Kim Newman‘s Anno Dracula series inspired Father in Darkness type of a Dracula painting, and a more Hellsing like inspired Tall Dark Stranger Dracula.
Both available in a variety of prints, postcards, stickers, and other things over at my Redbubble shop
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According to Romanian Wiki on Vlad the Impaler, he died on December 14th.
Meantime, I was born on December 14th. So, yes, another year around the Sun, onwards on this fantastical spaceship, Earth, flying through the cosmos.
On that occasion I want to ask you all a little something. Spoil yourself a little in my name (excuse yourself with “ah, but I have to, birthday-boy asked!” or just think kindly of me while you’re at it). Stay in warm bed another moment longer. Watch another episode. Read another chapter. Do something that makes your heart content, and motivates your mind to keep going.
Those who’d like can also leave me a kind comment or send me a message on social media. And if you’d like a birthday wish to be a little more substantial, I will never say no to a cup of coffee: Ko-Fi
Thank You for being here,
– Nosferatu (Vakaris)
Paying respects to the two oldest movies that I have watched and reviewed for Ego Noctis blog, here’s the two appropriate artworks I’ve made: Nosferatu the Rebirth, and Bela Lugosi as Dracula.
Both are available in a variety of items over at my Redbubble shop
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I’ve a little, but ever growing collection of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Collecting books with Dracula as recurring character, apparently, wasn’t enough for me, so here’s a strange fact, I guess, multiple copies of the same book in different prints.
First, my pride and joy, Dracula from abroad, sent, gifted for birthday, or otherwise obtained via friends who either originate from somewhere else, or live somewhere else. The dream is to travel the world and bring a local copy of Dracula instead of magnets or other knick-knacks (no shade tho, those are fun too). Currently I’ve got these: Hungarian, Russian, Bulgarian, and German. The ones with… Reputation.. Were received before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Farther down the line are the English copies, my third language, and yet, language I read most in. Only one of them got no tale to it, others appeared uninvited. Red one was given to me by the same wonderful people who gave me their German copy too. It’s the most convenient copy of Dracula ever, not as flimsy as paperback, not stiff like a hardback, not too big, with black edges. Proper.
And the last are in my native, Lithuanian copies, all that we ever had, except for the very newest one that I’ve not yet obtained (if anyone wants to gift it to me, birthday is on December 14th, hit me up). These I love because they got better, and better. Each one just slightly more right, more interesting.
Do you collect any books? Or maybe you collect all of the books? Any preference in their shape?
I spoke of this a little bit in my posts about JKR’s transphobia: Part 1; Part 2; The last of Essay; End of Essay but not of Saga; Reality of Sex
This, and likely next week too, I’ll be a slow reader, and there might not be any book reviews in the meantime, as I’m trying to heal after the trauma of having my wisdom tooth extracted. It was growing sideways, pushing on another tooth, and causing both itself and that other tooth to “melt“. But, figured, it’s long overdue I make a casual little entry on what I’m reading, not just book reviews. A general update, something I used to do almost as often as reviewing what I’ve read.
At some point in August I am hit by October moods, the orange, pumpkin-y, fall leaves, horror movies, Halloween, and so on. It usually lasts up until October and into it too, yet rarely keeps up until actual Halloween strikes, but what can you do, right? Can’t force a vibe. And since it already hit as I’ve returned from my appointment, figured I might as well treat myself too: I picked up the last Vampire the Masquerade novel that I own, the Gangrel one.
