#it isn’t all western media

[hacked-wtsdz]

When it was Russia vs Ukraine it was hundreds of sanctions against Russia, months of protests on the street, half of western companies closing in the country, Russia eventually being disconnected from SWIFT, planes no longer being allowed to fly into Europe/USA out of Russia, no more visa privileges, people fired from work and expelled from universities simply for being Russian, Ukrainians getting help with getting into universities, being accepted as refugees in many European countries, millions in financial and military aid sent to Ukraine, Zelenskyy making speeches on every political and non-political worldwide event, Russia being banned from the Olympics, Facebook and Instagram officially allowing hate speech against Russian soldiers, Ukraine being talked about by the western press non-stop.

When it is Israel killing Palestinian civilians, it is the banning of protests for Palestine, social media (aka regular people) being the biggest source of awareness, millions sent to Israel from the USA, misinformation spread by the biggest western journals, major western companies supporting Israel, “it’s not all Jews, antisemitism is still awful” and “if you talk badly about Israel now, you’re an antisemite”, Instagram and TikTok allowing videos of Israelis mocking the dying Palestinians to stay up, USA sending billions in military aid to Israel. BILLIONS IN MILITARY AID. Dehumanising articles about Palestinians. No place for the Palestinians to speak. And more and more and more.

It takes a glance at a history textbook to understand why, of course. It benefits the USA if Ukraine wins and if Palestine gets destroyed. As simple as that.

But to say that you are against the war in Ukraine and support Israel or ignore Palestine is hypocritical. You are either against violence or simply repeating the trendy slogans. Your support of peace might be genuine but if it doesn’t extend to Palestine then it is hollow.

But in general this situation shows how little western people care when tragedies happen “somewhere in the east”. As long as it’s not white people, European people, people who look like you and believe in what you believe and are not poor, not uneducated, not somewhere far away, you do not care.

But also this situation shows how eager people are to follow trends without researching the situation. Some research into the history of Russia and Ukraine will reveal the fact that this conflict is complex and is wider than just Ukraine and Russia. It will also reveal some pretty disheartening facts about the Ukrainian government. Some research into the history of Israel and Palestine will reveal the lies of the western media.

When it’s Palestinian HAMAS “starting the violence” (not true if you look at the big picture), then they are terrible terrorists all — even the children — and the Israeli bombing is justified.

When it’s the Ukrainian government bombing Donbass villages (on the border with Russia, inhabited by many Russians) for seven years, with enough children dead from it that they built an “alley of angels” for them, literally nothing is said about it.

This isn’t a justification for the war but another example of how differently people treat westerners and middle easterners.

The west, its media, its governments, its companies, care only for gain. They say that they care for people but only for certain people, only for regions in which it brings gain. And people buying into their propaganda is enraging to see. People supporting only European lives is enraging to see. People clearly not caring about Palestine because it is largely Muslim and Middle Eastern and poor is enraging to see.

Free Palestine.

[ohello0]

Finding a very dark irony in the fact that the Columbia protests were meant to draw attention to Palestine yet massacre after massacre is happening in Rafah and thousands detained in the West Bank without eyes and ears to witness them

[slutshame-alexanderhamilton]

An objectively hilarious and supremely petty Cold War moment was when a Soviet Air Force pilot defected and turned his fighter over to the US. When the Soviets asked for him and his jet back, the US took 67 days to examine the jet and then sent it back in pieces…

[vaspider]

I agree with you in principle about paying media creators, but the fact is that people who are spreading piracy stuff are often doing so because either 1) they don’t want to give money to the big corporations that control most mass media, or 2) they don’t have the money to give to creators of things they love. I agree that if you have the means to give proper support to things you love, you should, but not everyone has access to library resources (for example, not everyone is American/western and so not everyone has access to online pdfs through a library, or even libraries at all in some places) and it just feels very…. not extreme, but a bit harsh to equate reading a pdf with intentionally withholding money from creators. I’m sorry it this comes across rudely, that isn’t my intent, but it feels very unfair to generalise so harshly on a post about resources for when you can’t access certain things

You aren't entitled to someone else's labor just because it's art.

I'm going to repeat that, because people seem to be confused: you aren't entitled to someone else's labor just because it's art.

