this is a corner of the internet that doesn’t promise consistency, but does promise intensity.
my inbox is always open for genuine questions, discussions, and respectful challenges. i love long asks, i love debates, and i love being given a chance to rant about something niche. if you’re sending something in good faith, you’ll get my best effort back.
── FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ────── ?
this section exists because certain questions arrive more often than others. before sending an ask, please check here—chances are, your question has already been addressed.
the links below are divided by topic where possible. i have included both recurring asks and posts that hold special value to me. these are meant as reference, not as a replacement for conversation. if you engage respectfully, i will always welcome new insights and thoughtful dialogue—but please, avoid repeated questions that are already answered here, as well as disrespect or demands.
the list is not static. it will be updated as i revisit topics, refine my thoughts, or discover new posts that deserve attention.
ANCIENT GREECE [ mythology , literature & culture ] :
What is Xenia?
Learn Ancient Greek!
Did Odysseus cheat on Penelope? [ Homer’s Odyssey only ! ]
Which Iliad translation should I read?
Why do I like Paris?
How do I translate Ancient Greek?
Who tops in Patroklos x Akhilleus?
Leodes in the Odyssey.
Odysseus’ femininity.
Was Ganymede a victim?
How old was Akhilleus when he went to war?
AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY ERA / EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY :
Was Hamilton considered an immigrant?
The Extraordinary Beauty of Alexander Hamilton.
In Defense of George I. Eacker.
Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr’s debts.
The selflessness & selfishness of Alexander Hamilton.
Was Hamilton suicidal?
Hamilton’s stance on democracy.
Was the Hamilton-Reynolds Affair fake?
Alexander Hamilton’s questionable letter.
Alexander Hamilton & King George III analysis.
The true relationship of Thomas Jefferson & Alexander Hamilton.
Aaron Burr Jr. & Margaret Moncrieffe.
Alexander Hamilton Jr.
Did Maria Reynolds threaten suicide?
HAMILTON THE MUSICAL :
“What Did I Miss?”—analysis.
“Your Obedient Servant”—analysis.
the doors of this blog are open for those who are willing to meet the work halfway; they are closed for those who arrive with entitlement or disrespect. this space is built on care, curiosity, and clarity. it is a library as much as it is a conversation. treat it with thought, respect the boundaries, and your presence here will be valued.
If you've been following me for a while, you probably know I'm Bosnian. This is the second year that I make a point of talking about the Srebrenica Genocide, because so many people outside the Balkans either know very little about it or have only heard the name. It isn't comfortable to read about, but it deserves to be remembered accurately.
What is the Srebrenica Genocide?
The Srebrenica Genocide was the mass murder of more than 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) and associated units in July 1995, during the Bosnian War.
It has been ruled a genocide by both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
But to understand Srebrenica, you first have to understand the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia was a socialist federation made up of six republics, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia was (and still is) home to Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Bosnian Serbs, Croats, Jews, Roma, and many people from mixed families. Following the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980, nationalist politics intensified throughout Yugoslavia. In Serbia, Slobodan Milošević rose to power while promoting Serbian nationalism and seeking greater Serbian political dominance.
When Slovenia and Croatia declared independence in 1991, Yugoslavia began to collapse. Bosnia and Herzegovina held an internationally recognized independence referendum in 1992. Most Bosnian Serb political leaders rejected the result.
The Bosnian War began shortly afterward.
Ethnic cleansing.
The Srebrenica Genocide did not happen in isolation. Years before July 1995, Bosniak civilians throughout eastern Bosnia were subjected to systematic ethnic cleansing.
Entire villages were attacked, people were murdered in their homes, mosques were destroyed, and thousands were imprisoned in camps. Women and girls were subjected to widespread sexual violence, and hundreds of thousands of Bosniaks across Bosnia were forcibly expelled from their homes.
Srebrenica became one of the few remaining Bosniak enclaves in eastern Bosnia because survivors from surrounding municipalities fled there. The town became catastrophically overcrowded, and food, medicine, and supplies, became scarce.
In 1993, the United Nations declared Srebrenica a "Safe Area." It was protected by Dutch peacekeepers (Dutchbat).
However, the peacekeepers were lightly armed, severely outnumbered, dependent on UN authorization for military support, and unable to stop a determined military assault.