Gangrels aren’t my favorite clan, despite Beckett being one of my favorite characters in Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Either way, they, as all the clans, have lots of interesting lore, and quirks. as I am not wholly up to date with it, there being entire 5 versions of it, I’ll leave you with someone who is, that being Outstar:
Those of you who have been with me for a while – already know. And to those who are more recent readers, I will now explain why my book blog identity is that of a nosferatu. Yes, it relates to the classic movie “Nosferatu“, where this Dracula’s knock-off looked extraordinarily rat-y. But it is also part of Vampire the Masquerade lore, as having fallen in love with the Bloodlines game, I realized how information-driven nosferatu are, and found it near to heart, as we say. Bookish people are sometimes called “book rats“, books reside in libraries, be it home, private, or public. And me, being a nocturnal creature who is only up and awake during light hours due to copious amounts of coffee (of which you can always treat me via the button in the upper right corner of the page), I have heard the nickname “vampire” plenty of times. So, a rat-y vampire, nosferatu. Book, library nosferatu. Only a bit later I embraced the Night Mode Reading as an entire motto, for that is when I have time, and peace of mind.
Do you have any strange reading quirks too? Let me know what they are if you do.
In the democratic world we have the right to freedom of speech – we can have an opinion and get to express it in all legal ways. Opinions can be different. People can criticize one another. They can tell each other they are wrong, and if it got basis – point where and how too.
J.K. Rowling’s attempt to justify her transphobia in an essay | Dissection: part 1; part 2; part 3
While I admire people who are capable to shrug people’s opinions off as nothing more but their opinions, I doubt it’s always the right thing to do. In J.K. Rowling’s case: her words are already being used in creation of laws against trans people, laws that will directly affect the lives of an already vulnerable group of people. And instead of fighting for the woman’s right to choose to give birth or not, author chose to fight against trans women having the right to live their lives. Her words have become a weapon that has emboldened other transphobic bigots, who feel empowered now, having such a great platform on their side. And so, I believe that if you are an empathetic human being, with a brain and a heart, you shouldn’t stay silent when you see homophobia or transphobia, just like you probably speak out against racism, or other forms of hate towards people. For if you don’t speak up, then the trans voices are not heard either.
The term “transgender” refers to a person whose sex assigned at birth (i.e. the sex assigned by a physician at birth, usually based on external genitalia) does not match their gender identity (i.e., one’s psychological sense of their gender). Some people who are transgender will experience “gender dysphoria,” which refers to psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity. Though gender dysphoria often begins in childhood, some people may not experience it until after puberty or much later.
My name is Vakaris. I am a transgender man. Something I knew before I even knew the word. Sometime around age 6, when I first consciously realized: all the children around me choose roles in games that fit their assigned at birth gender, and I – don’t. Once I reached the age where I could pinpoint the problem being, I tried to stop thinking about it. I tried to get used to it. It led to depression, heavy anxiety, and something very close to personality disorder, as I stopped recognizing myself as a person, for that was the only way I could survive day in and day out without feeling the disconnect between myself and my body. That is what gender dysphoria is. Your voice sounds alien to you. Your body is all kinds of wrong. Some have an easier time. Others, like myself, are slowly driven to the very edge of living. For if you can’t live as yourself, then there’s no point in living at all. Think about it. You’re a human being of some gender, right? But what if everyone always saw you as the complete opposite. You know who you are, right? But no one else does. They refer to you by the wrong name, they’re attracted to you for the wrong reasons. And that’s the easiest part of gender dysphoria…
Trans women are women. And not even Rowling can rewrite something science backs.
No, they are not asking women to recognize them as physically no different from biological women. No, not they and not us try to deny the reality of sex, we know that reality better than anyone else. These are misunderstood statements that fearmongering transphobes are now spreading, for if any trans person believes it to be true and has ever said it, and meant it the way they chose to understand it – they’re more rare than people who believe the Earth is flat today. And, most importantly, trans women definitely know that woman is not a costume. That is why they are women, and not men in dresses. To reduce someone down to their reproductive organs is demeaning to biological women first and foremost. But Rowling, it seems, believes it’s a sacrifice worthy to make.
Thank you for reading.
And lastly, I’d like to discuss a few other points J.K. Rowling has made in defense of her transphobia and discrimination against transgender women.
Part One | Part Two | JKR Essay
Author proceeds to quote a discredited psychiatrist to claim that no, teenagers with gender dysphoria who would not be allowed to transition – will not kill themselves. Which is an appalling lie to say the least. It has been extensively proven that people who have no prospects of transitioning are at heightened risk of suicide. But author chooses to quote that one who disagrees.
