Rebuilding: A New Hope – newly edited

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This is not the first Rogue One fanfic I wrote, but it’s the most dear to me. I wrote it over a year ago, and it ended up sparking a loose series that I am still not done with yet.

After rewriting another story I’d written, which @dasakuryo was kind enough to point out had some very problematic implications, I decided to go back and rewrite the whole series, starting with the first story. About a month later, here are the results.

A New Hope

It was strange, Bodhi mused, coming back to his room and knowing that he would find Cassian there. That he would always find Cassian there. That he would still be there in the morning, every morning, without fail. There were no more missions, no more battles. No more sleepless nights spent worrying uselessly. No more mornings waking up feeling guilty for not having worried uselessly.

Cassian was safe. Bodhi was safe. The world they lived on was safe.

It was nice, of course. Bodhi wasn’t complaining. It was just strange. After so many years of chaos and war, he just wasn’t used to calm. The false calm of the eye of the storm, yes. Real calm, no.

Bodhi opened the door to his room, and, sure enough, Cassian was there. He sat on the floor, his back propped up against the bed,

a small purple capsule in his hand.

continue reading on AO3: A New Hope

(Note: You must be signed in to read this story. Trigger warnings for mention of addiction and suicidal ideation.)

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walking-to-home-alone:

vivalatinamerica:

How to Be an Ally for Nicaragua’s Fight for Liberty (A Guide for U.S. Citizens)

As of July 2018, over 300 protesters have been killed in the past 3 months.

Background info:

Daniel Ortega is the current president of Nicaragua. Ortega first led Nicaragua from 1979 to 1985 as the rebel leader of the Sandinista Party which took control of the country from the previous President, Somoza, who was criticized as being a dictator. Nicaragua wanted a real democracy and Ortega fought for that.

In 1984 he was voted President of Nicaragua in a legitimate free election, serving until 1990, but many Nicaraguans had issues with his Marxist-Leninist practices. The U.S. also wanted Ortega out of office, so President Reagan funded a rebel group known as the Contras to go to war against Ortega, which resulted in a civil war and the death of over 30,000 Nicaraguans. Ortega lost support and was defeated in the next election, but he he ran for President again every term afterward and was finally re-elected in 2006 (with only 38% of the vote).

Ortega did a lot more to help the country and improve living conditions for Nicaraguans, including the poor. The economy was growing at over 4% a year – the fastest rate in Central America. He made himself rich in the process but most Nicaraguans were just satisfied that they finally had a real democracy and economic growth.

Tensions began when Ortega removed the constitutional two-term Presidential limit in order to serve a 3rd term and declared himself President for life in 2016 in a rigged election, and appointed his wife as Vice President. Ortega now controls all four branches of the government, is the de facto head of the police, has his wife as his Vice President, and his children and confidantes control businesses.

Now:

Protests began in April 2018 when Ortega announced his newly reformed law to increase social security taxes while simultaneously cutting pension benefits. Nicaraguans who opposed Ortega took to the streets in protest on April 18th, but were met in response with violence by the government.

A few days later on April 23rd, Ortega revoked the social security tax resolution in an attempt to bring peace back to the country and satisfy the opposition. But according to Amnesty International’s latest annual report, violence against women has become increasingly brutal, attacks against human rights defenders persist, and violent crimes against indigenous communities go without punishment.

Nicaraguans are enduring systematic violation of human rights at the hands of Ortega’s administration. Both him and his wife routinely accuse their opposition of attempting a coupe, while simultaneously referring to paramilitary groups as “volunteer police officers.” Heavily armed supporters of Ortega kidnap people from their homes, and doctors are fired from public hospitals for providing medical care to wounded protesters.

How can you help?

1. Learn about the United States’ involvement in Nicaragua.

Understanding what is happening today entails being able to understand Nicaragua’s revolutionary struggle. Nicaragua is tied to a long history of war and interventions, and the U.S. alone has intervened multiple times in Nicaragua, from back to the 1850s when William Walker took over the Nicaraguan presidency and continuing with the military occupation in the 1910s, to Somoza’s military dictatorship that lasted decades, to more recently, illegally funding the Contras and starting a civil war in an effort to halt communism in Latin America. The United States has been invested in Nicaragua because of its geographical location and access to resources.

Also understand that the U.S. has a long and messy history of military and economic intervention throughout all of Latin America. Confronting the issue of United States intervention in Nicaragua and Latin America will force U.S. citizens to stop thinking they are disconnected from the crisis and that it does not concern them, when in reality, it does.