Just because you don't have money to pay a creator doesn't mean that you can take what you want and take money out of other people's pockets just because it's art.

I would love to have more art from @fofoart, but I don't have the money to pay them right now, so you know what that means? I don't have more art from them. I would love to read Thistlefoot right now, but I don't have the money to buy it at the moment, and so you know what that means? I wait until I can get it through my library or until I have the money to buy it, because I am not entitled to someone else's labor just because it's art.

There are plenty of books out there which can be read without pirating books. If you sign up to Tor's website you often get emails about free books and short stories. Project Guttenberg exists. Writers often post free stories on websites. There are more legitimate and free books out there right now, in the genres that you like and want to read, than you could ever read in ten lifetimes.

You are not entitled to someone else's labor just because it's art. You are not entitled to fuck up someone's sales numbers or make a publishing house go "your books are pirated too much so we're gonna pay you less" just because you want to read that specific book.

I mean, you can do that, I guess, but you can't do it and be morally correct about it. You can do it and be an asshole, or you can not do it, read one of the many many free books in this world, and not be an asshole.

There are no other choices. You don't get to just say "well I don't have money but I want this" and fucking steal it and then act like this is anything but theft. It's theft! It's not justified just because you really wanna read it!

This isn't "not supporting creators," this is stealing from artists because you feel entitled to do so because "I want it."

That's toddler logic. Grow up.

[cpunkhobie]

I appreciate everyone giving their opinions on tmnt's racism, but I don't need 50 people going "it wasn't intentional." 1st of all:

2nd of all:

IT DOESNT FUCKING MATTER. I do not CARE if it was intentional or not. I do not GIVE A FUCK about the intentions of the creators or if they meant for it to be racist. The individual biases of a person DOESNT MATTER HERE. IT DOES NOT !!!!!!!!!

This is about a systemic and culture-wide issue with anti-asian stereotypes in media, and how baked into western pop-culture orientalism is for these stereotypes to be SO EASILY applied to the most popular franchises today. And if it's unintentional, THEN THAT JUST PROVES MY FUCKING POINT!!!!!!

If people don't even have to think about the stereotypes they're applying to Asian American characters, or Asian characters in general, if this racism is just happening UNCONSCIOUSLY. THATS THE FUCKING PROBLEM!

If these movies and games and tv shows go through dozens or hundreds of people, and not one person with any kind of power over the final result goes "hey, this seems like a stereotype or borderline caricature, or just outright racist." That's is the problem! How normalized these stereotypes are, to the point where they are unintentionally put in so much media where an Asian American character is present. It doesn't matter if it's intentional!

The amount of Asian Americans, and I'm not just talking about East Asian's here - West Asian, South East Asians, South Asians, how many times do you think people have to turn a blind eye to bad-faith, misinterpretations of our cultures in our favorite shows, movies, games, books because it "wasn't intentional." I got 5 asks, in an hour, even more comments, reblogs, and tags, coming from a bunch of different Asian ethnicities about how they're so glad someone is finally talking about it. Because we just have to fucking ignore it! We just have to! Because enjoying anything popular would be almost impossible if we didn't!

Most racism, is not intentional, ITS STILL RACIST. I want to make it clear to you, this is a culture wide issue. That should be the discussion. Stop trying to baby grown-ass white adults putting racist shit in their shows because "yeah but it probably wasn't intentional." I DONT CARE!

And I HAVE PRIVILEGE IN THIS SITUATION! I'm wasian, I'm a light skinned, white passing mixed kid. I grew up in a majority Asian area. I can only imagine how much fucking harder it is to see this shit when you're maybe the only Asian person in your friend group, if you're from anywhere that isn’t Japan, Korea, or China, if you or your family are Asian immigrants, god forbid if you have an accent.

And I still getting people telling me I’m “basically Chinese” when I say I’m Taiwanese. If they even know what Taiwan fucking IS.

If your first thought seeing someone telling people to think critically about racist stereotypes is “it wasn’t intentional” and not “oh wow, these stereotypes are really baked into our culture” fucking analyze that.

Thanks for reading me fucking losing it. I’m tired.

