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#It’s also black history month!!11
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CW: BLOOD AND GORE
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redgoldsparks · 9 months
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My very last comic for The Nib! End of an era! Transcription below the cut. instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble
The first event I went to with GENDER QUEER was in NYC in 2019 at the Javits Center.
So many of the people who came to my signing were librarians, and so many of them said the same thing: "I know exactly who I want to give this to!" Maia: "Thank you for helping readers find my book!" While working on the book, I was genuinely unsure if anyone outside of my family and close friends would read it. But the early support of librarians and two American Library Association awards helped sell two print runs in first year.
Since then, GENDER QUEER been published in 8 languages, with more on the way: Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese and Dutch.
It has also been the most banned book in the United States for the past two years. The American Library Association has tracked an astronomical increase in book challenges over the past few years. Most of these challenges are to books with diverse characters and LGBTQ themes. These challenges are coming unevenly across the US, in a pattern that mirrors the legislative attacks on LGBTQ people. The Brooklyn Public Library offered free eCards to anyone in the US aged 13-21, in an effort to make banned books more available to young readers. A teacher in Norman, Oklahoma gave her students the QR code for the free eCard and lost her job. Summer Boismeir is now working for the Brooklyn Public Library. Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive, apps used to access digital library books, are now banned in Mississippi to anyone under 18. Some libraries won’t allow anyone under 18 to get any kind of library card without parental permission. When librarians in Jamestown, Michigan refused to remove GENDER QUEER and several other books, the citizens of the town voted down the library’s funding in the fall 2022 election. Without funding, the library is due to close in mid-2024. My first event since covid hit was the American Library Association conference in June 2022 in Washington, DC. Once again, the librarians in my signing line all had similar stories for me: “Your book was challenged in our district" "It was returned to the shelf!" "It was removed from the shelf..." "It was moved to the adult section."
Over and over I said: "Thank you. Thank you for working so hard to keep my book in your library. I’m sorry you had to defend it, but thank you for trying, even if it didn't work." We are at a crossroads of freedom of speech and censorship. The future of libraries, both publicly funded and in schools, are at stake. This is massively impacting the daily lives of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and authors around the country. In May 2023, I read an article from the Washington Post analyzing nearly 1000 of the book challenges from the 2021-2022 school year. I was literally on route to a festival to talk about book bans when I read a startling statistic. 60% of the 1000 book challenges were submitted by just 11 people. One man alone was responsible for 92 challenges. These 11 people seem to have made submitting copy-cat book challenges their full-time hobby and their opinions are having an outsized ripple effect across the nation. WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS EVEN LOUDER. If you are able too, show up for your library and school board meetings when book challenges are debated. Send supportive comments and emails about the Pride book display and Drag Queen story hours. If you see a display you like– for Banned Book Week, AAPI Month, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, Jewish holidays, Trans Day of Remembrance– compliment a librarian! Make sure they feel the love stronger than the hate <3
Maia Kobabe, 2023
The Nib
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funniest disney history facts i can think of atm
literally EVERYBODY thought the lion king was gonna flop and pocahontas would be their greatest movie ever made. people begged to ditch lion king and work on pocahontas.
the reason robin hood ends so abruptly is that there was an actual ending planned and storyboarded but the crew spent too long arguing about everyone’s fursonas to finish animating it
madam mim was way less comedic in the original book but because her character was too similar to maleficent (who was in their latest film at the time), the sword and the stone crew decided to differentiate her by making her fucking hilarious
when making a goofy movie, jeffrey katzenberg (studio chairman at the time) told bill farmer to give goofy “a normal voice.” farmer, who had been voicing goofy for eight years at that point, including in the goof troop show that a goofy movie was a sequel to, was very confused. after making an attempt they decided to scrap that note completely.
as of march 2023, farmer is still voicing goofy, and tony anselmo has been voicing donald since 1986. the 2017 reboot of ducktales, which was slated as “wanting to do for donald what goofy movie did for goofy,” featured both actors as those characters; they had also been doing the voices for the original ducktales and goof troop/goofy movie. all the times goofy and donald interact in the 2017 ducktales however, donald was voiced by guest star don cheadle as a joke
current voice of mickey mouse bret iwan has stated that he has attempted to play kingdom hearts and did not do well
disneyland’s current world of color halloween overlay features a plot that is basically “the disney villains simultaneously adopt a goth kid” and i love it
people will make jokes about “well math says that the beast would’ve been 11 when he was cursed” well that was actually the original intent, but a flashback scene of baby beast was scrapped because he looked “too much like eddie munster”
when disney sent a representative to pixar to check on toy story production, she was like “this is all great! what style of music are you thinking” and they were like “for what” “for the songs” “we uh. we weren’t gonna have. any songs” and she went dead silent and then went “i have to make a call” and left the room
saludos amigos and the three caballeros were made as ww2 propaganda. the government commissioned disney to make movies to make latin america like them so that they wouldnt side with the nazis and provide them an in to invade, and latin america really liked donald duck so
saludos amigos was apparently the first time many usamericans realized that latin american people were like. people. film historian alfred charles richard jr said that the film “did more to cement a community of interest between peoples of the americas in a few months than the state department had in fifty years”
while latin america generally liked both films, chilean cartoonist rené rios boettiger fucking hated the chilean segment of saludos amigos, seeing the main character of pedro the plane as a weakass bitch, so in response he created condorito, the most popular comic character in all of latin america
disney wanted to adapt ts eliot’s old possum’s book of practical cats. his widow adamantly refused, and then sold the rights to andrew lloyd webber bc he wanted to make it sexy and she said “tom would’ve liked that”
in case you haven’t seen the defunctland, walt disney wanted epcot to be a futuristic utopia where he was basically the dictator. then he died so they just made it another theme park
speaking of defunctland the first defunctland video was on disneyworld’s alien attraction and please watch it. please it’s so funny
after the huge failure of the black cauldron disney was going to shut down its animation department. the department tried to convince them to keep them alive by showing them the one scene they had finished for the next movie– the mouse burlesque from the great mouse detective. it worked
the only attraction the black cauldron ever got was in tokyo disneyland where they put a tour under cinderella’s castle where everyone had to escape the disney villains trying to kill them, only to end at the horned king and the cauldron, who would try to sacrifice them to satan. this tour was popular but was closed in the early 2000s as the tunnels didn’t fit earthquake regulations and i want it in disneyworld so bad
walt disney once referred to his unionizing workers, led by goofy’s creator art babbitt, as “commie sons of bitches,” and i want a mickey build-a-bear that calls me a commie son-of-a-bitch whenever i squeeze its paw
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coldresolve · 2 months
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Hi, I'm Elias, I'm a 26yo trans guy from Denmark. I write shit, I draw shit, and I get into unneccesarily tedious arguments with anons about torture apologia in fiction. I think that sums up my vibe
I've made a few posts about this already, but tl;dr: the Danish NHS has been refusing to treat me for gender dysphoria for the better part of a year now because they've deemed me "unstable." Unstable how, you ask?
I have depression.
No, that is quite literally it. Full context under the readmore.
Fighting to be heard and having the door repeatedly slammed in your face sucks peak ass, and I'm done now. The NHS is so lackluster when it comes to trans people, all of a sudden, it makes perfect sense to me why 31% of transgender Danes get HRT outside of the NHS.
And I'd rather not have to turn to the black market, so rn I'm hoping to get a prescription with GenderGP. The issue is, I'm poor as fuck and can't afford the start-up fees for the forseeable future - unless I do something like this. I hate asking others for money, and I hate it even more if I'm not in a place where I can give anything in return. But I also recognize I'm in over my head with this, so. If you've got a cent or two to spare, I'd be grateful as hell.
I've mathed it out, and my best estimate is that I need around 3500,- DKK / $500 USD. Again, this is just to cover the initial subscription as well as mandatory consultations/blood tests. I should be able to cover the prescriptions on my own, as well as further tests/consultations down the line, so I'm hoping this is a one-and-done sort of thing.
