Posts I had to write but wish I didn't have to

[savvyliterate]

So I had to write a Valor update today because we got complaints that the anthology is LBGTQ-friendly. There's been a lot going through my head about this and the feedback we've gotten to it - some very respectful and others being really hurt that we had to address it. I'll let my tweets speak for me ... or I was until Twitter decided that it didn't want me embedding my tweets. *kicks it*

*goes in search of hot cocoa*

Meanwhile, I wrote my first Miss Fisher fic. It's a crossover with Doctor Who, but the setup is perfect:

Title: a thousand miles away from home just waiting for a train | AO3

Fandom: Doctor Who (2005) and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Characters: Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson, River Song

Wordcount: 2280

Rating: General audiences

Warnings: no standard warnings apply but it does take place after the final episode of series 3 for "Miss Fisher," so spoilers abound. For River, these events take place after “The Angels Take Manhattan.”

Summary: “I’m here, Detective Inspector, to pay back a debt to you and Miss Fisher. Though I suppose really you were paying off a debt to me, but those are semantics for you. My husband would be ever so cross if he knew that I was doing this, but this is what’s meant to be.”

Comments

[pip25.livejournal.com]

My opinion on the whole LBGT-issue aside, I feel it is unrealistic and even dangerous (not to mention slightly insulting) to expect artists to "label" their works in such a manner. I mean, should we really have a "LBGTQ-friendly" tag on something like a CD in the same manner and right next to "Parental Advisory Explicit Content"? Isn't that ridiculous? (I have similar feelings about the "Parental Advisory" tag, but that's a different story.)
Artists do not exist in a vacuum, especially nowadays when they have Internet presence. People who are sensitive about the topic have adequate resources available to check whether they would be offended by the works of the artist(s) in question.
I think the problem also has something to do with treating artistic creations like any other product (and thus expecting a refund if not satisfied), something which isn't really the fault of any one individual but of the current capitalist society in general. But again, that's a whole different can of worms.

[(Anonymous)]

[info]crystalplumage
2008-04-01 12:36 pm UTC (link)

When you intitiate into palo mahyombe,and sometimes santeria,depending upon who your teacher is,the first thing they make you do is read ALL the works of Allan Kardec.
Kardec was a French philosopher who spoke to spirits ,and wrote it all down and put it into books.
Book of mediums ,and book of spiritism,are the 2 you must know cold.
Kardec was in contact with one main spirit,Zifiro ,who was of a high order.
And he explained "the other side",and all its workings to Kardec,and he immortalized it by writing it down.Kardec gave Zefiro this name,and saw him as male,but spirits can change form . Many lie.
On the other side,we are merely spirits of different levels of enlightenment. Zefiro told him,we have no need for names,and you all call us by different ones anyway .
This is how the causal connection between similar spirits ,in different pantheons ,can be explained.
Ganesha=Ellegua=Mercury
Oya=Kali=Lilith=Morrigan=Hecate=Centella Ndoki=Saint Theresa
Zeus=Obatala=Dambala=Zarabanda
These are just exaples,but there are dozens.
All religions see them from ,shall we say, a different angle,but its still the same spirit,but we all give them different names.
There is but one God,God dictates to his "helpers,"who are what you might call saints ,or the "gods" indicated in my examples.. They too ,have helper spirits under them and so forth.
We are all in a pecking order.
We are required to reincarnate to grow and learn and become more enlightened with each incarnation .
Lower case spirits,spirits off evil,do not go forward.In spirit form they can be called demons.
People like mass murders and sadists ,tend to have demon spirits.Some of them are older than others.So some are more powerful than others,both evil and good.This is where we get myth about demons like great byzantine and summarian devils,the spirits of the goetia.etc etc .Ones that possess and torment the living. The are the flip side of the saint coin.
Things are preordained karma/fate wise ,but there can be accidents and free will .
So fate can change,despite what is written in the akashik records .
So we much learn this in order to prepare ourselves to see and speak to them.
We must know the nature and hierarchy of spirits,and how guardianship works .
Guardians are our overseers.Some we have for life,but others come in and out of our lives when we need them,and move on.
Most of us have at least 2.I know do,and one appears as a Viking in full regalia,hat with horns and all ,and one is a small pygmy african boy .Some of this depends upon your spirit lineage ,none of which has to do with wether or not were were born chinese or hispanic.
In rare cases ,family can be guardians,but usually only in the case of a parent dying before a young child ,they can be allowed to be guardian,but its rare.
As family are spirits we tend to be reincarnated with each life time. We are kindred souls,so we find one another each time.Its why sometimes you meet someone and say ,"i feel as if i have known you forever".In some cases,,you have.
Once we undertsand guardianship,we must then learn the prayers and how to to speak to them .
Its a very long learning process,and to say our guardians would abuse us this way,is a sin in any pantheon.
It does not happen.If it does ,its a lowercase faking who they are,psychically abusing and maybe even possessing their victim.
And all of this correlates to Buddhist and Taosit belief,being 2 of the oldest religions on the planet .
AMMAs teachings also mirror Kardecs,and she is not a follower of Kardec at all. But i am a follower of AMMA.
Read Kardecs works is all i can say .

[brendala.livejournal.com]

It baffles me that multiple people backed the Valor Kickstarter knowing so little about the authors/artists that the content came as a surprise to them. O_o


That said, I want to commend you on a classy response (too bad the same can't be said for a lot of the commenters on the Kickstarter page :P). Too many people (on both sides of this issue) are too closed minded to realize that not everyone who disagrees with them on politics is a monster. And I commend you on understanding that some people still have a low comfort level when it comes to LGBT content in stories.
....even if it is their own fault for backing a Kickstarter without researching the creators behind it first. LOL

[alexeia-drae.livejournal.com]

I can't say I'm too surprised that people are complaining, but I am saddened to hear that they are and incredulous over how worked up people get about it.

[raventhourne.livejournal.com]

You are a classy lady and handled the entire situation with aplomb. My hat is off to you.

You can't please everyone and while I'm not surprised you had to address it I'm still annoyed for you.

Hugs and luv lady!