#idk why the first thing you think of when it comes to this is israel but like genuinely what kind of answer were you expecting me to give?

[favroitecrime]

Do you believe that the Israeli children murdered are culpable for the crimes of their government?

I think we both agree that Palestinian children and Palestinian civilians are not valid military targets, despite what Netanyahu and the Israeli government may claim, but do you believe the same applies to children who are being raised in Israel?

gonna need you to point to where i said otherwise bestie

but to entertain the question(s) in full:

I’ve overstated how much I believe children should never be victims & sexual violence is also never excused. I’d never stand & advocate for the lives of Palestinian (& Syrian & Congolese & Sudanese & Armenian & Puerto Rican & Polynesian &&&&) children whilst simultaneously wishing unwell on another group of children.

But there’s a lot of things I hate about this framing & it’s that first and foremost, the children are not the only ones that matter here. What good is saving the children if they’re stripped of the elders of their family? What good is sparing the life of a disabled Palestinian girl in Gaza being wheeled from the North to the South by her father if you’re going to arrest her father and leave her stranded to be saved by other passer-bys? What good is saving the children if they’re wishing they died along their parents?

Second, not only are the civilians not valid military targets, they’re not targets at all. None of them deserve to suffer. None of them deserve to bury their dead in mass graves. None of them deserve to be killed whilst seeking shelter in schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, etc. None of them deserve to starve for days on end & no water in sight. None of them deserve to watch their mass graves dug up and over 100+ of their loved ones’ bodies being taken away by israeli forces to god knows where (likely the skin bank, where they harvest Palestinian organs for their own). They deserve none of it. Hamas could be in every damn room in every damn building and it still could never justify anything, let alone being military targets.

Third, it should shame you by now to STILL shift the narrative to israel & israelis whilst discussing Gaza or Palestine. Enough already. It’s been 41 days. We’ve condemned enough. The conversation cannot be redirected to straw-man arguments & questions meant to what? Pull out a scandalous answer? Was I expected to say yes I see the kids as military targets? What’s your next step knowing my answer is no?

Finally, the government lied. The israeli government has lied repeatedly. They’ve been putting out numbers of their victims ranging from 1200-1500 and just announced today that they’ve overstated how many of them died because it turns out 200 of those bodies were bodies of Palestinians. Which begs the question, if they were so torched and barely recognizable, who did the torching? Why did they silence the interview of one of the survivors as she says that the IOF were largely responsible for the death of multitudes? Why is it they’re interviewing soldiers who were on duty that day who’ve said their orders were to target anything that moved? An israeli plan was mass killing everyone at the music festival because the orders were to go for anything that moved.

Mere days after the initial invasion/“attack”, one of the women who was held in her home with her children went on an interview and said they didn’t harm them at all. They stayed for two hours, one even politely asking for a banana, before quietly shutting the door behind them. Her youngest was so undisturbed they kept tapping away on their tablet. Hamas may not be complete angels, but they’re not barbarians. They’re not savages. Children would never be their main targets, nor targets at all. Any dead children were either caught in a crossfire or much more likely killed by the IOF.

I reject the narrative that I, or anyone else in defense of Palestine, agree with the death of children (no matter who they are). I reject the idea that I, or anyone else in defense of Palestine, would be okay with acts of sexual violence being committed to anyone. And I refuse to cover up the atrocities happening in Palestine with any sympathies you expect me to extend to israel.

Children should never be victims. Including Palestinian children. Free Palestine. 🇵🇸

[primofate]

About boycotting Genshin Impact: Natlan skin colour issue and McDonalds.

(Read if you care about these issues and care about what I'm doing.)

If you are only here for a TLDR and want to know if I'm still writing Genshin fanfiction here's the short story: (I appreciate all the encouraging messages and all the love, but I may need to find another platform if things aren't working out here. If that day comes I will surely post over here and let you know where I've gone, but for now, though it is quite unpleasant, I do like and am used to the tumblr format. )

Long post starts here:

Decided to finally say something about this, because I feel like I've read up adequately about things.

First off, to the anon who claimed that I didn't care (who revealed their real identity in my inbox and apologized) I appreciate your bravery and also appreciate the apology. But I'm not going to lie to you, I don't really care for your presence around here, specially after what happened.

About the Natlan issue and the lack of tan/brown/dark skinned colour characters,

I understand why people are upset. I had a conversation with someone about this on tumblr, on how me, myself, I get upset when there is a lack of FEMALE main characters in games (I am mostly talking about the Persona Franchise, the main characters are always MALE, time and time again I always wait for a FEMALE MC, but am always disappointed that it hasn't happened EXCEPT of course, for P3 Portable and P2EP. Finally you had the option to play as Female, but that was it. I mean, it's 2024. WHY is there a lack of FEMALE MC in Persona? Anyhow, that is a different topic altogether.) so I can see how it could be disappointing for POC to see less or even NO characters that are POC.

That part, I totally understand.

All of your actions, boycotting, not rolling, not playing the game, being free to play, I UNDERSTAND all of that.

Now, recently there has been a big issue with Genshin Impact collaborating with McDonalds, because the chain supports Israel (but McDonalds is a franchise... and different owners have different ways of using their ownership of the chain/profit they make off it, so idk how that equals to all McDonalds support Israel. Educate me on this if I'm wrong.) People are saying that they are uninstalling the game because of it.

Again, I UNDERSTAND why you would do that.

I think what I need to address is what I am going to do.

And I'm not gunna lie to you, I don't think I'm going to stop playing the game (and I don't spend much money in game in the first place).

Does it mean that I support the bad situations they've put themselves in or the bad choices they've made? No, but of course there will be people who will say I play the game = I support their thoughts. Can it not just be simply I play the game = I enjoy the game/story?

I am being transparent and I think that's better than some of the people online who keep saying they won't play anymore but you KNOW some of them still do. Like, come on. Don't lie.

If that makes me a bad person according to you judgers out there, then so be it. Who really are you to claim I'm a bad person just because I play a game? Do you know what kinds of things I do in real life? What groups I help out and what organizations I donate to? What really do you know about what I do in real life? Maybe think about that before pointing your finger at someone online, and maybe think about what YOU are doing in real life too, instead of just being keyboard fighters, have you done anything to enhance the lives of other people?

Am I still going to write Genshin fanfiction?

Honestly if I stop doing it, it's because the interaction here on tumblr has been so toxic. LESS people commenting and interacting, I don't really mind much because I enjoy writing in general, I don't do it for you, I do it for me.

I am STILL writing, but at a slower pace because of my real life plus everything that's surrounding the game and the toxicity at the moment. I am even considering not posting on tumblr and just releasing stories like Ruthless Prince, stories that would be available through physical copy or ebooks that you have to pay for (that way I don't get nasty interactions and messages and those who really want to read my stuff can just pay and enjoy it) but as you all know, I'm not money hungry, I still post a lot of free stuff over here, but again, I'm not going to lie, there isn't much reason for me to post on tumblr anymore, specially with all the controversies and attacking going on.

I appreciate all the encouraging messages and all the love, but I may need to find another platform if things aren't working out here. If that day comes I will surely post over here and let you know where I've gone, but for now, though it is quite unpleasant, I do like and am used to the tumblr format.

The End.

