#block and boycott and report

[taviokapudding]

Protestors consistently ruining the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade footage is actually really great & keep boosting their footage when you see it

Every company featured in the parade sets up a contract (similar to the super bowl) where they buy a spot to then get a l a r g e endorsement via placing their ad on a float or in a balloon. Within the line up this year McDonald's, one of the biggest pro-genocide donators, got a large balloon rather than a float. This is important because balloons gets more air time than floats because of their size. On top of that floats may not have guests performing & paying for someone to perform; ideally McDonald's wanted to have a longer air time with their balloon without paying an hourly cost for performers. More air time = more ad revenue = more eyes seeing them = more customers.

The move by pro-Palestinian protestors to jump in front of McDonald's does 2 things:

1. McDonald's is getting less air time than what they were contractually promised, it'll be up to them to request what is owed (because it depends on the agreement made) by Macy's to them

2. And it messes with NBC's obligations with Peacock as the 2nd most important party of the parade + 3rd party in all contracts

So while McDonald's loses money and Macy's is scrambling to figure out how to loophole their way out of not losing money to owe McDonald's, NBC gets fucked too.

Since Oct 7, 2023, NBC has been one of many US news media outlets who actively lied to the US masses. But why do they matter for the parade? Their job is to be the main outlet who records and then uses their main platform, Peacock, to stream the parade. If protestors are seen throughout all your footage, delay large portions, and cause enough disruption to the footage being aired- that means they don't and won't immediately have their show footage ready to go.

Peacock does an offer every year to new customers to watch the parade for a $1.99 USD (not including taxes) monthly plan that can be canceled at any time with the first month free; but in the last 4+hrs after the parade aired people aren't going to stay for the year because their is no footage as promised. I actually have been checking throughout today and it's not available at all.

So not only is McDonald's going to be hemorrhaging alongside with all the other companies whose footage got cut or edited out to match the contractually obligated run time & censor protestors, but both NBC and Peacock will be losing money with each minute they don't have enough footage and a full stream to air- which is money that Macy's was also supposed to get a cut of. Which btw it's now 5pm cst the same day and there's still no footage - which is a $ problem for Peacock & NBC when folks prioritize now finding a service to watch the Superbowl > Parades.

Do not be surprised if Macy's stuff becomes more expensive and the possibility they'll change which news media outlet + streaming service covers the 2024 parade occurs. And yeah, McDonald's is going to become more expensive than it already is long term. Everybody who were financially complicit in the death of 14,000+ Palestinian men, women, and children will have a financially shit end of the year and rough 2024.

In short, despite the arrests, the protestors who sat & glued themselves to the parade route and those who stayed in the crowd to hold up flags and signs throughout really won. A 4 day cease fire for a very obviously one sided genocide isn't enough & tons of rich people are learning the hard way (as I post) that this is the beginning of their punishment by the universe for the actions.

[deathbypufferfish]

A zionist posted me on their Instagram stories to call me an antisemite (I am Jewish)

[muslimintp-1999-girl]

Salaam, and hi

Plz go report this account

Trigger warning ⚠️ islamophobia

No Muslim should have to come here and read these islamophobic and dehumanising post/comments

[barbarastreisandof]

Blocking out her name and picture to protect her from harassment, but this is a Palestinian journalist reporting out of Gaza who I've personally had contact with through Twitter.

Money and aid is not getting through. Crowdfunding is not helpful. Ordering things is not helpful. Buying keffiyehs that say the money goes to Gaza is not helpful.

Gaza is a concentration camp - nothing is getting in or out that Israel does not approve of and right now Israel wants people dead or dying.

Most of social media, and tumblr is no exception, skews toward "taking action" being things that put you at zero risk and only ask for money or bits of time, or sometimes just doing nothing and calling it a boycott. "Call your rep!" "Buy this thing!" "Share this link!"

The reality is that you get out what you put in and if it was easy and low risk and comfortable for you to do it, then that is the level of impact it is having - low, comfortable to ignore, and flimsy.

Palestine, Gaza and increasingly the West Bank, NEEDS real help and the reality is we do not have the power as individuals to give it.

We DO have the power to band together and influence things collectively and the best way to do that is to loudly unequivocally express our anger and clarity of purpose.

So that does mean calling reps and being polite and firm and brief and giving your real address because otherwise they can't confirm you're a constituent and they'll ignore you. "Hello, my name is ______ and I am calling as a constituent to demand representative/senator _______ support aid to Gaza and to call for an end to support for all support to Israel."

It is important that your support for Gaza include opposition to Israel - there is no supporting Gaza while supporting Israel, it genuinely is one or the other.

Tear down pro-Israel posters. Tear down those fake kidnapped propaganda posters. Show up to rallies and marches where you can and if you can't, find out who's organizing them and get in touch to offer your support and help. Talk to family and friends. LEARN! Read up on these things and teach yourself history so you can better advocate and push back on propaganda.

Be willing to have people not like you. Losing friends over this is, and I don't mean to be cold here, nothing. It doesn't matter. Fuck em. If advocating against genocide costs you friendships and gets people calling you antisemitic, fuck em, good riddance. Privately process the loss of those relationships if they really matter to you, but publicly don't give it air because this is not a time to be focused on the feelings of people who cannot bring themselves to oppose ethnic cleansing.

The culture is shifting, support for Palestine is growing and it NEEDS to continue and we have the power to make sure it does.

[ex-foster]

I got blocked by another former foster kid tiktoker after expressing some gender critical beliefs.

