

I'm so fucking done with "fat acceptance". I'm tired of "body positivity" being a movement about obese middle-upper class white women and not about scars and disabilities etc like it was focused on in the start. I have no problems with Health at Every Size - every person should feel happy to workout, to eat healthy. I have no problem raising issue with people bullying others for their weight as well. That's wrong. But pretending that it's Healthy at Every Size is a fucking lie, and it's one that could've sentenced me to an early death. Healthy at Every Size said I was condemned to joint pain and oily skin and depression and exhaustion for the rest of my life based on cherrypicked sentences from studies that didn't agree with them. That "95% of diets fail" sentence in particular drives me up the wall. You don't need a diet to lose weight, you need healthy CICO, you need to eat below your TDEE, you need to eat healthy, and you need to exercise. All you have to do at first is go on a 10-20 minute walk, whatever pace you like, a few times a week.

You can BE fit, you CAN lose weight! You are not sentenced to having joint pain and an increased risk for cancer and a less effective COVID vaccine for life. You can change your body in incredibly ways. You have no idea what you are capable of.

There's this myth that weight loss takes keto and shakes and diet pills and crash diets etc. It doesn't. All it is is making sure you eat less than your TDEE, eating HEALTHY calories, and getting your heartrate up by exercising at least 175 minutes a week.

The human body is not meant to be obese. There's no such thing as a set point weight. There's CICO, there's nutrition, there's making sure your muscles dont atrophy. Weight loss and fitness isn't some magic thing that youre just born able to do. I was lazy throughout my entire teens. I thought fitness was something the popular girls did. It's not. It's for everyone. and everyone, especially in places with an obesity epidemic such as the US, UK, and Australia, should make use of it. It's a good thing. Walking is one of the best things you can do for your body, and it's incredibly rewarding in every way. Eating healthy and not eating until you feel like you're going to burst is rewarding in every way. And it's not like you can't ever have junk food again, you just have to limit it to a treat, a once or twice per week thing. And honestly, it makes it much more enjoyable that way.

Now I want to talk a little about my anorexia. My weight loss journey came to anorexia. This is because it was an eating disorder I'd had for a long time. I did not see a trainer or dietician, and I consciously decided to push myself too far. I consciously decide to eat less and exercise more when I am starving. This is not something that just happens because someone is eating at 1200cals. It happens because you have an eating disorder which you are born with. Saying people who eat 1200cals of healthy food a day and exercise right are "anorexic" is so fucking insulting to everyone involved. It's ableist and ignorant. 1200cals is also a pretty generous amount for anorexic ppl to eat. That's close to a binge in ED standards, so that should give you a reference for how offbase saying 1200cals is "anorexic" is.

My anorexia is healthy habits pushed into eating disorder territory. I eat healthy, yes, but I don't eat enough. I exercise, yes, but I often push myself too far when I'm already lacking energy. The advice I give people for health is correct, and I'm never going to go around saying "eat less than 1200cals" as weightloss advice. Eat less, sure, but there's a limit. Calorie counting is a good thing to do, tracking your macros and nutrients is good. But I do it too much.

I know what's healthy, a lot of ppl with restrictive and purgative EDs do. People with EDs can give some awesome health advice, we just can't follow it because we have a mental disorder. Believe it or not people with EDs discussing their EDs are not "pro-ana", pointing out that anorexia and people with anorexia are real and not some boogeyman you use to justify not losing weight and eating healthy is not pro-ana. Anorexia existing is not pro-ana and anorexics being anorexic has nothing to do with fatphobia.

this post is a rambling mess but i rly had to get some stuff clear on how I feel abt this stuff because it's getting concerning how much unhealthy shit, and then straight up ableist shit, that the fat acceptance crowd spews out.

A little exercise won't kill you, eating healthy won't kill you. You are not sentenced to ugly plus size fashion and joint pain and being out of breath for the rest of your life. Leave the Healthy at Every Size death cult and join the Health at Every Size movement. Let the doctor take your weight (it IS medically necessary). acknowledge that you are obese and it is affecting your health. It's scary but it can be the start of a new, healthy beginning. It was for me.

Losing 15kg has been the best thing in my life. Sure, the anorexia is there enjoying it for one reason. But the reason I truly enjoy it is because I've discovered what a healthier body feels like. I've discovered the joys of exercise, I've discovered the joys of eating healthy. I can fit nice clothes now. And I'm still overweight! I'm 66kg, that's 4kg away from the barest minimum acceptable healthy bmi. But I feel so so much better. I look better. I have a jawline! Good skin! Energy! It didn't fix me but it sure made me a hell of a lot better.

Please please try and eat healthy, eat an appropriate amount, go for walks. It's so so good, and if you do it right you WILL lose weight. You'll live past 50. You'll get to explore the world in a way you couldn't when going up stairs had you out of breath. You'll fit into that nice skirt you've been looking at. Your skin will clear up. You'll have energy and your mental health will improve.

It's so so fucking worth it to put effort into your health, like I cannot emphasise this enough. Please do it, I wish I could tell myself this when I was binging on junk because the FA crowd told me it was valid to comfort eat until I hurt.

#long post #this is mostly a vent but yeah #basically my decision is that im not touching any fat activism fatphobia etc with a ten foot pole #esp on this blog except to discuss my personal experience with it ie this post #personal #ok to rb #sorry for not putting it under a readmore im on mobile

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Mercedes-Benz F1 & Robbie Dunne & PJA

Every week we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT - MERCEDES-BENZ F1

Formula One running costs have accelerated by 1000% over the past 30 years, meaning teams are relying on sponsorship liveries now more than ever.

Top teams have budgets of more than $400 million and predominantly rely on the financial support from corporate sponsors for funding.

This week, one such sponsorship deal caused a stir, when it was announced that Mercedes-AMG Petronas had agreed a collaboration with British construction company Kingspan.