[jewish-sideblog]

Hundreds of neo-nazis, including members of the current far-right Italian government, gathered for a ceremony outside Italy’s former neo-nazi party headquarters. They chanted white suprematist slogans, displayed white suprematist symbols, and lined up in army formation for a collective nazi salute.

The video source here is Twitter. Because despite the fact that multiple Italian politicians have confirmed it’s real, I could only find two “news” articles covering the event, from Vice and The Guardian, of all places. Both refer primarily back to this video. I hate to be the bitch who says “Why isn’t anybody talking about this,” but in this case, the “this” that isn’t getting talked about is the resurrection of the same European fascist regime that led to the literal fucking Holocaust. So I’m not going to ask, “Why isn’t anybody talking about this?” Instead, I’ll say this, and I’ll say it specifically to the Jews:

Western goyim had the chance to stop this from happening. They had the chance to show that they had grown from the Shoah, from Shoah denialism, and from rampant, centuries-old antisemitism. They had the chance to speak out for us, to protect us, and to give real meaning to the words “Never Again”. Instead, they have at best paid hollow lip service to Jewish safety, and they have enabled the globalization of the ripe conditions of nazism we find ourselves in today. We know why no one is talking about this. We know.

There are less Jews today then there were in 1939. We lost six million lives less than a century ago, within living memory. We have not recovered from that loss. But the world has forgotten. Ten percent of Americans under 40 have never even heard of the Shoah. The majority don’t know how many lives we lost. The statistics from Europe aren’t that much better.

They say that those who have forgotten their history are doomed to repeat it. Goyim have forgotten, and the repetition is here. We’ve seen them repeat thousand-year-old canards without batting an eye. We’ve seen them call for the gassing, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of Jews. We’ve seen the lengths they will go to supporting misinformation about our history and culture, in service of the people who call us dirty pigs and dogs who need to be hunted to extermination.

I am horrified that I haven’t seen international news outlets or goyim on social media talk about this yet. I am angered by it. But I am not surprised. Whatever crimes against Judaism come next, I will be horrified, and I will be angered. But I will no longer be surprised by what they will stoop to.

[toebeans-mcgee]

Please, don’t forget about the women in Afghanistan.

This image is not at all a commentary on Islam and/or of the different head-coverings that a woman may choose to wear while respecting her faith. Wearing a burqa/burka does not equate to an inherent lack of rights/freedom. This is also not a criticism of the Barbie movie. This is a statement about the brutal treatment of the women and girls in Afghanistan (as well as in Iran). 

I loved the Barbie movie and think it’s a very important and empowering film. However, it is a bit jarring when I’m scrolling through my phone, listening to the Barbie soundtrack, and I come across an article detailing the mounting horrors these women face in these countries. There is so much happening in the world, and it all needs news time, but the virtual media silence on this topic is frightening.

Even though my country isn’t perfect (especially so after June of last year), it’s easy to lose perspective on how privileged I am. 

The many different flavors of western feminism aren’t for everyone and every culture; to think so would be privileged and tone deaf. There is no "one-size-fits-all" kind of empowerment. But, objectively, what is happening to women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran is abhorrent and cannot be forgotten. 

If Barbie can be anything, then Barbie can be an advocate and an activist. Do what you can, Barbies.

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” ― Audre Lorde

[scorpiussage]

The Robin to My Batman (Neil Lewis/Fem!OC)

Pairing: Neil Lewis/Fem!OC 

Summary: A comic book store opens up next to Gumshoe Video prompting a hot and heavy feud between the two businesses and their nerdy owners. 

Theme: Romance - Enemies to Lovers 

Warnings: Nerds being nerds, smut 

The early morning walks to open Gumshoe Video are always enjoyable for Neil. He loves getting coffee from that family owned Armenian coffee shop down the street, greeting the old man who owns the hardware store across the street, and contemplating what the day’s theme should be. 

However, his gorgeous, peaceful morning comes to a screeching halt as he spots a large moving truck parked in front of Gumshoe— no, parked in front of the vacant store to the left of his. He quickly darts into the alleyway across the street and watches with mounting horror as some—so far unrecognizable—new business moves in. 

“No no no no no,” Neil mutters to himself, already picturing the worst case scenario. What if it’s a competing video store? Or perhaps on of those Christian shops that sells over priced bible themed tchotchkes? Both are miserable possibilities and he has no idea what he’ll do if either of those ends up being the case. 