Also, important note. We're in a global cost of living/housing crisis and this isn't a strict life-or-death situation. If you're in a tough spot right now, don't send me anything, that'd just make me feel worse about asking. I appreciate the thought but you gotta take care of your own needs first. Peace and take care ✌️
So I've been dealing with major depressive disorder since I was 11. It runs in my family, and as you might imagine, after 15 years of living with this thing, I've learned how to manage it pretty well by now. I know what it's like to genuinely be unstable - and if I were in a place like that, no problem, I'd be open about that. I wouldn't be making decisions like this. I know myself. You kind of have to when you're dealing with a chronic mental illness.
Here's where I am right now: I've got no suicidal ideation, been clean from self harm for four years, no psychosis, no inpatient admissions for the last five years. I live on my own, take my meds, and I'm keeping my life in order. Depressed, yes, but about as stable as someone with my history can get, and ask anyone who knows me, me wanting to get on HRT isn't some spur of the moment decision. I've done a fucking decade of soul searching, and a few years ago, I finally (duh) reached the conclusion that living as a woman isn't something I can even fake being content with - believe me, I've tried. I'm well aware of the scope of medical transition, but I'm settled in who I am. And I just want to live like me now. That's the only thing I want.
If it counts for anything, my partner and family have supported me through this, which has been priceless obviously, but it also goes to show that me saying "I'm capable of making medical decisions" isn't purely a personal assessment. I'm pretty sure they'd speak up if they thought I was being unstable about it or whatever
But the CPH clinic for sexology, who have consistently refused to listen to me telling them all this, have somehow magically aquired divine knowledge on my capacity to make adult decisions about my own body, and on the basis that I have MDD, they're refusing to even set me up for a preliminary interview - one that would preceed a 6 month full-team psych evaluation before the prospect of HRT would even come up. They said in their latest refusal that they wont accept another referral from me until a year after my last in-clinic conversation with them, which happened on October 24th, 2023 - meaning that with the NHS, if they accepted my referral come October (which I don't have much faith they will), the earliest I could possibly get on HRT is April 2025. Arguing for my own sanity would've sucked enough as is, but it's made harder by the fact that they won't even talk to me. You're a trans guy who would like healthcare, but you have a mental illness? Good luck, you're on your own. Long live the Danish bureaucracy.
Dysphoria makes me fucking miserable. I'd rather not have to write a sob story here, and tumblr is like 80% trans people so I guess a good portion of you can imagine why waiting another year for the possibility of maybe-perhaps-if-all-goes-well getting on HRT would not actually make me less miserable about it.
So. I'm sitting down next week along with my mom to file a formal complaint with the patient's rights committee. I don't know what to call this other than some form of discrimination on the basis of mental illness, because nothing in my current situation would prohibit me from making medical decisions for myself. And I honestly don't think that a complaint is going to do much, but I intend to make it obnoxiously long, because by law, a specialized doctor and an attorney have to read through the whole thing. If you can't beat 'em, make 'em read 50 pages of you going into detail about why you think they suck, right
And yeah, like I said, in the meantime, I'm trying to go via GenderGP. It'd be nice if my poor ass could get HRT via the NHS instead of having to pay out of pocket, but apparently the bar for entry requires that you 1) have gender dysphoria to the point where it impedes normal function and 2) somehow aren't mentally ill. Who wrote these rules? Some 60yo cis guy in a suit in Christiansborg, I imagine.
Feel free ask about anything relating to this whole situation, I'll be as open as I can about it, cause I understand that if you're going to give money to someone, you want to know what it's going to. Though I hope you understand I'm not going to doxx myself more than I already have now, or give you my entire medical history - only what's relevant to my current situation.
I know Denmark is a welfare state and on a global scale we're doing alright, but I hope you don't mind if I say this: This shouldn't be happening as often as it does. Fuck the Danish NHS.
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hazyange1s · 3 months
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MC: Raegan DesRosiers
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Basics
Full name: Raegan Caítríona DesRosiers
Nickname: Rae, Rae Rae, Reggie (don’t call her that she’ll hex you)
Gender: female
Species: witch
Date of birth: November 27, 1874
Nationality: French and Irish
Blood status: half blood
Wand: blackthorn, dragon heartstring, 11 3/4 in, rigid
Appearance
Hair color: dark ginger
Hair style: often worn pulled back in a loose braid or bun, though she starts wearing it down w/ her natural messy waves in sixth year
Eye color: amber
Skin tone: fair
Height: 5’5” (and some change)
Body type: curvy and toned from Quidditch/dueling
Clothing style: dark and warm colors (black, red, brown), likes heavy fabrics such as wool, velvet, and leather, prefers to dress casual in battle-ready clothes but also enjoys dressing up
Accessories:
likes to use her wand to keep her hair up
often wears dragon hide gloves
ring made of goblin metal (given to her in sixth year)
Other distinguishing features:
two old scars through her left eyebrow (no memory of getting them)
longer scar over the same eye (cut by a sword during the final repository battle)
LOTS of freckles
Personality
Traits: confident, hotheaded, proud, rebellious, domineering, persuasive, flirtatious
Likes: summer, history, flying, parties, freedom, traveling, independence
Dislikes: authority, swimming/the rain, silence, wet blankets, seafood
Hobbies: dueling, Quidditch, historical research, dancing, weapon-making
Fears: drowning, being forgotten/insignificant, losing control
MBTI: ESTP-T
Enneagram: 8w7 (873) sx/sp
Zodiac: Sagittarius sun, scorpio moon, leo rising
Temperament: choleric
Archetype: The Rebel
Similar characters: Aelin Galthynius, Ginny Weasley, Damon Salvatore, Bellamy Blake, Jude Duarte, Faith Lehane
Family/Friends
Father: Marcel DesRosiers
Muggle
French diplomat
Left when Raegan was eight
Massive preening asshole who despises magic
Mother: Kassady DesRosiers (Fallon)
Pureblood witch
Dragonologist
Killed when Raegan was 15 (a victim of Jack the Ripper)
Gryffindor alumnus
Sibling: Ronan Sharp (half-brother/twin in utero)
Parents are Kassady DesRosiers and Aesop Sharp
Two months older (born Sept. 21)
Hufflepuff
Pet: Soleil
Phoenix (found in the mountain cave)
Fiercely loyal; as all phoenixes are, known to show up at odd times (whether she’s in trouble or just to harass his mom)
Friends: Diana Blackwine (childhood best friend), Sebastian Sallow, Natsai Onai, Garreth Weasley, Ominis Gaunt, Leander Prewett, Imelda Reyes (frenemies)
Magic
Boggart: her father…until her guilt over the loss of Professor Fig leads him to be her new one
Patronus: tigress
Polyjuice: turns amber and tastes like honey mead
Amortentia: cinnamon, clove, smoke, and sandalwood
Special abilities:
Ancient magic
Dark Arts (wielded “when necessary” which is really just…whenever her instincts say)
Pyromancy - Raegan is an Igneus; a species of witch that is immune to and can conjure fire at will, the trait being passed through her mother’s bloodline
Backstory
Born in Avignon, France, Raegan had a turbulent childhood. While her mother was loving and kind, she often had to travel for her work - as did Raegan’s father, meaning she was often with only one parent for extended periods of time or had to be watched by one of her paternal aunts. When he was around, Marcel was not an affectionate man…in fact, he was often physically and verbally abusive to his wife right in front of Raegan and extended the treatment to her as she got older.
Eventually he discovered that Kassady had had an affair and conceived a son with another man. This coupled with his disdain for witchcraft led him to abandon his wife and daughter. So, the two moved back to Kassady’s hometown of Galway, Ireland.
However, times were tough. Her mother’s career as a dragonologist was no longer lucrative enough in the troubling times, and so they again relocated to London.
It was there that Kassady met a tragic, sudden end at the hands of an unidentified serial killer (who many suspected was actually a wizard). A newly orphaned Raegan, upon hearing the news, burned her house to the ground and wound up killing the officer who reported it accidentally.
The emotion was enough to unlock the ancient magic that had been hidden away inside of her, and just days after her mother’s funeral she received her Hogwarts letter. She now lives with her best friend (Diana)’s aunt in Scotland.