[determinate-negation]

leftists in my town (a big city in germany) literally refuse to go to lectures/talks by jewish scholars who report on the current situation, for no good reason. any expertise is written off, they don't even look into the content. a friend literally said 'it souded pro isreal' - I read the description and it just didn't. It sounded like an expert trying to show a critical view of Isreali politics in fact. my jewish friends are afraid to come out to pro palestinian protests, because militant leftists burn isreali flags (mind you, these are white, german people. i wouldn't blame palestinians). all nuance is gone. people start romanticising hamas. like what the fuck happened do people no longer manage to keep two thoughts at once? nethanjahu is a fucking monster, imperialism is bad, but guess what, so is hamas? why is that controversial? also in 2014 when lots of syrians came, all arabic courses were booked out because people wanted to help and show solidarity and get to know these new people coming. thousands at airports to pick them up. i was among them. but then when ukrainians arrived, when we had protests against russia, i didn't see A SINGLE FUCKING PERSON showing up. why? is imperialism not bad when it comes to Russia because you think 'communism' there was great? eastern european voices are drowned completely. why can't we support palestinians AND jewish people in germany? attacks on jewish people have skyrocketed. we have a far right party gaining the most votes and people pretend like you're a monster if you call out antisemitism. jewish people in germany are not bombing palestine. jewish people in germany are a minority that is under constant attack. why can't be support syrians AND ukrainians? we must join together against imperialism but literally people are too stupid to see that they are being instrumentalised to influence the elections in the U.S. in particular. same happened 2016 and no one learned. it's frustrating. you don't have to sacrifice one fight for another. i support palestine. i support syrians. and then i check to see who shows up for Jewish people in germany and ukrainians who are also under genocide like conditions in Russia. and it's fucking no one. 80% of people during these ukraine protests are ukrainians. anyway. The israeli government is fucked, as is the U.S. government, as is Russia and as is Germany's and it will be a lot more fucked in the near future if everyone doesn't get their shit together.

ok this is going in my cringe compilation

1. theres nothing wrong with burning israeli flags. israeli flags dont represent jewish people in general. id be happy to see an israeli or american flag burning

2. if you expect me to condemn hamas or equate the israeli government and military with anti colonial palestinian resistance youre in the wrong place

3. your government is funding this genocide including the far right party (to my knowledge) which fully supports israel and wants to deport all non white people including (or maybe especially) palestinians and arabs- why are you conflating this with people protesting against the genocide??

4. do you not think germans are also super racist to syrians and refugees in general despite whatever it may seem about accepting them at first? people were really casually racist to me about refugees in germany when i was there

literally the only relevant thing here is that your friends didnt wanna go to an event and that attacks have increased, idk check your fucking friends and countrymen, because that predates israel, stop conflating actual antisemitism with people rightfully opposing a war their government is funding and colonized people for rightfully resisting extermination

[queenwille]

are you pro-israel/anti-palestine?

hi, first, i appreciate you asking very politely and not assuming things.

i’ll say i’m a zionist, which isn’t an offensive word. i believe in the right of the jewish people for self determination in the form of a jewish state in the land of israel, the promised land of the jewish people.

i find calling israel, the only jewish state in a sea of muslim/christian states, an “ethostate” and mocking the jews for feeling the need in one, as very antisemitic rude and offensive. that goes without mentioning how ignorant and rude it is to claim all jews are white europeans. literally cancelling the whole rich history of the jewish people in the arab countries (which they were mostly chased out of as well).

the need to live within your given or chosen community is such a natural thing, even animals do it. for some reason, when it comes to israel and the jews, it’s wrong. before anyone starts, please let me remind you that within this very large jewish community, there are 2.5 million arabs (mostly muslim, some christian). they share equal rights, a citizenship and an israeli ID/passport. yes, even the sister of the top hamas man (who was arrested this week for having documents and money linked to hamas, a terror organization).

that being said, i am in no shape or form, nor never was i, anti palestine. i think it’s just not as simple as some people who joined the hot trend across the world see it. the state of palestine was never established for many reasons that don’t involve the jewish people. i do mean this when i say i do wish the palestinian people a safe and established land, but it’s simply not that easy. it really isn’t no israel=yes palestine. they have so many other needs other than demolishing the land of israel. their inner conflicts are very much alive to this day (google fatah/hamas conflict), their lack of actual support from neighboring countries and other reasons they have there. they’re really not at a good starting point, but no one ever talks of that. it’s just easier to masturbate to the idea that protesting in favor of demolishing israel and sending +-7,000,000 jews to fuck knows where will be enough.

let me make it clear, the fact that civilians are being killed and hurt breaks my heart. i say this knowing fully well that many took part in the oct7 massacre. generations, on both sides, being brought up with nothing but hate and fear of each other boiled up to this disaster. which is why i find the whole western pro pal movement, spreading fake news and hate and deepening the conflict, as not just offensive, but also very dangerous. for both sides (+diaspora jews). calling hamas freedom fighters and not the terror organization that they are is as dangerous to the palestinians as as it is dangerous to israelis/jews. they are given actual legitimacy for actions that are considered extremist and terror on an international level. yes, they do hide in UN protected facilities, using inocentes as human shields. and when we say the west is next, it’s not just a spicy slogan, it’s not really about the jews, but the western culture.

i am very angry of the way the hostages are being ignored or bluntly canceled (ripping off their posters everywhere). it’s hypocritical and very upsetting. i will also mention that i seriously don’t appreciate using the jewish holocaust and appropriating it’s terms and the well known generational jewish trauma and mocking it.

lastly, i would like to mention that a lot of what’s happening right now around the world just proves the need in a jewish state. being close with an army that’s main goal is protecting its people literally feels safer for jews even under missiles and terror attacks. let me inform you that the main reason that israeli casualties are lower, is the invention of the Iron Dome, operated by the IDF. It has saved thousands of civilian lives since it’s first use. no, it wasn’t hamas’ more humane ways or idk what i read. israel literally spends every last dime to keep it’s people safe, while hamas won’t even let the palestinian people have a safe hospital. instead of mocking our worries and constant feeling of being persecuted and in danger, to the point that a jewish state feels like a life or death matter, maybe try to think what you can do to change that. saying we’re delusional or closing mouths when we claim for antisemitism isn’t helping, and it sure isn’t what’s currently happening in the world and social media.

again, thanks for asking. i have so much more to say and that’s before actually going into current antisemitism or even into october 7th, i just think i’ll stop here for now. i hope this somewhat answers your question.

[jewishbarbies]

so upon further information from you and jewishlivesmatter, I have come to the conclusion that the Hadid family are remarkably unreliable when it comes to relevant information about the Israel/Palestine situation.

I have another question though, regarding a song. A few months ago, a trending Israeli song went viral on here for being “anti Palestinian” and allegedly calling for the deaths of Palestinians and for mentioning Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Mia Khalifa, apparently calling for their deaths? Idk, I tried to find a translation from the Hebrew to English but there isn’t any one that makes sense. Yeah, but apparently the song was trending in Israel at the time. I think it’s called Charbu Darbu or something like that idk if I’m spelling that correctly.

Question 1, is the song calling for the deaths of Palestinian civilians or just Hamas? Like is it actually an “anti Palestinian” song? I feel like that’s something that could get lost in translation.

Question 2: I know that Bella Hadid is antisemitic and that’s probably why she was mentioned in the song, but why Dua Lipa and Mia Khalifa? Did they do something? I haven’t been paying attention to them besides maybe Dua’s music and well, I don’t watch Mia’s… videos lol

Thank you!

I know Dua Lipa believes the same things the Hadids’s do, and she’s been vocal about it.

if anyone has an explanation for the first question or about Mia Khalifa (I think she’s just guilty for also perpetuating the Hadids’ type of antisemitism but I’m not sure), please feel free to add a response as a reblog and I’ll share it for the anon! if I find anything I’ll add an edit.

[slyandthefamilybook]

If you don’t mind, can you explain why you want Israel to be abolished? Not in the anarchist sense of ‘I want all states abolished as an ideal’, but actually wanting it dismantled while states are still a thing. I think that’s your view anyway— I remember that, in the post heritageposts and his minions went after you for (really sorry about that btw, I’ve also been harassed on here but luckily haven’t had one of the big bloggers come after me), you said that you want Hamas to surrender and then after that have Israel dismantled. You don’t have to reply if you don’t want to, I’m just trying to understand that view a little more when it’s not egregiously Jew hating, even if I won’t agree with it, and also you seem like a very nuanced and compassionate person. I hope you’re doing well, and have a nice day!