2. Prioritize the stories and narratives from Nicaraguans.

In order to be an ally in anything, it is crucial to prioritize the stories of those affected. Read news articles and updates about what’s going on in Nicaragua, from Nicaraguans themselves (see rule #3 for resources). Try to stay away from one-sided arguments that blame socialism as the primary cause of Nicaragua’s situation, and look for critiques of Ortega’s government that are inclusive of feminism and anti-capitalism, as they are more reflective of the authentic situation.

3. Read about what’s happening in Nicaragua now.

On a daily basis, protests and violent attacks happen all over the country. Since the conditions change so quickly, it’s important to stay informed as often as possible. Resources in English include Protests Nicaragua and in Spanish La Prensa, Confidencial (political analysis), Managua Furiosa (independent, youth-run blog), Artículo 66 (independent news network), and Niú (youth-oriented), among others.

4. Prevent U.S. intervention in Nicaragua.

Grassroots organizers in Nicaragua are hesitant to call on the U.S. for aid due to the current administration in power plus the country’s past of forcing its agenda on other nations. Thus it is important to respect the wishes of these organizations, since they know best what they’re fighting for and what the country’s future holds.

Most of the time when the United States sanctions other countries, it ends up targeting and affecting innocent people and not the government, so it is important to put pressure on the Trump Administration not to interfere politically. This means staying informed on politicians and voting.

5. Donate.

If you are in a comfortable financial position, an effective way to support local people and organizers is through financial support. International support – especially from the U.S. – is extremely helpful, because Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere so a simple U.S. $10 donation is substantial. Especially with the Ortega administration consolidating resources, crowdsourcing is necessary.

There is a foundation that exists solely for assisting victims of government violence: it is called Fundacíon Nicaragüense para el Desarrollo Económico y Social (Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development – FUNIDES). Hundreds of people have lost their jobs, homes, and finances due to repression. FUNIDES is the largest economical effort to support these victims and has years of experience. You can click here to help (the site is in Spanish).

There are also trustworthy GoFundMe accounts that already exist that you can donate to:

  • https://www.gofundme.com/nicaraguaprotest – Funds from this GoFundMe will go towards purchasing food, water, and medical supplies for peaceful protesters in Nicaragua as well as funeral costs for victims.
  • https://www.gofundme.com/solidarity-fund-for-nicaragua – This Solidarity Fund is designed to help grassroots organizations with their logistical and material needs. This fund will be supervised by a committee of 6 women of Managua who have direct contact with different organizations that have been active non-stop since this all began. They will meet with delegates from different sectors in order to distribute micro-funds depending on needs.
  • https://www.gofundme.com/medical-crisis-in-nicaragua – Nicaragua is now in its third fourth month of civil unrest. According to the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights (ANPDR) 351 people—mostly youth—have been killed, 2100 injured, 329 kidnapped by paramilitary, 68 tortured, 261 disappeared and still missing, and the numbers grow daily. Bloodshed, combined with the fact that many hospitals are prohibited from treating the wounded, has resulted in an unprecedented medical crisis for which there is an urgent and immediate need for our support.

Omg thanks so fucking much for making this post, i live here and its a fucking nightmare, please spread this like wildfire

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mediocre-latinist:

jasonalanclark:

emiibarazakis:

skrulls:

taejira:

pickmanslovelymodel:

also, i really want there to be more vampires and so on who, instead of speaking in a charming, cultured, but vaguely old-fashioned way because they are a 275-year-old consciousness in an undead, unaging 19-year-old body, talk in embarrassingly misapplied or outdated slang and pop culture references in a failed effort to blend in with their apparent peer group

…or who speak pretty normally most of the time, but lapse into saying stuff like “GOD’S WOUNDS, YOU CUR“ when they get upset enough

vampires who got turned 30 years ago and still say “radical”

vampires who just use WAY too much 90s slang. vampires who say “booyah” when they get too excited.

vampires who mix all slang from the past 5 centuries mercilessly within the same breath and don’t even try to stop it anymore.

Unhand me, you egg-sucking, lily-livered, jive-talking, whackadoo. Foul villain! Cur! I bite my thumb at thee, you ugly motherfucker, so hasta la bye bye, daddy-o!

My eyes are bleeding

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vaspider:

bel-ennui:

quantumghosts:

theenglishmanwithallthebananas:

trcunning:

lesbianherstorian:

activists at barnard college providing “labels”, photographed by susan rennie and published in off our backs: a women’s newsjournal vol. 3 no. 6, february 1973

Black an white photo of two women, one standing, one seated. 