It really makes me feel sad because it feels like a lot of people don't see from the perspective of women who aged out of foster care and our heightened vulnerabilities. Women from foster care are extremely overrepresented among sex trafficking victims and sexual abuse victims. And many women who have been sexually abused want access to female-only shelters and safe spaces. Some of us only want to be examined by female medical staff during rape kits. Some of us only want to report to a female police officer due to the sensitive nature of sexual trauma. Sex is a protected characteristic and it seems like trans activism is at odds with women's rights. There are aggressive efforts made by trans activists to undo what feminists have worked hard to establish (like the activists that worked to defund Canada's longest standing rape crisis center).

I really need liberal feminists to step outside of their echo chambers and actually examine what the criticisms of trans ideology are because what you will discover will surprise you. Trans activists paint an unflattering portrait of "terfs" as if we are hateful people who wish harm on people who are gender nonconforming. The accusations are hyperbolic to the point of absurdly - some of us are accused of "genocide" for simply criticizing illogical or misogynistic aspects of gender ideology.

[good-old-gossip]

Daily Reminder - AMPLIFY PALESTINIAN VOICES | SHARE | POST | EDUCATE YOURSELF | BOYCOTT | Israel is committing GENOCIDE and ETHNIC CLEANSING in Gaza and the West Bank | IDF terrorists are EXECUTING BABIES, CHILDREN and CIVILIANS | Israel is bombing HOSPITALS, REFUGEE CAMPS, SCHOOLS, MOSQUES, CHURCHES, RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS | Israel is committing WAR CRIMES |

[brettdoesdiscourse]

The anti sex work movement act as if abuse can't/doesn't happen in so called regular working environments

You can easily get abused working at McDonald's or retail

you can have a whole ass high paying career and still get abused

These people are just icked out by it and believe sex work shouldn't exist even if the environment is safe

You're absolutely correct, anon.

And you want to know something else? In my experience, I've been less protected in traditional working environments than in sex work.

At 18, I had a man stand in front of me and my manager, yelling at me for something I wasn't even on shift for. He asked if I was an idiot, if I was that stupid, etc. And I just had to take that.

When I was camming, I had full control to kick someone from my room if they were behaving in a way I didn't like.

When I was stripping, there's not a chance in hell the owner would ever let a customer yell at one of the dancers or speak to them like that.

When I was doing videos/pictures/etc, I had full control to block and delete those comments. I was even able to report them as abusive.

In sex work, I've never had to just smile and take that kind of abuse.

In my experience as well, I had people treating me way shittier in retail situations than they did in sex work. (Most the time.)

I like to compare sex work to the media industry.

There is so much abuse that happens on movie and TV sets. Physical, sexual, financial, mental, emotional abuse. They all happen and they're all pretty common with movies/TV shows.

Yet, nobody is boycotting movies/TV as a whole because this abuse happens. Hell, a lot of people won't even boycott a movie/TV show where they know abuse specifically took place.

Nobody's screaming on their accounts that you're abusive if you watch movies/TV shows. Nobody's telling "normal" actors that they're automatically being exploited if they're in any movie/TV show. Nobody's discounting independent movies where all the actors are happy and there's no signs of abuse as "still abusive" just because abuse happens in the industry.

At its heart, the anti sex work movement is anti sex.

The only real difference between porn and a regular movie is the intention. Porn is meant to arouse (in most cases), it's meant to be enjoyed sexually. And so many people still have such puritanical, conservative views on sex that this that's meant to arouse is worse because its "only" purpose is to arouse.

If you want to talk about people getting their autonomy taken away, sex work is another huge aspect for that. And not just in the way people think.

Yes, we get our autonomy taken away by predatory studios/clients. But we also get our autonomy taken away by lawmakers. We get our autonomy taken away by anti sex work people when they tell us that actually we "can't consent" to that. We're routinely told what we have to do or cannot do with our bodies, regardless of what we want to do with them.

And in my experience, most of that autonomy (in the current day) is stripped away by people who are anti sex work. The same people who hide behind "I'm pro sex worker" and "I just want to protect these poor people (usually they say or mean just women)"

[somber-sapphic]

Hi! Can I request 1, 35, and ill timed with Yelena and sick reader? Love your writing!

Old Wives' Tales

This is my first Yelena fic! This is also unedited! Mostly because it's 2am!

[[Summary]] Most of the avengers would kill to get out of a press conference. Not you. You would do whatever you could to make sure you got to go. (yelena x reader)

-----

You had been looking forward to the press conference all week. Most of the others absolutely hated dealing with the media. Natasha voiced her hatred outright and had even recruited Clint and Wanda (who were clearly only supporting the assassin because they were dating) to boycott any sort of press event. Fury had shut it down, insisting that it was a part of the job and that people needed to view all of you as a unit. 

Tony loved the attention, Bruce didn’t really care about any of it as long as the big guy didn't come out, Cap was, of course, all about the people, Strange enjoyed showing off his intelligence in any way that he could and Thor always looked bored. Yelena only went because she had little choice. Natasha decided that if she had to go, so did her sister. 

You, Tony, and Cap were the three who truly loved the conferences. It was fun for you, it was some of the only times that you could snap back at the public for the way that they saw some of you, mainly when it came to the three women. For some reason, they were more okay with the men destroying cities than with the rest of you accidentally knocking down some statues in a battle. Calling them out on it and watching faces go red was quite entertaining. 

Imagine your dismay when you woke up three hours before the conference with a blocked nose and full sinuses. Your throat felt like someone had force-fed you gravel and your body was unnaturally heavy. Damnit. You were sick. You hadn’t been sick in years but could recognize the feeling anywhere. It went without saying that you were no longer looking forward to dealing with reporters. 