It is very much in the anarchist sense. I don't think Israel is the only state that should be abolished; I think we should get rid of all nation-states. It's not something I've really had the opportunity to talk about much outside of the Current Situation so I understand that it may have come off like I think Israel is singularly...idk. Dismantle-able. I think we tend to think of these things in terms of immediacy; countries that are currently at war are constantly teetering on the verge of collapse and are therefore primed for anarchy. On the flip side we also often forget our political idealism when real people are suffering. No non-Jewish anarchist is calling for Hamas to be dissolved, despite the fact that they ostensibly abhor centralized government in all its forms. To them Hamas is the final bulwark between Israel and total decimation of the Palestinian population and so calling for them to step down in the anarchist sense is tantamount to signing the death warrants for everyone in Gaza. They're wrong, but the idea is sound. You can't defeat the mechanism that allows people to organize at a national level while its people are currently endangered. That's why I've said no "revolution" can precede peace which is where I differ from the Hamasniks who think the revolution will bring peace (because they don't care about the safety of the Israeli population). Ultimately I think liberalism is like a sword: it's a tool that I need because everyone else has one, much as I would rather none of us needed on in the first place.

Sorry if this is incoherent, I haven't haven't had my coffee yet. Tl;dr is: Would I like to see all nation-states including Israel be abolished? Yes. Do I think that will happen? Not in this lifetime, especially not with the Current Situation. So I'm not going to go around pretending it is, because then everything I do will be utterly useless

[ofmermaidstories]

hello, please have this list of sunday evening thoughts & things & questions without any real answers:

1.

“Gaza is basically a man-made hell on earth”, by Jeremy Scahill. A interview with a Toronto surgeon, Yasser Khan, about his latest medical mission into Gaza, and the destruction facing the people and the health-infrastructure there.

I had one young man, about 25 years old, he lost one eye that I took out myself. He spent about five, six, or seven years, basically spent thousands and thousands of dollars in IVF treatment because he got married young and they wanted to have a child and they couldn’t have one. So he spent years on IVF treatment and finally had a baby that was 3 months old. And there was a missile attack by Israel at his home. He lost his entire family, including his baby and his wife and his parents and family. He’s by himself, single guy. I took his one eye out, and he has nobody in this world. He just kind of walks around the tent structures, just kind of walking around with no home and trying to sleep wherever he can.

i genuinely wonder at what a future with israel looks like. not just with the palestinians they’ve displaced, but like, with the rest of the world. israel will be dismantled, eventually, but until then how long is this misery going to be allowed to drag on? the US (and UK) are like—encouraging it. they want it, it’s always been in their joint interest that israel be established. idk. i have no doubt they’ll let that genocidal boot camp of a settlement run rampant like the brain-washed, blood-thirsty nazi wave they are, but all things give—this can’t carry on. the horror our varying governments force on us by watching it will have to boil over, eventually. the question is just—how, when. capitalism has done a bang-up job of separating us in the west from each other. you can’t take down your government if you don’t know your neighbour’s name. :/

2. these comments, on the youtube videos i’ve recently watched.

This first comment was a response to @/mynameismarines book review, ‘is to gaze upon wicked gods a colonizer romance?’. i find colonizer/colonized pairings to be intensely interesting, because they’re so often done so badly LMAO. i am not a person who believes there are topics/things you’re not allowed to write; everything is fair game. but the price of that is that you have to do it well, and by well i mean like—you have to ask yourself the question, “what does this mean for the people involved?” and you have to answer it. and you have to be prepared that at the end of the day the audience you invite might not agree with your answer!!! like, i think people in the romance/YA spheres think of colonizer/colonized as like, shorthand for a power-imbalance trope (which it does involve!) but it’s like, more than you know, some Billionaire/Secretary cliche. it’s literally the question of, ‘can you come to care about someone who is currently perpetuating the misery of your people?’ Like!!! that is a big question!!!!!!!!!! and you have to do the asking of it, the thesis of your book, justice. and that is a hard thing to do!!!!!! most of us tend to like… not like people who hurt the other people we love, LOL. so if you’re going to write that, you have to work overtime with it.

i’m sharing this comment here because it’s particularly addressing molly x. chang’s (the author of to gaze) knee-jerk reaction to (genuine, thoroughly detailed) negative reviews. which on one hand is understandable: molly was one of the targets in the goodreads sock-puppet review bombing, by one of her peers. but her reaction to these genuine reviews (brought to her attention by a third party!) has been an interesting case-study in like, why the lines between fanfic communities and traditional publishing blurring is a bad thing. because @/aclutteredlife is right, we have different rules here in our community that properly published books have, with their readers!!! i think it’s natural, for instance, for readers to be drawn to a proxy (Reader-chan for us) to be put in a position that generates a lot of angst (losing your family to a raid by a band of fantasy barbarians, for example), because that angst creates an opportunity for The Romance (the comfort, the understanding, the regret and then the assimilation into a new life with ur romance at the centre, cherished wife of the Hot Fantasy Barbarian Husband). in a fanfic, if you have issues with how it’s being presented, you might leave a dissatisfied comment—(“why is she forgetting that Hot Fantasy Barbarian Husband murdered her entire family???”)—but the general understanding is that it’s not for you, at that stage!!! like it’s probably some 14 year old kid that’s just recently discovered captivity tropes or something, like sure you can be annoyed or frustrated but if the writer doesn’t want to answer (or be asked!!!) those questions move on, you know? you didn’t spend money on this, you can hit the back button and find a different fic. complain about it to the group chat if you absolutely have to, LOL. but move on.

but when it’s a traditionally published book who’s author was supposedly given an advance for it the size of half a million dollars? half a million dollars that the publisher is going to try and make back by selling it to readers like you, who will part with your hard-earnt money for a copy? yeah. we’re not a community just trying to entertain each other and ourselves anymore, at that stage. you made a transaction. a transaction to then engage with this piece of art, and the transaction part of that exchange means you get to ask those hard, uncomfortable questions—especially if the art in question doesn’t.

this point kinda bleeds into the next one, tho, so i’ll let the screenshot speak for itself:

LOL. yeah….. yeah. yeah. 🥹

the third comment is from the same video as the second (booktok, brainrot, and why it’s okay to be a hater), but i thought the highlighted part was interesting because it like, kinda made me think of the way things work around here on tumblr, in our fanfic corners LOL. like… you know. how we might share little soundbites about ideas, or just a throw away couple of sentences about an AU or character. and we all do it, that’s the culture of our community, i just find it interesting—telling—that it’s such a… quick and almost guaranteed way of like, getting enmeshed into the community, getting followers, etc etc etc.

like i said, these are just some thoughts & things without any real answers to them. i am always happy to hear ur opinions too (unless they are wrong in which case i regret to inform u we will have to knife fight over it 😔😌🫱🏽🔪).

[jewish-vents]

i’m so, so tired. i’ve deleted almost all of my social media apps, barring tumblr. i am definitely a very political person, and have been invested in developed a deeper understanding of world history and geopolitics since i was ~12 (i’m 18 now). but i feel so drained. i’ve muted tags on here relating to palestine and the conflict in general, and i feel horrible about it bc i see people around me constantly posting about it, but i just can’t. i’ve given up. i ideologically leaned far more against the state of israel before oct 7th than i do now, and i’ve seen this amongst many of my jewish friends too. my online friends have always tended to be pro-palestine, but i never saw this much dehumanization coming from them until now. to see how hated jewish people are, to see how many people i loved thought oct 7th was justified resistance… it hurt beyond words… even my longtime irl best friend tried to explain the conflict (and was whining about me getting ben and jerry’s at a store) to me despite not knowing anything about i/p before this war. i hate being talked to like im an idiot. but if i vocalize that, im speaking over others.

i don’t like seeing images of dead children. i don’t like reading about rising death tolls. i don’t like being bombarded with brutal details about humans’ suffering. and that is all everyone online is ever talking about. and all i see people say is that i need to suck it up because there are people suffering way more than me right now, which obviously is true. but i don’t want people to think im a bad, ignorant person. and sometimes i start to believe i actually am. i was very actively posting about the war when it first started, but now as i have seen more and more how cruel people are towards jews i just don’t post much at all on anything besides tumblr. i worry my online friends think i don’t care, and especially that i somehow don’t care about palestinians, when i do, and i always have! but do i have to subject myself to such upsetting information everyday to care? why can i not be afforded a break? why aren’t jewish people allowed to mourn for the loss of life in israel and the hostages without being accused immediately of hating palestinians and wanting them dead? how come non-palestinian muslims are widely allowed to center themselves in this conversation (obviously, muslims are hurting too, though) and talk about their feelings but jews aren’t allowed to? why are jewish people not allowed to feel anything? why must we ignore one group’s suffering and insist that another’s is more important to acknowledge? why?

