A while back my pharmacist saw my deadname on my profile and accidentially called it out, he corrected and deleted my deadname from the system so only my preferred name shows up now. There was a crowd of people behind me, so as he hands over the pills he apologized, in equal tone and volume as when he called my deadname and lied saying it’s been a long day and he didn’t mean to call out -his own- name. I quietly told him it was fine and he didn’t need to do that for my sake.
His response: “No, it’s my name now.”
I went to the pharmacist yesterday, his nametag is my deadname. He informed me he’s immigrating and in the process he’s changed his first name to my deadname to have an English sounding name. That’s why he’s now able to get a reprint of his nametag to be my deadname. And repeated, with the intense seriousness of someone who is going to die on this hill: “It’s mine now. Not yours. I’m taking.” His tone indicated that decision is final.
Bro literally deadnamed me once, and has committed to flat out stealing my deadname. It’s his now. Legally. Officially. I over heard his co-workers call him by the name.
As often as I joke about it, I sometimes get sad when people take Watership Down and just call it “traumatizing” or that it’s all violence and death. If it did traumatize you then that’s real, but I feel like the book has so much more to offer. I want to say Watership Down is about LIVING. Yes, life is horrible and cruel, but it is also beautiful and worth having hope for.
What do y’all think?
No no no, it is the TRUTH.
Most people who say that say it because they have the movie as their only guide (and not to disparage it or even less to people who like it or think it’s a good material in itself) that as such loses much of the story and highlights more the Grim and melancholic part before the other sections.
Watership Down is a story about WILL AND HOPE. These rabbits have everything going against them including the intrigue of knowing if their promised land and future is really there. But even with all this they stick together, learn together, don’t give up and move forward together.
There will be moments of sadness, anger and loss. But they always make up for it with inspiring stories, funny moments and their courage to face the unknown.