Kingspan’s subsidiary, Kingspan Insulation UK, remain at the centre of an ongoing enquiry into the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people, after it was discovered that the insulation materials the company had supplied during the construction of the tower were highly flammable.

Kingspan's logo had appeared on Mercedes driver Sir Lewis Hamilton's car as he won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks ago.

Hamilton said, when asked about the controversy, that he had nothing to do with the deal, adding: "Unfortunately my name is associated with it because it has been on my car but whether that remains the same, we will see."

UK government Cabinet minister Michael Gove added his voice to condemnation from relatives of the 72 people killed in the devastating 2017 Grenfell fire of the team's decision to add Kingspan to its financial backers.

In a letter to Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team principal Toto Wolff, Mr Gove said the Government could amend advertising rules on racing cars if he does not pull the partnership with Kingspan.

He wrote: “I am conscious that there are very real questions about whether Parliament would support a statutory regime that enabled a core participant in a public inquiry in to how 72 people lost their lives to advertise its products publicly to millions of families across the country.

“The achievements of Mercedes and Sir Lewis Hamilton in recent years represent a British success story of which we are all proud.

“I hope you will reconsider this commercial partnership which threatens to undermine all the good work the company and sport has done.”

However, to their credit ,Mercedes were very quick to respond, abruptly terminating their partnership with Kingspan with immediate effect.

In a statement, the team said: "The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Kingspan today announced that they have mutually agreed to end their partnership.

“Both parties have subsequently concluded that it is not appropriate for the partnership to move forward at the current point in time, notwithstanding its intended positive impact, and we have therefore agreed that it will be discontinued with immediate effect.”

Kingspan said: "We are deeply aware of the sensitivities raised in recent days, and so we have jointly agreed that it's not appropriate to move forward at the current point in time."

The survivors' group Grenfell United, welcomed Mercedes’ announcement, saying it had met Mr Wolff to discuss its concerns.

In a sport where cash is nearly always king, Mercedes have done the right thing by dissociating themselves from Kingspan and underlines the importance of organisations putting values and people before profits.

In another encouraging move for Mercedes, Hamilton has been lauded for an incredible act of allyship after adorning his helmet with rainbow colours for the final three Grand Prix races of the season, in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi.

The seven-time Formula One world champion presented the colours of the Progress Pride flag – a banner which recognises the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.

On the Gulf States’ approach to human rights issues and discriminatory laws against women and LGBTQ+ individuals, Hamilton said: “We’re aware there are issues in these places that we’re going to. But of course [Qatar] seems to be deemed as one of the worst in this part of the world. As sports go to these places, they are duty bound to raise awareness for these issues. These places need scrutiny. Equal rights is a serious issue.

“If we are coming to these places, we need to be raising the profile of the situation. One person can only make a certain amount of small difference but collectively we can have a bigger impact. Do I wish that more sportsmen and women spoke out on these issues? Yes.

“It’s down to whether you decide to educate yourself and hold the sport more accountable and make sure the sport is actually doing something when they go to those places.”

Richard Morris, a British racing driver and co-founder of Racing Pride, stated that Hamilton’s gesture “fills me with hope”.

“It is an incredible act of allyship from Lewis to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, in the context of Formula One visiting a region in which LGBTQ+ people face discrimination and challenges to their human rights,” Morris said.

“So it fills me with hope that we are now seeing drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel be active champions for inclusion. There’s a lot more work to be done in the sport, but we are starting to move in the right direction.”

Hamilton has previously called on F1 stars and other sportspeople to speak out against human rights abuses. His friend and rival Vettel wore a T-shirt in support of the LGBTQ+ community at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier in the season.

Hamilton’s gesture demonstrates the capacity the sport has to use its platform positively to promote values of inclusion around the world.

His message is clear and emphasizes the progress in Formula One’s position on diversity and inclusivity. By providing their fans with role models who are willing to speak up on important humanitarian issues, it is an indication that motorsport is starting to move in the right direction.

MISS – ROBBIE DUNNE & PJA

As with so many other sports, horseracing has gone through something of a transformation over recent years.

It was only in 1972 that Meriel Tufnell became the first female jockey to win an official horse race in Britain, the first year that they were allowed to race against men.

Forty years later and Katie Walsh finished third on Seabass at the 2012 Grand National, before Rachael Blackmore became the first female winner with Minella Times at this year’s race.

The Guardian said of Blackmore: “Racing has found a new icon to draw fans back to the track…she is the superstar the sport needed so urgently after a year with no spectators on the racecourse.”

Another star of the sport is Bryony Frost, who made history at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019, winning the Grade One Ryanair Chase, the first woman to win a race at that level and she went on to win the King George VI Chase with Frodon at Kempton on Boxing Day last year.

But Frost has suffered for her success, embroiled in a high profile dispute with fellow jockey Robbie Dunne which resulted in a British Horseracing Association (BHA) independent disciplinary panel banning him from the sport for 18 months (three of which are suspended).

Reports suggested that the problems began early in 2020, although a clash in September when Dunne’s horse Cillian’s Well fell, and was fatally injured, in a clash with Frost was thought to be partly to blame.

An initial report, detailed in The Sunday Times, exposed a culture of “bullying and intimidation in the workplace,” which resulted in Dunne facing disciplinary charges including “conduct prejudicial to the integrity or good reputation” of the sport.

When the investigation was first revealed, Dunne said: "What happens in the weighing room stays in the weighing room,” which gave the impression that he was dismissive of the concerns or complaints being levelled at him.

Frost’s formal complaint to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) listed a series of incidents involving Dunne, dating back to her early days as an amateur rider.

Her father, Jimmy Frost, who won the Grand National in 1989, told the Daily Telegraph in January: “I just think it's a tough world at the moment to go into and it shouldn't be. It should come into the 21st century, and we should look after each youngster. It's probably getting to the stage where I would struggle to recommend a youngster.

