#especially with Etho's new video

[smoozie]

Thinking abt how Mumbo is based next to Scar and not Grian this season

[newrisingsuns]

celebrating palestinian science

in the face of israels' targetting of scholars, scientists and intellectuals...

saw a tumblr post by @/anarchistfrogposting that got me heavythinking about the relevance of language and culture in chemistry and science, it's unfortunate english has been accepted as its' lingua franca and most other input is lost to the globalization of this change. formulae and structure are essential and in a subject so specific, the average chemist will need to memorize hundreds of chemistry-specific words, and it becomes a barrier past entry when direct translating gets murky. deconstructing the history of science will always lead to political waters as the politicization of science and populist anti-intellectualism ethos rooted itself since the beginning of the study and these implicit biases result in a lack of consensus amongst borders.

before wwi the geographical spread of language in science was much more diverse, a lot of french and german researchers were common in research publishing, but after the allies established new scientific institutions that excluded germans and the isolationist decades that followed suit, foreign-language education was reductionist and excised globally as a result of elitism, being a language considered spoken only 'by the educated'. english-language proficiency is undeniably a prerequisite when an inexaggerated count of 99% of natural science papers are published in english, starting since 2015. this is a /heavily/ debated and discoursed topic and is terribly intimidating to sink your teeth into because of globalization of english and the complexity of modern language but getting over this hurdle will blossom a culturally rich rabbit hole to go down and it is all super interesting. there is so much great palestinian scientific practices, not as in western scientists work imagined in palestinian hands, but palestinian-born theories and practices. i think it's really integral, to always, but especially during times like these to uplift the people of palestine and their beauty just as much as funnel hatred toward their oppressors and murderers.

==

[image ID: a lineup of various glass pots and vases, ranging in color and size, placed in front of a plain background. end]

this is a specific sort of glass called 'hebron glass' which is an extremely renowned palestinian practice and passed down traditionally through multiple families and businesses. dating back as far as the 100~s in BCE, their technique of glassblowing was far ahead of their time and not used commonly anywhere else until much further in BCE. the /exact/ practice of hebron glass is kept a family secret amongst palestinian businesses, but a metal tool called 'kammasha' is used to blow the glass. a palestinian artisan talks about the process in more length here, i would recommend doing extended reading directly from palestine:

the colors are so vibrant and beautiful, i am endlessly impressed by how elegant these pieces have been made since the middle ages. these pieces and techniques have inspired a lot of famous modern day forms of glassblowing and glass artistry, most notably the venetian glass of venice.

i include this under science as much as it is art because it often goes unseen how much temperature and calculation goes into this craft. its highly skilled and intense work to bend over the hot flames and handle the glass in such a vulnerable state that could easily shatter. the material is more than 1800F and the palestinian kammasha is very carefully timed.

==

[image ID: an online video call meeting titled 'School on Synchrotron Light Sources and their Applications' at the top. end]

what you're looking at right now is the SESAME initiative run by the international centre for theoretical physics. a famous alumnus of this school was sufyan tayeh, a palestinian scientist. he was a prominent researcher and mentor and advocate for international understanding through science, introducing: SESAME, an alternative vision for the future of peaceful coexistence and cooperation and offered a meeting point around the globe to speak the common language of science, making communication possible. sufyan tayeh was an inspiration and bridge builder for all of these young students and an entry point for future scientists. he was a winner of multiple awards for his contributions to science and was appointed chair man for UNESCO (united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization) and head of physical, astrophysical and space sciences in palestine. he was regarded as a leading researched in science and applied mathematics globally, and tragically was killed in the current genocide. this is one case of many, many palestinian researchers. the impact of their contributions are insurmountable and irreplaceable.

==

[image ID: a list documenting the 45 palestinian scholars killed by israel since october 7th: Sufian Tayeh, Mohammad Eid Shubair, Omar Ferwana, Taysir Ibrahim, Ibrahim Hamed, Naeim Baroud, Azou Afana, Mohammad Bakhit, Mahmoud Abu Daf, Salem Abu Mukhda, Mohammad Abu Asaad, Osama Al-Muzayni, Refaat Al-Areer, Wael Al-Zard, Ismail Abu Saada, Khaled Al-Ramlawi, Mohammad Al-Najjar, Saeed Al-Dahshan, Raed Qudura, Mohammad Abu Zour, Yousseff Jameh Salameh, Nidaa Afana, Moumen Shweidah, Saeed Al-Zabdeh, Saqid Nasaar, Ahmed Abu Saada, Mohammad Jameel Al-Zaaneen, Ismail Al-Ghamari, Razq Ali Arouq, Walid Al-Amoudi, Abdullah Al-Amoudi, Hassan Al-Radi, Mohammand Abu Amara, Mohammad Al-Louh, Khaled Al-Najjar, Sharif Al-Asli, Mohammad Hassouneh, Yassar Hdeib Ridwan, Jihad Al-Baz, Hazem Al-Jamali, Nasser Al-Yafaoui, and Jihad Al-Masri. end]

==

the fabric gauze was also invented in palestine. if you've ever stepped foot in a labratory, you will know what this is lol. used in surgery and in chemical labs for multiple functions: separating liquids and gases, strain acids from bases, filter substances at extreme temperatures, prevent contamination, and to treat water. it is also used to diffuse heat and help protect glassware, seriously, these guys influence in glassware was HUGE. i think glass would still be sand without palestinian input.

i've set this post just up as a basis summary of the sciences, i would love to give an add-on going more indepth into the scientific process of some examples i gave and also in the history of palestinian scholars listed above.. when i get the time! but i hope this was an apt introduction! may good things come in 2024. feel free to recommend things i should check out or correct. OH OH also there is a lot of palestinian sci-fi.. 'divine intervention' and 'the second war of the dog' are both good, iirc they won the international prize for arabic fiction. just random things i found while looking up things for this post haha but they're good

[ibuttermybagle]

Things in the first episode (Gems - cause I'm a gem enjoyer first and human second) of season 10 that already declared it as one of my favourite seasons:

• Everyone being so close to each other but especially the cherry tree mountain gang

• People fighting over Skizz as their neighbour

• Gem and Etho adventure. GEM AND ETHO ADVENTURE. I love this duo. So much.

• New skin looking absolutely amazing

• 6x the exact same reaction to the noteblock sounds and Scar laughing happily

• "No more sand!!!"

• Ship base being tiny but so detailed

• Gem living her best life jumping through flower fields with a sword in her hand

• "It's the boat from dredge!" - "My favourite movie!" - "Video game..."

• "Pivot!!!" - "Nooo, I'm not pivoting!!!"

Other episodes

[scorpiothesaint]

WRITEBLR INTRO xx

hey, all! i’m n.k. :-)

i'm not new to tumblr (have had a few diff accounts since 2011/2012), but i'm new to interacting with writeblr proper. 

ABOUT ME

late 20s

black & queer & disabled 

lifelong writer/musician/creative (in both professional and hobbyist capacities)

finally finishing my degree in creative writing & english! 

ARTISTIC/THEMATIC INTERESTS 

literary fiction, horror, camp, kitsch, diversity, introspection, family/friend bonds (especially nontraditional ones), romance, art rock, nostalgia, technology, diy ethos 

GOALS

connect with the tumblr writing community at large! for a while i was unable to get excited about my non-work, non-fanfic related writing projects. over the past year or so, my passion’s been renewed, and i just wanna chatter with like-minded folks about my longform WIPs, my short stories, etc – and geek over other people’s work here too <3

WIPS 

Dagmar

there’s always something going down in dagmar, an insular coastal community straddling the delaware bay. pragmatic tech geek zeke omezie-fumudoh, 18, prefers to keep her head in her books and projects – deaths and disappearances were common in her parents’ home country, too, after all. when her best friend dodie dies, however, zeke has no choice but to start trying to connect the dots & face the potential supernatural forces at play. 

[this is finna be dark fantasy/horror, romance, mystery, and queer as hell! i got a lot of worldbuilding to do, but a few months ago the twist popped into my head 1st and i’ve been working backwards. i'm sooo excited abt figuring out the narrative path(s) i gotta take]

Dave & The Family Davenport

20-year-old twin musicians dorian & daria davenport are a little s club 7, a little sly stone, & a whole lotta spitfire. as the very first act signed to holliday records, 30-something producer & label founder dave levine considers it his duty to take the family davenport under his wing. they become his pet project – and eventually something more to him. 