When the coast is clear of movers, Neil goes sprinting into his store and making a made dash for the phone to call his friends. 

He has a bad feeling about this. 

…

The first time he sees her is at the grand opening of Golden Age Comics, the new comic book store next door. The first thing he sees when he walks in isn’t the life sized cutouts of various comic book characters placed strategically about nor the wall display of rare figurines. 

No, the first thing he sees is her, Bailey Taylor, the owner of the shop. She’s dressed like Wonder Woman, displaying these long shapely legs that have Neil’s jaw going slack in awe. She flutters about the store, greeting customers and advertising the big grand opening sale she’s running. 

Johnathan and Lucien, who came into the store with him, start needling each other excitedly, muttering about how hot she is and Neil can only feel dread. This can only spell bad news, he just knows it. 

Not at all like a coward, he quickly flees the store before she can approach him. 

…

The first time he actually meets Bailey, she comes into his shop. Today Gumshoe is having a deal on westerns and so Neil is dressed accordingly as a cowboy. When she walks into his store, it creates a rather comical juxtaposition as it appears her own store is having a sale on Japanese manga. 

Sailor Moon Bailey and Cowboy Neil stare each other down. 

“Um, hi,” she greets with an awkward little wave, her smile bright despite the uncomfortable mood, “I own the comic book store next door. My name is Bailey.” 

Neil nods stiffly, doing everything in his power to not stare at how hot she looks in that cosplay. When Neil fails to respond, an irritatingly adorable frown mars her features 

“Okay,” she mutters to herself before saying, “Well, I just wanted to see if you’d be willing to do a team-up and have a collaborative sale.” 

Neil scoffs, “And what? Hock old Adam West Batman tapes?”

She perks up and nods enthusiastically, “Yes! Exactly! I actually have this really great id-.”

Neil shudders at the thought and cuts her off before she can get going, “The old Batman show is absolute garbage in its cinematic delivery— no way would I subject my customers to that.” 

The glare she gives him could cut steel and admittedly makes his happy bits stir in interest. 

“Garbage?” She snarls, “That show was a pioneer for superhero media! Just because some over hyped alcoholic wife beater didn’t direct it, doesn’t mean it’s not good!” 

Neil’s eyes narrow at her and he crosses his arms, trying to appear more authoritative than he usually looks, “Oh believe me, the director has nothing to do with the bad editing and poor visual shots!” 

The woman looks like she’s visibly holding herself back from launching herself over the counter and decking Neil in the face. His cock makes another inappropriate twitch at the thought and he internally scolds himself for these reactions. 

Without another word, Bailey storms out of the store and stomps her way back to her own shop and Neil breathes a sigh of relief. 

God, he really needs to get laid if some uneducated comic dork is getting him riled up. 

…

After that disastrous first encounter, a Cold War of sorts settles over the two businesses. If Neil is having a sale, Bailey will have a better one. If Neil does a midnight showing of a movie, Bailey hosts a free-to-join D&D party. If Neil dressed up, Bailey does too but does it better. 

It’s aggravating. 

Neil doesn’t even know what it is about her that has him going absolutely insane, but it’s beginning to be a problem. For instance, last week she dressed up like Cat Woman and strutted about both in and out of her store, placing herself in full view of Neil boredly manning the register of his own shop. He had to go and jerk off in his office like five times; and he was still horny afterwards!

Like he said— problem. 

And it’s only getting worse. 

“Dude, oh my god! She’s dressed like a school girl today!” Johnathan says while rushing into the shop, a lecherous grin on his face, “Her skirt is so short!” 

Lucien cheers and Neil rams his head onto the surface of the checkout counter repeatedly. 

He’s gonna die horny and infuriated by her subpar taste in cinema, it’s inevitable. 

Lucien just gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and leaves him to his melancholy while he and Johnathan go next door. 

“Ugh what do I do?!” He laments pathetically to himself. 

…

The second interaction that Neil has with Bailey happens on a slow night for both businesses. 

Neil is parked on the shop couch, watching Lady in the Lake and barely staying awake when she comes into his shop. She’s dressed normal today in a worn Captain Marvel t-shirt and denim shorts and he’s a little too tired to properly hide the slow up and down he gives her. 