and i’m just scared, because i don’t know what to believe. maybe israel is somehow doing all these terrible things and im actually evil for doubting it? idk if that makes sense, but it’s how i feel. i’ve witness very disturbing behavior from both zionists and antizionists, and it’s tiring. i have seen members of the former camp saying “there are no innocents in gaza” and members of the latter saying “there are no innocents in israel”. it’s why i can’t really identify with either party, so i feel alone. by its simplest definition i am a zionist, but people have turned that word to mean a million different things that at times it just feels like its lost its meaning. and when i see someone say “zionists dni” on their acc its like… what do you even mean?

i think there are a lot of well-meaning people in the pro palestine crowd, and i don’t think that’s wishful thinking either. though obviously, there are a lot of truly vindictive people out there who have nothing but hatred in their hearts. but i now get anxious to see an account i follow post something pro-palestine. and i feel so horrible about it. i know many of these people have good intentions, but i automatically assume there is something more sinister going on, whether it’s someone i know personally or not posting about it. and i don’t want to! i want to believe most people are good! or at least decent! but i can’t.

i just wish i didn’t have to be bombarded with so much information whenever i log on to interact with fandom posts. but i worry that means i don’t care. but i really think i do… i can’t not care. but sometimes i feel like im not caring enough

.

[feetoffire]

olympic jumping qualifiers this time. less in-depth because of how quick the rounds are vs dressage tests, and i’m sure i missed some details, especially in terms of tack/tack names. if anyone is actually reading these and knows the names of things, please tell me!

(please assume everyone is in a running martingale, they're so common i quit mentioning them.)

Spain: Ismael Garcia Roque on Tirano. pretty gray. i know it’s hard to not have (some) mouth gape when you’re fighting about speed (i jump too) but i can’t help cringing. interesting running martingale set up - i don’t think i’ve ever seen one like that. 

Austria: Katharina Rhomberg on Colestus Cambridge. also a gray. three rails down, which is rough.

Mexico: Carlos Hank Guerreiro on Porthos Maestro WH Z. that is an…interesting set up. looks like a normal noseband and drop noseband on the same bridle? not sure i like it/why not just use a flash

Switzerland: Steve Guerdat on Dynamix de Belheme. a mare! her blaze is cool :) she’s gaping a lot coming out of the arena - again, i get it, you do really have to fight them on tempo sometimes, but i’m still cringing. knocked a rail or two; that triple combination has gotten everyone so far and i think it’ll continue to do so.

Sweden: Henrik von Eckermann on King Edward. i have no idea what’s going on with his bridle. i think that’s a net of some sort to keep the flies off his nose? idk. kinda cool that he has no browband. watching the jumpers’ big canters is awesome. the first pair to go clear and inside the time! i think he threw a shoe on that last jump - something shoe-shaped goes flying in the slo-mo replay.

Japan: Taizo Sugitani on Quincy 194. this boy wants to look at the crowd and go. not the cleanest round i’ve ever seen - my instructor would have made me go back and do some of those again (in a lesson). 

Poland: Adam Grzegorzewski on Issem. several rails down - this course is tricky. 

France: Simon Delestre on I Amelusina R 51. a stallion - look at that crest. so much gape. too much gape, even for a jump course. i want a closer look at his bridle - two sets of reins. 

Ireland: Shane Sweetnam on James Kann Cruz. okay that’s a decent pun. i wonder how old he is; he’s really grayed out. the bit set up looks ridiculous - there’s so many straps. 

UK: Ben Mahler on Dallas Vegas Butilly. this mare has some favorite cities, it would seem. she’s got a nose net thing too. low, tight frame in canter before the round started. they’re also clear and in time! she’s frothing tho 🙁

Germany: Christian Kukuk on Checker 47. nice, plain figure 8 bridle for once. he does a little extra kick with the back legs as he’s in the air over the jump. clear and in time. 

Israel: Ashlee Bond on Donatello 141. it’s always interesting to see how much sheepskin each horse likes; Donatello has it on all three straps of his breastplate. 

USA: Laura Kraut on Baloutinue. i like them. came in nice and quiet, gave Baloutinue some pets before they started. fantastic, chill feeling round/not frantic at all. clear and in time (5 seconds under!)

Netherlands: Maikel van der Vleuten on Beauville Z. for a horse who apparently likes wiggly lines, they looked very straight through the triple combination. also a nice round - boring, as my instructor would say. (that’s a good thing)

Brazil: Pedro Veniss on Nimrod de Muze. i couldn’t help it, i laughed at the horse’s name. there’s some head tossing, especially as Veniss tries to steady him before a fence. clear and in time. 

UAE: Omar Abdul Aziz al Marzooqi on Enjoy de la Mure. pretty dark bay. happy ears, even over the jumps. nice pair. 

Saudi Arabia: Abdulrahman Alrajhi on Ventago. red ribbon tail, watch yourselves y’all. his stirrups are green to match his coat and the saddle pad and ear bonnet. it’s cute. lots of sheepskin on the breastplate. not the ride Alrajhi was hoping for, methinks - he was shaking his head a little after the round. 

Australia: Hilary Scott on Milky Way. a gray mare, as her name suggests 🙂 sheepskin on her breastplate too. four rails down, but a nice ride in other respects. 

Canada: Mario Deslauriers on Emerson. head tossing in the turns and coming up to some of the jumps. two sets of reins - i don’t think it’s a double in the two bits sense, but there’s a definite elevated-control situation happening. looks like there’s a star under his fly bonnet! touch of froth. 

Belgium: Gilles Thomas on Ermitage Kalone. gorgeous chestnut and a big bold blaze. he’s got a nose-fly-net thing. lovely round (clear and under time) and lovely ride (no gape or froth). i like this pair.

[strangesmallbard]

(disclaimer: i am not a zionist and do not support the actions of the state of israel. thanks!)

can’t even articulate what it feels like to realize how many people both don’t understand a single thing about jews and also don’t care to know. but these same people also do care about seeming like good people—making sure they believe the right things so they don’t end up on a callout post. or because they feel fundamentally guilty about their own positionality. i’m empathetic towards this perspective—i’ve lived it—but it’s tiring to watch people hem and haw about supporting jews to avoid all contact with zionism. meanwhile these same people don’t even understand what zionism is or why it exists. or they’ll claim we have “trauma myopia” when jewish trauma is a core issue in the i/p conflict.

i usually don’t find commentary that’s like Only This Happens to X group very useful, but it’s truly surreal to see how often jews are excluded from leftist conversations unless they co-sign a reality that could leave half the world’s jewish population displaced again. and it’s surreal to see how many leftists struggle to extend fairly basic leftist tenets to jews; for example, that everyone has unchecked biases they need to untangle. i always just want to ask: what is that instinct to shut down all conversations about antisemitism. where does it come from. are your hackles raised when you meet a jewish person? see a magen david? what is the first thing you think about us before any leftist sensibilities kick in and the thought is quickly rewritten?

and do you examine that thought afterward? could you give a fuck about us without caveats? lcould you hold an entire jew in your head without making assumptions about who they are, who they prioritize, and how they think? could you know that jews can be bad people with bad intentions who commit evil acts and decry antisemitism anyway? idk man. i would love to not be so jaded but i’m barely convinced people even care about ending the occupation more than they care about seeming like they do. or more than they inherently distrust jews. otherwise, they would be interested in ending antisemitism in the diaspora at the very, very least.

[softgrungeprophet]

I was rambling about this in my insta stories and had been thinking about making a post like this off and on for a while so, i'm just gonna do it now

Spider-Man comics to get to know me:

(Peter Parker: Spider-Man #47 (Jenkins/Ramos))

These are comics I like, comics that make me go "AUGHFDHGH" etc. I'm not saying they're masterpieces (though some of them are), but I'm saying I like them and they are a good insight into my tastes and why I write and draw the way I do, for my AUs, etc...

apologies in advance, this post is going to be a bit long.