Academics
Best subject: DADA
Favorite subject: Flying and History of Magic
Favorite teacher: Hecat and Sharp
Worst subject: Herbology
Least favorite subject: Herbology and Divination
Least favorite teacher: Binns
Quidditch: Chaser (sixth year) and Quidditch Captain in seventh
As a student:
Rarely late, but she does miss (more than) a few classes in her fifth year
Detention record reads more like a rap sheet
Infamous but still respected; dedicated and intelligent
Future
Career: Auror
Though Raegan notoriously resists authority and despises the incompetence of the Ministry, she sees working for them as an opportunity to change things. Being in on the more secretive matters going on behind the scenes of the Wizarding World (and the chance to deal with them under the protection of their influence) doesn’t hurt, either.
They likely would have fired her on her first day for her insubordination, but they can’t deny the fact that she quickly becomes one of the best they have. Really, it’s a case of mutual loathing maintained through an advantageous truce.
Eventually, she does leave of her own accord, and takes up studying ancient history and magical weapon making.
Spouse: Sebastian Sallow (m. 1898)
(thanks @rypnami for motivating me by association to finally post this months old draft 🤠)
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elyan-fest · 7 months
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Hello again!
I am now taking responses for the Elyan Appreciation Fest Interest Check! This link will take you to an airtable with four very simple questions. I know google forms is much more widely used, but I just like the format of airtable so much more.
Some other things:
I am planning to host the Elyan Appreciation Fest during the first full week of February (Feb 5-11) in honor of US Black History month (also so it ends right around my birthday but thats neither here nor there). Ideally I'll get prompts decided on and posted before the end of the year so that anyone who wishes to participate has plenty of time to plan or start working. I will go through with the event regardless of the volume of responses to the interest check even if I am the only one posting.
I mention this on the form but depending on the general consensus of how many prompts per day will depend on how broad or specific the prompts will be.
So if the 1-2 is chosen then I will come up with 1-2 very broad prompts for each day. If a greater number is chosen then the prompts will be a bit more specific.
Thank you again for your interest in this event! Please share this post to boost awareness🙏
If you have any questions/suggestions/etc please send me an ask or dm!
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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
April 12, 2024
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
APR 13, 2024
At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, a federal fort built on an artificial island in Charleston Harbor. 
Attacking the fort seemed a logical outcome of events that had been in play for at least four months. On December 20, 1860, as soon as it was clear Abraham Lincoln had won the 1860 presidential election, South Carolina lawmakers had taken their state out of the Union. “The whole town [of Charleston] was in an uproar,” Elizabeth Allston recalled. “Parades, shouting, firecrackers, bells ringing, cannon on the forts booming, flags waving, and excited people thronging the streets.” 
Mississippi had followed suit on January 9, 1861; Florida on January 10; Alabama on January 11; Georgia on January 19; Louisiana on January 26; and Texas on February 1. By the time Lincoln took the oath of office on March 4, 1861, seven southern states had left the Union and formed their own provisional government that protected human enslavement. 
Their move had come because the elite enslavers who controlled those southern states believed that Lincoln’s election to the presidency in 1860 itself marked the end of their way of life. Badly outnumbered by the northerners who insisted that the West must be reserved for free men, southern elites were afraid that northerners would bottle up enslavement in the South and gradually whittle away at it. Those boundaries would mean that white southerners would soon be outnumbered by the Black Americans they enslaved, putting not only their economy but also their very lives at risk.
To defend their system, elite southern enslavers rewrote American democracy. They insisted that the government of the United States of America envisioned by the Founders who wrote the Declaration of Independence had a fatal flaw: it declared that all men were created equal. In contrast, the southern enslavers were openly embracing the reality that some people were better than others and had the right to rule. 
They looked around at their great wealth—the European masters hanging in their parlors, the fine dresses in which they clothed their wives and daughters, and the imported olive oil on their tables—and concluded they were the ones who had figured out the true plan for human society. As South Carolina senator James Henry Hammond explained to his colleagues in March 1858, the “harmonious…and prosperous” system of the South worked precisely because a few wealthy men ruled over a larger class with “a low order of intellect and but little skill.” Hammond dismissed “as ridiculously absurd” the idea that “all men are born equal.” 
On March 21, 1861, Georgia’s Alexander Stephens, the newly-elected vice president of the Confederacy, explained to a crowd that the Confederate government rested on the “great truth” that the Black man “is not equal to the white man; that…subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition.” Stephens told listeners that the Confederate government “is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.”
Not every white southerner thought secession from the United States was a good idea. Especially as the winter wore into spring and Lincoln made no effort to attack the South, conservative leaders urged their hot-headed neighbors to slow down. But for decades, southerners had marinated in rhetoric about their strength and independence from the federal government, and as Senator Judah P. Benjamin of Louisiana later wrote, “[t]he prudent and conservative men South,” were not “able to stem the wild torrent of passion which is carrying everything before it…. It is a revolution...of the most intense character…and it can no more be checked by human effort, for the time, than a prairie fire by a gardener’s watering pot.”
Southern white elites celebrated the idea of a new nation, one they dominated, convinced that the despised Yankees would never fight. “So far as civil war is concerned,” one Atlanta newspaper wrote in January 1861, “we have no fears of that in Atlanta.” White southerners boasted that “a lady’s thimble will hold all the blood that will be shed” in establishing a new nation. Senator James Chesnut of South Carolina went so far as to vow that he would drink all the blood shed as a consequence of southern secession. 
Chesnut’s promise misread the situation. Northerners recognized that if Americans accepted the principle that some men were better than others, and permitted southern Democrats to spread that principle by destroying the United States, they had lost democracy. "I should like to know, if taking this old Declaration of Independence, which declares that all men are equal upon principle, and making exceptions to it, where will it stop?” Lincoln had asked in 1858.
Northerners rejected the white southerners’ radical attempt to destroy the principles of the Declaration of Independence. They understood that it was not just Black rights at stake. Arguments like that of Stephens, that some men were better than others, “are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world,” Lincoln said. “You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden…. Turn in whatever way you will—whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent….”
Northerners rejected the slaveholders’ unequal view of the world, seeing it as a radical reworking of the nation’s founding principles. After the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter, Lincoln called for 75,000 to put down the rebellion against the government. He called for “loyal citizens to favor, facilitate, and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union, and the perpetuity of popular government; and to redress wrongs already long enough endured.”
Like their southern counterparts, northerners also dismissed the idea that a civil war would be bloody. They were so convinced that a single battle would bring southerners to their senses that inhabitants of Washington, D.C., as well as congressmen and their wives packed picnics and took carriages out to Manassas, Virginia, to watch the Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. They decamped in panic as the battle turned against the United States army and soldiers bolted past them, flinging haversacks and rifles as they fled.
For their part, southerners were as shocked by the battle as the people of the North were. “Never have I conceived,” one South Carolina soldier wrote, “of such a continuous, rushing hailstorm of shot, shell, and musketry as fell around and among us for hours together. We who escaped are constantly wondering how we could possibly have come out of the action alive.” 
Over the next four years, the Civil War would take more than 620,000 lives and cost the United States more than $5 billion. By 1865, two-thirds of the assessed value of southern wealth had evaporated; two-fifths of the livestock— horses and draft animals for tilling fields as well as pigs and sheep for food— were dead. Over half the region's farm machinery had been destroyed, most factories were burned, and railroads were gone, either destroyed or worn out. But by the end of the conflagration, the institution of human enslavement as the central labor system for the American South was destroyed. 
On March 4, 1865, when a weary Lincoln took the oath of office for a second time, he reviewed the war’s history. “To strengthen, perpetuate and extend [slavery] was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it,” he said. “Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph and a result less fundamental and astounding. 
“Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered—that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”
“Both parties deprecated war but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish,” he said. 
“And the war came.” 
LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
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soisgentilleee · 3 months
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happy black history month <3
i am black and grateful that this is the reality i live every day.
coming onto tumblr and creating this blog was a way for me to express myself and my thoughts in a way that made sense and has felt safe. and has also allowed me to express myself in a way that hasn’t always been allotted to black women when wanting to embrace softness and soft things.
for a while (starting from age 11 ish) i really thought bcs of media and certain commentary irl that my skin and hyperpigmentation was not desirable or pretty. however, as i’ve learned and accepted…it’s always going to be beautiful and serves as a reminder of all the people it took to eventually make me. and that i deserve to love myself and appreciate all that i am made up of.
and a reminder that you’re beautiful, your skin is beautiful, your mind is beautiful, your existence is beautiful.
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saintmeghanmarkle · 8 days
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Archewell 2024 donation, grant and publicity master thread
I've left this comment on a couple of posts and someone suggested I make a post about it. I'm happy to do so in order to keep it all together in one place. I've even added a couple of new items.
These are results I got in Google after restricting the search from January 1, 2024 - May 10, 2024. According to the Daily Mail, "Records show it was declared delinquent in January for not filing its annual registration renewal fee reports or renewal fee since February 2023". [Archive link - https://archive.is/wgrzc] This would mean any publicity or donations / grants that were announced would have happened AFTER it was declared delinquent.
I did not even go into activities from Feb - Dec of 2023. The following items are just since Jan 2024. (Meaning the new 'check is in the mail' cover story is as legitimate as their foundation. [Archive link - https://archive.is/wip/fjOM8]) They are not necessarily in chronological order.
The Archewell / NAACP award for $100K was announced in March 2024:
"Prince Harry and Megan's [sic] Archewell Foundation has announced the new winner of an annual award meant for figures who have overcome racist and sexist biases in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
Each year, the winner of The NAACP - Archewell Foundation Digital Civil Rights Award is awarded $100,000 to advance their work in civil and human rights."
March 14, 2024: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13199041/Archewell-Foundation-announces-NAACP-foundation-award-harry-meghan.html [Archive link - https://archive.is/FKRzS]
Question: Did Archewell give the $100K themselves?
In March it was also reported that Archewell had been funding a San Antonio Afghan refugee women's charity "since last July".
"San Antonio is one of the foundation’s 11 active Welcome Projects across the U.S." [Archewell archive link - https://archive.is/JWErN]
March 12, 2024: https://sanantonioreport.org/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-visit-afghan-refugee-women-in-san-antonio/ [Archive link - https://archive.is/tRgsS]
Also from March 7, 2024 in Vanity Fair [Archive link - https://archive.is/7A8bS]:
"On Thursday, the Duchess of Sussex and the nonprofit Moms First are announcing the results of a study on television moms with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media...
...The duchess is teaming up with actor Geena Davis and Moms First, a longtime charity partner of the Archewell Foundation, to raise awareness about the ways television depicts characters who are mothers, backed up by data gathered from programming across 2022."
https://momsfirst.us/news/gdi-motherhood/ [Archive link - https://archive.is/wip/yJeFD]
April 2024: "African-American art earned a royal endorsement when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — hosted “An Evening of Art” on Thursday, March 21, honoring The Kinsey African American Art and History Collection at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where the exhibit debuted during Super Bowl LVI 2022. Last month’s event was the result of a partnership between the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation and The Bernard and Shirley Kinsey Foundation for Art and Education." [Archwell archive link - https://archive.is/61uYX]
April 3, 2024: https://thegrio.com/2024/04/03/meghan-markle-and-prince-harry-amplify-black-art-with-a-star-studded-special-event/ [Archive link - https://archive.is/gdyiF]
May 10, 2024 announcement:
"What a joy to welcome to Nigeria our dear partners Prince Harry & Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and their Archewell Foundation team to celebrate our new partnership to provide mental and menstrual health workshops to teens and youth on an ongoing basis!!"
https://www.facebook.com/GEANCOFDN/posts/833274995502687 [Archive link - https://archive.is/wip/U3h8C]
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As for publicity / PR in this timeframe (not including additional tie-ins with Invictus, Sentebale and BetterUp-related events), I found the following...
The Daily Express reported the following on January 14, 2024 regarding Harry being named a "Legend of Aviation":
"The Archewell Foundation, founded by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, says it is 'categorically untrue' that any money exchanged hands concerning the 'Living Legends of Aviation' title."
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1855510/prince-harry-publicity-stunt-living-legend-aviation [Archive link - https://archive.is/bGxVa]
Archewell sought publicity in February by announcing:
"Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Archewell Foundation honored Black History Month with a group outing.
A new post on the Archewell Foundation website marked Black History, sharing that the team visited a photo exhibit chronicling the Civil Rights movement in Los Angeles."
February 27, 2024: https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/meghan-markle-prince-harrys-archewell-163043509.html [Archive link - https://archive.is/rrHHZ]
Archewell was also name-dropped on April 2, 2024 when Meghan made an appearance to read at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as part of the "Make March Matter Campaign", but I cannot find anything that mentions an Archewell donation or grant.
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/meghan-markle-reads-to-patients-at-childrens-hospital-los-angeles/ [Archive link - https://archive.is/wip/0FG27]
Then on April 12, 2024 the Daily Mail reported:
"The Duke of Sussex is thought to be working with his PR advisers at Archewell to do all he can to manage photographs and videos from his public appearances - with any output being edited by Archewell or event organisers before being released."
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13300557/Prince-Harry-royal-experts-Archewell-Netflix-Meghan-Markle.html [Archive link - https://archive.is/GmilF]
New addition from the Archewell website [Archive link - https://archive.is/2kNu1]:
"On International Women’s Day, The Archewell Foundation co-hosted a keynote panel “Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen” at South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.
Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, and Co-founder of The Archewell Foundation, spoke at the festival’s keynote panel alongside fellow female visionary leaders Katie Couric, Brooke Shields, and Nancy Wang Yuen in a conversation moderated by The 19th’s Errin Haines."
"This session is presented by The Archewell Foundation and The 19th, the national nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy."
March 8, 2024: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/events/PP1145814 [Archive link - https://archive.is/4WMsU]
Also consider the following dates in the above 2024 timeline.
Charles and Catherine's hospital stays and surgeries were announced on January 17th, 2024.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68009259 [Archive link - https://archive.is/1U7rK]
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68010563 [Archive link - https://archive.is/t5sZr]
Catherine's cancer announcement was March 22nd, 2024.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68641441 [Archive link - https://archive.is/yaf5K]
I'm sure there is more that I've missed so please feel free to add in the comments. I will try to keep this updated with any new information as I can.
Needless to say, for a foundation that has failed to file its reports and pay its renewal fee dating back to February 2023, they have certainly found the time in 2024 to seek publicity, put out public relations announcements, and solicit / spend.
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author: Boomer00002
submitted: May 14, 2024 at 10:32AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit
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willameena · 3 months
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15 questions for 15 friends
Thank you @sky-kenobye 💖
1. Are you named after anyone?
No
2. When was the last time you cried?
3 days ago
3. Do you have kids?
Yes, I have 3. They are 6, 4, and 2, but they are all having birthdays in the next few months.
4. What sports do you play/ have you played?
I was not allowed to play sports as a kid, because I had to play an instrument (I played cello for 8 yrs) but I like to run now. Idk if that really counts
5. Do you use sarcasm?
No. Never.
I wish sarcasm was easier to use in writing, haha. Yes, I do.
6. What's the first thing you notice about people?
I don't know... general appearance? It depends on who the person is and the context of meeting them.
7. What's your eye colour?
Green
8. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings because I don't like scary movies but what I really love is sad endings 🫠
9. Any talents
I don't think so? I am told often how incredibly patient I am, which I don't know if I entirely agree with nor do I think that's really a talent haha
10. Where were you born?
Southern California
11. What are your hobbies?
I have a lot of houseplants! I also tried making my own candles recently and that was very fun. I like to read, I'm reading Fight Club right now. I like to hike and run, and be outdoors.
12. Do you have any pets?
No, my kids really want a black cat, but I can't handle keeping an animal alive in addition to them. Maybe in a few years.
13. How tall are you?
5'8" but I kind of wish I was a little taller!
14. Favourite subject in school?
I always enjoyed English and history and did well in those subjects, I liked biology too.
