Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. BlueSky: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
Not gonna lie, one of my favorite parts about writing urban fantasy is determining how and where the fantasy meshes in with reality.
Like, I’m not saying Freddie Mercury WAS a siren, but have you ever heard anyone NOT sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody?
I rest my case.
It is a six-minute song with incomprehensible lyrics that seem to have something to do with murder and demons, with five sections that are completely different stylistically but no chorus.
It was number one on the the UK singles charts twice, 15 years apart, and is by many measures one of the most popular, or the most popular, single of all time.
In the Germany of Pagan times, witches played an important role as forest goddesses. Until the 18th century, maps even depicted them flying over the Brocken in the Harz mountains of Northern Germany, where they were said to live. USA-style celebrations of Halloween are not a German thing, even though since the late 90’s, some aspects of it exist in some places, mostly with kids and young people. It’s still considered an American cultural export.
Historically speaking, the Pagan fire festival of Samhain on Oct 31 (All Hallow’s Eve), marked the end of the Celtic calendar for our ancestors, who were a mostly agriculture-based society - their New Year was ushered in with large bonfires. In pre-Christian Europe, the festival for the Lord of the Dead was the most important celebration of the year for Celtic tribes - Halloween’s origins were in these festivities held on the eve of Samhain. At late summer’s end after the harvest, animals were brought in from the fields as preparations for winter began. At the time it was believed that in a brief few hours on that night, ghosts, fairies, demons, and the spirits of the dead could return from “Otherworld”, unnoticed by the living, to visit friends and relatives they had left behind. Bonfires were lit as a tribute to the dead, encouraging them to stay at a safe distance. As the Roman Catholic Church spread throughout Europe, it replaced Pagan celebrations with Christian festivals. Nov 1 (Samhain) became Hallowmas, All Saints Day/All Hallows became a celebration of the lives of saints and martyred Christians.
But this didn’t stop All Hallows Eve - it continued to be a feast for the “undead”, and through the ages, Oct 31 remained the focal point of much tradition and festivity. In Germany’s Catholic areas Nov 1 is a public holiday, so for about half of the country’s population it’s a quiet day without work or school, of religious remembrance in which graves may be visited and decorated with fresh flowers, wreaths, and special candles that burn throughout the night into Allerseelen. In parts of Germany such as Hessen, turnips are used as lanterns, children go “guising”, dressing up and singing, telling a joke or reciting a poem in return for gifts. There is no tradition of playing “tricks”. Halloween can be celebrated in real “haunted” castles, at Witches Fairs in ancient towns, amusement park horror nights, watching horror films at the cinema, or at one of the many private or communal celebrations. A Halloween party scene has taken off in some cities and is enjoyed by all, but unlike German “Karneval”, even at a private Halloween theme party it is not necessary for the guests to wear costumes, although the idea is catching on with children.
trust no god damn moron who goes “wew lad” cause they’re all like this
hey quick question, when did actual legit fascism suddenly evolve? wasn’t there a huge trend just a few years ago to bash on nazis in fiction? to depict americans as the glorious heroes who defeat the crazy scientists and sometimes robot/zombie nazis? isn’t that what happened in world war 2 (I mean sure minus the supernatural stuff)
it began to change around when fascists realized that they could manipulate the whatever-offends-my-parents nature of disillusioned teenage nerds on imageboards to create a self-perpetuating internet army
around the time of gamergate, in other words
Gamergate was just it going mass production. That knowledge has been a thing for a while.
Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery is a “diversion program” where drug addicts convicted of crimes can be sent to get help, but an investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting reveals that CAAIR is really in the business of supplying low-cost workers to factories, where they are worked seven days/week on threat of being returned to prison, and where workers who are maimed on the job are sent to prison and not given worker’s compensation – all for no pay at all.
It amounted to indentured servitude, and even by the standards of prison labor, the work was grueling and dangerous. CAAIR collected paychecks for the workers, but the workers never saw a dime. What’s more, the workers had all been diverted to CAAIR because they were struggling with drug dependency, and the “therapy” they received for their health problems was “work and prayer.”