[i’m taking this one in a literary/drama direction! thinking found family and music industry commentary vibes. idea came from revisiting big time rush and thinking ‘what would happen if you mix btr + the carpenters + prince + mtv’s making the band??’ (for the record, dave is 100% NOT meant to be a p. d*ddy analogue re: making the band, i'm mainly thinking of the aesthetics of the young artists of color featured on the show)]

Several fun essays about my personal fandom/shipping history (one is about all the diff sites i've used over 17+ years of reading/writing fanfic, another is an old-school livejournal-style ship manifesto that i plan to make into a video! etc etc)

SHORT FICTION 

blank [literary/drama, 300 wds]

fortune teller [literary/drama, 300 wds]

hothouse [horror, 500 wds]

a certain standard of care [horror-comedy/surreal/gross-out, 1k wds]

good bones (or, an exercise in letting go) [literary/dramedy, 1.3k wds]

[writing tag: scorpio the scribe]

hmu if you think we'd get along <3 i need more ppl to follow!

[ETA: i prefer to follow/be mutuals w/ ppl 18+ only, ty!]

[thesentientmango]

Made for @thereisabearonmyceiling for the @mcytblrholidayexchange!!

I made a fic too! (it's over on AO3)

Fic Tags and Image ID Below the cut

Chapters: 2/2

Fandom: 3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: EthosLab & ZombieCleo (Video Blogging RPF)

Characters: ZombieCleo (Video Blogging RPF), EthosLab (Video Blogging RPF)

Additional Tags: Digital Art, Digital Painting, Mild Gore, Canon Compliant, Sort Of, Missing Scene, Zombie ZombieCleo (Video Blogging RPF), Zombie Apocalypse, Secret Life SMP: Session 7, Background characters - Freeform

Summary:

Based on ZombieCleo's Secret Life episode 7 -> especially the snippet at 40:56

Image desciption: A digitally painted scene from ZombieCleo's secret life series. ZombieCleo in the foreground, she is wearing late 80's colorful work out attire, she has green skin and orange curly hair in a bun. She looks upset and is pulling back a bow and aiming towards Ethoslab, a man wearing dark pants, with a green vest, and white hair. He is towards the background and is running towards ZombieCleo with his arm outstretched. he had a bloody cut on his chest and blood coming out of his eyes. The scene takes place at sunset ZombieCleo is standing on a cliff in front of a stone-brick tower, Ethoslab is near a evergreen tree with distant mountains behind him. There are words in the sunset that reads "Etho, I will kill you too." and in the shadow if the tower it says "I won't" [END ID]

[riacte]

Space Opera AU dashboard simulator 2 (but there's plot if you squint) (probably worse than its predecessor)

🚀 renthepilot

HAPPY BITRHDAY TO ME!! I TURN 7!!! :D :D :D <3 <3 <3 RD

❤️ falsewell

Happy 7th birthday Ren! :)

🚀 renthepilot

Thank u FalsE!!!!!! :DDDDDD >.< RD

🍵 cinnamontea Follow

... Why is my 17yo ET1blr mutual talking to a 7yo on Sunblr. I came here for analysis posts but apparently she's babysitting her cousin or perhaps a strangely intelligent dog??

❤️ falsewell

I mean, I would be worried if a 7yo was piloting the glider I race in 🤨

🍵 cinnamontea Follow

WDYM THAT GUY IS YOUR RACE PARTNER? OMFG I AM SO SORRY

🍀 et1vision Follow

Chat do you remember when we found RK and QoH's Sunblr accounts from when they weren't famous and were just two kids in illegal races. Because it was hysterical. Hands up if you thought falsewell was someone's canon url and not QoH herself.

🪓 handoftheking

That interaction was pretty cute to be honest. Ren's still 7 the last I checked.

🪸 hoes4redking Follow

[deep sigh] littlewood at the scene of the crime as always

#WHYYYYYYY is he chronically online #he needs to be stopped and locked up #i bet he scrolls through the treebark tag every day #he knows Too Much #do you think he brings up sunblr during dinner #and etho and bigb look at him like hes insane

7,207 notes

🔥 yaoihell Follow

save me queen of hearts

🔥 yaoihell Follow

queen of hearts

🔥 yaoihell Follow

queen of hearts save me

🏐 apollos-dodgeball 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀 Follow

Congratulations on the prophecy!

[Beep boop, this is a gimmick blog!]

🔥 yaoihell Follow

what the actual fuck.

🌼 fast-and-bifurious Follow

i think i hauve the plague

47,981 notes

🫐 toxicblueberry Follow

hi babes the demons in my head won so new fic!!

i'm your biggest fan, i'll follow you until you love me, pa-pa paparazzi

pairing: the red king x blue stalker (they/them) (exterra 1 rpf)

summary: why are you as a bounty hunter so intent on hunting ren down? what do you want to do with him? pin him against a wall and kiss him until he's breathless and melting like putty in your hands?

word count: 10.1k

tags: enemies to lovers, angst, hurt no comfort, whump, ust, no actual smut, making out, blood, slight knifeplay, submissive rk, open ending

Keep reading

🏹 queenofheartsfanclub Follow

Listen, I don't do RPF, I can handle Treebark (because I have eyes), but this is crossing a line. Especially after the accusations by RK. I think his evidence is pretty compelling.

🫐 toxicblueberry Follow

dead dove do not eat. i am aware this is a fucked up dynamic but it's fictional. it's not like the real blue stalker has a toxic codependent attraction to the guy they're assigned to kill (btw i mained qoh so i completely understand where you're coming from)

🫐 toxicblueberry Follow

oh.

🏹 queenofheartsfanclub Follow

hey

so do you wanna kiss before the haters get to you?

🫐 toxicblueberry Follow

of course. can we get married

#love can be found on the battlefield in more ways than one #fave post #annoying treebark fans fuck off!!!!!!

1109 notes

🌹 fyeahroseduo Follow

Coming out as a falsedog shipper is harder than coming out as gay

🦇 starshipspachelbel Follow

TEN YEARS????

Time is not real

🌃 nightpatrols Follow

I had vivid flashbacks. I feel faint. This post caused so much drama omfg. I need a treebark equivalent on my desk by 8am sharp next morning

🪓 handoftheking

Coming out as a Treebark shipper is harder than coming out as bi

🌃 nightpatrols Follow

WHAT THE FUFHUBFBFUOUOFFUCK

#HES IN OUR WALLS #HE STARTED THE SHIP #this is gonna sweep the next unhinged moment poll #??!?1!?!???!?!?! #HATE THIS LUMIAN GLOWY ASS #btw for non et1 mutuals: this man is literally bi #yeah hes really gay for his pilot. yeah we all know #theyre always holding hands and shit #edit: DID HE REBLOG THIS AT 7:30AM #IDK HOW PLANETZONES CONVERSATION WORKS #*conversion #listen i failed school 2 years in a row ok 😭

19,626 notes

🎵 daily-music Follow

Music video of the day is: R8cer Boi by Avril Lavigne!

🎵 daily-music Follow

who the fuck is renn dog

🎵 daily-music Follow

who has little wood

🎵 daily-music Follow

why are y'alls twink racers larping as royals from medieval era planet earth

🎵 daily-music Follow

sorry for calling the queen of hearts a twink. im sorry women

#im so done with yalls bullshit #who are these people #why do they show up in my tags

898 notes

[anonymous-dentist]

A QSMP Fan’s Guide To Hermitcraft

Hermitcraft Season 10 is just around the corner, starting on February 3, so it’s the perfect time to get into it! It can be a little overwhelming, especially coming into it from a server like the QSMP, so I’m gonna make this little guide to help new people out!

About Hermitcraft:

Hermitcraft is a multiplayer survival server. Technically, it’s vanilla, and it feels vanilla, but they use to many cosmetic mods that it’s like. Not quite vanilla.

It’s not a rp-based server, so keep that in mind. About once or twice a season there’s some big server-wide conflict that ends up being rp in the end, but if you want rp, you’re gonna have to find certain hermits to watch.

Every season is a fresh restart, so you don’t have to catch up on nine seasons of backstory to start season 10!

And you definitely don’t need to watch every hermit. Most people stick to two or three, myself included, with one main pov they’re mildly obsessed with.

Hermitcraft is usually uploaded onto YouTube via 20-ish minute episodes, but the upload lengths and times depends on the hermit. Some hermits stream regularly on the server, but that isn’t a requirement or anything.

Hermits You Can Watch Based On Your QSMP Likes:

For rp and story stuff: Grian and Ren! Somehow, they’re at the heart of everything lore-y on the server. Ren especially is good for really interesting stories that cross into his regular content, and for silly voices

For Create Mod-esque Redstone: Doc, Etho, Mumbo, Impulse, probably others I’m forgetting. Doc’s redstone is INSANE and he’s a literal mad scientist, Etho and Impulse created a lot of the redstone machines and techniques that people still use today. Mumbo is Mumbo, you’ve probably seen his silly redstone videos somewhere before

For super cool and impressive builds: Pearl and Bdubs and Scar. Pearl is legit maybe THE best builder in mcyt, Bdubs builds with weird blocks no one would ever use, and Scar is just. Scar. You are not immune to the goodtimes.