15. Dream job?
This is hard, I don't know. The past two-ish years I've been reassessing my life and I don't know what I want to do with my career, or what used to be my career (I used to work in residential care, for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, as a licensed administrator but I burnt out really hard). Most recently, i worked as a patients' rights advocate representing people receiving behavioral health services. My best friend and I joke about opening a thrift store or going off grid and running a farm. I guess that's the dream!
No-pressure tagging: @trannakinskywalker @lesbianakins @dragon-on-ice @palfriendpatine66 @kenobster @somethingsteff @kato-neimoidia @underacalicosky @darthplodder @howlbrooklyn @fulcrum843 @heretolurkandnothingmore @wandering-not-lost04 @bisexualobiwankenobi @dark--whisperings 🩷
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uwmspeccoll · 1 year
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Spotlight: Faith Ringgold
92-year-old Faith Ringgold is arguably one of the most consequential African American artists of her generation, well-known for her paintings, mixed-media sculpture, performance work, and especially for her narrative quilts. A year ago, February 17, 2022, the New Museum in New York opened the retrospective exhibition “Faith Ringgold: American People,” the most comprehensive survey to date of the work of Faith Ringgold, whose groundbreaking art and political activism span more than sixty years.
These images are from the catalog of that exhibition, also titled Faith Ringgold: American People, edited by Massimiliano Gioni and Gary Carrion-Murayari and published in New York by Phaidon Press in 2022. The catalog features 11 essays by prominent writers and an interview with the artist, and covers work from all periods of Ringgold’s career, including her early civil rights-era figurative paintings, her graphic political protest posters, and her signature experimental story quilts.
Click or tap on the images for more detail.
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The Flag is Bleeding #2: The American Collection #6, 1997. Acrylic on canvas with painted and pieced fabric. 76 x 79.5 in.
View more Black History Month posts.
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world-of-wales · 5 months
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─ •✧ CATHERINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW : OCTOBER ✧• ─
2 OCTOBER - Catherine and William carried out engagements to mark the Seventy Fifth Anniversary of the arrival of HMT EMPIRE WINDRUSH to the UK, and the start of Black History Month. They were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan (Mrs. Morfudd Meredith) as they visited Race Council Cymru at Grange Pavilion. Afterwards, William and her visited Fitzalan High School. 4 OCTOBER - Catherine visited Vsi Razom Community Hub and was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire (Mr. James Puxley). 5 OCTOBER - Catherine was received by Mr. Christopher Oughtred (Vice Lord-Lieutenant of East Riding of Yorkshire) Allam Sports Centre as she marked Rugby League Inclusivity Day. Afterwards, she visited Hymers College. She wrote a letter to Love, Amelia charity in recognition of their work in supporting families in need. 6 OCTOBER - She held an Early Years Meeting. 10 OCTOBER - Catherine and William attended the Exploring our Emotional Worlds Forum and were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands (Sir John Crabtree). They also gave a short interview to BBC Radio One. 11 OCTOBER - Catherine was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire (Sir John Peace) as she visited students from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University at NTU's Clifton Campus. 12 OCTOBER - Catherine and William met athletes and parents taking part in a mental fitness workshop at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre and were received by Mrs. Felicity Rutland (Deputy Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire). 15 OCTOBER - Catherine was received by His Majesty's Ambassador to the French Republic (Her Excellency Dame Menna Rawlings) as she attended the England Vs Fiji Rugby World Cup Quarter Final Match in Marseille. 31 OCTOBER - Catherine held Early Years Meetings.
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redgoldsparks · 7 months
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I wrote a 12 page epilogue to my 2019 comic "Harry Potter and The Problematic Author" because I found, in 2023, that I had more to say. You can also find this comic on my website, and I have PDF copies available on etsy. I may sell print copies at some point in the future.
instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble
Full transcript below the cut.
PAGE 1
Part one: Ruddy Owls!
I was in fourth grade when the first Harry Potter Book was released in the US.
Panel 1: Sometimes our teacher would read it aloud in class. “Mr and Mrs Dursley of number 4 Privat Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…”
Panel 2: I was 11 years old when Harry Potter finally broke through my dyslexia and turned me into a reader.
Panel 3: Every night in the summer before sixth grade I waited for the owl carrying my Hogwarts Letter. I cried when it didn’t come. “I have to go to Muggle school!”
PAGE 2
Part Two: Hats
I dedicated myself to being a fan.
Panel 1: I began collecting Harry Potter News article.
Panel 2: I asked my relatives to mail me ones from their local papers. I filled a thick binder with clippings.
Panel 3: I wrote my own trivia quiz
Panel 4: and participated in the one held annually at the county fair. “Next contestant!”
Panel 5: I usually got into one of. the top five spots. I won boxes of candy, posters, stationary, and once a baseball cap. (Hat reads: I survived the battle of Hogwarts).
Panel 6: In high school I sewed a black velvet cape and knitted many stripped scarves.
PAGE 3
Part Three: Double Trouble
Watching the last film in 2011 felt like the final note of my childhood. 
Panel 1: I remember driving home from the midnight showing thinking about the end of 13 years of waiting; wondering what would define the next chapter of my life. 
Panel 2: That same month I heard of something called Pottermore. “Okay, so there’s a sorting quiz… I already know my house! Patronus assignment? Mine’s a barn owl. Duh!" 
Panel 3: You can read the books again but with GIFs? Why? 
Panel 4: I lived in a place with very slow and limited internet at the time. Pottermore sounded inaccessible, but also boring. I never joined. 
Panel 5: "I’ll just read the actual books again, thanks." 
PAGE 4
Part Four: Sweets
In 2016, a series of short stories titled "History of Magic in North America” were released on Pottermore to pave the way for the first Fantastic Beasts Film. These stories display an extreme ignorance of American history, culture, and geography, but the worst parts are the casual misuse of indigenous beliefs and stories. Fans and critics immediately spoke up against this appropriation. Some of the most quoted voices included Nambe Pueblo scholar Dr. Debbie Reese who runs the site “American Indians In Children’s Literature”; Navajo writer Brian Young; Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of A Tribe Called Geek; Dr Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), a Professor at Brown University who runs the blog “Native Appropriations”, and writers N.K. Jemison and Paula Young Lee.
PAGE 5
Rowling is famous for responding to fans directly on twitter, yet she did not respond to anyone calling out the damaging aspects of “Magic in North America.” Her representatives refused to comment for March 9 2016 article in the Guardian. She has never apologized. All of this, plus the casting of Johnny Depp and the specific declarations of support by JKR, Warner Brothers, and director David Yates left a sour taste in my mouth.
For further thoughts on the new films read The Crimes of Grindelwald is a Mess by Alanna Bennett for Buzzfeed News, November 16, 2018.
PAGE 6
Excerpt from Colonialism in Wizarding American: JK Rowling’s History of Magic in North America Through an Indigenous Lens by Allison Mills, MFA, MAS/MLIS (Cree and Settler French Canadian)
Although Rowling is certainly not the first white author to misstep in her treatment of Indigenous cultures, she has an unprecedented level of visibility and fame, […] One of the most glaring problems with Rowling’s story is her treatment of the many Indigenous nations in North America as one monolithic group. […It] flattens out the diversity of languages, belief systems, and cultures that exist in Indigenous communities, allowing stereotyping to persist. […] It continues a long history of colonial texts which ignore that Indigenous peoples still exist. […] In the Wizarding world, as in the real world, Indigenous histories have been over-written and our cultures erased.
from The Looking Glass: New Perspectives in Children’s Literature Volumn 19, Issue 1
PAGE 7
Part 5: Music
Panel 1: Also in 2016 I discovered two podcasts which radically altered my experience of being an HP fan. The first was Witch Please created by two Canadian feminist literary scholars Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman.
Panel 2: “If it’s not in the text it doesn’t count!” “Close reading ONLY!”
Panel 3: They talk about Harry Potter at the level you’d expect in a college class with particular focus on gender, race, class, and the troubling fatphobia, fear of othered and queer coded bodies, violence against women, white feminism, gaslighting and failed pedagogy in the books. They bring up these issues not because they hate the series, but because they LOVE it.