Farther, author claims that having heard testimonies of trans men she feels like she could have been “persuaded” to become a son her father openly wanted, as the allure of escaping her womanhood due to all the mental troubles she was having – would’ve been immense. I don’t know how many times in a single essay I can repeat that no, we do not choose, we are not persuaded, we are not contagious. This here only proves how important education on all of this is, on sex, sexuality, gender, so that people don’t grow up thinking there’s something wrong with them, or at least so that people don’t grow up to become bigots who refuse any facts or reason that don’t align with their views.
It takes years to change ones sex, under the scrutiny of psychologists, psychiatrists, medics, often in entire teams. Then and only then the process gets a green light. All of the surgeries are gruesome, those for sex change are no exception. Possible complications scare me to this very day, but when I listen to men and women who went through it all, complications, repeats, seeing their bright smiles, I know. I understand. Deeply so. So to Rowling I want to pass an advice someone else on twitter gave her before: how about read these books on a boy who was born different, was hated for it, then got into the world where everyone was like him, but hated on others for the circumstances of their birth, and then he fought them, and won. What do you think?
Under this author quotes Simone de Beauvoir: “It’s perfectly natural for the future woman to feel indignant at the limitations posed upon her by her sex. The real question is not why she should reject them; the problem is rather to understand why she accepts them.”
And somehow completely glosses over another quote by the same author: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”
J.K. Rowling claims to understand that sex change will be the right solution to some gender dysphoric people, but adds that she’s aware of extensive research that shows 60-90% of teenagers grow out of said dysphoria. This research, more or less, has been questioned as a myth. There’s methodological flaws in addition to ethical concerns on research assumption. Study was made on prepubescent children, not teenagers. And findings show that if gender dysphoria persists into early puberty, it is almost certainly permanent.
Additionally, children are not allowed to transition, anywhere. At most they are allowed social transitioning, such as pronouns, name, clothes. In very rare occasions these kids get puberty blockers that postpone the puberty, and once the child is off them – they hit it like nothing happened. These same puberty blockers are given to cis children too when their puberty starts too early. This allows the kids to be kids for a little while longer. The only issue that has ever appeared was due to trans kids getting them. Just like gender affirming surgeries that are freely available to anyone willing and are fairly often regretted. The only problems that arise are when trans people need them too.
Author then mentions her transsexual friend, and admits she cannot see her as anything but a woman. Yet claims she’s afraid that current trans activists will make the process – easier, as now any man who has no plans to take hormones or get surgeries, can get a Gender Recognition Certificate and in the eyes of the law be recognized as a woman.
I’d like to firstly ask the author, what makes this trans woman – a woman, and all the rest – men in dressers, potential predators? Then I’d like to point that a predator is a predator, their gender or sex has no influence over punishment for a crime, as assault remains illegal. I’ve not heard of an incident where a trans woman would be released after raping someone. But I have heard SEVERAL where a cis man got free with minimum punishment, if any at all.
“Trans” is an adjective. Like tall. Or blond. Or French! As I said before, women-only or same-sex spaces used to not allow in black women in fear they would attack the white women gathering there. They wouldn’t allow lesbian women there for the same reason too. Today we understand how utterly wrong and ugly that is. Actually, today we know that excluding trans women is also wrong, for I am sure people like J.K. Rowling are an absolute minority, and that common sense will prevail.
I’d also like to add that Great Britain, where J. K. Rowling resides, already has laws that take care of male predators who are trying to access women-only spaces. Trans women are simply not men, and they are protected by this law too!
JKR then expresses her concern on erasure of womanhood, stating that it is no longer enough for women to be trans allies, according to her, women must now accept and admit that there is no material difference between trans women and themselves.