A little blush settles on her face when she catches him doing that. 

“Slow night?” She asks after clearing her throat awkwardly. 

“Yeah, you?” 

Bailey blows a raspberry and nods, walking over to the couch and throwing herself down onto it next to Neil. He quickly scoots over, giving her room while trying to smooth his shirt and hair down to look less like a mess. 

“What are we watching?” She asks. 

Things sort of devolve from there. Whether it was one innocent comment taken the wrong way, or an intentional dig, it prompts a fresh new screaming match between the two of them over the cinematic quality of the Adam West Batman series. This woman will not let go of that trash TV series, Neil realizes.

Bailey gets up from the couch at some point, Neil hot on her heels as they move their heated argument about the store. It’s when they’re next to the wall that Neil pushes her against the surface and pins her arms high above her. He’s not thinking when he kisses her, pushing his tongue into her mouth to taste her— he’s running purely on adrenaline and instinct. 

That first kiss they share is not a gentle one; it’s rough and filthy and hot. 

“You are such a brat,” Neil bites out scathingly, his hands slipping away from her wrists to start running over her chest, cupping those perky tits of hers in his hands. 

“You are an obnoxious tool!” She sneers in return, her now free hands making quick work of his belt buckle and the button on his jeans. 

“I can’t believe how terrible your taste is in cinema! A rock would have better opinions!” Neil helps her push his pants down and then reaches forward to yank her shirt off. The bra she’s wearing is just a simple navy colored one but it has him physically biting back a moan at the sight. 

She smirks up at him, then pushes him away with a rough shove, sending him into one of the shelves. She gets into his space, wrapping her arms around his neck and initiating another one of those blood racing kisses. 

He reaches down and grabs her under her thighs, hoisting her up to wrap her legs around his waist. He starts walking them back towards his office, fully intent on throwing her down onto his couch in there and getting all this frustration out of his system. 

Sex has always been pretty gentle and by-the-book for Neil, he’s never had a desire to be rough or for a partner to be rough with him, but Bailey makes his head fuzzy. She makes him want to do things he’s never done before. 

“Fuck— Neil!” She gasps when he puts her down and immediately sticks his hand down the front of her shorts and starts rubbing along her slit. It’s so wet and he groans, his cock twitching in anticipation. 

“Can’t wait to shut you up,” he tells her, his long fingers alternating between rubbing vicious circles on her clit and slipping down to enter her with harsh thrusts, “Been thinking about this for weeks.” 

Her fingers scratch lightly across his stomach as she pushes his shirt up, “Well, you’re going to have to do lot better than this to make that happen.” 

His eyes narrow and he pulls his hand out of her shorts, ripping the button open and yanking them down her legs. He grips her around her hips and flips her onto her stomach, climbing onto her legs to keep her from kicking about. 

“I am so sick of that smart mouth,” he tells her before laying a loud slap to her right ass cheek, making her cry out in surprise that dissolves into a moan. He would spank her in earnest, but he’s been so fucking horny for so long that he only gives her a few smacks before slipping his fingers up under the edge of her panties, rubbing the buttery soft skin of her ass. 

Trailing his hands up, he unhooks her bra and climbs off of her so that she can turn over onto her back. She’s quick to shuck off her bra and panties, exposing herself entirely to his hungry gaze. 

“You said you thought about this for weeks,” she remarks while slipping her fingers down to her folds, “How many times did you jerk off to me?”

He groans and goes down to his knees, leaning forward and shouldering his way between her thighs. 

“So many fucking times,” he admits shamelessly before licking into her with enthusiasm.

Her fingers thread through his hair, tugging him forward and using the leverage to grind against his face. He could die here, smothered between those shapely thighs, and it would be in total bliss. Her moans are the sweetest thing he’s ever heard and he endeavors to hear them get louder. 

“Are you gonna cum for me, baby?” He asks, his fingers returning their journey of entering her and his eyes watching with hooded rapture as her cunt sucks them into her. 

“Neil,” she gasps his name, chanting it like a prayer and he picks up the pace with his fingers. He sucks on that hard little bud of hers and feels her cum around his fingers, that soaking cavern gripping him tightly. 

“Fuck, baby,” he groans, “please let me fuck you.” 