With a hacking cough, you heaved yourself out of bed, swaying when your feet hit the floor. All of the blood rushed from your head, leaving you dizzy and vulnerable. You fell back onto the bed and clutched your head in your hands, groaning quietly. This was going to be an incredibly long day. Suddenly the idea of sitting under harsh lights and arguing with misogynists sounded like a nightmare. 

You took a final deep, bubbling breath and stood up again before shuffling to the bathroom to get ready. Despite knowing that there would be someone to do your makeup you applied a small amount, simply enough to make yourself look less like a walking zombie and more like a semi-living human. 

It was difficult to do proper makeup with shaky hands and blurry vision, but you pulled it off with minimal screw-ups. You’d thought for a moment that you could handle doing mascara and eyeliner but after accidentally drawing a dark black streak on your cheek. Then you’d had to do the makeup again, leading you to give up on doing anything close to your normal look. 

You threw back a shot of cold medicine and chased it with two Tylenol tablets swallowed with a gulp of water. Your throat burned and you coughed into the sink, wincing at just how much worse that made it. The fever you could deal with, but the sore throat was really getting to you.  

There was this old wives tale that you only vaguely remembered, but you knew that it had something to do with salt water. After a quick Google search, you found yourself in the kitchen mixing a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water. The internet had recommended less salt, but your logic said that more would make you feel better faster. 

You took a sip and nearly gagged as you attempted to gargle with it, the salt burning your throat even further. You only managed to keep it in your mouth for a few seconds before needing to spit it out. Wrinkling your nose you did the same thing with the rest of the glass, managing to keep the disgusting water in your mouth for longer each time. 

When it was gone you rinsed your mouth with clean water and took a big sip, thoroughly annoyed when you found that your throat seemed to hurt even worse than it had before. So that had failed. Of course, it did, why would it have worked? Why couldn’t it just make you feel better?

You checked your phone and sighed, wondering what you were supposed to do for three hours. If you had thought it over better you may have waited to do any sort of makeup and instead set an alarm that would let you sleep for a little bit longer. But no. Now you had to figure out what to do with yourself. 

Then, it came to you. Some people swore by exercise to cure minor illnesses and you needed to train anyway. Screw the makeup. You made your way down to the gym and changed into a tank top and leggings, pulling your hair up in a tight bun before you entered the actual training area. 

You made your way over to the punching bags and began to hit one, growing tired after only a few seconds. That didn't matter, it was good for you. It would be good to sweat out the germs and you’d get in a bonus workout. 

Twenty minutes later you had moved onto the obstacle court and were drenched in sweat, struggling to avoid said obstacles. You had fallen on your ass twice and there was a fresh bruise on your cheek which would of course hurt much worse when that was the only pain that you’d have to focus on. 

“Y/n! What on Earth are you doing?” You stopped and turned around to find Yelena stalking toward you, wearing a nice dress and a scowl. You opened your mouth to respond when the blonde’s expression turned to one of worry and you felt something slam into your back. The breath was knocked out of you and you fell to the ground, curling up to protect your head. 

You stayed in that position until you felt calloused hands on your shoulders, coaxing you out of your protective ball. 

“Idiot.” The young widow grumbled, pulling you to your feet. She held you steady and glared into your eyes, her face softening as you felt yourself wanting to cry. She could tell, of course, she could. There was no bullshitting Yelena Belova, especially when you didn’t have the energy to put on a mask. 

“The germs aren’t leaving.” You complained, your voice a mere whisper. The woman raised an eyebrow and nodded, pressing her hand against your forehead. You whined and pulled away, swatting at invisible bugs as you did. 

“Okay weirdo, you sure are delirious. Come on, let's go.” She ordered, wrapping an arm around your waist. You sniffled and put your head on her shoulder, nearly letting the tears fall when she pulled you closer. 

It wasn’t often that Yelena would show affection where others might see the two of you, it simply wasn't the kind of person she was. But in private she was incredibly loving and attentive, she was an absolute sweetheart who would quite literally kill to keep you safe. Well, she may also kill for fun. The woman had a violent streak. 

“We’ve gotta go, Lena. We have-”

“Shut up.” You shut up. It just wasn’t a fight that you would win, nor a fight that you wanted to start. You’d rather just let her do what she wanted and maybe she’d cuddle with you. She’d definitely cuddle with you, it was a matter of whether or not you’d get a lecture about neglecting your health or not before the cuddles. 

Yelena half-carried you to your shared bedroom, not complaining about how much work you were making her do. It wasn’t intentional, but it seemed that forcing yourself to train had sapped every ounce of energy that you had left and you were struggling to make your body move the way it was supposed to. 

Your clear lack of strength came to a head when your knees gave out under you and you found yourself crumpled on the floor of the hallway containing everyone’s rooms, Yelena unable to keep you standing any longer. 

“Damnit, Y/n, are you alright?” The Russian woman asked, maneuvering out of the tangle of your combined limbs. That was it, that was all that you could take. You had been doing such an okay job at keeping yourself steady, making sure that your illness was on the sidelines, hyping yourself up for the press conference that you had been so excited for but now you were starting to break down. 

Tears slipped down your cheeks and you hung your head, body beginning to shake as you let yourself give up. Yelena cupped your face in her hands, her striking emerald eyes searching every part of your face for anything that could tell her how to help. 