I have not a damn clue where she got this from. But I must repeat, just like she repeats herself, transgender people know and understand the reality of sex, likely better than anyone else. We know the difference, and we have no desire for anyone to deny it. Think about it, were we claiming there’s no difference – we’d be shooting our own foot – why would we change our sex then? Why would we need surgeries if biologically we are not different? Rowling very clearly didn’t understand the things she has read, or has simply read something so completely false – she didn’t tweet about it. Something I find hard to believe, seeing how she screenshotted tweets from fake, suspended accounts, just to farther hammer in her point, not once giving her precious spotlight of, what, around 14 million people, to actual trans people?
And lastly, author exclaims her dissatisfaction with “inclusive” language that calls women “people who get periods” and “people with vulvas“. Okay, another question, if I may. So is it less dehumanizing to put a biological woman who doesn’t have periods or a vulva due to circumstances, in a place where, say, they’ll be teaching about periods? What about non-binary people, would they actually need information on something considered “women-only” by Rowling, would they just have to suck it up and be women for that one day, one hour? Not to mention trans men. Is “women, trans men, nonbinary people who have periods” a more female-friendly approach than “people who have periods” and if so, why is Rowling so afraid to be a person in addition to being a woman, a female? And why is she insisting on defining womanhood by the reproductive organs, despite claiming it’s more than that? A trans man with a period wouldn’t make her less of a woman then, I’d think.
Author is right about one thing though. “Woman” is indeed not a costume. It is an internal thing, with all the things she mentioned, the darkness, the sex and the sexlesness, and many other things. And it is exactly because of that: trans women are women. They are NOT men in dresses. They are women. And I genuinely doubt that any woman confident in her womanhood feels this same womanhood of hers threatened by a trans woman. For that woman knows it’s not a costume. Unlike J.K. Rowling, apparently.
J.K. Rowling makes five points in her essay, meant to explain her views and base them on something. There’s very clear selectiveness in the information she chose to pick and provide when she quotes people, and a lot of arguments that while very valid in themselves, have absolutely nothing to do with trans women:
First part of the essay dissection | Link to essay
That is absolutely wonderful. Nobody wants her to stop, be sure, not us, not trans women, not you, I’m sure. It’s just that no one is really trying to erode sex. Trans people know the reality of sex better than anyone. If there was no reality of sex – we’d not need to change ours to match our gender. We’d simply live by socially transitioning, done deal. Biological sex though is indeed very different to gender. What author speaks of is the legal definition where your biological sex – has no meaning. A chance to be yourself at your work place, school. Her mention of MS is very valid here, because in case of it, the birth sex would absolutely need to be considered, something medics would do despite the definition of gender. No one’s trying to erode the definition of sex.
I mean, think about it. If medical sense of sex would be eroded, why would we need to transition? By changing our gender legally, what we’d even transition into??
Author didn’t elaborate, just passed on her opinion as an ex-teacher. Not going to lie to you here, I have no damn clue what’s this supposed to mean. How will a trans woman getting to be legally called by her chosen name will affect a child’s education, or safety? Or is the issue in the very fact that kids might learn there’s people whose biological sex is not always the same as their gender?
I’m currently reading a very interesting book called “The Gang’s All Queer” by Vanessa R. Panfil, and, sorry for not precise quote, as I have not marked it, but one of the fellas there said a thing any and all LGBT+ kids have very likely felt at some point: “we learn to hide it before we even know what it is.” Imagine a situation where you grow up assuming there is something fundamentally wrong with you, and you’re even too afraid to ask about it, lest the consequences are negative. That’s how I grew up too.