PAGE 8
These passionate, joyful conversations went off like fireworks in my mind. I had never taken a feminist class before. I gained a whole new vocabulary to talk about the books- and the world.
PAGE 9
Panel 1: The second podcast I started that year was Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, created by two graduates of the Harvard Divinity School, Vanessa Zoltan and Casper Ter Kuile.
Panel 2: They read one chapter per episode through a theme such as love, control, curiosity, shame, responsibility, hospitality, destruction, or mystery. Like Witch Please, they are interested only in the information on the page, not thoughts from the author. The delights and failures of the text are examined in the context of the present day, and new meanings constantly arise.
PAGE 10
What does it mean to treat a text as sacred?
Trusting that the more time we give to it, the more blessings it has to give us.
Reading the text repeatedly with concentrated attention. Our effort is part of what makes it sacred. The text is not in and of itself sacred, but is made so by rigorously engaging in the ritual of reading.
Experiencing it in community.
“To me, the goal of treating the text as sacred is that we learn to treat each other as sacred.” -Vanessa Zoltan
PAGE 11
Part 6: Tooth and Claw
In October 2017, Rowling liked a tweet linking to an article arguing that trans women should be kept out of women’s bathrooms because of cisgender women’s fears. In March 2018, she liked a tweet about the problem of misogyny in the UK Labour Party which included the line “Men in dresses get brosocialist solidarity I never had.” The author of the tweet had previously posted many blatantly anti-trans statements.
Rowlings publicist claimed she had liked the posted by accident in a “clumsy and middle-aged moment.” Yet, in September 2018 she liked a link posted by Janice Turner to her column in the Times UK titled “Trans Rapists Are A Danger In Women’s Jails.”
Screencaps of these tweets can be found in the article “The Mysterious Case of JK Rowling and her Transphobic Twitter History”, January 10 2019 by Gwendolyn Smith (a trans journalist), LGBTQNation.com
PAGE 12
Excerpt from: Is JK Rowling Transphobic? A Trans Woman Investigates by Katelyn Burns
Ultimately, the answer is yes, she is transphobic […] I think it’s fair that she receives criticism from trans people, especially given her advocacy on behalf of queer people in general, but also because she has a huge platform. Many people look up to her for creating a singular piece of popular culture that holds deep meaning for fans from different walks of life, and she has a responsibility to handle that platform wisely. (Published on them.us March 28, 2018)
PAGE 13
Part 7: Home
At age 30, I’m still not over Harry Potter.
Panel 1: I’ve recently found a local bar that does HP trivia nights. “Poppy or Pomona?” “Poppy!”
Panel 2: I currently own an annual pass to Universal Studios so I can visit Hogsmeade.
Panel 3: I love talking to kids who are reading the books for the first time. “Who’s your favorite character?” “Ginny!”
Panel 4: And I’m planning a relisten to the audio books to next year to help me get through the election cycle. “Jim Dale, I’m going to need you more than ever…”
Spoiler from 2023: I did not do this. By mid-2020 JKR had posted her transphobic essay; we were in covid; I never visited Universal Studios again.
PAGE 14
But I do want to learn from her mistakes. I never want to repeat “Magic in North America.” As I write, I will do my research. I will consult experts and compensate them. If a reader from a different culture/background than me speaks up about my work, I will listen and apologize. I KNOW I WILL MAKE MISTAKES. But I will own up to them and I will do better.
PAGE 15
Excerpt from Diversity Is Not Enough: Race, Power and Publishing by Daniel José Older
We can love a thing and still critique it. In fact, that’s the only way to really love a thing. Let’s be critical lovers and loving critics and open ourselves to the truth about where we are and where we’ve been. Instead of holding tight to the same old, failed patriarchies, let’s walk a new road, speak new languages. Today, let’s imagine a literature, a literary world, that carries this struggle for equity in its very essence, so that tomorrow it can cease to be necessary, and disappear. (Buzzfeed, April 14, 2017) 
PAGE 16
Harry Potter is flawed, & JK Rowling is problematic. But the books helped me learn a lot: 
*One of the greatest dangers facing the modern world is the rise of fascism 
*The government cannot be trusted 
*Read and think critically
*Question the news: who paid the journalist? Who owns the paper? 
*Trust and support your friends through good times and bad
*Organize for resistance
*Educate and share resources with peers
*The revolution must be diverse and intersectional
* We are only as strong as we are united
*The weapon we have is love 
MK 2019
PAGE 17
PART 8: EPILOGUE
In 2021 I removed a Harry Potter patch I sewed to my book bag over a decade ago. I took 15 pieces of Harry Potter fanart off my walls. I got rid of my paperback book set, 2 board games, and 8 t-shirt. [images: a Hogwarts a patch with loose threads, a pair of scissors and a seam ripper]
Panel 1: Maia holding up a shirt with the Deathly Hallows logo on it. Maia thinks: “Damn, this really used to be my entire personality.”
Panel 2: The t-shirt gets thrown into the Goodwill box.
PAGE 18
I wrote my zine wrestling with JKR’s legacy in 2019, after her dismissive and racist reaction to indigenous fans and critics of “Magic in North America” and after she had liked a couple transphobic tweets. Since then, she has gotten so much worse.
A Brief Timeline (mostly from this Vox article)
June 2020- JKR posts a 3600 word essay making her anti-trans position clear
August 2020- The Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Org issues a statement about her transphobia, JKR doubles down on her position and returns an award they gave her
December 2020- JKR claims 90% of HP fans secretly agree with her anti-trans views
December 2021- JKR mocks Scottish Police for recognizing transgender identities
March 2022- JKR criticizes gender-inclusive language and legislation
December 2022- JKR retweets trans youtuber Jessie Earl’s critical review of Hogwarts Legacy, starting an onslaught of transphobic harassment towards Earl
December 2022- JKR removes her support from an Edinburgh center for survivors of sexual violence with a trans-inclusive policy and funds her own center which explicitly excludes trans sexual assault survivors
January 2023- JKR tweets “Deeply amused by those telling me I’ve lost their admiration due to disrespect I show violent, duplicitous rapists.” It got nearly 300K likes
March 2023- One the podcast “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling”, hosted by a former Westboro Baptist Church Member, JKR compares the trans rights movement to Death Eaters.
PAGE 19
What are The Witch Trials of JK Rowling?
Panel 1: Maia speaking. “It’s a 7 episode documentary style podcast hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper. Nearly every episode contains interviews with JKR as well as critics, journalists, historians, protestors and fans.
Panel 2: Maia speaking. “In episode 1, JKR speaks more candidly than she has previously about being in an abusive marriage. Her ex-husband hit her, stalked her, broke into her house overlapping with the time she was writing the first three HP books.”
Panel 3: Maia speaking. “What she went through genuinely sounds horrific. I have a lot of sympathy for the kind of life-long traumas those experiences leave.”
PAGE 20
HOWEVER.
It is clear from reading the June 2020 essay on her blog and listening to the podcast, that JKR still to this day feels unsafe. Despite her wealth and privilege she moves through the world with the mindset of a victim. And the group of people she finds most threatening are trans women.
Or rather, she is afraid that allowing trans women in women’s spaces invites the possibility of male predators entering those spaces.
Here’s a direct quote: The problem is male violence. All a predator wants is access and to open the doors of changing rooms, rape centers, domestic violence centers [...] to any male who says “I’m a woman and I have a right to be here” will constitute a risk to women and girls. - from The Witch Trials episode 4 as transcribed by therowlinglibrary.com, March 2023
Image: A stem of Belladonna with flowers and berries.
PAGE 21
Let me introduce here the term: TRANSMISOGYNY. The intersection of transphobia and misogyny, this term was coined by Julia Serano in 2007. Scout Tran, on tiktok as Queersneverdie said: “Transmisogyny occurs in people who have been previously hurt by traditional misogyny. Who have been driven to hate men or at the very least to be scared of men. They will sometimes take out that rage on trans women. (March 2023)
JKR claims to care for trans women and understand they are extremely vulnerable to assault and violence. In her 2020 Essay she wrote: “I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe.”