“Bryony's got quite a lot of young followers, boys and girls. I've got one who comes for lessons once a week. They want to follow that career but, listening to her sometimes at what goes on, I wouldn't recommend them to follow that. It would be nice to see that change. Something needs looking at.”

The independent disciplinary panel ruled that Dunne had engaged in conduct online, on the track and in the weighing room that was prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of racing.

The panel heard that  Dunne had threatened Frost by promising to "put her through a wing" and is also accused of using misogynistic language such as "f****** w***e", "f****** s**t" and "dangerous c***" towards her as well as opening his towel and exposing himself to Frost in the changing rooms.

Former amateur rider Hannah Welch said an incident after a race at Chepstow in November 2018 contributed to her giving up jump racing. She said: "He was shouting and swearing, standing very closely in front of me. I was crying. He did not stop.”

Louis Weston, representing the BHA, said in his closing remarks that Dunne subjected Frost to a "vendetta" which saw her ostracised by other jockeys and valets.

"If there is a weighing-room culture that allows one jockey to threaten another with serious harm to them and their horse, that culture is one that is sour, rancid and we say should be thrown out and discarded. It's had its time," he said, adding that racing "exerted a pressure on people who would otherwise speak freely.

“If what is being said, when you come to determine this case, there is a weighing room culture that allows one jockey to threaten another with serious injury to them or their horse, or to call another a whore, a slut or a slag then that culture is one that is sour, rancid and one that we say should be thrown out and discarded. Its time, if ever it had its time, has gone.”

Panel Chair Brian Barker said they had been "unable to accept Mr Dunne's sweep of denials, criticisms and his reasoning" as well as expressing "real concern" about the described culture of the weighing room in Britain.

Mr Barker added: "A man, who in the view of one of his own witnesses was a 'piss-taker', and who regarded himself as one of the elders of the weighing room and someone who expected his view to be heeded.

"The tenor and type of language that we find was used towards Ms Frost is totally unacceptable, whatever the frustrations about her style and whatever the habits of the weighing room. They fall squarely within the ambit of the prohibition set out in the rule.

"Secondly, in reviewing the evidence given and their approach by jockeys of repute as well as by the valets – who probably find themselves in a difficult position – we have real concern that what was referred to by Mr Weston as the 'weighing room culture' is deep-rooted and coercive, and in itself is not conducive to the good health and the development of modern day race-riding."

This sorry episode has shone a light on a toxic culture of bullying and misogyny, with Dunne a key proponent.

Perhaps tellingly, the Professional Jockey’s Association rejected the damaging assessment made during the inquiry about the culture of the sport.

It rapidly issued a statement after the verdict which said: "The PJA does not accept the disciplinary panel’s findings in relation to the culture within and collective behaviour of the jump jockeys’ weighing room. It is a grossly inaccurate and wholly unfair representation of the weighing-room and a conclusion we believe is at odds with the evidence presented.”

“The PJA therefore accepts that the language used in the weighing room will not always be the language you would expect in an office. This is no different to what happens in the pressure cooker of any professional sport.”

The tone of their statement was one of defensive denial, especially considering that Frost is also one of their members. While others may not have had the confidence to speak up, her accusations were considered to be proven, so why did the PJA not express concern for her and others perhaps less confident to come forward?

Julie Harrington, BHA CEO provided wise counsel: “As the chief executive of the BHA, there is a clear finding that Bryony was bullied. We will take time to reflect and hopefully the PJA will reflect with their members before speaking any further.

“But it is important for racing fans, for the public, for parents who want their children to come into this sport, that we can look them in the eye and are seen to be doing the right thing.

“I would like to praise Bryony Frost for having the courage to come forward and raise her concerns,” she said. “This was not easy to do but sport needs brave pioneers such as her if change is ever going to be made.

“The investigation and the serious charges brought highlight that there is no room for conduct of this nature within our sport. We believe this is an important moment for our industry.”

What reception Frost will receive in the face of such denials from her fellow jockeys remains to be seen.

She made a brief statement which said: “I would like to thank every individual including the racing public that has supported me not only during the last couple of weeks but throughout.

"I wish now to take time to reflect on the outcome before I make any further comment. I ask the media to please give me and the people closest to me a few days of privacy. I need to focus on my upcoming rides over the weekend. Thank you."

Dunne may not be the only jockey whose conduct warrants review, but this case has underlined the need to address genuine problems in the sport’s culture - and Dunne would do well to reflect on his own behaviour.

The fact that he has not yet expressed any regret for his actions speaks volumes about the level of transformation the sport requires if it is to be a welcome environment for everyone.

#Robbie Dunne #Bryony Frost #Cheltenham Festival #Rachael Blackmore #Grand National #sports bullying #female jockey #British Horseracing Authority #Mercedes-Benz #F1 #Lewis Hamilton #Formula One #LGBTQ+ #Grenfell #Kingspan

[aboutlouishofmann]

White Lies Magazine Interview with Louis Hofmann

How long are you in England for? I'm currently staying for six weeks, but I've already been here for five and a half so I'm only here for a couple more days before heading back to Germany for rehearsals for my next film.

Really, or did they kick you out because of Brexit ? 

No they didn't (laughs) - and luckily there are no real changes until December so I can get in and out without a problem. I'm not exactly sure what will change for Germans anyway, if there are new regulations or if it will be the same in terms of travelling. It's gonna be really crappy for basically everyone leaving the UK - if you consider that someone who has a band for example and plays a tour around Europe will need to pay or be passport-controlled with their equipment every time they cross borders. It might not matter for a big band like Coldplay but small bands will have a lot of trouble with that.

Actually Coldplay has suspended their tours until they can find a way to make them sustainable.

I know and I think that is amazing! 

How are you with environmentalism, are you active? 