I’d also really like to add that kids are taught hate, and even then they don’t always take to it. I studied with a boy who had two moms. We didn’t care, not an ounce, all of us just littlest toddlers with nothing but games on our minds. What we cared about was the red hair one of his mom’s had, as it was this unnatural fire-engine red, and it was absolutely awesome. All the hate we witnessed about it being “different” came from other parents, who’d begin whispering the moment these two women were out of earshot. And even then we didn’t care, no one bullied him for it. You know what we did care about, what was weird? One classmate was always accompanied by her grandmother, not her parents. And that felt strange: where are her parents? (only far later in life one understands that sometimes out of that same love you have to work so much that you might indeed not have the time to take your kid to school, and yet that’s what we felt, the absence of love, not the presence of same-sex love)
Great! She, you, and I have the right to freedom of speech, and in the face of what’s happening today – it makes me appreciate it even more that we live in a free, democratic country, where I can say that I am transgender man, and have law on my side if someone chooses to harass me over it. Same way Rowling has the right to spread misinformation about trans women, I and we as a whole, can call her out on the misleading fearmongering she’s spreading.
Someone smarter than I once said that in the age of information – ignorance is a choice.
Please hear me here, if nowhere else: trans people do not wish to transition. We need it to survive. Science confirms it, it’s not our ideology, not our opinion. Gender dysphoria is a real thing and it has been proven that in most cases if not all, transitioning, social, hormonal, and medical / surgical, is the best way to deal with it. The surgeries are gruesome on a good day, let alone when they have complications, why would ANYONE on this Earth choose that to be their reality? And those who tried to prove it otherwise – have been discredited, a fact in no way affected by Rowling quoting said people.
Author points at people detransitioning, the amount. But the truth is, the percentage is somewhere between half, and three. In compare to two digits of people who regret their easily available, as long as you have a wish and money, plastic surgeries. People who have been misdiagnosed have medics not doing their jobs right to blame, not other trans people, who have nothing to do with it.
Rowling then claims that among those detransitioning many people were gay. I have no information on this, but if that’s the case, then those people have been highly misinformed of twice the amount of harassment trans people get. And if in the second point author did somehow mean kids should not be taught about trans people, and the possibility of transitioning, then here she is, arguing herself. Only through educating people on this we’ll avoid instances like JKR, spreading transphobic misinformation, and fearing actual education on the topic. Additionally I’d like to inquire about sex education people are receiving, if gender is out of the equation: are people not aware sex with different genitals is going to be also different? Some gay woman might have no desire to eternally have a penis, no matter how much she loves other women. Same way this gay woman might not enjoy a trans man in her bed either, despite the possibility that the genitals could be of a biological female. I refuse to believe it’s only the trans folks who think of people as more than their genitals. For if that was true, then all attraction is purely physical, and we’re nothing but a set of our reproductive organs, forget personality, forget the color of their eyes, and, additionally, directly contradict Rowling – forget about same sex attraction too. (JKR claimed trans people, by allegedly denying reality of sex, deny same sex attraction, but then, according to her, gay people might wish to transition to avoid bullying)
Next statement on autistic girls being overrepresented seemingly implies that autistic people don’t have autonomy enough to know their own identities. She refers to a research by discredited physician, Lisa Littman, whose work has been rejected by the scientific community, highly criticized, and even her own colleagues claimed her methods to be flawed, below scientific standards.
Lisa Littman has artificially increased autistic traits in trans people, and only looked at autism in trans people, not autistic people as a whole. She passed her forms in transphobic forums and boards, asking parents of trans kids to fill them out, not the trans kids themselves. Kids whose parents show clear homophobia or transphobia will more likely hide their LGBT+ identities, so, naturally, once they come out – to parents it seems rapid, sudden. Thus creating what Littman called Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, a condition that doesn’t exist outside her echo chamber. The term itself is not recognized by any major professional association.
Trans people are not contagious.
Assault is already illegal. A man, a trans man, a woman, a trans woman, a nonbinary person – it doesn’t matter who commits it, they’ll commit a crime and will hopefully pay dearly for it. Author herself states that she was in a vulnerable time and space, so not likely a women only space either. A man capitalized on it. Please tell me how a trans woman enters this narrative in anything else than the role of a victim?
