sentinel of misery
149 posts
Hey italiani!! There's an official ministry of justice referendum to get same sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couple in being actually married and not just "uniti civilmente". This will grant them the same rights in adoption and stepchild adoption.
Of course the big news arent talking about it so the only way to let it circulate is through spreading the info ourselves.
It needs 500k signatures in 3 months and while that alone will not automatically grant equal rights it will be a HUUUGE step forward in italy, lately quite discriminatory politic.
Here's the link to the referendum! Se siete italiani e potete entrare con lo SPID firmate!
If you're not italian, please spread the word as it might reach someone that can sign!
How to pick up Snekgrim â¤ď¸
blinkie to put at the bottom of all my posts to ward away the um actuallys
Not quite, Fulgrim.
also. erm.
for context my friend tried to say "saint-just" to me but i misheard it as "satan juice" so
behold
inner voice
Sigh
Azura mourning Indoril Nerevar
Rip Robespierre you would of had all Ai âartistsâ executed
I made a transparent green version of that old geocities dragon vibe gif I was searching for a while back, and I figured while I was there I might as well export a bunch of other colours in case people would like to use them! The last two are solid white and solid black, in case your theme makes either of them invisible lol
Edit Aug. 13th â23: Updating original post with all the existing colours! To see the latest, check out the free stuff page on my Neocities :3
Imagine this whole post in the TikTok text to speech voice.
the way i cannot imagine him having a beef with sackboy he would definitely love this little guyđĽ
Netflix recently released a trailer and some information on Castlevania Nocturne, and with it has come a lot of hype and excitement online. While I can understand why, thereâs a huge stain on it all that I havenât really seen anyone talk about outside of certain circles: rampant, undeniable, inseparable-from-the-plot, clearly intentional antisemitism. And in all fairness this isnât something thatâs immediately clear from just the trailer, so thatâs why Iâm making this post: To inform people who likely just arenât aware.Â
I ask that if possible, please donât just tick off a box on a list of shows that are âproblematicâ and keep scrolling. Please read this post carefully, so you can understand what exactly the problems are and why theyâre a problem.Â
(As a small disclaimer, Iâm not Jewish myself. Iâm writing this post in support of and with some guidance from concerned Jewish Castlevania fans, who frankly have better things to do with their lives than stress themselves out trying to explain why antisemitism is bad for the billionth time.)
Now, many folks who are familiar with vampire literature already know that vampire media has an unfortunate history with antisemitism. This isnât to say that all vampire media is inherently nazi stuff; Rather that without a certain awareness and care, itâs very easy for the writing to accidentally fall into antisemitic tropes. (Castlevania as a franchise isnât exempt from this either- looking at you, Portrait of Ruin.) If YouTube is your speed, Kaz Rowe has an excellent video on this and some other issues with vampire history:
I also recommend the following two articles, which Iâll be referring to later on.Â
The antisemitism present in Nocturne, however, seems to go beyond mere unfortunate ignorance. It is my strong believe that the antisemitism in Castlevania Nocturne is deliberate, fully aware, and written with intent to harm. So letâs talk about why and where Iâm getting this information from.
On July 27th, Netflix released an article titled ââCastlevania: Nocturneâ - Your First Look at the New Seriesâ. This article goes into fairly extensive detail on the plot of the showâs first season. You can read it here:
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/castlevania-nocturne-news-release-dateÂ
Within the first two paragraphs, we have our first extremely loud alarm bell. The article proclaims, âAs the peasant class rises up against the aristocracy, an even darker threat emerges: a cabal of powerful vampires intent on taking over the world and blotting out the sun forever.â The concept of a vampire shadow government connected to the aristocracy already mirrors the antisemitic trope of secret ultra-rich Jews (often euphemistically referred to as âelitesâ) controlling the world, but when looking at the specific use of the word âcabalâ, it becomes incredibly clear that the parallels here are not just an accident. âCabalâ is not a word ordinary people use casually. To quote the previously linked article âVampire Books: Deconstructing the Antisemitic History of Vampires With Deke Moultonâ:
There is also a common trope of vampires operating through a secret, worldwide council that often governs âvampire affairsâ but also may dabble in controlling other aspects of the worldâs governments. While some people can see a similarity to the Catholic Church, often times this calls upon the antisemitic trope of the âcabalââthat Jews secretly run the entire world (which is another strange antisemitic trope, as Judaism doesnât have any central religious figure like the Pope). The word âcabalâ itself is a bastardization of the word kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism. If you combine this with a trope of vampires hoarding large amounts of money (especially gold?), youâre using yet another antisemitic trope that says Jewish people control the worldâs banks.