For Vibes: Joe Hills and Zedaph. God only knows what these people do in their videos. All vibes, most of which are confusing, but that’s what’s wonderful about them.

And these are only a handful of hermits! There’s many many more, and possibly up to three new ones, so it’s best to just look around every hermit’s channel and see which one fits your vibes the best!

[fountainpenguin]

"I'm not the kind of girl to get messed up with you- Hello! ... You're all right, but I'm here, darling, to enjoy the party..." (x)

---

New Dog's Life chapter today! ~ 3rd Life series fan-season

Chapter 31 - “Flame (Etho, Skizz, Pearl)”

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

---

Scar files a microaggression complaint with the HALO team. Pearl helps Scott settle in while he recovers from glitchy code. They have a spat that's not about a sticker.

Meanwhile, SnifferMyFeet and Etho separate their souls… and start an honest talk about Sniff's identity as Sniff, not Joel. It was needed. It's for the best.

(First 900 words under the cut)

---

Etho - Fox

Status: Resting

Self-taught programmer, full-time hero

💙  💙  💙

He gets it now.

It's like ice in your water. It's like marshmallows in your cocoa. It's like wind beneath your wings. The final week before he's due back in Between (reluctantly, but definitely due), Etho flops on his bed and sprawls his arms to either side. Is he giddy? He doesn't mean to be, but this feels…

… Oh, it's a game-changer. Which is exactly what he texts Cleo after scooping up his admin panel. They won't see it if they've left their private server, and since Session 2 of Dog's Life could be starting any day now, there's no telling how long that may take.

Etho: hey so Etho: remember after limlife 4 or 5 when we talked about burnout?

Grocery shopping. For a family dinner- he and Cleo both made one (like a peace offering) in a way that wasn't really flirty married life roleplay, but more like… regular, everyday person roleplay. Did all their shopping together so they wouldn't cook the same thing. Call it 'date night' if you want; he walked her home and there might've been a little 'dramatic logout' roleplay in there. We don't… We don't need to go into detail about it.

To some people that's romantic and to some it's completely gross. Not really sure why… It's a natural process, isn't it? Soul-eaters can't help being what they are, and you may as well snap at endermen hybrids for struggling with eye contact or shame unthreaded players if they expose their glitches instead of keeping them covered up. This world's too big and life too long for arguing. Do you really want to make enemies and be rude to people who are going to carry the echo of your words for the rest of their lives?

Lend a helping hand. Extend a little kindness. Be polite. Respond to the hurt. Try not to avoid responsibility when others are counting on your strength. Sit with the injured, even when the night is cold. They're simple goals, but so easily forgotten these days.

Etho: I think you said if I felt stuck then I should break my routine for a while

Nothing happens for several minutes. Etho rotates words without meaning through his head, then types out something else.

Etho: you were right. I get now why you go on adventures with Martyn. Why you let him and no one else log you out all the time. Thanks for the advice. Let me know next time you need a favor. Rating this cycle 10 of 10 and I owe you big xD

He takes a long, guilt-free nap in his cushioned bed. Catching up on block updates and videos really drains a guy (especially this close to the end of the Hermitcraft season, not to mention Vault Hunters and a Life series on top of it), but he spent all morning prepping the bed and it's already providing every agonizing tick of its worth. Two hours later, he's stirred awake by a buzz on the admin panel.

ZombieCleo: yay! So glad that worked for you <3 I want to hear all about it. Maybe in a couple weekends you can watch MCC with me and the kids + Martyn? If we catch a minute alone, I can recommend more stuff you might be into ;)

The kids refers to Bdubs and Scar, who skated through Limited Life like energetic teenagers spreading their wings. It's goofy, it's endearing, and Cleo's got her roleplay voice on because she knows it makes him snort. His tail gives a twitch as he tries to keep a smirk from creeping out behind his mask.

Martyn, huh? he muses, but doesn't say that. Cleo circles between lovers, friends, and exes like a pollinating bee.

Etho: whoaaaa Etho: inviting a fox? that's dangerous! ZombieCleo: nose out of your tail, fur boy Etho: dibs on Martyn, I see ZombieCleo: If you're serious about returning the favor, Martyn says Rhetoric's down here and this might be our best chance at smash and grabbing from your mum's museum Etho: Hm… ZombieCleo: I mean, you did leave my eggshell when you rescued Grian and that other soul

Yeah- it looked distressed. Now Sniff's down here. He can actually talk now when he couldn't before. Honestly, not the worst decision he could've made.

If anyone's going to try getting into the Fox Dragon's museum, a fox has the best chance of doing so. It's kept separate from the nesting cave where souls respawn, but even the deadliest traps won't keep foxes out since they'll just respawn. Unless they're traps that can't be dodged even with careful planning, or some sort of system that short-circuits code. The phantom roost is nearby, right? Frankly, phantoms are excellent trackers, they can fly, and they're probably the fastest of all non-swimming hybrids, so a phantom alone provides great security as-is.

Etho: I'll think about it. Not tonight, though. Full moon fox face isn't for me. Also if there are raiders there then that's probably the worst time to show up ZombieCleo: Fair ZombieCleo: I can think of something else, but if you ever get the chance, I want it back Etho: duly noted ✌️ ZombieCleo: btw say hi to Scar and Bdubs when you see them. They've been cracking nonstop jokes since you disappeared. One can only imagine they're attempting humor to bury immense throes of pain Etho: D:

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top]

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Pretty in pink: Kazuki K & subversion (an homage)

Note: For Kazukiweek 2023: Acceptance

Pink is fresh. It is a happy color. It is positive. It is a sign of good health. That says a lot about Kazuki Kurusu. He has a bubbly personality, his optimism is brimming, especially after the seventh episode. It sure helps that Rei and Miri have become his ethos, have accepted to welcome the changes after five years of losing Yuzu. Usually, he wears his emotions on his sleeve. (But I think that’s only a front.) I love him. Right to the 11th episode, he has totally embraced the new life he’s been leading with Rei and Miri. The fact that he wanted it all along but was apprehensive because of his traumatic experiences made him cautious of the way he dealt with Rei and Miri. Rei’s determination on the second balcony scene was the catalyst because he knew how much K wanted it.

That fond looks K gives toward his family.

In the West, we are past that era where men cannot subvert pink’s gendered stereotype. You see men wear pink dress shirts, pink suits and other piece of clothing and they look spectacularly good. It is still a test of bravery for some though. Small boys still despise this color perceiving it as a girly stuff. New mothers try to veer their daughters away from this color by consciously not purchasing and introducing pink-coloured merchandise to their daughters’ color palette only to be disappointed because of peer pressure in the kindergartens. You know Elsa and Anna and the beautiful ladies of Disney and their association with pink? Too common, too banal.

However, “in contemporary Japanese culture, says (Barbara) Nemitz, pink is perceived as a masculine and mournful color that represents ‘young warriors who fall in battle while in the full bloom of life.’” Slain young samurai. All right. (Thanks to PA Works, it didn’t come to that though.)

It is also the color of sakura, cherry blossoms, which are the Japanese’s favourite flower. They do picnics just enjoying and gazing at the beauty of cherry blossoms (and later, peach blossoms). The Hanami. Some Japanese migrants adapted this ritual/event to their host countries and it is a sight to behold.

Different shades/nuances of pink worn by K and the moms

Pink has long been associated with homosexuality. The pink triangle. The lgbtq movement reclaimed the former badge of shame used by the Nazis incorporating it into the pride flag later. Though almost 70 per cent of the Japanese society supports it, it still is a huge problem to come out.

While there are no legal implications, coming out remains taboo for many in Japan for fear of being ostracized. A survey of young LGBTQ people published last year found high levels of mental anguish, including suicidal thoughts. More than 90% said they couldn’t talk about their sexuality with their guardians. Very few people in national politics or the corporate world are openly gay, although homosexual themes and LGBTQ celebrities are a staple of television and other forms of entertainment.

“Buddy Daddies” is not marketed as BL, but the show makers can write whatever about their characters. Sometimes implying them without direct confirmation. It depends how the viewers interpret it.

But K also symbolizes subversion. K’s characterization nonetheless goes against of what is perceived to be the norm in the Japanese society. He is both a nurturer and a protector, though Rei certainly will take over this “protector/saviour” task without any question. From the looks of it, he’d do anything for K and Miri.

Rei always in front to gauge the danger

An odd man out, K does the household chores while he can carry an adult man without any problem. We have seen him does it more than twice already. He’s loud and conspicuous. In Japan, you must never stand out. (<< - Shogo’s videos are highly recommended to watch btw!) He (and Rei) (go) goes against the rules. They blur the gender stereotyping in all aspects of life.