Nobody on this earth deserves such treatment, nobody should ever be assaulted, not verbally, not physically, not sexually. The laws exist for it. And this said law doesn’t give a damn about what your gender is in the face of illegal activity, assault. In fact, having watched news for a while, I say being a white man is very much preferable to get away with it, than suddenly claiming you’re a trans woman. Haven’t seen trans women being released for rape as of yet. Have seen quite a few cis men though.
As nasty as this sounds, violent men do not need to go through the trouble of getting recognized as women. If they have the intent to enter a women-only space to assault someone – they will do so or they will try so. And if its not a nonguarded women’s bathroom, then at most it’d be enough to wear the work vest. Enter as a janitor, as repairman, electrician, counselor, lawyer… These are human monsters we’re talking about, you really think they’ll go for a dress to exact their vengeance?
In conclusion, JKR claims that due to being assaulted by a man in a vulnerable time and space, trans women shouldn’t be allowed in women only spaces. They should go piss with the men. Where the risk of them getting assaulted then increases immensely, especially if they don’t pass so well as to be allowed into a trans-exclusionists bathroom.
The defense of Maya Forstater wasn’t the last time JKR spread fear and discrimination against transgender people, especially the transgender women. It happened, what, in 2019? And to this very day author keeps fearmongering.
Following the infamous first tweet was an essay in which JKR explained why she has these transphobic views, and how, despite feeling for trans women, she’d rather they not have the same right to be themselves, safely, alongside biological women. Essay is pretty long, so I’ll split the text in two or three parts, and will make a masterpost at the end of the Pride Month:
Link to Essay | Link to Maya Forstater post
And now, let’s start at the start. First of all, yes, we do all have the right to free speech and the expression of it. But doing so, just like not knowing better, doesn’t excuse anyone from the responsibility our words and actions have, the consequences. And people who misinform others by painting a vulnerable social group of people as sexual predators, assaulters, and rapists – should indeed face some consequences. I absolutely disagree with people who are now sending her death threats, or harassment in general, that’s no way to go about this. But I’m also very grateful to those people who decided they can live without Harry Potter and other creations JKR puts out there for as long as she financially benefits from them.
Author’s work, this specific essay included, are already being used to support laws that’ll farther restrict the lives of transgender people. She’s cited by bigoted, empathy lacking, ignorant people who feel safe under the wings of her massive platform. And despite the fact that author denies she negatively impacted the lives of trans people, especially trans youths – I think you, as a thinking individual, can understand and emphasize what it would feel like if someone you looked up to suddenly began spreading narrative that you’re ill, misguided, wrong, and possibly a predator too.
In her essay author claims that she received great support from people who worry about the dangers to young and gay people, and the erosion of women’s rights. Above all, they’re worried about a climate of fear that serves nobody, least of all the trans youths, that Rowling then proceeds to spread:
Farther author exclaims her concern towards a mother who is afraid her gay child will try to get their sex changed due to fear of homophobia.
Author farther claims that, ironically, hah, fool us, radical feminists aren’t even trans-exlusionary. Because they include trans men. As they were born women. In other words, they discriminate us by including us, I… I don’t know how to feel about this one, other than be appalled at the (a wardrobe, a witch, and the) audacity…
Trans men are men. Trans women are women. Science supports this, our existence, and our need to transition to live with dignity. No matter how many researches there have been – so far all have been debunked, a fact not changed by Rowling quoting them anyway. In farther posts we’ll continue to talk mainly on trans women, and discuss how they not only do not threaten erasure to womanhood, they only add to said womanhood. Truly no one denies existence of sex either, and if they do, they’re more rare than flat-earthers.
Remember what trans women gave you. Remember that if you are part of LGBTQIAP, you’ve a trans woman to thank for the right to be you, as that’s how the first Pride (a riot) happened. Trans people always existed. From Caesar Elagabalus, to people before and after. From far away tribes, to the natives of America. Far before Christianity was a thing. And far after it too.
I’d like to end this with another little fun fact: there was a time when women-only spaces excluded black women. Then – lesbian women. All for the same exact reason used today against trans women: the “other” will attack “them“.
Nosferatu Reads 