“Hey, hey why are you crying?” She murmured, quickly rearranging the two of you so that you were leaning against her instead of the wall. You knew that your nose was running and that you looked absolutely disgusting, you were amazed that she was willing to be so close to you. She usually shied away from sick people. 

“Talk to me kotenok. Tell me what’s wrong, let me help.” Her kind words just made you want to cry harder. Rather than forcing you to answer Yelena held you tighter, pulling your head down onto her chest. She pressed her lips into your hair and whispered to you in Russian, promising you that everything would be alright. 

“I-I don’t f-f-feel good.” You finally managed, speaking into her shoulder. 

“I know Y/n, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this sick. But that’s why I’m here, I get to help. Even though you’re kind of an idiot.” You let out a waterly laugh and smiled, sniffling thickly in an attempt to get rid of some of the snot. Gross. 

“Gross.” Yelena echoed your thoughts and pulled a tissue from her pocket to wipe your nose with. Where she had gotten a tissue and why she had one you didn’t know, but you were grateful. 

“Thanks, baby.” You mumbled, giving her a weak smile. She snorted and kissed your forehead, rolling her eyes at you. 

“Alright germ bag. Ready to get up again?” The blonde helped you back up and the two of you went back to stumbling down the hall, your tears subsiding slightly.

Maybe you could convince Yelena to let you join the press conference via Zoom. Then at least you’d get to be a part of it. If not though, at least she was there to remind of you of your bad decisions all while making you feel like the most loved human in the whole world.

[xxxjarchiexxx]

My husband asked for my help with talking to someone in one of his IRL communities about the level of involvement that the USA has in the ongoing genocide because they didn't believe that the US was more culpable than other countries, so I made this reference sheet updated as of today (March 2nd 2024) and thought I might as well post it to put some of the information in one place

Point: The USA is the #1 supporter of Israel and the IOF by a lot in the international sphere

Proof:

US military funding of Israel (3.8 billion per year of tax money) (compared to EU’s 1.8 million per year friendly neighbor policy of funding to Israel)

US actively suppresses anti-zionist movement (which also happens in Germany in somewhat comparable amounts)

US has repeatedly veto-ed ICJ rulings regarding Israel’s genocide (1) (2) (3) (Uganda did vote against it but does not have veto power)

US is the #1 weapons supplier/funder of Israel stretching back years since 2004 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

The US has increased support since October 7th (also true of Germany)

The President purposefully spreads Zionist propaganda that has been debunked (1) (2) (3) (4)

American media has become propaganda-- CNN now runs everything by the IOF by law, media blackouts occur around protest movements, streaming services based in America run propaganda ads, Paramount+ and CBS cut off anti-Zionist statements during the Grammys, etc

USA is looking at punishing South Africa on an international level over genocide trial

USA continues to not punish Israel for civilian harm (1) (2)

House of Representatives publicly chastised a Representative for being anti-zionist

Biden ran on a Zionist campaign

US military preparing to support Israel on the ground with some reports of there already being military support (1) (2) (3) (4)

The US has instituted unprecedented amounts of Zionist laws aimed at suppressing boycott work since 2014

The US has done nothing regarding the rise in hate crimes against Arab people since October 7 (source on hate crimes, no source on doing nothing because they haven’t done anything and have ignored it)

The US has been bombing Palestinian allies

Biden was judged as complicit in genocide, and then the case was forcibly waved (1) (2)

The US has had a stock of weapons stored in Israel, and allows Israel to use their stock

The US has blocked the UNSC’s ability to condemn mass civilian violence done by Israel

[halalgirlmeg]

I just feel like if people wanna talk about how boycotting doesn't work they're like...I feel like they don't understand somethings. 1) Money talks, in the world we are in money matters so when people start losing money esp CEOs or whatever that's when they start shaking in they boots, Yemeni people and Indigenous groups got in they boats and started blocking ships and people started taking note cause it was affecting their business

Like have we not seen reports of McDonald's and Starbucks losing money because of people boycotting?

Also, there is the BDS specific lists they have on their website, those for the average consumer, those for larger companies, pressure boycotts (I think the ones where it's a use only as needed i.e. Google and Amazon).

Then I mean to even go beyond that I wonder how many people really have looked into the companies that are funded by Israel. Like Ferrero is on the boycott list, they are in partnership with girl scout cookies like they are a part of the bakery, Honeywell makes Heaters and AC units if you live in the US and you have central AC they could possibly be powering your homes AC/heat, and Proctor and Gamble, Dove, Tampax, Always are on there too they make hygiene products, or for instance when I used to think of Nestle I was like oh the chocolate company but they also make water (or bottle it persay) they also own hot pockets, even freaking wal-mart is on the list and I know some people will not be able to boycott that

And this is just taking about Palestine.

I saw most horrific video yesterday of a woman in Congo talking about what soldiers did to her and her husband like her face is burned into my brain. And it's all for what? Phones and Cars and Tablets and Vapes. You know I bought a phone a year or two ago and that thing kicked the bucket after maybe a year but I turned on my older phone and I'm still using it now, so imagine us just not getting the new iPhone or Samsung (cause some ppl harping on Apple like 99 percent of tech companies are complicit) like children women and men are dying for what? And for why? So imagine if we all said keep it I'm good.

The power and the reach of boycotting is not to be understated imo and ppl writing it off as easy must not be seeing the laundry list of companies that are complicit in genocide in what is modern day slavery like...

I mean it's like I'm not perfect by no means but it's like if you don't want to boycott say that, if you don't always have the means that's understandable but don't lie and say it can't work or doesn't because the facts are that it does. At the very least it can help you be mindful of your consumption and where your money goes

[melodramaschild]

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

A reminder that this account stands with Palestine and no zionist comments will be tolerated. Nor spreading false information or apologizing the genocide that isreal is doing on innocent Palestinian people.