July 1995.
On the 11th of July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces under General Ratko Mladić entered Srebrenica.
Footage exists of Mladić walking through the town saying:
"Here we are, on 11 July 1995, in Serbian Srebrenica... The time has come to take revenge on the Muslims."
Thousands of civilians fled to the UN base at Potočari. Others attempted to escape through the forests toward Tuzla.
Neither group would be safe.
Very quickly, Bosniak men and boys were systematically separated from women, children, and the elderly.
Women and children were loaded onto buses and deported.
Men and boys—as young as teenagers and as old as grandfathers—were taken away.
Over the following days they were executed in schools, warehouses, fields, and farms. Afterwards, bulldozers dug up the bodies and moved them into secondary and tertiary mass graves in an attempt to hide the crime.
Because of this deliberate concealment, many victims have been found with their remains scattered across multiple graves, making identification an agonizing process that continues even today.
One story I want everyone to know is that of Ramo Osmanović and his son Nermin.
There is footage recorded during the genocide in which Ramo, having been captured, is forced by Bosnian Serb soldiers to call into the forest for his son, saying it was safe with the Serbs. Whether he believed those words or knew he had no choice, we cannot know.
Nermin came out of hiding, and both father and son were murdered. Years later, their remains were identified in a mass grave.
Thousands of families have similar stories.
Mothers spent decades searching for bones scattered across different graves because those responsible tried to erase even the evidence of the murders. Thanks to one of the largest DNA identification projects in history, thousands of victims have finally been identified, but some families are still waiting.
In 2001, the ICTY issued its first conviction recognizing Srebrenica as genocide. Since then, numerous international judgments—including those against Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić—have reaffirmed that legal conclusion.
Genocide denial, however, continues.
If you call yourself anti-fascist, if you mourn the Holocaust, if you stand against Islamophobia, you must stand with Srebrenica. Otherwise, your activism is selective.
My post of last year.
If you're reading this and want to learn more, please do. Don't let this be the only thing you ever read about Srebrenica.
Learn the names of the victims.
Memorial Center. It contains oral histories from survivors, personal stories of victims, digital exhibitions, educational resources, information about every annual commemoration, and news on newly identified victims. If you only visit one site, make it this one.
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This is legal evidence. You can find every judgment, witness testimonies, military documents, trial transcripts, video evidence, court exhibits, documentary films, and case law.
International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) contains appeals, updated legal records, and trial archives.
International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) explains DNA identification, mass grave excavations, secondary and tertiary graves, and how perpetrators tried to hide evidence, alongside the dentification of victims. Their work revolutionized forensic identification after mass atrocities.
If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read.
I'm Bosnian. This isn't just another historical event to me—it's part of my country's history, part of the grief that so many families here still carry, and something that continues to shape our present. Every July 11th, more victims are laid to rest as their remains are identified. There are families who spent decades waiting to bury their sons, fathers, brothers, and husbands. Some are still waiting.
I know a Tumblr post can't teach you everything. It can't capture every life that was stolen, every survivor's story, or every act of courage and loss. My hope is simply that it encourages you to keep learning.
I am Bosnian (and Bosniak) as well, and July is always a painful time of year for all of us. This is a pretty good TL;DR of what happened in the 90's in my country, thank you OP
what bothers me a lot is the phrase that is repated robotically by the mainstream media each July when it comes to Srebrenica: may Srebrenica never happen again (da se nikada ne ponovi Srebrenica). And sadly IT IS HAPPENING. In Gaza and Palestine and many other places in the world. Humanity has failed in stopping another Srebrenica from happening. Genocide deniers are still vocal and spread misinformation and lies. Staying (truthfully) informed has never been so easy yet so difficult at the same time in the era of mainstream internet.
Keep reading, keep watching and support those who are in need in ways you can
If you've been following me for a while, you probably know I'm Bosnian. This is the second year that I make a point of talking about the Srebrenica Genocide, because so many people outside the Balkans either know very little about it or have only heard the name. It isn't comfortable to read about, but it deserves to be remembered accurately.
What is the Srebrenica Genocide?
The Srebrenica Genocide was the mass murder of more than 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) and associated units in July 1995, during the Bosnian War.