So she cares about trans women… just less than cis women, and she’s willing to throw all trans women under the bus because of her unfounded, prejudice fears.
PAGE 22
Panel 1: Maia speaking. “JKR claims to have seen data that proves trans women have presented physical threats to other women in intimate spaces, but never cites sources. She also uses “producer of the large gametes” as a definition of “woman”.
What about transmen and nonbinary folks?
Panel 2: Maia leaning on a stack of all seven HP books, the first four Cormorant Strike books and The Casual Vacancy, gesturing to a series of quotes with a tired and disgusted expression.
I’m concerned about the huge explosion of young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning. * [...] If I’d been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition. The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge. -June 10 2020 essay
I don’t believe a 14 year old can truly understand what the loss of their fertility is.
-Witch Trials episode 4
I haven’t yet found a study that hasn’t found that the majority of young people experiencing gender dysphoria grow out of it*. -Witch Trials episode 7
*No sources cited
PAGE 23
It’s hard to over emphasize how fixated JKR has become on these topics. As of the date I’m writing this, 14 out of her 20 most recent tweets (70%) are in some way anti-trans. She tweets against Mermaids (a UK based trans youth charity), against trans athletes, against gender neutral bathrooms, and in support of LBG Alliance- a UK org that denies trans rights while upholding gay rights. Here are some gems from her archive:
“People who menstruate.” I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? -June 2020
War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman. - December 2021
And in response to someone asking “How do you sleep at night knowing you lost a whole audience?”
I read my most recent royalty cheques and find the pain goes away pretty quickly. -October 2022
PAGE 24
Hashtag Ruthless Productions a queer nerd podcast company created a great guide on ethical engagement with HP. Image: the two hosts of Hashtag Ruthless productions, Jessie (They/she) and Lark (he/him).
Stop buying all official HP Products: books, movies, games, toys, etc, Universal Studios tickets, food, merch.* Boycott any new TV series or movies. Instead: buy the books and DVDs used. If you still want to wear HP merch, buy fan-made. Engage only with fan content: fic, podcasts, fanart, wizard rock, etc. Show transphobia is bad for business. None of this will change JKR’s mind. But the Fantastic Beast series was canceled and after record Pottermore sales in 2020, they fell in 2022 by 40%.
*She gets a portion of ALL tickets. In 2019, this was her largest income source. Read the full guide: hashtagruthless.com/resourceguide
PAGE 25
As late as 2019, I was still reading JKR’s murder mystery series. But by the fourth book my experience began to sour.
Panel 1: Maia holding a copy of Lethal White. “The only gay character in this book is a government official who gropes his staff?”
Panel 2: “The only genderqueer character is misgendered and portrayed as a whiny faker?”
Panel 3: “The only Muslim character is disowned by his family over gay rumors?”
Panel 4: “Even the women aren’t portrayed very well…”
Panel 5: “Why is the main female character defined by the rape in her past?”
Panel 6: “Wait, what happens in the rest of this series…?” Maia scrolls on eir phone.
Panel 7: “Is the series heading towards an employee/boss relationship?”
Panel 8: “And has a man wearing women’s clothes to commit assault?”
Panel 9: “Yeah, I’m done. I’m never reading a new JKR book ever again.”
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And as for JKR herself?
As tempting as it might be to tweet your frustrations at her, I don’t recommend it. In 2021, she tweeted, “Hundreds of trans activists have threatened to beat, rape, assassinate and bomb me.” Getting hate online feeds her sense of victimhood and she waves it as proof of her moral high ground. Instead I suggest you block her on twitter, then delete twitter, go to the library and try to find a new book that feels magical.
Stack of books: In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Gifts by Ursula K Le Guin, Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir.
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In “Emergent Strategy” adrienne maree brown writes: You do not have the right to traumatize abusive people, to attack them, personally or publicly, or to sabotage anyone else’s health. The behaviors of abuse are also survival-based, learned behaviors rooted in pain. If you can look through the lens of compassion, you will find hurt and trauma there. If you are the abused party, healing that hurt is not your responsibility and exacerbating that pain is not your justified right.
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Seeing anyone over age 12 wearing HP merch now makes me uncomfortable. Are they ignorant or actively a TERF? I hate wondering how much money JKR has probably poured into anti-trans legislation… This zine is a culmination of my slow breakup with a story that once brought me joy. Now it just makes me angry, tired and sad.
Image: Candle in a fancy holder burned down to less than an inch.
Maia Kobabe, 2023
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emsuemsu · 17 days
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Tag game
Thank you for the tag @mycupofrum 💕💕 it's always a beautiful day to talk about oneself and also as the curious girlie I am to read about other people!!!
Fave colour: black baby
Last song: according to my spotify history my last played song was on Thursday and it was Stars Are Blind by Paris Hilton. That is the only song I listened to that day. It is a banger
Last film: we went to see First Omen a few weeks ago with my friend, absolutely shooketh from it, it was only us and a couple in the last row and they shushed us at one point. Never in my life have I felt more like a teenager in my LIFE. It was mortifying. I’m so embarrassed. We weren’t that loud though, just scared of the movie??? It was a good movie, enjoyed it, next Tuesday we’re going to see Immaculate, this spring is giving antichrist apparently
Currently reading: I have a few fics I’m in the middle of reading (one of them is A Violet Kind of Spin by @cassiaratheslytherpuff which I’m DYING to get back to!!!! jfc it’s so good!!!!! I feel so bad for taking such a long break from it but not a day goes by that I don’t think about it 🥹) and one book (Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski) but my reading vibes have been off for a good few months now!! I’ve read some shorter fics and listened to some podfics but reading in general feels super hard right now. I can’t wait for my summer vacation, maybe I’ll have some peace of mind and will be able to slam some words down. My tbr list is diabolical.
Currently watching: I’m going to be boring and say that I’m still on my Grey’s Anatomy grind. I’m on season 9 episode 10, 10 seasons to go. I’ve been watching s20 as it’s airing right now but it’s just not… it. This show should be taken off life support already 💔
Currently craving: a cigarette, uv index of 7, the beach and a crispy coke zero 😩
Coffee or tea: coffee, I never drink tea
Three ships: Drarry, first and foremost 🙂‍↕️ drarry has caused my brain to rot for almost two decades now and god knows when it’ll stop. I’ve been on and off the fandom, mostly off, but drarry is just a part of my goddamn DNA at this point it’s ridiculous. Next idk man. I have to say it’s a duel between prongsfoot and jegulus, your honor I love them both. Jegulus is a new acquaintance and like I don’t even know if it makes any sense at all (like where did this ship came from???) but jfc I am sat, I am folded I am silenced. But prongsfoot is the love of my life out of these two, I know for a fact that one of the first fics I ever read at the ripe age of 10 or 11-ish was Sirius/James and ever since that they’ve been in my heart, in my soul and in my mind non-stop. Prongsfoot is such a niche ship and I can’t believe it’s not more popular!!! Like they’re soulmates honestly. Funny enough I haven’t read that much of prongsfoot fics, always up for recs 👀👀 I know that was three ships already but I have to mention Kingsley/Charlie and it’s all because of @squintclover and their recent little microfics that just SLAP so hard I’m bruised black. I’m beyond obsessed.
First ship: I mean it was drarry. The one and only.
Currently working on: getting my goddamn ass off the couch and start to clean and do laundry 🥹 I have a few school deadlines as well but that does not spark joy so whatever
Thank you for coming to my ted talk once again!!! I’m tagging @valoale @cassiaratheslytherpuff @lemonlimelea @soliblomst @kk1smet @lucifergraced no pressure spill the tea if feeling like it!! 😌
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It’s been six months since the start of this war, and I want to talk about the gaslighting tactics used by the pro-Palestinians against Jews.
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There are three types of gaslighting I have seen employed by this cult like group, I call them. “Changing history” “changing definitions,” and “changing emotions.”
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First changing history.
Pro-Palestinians have a constant need to erase the history of the Jewish people, and they don’t want to seem to learn.