The crew presented the scenarios as if they were a matter of fact, normal, without making fun or light of it. No further commentary. One can say that it is subversive in a sense they want the audience to become aware of their thoughts on adoption, new family dynamics, the bureaucratic hurdles of enrolling your children and better access to daycare centres/schools to the ever-present mothers who have to give up their jobs and dedicate their lives to their kids, etc.

(It was unfortunate that they didn’t follow it up with Misaki Unasaka.)

Why do I get this feeling that one way or another “Buddy Daddies” had been the show makers’ thinly veiled social commentary on their society?

Anyway, I will miss his winking. Either way, I can still rewatch it.

Many happy returns, K!

[ericleo108]

CosmicLuve.com December 2023 - Deer

Necessary prerequisite posts:

108 The Story of Discovering Earth’s Consciousness (book)

Sentientism 2022

Cosmic Love Feb 2020 - Emma Watson

Cosmic Love April 2022: Cary Charlotte or Mary

Cosmic Luve July 2023 - The Main Thing

Cosmic Luve Aug 2023 - Orange

Cosmic Luve Sept 2023 - Bam

Cosmic Luve November 2023 - Cosmic Bros

This post’s intro builds off the semantics from the cosmic luve entries “Bam” and “Cosmic Bros” but the semantics for this month are all new, and all surround Emma Watson (again). I keep up this blog to show how semantic coincidences I see as meaningful could be a communication from Gaia, which is another name for the Earth’s conscious and godly spirit. 

The basic theory is that Gaia can communicate through telepathic randonauting and “points of realization.” In other words, it’s thought that the Earth is conscious due to it’s magnetism that gives her the ability to read your thoughts and highlight cognition which affects your behavior. It’s postulated that Gaia would manifest her communications through signals of loving intent especially between romantic partners. She would basically have to use humans and animals as a canvas to paint her communication over the collective ethos which would manifest by groups of individuals acting out their (gaia) affected cognition. 

The basis of this is described in my book “108 The Story of Discovering Earth’s Consciousness” which breaks down the science and evidence behind my reasoning and why I came to this conclusion. In the sentientism posts on the blog I take the science and knowledge of this a step further into the belief that Gaia is already conscious and communicating and ask: “What would that look like?” Then, this cosmic luve log is my attempt at showing you all that from my experience and how the voice in my head predicts the future and manipulates my environment in the ways aforementioned. 

Where we Left off

I guess I should have waited longer to publish the last post because a couple new semantics popped up that day that directly related to the main theme of the last post. I’ve seen the video of Pattie Gonia holding up the signs of exposing Big Oil Tycoons as criminals before… but I forgot to log it. I made a tweet about it and about how I came across it on the day I published the November 2023 post and (eventually) apologized to Gaia for missing her communication. The next day, Philip DeFranco did another segment on the protests of Just Stop Oil. 

New Coincidences

It all started December 9th, 2023 when I went to Three Rivers to see a friend and shoot three one-take music videos on the train tracks. They are posted and include “Yeah We Bang” “I Got You” and “Paliperidone” which is embedded above. In the December 10th Sunday update I talked about Emma Watson as a dear. Quick explanation, there was a deer that stopped in the middle of the train tracks while I was filming the second video which was “Paliperidone.” This is cosmic luve because right as I’m filming the deer I say “Gaia’s force,” then a little later I say “here’s the tale” as the deer runs away showing it’s tail, and (at the time) Emma’s Instagram profile picture was the mother deer from Bambi.

In the December 10th Sunday update I also talk about how “in twilight while taking a nap during the day the other day and Gaia said to make a (mystical) tree an anchor that she could build upon so I tweeted it to make it official.” Here is the tweet about the tree. I mentioned how “I made a tweet back on October 1st about how I would get $500 from my music “in the next 100 days”. Well I got the $500 but it didn’t come from music. It was access money I had basically.” Here is the tweet I made on October 1st. I also logged in the update that Gaia said I would meet Hailee Steinfeld in two years. 

On December 11th I uploaded the Paliperidone One Take music video to Youtube. On the night of December 12th, Jimmy Fallon revealed the 9th box ‘til Christmas day’ sweater and it was a deer. Also on the night of December 12th Taraji P Henson was on Steven Colbert promoting the movie she was in which was  “The Color Purple.” In the interview Taraji talk about how they shot the movie around a big oak tree (recalling what Gaia told me in twilight).  The movie clip in the show is about recognizing god’s love.

On October 13 “Cosmic live brownies” dropped. I made a couple posts asking my ig audience why Emma Watson's profile picture is the deer from Bambi. On December 14 Emma changed her profile picture to a British vogue shot and lil dicky dropped mr McAdams the same day. Do you think this is Gaia making fun of me using Emma as a vessel? I think she is. On that day I also thought about the song “Do-Re-Me” from Sound of Music which I think relates especially with Emma being tied to the sun poem. That night Oprah made an appearance on Stephen Colbert wearing all purple. 

On December 15th Gaia compelled me to make the tweet saying “Gaia says “you’ll hand a girlfriend in three weeks.”” I still don’t know what that’s about, we’ll see… On December 18th the Urban Rescue Ranch talks about “charlottes web” at 6:50 and how the spider is protecting Patrick, who I think is a type of African or Australian deer, from flies. I just want to say, this is how Emma’s cat semantics developed that I talk about in the book, the difference is the semantics were a lot more frequent and consistent because I had a cat. The problem was I hadn’t developed my theory of Gaia’s system (ie, knhoeing, sentientism, and cosmic luve) yet. 

This will be a pivotal post because it’s all about Emma Watsan, and draw together semantics from the previous trope. Listen to “Hey Emma” and “Be my dream” for music about Emma Watson. “Charlotte’s Web,” the last remake from ‘The Chalice Mixtape’ drops on Emma’s birthday April 15 2024. 

I am now using threads to document cosmic Luve coincidences so future logs will link to threads to document the prophecies instead of ‘X.'

[scrambledlikeeggs]

okay so I always wanted to see xisuma in mcc, just for the funnies and the dynamic that would come out of it and after seeing that blood of the clock tower game It is no longer a want but a *need*

Cub, Ren and false the whole twitch rivals crew participated at some point, etho, jevin pearl gem and grian have played (also after watching twitch rivals vods plus hearing Ren describe them in the video make me nostalgic (?) for more)

He was so clearly out of his depth in a social deduction game it was iconic, now tone that down a bit because i think that level of anxiousness to watch live and for a 2 1/2 to 3 hour period would make anyone feel sick and i think it would be a new but interesting experience especially if teamed with some other hermits and someone like illumina or fruit

(i also need Joe hills in mcc as the wider mcyt community needs to know the Joe hills difference)

Honestly I've been wanting this for a while just more hermits in general plus others honorable mentions that don't get their own ramble include: docm77 and woolfie

even if it was a one time thing, even if the event itself wasn't the best as long as the creators had fun I'd take it as a win!

[wittyspitty]

Etho is playing on the new Hermitcraft Vault Hunters server!!!! I don't know if he will be uploading videos, especially since hes really busy rn but he probably will eventually. I started playing vault hunters a while back and it was really interesting, I'd recommend at least checking it out. (screenshot taken from Xisuma's new video on the series)

[secular-jew]

The massacre of October 7 brought us back to the fundamental questions dealing with who controls this piece of land. Veteran historian Prof. Yoav Gelber lists a series of profound differences between Zionism and European colonialism, and explains why the "two-state solution" is an illusion, stressing that Israeli society needs to return to the "we" ethos.

Prof. Yoav Gelber

By  Matan Hasidim, Makor Rishon; Published on  02-21-2024 18:20

Shortly after the outbreak of the war, Al-Jazeera released a short video that spread like wildfire online about the "colonial roots of the Zionist movement." In fluent English, viewers were explained what 19th and 20th century European Jews were like, the British imperialism, and the present-day Israeli "apartheid state."

The video included interview segments with Israelis who participated in the War of Independence, reinforcing the narrative that the country's Arab residents were murdered or expelled from their homeland by a trained, equipped, and cruel Jewish-European army. The message was clear: Zionism's success was made possible by the firepower of European colonialism, and the state of Israel was born in an original sin. 

"This is not a new argument," historian Prof. Yoav Gelber says. "It already came up at the First Palestinian Congress, which convened in Jerusalem in January 1919. It should be prefaced that Islam in general does not see Jews as a people. Judaism is a religion only, and religious people do not need a nation-state and territory of their own, certainly not at the expense of others, especially not at the expense of Arab Muslims. All this was not yet on the agenda in 1919, but the participant asked 'If the Jews arriving in the country is not a 'people,' what are they? The answer given was that they were colonialists. To this day, this is the overarching narrative in the Arab world, certainly among the Palestinians."