Behind them is a hand-written sign reading, 

“YEA – It’s a heavy trip. BUT! This is a chance to CHOOSE YOUR OWN LABEL instead of having someone else do it for you:

straight, asexual, lesbian, bisexual, anti-label, dyke separatist, ?, lesbian feminist, anti-sexual or whatever”

i can’t describe the emotions i’m feeling at seeing a 50 year old photograph mention asexuals

i can’t describe the emotions i’m feeling at seeing a 50 year old photograph mention asexuals and include an east asian woman.

@vaspider

yup

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(HE) DOESN’T HIT YOU, BUT…

(He) is jealous of you, controls you, manipulates you, insults you and/or your loved ones, belittles you, offends you, intimidates and/or threatens you, humiliates you, makes “jokes” that hurt you, treats you like you’re CRAZY when you get mad (and now it’s your fault?)

WOMAN, THIS IS VIOLENCE, TOO.

(The original does not have a gendered subject, but I chose the male pronoun because statistically, abusers are male.)

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dasakuryo:

dasakuryo:

so Gael García Bernal made a video in support of the legalization of abortion in Argentina and I am just finding out now.

He posted it when Congress was treating the bill

I am not fit [with the right] to decide upon anyone’s body. But I can show my support from wherever I am, to a law that bears in mind the right’s of women and strives for a country more equal in social justice. This August 8th, in Argentina, it’ll be law. As a friend, as a brother, as a son, as a boyfriend, as a lover, as a father, I support all women to assert their rights. And I support specially my tribe of Argentinean actresses who, along with many voices, are about to make history.

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tonelessmandarin:

grumblebeeblog:

If he’s a hopeless husband, she will always make him dinner and never suggest that he look after his own children. If he doesnt understand where the line is when it comes to harassing women, what’s friendly and what’s creepy, then she’ll give him the benefit of the doubt when he harasses or assaults. If he messes up simple tasks like washing his clothes and cleaning the house enough, she will take over out of exhaustion. If he states that he doesnt understand her feelings often enough, she’ll stop asking him to consider them.

Men play stupid because they’re lazy and entitled. They know they cant be blamed for their own supposed lack of understanding. Stop calling them clueless, helpless and stupid and start calling them manipulative.

Also the wives/gfs in this scenario have to find the magical right communication style. If she tells him to put the leftovers in an appropriately-sized Tupperware, she’s a nag or a control freak. If she asks him to clean up after dinner, then, oops, he just didn’t know. How could a grown adult know any better than to put two oz. of leftovers in a 2 quart container? Repeat for grown adults who didn’t know that laundry bleach isn’t laundry soap, that plants need an appropriate amount of water, etc. and the nagging-wife archetype starts to seem more like a reasonable-human one.

I’m infuriated by the learned helplessness of men in responsible careers, who apply reason and problem solving just fine outside the kitchen.

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blackdionysus:

siderealsandman:

ashura-kais:

siderealsandman:

prince zuko got you all out here thinking every dark haired antagonist boy is gonna do right in the end when zuzu was the exception not the rule

I really wish it weren’t though? I think it’s really telling that a lot of people like redemption arcs because we want to see people be good despite their pasts. The fact that there are so little redemption arcs in media is very upsetting because it just sends the message that people can’t change which we know is not true. I absolutely don’t mean this for characters like Kylo Ren though lol

Redemption arcs are hard and Zuko’s was successful for a couple of reasons: 

1) Zuko wasn’t the worst character in the Fire Nation. From really early on it was shown that, compared to Zhao, Azula, and other Fire Nation leaders, Zuko was consistently more noble. He tried to be a good person and do the right thing, even when doing so led to him suffering for his actions. 

2) Zuko suffered for his mistakes. He suffered when he turned away from Iroh, he suffered when he betrayed Iroh, and he suffered even after his face turn. There were consequences for his mistakes; he didn’t get off scot free because his childhood was hard. He was still held accountable by the narrative and made to take responsibility for the wrongs he did. 

3) Zuko made tangible amends to the people he hurt. He rescued Hakoda, helped Katara get closure, and became Aang’s firebending master. He put in work to make up for the things he did and rebuild bridges with his new allies. 

Most redemption narratives fail because the guilty party is guilty of much greater crimes than failing to capture the hero, never works to make amends, and never suffers for their mistakes. You wanted to see Zuko redeem himself because he had the capacity, wanted to do the work, and paid dearly for his mistakes.

you’re right and you should say it