I wish I was more active to be honest, because I have a platform on Instagram which I could use a bit more - I'm just always quite scared when it comes to posting because I know that so many people then talk about it and judge me for what I have posted. l don't have an issue with taking a political side on an I think fairly easy topic to take sides on when it comes to the environment. But then again it's this general thing of posting something and l know 400.000 people will look at it or make up their mind about it - have an opinion and voice it. It's just something that scares me, so that is holding me back a bit but I'm trying a bit more. 

Understood. But isn't it the same with doing a movie or starring in a TV series, you put it out there and everyone is going to judge you ? Even more people than just your followers as a matter of fact.

Of course. But that's my job. That's what I love to do, that's what I've chosen to do. I have not chosen to be someone who is followed by 400.000 people on Instagram, that sort of just happened. 

It's a side effect. 

It is and I am grateful for it but it also scares me (laughs). 

That makes sense. But do you even realise how famous you are? I remember I walked into someone's house in Korea last year and they were watching "Dark" that very moment, all fans of yours. 

I don't think I get it. No, I don't quite get it. When I talk to casting directors about my value on the English language market they will eventually tell me that it's not as profound as they want it to be to play a main role in an English language feature film. You have to separate between being known from something and being so known for quality that you have international value - having sort of a critical acclaim and value in different countries. I don't think I'm there yet and would only consider myself famous, which is already weird to discuss and acknowledge out loud. For now, to be fair, I'm just the guy from "Dark". 

It did reach a bit of an iconic status though, also your character. Everyone is going to remember you for that yellow raincoat.

I hope they won't only remember me for only that (laughs). 

Do you wear a yellow raincoat in private ?

No, there is no opportunity for me anymore to wear a yellow raincoat. It's not possible. But let's get back once more to environmentalism. One thing is stating your opinion on social media but the other thing is when it comes to acting myself, to change my daily life to help the environment. I would say I'm quite conscious about it and avoid flying and consuming local produce. Focus on quality and try to not waste products. 

Who is inspiring you?

Leonardo Dicaprio for example. But I don't know if he necessarily acts himself that way, but he does something about speaking out about it - using his figure and position as an activist to talk about it. I quite like that.

He is doing one thing I could personally not do however. Speaking out for something and then doing the opposite in his private life. And that judgement is what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of getting perceived as a hypocrite. But then again being perceived as that in terms of climate change doesn't really help because it needs to be spoken about and maybe you do not do as much as you talk about it. But at least you raise awareness and take even just a small part.

I absolutely agree. I think we need to re-think that whole concept of hypocrisy in this thing because if he reaches a couple of million people and they are changing something about it - even if he is doing the opposite - he is still doing a lot of good with it. Even though he is a hypocrite I think we need to redefine what it means - at the end of the day we will all be hypocrites because no one is really going to be able to live completely sustainably, we can't think in those absolute terms too much. Everyone needs to start with one thing - picking their battles. Focus on plastic for example, we may get better at disposing of it while still being bad in terms of traveling for example, but that is okay, we can only do one thing at a time. 

Don't you think it's crazy that in relation to something like the coronavirus pandemic, pressing and tangible as it affects us now - everybody is afraid, everyone acts, the government acts and everyone is doing their part. Then there is climate change which is more intangible because it's still far away and people don't really care about it - I think this is a problem. Why only act about something that only affects yourself? It's quite selfish and stands for a lot more than only this. 

That's it. We went really deep pretty quick didn't we? The most pressing question however is - how often do you cry watching movies ? 

I do like to cry when I watch films, because I think I'm quite empathetic so I can relate to the characters a lot. I don't often do it but I really do not mind - it means I'm involved in the story. I like crying in movies. Therefore I know it has touched me somehow.

I have a weird relationship to crying in movies, I like doing it but there is a certain place where I cry much more easily - on planes. It's quite strange actually but I get very emotional when I'm up in the air.

That's good, I guess? Have you seen the film "Click"? It's not the greatest film out there, it's with Adam Sandler. But there is a scene in the end where he (spoiler alert) dies. There is a remote with which he can forward his life and he fasts forward to the moment when he dies. It's very dramatic, tragic - almost pathetic and still I started crying because I imagined that happening to me and felt so sad (laughs). 

This is going to be the headline: Louis Hofmann, the guy who cries at Adam Sandler movies.

I can imagine you being the guy who would make a head- line like this. 

Have you ever died in a movie?

[START OF SPOILER]

Yes, I've died in "Alone in Berlin" and also in "Prélude", where my character hangs himself in the end. 

How was that for you?

I was not very attached to myself at that moment. I mean eventually it gets cut out. So the moment I actually die they cut off and it turns black. I still enacted the scenes but it was weird, it was more of a physical thing than an emotional one when I acted it. It's just sometimes with very physical scenes - the dynamic approach and action can be so mentally and intellectually exhausting that there is not much room left for emotional attachment. It didn't feel I was dying myself. It did hurt though, I had the rope around my neck.

[END OF SPOILER]

Good one. Do you believe in fairytales?

No I don't. But I do like "Bojack Horseman" though because it seems so dumb first but turns so philosophical. 

In general, what is happiness to you?

I don't know what it means to me but I know when l feel happy - that's when I'm grounded, when I'm self-assured and when I feel like I'm really being myself. When I reach that state I feel happiness. Sharing that happiness with someone is what's most important. Happiness is truly being yourself.

Very profound answer. How is your work- life balance, are you always working?

I think it's quite okay. The only thing I kind of need to improve is that - when I work I work 100% and I tend to think about the year in little phases. I work then I'm free, then I work then I'm free. And I always only take really care of myself in the times when I have spare time. When I work my health and my hobbies - I just do not look at that. It's all about the work. I want to get somewhere where I can balance those things better.