Gelber, 80, is an emeritus professor and historian of pre-state Israel and the Israeli-Arab conflict. He has dealt extensively with the relationship between colonialism and Zionism. Two of his books – "History, Memory and Propaganda: The Historical Discipline in the World and in Eretz Yisrael" (Am Oved, 2007), in which he also argues with some of the "new historians" and post-Zionists; And "Independence and Nakba" (Dvir, 2004), on the War of Independence from Israeli and Arab perspectives – extensively address this issue as well.

"Until the mid-twentieth century and the era of decolonization," he explains, "this argument did not carry much sway because 'colonialism' was not yet a dirty word. Apart from the resistance movements that began to emerge in India and – to a limited extent – in the Arab world (in Egypt and Iraq), half of the world was still under colonial rule. After the post-colonial era began – a trend that began after World War II – colonialism increasingly became synonymous with everything bad in the West, and Palestinian arguments began to get a receptive audience."

Q: Is there a resemblance between Zionism and colonial movements around the world?

"The common definition among today's opponents of Zionism is that this is a movement belonging to 'settlement colonialism,' as opposed to colonialism for economic purposes, where colonies were established to serve empires' economic needs. Zionism is indeed a movement of immigration and settlement, like other colonial movements in history, but that's where the resemblance between Zionism and colonialism begins and ends, Gelber says.

"The Zionist immigrants did not come here armed to their teeth like the American pilgrims or the conquistadors that came to South America. Unlike other colonial movements that suppressed the native population while seizing their land, until the establishment of the state, the Jews bought land with hard cash from the Arabs and settled on it. No other colonial movement has operated in this way."

Gelber says this point could also embarrass Palestinians today. "They argue that the lands were sold by landowners living outside Eretz Yisrael, in Beirut or Damascus. This argument is only partially true. No family from the Palestinian elite, including the Husseini family, is missing from the list of land sellers to Jews before the establishment of the state," Gelber says.

"Here lies one of the great early Palestinian failures in this conflict. Initially, no Arab tried to prevent the sale of land to Jews. Only later, as the national character of the conflict became more dominant, did things change – Arab efforts were made to prevent the sale of land to Jews through the use of violence and boycotts against sellers, and even a fund was set up to purchase land from people in financial straits who to sell land [so that they won't sell to Jews]."

Between Algeria and Degania

"Another significant difference between colonialism and Zionism," Gelber continues, "lies in the very Zionist choice to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael [Land of Israel]. Immigration usually occurred from crowded or poor countries towards areas like the early United States, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, and Australia – which were rich in resources but lacking in manpower or knowledge to exploit these resources. The immigration of the Jews was to a country with scarce resources that ejected people because it was unable to sustain them. Even as Jews carried out the waves of immigration known as the First and Second Aliyah there was a parallel trend of people leaving the land towards the classic immigration countries like the United States, Australia, or South America. This emigration included not only Jews but also Arabs, mainly Christians but also Muslims."

Another difference they point out is that the Zionist settlement was not intended to serve any "mother country" like in the colonies of European colonialism.

"Look, there was a fundamental difference between the Europeans who went to a Muslim country like Algeria and the Zionist settlers who arrived in Degania. Any European who arrived in Algeria under French auspices, or an Englishman who migrated to India, did not claim to be renewing an ancient national tradition that had been tied to the country he migrated to. Colonial movements in general were looking for a future, sometimes an economic future, or acted on behalf of Christian missionary-ideological goals. In contrast, the Jews were looking for their past. Every Jew everywhere in the world, throughout the exile, saw themselves in exile and remained faithful and prayed to Eretz Yisrael. This is the basis for the right of Jews to return to the country, and in that sense, we are not that foreign to the region."

The theory of stages

I present Gelber with a common argument on the Israeli Left that even if one is convinced that Zionism itself is not colonialist, the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria is indeed an expression of Israeli colonialism. "One of the hallmarks of postmodernist thinking is that everyone invents a thesis and defines definitions as they wish, and then builds an entire theory on that thesis," Gelber replies. "This argument is not related to how things actually happened in reality. In Palestinian eyes, the Jewish 'colonialism' in the country begbeganth 1917, if not earlier –  in 1881. As mentioned, post-colonial theories began to gain popularity in the West in the sixties. It's not that important whether it's before '67 or after '67, because the colonialist claim of the Palestinians towards us does not refer to the 'occupation' of the Six-Day War.

"This is indeed one of the most common mistakes in the narrative of the Israeli Left, that 'all the troubles began with the occupation.' Palestinian claims existed long before the 'occupation.' Settlements in Judea and Samaria are a continuation of the Jewish presence in the land. There was a war in '67, and it had consequences. Whether or not one should settle there is an internal Israeli debate. Why should a Jew have the right to live in Tel Aviv but not in Kiryat Arba? From the standpoint of historical rights, it is the same right. The debate is only about whether it should be realized."

Q: The two-state solution is now back in vogue in international discourse, including in light of statements by the Biden administration. In your view, does it have a chance?

"I've been writing for about thirty years, maybe more, that the Palestinians' goal has never been just to get a state. 'State' is perhaps an interim goal for them, certainly not a final one. When Mahmoud Abbas talks about a state, for him it's stage one. The ultimate goal is to return Eretz Yisrael to its Arab character, in which there may be a Jewish 'millet' (the term given in the Ottoman Empire to a non-Muslim community protected by law) as in Ottoman times.

"We are fooling ourselves if we think that what is called the 'two-state solution,' meaning the Arabs agreeing to accept 15% of what they see as 100 percent theirs, will end the conflict. Anyone who thinks so is simply living in La La Land. No chance in hell, it's not part of the mindset of the Arabs". 

Q: We recently made peace with Arab states like the United Arab Emirates. Can this not happen with the Palestinians?

"The Arab consciousness of patience plays a very central role. In their eyes, the Palestinians have gone through the Turks, the English, and the Jordanians, and they will also go through us. 'Now' is an Israeli concept, and as for the concept of 'peace' the question is what do you mean? There is the  'peace' that is an agreement between countries that recognize each other, and accept each other's sovereignty and borders. This can exist between us and the Arabs. It is a fact that it exists with Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, and perhaps in the future with Saudi Arabia. And there is the peace of the end of days, of 'the wolf shall dwell with the lamb' – a peace that will probably never happen with the Arabs, because we are a foreign transplant for them. And with the Palestinians, peace of the first kind cannot happen either.

From the Chinese farm to the University of Haifa 

History is a family affair for the Gelbers. Nathan Michael Gelber, Yoav's grandfather, was a historian of Polish Jewry and early Zionism. "In my childhood, I spent quite a lot of time in grGrandpa'sibrary, a huge library that is now at Ben Gurion University in the Negev. His father, my great-grandfather Nachman, was also an amateur historian." Yoav Gelber's father, Emmanuel Gelber was a colonel in the IDF and commander of the IDF Ordnance Corps (today's Logistics Corps) in the 1950s. Later he joined the Foreign Ministry and served as ambassador to several countries. According to his son's testimony, "he too loved history, and as a native Austrian he helped me with the book I wrote about the 'yekim'[German-speaking Jews who arrived in the Fifth Aliyah]. So you can definitely say we are a line of historians," Prof. Gelber says. 

He remembers his first encounter with the field that would become his main occupation. "In second or third grade I read historian H.A.L's 'A History of Europe'. I was missing only the third volume out of the six, so I had to complete the 16th century later," he laughs.

In his youth, Gelber considered a military career. He began his service in the Paratroopers Brigade reconnaissance unit, and from there went to officer training. After several military roles, he went to study for his bachelor's degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and returned to the army as commander of the military academy for education when the Yom Kippur War broke out.

"On October 6, 1973, the day the war broke out, I went to the headquarters of the Chief Education Officer at the General Staff and told them 'hello, see you after the war'. I went to Tel Nof, there were 30-40 officers, and they created a unit from us. One of the company commanders was killed in the battle of the Chinese Farm."

As part of the offensive to cross the Suez Canal, the battle of the Chinese farm was known as one of the harsh and bloody battles of that war; 163 soldiers lost their lives there. "One of the things that contributed to the fact that I did not get traumatized from the battle at the Chinese farm or the war in general was the fact that I was in charge of people. The responsibility helped me get through it," says Gelber. Shortly after the end of the war, Gelber was appointed as a staffer of the Agranat Commission, which investigated the failures that led to the blunder. "I got a reputation there as someone who could get a handle on a large amount of documents, and my role was to organize and make accessible the large amount of material that had accumulated. Later I was assigned additional tasks, and at the end of the work I had the privilege of drafting the final report," he says.