Any and every Zionist blog will be reported and blocked.

Boycotting is worhty as we can see that McDonald’s and Starbucks are losing their money and branches. For boycotting you can use the app No thanks that allows you to scan the barcode of products to see if they’re supporting the genocide.

For more about beauty products boycott you can follow Naz on Instagram.

For news about the genocide you can follow BDS movement on Instagram.

A reminder to follow people in Gaza and listen to their voices.

Anas Matar

Khaled Beydoun

Plestia Alaqad

Motaz Azaiza

Bisan Owda

And many many others.

And a reminder to not be afraid to boycott big companies like Tesco, McDonald, Starbucks, KFC and not to be afraid to speak about it.

Don’t be afraid to confront people around you about it.

[sherlockbbc-rp]

Hahaha. I know. I reported them (the bewitched-bullet & Co gang, which included our bully myeyesblurry/jamesyourplaything/criminalisticonsultant) multiple times and even emailed with Tumblr several times. Their actions of showing my blog posts and chats on their account (to other blocked users), even though I blocked all of them, including the hate and defamation they were and are still spreading, were bordering on harassment but not enough to warrant an official ban. I still question Tumblr’s decision and emailed them back, still no response @staff.

So, what I am doing, talking to people who are talking to / about me (without daring to tag me), is definitely NOT a form of harassment. These people... please. Can we just boycott them all?

[foglol56]

Hey, bit of a different post, but I think this is important. I won’t get into the nitty gritty of it since I don’t actually have all the info myself, but to summarize: a people in China called the Uyghurs are being held against their will and being forced to work in factories to make products for many international brands. It doesn’t just extend to factories either; there are other atrocities being committed in “reeducation” facilities by the Chinese communist party. Some grade A nazi shit. You can get more details below.

Many, many brands are involved in this, and some might not even know it. I have provided some resources below that identify them, and there is also one providing numerous publicity statements from these companies.

I have started to attempt to boycott some brands that are complicit in this, but I now know that this is deeply embedded into the American economy. If you plan on boycotting I would suggest at least trying to with some major brands that have more influence.

I would very much recommend doing more research into this. In America, there is a law that was passed some time ago called the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which is supposed to block forced labor goods from crossing the border. Because of supply chain difficulties, I’m not sure how effective it is.

The reason I say all of this is to spread awareness. I don’t have answers on how to effectively boycott a problem so ingrained in many economies, or what exactly you & I can do as an individual. But if we could spread awareness, the general public could become more powerful, then there could be more pushback against these companies.

Thank you for reading this far. I will admit how frustrating it is to read all these company statements and not get a single answer on if they’re actually still using forded labor. If anyone out there has some advice or information on which companies are still complicit or not, I would appreciate it.

Here are some resources. And please consider donating or signing a petition:

[davidmariottecomics]

Stuff That Sucks, Part 2 (Not Everything is Terrible)

Hello! 

This is going to be a long one covering a lot, so y'know, feel free to take breaks, stretch your legs, get some water. Take care of yourself. Because I took one week off and man, there is toooooooo much to talk about! One of my first blogs on my site, way back when was called "Stuff That Sucks, Part 1" in which I went over a bunch of stuff in the world that was bad. This time, I'm kinda revisiting that idea, but am also trying to put some silly or nice or just life-updatey things inbetween the bad stuff to have some balance, as much for myself as for anyone else! 

Palestine

Since I've last posted about Palestine, a ceasefire agreement has been floated. Early reports were expecting it to be resolved this weekend, but we'll see. It's hard to be optimistic (generally, given the state of the world) after 120 days of violence and an agreement that's still seeking pause more than permanence (and, in that, seems more for the benefit of the aggressor). But maybe something good can come of it. 

I also believe that it is because of the actions of brave people all around the world that we're starting to see more pressure and movement to resolution. Obviously, there are plenty of people and places who got it right in the first place, like South Africa bringing Israel to the International Court of Justice on genocide charges (still in review, but the ICJ did impose their rulings to not continue to kill people or commit war crimes and Israel... has ignored that). But there have also been so many protests, actions like last week's Global General Strike, and continued efforts in hitting them where it hurts (the pockets) with concentrated BDS plans. Even if it's happening slowly, minds are changing. The latest AP poll shows 1 in 2 adults in the US thinks Israel has gone too far, which I'm sure is bolstered by the repeated statistics that over 27,000 people have been killed, over 66,000 wounded, 85% of the population has been displaced, 25% is facing starvation, aid continues to be blocked, and hospitals and journalists continue to be targeted. 

But, even if things seem to be developing, don't slow down on the pressure and the help.You can still contact your representatives: Call. Fax.Email. Contact the White House. Join actions from organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, and the Democratic Socialists of America, or whatever local organization is making efforts near you. If spending money brings you any comfort and you feel a need to put something into good practice, the Cartoonist Cooperative's page still lists a ton of resources for E-Sim cards.

The other thing that feels obvious to say, but I won't not say it anyway, is even if the coming week does bring a ceasefire and some sort of agreement or resolution, the work's still not done. There will be so much rebuilding to do and aid needed in Palestine. There must be measures taken to not allow this to happen again. Even if Palestinians are given full free unfettered access without the threat of violence to Gaza and the West Bank, they're still living under colonization. There're so many other places that are getting wrapped into this in various ways (like the US getting into it with Yemen and Syria). And, of course, there are still so many other places under similar circumstances, like Ukraine and Sudan. The work will change, but it won't cease. 