The thing I really wanted to touch base with you on was the future of movies. We are talking about technology, virtual reality, 3D. Would you like to do some work in 3D?

I would only like to do something in 3D if the new technology elevates the film to another level and makes sense story-wise. I'm not a fan of it only if it looks good. If it helps the story to evolve into something bigger then it's okay. I'm an admirer of that old cinema look, of that really organic taste of a film. I don't know if I would like to act in a VR film. What I don't like about new technologies is that the acting itself and the characters and craft are kind-of left behind. In the foreground it's only the technique, the focus is too much on the visual aspects rather than the screencraft.

I totally understand what you're saying - but if you think about it this way now - people probably said the same thing about colour films in times of black/white films because colours took away the attention from the acting. I think it's about what we are used to. If we say in a couple of years it's normal to consume everything in 3D and VR, do we still think about that?

I mean it surely is incredible what they have achieved and still continue to achieve with 3D and VR. Remarkable how they portray an illusion and tell a story in such a unique and involving way. I'm just always afraid that if you want to tell a character based story with that technique, the characters and the acting will be left behind due to the sheer amount of attention the technical stuff needs from the cast and the team. But of course it's fascinating and intriguing. And since we sort of got used to seeing films in 3D, maybe that's also gonna happen to VR.

How do you think we will consume movies and series in 20 years or how does acting actually change? Looking at "Death Stranding", a video game by Hideo Koji-ma that stars an impressive cast with Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux and Norman Reedus, to name but a few. They are in this game as actors through 3D scanning. Imagine this fast-forwarded 20 years.

I really hope that traditional acting doesn't die. I don't know - in 30 years I'll probably think differently but right now I think you can not replace something natural with something computer-generated. If the technology evolves, maybe it will be possible.

Anyway, how does it feel like to see yourself in a sex scene?

(laughs) I've always said I separate myself from the character when I watch my films. It's the character who gets naked and has sex, it's not me. It's just when you are around people who you know personally, it might get awkward, for example with my mom. You just have to evaluate if nudity and sex is necessary for the story and the character - if it is, it's not tough to watch.

It's a powerful meditation on how to detach yourself from something, isn't it?

For sure, it doesn't always work though.

#Louis Hofmann #dark netflix #louishofmann #darknetflix #jonas kahnwald #jonaskahnwald

[bigmafluff]

My Story Chapt.1 & 2

My

Story!

The Ultimate Fan fiction/Love story! Tom Hiddleston,

This is fiction it is not real I'm not this lucky! 

family!Courage ! Faith! And Kids! This book is a new life after parenthood. It is my new journey. And a not so guilty obsession. Thanks for reading!

Summary.

What happens When a Single Mom Who Has devoted her Soul to her Family. receives her Empty nest papers . That the world said she would never have. Hi I'm Shannon ! I'm a writer  well I want to be . Need a Publisher first.  Where are the Best . In the U.K. Didn't count on Love too. Come find out what happened. It's a great adventure.

Chapter 1

A shocking encounter.

{I want to break free. By Queen, Hello By Lionel Richie, and I can't feel my my face. By the weekend}

FREEDOM!

A new Beginning ! Yup something I thought this would never have. You see I'm a Autism Mom and helped my sis raise her 2 kid when she couldn't by herself. I was One of those mom's that where told That .I was gonna be Raising my Son Lucas all my life. Well God and Lucas had other plans. I'm So Dang Proud!!!!!! So Kids grown. Lucas has an Aide, A Job as a Mechanic/Car dealer back Home . I think the mechanic stuff is his hobbies cause My Lucas Love's to tinker. My Nephew is working for NASA/ and Microsoft which I also think

NASA thing is the hobbies . As I said Tinker Just smaller. Now My Niece Katrina . She Is my Butterfly . Totally out side the box, 4 tour's In the Navy. She's A Young Mama and A News Caster In Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. Here's the twist Her and Her kids do Video's on YouTube for fun.

Enough about My Babies. Writing was not the only reason to Go across the Pond to America's Father land. I had recently gone through several Surgeries to fix my body after losing a extreme amount of weight from a Lifetime of Issues with my weight. 2 charities offer to help me finish that Journey but the only Plastic Surgeon willing to touch me Is at Oxford University Hospital. So Here I Go A Strange women in a strange land .

So When I was all of sudden a Empty nest . I was struck with something I haven't thought bout sense childhood . What do I do when I grow up! LOL !! So I hit my bucket List and started @ the 2 Largest and hardest things to accomplish on that list . Fix my body and Write! . So College to get my literary degree. While Extreme Yoga, Running , lil' bit of Martial art's and Lessons In all form's of skating! [Skating Hobby AKA on DA list!] God, family, and Music Made it all worth it and surprisingly easy! Dream's come when your are working hard and not Looking for it. These are one of those.

Now I'm in a UK/London Airport bundled up with 3 List's and a map on my phone .Braving the unknown, Trying to find DA Baggage claim and Customs in the rather Large Heathrow Airport . Dang!!!! it was noisy! Honestly I wasn't even paying no attention to were I was going. I was just Focused on Trying hard to get out of this busy packed Building ,Stress &Anxiety times 10!!!!!

while heading to Customs Dragging 2 rolling cases and Large tote on my shoulder. I'm walking past a group of screaming women and teens along with flashing lights from camera's Butt I was determined to stay focused on Why I'm in a hurry. I hit something head on and drop to the ground my tote spill and it was like hitting a wall and all of a sudden all the noise stopped. I don't care who says other wise, British and Aussie Ascent's are smooth and sexy and butter! The are several men in the U.K. That send my fan girl hormones into Overload. But only 3 are Single Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, and Luke Evan's.

Now Tom Hiddleston is epic. Stage, screen, voice, He is it. He is melt worthy . Hint's the screamers! 6/2 160 Stormy blue eyes , He's strutting the Black dye job for a movie he just finished he is a naturally curly blonde. I'm a sucker For men's curls no Joke. Pure Killer Eye Candy !!!!!