According to Gelber, "the lapses of October 7 are much greater than the failure of '73. It's a whole different order of magnitude. On Yom Kippur 1973, the IDF failed to defend Israel's borders, and then corrected the failure, at least partially. On October 7, 2023, it failed to defend Israeli civilians, which is its primary purpose. Borders can be regained, those who were murdered that day cannot be brought back.

After his release from the IDF, Gelber wrote his doctoral dissertation on the history of volunteering from the Yishuv (Jewish community in pre-state Israel) to the British armed forces in World War II. Later he expanded his work into four monumental volumes. Over the years Gelber has published a long series of books and studies covering various angles and areas in the history of Zionism and the State of Israel. He taught for many years at Haifa University and is currently a professor at Reichman University in Herzliya. Gelber and his late wife Ruth, who passed away in 2021, have four children. One of them, Anat, was a world champion in debate. "I'm not so good at it. Someday they will say I was her father," he smiles.

Gelber has also become famous for his intense sparring with the "New Historians" – a group of scholars, historians, and sociologists who have revisited the history of the Yishuv in general and the study of the War of Independence in particular from a post-Zionist perspective that is critical perspective towards the accepted Israeli narrative. During the 1990s and the 2000s th, eir arguments received much resonance in Israel and especially abroad. Among the prominent figures in this school of thought are Benny Morris, Avi Shlaim, and Ilan Pappe, and sociologist Tom Segev. Gelber has frequently lashed out, sometimes vociferously, against them. He also directed criticism against publications of other figures from the Left in academia.

In his aforementioned book "History, Memory and Propaganda", Gelber defines part of that they wrote as "the process of the displacement of history in the face of propaganda." In his view, this expresses an anti-Zionist ideology that continues the intra-Jewish opposition that accompanied Zionism from its inception, from three focal points:  the ultra-Orthodox, the socialists, and the liberal-assimilationist. What's new in the post-Zionist approach was that they turned what was essentially a Diaspora phenomenon into a blue-and-white, indigenously made phenomenon.

"My arguments are not with the 'New Historians' because there isn't such a school of thought to officially speak of," says Gelber. "As has already been shown, each one stands alone. I also differentiate between Benny Morris and the others. Benny is a serious scholar who has gone to archives, compared different versions, and sought to get closer to the truth. The historical truth did not really interest the rest, or they just simply trampled it."

Over the years, Morris has changed his views on the conflict and has himself become a prominent critic of Avi Shlaim and especially Ilan Pappe. I show Gelber an article in which Morris calls Gelber "a die-hard right-winger." Gelber is surprised. "I have never been a 'right-wing man'," he says. "I try to examine every issue on its own merits. There are issues where I am more left-wing than Meretz, and others where I am more right-wing than Likud. I'm not politically committed to anyone, and my worldview is Zionist."

Zero Sum Game

Over the years, a major personal dispute has erupted between Ilan Pappe and Gelber and other scholars at the University of Haifa. Pappe, who was at that time from the University of Haifa, argued that they were seeking to remove him from his position due to his critical political views. The university argued, as did Gelber, who was Pappe's colleague in the Department of History, that these were professional considerations. Pappe, who identified himself as a supporter of the Hadash party, emigrated to Britain and openly supported the boycott of Israeli academia from there, claiming that it had expelled him from its ranks due to his views while violating freedom of expression.

Gelber sees Pappe more as a propagandist than a researcher and accuses him of using his status as a historian to spread pro-Palestinian propaganda while distorting facts, and contexts and defaming colleagues. "When I still had a dialogue with Pappe," he recounts, "he once explained to me that the kindergarten teacher had deceived them. In other words, he discovered during his academic studies that the Zionist narrative he learned in school was false. So he went to look for the right story. That supposedly motivated him. But as I have revealed, some of them also had political or ideological agendas that they brought from their home, where one of the parents could have been a Bundist, or assimilationist in central and western Europe, or was a communist in Eastern Europe."

Q: And the kindergarten teacher didn't deceive us?

"To some extent. The Zionist narrative has weaknesses, I don't buy it wholesale, but at the same time I try, and I hope I am successful, to reconcile it with the fact that I see myself as a Zionist, with an effort to write the truth even when it is not pleasant for the Zionist narrative. I think the central issue is whether the approaches of the 'new historians' were derived from research. People went to archives before them too, that is not something new. The only major novelty they brought was shifting the focus from Israel's victory to the suffering of the Palestinians. The anti-Zionism that was present in some of their research is not new either. It is as old as Zionism itself. This debate was usually conducted between Zionists in Israel and communists other Jews who were in exile. The 'new historians' opened an internal Israeli blue-and-white debate on these issues, one that did not exist here before."

Q: Benny Morris recently stated that he was going to publish a book showing that Jews committed more massacres of Arabs in 1948 than they perpetrated against us. What do you think?

"There might be a basis for this," replies Gelber. "The Arabs didn't have many opportunities to do so, and we had more. Second, regarding one of Benny's studies, which exposed several atrocities that the IDF committed in the years after the War of Independence, Meir Pa'il (IDF commander, military historian, and left-wing activist) once wrote that if this is what Benny managed to glean from among tens of thousands of incidents, it is a badge of honor for the IDF that there were only ten such cases. I agree with that statement."

Q: How do you view the conduct of the IDF in comparison to other armies in history?

"In general, such comparisons are misplaced. They are abstract and ignore the contexts of time and place. Three years after the end of World War II, no one in the young State of Israel thought that of all the people who suffered in the twentieth century, only the Palestinians were not allowed to suffer. Among the fighters were Holocaust survivors, people who had seen a lot of atrocities in their lives. Last year I was in Vietnam and visited the My Lai museum, the village where the Americans committed a famous massacre. One can also think of the Red Army arriving in Germany and carrying out one of the largest rape campaigns in history in order to harm the 'German racial purity,' or contemporary organizations like the Taliban or Al-Qaida, and understand the broader context. I don't agree with all kinds of clichés that 'the IDF is the most moral army in the world,' but at the same time one must understand the proportions, and we are definitely in a good place in the league of moral armies."

Q: What about the 1948 expulsion incidents, engraved in Palestinian memory?

"The expulsion cases by the IDF were relatively few. It was mainly about panic or escape before the IDF arrived. There are also cases that need to be understood more specifically. Take for example the flight of Lod's Arabs. After they understood what small force of the IDF conquered the area, they revolted, and the response to that was definitely brutal, albeit understandable in its context, also because of the proximity to the center of Jewish settlement in Tel Aviv and surroundings."

Q: So as a Zionist historian of the War of Independence, do you sleep well at night?

"Yes. What helps me is that this conflict was and still is a zero-sum game – either us or them. That solves most of the moral questions for me."

I ask Gelber whether the events of October 7 could bring about a Zionist transformation in Israeli academia, certainly in light of the sense of betrayal that many experienced from their colleagues abroad.

 "One must be careful not to make generalizations that are misplaced, as when they speak of the 'disillusioned phenomenon' too broadly. So there are some on the Left who have sobered up and there are those who have not. I do not read enough of 'Haaretz' [Israeli left-wing newspaper] to be informed," he quips. "The question is how long this will last. In general, I am skeptical, because the focus of Israeli academia is first and foremost the outside world. And the problem is not that most academics are ideologues, but that this all boils down to social norms and status. Someone who wants to get a sabbatical abroad, to be invited to a prestigious conference or to publish in a foreign journal – and the academy encourages and sometimes even conditions promotion on this — or to receive a research grant for which he needs overseas recommendations – depends on what they say about him abroad. And unfortunately, the Palestinian narrative is accepted almost without question in today's world."

Q: Prof. Moshe Zimmermann recently stated in Haaretz that October 7 proved that Zionism failed because it was created in order to prevent pogroms like this.

"To some extent he is right ... His mistake is that we are not talking about perpetual and total failure, but temporary failure that needs fixing. Now it's up to us to fix it."

Another debate Gelber conducted was with sociologist Baruch Kimmerling, who brought forward the birth of Palestinian nationalism. Gelber calls Kimmerling "my good friend", a surprising term given that in his writing he is not shy about sparring with him. "We studied together in high school at Ohel Shem in Ramat Gan, and we were good friends," he says. "He and others argued that an event that took place in 1834, in which peasants in the Galilee decided to rebel against the Egyptian ruler Ibrahim Pasha, was in fact one of the seminal events in the birth of the Palestinian nationalist movement. But in truth, the focus of the rebellion was actually Syria and only its outskirts reached the Galilee, not to mention that the cause of the rebellion was the taxes Ibrahim Pasha levied on them, which were higher than what the Sultan had imposed before. This was a local, very specific event, centered on Syria and not 'Palestine', which did not exist then at all.