🕸️🕸️🕸️

first: a comic arc (really, arcs) that makes me feel crazy (in a good way)

Peter Parker: Spider-Man #44-47 (Jenkins/Ramos) and Spectacular Spider-Man v2 #3-10 (Jenkins/Ramos) (also issue #27)

I am still randomly working my way through these comics in bits and pieces because I read like a weirdo (aka, sometimes out of order, often with large breaks in between) but in general I do recommend these specific issues to at least some extent if you want to understand my tastes in comics and what subplots make me absolutely feral

with the caveat that these comics are incredibly early aughts for better and for worse; some of the jokes don't quite land (particularly Nurse Helga in SSM, which is a textbook example of the Brawnhilda trope, such a staple of 2000s humor and just not funny), and I find Jenkins' take on Venom (and Eddie Brock's backstory, mannerisms and speech) to be lacking... though it's not entirely uncompelling.

but as far as Peter, and his life, and the stuff involving Flash, and also the scene where he makes Ock beg for mercy, it's very much my shit. He makes Peter feel lost and directionless in a way that feels very believable, and it's clear that Peter really gives a shit about people. Even just the other people in his apartment building breaking into his apartment to play games using his TV is like... Yeah. I love it.

Extremely "this was made for me," and I am definitely the target audience when it comes to taste. When/if I ever have the money I'll definitely be looking for used copies of the trades with these issues in them because I really do like it a lot. I guess there's something about the way Jenkins writes (not to mention Ramos' stellar compositions) both in terms of character but also in terms of style itself—something dreamy and melancholy but not trudging—that really speaks to me as a reader and drags me in, even when he sometimes misses the mark or makes a joke that isn't funny. (which i'll admit isn't... uncommon)

I WANT TO SAY ONE THING THOUGH which is that even though I like their Spectacular stuff, the Ock arc (issues #6-10 iirc) deals with the Israel/Palestine conflict as part of the plot and while, writing-wise, it's actually surprisingly thoughtful (tho idk if i can judge whether it's truly deeply thoughtful or just not as offensive as it could have been, especially for such a fraught topic in a superhero comic), there is an Israeli character that, to be frank, the way Ramos draws him feels very antisemitic to me. I know that he has a very stylized way of drawing and he exaggerates a lot of characters' features, especially facial features, but it's still fair to point out that the IDF character is undeniably drawn in a way that is questionable at best and clearly rooted in antisemitic stereotypes whether intentional or not.

Similar goes for the Palestinian character, tbh. Ramos is, again, very stylized, but definitely is leaning more into the big hawkish noses for the arab and israeli characters...

🕸️🕸️🕸️

Sensational Spider-Man v2 #23-40 (Aguirre-Sacasa/Medina/Crain)

NOT marvel knights spider-man, I do not like marvel knights spider-man, this is a different creative team, it got the title changed from MKS I guess? idk 23-40 is literally the entire run, it starts on 23 lol

well. no 23-41 is the whole thing but 41 is OMD and I still haven't read it 🤷 Also this is concurrent with a lot of Civil War stuff, like, Aunt May getting shot, and like one of the trades actually is a Civil War branded book, but like... I didn't read basically any of that stuff. If you know the gist of what happens during Civil War, it makes plenty enough sense on its own.

This run is... my shit. Overall, I just like it. And more specifically the issues from the POV of, respectively, Aunt May, MJ, and Felicia, made me cry like a little baby. Hell—I don't even like the villain who's revealed at the culmination of the first arc but I still really like the first arc as a whole. (though I'll admit, while Aguirre-Sacasa writes a Peter I really like, he does fall into my biggest pet peeve (he's not the only one) of talking about Peter's Inherent Pure Goodness but like... he still writes a great Spidey imo)

Also. It turns out I have a thing for moody 2000s comics where it's pouring rain with art that can occasionally be described as "wack" 😂 I actually... unlike Ramos' art, I don't really find myself defending Medina's. It's ridiculously lumpy, it's very mid 2000s aesthetically, it's kind of fuck-ugly. But. The atmosphere is impeccable. I'm also not really a fan of Clayton Crain (who did the art i put up above), generally (he's just not to my taste most of the time) but like, again, the mood is impeccable and Crain is good at what he does when what he's doing is meant to be uncomfortable or creepy. The atmosphere is off the charts, man.

It's absolutely not for ages 9 and up ("A") and I really don't know how or why it got that rating instead of the 15+ "Parental Advisory" warning, because even the briefest of glimpses shows that it's a pretty intense run from the start... it's really just not for kids at all imo, though young horror buffs I'm sure could handle it for the most part.

Also yes this is the comic run where Peter meets and talks to God (#40, the Book of Peter) which. i know sounds weird. and it is weird, i won't lie. But... I liked it? I think it rewired my brain a little bit. When I mention Peter punching dumpsters in fics, this issue is where I got that from. It really made a lot of things click for me.

This run is also why I draw Felicia's hair down to her fuckin ankles lol like—even though I said! that I don't really like Medina's art! The way he draws Felicia in the pouring rain with her long, long hair plastered soaking wet to her body, like. again, rewired my brain a little bit.

THAT BEING SAID—

I feel the need to put a VERY BIG TRIGGER AND CONTENT WARNING on this recommendation.

Issues #38 and #39 are The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock.

The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock is upsetting to read (regardless of your opinion on Venom and/or Eddie as a character(s)).

Listen, I like angst. I write and read a lot of angsty stuff. I like sad endings. I like reading stories that are dark, to an extent. One could probably accuse me of liking edgelord-y or grimdark stuff. I don't even think The Last Temptation is bad. BUT. It's upsetting to read and I think it really requires a trigger warning for the things it deals with—not just cancer but also attempted suicide and self harm, and graphic violence/blood—because it's kind of intense even in its briefness, and it was a little bit upsetting for me to read even as someone who usually isn't bothered by this stuff in fiction. It's just kind of a lot.

So just keep in mind that those two issues but especially #39 might be... kind of intense or upsetting, especially if you don't know what to expect going in. I did know what to expect, I knew what happened in it already, and it still really threw me for a loop just because of the presentation of certain scenes and the visuals themselves, and it kind of stuck with me for a few days just cause it's that kind of heavy.

🕸️🕸️🕸️

Grim Hunt (Amazing Spider-Man #634-637) (Kelly/Lark/Chechetto)

What can I say except AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

another comic that feels like it was made just for me 😂 you might be.. noticing a pattern here.... lmao it's true i'm the target audience for edgy, violent superhero comic books (i'm just also the target audience for like. the ones where the interpersonal relationships are just as important as everything else)

Grim Hunt's got it all: it's got angry Peter, it's got dangerous Peter (perhaps even... murderous Peter), it's got Kaine being tragic, it's got nice art overall, it's got Kraven being a DILF (thanks checchetto)—also it opens on Peter with swine flu 😂

I really enjoyed Grim Hunt when i read it recently, and it really does tap into exactly the kinds of things I like in Spider-Man, in making Peter really give a shit about people, and in having Kaine trying to do the right thing, and especially in having Peter switch into my favorite mode: Horror Movie Serial Killer Mode.

It's a lot of fun!

It's not perfect, of course, and like many of the other comics on my faves list, does that "innate goodness" thing which I disagree with and I think is a thing Kelly often does? At least, twice, i guess, cause it's in Non-Stop as well sort of (though it feels more justified there). And it makes me go NOO Peter's anger does not take away from his humanity, his anger is PART of his humanity! His flaws are what make him human! But other than that it ruled and I really liked it, and like the other comics on here I'll probably try to snag a trade someday if I can find one, cause I like to physically own my favorite comics, generally.

🕸️🕸️🕸️

Non-Stop Spider-Man (Kelly/Bachalo) (all of the issues; it's not very long, it fits in a single trade, you can read it in like. an afternoon.)