As I try to pick my things up and apologize I see a hand also picking up my things . He touched my hand and I look up and see those wonderful blue's I start to shake to nervous to talk . I shake my head and Just finish picking up my things . I don't have time for this and I don't want to have a fainting spell from nerves it this Airport. So keeping my head down I stand . Say Thank you and Apologize again for slamming into the man and Leave before he says anything.

One hour Later!!!!!

I made it to my hotel via Uber. I changed , called family especially Lucas my Captain America. I ordered pizza {Yes ! there is Pizza in the U.K."} And was going thru everything and found my Chromebook! But my Ticket receipt and my Night Manager Novel is missing . Well that sucks 'I'm hoping I can get home on the stub. I wasn't as mad about the receipt as I was about my Book. I Just bought it. Before I left I had watched the series With my sister. She said that I had to read

the book to get the full experience. I only just got past the 2nd chapter when I landed. Anyways I was laying down and working on the next book in my children's book arsenal. When I must of passed out . Cause I woke to The ringing of my phone.

I go to answer it .Noticing it was already morning. A very groggy Lucas Wishes Mama a good morning and goodnight due to the time difference. After 45minutes for trying to tell my son I am OK and he needed to go to bed. I was finally able to shower and get ready for my day. I decided to stay and write today so my body can adjust before I go rampaging thru London looking for a publisher. I got half way thru Luca 's day in wonderland when I git a knock at My room door.

I open The door and there he is again invading my Life and charging hormones I thought long dead. Thomas William Hiddleston and he was holding my book with the receipt sticking out of it and a white rose . I'm thinking DA rose was a sign of peace. I'm standing there speechless. I think He realized I was a little Star struck so he helped me Back in to my room . Sat me down and brought me the water bottle I had on my Nightstand . I took a sip and Shook My self out of the fog I was in.

I begin to stutter and When he put His Finger over my lips. He then Said " Calm yourself Girl then we have Us a chat Yes? Where is the Tea around here ,or do you drink it" . All I could do is point to the Mini fridge. Curiously He Looks in the fridge . Then I remembered The English drink it hot . Then I said Finally calmed enough to be clear.

" Stop ! Look above it next to the coffee pot. I drink my Tea cold. I'm sorry! I think the stuff you want is in the Lil' treasure box next to The pot Sir. After a Little while Mr. Hiddleston And I Had interesting Chat . Yes we did. Basically This very conceded ,Arrogant , But Knock-out Gorgeous Man. Basically Had to find me Just because I didn't ask his name or for selfie or any thing. Honestly I think he was Just messing with me cause He Saw My Funko babies on the coffee table . Yes! There were a couple of His there.

He asked what I was doing here In his Home Across the pond. I showed him my stories on my Chromebook. Hey I was thinking he might be able to help me. I told him I was looking for a publisher . I also told him I was Do to have surgery I a couple of weeks, while I was here at the University Hospital. Hey When I get nervous thing's just spew I can't help it. So I told Him all of It Right down to my sudden empty nest. All while he read one of my Stories and nodding. He is in the middle of, Luca and The Golden Lion.

Thomas asked me some Questions about the story. I asked him some to. We bantered and I was surprisingly calm and comfy just chatting along. No longer nervous or anxious . We had been talking for hours . Tom was getting ready to leave . He handed me my book then held my hand there then whispered in my ear making me shiver." Still no selfie , no autograph, or Scream, Well Mrs. Jones. I would say You weren't a fan except for your greeting. So what is a Guy to do to get your attention. We will find out won't we, Till I see you again my Lady." I closed the door behind him as he left. Then promptly passed out right therein front of the door. Life just got interesting !

Chapter 2

Career Change Wow!

[Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the waves, Hay YA by OutKast, High hopes By Panic at the disco.]

I woke the next morning to sunshine and birdsong. It must be a sign I am on the right track. So Coffee a Shower and breakfast burrito's at McDonald's, and I'm out in London . I'm Publisher hunting. I had a call from the Hospital about my per-opp appointment for surgery. That is in a few day's. So Little nervous about that . As I walk into my first office building then I Stop in the lobby when my phone rings.

It was a local # so I answered . It was a Guy named Luke Parsons He is a free lance publisher that heard about my stories. I was shocked how did he hear about me. He asked if we could meet at his office at 3pm. I agreed,he gave me the address and hung up. I went in to the build kinda stoked . I figure I try all my options. So through out the day I went to many publishing companies all saying the same which pissed me off to no end. But did I show it NO. Just because I'm American they won't even Look at them. I couldn't even eat . I grabbed a Juice @ a convenience store, then went back to my hotel to change. I needed time to find this place for my 3:00 meeting with Mr. parsons and I want to make a good impression since I was rejected so many other times today.

So I decided to call a Uber because I felt I had been walking all day and needed a small break . When we Pulled up to the Building and guess who was standing there with a smart ass smile on his face! Yup! Tom was opening my door after paying the driver , which I didn't expect. He grabs My hand and kisses my palm. Honestly why is a guy like him even paying me any attention . I'm not the tiny,skinny little thing that he is normally with and I don't act or sing. It's frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. GOD HELP ME!!! I told my self.

I asked Tom what he was doing here and then everything clicked. He told Mr. Parson's about me. When I asked how he knew Mr. Parsons. Tom told me that Luke was a Publicist by trade but had a small publishing company on the side as a hobby. So not letting go of my hand Thomas took me inside to meet Luke. Tom stayed in the waiting room as I went into Luke's office. He didn't have a huge office, but it was still dark and intimidating. The tall blonde man in the gray suit, stood and shook my hand . And I sat in the chair across from his desk. when I was going to speak. But he straight shut mt up with a finger. He started Hounding me about Tom. Ii became Anxious and when that happens I Babble and stutter badly. I spilled everything from my weight to the confrontation @ my hotel. By that point I am crying and Thomas came in and took one look at me and Was about to give Luke the business when Luke stopped him Saying He needed to Gage my character. Do to the fact that Thomas was one of his most prominent Clients. I relaxed cause Tom did. And Luke apologized .