CAAIR is not the only program of its kind; across America, drug-dependent people who are enmeshed in the criminal justice system are being turned into forced labor forces for some of the country’s biggest corporations, such as Coca-Cola and Simmons Food (who supply KFC, PetSmart, Walmart and Popeye’s).
Are you waiting for next year — the 2018 midterms — to cast your first vote against the Trump/GOP agenda?
You might not have to wait that long.
We researched every election coming up next month, and we found that at least 100 million Americans have a state, city, or district election on November 7. That’s about 1 out of every 3 people nationwide!
We’ve compiled a handy list of these elections. Find out whether you have an election, and make your plan for voting. (If you live in Virginia or Washington state, check out our website for more info about these crucial elections — and donate to help Flippable candidates win.)
Statewide Elections
94 million Americans have statewide elections on November 7. There are lots of seats at stake in New Jersey and Virginia (including the governor and the state legislature), while other states have ballot initiatives on major issues like healthcare and criminal justice:
Maine: Ballot measure to expand Medicaid, plus 4 more
New Jersey: Governor, Lt. Governor, all 120 state legislative seats
New York: Ballot measure to call a state constitutional convention, plus 2 more
Ohio: Ballot measures on criminal justice and drug prices
Pennsylvania: State judicial elections (Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth Courts)
Texas: Ballot measures (7 total)
Virginia: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, all 100 seats in the State House
Some of America’s biggest cities have important elections this year — for mayor, city council, district attorney, & more:
Atlanta (GA): Mayor and city council
Aurora (CO): City council
Boise (ID): City council
Boston (MA): Mayor and city council
Buffalo (NY): Mayor and city court
Charlotte (NC): Mayor and city council
Cincinnati (OH): Mayor and city council
Cleveland (OH): Mayor and city council
Columbus (OH): City council, city attorney, and city auditor
Detroit (MI): Mayor, city clerk, and city council
Durham (NC): Mayor and city council
Greensboro (NC): Mayor and city council
Jersey City (NJ): Mayor and city council
Miami (FL): Mayor and city council
Minneapolis (MN): Mayor and city council
New York City (NY): Mayor, city council, comptroller, public advocate, and borough presidents
Orlando (FL): City council
Philadelphia (PA): District attorney and city controller
Pittsburgh (PA): Mayor and city council
Raleigh (NC): Mayor and city council
Seattle (WA): Mayor and city council
St. Petersburg (FL): Mayor and city council
St. Paul (MN): Mayor
Wichita (KS): City council
Congressional and Legislative Seats
There are 220 state legislative seats up for grabs in New Jersey & Virginia, plus 30 seats in other states across the country. Heads up, Utah: you have a U.S. Congressional election!
Georgia: State Senate districts 6 and 39, State House districts 4, 26, 42, 60, 89, 117, and 119
Maine: State House district 56
Massachusetts: State House districts Berkshire 1 and Essex 3
Michigan: State House districts 1 and 109
Mississippi: State House districts 38 and 54
Missouri: State Senate district 8, State House districts 23 and 151
New Hampshire: State House districts Hillsborough 15 and Sullivan 1
Washington: State Senate districts 7, 31, 37, 45, and 48, State House districts 7, 31, and 48.
Make your voting plan
If you don’t see your state or town listed here, don’t assume you can’t vote on November 7. Follow these steps to make sure you’re ready on Election Day:
Make a plan to vote (find your polling place, arrange a ride, put Election Day in your calendar).
There are even more elections in the month after Election Day (most notably the U.S. Senate race in Alabama on December 12). If you don’t have an election, you probably know someone who does. Reach out & encourage them to vote!
These off-year elections often see low turnout and razor-thin margins, so every vote is important. We aren’t waiting for 2018 to start winning big — and you don’t have to, either.
UPDATE: Since publishing, we’ve added three more state legislative races to our list: New York Assembly districts 27 and 71, and New York State Senate district 27.
*How did we get to 100 million? We added up the populations of all the states, cities, and districts with elections on Nov. 7, 2017. You can check our math on Statistical Atlas.
VOTE. VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. EVERY ELECTION COUNTS RIGHT NOW. SEND A MESSAGE TO EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT. THIS IS A COUNTRY OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.