(note: I haven't had a chance to read the follow-up to Non-Stop (Savage Spider-Man) yet, so I can't say if that's good or not but Non-Stop is fantastic so it's gotta be at least halfway decent)

Something I'm realizing is that I think I might like Joe Kelly's writing 😂 even his arc in SM/DP is genuinely not awful (I mean, anything that gives me Peter being sexy in a sleek black suit with claws, threatening people, ends up a minimum level of decent just by that virtue alone)

Others have said this: Bachalo's art does feel a little rushed, especially compared to other comics he's done, and yet, despite this, visually it is a TREAT. It is a FEAST for my eyeballs. The layouts are fucking WILD, it's like 90% diagonals, it fucking RULES. It goes 500000 miles an hour. This is hands-down one of the best modern (past 10 years specifically) Spider-Man comics I have read. Period. It rips, slaps, fucks, etc. It's bitchin' and I'd recommend it for the art and layouts alone!

(even if, yes, Bachalo makes Peter the most twinky twink to ever twink; at least he's fuckable) (even if not as fuckable as in SM/DP #23... with the DSL...)

But I like the writing a lot too! It's not just visually appealing, it's simply a stellar all around piece of comic-making, from the art, lettering, writing, the whole team really made something amazing.

And also, okay. So. This comic. I think it's well-written and well-drawn. But. Okay. The dialogue. It's... very very clearly influenced directly by things like the popularity of the MCU by which I mean: over-reliance on Whedon-esque, frequently memetic dialogue (which is weird because none of the other stuff I've read by Kelly has this kind of dialogue style?)... it's Cringe, essentially. That being said, I think Joe Kelly is significantly more successful and better at using this style of dialogue compared to basically every other writer I've ever seen doing it—not that that's saying much but, I do think he was largely successful with it, as cringe as "Nazi, please" is. It doesn't really stop being cringe but it is, for the most part, fairly snappy and well-paced with a good patter that matches the pacing of the art very well. It's called Non-Stop Spider-Man for a reason, it really does not stop.

Also, even with that dialogue and trying to make Peter more hip and cool (which I assume is at least partially editorial), well, Kelly remains very good at writing Peter. He just has a great handle on the character.

I also think that there's a really huge point in Kelly's favor here which is that he's completely, 100% candid, upfront and straightforward about the story he is writing. The villains in this comic are racists. They are neo-nazis and anti-semites. Kelly doesn't shy away from that or try to couch it in metaphors. They're just racist, and that is why they are bad people.

There's a scene where Zemo makes a crack about gold fillings, to Peter's face. Kelly and Bachalo allow for a single completely silent panel following this (which is very impactful in a comic that's this frenetic) and then he snaps. It's a very effective scene, and unlike some other "Character Experiences Discrimination" scenes (such as, for example, Zodiac's violent homophobic assault of Johnny Storm) even despite the fact that "Peter is Jewish" is the only thing that does remain only subtext, it feels very cathartic and well-done because Peter is allowed to be angry and fight back in response; he's not the object of the scene, he's the subject and he gets to act rather than be dehumanized or objectified as nothing more than a victim, and I really liked that and I know that I've talked about that with others who felt that it was very well executed as well.

AND that fighting back and anger is presented as justified, and right, rather than an unfortunate flaw. Peter's rage is sympathetic, justifiable, and not presented as Wrong. He is allowed to be angry, and it is okay that he is angry—in fact it is good that he is angry. Because it means he gives a shit. I like that.

I don't think the plot twist at the end entirely hits right, like... I do 100% see what Kelly was going for with it, and I don't think it's necessarily unbelievable or bad, but something just didn't click right for me there. But overall, I still think it's a good comic and is a good window into my tastes.

To quote myself: it takes big swings, some of them miss, some of them hit really hard, and it feels like it has a lot more teeth than some of the more recent comics. and i can appreciate teeth.

🕸️🕸️🕸️

(Spider-Man: Redemption #3 (DeMatteis/Zeck)

Not specific runs per se but I also really just like anything DeMatteis does—sometimes he does whiff it a tiny bit (rarely) but overall I love his writing stylistically (he's one of few writers that can get me to enthusiastically read a wall of text in a comic book), in terms of characterization and interpersonal relationships—

comics like Spider-Man: The Lost Years or Redemption were really enjoyable for me to read (thanks for the recs TC)

and of course there's Spectacular Spider-Man (Flashback) #-1 (That Thompson Boy!) which is such a foundational issue for Flash's backstory at this point

and who can forget the iconic Child Within (i'll admit i haven't actually read TCW myself but I've seen many, many pieces of it via discord lol)—he and Buscema are such a dream team for comics, really... they work so well together. Nothing hits harder than Harry's death...

Anyway, those are like, The Comics That Define My Taste to some extent (or offer the best window into what I like and understanding my taste) but

There are also other comics I know I would like that I have not read yet! Though I've read a couple issues from JMS' ASM run and enjoyed them, such as ASM #55 (love teacher!peter so much), but there's still a lot I have yet to make my way through. (i still haven't read Kraven's Last Hunt 😂 yeah I know)

(Amazing Spider-Man #55 (JMS/Romita Jr.)

(peter's like, in his mid-to-late 20s at this point i'm pretty sure lol)

And there are other single issues I won't be taking the time to list just cause, there's a lot, you know? Like...

The B story in ASM 622 (or the A story, if you're horny and want to look at peter's biceps and beautiful profile)

(Amazing Spider-Man #622 (A-story: "It is the Life," van Lente/Quinones (peter gets vampire hypnotized), B-story: "Stages of Grief," Weisman/Ross (peter and the crew throw flash a birthday party so he knows just how much he is valued and loved))

or like... ASM Extra! #3 where Flash comes back w/o his legs and Peter beats the shit out of a z-lister because he feels so guilty, and so on and so forth.

(Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3, "Character Assassination: Coda," Guggenheim/...Fiorentino I think? There are two artists in this story, for the two different things happening, but I think the artist for this sequence is Fabrizio Fiorentino, not Olliffe)

anyway

Good shit!!

obviously there are the classics as well, Amazing Fantasy #15, early ASM, etc., like of COURSE. Silver Age is a lot of fun (or, sometimes, tragedy) and the silver age gave us the coffee bean gang, and peter's bitchiness, and such good character dynamics, and was the start of all of it—obviously none of these comics would exist without the silver age, and like, gwen's death is iconic, and so on. but to try to pick specific issues, idk if i can single any out? i hop around so much when i read, you know? it's hard to keep track or to pick favorites 😂

but I do think that Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5 has really valuable insight into Peter as a character (spoiler: he's not very nice), though requires some basic understanding of Cold War politics and the Rosenbergs (thank you Traincat for pointing that second part out to me, it really brings nuance and clarifies subtext that might go missed otherwise)

but you can like… go on wikipedia for that really… I just think it's a neat comic and tbh for every fan (or pro) who tries to insist that Peter is a perfect, delicate, harmless boy maybe they should go to the source and see that Stan Lee disagreed. lol

(and also those people owe me... five bucks and a pizza 😉)

[baronfulmen]

since you made that post, i hope it's okay to ask for info? i'm impacted by US politics but don't know that much about them

i completely agree with you about voting being a must (i'm personally a palestinian with an isr*eli ID, so even though i do not want to legitimize their govt by playing at voting, i do it each and every election to try and curb the fascism... pretty unsuccessfully i would say, but i think of all the people who cant even vote in this 'democracy' and i cast my one vote)

and i saw a post explaining how in the US system, voting for a third candidate is basically throwing your vote in the garbage (very perplexing and vexing), but HOW, out of 300 MILLION people, the only two options are 'genocider' or 'dictator'. that's, as someone put it, the illusion of choice, like a choice between eating dogshit or horseshit. sorry for the language.

i've known Biden's anti-palestine stance for YEARS, and i still posted a lot encouraging people to vote for him, and i know that this genocide under trump wouldn't have been any better for anyone, but what kind of message would it be for him to get re-elected immediately after unquestionably funding and fully supporting this horrific phase of my people's ethnic cleansing.

so if it's not naive to ask: isn't there A N Y other option? idk forcing him to step down (since he refuses to keel over already), another democratic candidate, some form of litigation, or direct action, or anything??? do americans really have so little choice that they have to basically do election charades?

sorry for the long ask, i guess i am not immune to the USA's ''''freedom'''' propaganda

Most of it comes down to it being a two party system. First of all, just to be clear, it is always POSSIBLE for our parties to change. This can happen over time with shifts in priorities and ideologies, or (way less likely but theoretically possible) by having another party show up and take the place of one of the current ones.