"My view is that one should see the 1919 Palestinian Congress, the first Palestinian Congress, as the seminal founding event of an Arab-Palestinian identity. Until then, the Arabs of Palestine saw it as southern Syria. After the French expelled King Faisal from Damascus in the summer of 1920, a representative of the Arabs of the Land of Israel in his court, Musa Kazem al-Husseini, arrived in Jerusalem, gathered the notables of the city and declared: 'Southern Syria is dead. Long live Palestine!' This was the beginning of the process of formation of an Arab-Palestinian national identity. It progressed relatively quickly and was the first to rebel against the colonial rule of the British Mandate and failed. That was its great mistake. This was a clash with a much larger force – and Palestinian society was destroyed.

"In the 1948 war t, the Palestinians were completely dependent on the Arab states, which looked down on them. They disappeared from the scene and became hyphenated Palestinians: Egyptian-Palestinians in Gaza, Jordanian-Palestinians in Jordan, and so on. Of course t, there were also Palestinian refugees, but there were no plain Palestinians without some hyphen. Only after the change created by the Six-Day War, the Egyptian and Jordanian Palestinians ceased to be Egyptians and Jordanians, and since they did not become Israeli-Palestinians like the Israeli Arabs they returned to being just Palestinians, a people who over the years detached themselves from the surrounding Arab states, and stood alone."

Q: In the Israeli Right there are theses according to which the tribal loyalty of the Palestinians is stronger than their nationalism, and therefore the idea of Palestinian cantons can be seen as an option for resolving the conflict, without giving them a state.

"That's not realistic. We should have realized this for a long time – we are unable to, and in my opinion should not, decide when another people becomes a people. This is being talked about in Gaza now, and it's just a waste of time in my view."

Q: Ten years ago you published an article about the missed opportunity after the Six-Day War, to encourage the Arabs of Gaza to emigrate. You wrote that not enough money was invested in this at the time, and Levi Eshkol hesitated. Maybe now there is another opportunity for this?

"Absolutely not. First of all, we are talking about completely different orders of magnitude. Today there are five times, if not more, Arabs than there were then in Gaza. Secondly, even then the talk was not about removing all the Arabs from Gaza. After the conquering of the strip t, there were about 400,000 Arabs there, a quarter of them Gazans who were residents of the place from the 18th century at the earliest, and the rest were 1948 refugees. Moshe Dayan said after the war that he wanted to move them out of there, not because he wanted to expel them but because they had nothing to do there. Today no one will accept them. Even then, the Jordanians quickly understood what those buses traveling in convoys to the Allenby Bridge in June-July 1968 were. At first t, they made it difficult for these buses to cross and this ultimately deteriorated when there was a bloody clash on the border after the Jordanians refused to let them cross.

"For 75 years the Arab world has been telling us, 'You shouldn't have been here in the first place, but right now there's nothing we can do about it and you're here, but don't expect us to accept your foreign, Western code of life.' In the West, if a person loses his home in war and at the end of it the house remains in enemy hands, he builds a new life elsewhere. In the Middle East, a war ends when the refugees return home. That's one message. The other, much worse message: 'Guys, you created the problem of '48, and you solve it. We won't help you with that.' Neither the Egyptians nor the Jordanians will be willing to accept even one refugee from Gaza now."

Q: Some say that this war must end with Israel taking land, precisely because it is more important to them than anything.

"I think exactly the opposite: if you take land from them now, it will only increase their motivation to take it back in the future."

Q: How can Israeli society emerge stronger from this war?

"First, I admit I was surprised by the acts of heroism we saw on October 7. I did not expect your generation to perform such acts, and I think they too were surprised by it. Of course, older people also had their share of heroism that day.

"Second, one must remember: Historical research, for example on Egypt, teaches us not to trivialize what Arab leaders openly state. You have to listen to them. For example, Anwar Sadat spoke in one way to the West, another to the Russians, a third to his army, a fourth to his party, and a fifth in his public speeches. Looking back, the things closest to reality were actually in his public speeches.

"But the most important message, which I wrote already twenty years ago, is the importance of returning to the collectivist ethos. Many of our root problems stem from the fact that we replaced the pioneering ethos, the 'we' before the 'I', with the victim ethos of the Holocaust. We deliberately use the victimhood card ad nauseam and compare ourselves to other victims in the world. I'm not saying we should repeat past mistakes, but if we're talking about continuing life in the Middle East, it is impossible to live in this region as if we were in America's Midwest. It can only be done with mutual tolerance. I have friends from the most extreme Left, so what? When there is tolerance and respect, it's possible.

"I am non-religious Zionist, but when I see the collectivism of the religious, I would like the secular to adopt these traits as well – along with openness and interest in the wider world, which we once did more, and in recent years, due to various processes, we are increasingly closed in on ourselves. We have lived here for a hundred years, with internal rifts that are neither new nor easy. We have progressed not badly, although many of us are quick to lose hope. When you look at the Palestinians, on the one hand, t, they still have the hope of not seeing us here someday. On the other hand, would anyone want to switch places with them? We live relatively well, and that's no small feat."

[hmshermitcraft]

For theme:

Pearl has had a not so great life from parents who didn’t care for her and an older sister who mocked her for not having magic it…was hard especially spending her last year in highschool where low and behold she came across the biggest nerds and outcasts the school had to offer. The Hermits made up of mostly dragon hybrids of all kinds. Don’t call Etho a dragon he’s a wyvern he gets picky about it. And Mumbo who was apparently a redstone dragon. Normally they’d be the last people Pearl would even interact with but that kinda changed when she stumbled onto Scar and Grian gathering stuff for the horde.

Where she was picked up and plopped down into a pile with a currently napping Bdubs, Gem, and a very annoyed Tango trying to beat a new video game level turns out these lot were the only other non dragon hybrids of the group and came from similar backgrounds as her. And after a bit of explaining and actually getting used to them all Pearl began to love em all.

And it didn’t take long for her sister to try and butt in only for her to learn why you don’t mock a dragon hybrid’s partner. Pearl had never seen them so angry…nor her sister so terrified but in the end when they all graduated she moved out and the hermits and her went off to start a new adventure away from the crappy little town and maybe start a new family where they wouldn’t need to worry about acceptance.

Honestly, this is the best family she could find. The range of ages means several of them are old enough to keep things going, giving Pearl plenty of time to figure out what she wants to do with her life. The range of skills and life experiences is so valuable too! It's everything she wishes she could have at home. Except, there's a lot of things she wouldn't do with her blood family, either.

Living amongst the dragon hybrids (and wyvern) becomes second nature. Nests instead of beds - though they have a spare room if any of them ever need their own space. Pearl knows how to plump and arrange each pillow, where she slots into the dragon equation.

And they're great wrestling buddies! Her parents always hated Pearl getting dirty or into scraps, but the Hermits love it. They could roll around for hours, coming away bruised and sore, but pleased. They're perfect for her.

[paziffic]

OK NEW DOUBLE LIFE EPISODE WOOO!

Impulse’s video really got me thinking about this post by @sarioh : https://sarioh.tumblr.com/post/687594066112905216/i-think-a-fundamental-difference-between-ethubs-in

This ep we really got to see the contrast between Etho and Impulse when it comes to bravery. In fight, fright or flight situations, Etho seems 95% flight and Impulse is more like fight. Impulse is careful, no doubt, but his bravery was shown dozens of times in this ep. He goes in first everywhere. He willingly offers two of his chances to setting off the warden, knowing full well that if he accidentally triggers a third shriek thing, the warden will come for him directly. During the first few sirens while everyone (literally everyone: etho, grian, Martyn, big b, ren) go running, impulse stays behind to set up the red stone trap. You can tell he is afraid, setting up the trap backwards and fumbling, but he keeps doing it. Throughout the video he is the only one to consistently keep a level head and work towards their goal. When he thinks it’s safe, Impulse takes off ALL his armor to enchant it as quick as possible. This guys bravery comes naturally and in surplus, when he is with himself and with others.

Onto Etho. Etho man, buddy, PLEASE pay more attention to minecraft updates.

Anyway, This guy has a weird relationship with bravery and bdubs.

He agrees to going to the most dangerous area in ALL of minecraft after bdubs proposed an allyship. If Etho was interested in an allyship (“we can set you up a third bed in the house!”) then he should go and enchant their things. Etho, a yellow life and known survivor who is very content with his relationship with Joel, agrees to Bdubs’ offer. Something something he regrets being a coward last season something something he can redeem himself by going with bdubs’ current partner something something he wants to be brave for bdubs.

On their trip, Etho antagonizes Impulse going like “ooh bdubs wanted to get rid of you didn’t be? He was like please get Impulse out of my hair.” And Impulse just stays completely unfazed. “Well, we have been pretty inseparable since day one. I don’t blame him, everyone needs a bit of me time.” Not to mention, earlier in the episode, Etho remarked he was surprised their relationship lasted that long. Someone is not handling the breakup very well.