Letâs continue reading the Nocturne summary. The next paragraph claims, âBy the time rumors spread of a âvampire messiahâ who must be stopped at all costs, the stakes in the Castlevania universe have never been higher.â The mention of a âMessiahâ is another overt parallel, as Jewish tradition holds that a Messiah will one day arrive to restore the temples and bring about an era of peace (no, âJudeo-Christianâ Kevin, itâs not fucking Jesus so shut up).Â
By the way, this is not the first example of parallels between Jewish people and vampires in Netflixvania. In season 2, episode 3, Alucard says of the Belmont hold, âIt's like a museum dedicated to the extermination of my people.â This could be an innocent enough line on its own, poorly thought out but not necessarily malicious⌠But when combined with the themes of Nocturne, it paints a darker picture.
Continuing on, the Netflix article describes the character of Annette as having âused her power and wits to escape vampire-enforced enslavement in the Caribbeanâ. (This does raise the question of why almost every single person of color in Netflixvania is or at some point was a slave, but thatâs a topic for another day.) This, again, parallels the antisemitic idea that Jewish people were behind the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Hereâs an article from My Jewish Learning:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jews-and-the-african-slave-trade/
The article not only explains why this is a myth, but further points out that popular proponents of it include David Duke, former KKK grand wizard. In addition, this idea detracts from the reality that the slave trade was primarily orchestrated by and to the benefit of white Europeans and Americans.
So, just as a quick refresher, so far we have:
The aristocracy being controlled by a secret ring of vampires, with the specific word âcabalâ being used as a descriptor, paralleling the âJews control the worldâ antisemtic myth and pitting a cast of largely white, seemingly entirely non-Jewish protagonists in opposition to this group as the heroes
The specific use of the word âMessiahâ calling to mind Jewish beliefs, and being presented as an ultimate evil which must be stopped at all costs
The Caribbean slave trade being run by vampires, paralleling a recently popular antisemitic myth that vampires controlled the trans-Atlantic slave trade
And thatâs just what we know from an introductory summary. I do think itâs also possibly worth noting that the trailer puts a lot of visual focus on Richterâs blue eyes.
First of all, I will refer you to the old adage: âIf it walks like a nazi and talks like a nazi, itâs a nazi.â
Secondly, the fact of the matter is, naziism is often subtle on purpose, and operates on a careful safety net of plausible deniability. While there are certainly those who wear their awful beliefs loud and proud, the vast majority of nazis are not going to shake your hand and say âNice to meet you, Iâm a nazi,â and theyâre not going to put âhe/him | 34 | naziâ in their Twitter bio. Instead, theyâre going to put on their best nice guy impression, wrap their beliefs up in a cute little package of metaphor and ambiguity, and when you say âHey, this seems antisemiticâ theyâll hit you with âItâs not that deep!â and âOh, itâs just a coincidence!â and âWhy do you have to ruin everything by making it about race?â. Thatâs the entire point of a dogwhistle: to slide insidious beliefs in under the radar. You canât just leave it at âwell, he says heâs not a naziâ and let that be the end of it.
So while, no, I donât have definitive proof that the writers are card-carrying nazis, the point is: Does it matter? Their work is still doing harm, still perpetuating extremely dangerous and cruel ideas. If I stab someone multiple times and then go âOopsie!â, then Iâve still stabbed them, and theyâre still probably going to tell their friends âHey donât hang out with that lady, she stabbed me like five timesâ. You get what Iâm saying?