But to become president you need a majority of votes from the electoral college and we don't have ranked voting (which would go a long way towards fixing some stuff) so that's always going to result in two big entrenched parties. Those parties then have a primary goal of remaining in power, since if they don't they can't accomplish anything else - plus because we have no effective restrictions on how money influences politics the politicians are basically ALWAYS campaigning for their next election rather than actually focusing on doing anything good (and they're getting the money primarily from corporate interests).

On the local level you can get some good people in there, and you can even get third party or independent candidates elected. And that's one way to change things, start really pushing at the local level and pack the government with politicians that are closer to the ones you really want to see. This happened (but in the worst way) with the Republicans, really getting big with the Tea Party movement which flooded the government with absolute nutjobs. It worked so well they doubled down, which is why we now have people like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or Donald Trump.

This same thing could be done but in a GOOD way, but much like Trump didn't get elected in a vacuum we would need to get the right people into Congress first. Short of that? Biden is bad, but in the same way all presidents are bad. He's not doing anything that his party doesn't approve of, so there's no reason for the Democrats to try and oust him AND no benefit if they did since he'd be replaced by someone that's functionally the same.

So, yeah. The presidential election really is just about voting for the lesser evil, and really people need to get WAY more involved locally.

That's all applicable to stuff in general, but when it comes to Israel specifically there's some other complicated shit going on that I'm not really qualified to speak on but which doesn't actually hinge on genuine support or non-support for Israel or Palestine at all, and is actually related to some Christian doomsday shit which I know sounds like a conspiracy theory but... well... we have some very influential people in this country that are eagerly looking forward to the Second Coming and judgement day and this has had a VERY real impact on our foreign policies. Just look up our current Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

[f0point5]

Hi, sorry to add my two cents as well into the Kelly conversation you had today on your blog.

Let me be honest I really don’t like her either. For the things she said and did herself. And I totally get that you don’t want to talk about politics. But let me just mention that she is/was really outspoken about women rights (abortion and rape and about what was happening in the states especially) and yet she supported bolsonaro (who is pro Israel and openly admitted he would have raped members of his own parliament if they would have been pretty and who calls having girls as kids a weakness) when Kelly herself has a young kid, just because he gave money to the piquets.

Also her saying she had a magical night not only with 18 year old max but she was also already dating daniil at the time (or was just like 2 weeks shy of dating him).

But what really triggers me are her fan pages (and rumoured she herself) making it out to be that max is ps father and her allegedly not allowing daniil to see his daughter (until maxs intervention)

And she also apparently used to talk to her fam pages about her and maxs sex life and it is confirmed that she shared sensitive information about her, ps and maxs whereabouts with her fan pages.

And the way she always talks about/to max is really not making her shine in a good light. She acts more like a mother to max than her own kid. Remember she denied having a nanny multiple times, yet she was photographed with the nanny (by the paps she or her agencies called and payed for)

I’m not even going to touch that whole first paragraph lol I’ve got to stick to my apolitical values.

I will say that the “Max girl dad” narrative comes from his fan pages as much as hers because I’ve seen some very extreme stories/narratives around that and I don’t follow Kelly fan pages, it’s Max fans putting a lot of it out there as well. All you have to do is read what Max himself says to disprove that. So idk what to say about that.

On the nanny, no one should even be asking her that that she should have to confirm or deny. Idk why she would be ashamed of that but she shouldn’t be. Whatever works for her as a mother should not be judged and it’s sad and stupid that we live in a world where having help is something people think they have a right to comment on or even have actual opinions about.

At the end of the day, you and everyone else is allowed to feel however you like about her. You haven’t come in here with misogynistic nonsense so fair enough.

I really don’t have much to say here

[sereniv]

so i was looking at some jewish zionist posts on threads (i wasnt sure if they were zionist at first)

and though there was a bunch of bullshit, i did realize something

1. Interact and read what the opposition say because not only do you get vital info on them (understanding your opposition), but you can sometimes learn something valuable. Yes from anyone.

2. Only do this if you are strong enough because anyone can fall into propaganda and bigoted views. Yes, anyone.

There are things ive learned from shitty people that i didnt expect to learn. That are seperate from their bigotry/opposition. And though theres a lot of overlap with their veiws and bigotry, and usually what they do and say should be viewed in the lense of their mindset- sometimes theres things you can find from someone who has had experiences different from you. Everyone is different, you can learn something from literally anyone even the worst person is going to know something you dont know.

That doesnt mean mingle or to be friends with the worst people! dont do that!

What i mean is anger is understandable in these types of situations, but try and switch to your love of the oppressed instead. Because your anger can look just like their anger. I dont know how to explain or what that means, but you navigate these huge issues better when you don't respond in anger. Trust me i respond in anger. But when i dont, i learn more. Theres better engagement, im more likely to change someones mind.

When i respond in anger, and i view everything in that anger, then idk someone explain what i mean lol. i have scenarios and feelings but i cant describe it. but i know ive seen someone explain it before. I dont mean 'love thy enemy' btw.

Just viewing and responding in an absence of anger is just better.

Anyway, in this case, it was people being antisimetic-

now at first, i was seeing people calling out zionism and zionists claiming it antisemitism. And though typically i pay attention when something is said to be antisimetic, when it comes to zionists who are claiming everything is antisimetic when it wasnt obvious (or at all), then i tend to fall into not actually considering and just assuming they are lying. Not just Jewish zionists, any zionist. For Jewish zionists, their Jewish experience was overides by the fact that they are zionist (which there is no way else to put that zionism means taking away from Palestinians. Bottom line it is wanting Palestinian land to be israel and there is no way to get that without how its going down now).

Just like how sometimes my anger for TERFs can overide my view of their experience as a woman. Which is another reason why viewing with anger isnt good. It can cloud your judgment and warp how you view things even if you are well meaning.

-and sometimes it was blatant antisemitism where anyone could spot it

but other times it seemed like legitimate call outs. and some were!

but something this zionist said made me pay attention to how people are being "discreetly" antisemitic which i think non jews/not yet jews might not notice

and that is calling out zionism when zionism isnt the topic or isnt referenced

This might seem obvious and some cases it is

but not always to non/not yet jews

Like someone had the Magen David necklace in a post asking where they could get it or whatever. literally nothing about israel nothing about palestine or zionism. Its literally just a necklace of the Star Of David

and there were people bringing up zionism and Palestine. and in this case simply bringing up zionism WAS antisimetic because its equating zionism with being Jewish

Seeing a Jew and instantly thinking zionism is antisimetic

Majority of zionists are not going to change. And when i say zionist i dont mean Jew. Bc im pretty sure Biden isnt Jewish lol

Just like any bigot, like any terf, you as an individual are not going to change their mind. You debating them does nothing but make you feel like youre doing something. But you arent. It does nothing to argue with full cast bigots.

What matters more right now than owning the zionists, is protecting Jewish people who have to see all this shit. And i shouldnt have to say, but also Palestinians who have to see it too. Two groups of people who already have to see just so much right now, they dont to see all the shitty things youre seeing too- as in what people think of them.

Jewish people shouldn't have to see someone equate the Magen David to a genocidal symbol because people dont care enough to look anything up.

So block zionists, but also look at what they are saying

do this with any opposition

Actually know what your opposition believes, but you might also just learn something that is seperate from their beliefs. Again this doesnt mean mingle bc you might lear something new. It just means use your head and dont block out everything that you dont agree with right away. Like theres nuance lol idk how to explain it well. But im definitely better for it

And above all think of how your words look to Jewish people rn. Ask yourself if your words are going to change the mind of the person you are talking to? Because if not just block them. I say 'if not' bc some people are actually wanting to learn.

Because of course this genocide is affecting Palestinians, but it is also affecting the Jewish population

People ARE being antisimetic. Not by calling out zionism, but by seeing a Jew or anything Jewish and instantly calling it zionism and therefor supportive of genocide.