It has been ruled a genocide by both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
But to understand Srebrenica, you first have to understand the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia was a socialist federation made up of six republics, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia was (and still is) home to Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Bosnian Serbs, Croats, Jews, Roma, and many people from mixed families. Following the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980, nationalist politics intensified throughout Yugoslavia. In Serbia, Slobodan Milošević rose to power while promoting Serbian nationalism and seeking greater Serbian political dominance.
When Slovenia and Croatia declared independence in 1991, Yugoslavia began to collapse. Bosnia and Herzegovina held an internationally recognized independence referendum in 1992. Most Bosnian Serb political leaders rejected the result.
The Bosnian War began shortly afterward.
Ethnic cleansing.
The Srebrenica Genocide did not happen in isolation. Years before July 1995, Bosniak civilians throughout eastern Bosnia were subjected to systematic ethnic cleansing.
Entire villages were attacked, people were murdered in their homes, mosques were destroyed, and thousands were imprisoned in camps. Women and girls were subjected to widespread sexual violence, and hundreds of thousands of Bosniaks across Bosnia were forcibly expelled from their homes.
Srebrenica became one of the few remaining Bosniak enclaves in eastern Bosnia because survivors from surrounding municipalities fled there. The town became catastrophically overcrowded, and food, medicine, and supplies, became scarce.
In 1993, the United Nations declared Srebrenica a "Safe Area." It was protected by Dutch peacekeepers (Dutchbat).
However, the peacekeepers were lightly armed, severely outnumbered, dependent on UN authorization for military support, and unable to stop a determined military assault.
July 1995.
On the 11th of July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces under General Ratko Mladić entered Srebrenica.
Footage exists of Mladić walking through the town saying:
"Here we are, on 11 July 1995, in Serbian Srebrenica... The time has come to take revenge on the Muslims."
Thousands of civilians fled to the UN base at Potočari. Others attempted to escape through the forests toward Tuzla.
Neither group would be safe.
Very quickly, Bosniak men and boys were systematically separated from women, children, and the elderly.
Women and children were loaded onto buses and deported.
Men and boys—as young as teenagers and as old as grandfathers—were taken away.
Over the following days they were executed in schools, warehouses, fields, and farms. Afterwards, bulldozers dug up the bodies and moved them into secondary and tertiary mass graves in an attempt to hide the crime.
Because of this deliberate concealment, many victims have been found with their remains scattered across multiple graves, making identification an agonizing process that continues even today.
One story I want everyone to know is that of Ramo Osmanović and his son Nermin.
There is footage recorded during the genocide in which Ramo, having been captured, is forced by Bosnian Serb soldiers to call into the forest for his son, saying it was safe with the Serbs. Whether he believed those words or knew he had no choice, we cannot know.
Nermin came out of hiding, and both father and son were murdered. Years later, their remains were identified in a mass grave.
Thousands of families have similar stories.
Mothers spent decades searching for bones scattered across different graves because those responsible tried to erase even the evidence of the murders. Thanks to one of the largest DNA identification projects in history, thousands of victims have finally been identified, but some families are still waiting.
In 2001, the ICTY issued its first conviction recognizing Srebrenica as genocide. Since then, numerous international judgments—including those against Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić—have reaffirmed that legal conclusion.
Genocide denial, however, continues.
If you call yourself anti-fascist, if you mourn the Holocaust, if you stand against Islamophobia, you must stand with Srebrenica. Otherwise, your activism is selective.
My post of last year.
If you're reading this and want to learn more, please do. Don't let this be the only thing you ever read about Srebrenica.
Learn the names of the victims.
Memorial Center. It contains oral histories from survivors, personal stories of victims, digital exhibitions, educational resources, information about every annual commemoration, and news on newly identified victims. If you only visit one site, make it this one.
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This is legal evidence. You can find every judgment, witness testimonies, military documents, trial transcripts, video evidence, court exhibits, documentary films, and case law.
International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) contains appeals, updated legal records, and trial archives.
International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) explains DNA identification, mass grave excavations, secondary and tertiary graves, and how perpetrators tried to hide evidence, alongside the dentification of victims. Their work revolutionized forensic identification after mass atrocities.
If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read.
I'm Bosnian. This isn't just another historical event to me—it's part of my country's history, part of the grief that so many families here still carry, and something that continues to shape our present. Every July 11th, more victims are laid to rest as their remains are identified. There are families who spent decades waiting to bury their sons, fathers, brothers, and husbands. Some are still waiting.
I know a Tumblr post can't teach you everything. It can't capture every life that was stolen, every survivor's story, or every act of courage and loss. My hope is simply that it encourages you to keep learning.
people will literally call any character a father if they’re even so much as slightly guiding towards a character younger than them. like hey news flash people can be teachers and mentors without being some sort of parent to their students
quarterly reminder that if i reblog something ai-generated it is 110% and always an accident and for the love of god please tell me so i can delete it from my blog
every single time i see someone say “the third face of xipe is propagation” i feel my soul actively trying to leave my body because what do you MEAN “propagation.” did we play the same 3.8 or did you just skip the entire segment where gopher literally spells it out like we are children.
HALF THE POINT OF THAT REVEAL is that it is NOT the bug path.
hey hsr fandom. before 4.3 comes out i need us all to understand that “blade doesn’t want to be called yingxing” is not evidence that he is literally a different person. it is evidence of EXTREME self-loathing and dehumanization. i genuinely think some of yall flatten trauma responses into the most surface-level reading imaginable.
blade rejecting the name yingxing is not a philosophical declaration of “that person and i are entirely unrelated entities,” it’s the exact opposite. it’s the behavior of someone who hates himself so profoundly that they believe they no longer deserve to be associated with the person they once were.
yingxing was beloved. cherished by the high-cloud quintet. he was someone master huaiyan as well as many artisans remember fondly centuries later. someone dan feng trusted deeply enough to commit the greatest sin of his life beside him. someone baiheng adored. someone who once had pride in his craftsmanship and dreams and relationships.
and then he was mutilated by immortality and turned into something he considers monstrous (especially since, mind you, he endured discrimination from long-life species). jingliu quite literally reinforces this worldview over and over by repeatedly reducing him to a “monster,” a weapon forged for vengeance, a sinner who must suffer eternally. his entire current identity is built on punishment. he is someone who genuinely believes that the current version of himself is fundamentally corrupted and unworthy.
“well blade said he’s not yingxing and dislikes being called that :)” okay? traumatized people rejecting their former identity because they cannot psychologically bear the contrast between who they were and what they’ve become is an EXTREMELY common not only actual real psychological response but also narrative trope? especially in stories about immortality and loss of humanity.
“blade and yingxing are totally separate” reinforces the exact dehumanization his arc is criticizing. blade IS yingxing after centuries of suffering stripped him down until he could no longer recognize himself as someone worthy of love, humanity, or forgiveness. and the heartbreaking part is that traces of yingxing are STILL THERE despite everything.
reinforcing “he’s not yingxing at all” just plays directly into the mentality blade already has about himself: that the person he once was is dead, unreachable, undeserved, and that the only thing left is a monster wearing his corpse.
and i do not think the narrative wants us to agree with him when he says that about himself!!!
People keep approaching the red spider lily in relation to Blade through a purely Chinese folkloric lens, which. Understandable, given the obvious cultural proximity and the way the flower is commonly framed in modern East Asian media as a “flower of death,” separation, and unreachable longing. That reading is not wrong.
But it is also incomplete in a way that flattens a much older and more structurally relevant layer of meaning that his narrative keeps circling back to, especially with his SP form.
Because once you step into the Buddhist framework that the flower originates from, especially its Sanskrit associations (Manjusaka / 曼珠沙华), the symbolism becomes completely different!
The flower is not simply “death” as an endpoint. It is not a marker of hell, nor a warning of moral or existential damnation.
It is tied instead to the idea of the “other shore” (彼岸), which is not a euphemism for death, but a metaphysical threshold between states of existence. Crucially, that threshold is not morally coded as hellbound (contrary to Chinese culture, where the flower blooms explicitly in Hell). It is a passage that includes rebirth, ascent, and even heavenly realms within its scope. The “other shore” is not a place where things end, but a conceptual boundary where transformation occurs.
I really want to make a post about all of Blade’s cultural references...but perhaps that is best saved for when 4.3 comes out, eh?
