“I told you. I told you it was part of the job. What did you think was going to happen, Inej? I didn’t take you from the Menagerie so we could all be one happy fucking family, did I? I wanted you to be dangerous. You were, and now you’re whining about it.”
“And I told you that I didn’t want to kill innocent people!”
“Then why did you?”
“He was about to kill you!” Inej cries, and springs to her feet. Her face is flushed, from crying or from anger, Kaz isn’t sure.
“Inej, don’t listen to him,” Nina spits over Jesper’s unconscious body. “Kaz is just a bastard. Don’t listen to him. Kaz, leave her alone.”
“Would you rather have been killed?” Inej asks, her palms outstretched, as if Kaz can package up the answer and place it in her hands. “Would you rather have been killed than have me cry?”
I've been feeling climate anxiety lately. I think it's really necessary to change everything and progress towards a postcapitalist future that doesn't endanger our planet, our Pachamama. But I don't see how that will be possible. What do you think about this?
Hiya, thanks for getting in touch and sorry it’s taken me so long to reply. I get a lot of asks like this so I think I might make this another masterpost. Here’s climate anxiety solutions according to me:
1) Accept your feelings. Recognise that fear, grief, rage and despair are all normal, healthy, human reactions to paying actual attention to what is being done to our planet right now. You aren’t wrong or sick or overreacting by feeling them. Sit with the emotions, allow them to wash over you, cry, smash plates, punch a pillow, journal, write poetry, yell at the news, scream in the woods! Trying to repress these feelings will just make them harder to deal with.
2) Recognise that the paralysis of climate anxiety is not a good place from which to make a difference. Try to let horror, guilt and self-blame go, and lean into the love for people and planet that motivates all eco-anxiety. Start consuming good news stories and keying into activist spaces so that you can learn how others are claiming agency to fight this problem, and how you can emulate that. Remember that despair absolves you of responsibility and that true solidarity with the most affected means letting your emotions drive you towards action.
4) Educate yourself through reading, listening to podcasts, attending talks, seeking advice from elders, and more - whatever works for your particular life and circumstances. The more informed you are about these issues the more you’ll feel able to address them.
3) Make as many changes as you can in your personal life. Are you eating a high-carbon diet? Try to reduce that. Are you consuming a lot of water or energy resources? Look for green and low-intensity alternatives. Examine your transport habits and prioritise walking, cycling, trains, low or zero emission buses, sailing, and replacing longer-haul journeys with remote options. If you live in a throwaway culture, try to prioritise reuse and repair over consumption. Consider how your livelihood impacts the planet, and if it’s negatively and making change is possible for you, start the process of moving towards an occupation that lets you make a more positive difference.
4) Fight! Join a campaign group, write to your elected officials, attend a protest, donate money to causes if you can, commit civil disobedience if you feel willing and able. Put pressure on governments, businesses and the public to change their ways.
5) Prioritise joy and connection. Spend time in nature, watching animals or foraging for plants or swimming or walking or just letting it all wash over you. Link up with other people to talk through your worries, go hiking, lobby for climate justice, safeguard ecosystems and pass down your local heritage. Sometimes, take a day or two to check out of all these issues and problems and just spend time drawing, cooking, playing games with loved ones, or whatever it is that relaxes you. There are enough of us that you can take the time to avoid burnout.
I hope some of this was helpful, and do please get back in touch if you have any other questions or queries. You’re part of a huge global community of people who love and revere the earth and want to build a better future for all life upon her. Hold onto that.
Great news for Missouri.
Women will turn out. Grab them by the ballot!
inej "you're in the wind" ghafa and kaz "i'm in the water" brekker
If nothing else, as a historian every time I get scared at the state of the world I have to remind myself that "uninteresting times" is a myth.
The world has always been in the throes of chaos and violence and fear, just in different ways and to different degrees. The anxieties of the past are no less real than our own, and we can learn from them. Normality and peace are fleeting, but we can always strive to increase those moments. We have to keep hoping and working for a better future. It's all we have. We may not succeed, but if we don't try, what are we living for?
house of the dragon & religious imagery 🤝
Slowly but surely I've been making progress on Blood Meridian. Junior year of college is kicking my ass but semester ending means more time to write! Very exciting!
Sex is natural, and it is frustrating to be horny and not have a partner, but I refuse to believe people are driven to the depths of despair because they don't have sex. And even if they were, I would still not support "sex work" because a person's dignity and physical integrity will always be more important than someone's else feelings.
Vogue Gioiello Nov 2009 - Anya Kazakova by Luciana Val & Franco Musso
Everyone west of the Mississippi knows the name Kaz Brekker. Kaz Brekker and his crew listen to the laws of no man, and have established a reputation in western America as infamous criminals. Inej, trapped by Heleen and her indenture, dreams of having the kind of freedom Kaz Brekker and the Dregs have. So when Kaz Brekker and his gang ride into town, Inej makes a deal with the devil. Though she had no idea she'd fall in love with him.