(SIDE NOTE: You'll notice that one of the organic boycotts noted by BDS is Wix. I know a lot of people, particularly young people who are in school/freshly out of school use that for their portfolio sites. Might be worth looking into other options)

Barbie and Godzilla Okay, I'm going to try to alternate serious things with less serious ones. Because I didn't post last week, I am late entering the Oscar conversation, but my two cents is that Barbie did just fine (though... really, nominating Ryan Gosling for Ken???) with what they got. If there was one significant snub this year, it's that Godzilla Minus One only got a single nomination, when it rightfully should've been a contender in all major categories. Like, it was certainly the best picture I saw last year. 

KOSA and the Invest in Children Act

I've talked about KOSA a few times here. It's the "Kids Online Safety Act" and it's notable for being bullshit. So, tell your reps to vote no. The reason KOSA sucks--as if the CEO of X being in favor of it wasn't enough--is it doesn't actually addresses the problem it claims to, but is a tool of censorship overreach. As has always been the case, preventing access to information doesn't stop people from seeking it, it stops them from getting accurate information and limits who is in the conversation. So, while KOSA seeks to "hold companies responsible for eating disorder and suicide content" or whatever to protect the kids, as co-sponsor of the bill Senator Marsha Blackburn has LITERALLY SAID, (quoted here from the Melissa Mira Grant article linked above) “Protecting minor children from the transgender [sic] in this culture and that influence,” is one of the most important issues conservatives can take a stand on now, Blackburn said, in an interview with the Family Policy Alliance, a group pushing anti-LGBTQ rights laws. “And I would add to that, watching what’s happening on social media. I’ve got the Kids Online Safety Act.” This bill, she claimed, “would put a duty of care and responsibility on the social media platforms, and this is where children are being indoctrinated.… They’re getting onto YouTube to watch a video, and all of a sudden this comes to them.” 

Other advocates against KOSA have pointed out that not only is it seeking to further marginalize queer folks, but it'd also be bad for sex workers (who we'll get back to in a second), and potentially abortion information, as well as actual resources for people who are seeking help with disordered eating or suicidal thoughts. The only "good" that comes from this bill is, well, if you're an evil person in a governmental position looking to suppress information, you can do that if it passes. And if you want points for "protecting the kids", the name says you get them to people who don't know what's actually happening. 

BUT, with all that said, instead of just saying to reject KOSA, we now have legistation we can point to as what we want instead: the Invest in Children Act! Unlike KOSA, or it's shitty predicessor, EARNIT (which I've also previously rallied against), the ICA actually seems interested in fixing the problems that do actually exist in the gaps between internet companies that already widely report issues of child sexual abuse online and a lack of action from NCMEC and the DOJ. But, y'know, the name isn't as snappy and this bill would actually protect children (something that given their response to what's happening in Palestine and the US, most of our representatives don't actually care about) and would do good for the world, so unfortunately my expectations are low. 

(SIDE NOTE: Because this literally just happened while I was writing--I was listening to music on YouTube [not that they're great either because, I guess just everything is terrible now, but nominally better than Spotify???] and the video for Collective Soul's The World I Know was next in my queue and it paused. Y'know why? Because the website's already set up to tell me if a video may have references to suicide or self-harm! A thing that is already in place and doesn't need KOSA to happen!!!) 

Original Comic Art

Be on the lookout for a couple original pieces by J.G. Jones that were stolen from him at OAX. Poor guy had these commissions stolen from his table during the show and I'm sure everyone in the situation (barring the thief) would like to see this beautiful Poison Ivy and Fairchild go to their proper homes. And, semi-relatedly, there have been a lot of creators this week announcing they're parting ways with their current art dealer and if you'd like a commission or to buy their art, you should contact them directly. I don't have a full list, but if you were in the original art market right now, might be worth double-checking where you can make your purchases from. 

The War on Porn and Trans People

As if KOSA wasn't enough, it's been a bad few weeks for y'know, most people. In Oklahoma, a bill was introduced that sought to criminalize porn on an incredibly wide definition, brought forth by the sort of far-right Christian who despite being a preacher, has literally 0 understanding of what the Bible actually says because to him, religion is not about practice or belief in a shared understanding of how the universe was formed and how we got to this point, it's a tool of control.

There's a report that the owner of OnlyFans pleged $11 million to a pro-Israel group in the last few months. He has denied that claim. Regardless, as these things so often do, it has dragged performers on the site into the conversation despite A. OnlyFans not (yet) being a BDS target and B. with everything else going on, there are only so many places to move to left. At time of posting, PornHub is blocked in... 6 states. There are a lot of walls being thrown up to try to limit our access to adult material and further deplatform and marginalize sex workers, which was already a massive problem and it sucks. 

Meanwhile, this week, Florida's trying to revoke trans people's driver's licenses and Ohio's banning trans kids from sports or gender-affirming care in their quest to ban trans people from existence entirely. And these are part and parcel of the pattern of trying to further criminalize, censor, and legislate women's bodies, trans bodies, sex workers, and anyone who isn't a cis straight white man. In the US, the New York Times, and in the UK, the Guardian are both doing the Tim Robinson hot dog "we're all trying to find the guy that did this" thing despite how much anti-trans bullshit they've spread. 

As there are more bills introduced that forbid (or have to shield against consequences for) interstate travel of trans people and people seeking abortions, we're really reaching a breaking point and coupled with the dissatisfaction of both promient Presidential candidates for their records of *checks notes* inaction or hostile action toward the majority of the American people... let's just say I'm not looking forward to how this year shakes out for the most part. 