On the first shrieker alert, Impulse stays and builds while Etho runs and hides with no hesitation, allowing Impulse to build the machine by himself. He stays, crouching in the corner, as Impulse loses his second chance of setting off the warden.

Bravery is something that never came naturally to Etho. But as time went on, Etho starts putting down torches, joking about blowing his horn, keeping an eye out for any more sensors.

This conversation between the two perfectly encapsulates Ethos growth:

Etho: “I feel like the more I’m here, the more complacent i get. It’s like ‘ah whatever.’”

Impulse: “you started to get a little brave.”

Etho: “…well careless might be the right word. But brave is a better word, I like that.”

He stays next time a shrieker goes off, just asking Impulse if the warden spawned. He plans with Impulse on which structure to go into, reminding him to sneak. He walks side by side with Impulse to the enchanter.

They work together, as one this time to set up the Piston machine when grian set off the warden.

Idk something about the “you’re a legend, man you’re still here!” And there “you survived, well done!” How by the end, the third time impulse triggered it, neither run off into the dark. They stand back to back, Etho for once staying to fight with a partner whose life was independent of his.

By the end, when two wardens spawn, it is Impulse who finally towers up. IMO this is the most establishing thing of his character: he can leave when he towers up. All of his armor and weapons are enchanted. He chooses to stay to keep watch of the warden and make sure the others, especially Etho, make it out ok. He warns Etho when the warden is coming from both directions, and yells at him to run or hide when he thinks it’s unsafe.

It’s Etho who stays on the ground, trying to get his gear enchanted even though it could cost him his life. Etho finally does what he always does and runs. But this time, it is because of Impulses and everyone else’s command to save himself.

[fountainpenguin]

"Their set time's far too early and I've never heard of them..." (x)

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New Pixels Imperfect stuff today!

“No One Likes the Opening Band” || MCYT one-shot

Read on AO3 - 13k

@flufftober - Day 1 - "I've Got You"

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Professional camera account sports get real competitive, especially when you’re the only team in the league with 4 cams and 1 player-born. No one ever thought they’d see the day Etho let a cam into his life. And, well... He didn't. Turns out, he just brought a friend.

AKA - More PiglinMyNose and SnifferMyFeet fluff because I live for the "ancient camera account boy takes his newbie friend under his wing" dynamic and I love them, your honor.

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Canon-typical Minecraft violence (Fighting in a safe environment; immediate painless respawn) + anxiety and brief dissociation (Sniff reflecting on Joel and Grian possessing his body in his origin video) + Emotional hurt/comfort (Stressed by people looking down on you) + Mild flirting between Pig and TwoMuchGrian (and Sniff has a crush on BadTimeWithScar: world's sexiest semi-invisible catboy)

Also tagging for "Sniff's still coping with the fact that he's not married to either Etho or Scar even though his screwed-up memories tell him Double Life SMP was real and not roleplay," I guess... I love him.

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(First 1,000 words under the cut)

Wait, THAT'S the guy Etho settled for!?

Team Jade Jaguars is the only team in the Competitive Camera league with a team of 4 cam accounts instead of 5. Everyone's been whispering about their player-born. Seriously, their team's tag started trending when the season began. That was weeks ago, and only rarely has it slipped from the upper spots. Half a dozen articles keep circling the portal hub like lions waiting for a kill. Even Pig knows that, and he gets most of his news secondhand from the rest of the team.

Wait their 5th slotter isn't even a camera?

"Guys, ignore them," TwoMuchGrian said the first time they passed a news page pinned up in town square. "They're just trying to get in our heads." And Two's team captain, so Pig did exactly that. They'd just finished their second practice, all of them with pixels sticking up funny and exhaustion dripping like raindrops from their code. Two praised all of them, even though Pig had a very bad fall and missed catching one of the best crossbow shots Joel's ever had. It didn't matter. Two insisted they all did phenomenal this early in the season. He took the whole team out for hot chocolate and sorbet.

😂😂 Bruh I'm crying WHAT? Who the hell is THAT???

Today is game day. The locker room bustles with chatter and banging iron doors. The room's had a makeover since last year. They've got lanterns instead of torches to light this place up now and their jaguar face logo snarls in triumph from a sea of gray carpet.

Are they tanking on purpose or something?

"Hey, Pig!" Two calls, jogging up behind him, and Pig turns his head. Two's not even changed yet, still sporting the tie-dye T-shirt he's almost always dressed in. His flower-spotted headband keeps slipping over his eyes. He pushes it up with one hand, tossing Pig a jade green jersey with the other. Pig catches it on one finger. Two's grin is crooked, but no less genuine than it ever is. "There ya go! I'm so sorry we cut it so close. I actually feel awful, but hey… we finally got your new shirt in!"

Ngl I can't follow the Jaguars' logic here. They know he's Etho, right? His sign-ups must have been a mile long

Pig flips the jersey around, searching for his name. The familiar number 8 blazes strong and proud on the back. Above it, in smaller print, is his current username: PiglinMyNose. It wouldn't have been a big deal to play the first match with last season's jersey, but… It's nice to shed the final tie to his old identity. LazyBeans26 is a guy of the past. "Pig" is a far more comfortable nickname than "Lazy" ever was.

This I have to see

He hugs the jersey to his chest. "No way! Two, you're the best… See? This man!" He punches him in the shoulder; Two flashes briefly red. "I knew you'd come through for me!"

Like I'm all for a player joining the team if they want, but they pair him with ETHO?

Two hums in approval, fluttering his wings. It's so weird to see Two off spectator mode. When he's not translucent, you really get an appreciation for the deep blue and bright gold feathers he's flaunting. Pig casts a glance or two over his shoulder as Two walks away, calling out to PearlescentMoo on the far side of the locker room. Dang. Two's been putting in hours at the gym even outside their practice time. That's undeniable. Those are good looking shoulder blades. He can probably even lift a llama on a lead with muscle tone like that.

Glad he's on MY team… If we're going up against the Sharks, we need every edge we can get.

lmao I love how #Jade Jaguars has been trending for a month xD

Sniff sits on the center bench, his face pressed in his hands. Pig keeps a mirror on his locker door. He checks it every couple seconds as he sheds his jacket and wriggles from his shirt. It takes another two minutes to unclip all his necklaces and drizzle them in the locket basket. Then he pries off his rings. They drop on the necklace heap with a clatter. Probably shouldn't have worn all the jewelry today, but hey… They're his good luck charms. He always has his necklaces.

Does this mean we're never going to see an Etho/EthoCam team-up? 😢

Sniff moves his hands to the back of his neck, fingers bent as though they're claws.

See the most frustrating thing is that it's not like he's played before. He's still a new account. It's not even skill that got him in good w/ Etho. Etho's only with him b/c he looks like Joel. They're Boat Boy baiting for hype :/

The new jersey smells like cedar wood. Pig's never seen a cedar tree in his life, but somehow… He can tell. He holds it to his nose, breathing in the scent of fresh-cut shavings. In truth? It still feels warm from the printer, even though that must have been weeks ago. It's a sign of a good season, that. When he slips the jersey on, it fits perfectly, like a life vest.

Like… idk. I'm not saying I know for sure or anything, but it feels like there's some kind of nepotism thing going on behind the scenes.

Their first game of the season doesn't promise to be easy. Team Cerise Sharks isn't known for their mercy. BadTimeWithScar is team captain, and Two's been reviewing old footage since the match-up was announced. BadTime always brings out Two's competitive overdrive. Two sees scarlet every time. Pig spent all of last night on Two's bed, preening his wings and chatting about this and that while Two stared (glaze-eyed) at match after match on his comm screen. He needs new chew blocks; he's gnawed through most of them and his rope tug.

I should get him a care package. He'd like to be fawned over this week, I reckon.

Oh, their relationship gets skewed badly in a one-sided way when the tournament is live. It's like Two always says: Captain Two is not your friend. But he always makes up for it. Two's an overly affectionate pest between seasons, pushy and playful, and Pig falls head over heels for him every time. One evening with Two gripping his wrists like handcuffs and teasing raspberries at his cheek is worth a million tournament nights, at least.

BadTime's not even the only one to worry about. The Sharks are rocking a strong roster this season, featuring AriesEva, WellsGlazes, HumanCleo and ImpulseCam. Last year, iCam went home with the title of Top Scoring Player overall… a fact that TangoCam has never shut up about. Pig glances three lockers down. Tea is seething, staring at the half dozen carefully compiled images of his long-time rival taped inside his locker door. He does the whole "anime glasses" thing, pressing his glasses up every time they slip down.

"I'm gonna bury him in the avalanche trap," he mutters. "That gold medal's mine." So saying, Tea bends the locker door slightly, reaching out to glide his fingers over iCam's face. He trails them down his cheek. They squeak against paper. "He'll be recording snow the whole match."