By the way, in my research for this post, I found a review for the first three seasons written by a Jewish woman, at Scoopâs Animation Corner:
https://scoopsanimationcorner.com/2020/08/17/netflixs-castlevania-is-a-near-masterpiece/
In this review, she points out how odd it is that Netflixvania includes characters from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds, thereâs a conspicuous lack of any acknowledgement of Jewish people or Judaism whatsoever. When put together with the previously discussed issues of antisemitism⌠I mean, âthe writers donât hate Jewish people! They just refuse to acknowledge that they exist at all!â isnât exactly a glowing defense.
Unfortunately, whatâs in the show is⌠In the show. We, as an audience, canât exactly retroactively rewrite it. (And no, before you ask: writing fanfiction that pretends the problems donât exist is not helpful.) However, if you want to avoid perpetuating the harm caused by the show, here are my suggestions:
Boycott the show. Completely. Donât watch it on Netflix, donât post on social media about how excited for it you are, donât buy merchandise (official or fanmade), donât eagerly pirate it and liveblog all about it. Let it die a brutal death.
Raise awareness. Talk about these issues online and in real life, and be relentless about it. Someone you know is excited for Nocturne? Let them know about its antisemitism problem. Unfollow and block people who continue to support the show once theyâve been informed of its issues. Bring up its problems continually on social media until itâs all anyone hears about it.
Educate yourself. Research antisemitic dogwhistles and the history of vampires and antisemitism, so you can learn what to watch out for and how to avoid it in your own writing and art.
Consider donating to Jewish charities or mutual aid funds for Jewish individuals.
Finally, if youâre interested in characters like Richter Belmont, Maria Renard, and Alucard, consider checking out the Castlevania games. The Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night duology details Richterâs initial rise to glory, his downfall beneath the pressure of destiny and generational trauma, and Maria and Alucardâs efforts to save him. Theyâre really thought-provoking stories packaged with fun gameplay, absolutely gorgeous graphics, and equally amazing soundtracks. Give them a try!Â
Thank you for reading. Stay aware, listen to marginalized voices, use your critical thinking, and remember to support your Jewish friends and neighbors. Donât let antisemitism in media slide just because it also has some hot guys or whatever.
There, in the presence of God, I understood at last how my love could release us all from the powers of darkness. Â Our love is stronger than death.
Bram Stokerâs Dracula (1992) dir. Francis Ford Coppola
we're so back
(Of you spot a spelling mistake, just know english is my 3rd language, uh-huh)
Its done! The proof of concept for the rebirth design!
Quite happy with how it turned out...
Sanguinius, once they've found an adequate way to reintroduce him, was received with a far more rigorous fanfare than his little brother.
Despite everything, he remains himself, albeit his soul is permanently scarred, which reflects physicaly and mentaly. Kindness and love are exerted masterfuly but the underlying feeling of strain is evident.
Hasnt gone mad QUITE yet, even with black rage clawing at the back of his mind, and the memory of Horus fresh on his mind still. But he's very well on that path if he continues ignoring his issues-
Nontheless, he keeps it together, for Roboute, for his sons, and for the imperium.
today i had a dream lol I think he was just flirting
req from my fr @gonkati @noiivis
You have to be very ignorant to say such barbarity.
Hello, I leave this here and I retire, I love him, if someone wants to upload it to their tiktok I give permission âď¸
sometimes someone will casually mention using chatgpt or some other generative ai thing and I can actually feel the little
above my head
how it feels to genuinely not give a fuck about marie antoinette
Citoyen Vampire
Of course I had to draw @revolutionarywig âs vampire Maxime at some point <3
It's very clearly a counter-revolutionary British fable meant to reinforce their own biases. Look at how it's framed. It's basically saying: "Anyway Saint-Just - yes that Saint-Just - showed up and it emboldened those stupid politicized soldiers to believe they could demand better treatment - can you believe those fools? Here we'd have flogged them to death! Anyway the Good Officers showed them some Good Old Discipline and it properly humiliated them and also that stupid Saint-Just who had nothing to say :)))))" ...despite having extraordinary powers that gave him the right to strip officers of their ranks and get them arrested or shot.
Not where you grew up. Not where youâll be living soon. Where youâre living right now.
do people have no shame anymore?
It's always a little awkward when people see my obsession with TES and then assume that I'm going to like whatever fantasy franchise they recommend to me just as much.
Because, you know, my favorite elements of TES are the ones it DOESN'T have in common with most other media products in the genre.