Wedding Plans One exciting thing, though, is Becca and I soft-announced our wedding plans. We'd still like to try to organize something in San Diego for our friends and family presumably around SDCC time, but tha'ts up in the air because that's expensive and coming up much quicker than I think either of us would like with no plans firmed up. But our plan for the wedding itself has largely shifted to doing it internationally. 

We were always thinking of a honeymoon in Japan and now have kinda figured that if we're going to do that, instead of trying to do a ceremony in the US and then also pay for a trip, it's cheaper and maybe more special for us to roll it into a single plan. Becca's been looking a bit at Sanrio PuroLand, the Hello Kitty amusement park, because they have reasonable packages and you can bring in an outside coordinator (and we'd love to find someone who has experience with queer weddings in Japan, if anyone might have any recommendations). I'm not quite as sold, but that is generally what we're looking at. 

As things maybe solidify around SDCC or otherwise we get our picture all figured out for Japan, I'll share more news. 

Virgilio Mendez Virgilio Mendez is a 19 year old migrant who has been held for a crime he obviously didn't commit. He's been charged with aggrivated homicide for a cop who confronted him for the crime of being brown and not speaking English. Mendez was literally just on the phone, repeatedly communicated that he does not speak English (and recently the court found the case couldn't move forward because, as a product of that, he has no understanding of the American justice system), the cop harassed him, ultimately called back-up, the cops proceeded to batter and tase him, and then the original offending officer had a heart attack and died, as the coroner has reported, of natural and pre-existing causes, and all of that has been pinned on this poor kid's back. It's just depressing and despicable. 

Baldur's Gate

Okay, so... at one point I thought this was going to be shorter (haha, I don't know why I thought that) and I was going to talk about how I've been playing a lot of Baldur's Gate 3 and my thoughts on it. But I've run out of room for this time, and soooo... next week. I'm going to talk about BG3, Persona 5, Honkai Star Rail, and the ways that things that might activate similar sensations can leave you with very different impressions in the long term. But that'll be next week, so see ya then! 

New Releases (2/7/24) Godzilla Valentine's Day Special (Editor - IDW)

Announcements: Happy Black History Month! This week, I want to spotlight Clarence Matthew Baker! He is notable for being one of the first successful Black men in American comics and one of the first successful gay men! That's a lovely little profile of him and his work, including some classic Phantom Lady and It Rhymes With Lust! The man had gorgeous art and influenced comics so much, not in the least because his art was one of the primary examples of the "seduction" of Seduction of the Innocent, the famous anti-comics book that turned comics into a witch hunt for pornographers because the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

Check out my Patreon where you can access this blog as well as a ton of cool other stuff! Some recent highlights include the holiday catalog I made at the end of last year is now available to all backers (though $10+ backers got it almost 45 days early) and I've previewed some materials for something I'm working on and hoping to launch in the next month or two. Patreon will also be where I start posting some of my new original comics work later in the year, so keep an eye out for that too! 

You can also check out my webstore, my Kofi (I still need to throw up my updated Anti-AI Zine), and Becca's site (also pending a new update)! 

What I enjoyed this week: Nancy (Comic), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video Game), Baldur's Gate III (Video Game), Blank Check (Podcast), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), The Traitors Season 2 (TV show), The Sopranos (TV show), Almost Famous (Movie), Heartburn (Movie), the mango pineapple chicken from the local Indian food place, getting new comics and making friends with an employee we don't know at the comic store (If you ever read this, hi, Clay @ Nuclear Comics North Park!), having had a good first couple of weeks at the new job! 

Pic of the Week: Feels like it has been a while since I did this, but here's a cute picture of Tiansheng for what it's worth, but Hourly Comics Day was this week and Becca put together some strips. First one's linked and you can find the rest on their Bsky page! 

[sonicasura]

Everybody ready to call the White House 'Blood House'? These sadistic hypocritical fuckers really want Rafah to become a smoldering crater with this 1 B package deal. Up the protests, continue the boycotts, and block every celebrity on social media that supports this. I recommend anyone living in Washington DC to stock up on red paint. Why?

New form of protest. Depict the White House on what it really is, a genocidal Blood House. Stain everything red in posters, murals and whatever way possible. Also I suggest sending letters to ICC to encourage them to send out arrest warrants.

Joe Biden, Anthony Blinken, Netanhyu, Ben-Gvir, and everyone else currently involved in the Gaza Strip Genocide. If something isn't done now then the situation will continue to get worse. This genocide has been going on for 76 years and needs to stop.

[rosietrace]

〈 アイドル! 〉Vault Track — Solo Sensation

〈 天才的なアイドル様!! 〉

「↺ 概要 ↻」— 「 ↺ Overview/Synopsis! ↻ 」

❐ With the idol scene on the rise, Night Raven Entertainment found it opportunistic to promote their new and improved idol group; (Co)-Connect! Though the group has a lot to go about, the members are still in need of dire improvement before they can truly shine alongside their peers.

Fortunately, NRE found the perfect mentor for the job; The ex member of Poisoner — and long-time solo sensation — Shōri.

[ Apologies for any out of character moments ]

[ Reblogs > Likes ]

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

「 2 Weeks before the release of “Ditto” 」

“Shōri!”

“Shōri, look here!”

“Shōri, is it true that you're replacing Koral Larrane as the opening act for the ‘Nonsense’ tour?”