One thing they love to erase, is the history of the Jewish people in Israel. They claim Palestine is the indigenous name, but don’t acknowledge how it came because the Greeks wanted to mock the Jews after their second revolt.
Even if they know that, they change it to fit their narrative, “well it’s been called Palestine longer,” or “It was called Palestine long enough and Palestinians have lived there long enough.” Sayings like that erase the history, and gaslights Jews and other people into falling for the propaganda and erasure.
They also love to gaslight people and Jews into changing Jewish history into their own. The 12 tribes of Israel are a well documented thing, something that dates back millennia, but many are now claiming it was the ten tribes of Palestine, or how somehow arabs were their first.
When you question it, you are now a “white supremacist,” “genocide apologist,” and “zionazi.” The erasure of history and the gaslighting to continue erasing that history is something prevalent in the free Palestine movement. 
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Changing definitions.
They have a special love for the changing of definitions with important historical context and meaning.
Three prominent changings are “Zionist,” “Holocaust,” and “Nazi.”
First, Zionist. Zionism is something that has deep and historical significance and implications, both in religious and non-religious Jewish communities. Two basic definitions of it are “A Jewish right of return to their ancestral homeland, and a right to live there,” the second one, which is what most pro-Palestinians sorta think of when they hear the word, “a political movement to establish and preserve the state of Israel.”
These are two very broad terms, and the word and meaning can vary from Jew to Jew. But somehow pro-Palestinians don’t want to hear out Jews, they just want to be fed black and white propaganda. So in their minds they associate Zionists with Palestinian baby murderers who drink blood, and they gaslight and manipulate Hews and other people into thinking that.
Second, Holocaust. The Holocaust is word to describe the Nazi backed genocide that killed 11 million people of varying groups. That is it. That is the definition. But pro-Palestinians don’t want it to be that way, they want it to be a catch all term for genocide.
They gaslight people and other Jews into believing that. So instead of a devastating event, that destroyed mostly Jewish lives, it is now a term that should be used to describe the word in Gaza and a catch all term for a Genocide.
(But oddly enough they won’t use it to describe the Ugyar genocide in China, only one committed by Jews.)
Last but definitely not least, Nazi. Nazi like Zionist and Holocaust has a deep historical and political history, and the pro-Palestinians change that and gaslight you into believing that too. Nazi is a certain type of fascism created by Adolf Hitler and other members of the Third Reich, deeply intwined with a dangerous level of antisemitism,
That is it, that is the definition. But so many pro-Palestinians use it as a catch all term for fasicst, specifically a Jew they considered a “fascist.”
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Changing emotions
This cult like group loves to manipulate and gaslight people emotions.
Two examples I have seen employed commonly are “yeah, October 7th was bad, but have you heard what the IDF was doing in Gaza,” or “History will not look down kindly on you.”
The first one is one of the cruelest, it shows the lack of care and ability to gaslight the Jewish community. They don’t want to focus on the tragedy of October 7th because they don’t see the Israelis as human. They gaslight Jews and Israelis into thinking October 7th wasn’t bad by trying to show how bad the situation in Gaza is. A pathetic method.
The second one is another particularly cruel one. It tries to make Jews fear for their future more. It tells us that history will once again want to kill us, and want us destroyed. It tries to make us look like the nasty genocidal maniacs in this situation instead of them.
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valeriefauxnom · 10 months
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A Dangerous Balance
So I was thinking last night (as one does), when suddenly an idea struck me: the Alberian royal family might have been on a long and slow collision course in their entire 300 year history.
Let me explain.
First, dragonblood, which is essential to maintaining the status quo in the kingdom, even being required for ascension to the throne, isn't a given when producing descendants. This is one of the sources of Yurius' angsts in Dragalia, as he descends from a offshoot branch of the royal family and thus has some dragonblood, but not the kind or enough to be 'functional' and create pacts and shapeshift. It's not a trait that will stick around forever without 'upkeep'.
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Since Dragalia Lost more seems to use the idea of the blood 'thinning out' rather than simple genetics 'you inherit it or you don't, but you still can carry the genes for it' (and they do have some understanding of genetics!) when referencing why some people descended from dragonblood can't use it, I'm making the unfortunate guess that in history there's been some cases of Ye Olde Royale Inbreeding to this end.
Royalty in real life did so quite often even without a 'need' to inherit an ability, this just ups that drive to 11, to say nothing of the standard 'keep the lineage pure' reasoning, which interestingly also seems to exist in Dragalia per Emile's line: "That's not true! I am blue-blooded royalty!" For those that don't know, the concept of 'blue-blood' was thought to come from Spain, in which the nobility were proud of not having to intermingle with the Moors, and used their pale, vein-showing skin as proof of their 'pure ancestry'. Even taken in a more gracious potential origin that 'blue-blooded' in Dragalia more originates from not having to work in the sun all day rather than antiquated ideas of race and race-mixing, it still has interesting implications regarding the royal family's norms they are supposed to adhere to, appearance-wise.
But let's put that aside. Now, one of the biggest, well-known results of royal interbreeding is diseases, inherited illnesses that otherwise would be quite rare that instead pop up with disturbing frequency in inbred families. And what can we see but the current iteration of the royal family doesn't exactly seem to be the healthiest. Of Aurelius' 8 natural children, 3 have/had serious conditions, 2 of which had a disease only known to occur in the royal family (wyrmscale).
3/8 doesn't sound big, but that could be huge implications wise. That's 37.5% of the current generation. Even just the 2/8 with wyrmscale is 25% of the family impacted with a fatal disease that's confined to your bloodline. And even if we stretch beyond the canon main world, some of our world-travelers, like Audric, suggest that their family isn't 100% well, either. This might not just be an unlucky iteration of the family:
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Beren died, not from being caged or killed, but from whatever black-mana condition that overloads him, and his Euden was healthy... until he hit his later teens.
Beren himself states that he's the only iteration of him to make it to his current age of 21. While some of those deaths can likely be attributed to people killing him out of caution/fear, others due to poor conditions in imprisonment, some of them most likely are due to his condition itself.
This might be a stretch, but Zena's Euden also might have been in a similar situation with Nedrick or Phares.
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As we know, Nedrick died from wyrmscale about a month after he was born, but Bahamut brought the baby back to use as a tool. Phares died from wyrmscale as a child about 12, but the Progenitor brought him back to use as a tool. This Euden claims to have been possessed when he, too, was a baby. Was Zena's Euden born sickly/prone to illness, died, and the gods of Dragalia did their standard 'it's free real estate' and revived him to use as a tool? I think the odds are fair, given how well it fits the pattern they seem to love.
This already is a pickle: they need to maintain a strong enough version of dragonblood to continue their kingdom, but 'maintaining' it might already be becoming an increasing detriment to the odds of good health in the family. But there's a third knot in this whole situation: the simultaneous need to dilute their dragonblood, per Alberius.
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Alberius' plan when using the Blood Casket relies on the idea that the dragonblood in his lineage will be diluted through the generations until Morsayati is so split into so many different minor bits he can't reform himself or possess them. And, well. 300 years later, and Morsayati seems to have no trouble possessing them.
And there we see the dangerous balance they never will be able to fully right. They have three conflicting needs:
-Maintain functional dragonblood
-Stay healthy enough to continue the royal family
-Dilute their dragonblood so that Morsayati can't return or possess them
Goals 1&3 are inverse to eachother, and 2 rests on which goal they pursue. The 'best' idea I can think of to resolve this pickle is that the royal family needs to bet on trying to find another family with functional dragonblood that's somehow survived since it first emerged (which is doubly hard since many of those who received dragonblood died outright upon getting it), and mix with them. That would allow functional dragonblood, and hopefully would still 'dilute' the 'corrupted' dragonblood that has Morsayati in it. But even that might not help goal 2, potentially even hurt it, if the mere presence or intensity of dragonblood is what ups the risks for diseases or outright causes them like wyrmscale. No matter what, they might never be able to win all three goals.
All I can say to that is ouch, and good luck, Dragalia Alberian royal family. Aside from being royalty and all the privilege that enables, they sure have the short end of the stick, huh?
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