Her thighs are shaking as she comes down from her orgasm high, “Yes, fuck yes.” 

He doesn’t need any more encouragement— he’s barely got his underwear down before he’s pushing into her. She’s tighter and wetter than any other pussy he’s been in and he tells her as much, rasping filthy things into her ear as he begins a brutal and unrelenting rhythm. 

“Thought about bending you over the front counter and fucking you stupid so many times.” 

Her nails dig into his back, raking along the surface and certainly leaving their mark. 

The thought alone of her marking him could make him cum. He bites his lip harshly to try and wrestle back some control, unwilling to see it end so soon. 

It barely works as his hips stutter in their thrusting. 

“Can I cum in you?” He asks— no, practically begs her.

Her arms snake around his shoulders, tugging his head forward to rest against hers, their mouths finding each other hungrily. Between filthy, tongue filled kisses, she gasps, “Please!” 

Permission granted, he buries himself as deep as possible inside of her, the head of his cock nudging her cervix, and he cums. He groans loud and long as those warm, wet walls squeeze every last drop from his cock, sucking it better than any blow job could manage. 

He pulls out of her slowly and almost reluctantly, sad to part from that perfect cunt of hers. A flow of white cum follows his departure, dripping from her opening and over her ass in thick globs. 

He’s never seen something so sexy in his life and he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he doesn’t get to see it again. 

Stepping back from Bailey, he grabs his shirt off the floor and uses it to wipe her clean, chuckling at the deadpan look she gives him for the effort. Tossing the shirt aside, he climbs onto the couch and lays himself out next to her, pulling her to rest against his chest. 

They lay like that for a long time, catching their breaths and basking in the after glow. 

“You don’t really hate the Adam West Batman series, do you?” Bailey asks, her eyes looking up at Neil imploringly. 

Neil about answers the way he normally would but when he looks down at her and sees the earnest expression she’s wearing, he doesn’t have it in him to be an asshole. 

“No, it’s not that bad,” he lies and feels his heart flutter when she shoots him a beaming smile in return. 

He thinks he can stand mediocre cinema for her sake. 

[bfpnola]

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[communistkenobi]

Obviously art does not rest on methods, media, or the amount of effort a person exerted in making it, but I think AI art is yet another way that capitalism is changing the form and function of art (separating artworks from their original meaning on a different and even larger scale) and given that it is made by exploiting workers (the original artists and the people they pay pennies to sort through it to remove disturbing images) it makes people feel yet more powerless in the face of corporations so there is a big negative reaction to it. This negative reaction may not be articulated in the way you want but I think it's very understandable that people have reactionary feelings about large scale corporate exploitation.

just for the record before I respond, I am replying to this ask in good faith just as you are asking in good faith, I’m not angry at you and many of these questions I’m asking are rhetorical, for the purposes of reflection. So please no slapfighting in the notes, thank you!

First: I’m not disputing exploitation. in fact privileging AI as uniquely exploitative handwaves away the massive amount of exploitation that artists already endure and have endured for a very long time, as well as the horrific amounts of labour exploitation involved in mass producing the ‘tools of the trade’ so to speak.

But this is, again, a non-sequitur to my argument, which is that art produced under exploitative, destructive, “lazy” or politically repugnant conditions is still art. MCU films are art regardless of the fact that they are 3-hour long informercials for the American empire and require massive labour exploitation from CGI animators, actors, film set workers, and everything else: advertisements are art: AI art is art. Horrifying, trite, unoriginal, bad, socially destructive, maybe all of those things are true and we can talk about the merits of those claims (I certainly have strong opinions about them), but what is politically gained from saying bad, unoriginal, horrifying, or trite art isn’t art? Whose definitions are we using here, and if those definitions should be universalised, what does it mean for artists who are only unoriginal, only bad, only whatever else?