Behind her sunglasses, Victoria had narrowed her eyes.

Behind her, Noriko was keeping the paparazzi — more specifically the reporters — at bay. That, at least, is something she is thankful for.

“Good news,” her secretary — H.T. (The initials of her full name) — walked beside her. “You're number one on the Spotify billboard charts.”

“And what of them?” Victoria questioned. The them being the idol group she left to pursue a solo career; Poisoner.

H.T. checked her tablet, and then answered, “Fifth in the charts.”

“Excellent,” Victoria declared a bit before her entrance to NRE was blocked by a sea of reporters.

“Shōri,” one of them held a microphone to her lips. “What do you have to say now that your latest single has stayed number one on the charts after three weeks?”

A polite smile graced her features. “I'm incredibly grateful,” she said, her composure — her posture — rivaling that of royalty.

“‘NOIR’ has been a very enjoyable project of mine. In both production and songwriting, dare I say that it's quickly become one of my favorite songs as of late.”

She and the reporter shared a collective chuckle. But before said reporter, or anyone else for that matter, could ask her more questions — Noriko took matters into his own hands and cleared the path to the entrance.

“I could inform security to disperse the press once we enter,” Noriko suggested. Behind their sunglasses (one that matched hers), Victoria could tell that they were worried.

She let out a sigh. “I believe that would be necessary,” she replied, the automatic doors to NRE opening before her.

“I'll go inform security on your behalf,” in less than a minute, Victoria's secretary drifted further into the building. Likely to do what Noriko had suggested for her boss’ sake.

Noriko stepped in front of her, extending a hand. “Shall we?” He said, head nodding to the elevator behind him.

Wanting nothing more than to return to her apartment, she took their hand in less than a heartbeat.

“We shall.”

•↻°─────────°↺•

Well, very quickly, Victoria's mood had soured. Mostly because of Crowley, but that's honestly not that surprising.

She didn't even have time to relax for a bit once she got to her apartment, apparently. Almost immediately, Crowley had placed a phone call and demanded that Victoria go to his office as soon as possible.

Now, Victoria was almost convinced that Crowley was going to call it quits on her career as an idol. Given the number of accusations made about her, the numerous boycotts caused by fans who once loved her for Poisoner, and her not-so-subtle bad blood with a former colleague; She wouldn't have been all that surprised if he fired her.

But nope. That wasn't the case, like, at all.

“So, let me get this straight,” Victoria leaned against her chair, her eyes squinted at Crowley, the pretentious CEO that he was.

“You,” she pointed at Crowley, “Want me to become a mentor?”

“That is what I said, yes,” Crowley nodded in confirmation.

Noriko scrunched their nose, but Victoria was the one to rip their thoughts out of their head.

“Why?” her face twisted in disbelief.

Crowley let out a long breath. “I believe you to be the best candidate, Shard,” he stated, his voice uncharacteristically stern. “All I ask of you is to be the personal mentor to the Ramshackle division’s newest unit.”

“With all due respect, sir, my lady has no obligation to accept such a request,” Noriko's voice was low, easily registerable, and equally as stern. They kept their hands behind their back, to hide their clenched fists.

“Watch your tongue, Dolion,” Crowley warned, his attention turning back to Victoria in less than a millisecond. “And you will accept.”

“What happens if I don't?”

“I don't think you want to hear the answer to that, my dear.”

“I feel obligated to say I do want to hear it, sir,” Victoria remarked, feeling tempted to grind her teeth together.

Crowley raised his chin, his expression cold and unfeeling. “I'll bring an end to your contract if you don't accept.”

Noriko's eyes widened. “That sounds a bit excessive-”

“Silence, Nori,” Victoria commanded, and Noriko obeyed without a second thought. Reading between the lines, she began seeing through Crowley's threat.

It certainly isn't an empty threat, he's more than capable of firing me, her thoughts seemed to be running as fast as a rollercoaster. However….

It became obvious to her; Crowley was bluffing. And once she figured it out, it didn't take long for Noriko to figure it out as well.

No way in hell would he fire me, she may have been a little overconfident in such an assumption, but Victoria felt like she had a right to feel that way. After all, I'm one of his biggest money-making machines…

Clicking her tongue, Victoria uncrossed her legs, adjusting her position in the chair. “I see,” of course she did. She saw through it all, every bluff, every detail.

“But why me, specifically?” as always, Victoria made sure to bring up the important questions.

Crowley huffed, but at least felt polite enough to give her the response she'd willingly force out of him.

“You seem to be the best candidate for this particular group,” oh? “You've been working with the company for longer than most others. And, aside from that, your experience in the industry is something (Co)-Connect can use as an example.”

She was intrigued to say the least. She'll have to look into it a bit more, naturally. Take it into consideration, almost certainly.

Placing her hands on Crowley's desk, Victoria got up from her chair, guided by Noriko out of his office.

Crowley got up as well, ready to stop her.

“Shard-”

“Our discussion has ended, sir.”

Victoria gave Crowley one last look, right as the doors slammed shut in front of them.

“However, be certain that I will take your offer into consideration.”

〈 Bonus 〉

User ‘caecuscaptures’, an anonymous Twitter/X account dedicated to posting photos of Shōri and her bodyguard, Noriko Dolion.

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

〈 Taglist 〉

(Co)-Connect

@starry-night-rose • @jasdiary • @authoruio • @fumikomiyasaki • @sakuramidnight15

Others

@geminiiviolets • @terrovaniadorm / @celiica • @twistedsongstressofstarz / @absolutelyobsessedkiya • @twsted-princess

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────