So yeah fuck zionism, but im glad that i stayed looking or else i might not have realized that i wasnt recognizing "discreet" antisemitism. If i wasnt curious and wanted to see more of what zionists believe, i would not have grown to be a better person. I wouldnt have learned hands on more of what they believe and how i dont agree with it.

It is seriously so crucial to talk about the seperation of zionism and israel to Jewish people

They are not synonymous. Call out people who are being antisimetic when its obvious they are ignorant. Your comment will be seen by others and they will learn even if the person you messaged doesnt. But dont fight. Just educate. A fight is what i was talking about above on what you shouldnt do. Bc it gets you nowhere.

Be pro actively non antisimetic. Look stuff up. Ask questions.

And though Jewish zionists are zionists, they are also Jewish. Some of their claims to antisemitism might be bullshit but not all of it.

[salds-miegs]

okay here we finally go: my opinions/first impressions of all 37 eurovision songs.

i listened through them all in alphabetical order by country, choosing a live/national selection clip where available except for albania and ukraine, which i understand have both revamped their song since the selection (i mean i know ukraine has, re: albania i might have hallucinated reading about it?). spoilers: my bottom 3 are poland, israel, and san marino.

albania - i pretty much like albania every year, and i enjoy them this year as well.

armenia - i guess i liked this more than i expected? which isn't to say i liked it much, but, still.

australia - i liked it but not as much as i expected to. i think this will become one of my favourites once i start hearing the song for what it is and not for what i expected, you know? this is kind of why it's hard to do a first reaction when you've already seen other people's opinions and promotional material etc bcos right now i'm reacting more to the gap between "the song" and "what i thought the song would be like", as opposed to just the song itself, and that's going to be a theme throughout this reaction honestly.

austria - first impression: a banger. i feel like i have to return to this one to fully Get It.

azerbaijan - huh. i think i do actually like this one but not in a way i can totally justify.

belgium - camp!!!! is this song anything fresh or groundbreaking? no. is it really fun and giving 00's eurovision? it sure is and i love that for belgium.

croatia - i like that this is at eurovision, i like the vibes, but idk if the song itself is anything too special. that said i don't think that's the point.

cyprus - snoozefest lol.

czechia - i feel like i really enjoyed most of the song but then it also had parts that completely fell flat for me? i'd still rank it as one of my favourites though

denmark - hmm. i feel like the song was just okay, with a side of that vocal effect really not working for it. it might be fine in the studio version but i listened to the live and you know. eurovision's gonna be live. so.

estonia - this is another song that's really giving 00's eurovision but in a very different way to belgium. i find it hard to really say anything about it bcos i can't figure out whether i like it, or whether my 12-y.o. self would like it, you know what i mean?

finland - okay well i have heard this one before. i watched umk. someone i know compared his outfit to vihreät kuulat and i think that's the best way to describe how i feel about this song actually. this song is a vihreä kuula. i enjoy it, in general i think it's one of the best things to come out of finland, but also i get sick of it very quickly.

france - i always enjoy france at eurovision, so. no one will be surprised to hear i like this.

georgia - hmm. this didn't sound like a song made to be performed live. i think with this one and armenia i'm really going to have to wait until i do hear them live to figure out how i feel about them.

germany - i know a lot of people really liked this but… i didn't, sorry. i didn't like how it felt like the song kept stopping and starting, and even aside from that, it just wasn't for me.

greece - see: cyprus.

iceland - it's fine. i liked the vibes of the performance but the song itself was just okay.

ireland - it's fine.

israel - i found myself rolling my eyes at this one, and there was some cringing as well. one of my least faves rip

italy - it's impossible for italy to send a bad song to eurovision, credit where credit is due. but have they not sent this one before?

latvia - it's fine.

lithuania - it's fine.

malta - fun!

moldova - overall i liked it but it did also leave me with some questions. very much the sort of thing that appeals to me at eurovision though.

netherlands - so i reviewed all the songs before listening to them just for my own notes and for this one i wrote: "i won't like this at first and then it'll grow on me". i was right about a lot of the songs and i was right about this one. i think this'll be very lovely live on stage.

norway - i expected to be blown away by this, based on the hype, but instead i only liked it just fine.

poland - i went to karaoke night at my local dive bar last week and heard better performances than this.

portugal - i love that portugal always send something a little offbeat and i do like this, but compared to some of portugal's previous entries it's not… that exciting to me, you know?

romania - i enjoyed the song but the staging was a little questionable was it not

san marino - didn't san marino have like a hundred songs in their selection? and they picked this? not judging, just asking. anyway this is in my bottom 3 for the lyric "i can smell you like an animal".

serbia - i like this guy's vibes but i'm not in love with the song.

slovenia - again based on my notes from before listening, i predicted that out of all the groups of lads these would be my faves, and i was right! i liked this one!!

spain - oh yes i like this!! thank you spain

sweden - i hope sweden knows what they have in loreen. she's an incredible singer and performer, and she makes this song sound completely magical despite the fact it would be bland as hell with any other artist. the massive screen on top of her makes me really nervous though, i hope they don't bring it to liverpool bcos i know how much that thing weighs and i have anxiety.

switzerland - there was a post about switzerland's song last year that was like "i agree but can't y'all say that a little less boring", and, well, that.

ukraine - is it possible for ukraine to send a bad song? no. is it possible for them to send a bland song? maybe!

united kingdom - this was the last song i listened to so i was very tired by this point BUT i did think it was fun, so. there ya have it.

[flying-elliska]

Speculations and wishes for s2 of Our Flag Means Death :

- It absolutely needs to happen I think we can all agree

- I kind of want to see Stede make all sorts of wacky ridiculous and adorable efforts to get Ed back but I think they are going to be separated for a while first. I think Stede is going to rally w his crew, get them off the island and things might get awkward bc Stede wants to go after his bf but the bf is the one that left the crew stranded to die and alledgedly killed Lucius. I think Olu's motivation to get back to Jim is going to play a role in this, and I think he should have a bigger role in general so I want to know more abt him. I also think Stede might have to grapple with new guilt regarding the whole situation.

- I think Ed's gonna be on an evil rampage for a bit after which he might hear about Stede's fake death and think it's real, get even more heartbroken, maybe reconsider the whole evil thing, I'm not sure how this whole thing maps with the historical events now - is this the part where he gets into trouble with the Navy and gets killed ? Idk lol. Would be cool to see Blackbeard's own boat and the rest of his crew in any case.

- I don't think Lucius died either he's hidden on one of the secret passages on the Revenge OR he fell into the water but was picked up/washed out on a beach where he met other cool pirate characters, like idk Anne Bonny and Mary Read ? Maybe they're looking for where Calico Jack went idk and anyway Lucius is going to bring them back into the story

- I also want to learn more about the rest of the crew, how they became pirates, etc. On that note, why and when did Stede decide to become a pirate exactly? What about Ed himself ? I think we could have some cool flashbacks about his early pirate life. And what happened with Jim's revenge, did they actually kill all the guys, is something bigger going to come of it ?

- I also think they'd probably introduce some new bad guys in the Navy or like idk that governor that went after Blackbeard

- Apparently IRL Israel Hands got injured and missed out on Blackbeard's last battle, after which he testified against corrupt officials Blackbeard had worked with (are we going to see that in the show too ? Is he going to create some big evil entreprise ?) and ends life as a beggar in London and I am fascinated about how the show is going to adapt that. As it stands I think show Izzy being separated from his beloved captain, thinking he died and not being able to be there and dying alone would be the worst possible option so like. Potentially amazing. Thinking Blackbeard needs to tell him to fuck off at some point to cast away his evil side and choose Stede/goodness (ish) again. That might even be the end of s2.

- I think they'll get back together by the end of s2 but be separated again, this time by forces outside of their own control linked to the trouble they got in while separated, and s3 (since they said they want to tell the story in 3 seasons) would be their final attempt to get back together and elope, staging their deaths at some point

- so many cool possibilities !!!!!!!!! Make it happen !!!!!!!!!

What are you guys' theories ????