When all was calmed. Tom pulled a chair next to me. He told me to go ahead and give Luke my flash drive with my book copies on it . All while holding my hand and rubbing my back . I have to admit I had a small smile on my face cause I was feeling @ peace with TWH sitting and pampering me. It was nice. Mr. Parsons plugged my flash drive into his desk top. While telling me to call him Luke. He said regardless if he likes mysteries or not He is probably gonna see a lot of me because he was Tom's Publicist. I am not giving any weight to that remark not yet .AHAHAH!!!! As Luke was reading Tommy and I were talking and Honestly I needed to get a lot of my frustration's off my chest .Unfortunately Thomas was my victim , willing I might add considering he was grinning the whole time.

Once I was done giving the 3rd degree to Tommy. He squeezed my hand then answered." Well Shannon. I have been in this business for a while now and out of all my so called fans. I never had one Ignore me! They'll always wanted something from me. A picture, to Kneel,autograph,selfie,hug,any attention I would give they sucked it from me. But when you ran into me at the airport. The funko toy's spilling from your bag told me your were a fan and I saw your face you recognized me, I heard you breath hitch. Yet you said sorry and left. No selfie, No nothing. It intrigued me so much I had Luke here who was with me that day check you out using the stub and book with your name and address in America in it . Which also gave me more proof you were a fan." as he continues to explain I look at him in awe he has no clue how bad I want to fan girl and ask for all those things but my heart may be with him but my mind is on what Luke is doing because Luke has my future in his hands.

Back to Tom's explanation." Shannon I came to your room Just to give a fan a gift. On my way to my Mother's for lunch. I ended up canceling lunch when you froze on me. Then I was so humbled by your nervousness. Dearling ." He says as he caresses my face ,raising Luke's eyebrows he is reading. Tom finally finishes with," As I was leaving your room I knew I had to know you more and since you were Looking for someone to help you get your stories read I talked to Luke about it and he was happy to get a new client especially one not for the public business but for His hobby. Now that I explained everything Love turn and listen to Luke I think he has something to say."

That caught my attention. I shook off the haze from listening to Tom . Turned my head to see a smiling almost ecstatic Luke. Looking at us. Then retold me he loved my stories. He said the fan-fix he even might know someone who might want to turn it into a play with the right circumstances. The other 2 he wanted to know if this is a story arc Like the old Harry Potter Series going on cause he could make it happen if there was gonna be more. He also asked about the Illustration in the stories.

I answered him promptly,about Luca and his daydreams and how they relate to my son who is Autistic and who also did the pictures for my stories Neither of them realized I was a mother . Which took both by surprise. Luke asked if I was married . OMG ! Would I have let Tom flirt with me if I was. Yes ! I would have, But I told Luke the truth I have been separated and divorced. For many years. And my Son is almost 30. that floored Tom ! I guess he thought is was younger Ha! Wait till he finds out I'm 2 years older than him. Dang straight! Cougar Power !

Now I get excited when Luke pulls a rather large group of paper's out of his desk. And writes on them. The put's them in front of me and explains. "Now Shannon can I call you that . Of course I can!" I just nod quietly." Well Shannon this is a contact for exclusivity. So anything you write is published through our Publishing company. So any fan based Fiction, Lucas stories all of it Go through us. Do you understand that Shannon?" I nod in understanding. He continues, "I am going to pay you up front for the 3 stories you have now plus signing bonus. Although only 2 are guaranteed to hit book shelves very Quickly.

Also I am Also going out of my way and despite conflict of interest with Tom I going to take you on to navigate your public appearance as well. You will need that for book signing's and such. I will also make sure Lucas gets paid for all his pictures and any future picture's for your book's. Now one last thing that may help ease your mind a bit Shannon. Tom Has nothing to do with this contract or the merit of your stories. It was just a lucky shot for both of us that He was the one you ran into in the Airport and that he knew what Me and a few friends do in our spare time. Helping Storytellers get their stories read when no one else would is what we at Parsonage publishing are here to do most the commissions I'll receive for your book go to the Literacy foundation here in the U.K. Which is 5% but I also am taking10% for my Public work. But you won't even need to worry Shannon. I'm prepared to make you a very Popular and rich woman."

Honestly I am froze I did not think Lucas's and My stories would be this popular. Especially on there own merit. I'm speechless! Until Thomas starts shaking me to get my attention. I Turn, Tom point's to Luke. I turn and Luke asks? " Shannon Darling did you get all of it or do I need to repeat any of it?" I tell Luke as I take a look at the contraction front of me. Tom still holding my hand and I am thankful for the support. I got it surprisingly knew what the whole Author gig entails so to have Luke help me with both sides of that is a life saver, but I still have one or two questions.

" OK Luke ! I got most of it I am just got a couple questions? 1st Are you sure about the Public side I can find another if it helps your piece of mind. Also Are you sure my little stories are gonna get that popular and Last if so who has a pen. To my shock and tears. He answered all my question reassuring me of his sincerity and excitement .He also gave me a pen to sign my first almost million $Contract. I was so giddy . Luke asked for my main info like email ,cell, direct deposit > I just realized I'm not a disabled parent anymore. I am A writer/Author ,gainfully employed . I am crying Laughing and falling off my chair taking Tom with me.

While Luke gets me copy of my contract I had just signed . Tom Kisses my palm then he was kissing the my forehead. Then He shocks me by looking me straight in the eyes , Blue on Blue then asking out to Dinner tonight. WAS THIS A DATE!!!!!!????????????????