I return to my original example: are children not qualified to be artists if they only make “bad” art? I used to trace movie stills from Harry Potter photo books as a child because I loved the characters - am I a fraud for doing so? Am I given grace for my incompetence and “theft” on the basis of me “still learning how to do real art”? When does this grace period end? If we argue that only struggle can produce art, what level of struggle? Struggle for whom? Drawing isn’t difficult for me because I was taught how to hold a pencil, read, write, and draw by a western industrial publicly-funded primary school by a teacher paid with public tax dollars, supplemented with help every night from my mother and father, two married cishet middle class people in a mostly stable (if miserable and verbally abusive) marriage - all of which is resting atop stolen indigenous land. Under what historical conditions can arguments for artistic struggle be made? When we argue for struggle(/hard work/whatever) as the basis of art we are pre-supposing a universal subject whose struggle is globally standardized and calculable - which in all of these discussions on here is (implicitly, though sometimes explicitly) a white able-bodied settler living in a western state who benefits from universal primary education that teaches them the foundational skills of how to make art. You can probably add university educated to that too, given how many of these arguments seem to be swarmed by undergraduate students.

Arguing that there needs to be some threshold for method, labour, intent, or message for art to ‘actually be art’ is politically reactionary and is what I am responding to. It requires transcendental claims about the Artist as a unique labourer set apart from and superior to all others, one whose skills are universalised and whose intent is always observable and present in their work. So if people want to talk about exploitation they should talk about exploitation, not the definition of art. It’s not my fault people can’t stay on topic!

[meyhew]

You condone violence against innocent civilians?

i don’t “condone” it but i’m not condemning it in this context because apart from the actual babies and children, there are no “innocent civilians” in israel. the men, the women, the elderly—they’re all settlers and they’re all complicit in the crimes of their government. almost all of them have homes they can flee to outside of israel. they take their sweet time packing up their bags and going to the airport to fly elsewhere. a huge number of the israeli population also holds american citizenship because they are all settlers. they are living on very recently stolen land, in other people’s very recently stolen homes. they have in the past made it a celebration to watch missiles strike palestinian civilians. after facing decades of terror and brutalization, if palestinians are finally striking back violently, i 100% support it. and they have not intentionally targeted civilians i beg u to actually get news from somewhere that isn’t western media twisting the narrative. purposefully killing and torturing civilians is a tactic straight out of israel’s playbook. not palestine’s. everything israel is promising to do in retaliation, it has already done to the people of gaza. it has already killed and abducted women and children on purpose, for years on end. thousands of people jailed indefinitely without cause. countless residents bombed to rubble. where’s the condemnation from everyone for that

and once again, even if a handful of civilians were targeted by hamas, i don’t condemn it. because again: the civilians are fucking settlers. palestinians have been nonviolent in their resistance for a long time and an oppressed group can only be passive for so long before they start to hate their aggressor. all of this is a result of the israeli government terrorizing palestinians for decades and the israeli settlers choosing to be there. who would the israeli government do all this for if there wasn’t a population it was governing? only the children are absolved of that guilt because they haven’t had the choice to be there or move back to wherever the fuck they came from

open up a history book. decolonization is violent. and i will always be on the side of the oppressed, no matter how violently they fight back

[kopilot-pop]

hi, about the yunjin starbucks controversy.

i’m gonna try to be as fair as possible talking about this controversy, but i’ll be honest i’m leaning more on yunjin’s side. i’ve been getting several requests on yunjin and i feel like i need to get this off my chest every time i see her name on my page.

let’s start off with the facts: yunjin was caught drinking starbucks in Korea (in front of the company building.)

I thought she drank it on a post or somethrong but no, it was just a few pixels of a low quality picture fans took. And that’s my first minor problem; she wasn’t on live, it wasn’t a post, it was a few milliseconds of pixels. But I get the ‘performative activism’ controversy, it DOES feel like she’s hiding it.

However, my take is that she just got out from her car, and wanna know a little fun fact? Most snacks and drinks that all idols are seen eating are most likely bought by their managers. And it’s a fact that Koreans aren’t currently boycotting Starbucks as actively as western foreigners are. So my thought the first time I saw the picture was that. The manager probably just bought coffee from whatever shop was closest, and handed it to her.

But I do understand how that can feel like reaching so I did some more research .

The biggest thing I have to so called ‘defend’ Yunjin is that Starbucks Korea is completely separate from International Starbucks (source: ChosunBiz).

In 2021, 67.5% of Starbucks was comepletely bought by E-Mart (a branch of Shinsegae), and the rest 32.5% was bought by a Singaporean investment comapny (GIC).

So oh, