The Devil's Pachinko Parlor

and often advocate for the destruction of cool old houses, especially if it makes them money

when we are raped, it is a pale imitation of real rape

when we are abused by our partners, it is a pale imitation of real domestic abuse

when we are punished for our failures to meet patriarchal standards of womanhood, it's a pale imitation of the same thing happening to cis women

when we grieve our inability to give birth, it is a pale imitation of the grief of cis women who cannot give birth

when we face violence and murder at incredibly high rates, when we are threatened and catcalled and harassed by men in public, our fear is a pale imitation of that of cis women

when we are paid the lowest wages of any gender demographic, it is a pale imitation of the smaller wage gap faced by cis women

our suffering is a pale imitation of real suffering

Basket-Hilted Broadsword (Schiavona). Venetian, 1775-1800.

The mirror replied "To whom?"

"The miller who made the flour for my bread," the queen would say, or "Whoever spun the thread my shawl was made of".

The second time, she says "To the King," and she is pleased to see herself once more.

The third time, she says "To the Royal Advisor," and is once more satisfied to see herself.

The fourth time, she says "To the scribe who takes the King's letters." She is shown the man's wife. And she seethes, but quiets herself, for it is only right that a man loves his wife.

The fifth time, she says "To the Court Wizard," and is shown the man's departed mother as he remembers her from his youth, radiant and smiling and warm and larger than life.

The tenth time, she says "To the Stable Master," and is shown the fastest horse in the stable, majestic and free as the wind even in captivity

"To the baker," she is shown the man's daughter, young and adorable and full of joy and laughter.

"To the artist who did my portrait," she is shown a painting of a woman done by the man's teacher, who he still looks up to now that he is well established himself.

"To the Royal Knight," she is surprised but not displeased to see the castle's entire guard force in the middle of doing drills.

The one hundredth time she asks the mirror, and it asks her "to whom?" she once again says, "To me." And she does the same the one hundred and second, and again and again and again.