[scottydd]

### Civil servants felt obliged to listen to Greensill

It is unclear exactly what alternatives were explored: the Treasury says releasing information would compromise future policy-making. But it has released enough to show that officials felt torn: they were sceptical but felt obliged to listen to Greensill’s proposals.

On April 16, for instance, Greensill requested another call to discuss his “important and urgent” proposals. Roxburgh said yes. Minutes of the conversation state: “You were clear that we were in listening mode.” He also committed to “take \[Greensill’s\] points away and consider them”.

Sunak appears to have felt similarly, making clear that Cameron’s friends would get a special hearing and the Treasury would exhaust all possibilities but not wanting to overreach. He texted the former PM on April 23: “I have pushed the team to explore an alternative with the Bank \[of England\] that might work. No guarantees, but the Bank are currently looking at it and Charles should be in touch. Best, Rishi.”

Good news followed 24 hours after Sunak’s texts: Roxburgh, in the third of nine meetings with Greensill, said the government would do some “confidential” research with trusted banks and businesses to see if its revised proposals might work. Greensill said the company was “very pleased to hear this news”.

Over this period, Greensill enjoyed access to officials, in some instances receiving responses within ten minutes.

Nevertheless, it became apparent that the company’s proposals were as inappropriate as they first appeared. The Treasury had already published information about the scheme: a sudden change letting Greensill take part would seem suspicious and potentially present legal issues. Sunak’s officials also feared that the proposals were too complicated and not guaranteed to put money in the pocket of business owners. Minutes from a call on May 14 state that Roxburgh spoke to Greensill “at the chancellor’s request”. The official asked “simple questions” but the idea “sounded complicated”, with minutes adding: “The government’s schemes were subject to intense media, parliamentary and public scrutiny.”

On May 18, Sunak signed off what seemed like another definitive no: officials wrote to Greensill saying they were not redesigning their scheme because their proposal “would not bring sufficient benefits” to small businesses.

Yet even then, Greensill, with Cameron in the background, kept on coming back. On June 11, Roxburgh told Greensill he was “still considering matters”.

Only on June 26, two and a half months after Cameron’s text to Sunak, did the Treasury finally give up, with Roxburgh saying he had “genuinely put in a lot of time” to explore Greensill’s ideas but, on CCFF, had run out of road. Greensill wrote saying he was “embarrassed” by his initial oversights and had come up with a “simple and elegant solution” but the government’s view did not appear to have evolved since June. It was not possible to use Greensill as an intermediary for small businesses in a loan scheme designed to help big companies. The idea, in short, did not make sense.

As administrators wind up what is left of Greensill’s empire, questions remain about how the company was able to get so close to the public sector, securing, between 2018 and last month, contracts to pay NHS pharmacies and staff and also become an accredited lender under another Sunak scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme. The government has been asked to explain how Greensill was able to lend £400 million in taxpayer-backed money to one steel empire under that scheme, when the maximum to any one group was meant to be £50 million.

The Treasury says it was not responsible for that decision, although correspondence reveals that Greensill was, again, able to make personal requests to Sunak’s department on that scheme.

All of which affirms the issue at the heart of the scandal: why was Cameron able to get one man and one company such access to the people who shaped Britain’s response to the pandemic — and why did Sunak agree to help him?

Cameron’s spokesman refused to respond.

## The ‘nuts’ email sent by Cameron

Sheridan. Great to talk. Here are the bullet points I promised. What we most need is for Rishi to have a good look at this and ask officials to find a way of making it work. It seems nuts to exclude supply chain finance. We all know that the banks will struggle to get these loans out of the door — and so other methods of extending credit to firms become even more important. All good wishes DC.

● Greensill is a significant UK employer and its most valuable fintech \[financial technology business\], and we are keen to use our technology to help in this time of national crisis.

● We delivered £120 billion in credit to 2.6 million SMEs \[small or medium-sized enterprises\] in 175 countries last year — and are growing at more than 100 per cent per year.

● The Covid crisis has caused a very sharp increase in the demand from SMEs for liquidity — at the same time as many banks and investors are standing on the sidelines.

● Greensill applied to the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) to help it meet demand. HMT said “no” — apparently because the CCFF is to provide direct liquidity to non-financial corporates making a material contribution.

● All Greensill does is provide direct liquidity to non-financial corporates who make a material contribution to the UK economy — indeed we go one better and deliver liquidity directly to more than 100,000 SMEs in the UK today ... to pay invoices quickly that are generated by UK businesses in the real economy. Funding raised against invoices issued to large companies goes directly into the supply chain at every level, rather than to the big corporates.

● Our application conforms with all the conditions of the facility other than it has a securitisation company issuing the commercial paper rather than the finance subsidiary of Vodafone/NHS etc.

● In fact, the BoE \[Bank of England\] purchased identical supply chain finance paper in the financial crisis, so the precedent is there. Recall Andrew Bailey \[governor of the Bank\] has spoken of the unique importance of supply chain finance in this time of great economic \[unclear\].

● Surely HMG should be seen to be supporting UK fintechs — who are creating employment, driving innovation and already delivering billions in ultra low-cost liquidity to British SMEs — particularly when it has been proven.

● Allowing a securitisation company that issues qualifying commercial paper to access the facility does not create a bad precedent — it is one that a number of fintechs, like Greensill, could instantly use to help deliver cash to SMEs.

● Greensill (and fintechs like it) have the scale, technology, UK-based staff and capability to get credit — in scale — into the hands of UK SMEs in days.

Our ask is that you direct officials to work with Greensill to ensure the eligibility criteria are met — we are prepared to be flexible, but we need to work at speed. A failure to do so will, almost certainly, mean tens of thousands ... Greensill (and other fintechs) have to materially reduce their activities.

#greensill #uk #david cameron #risi sunak #fraud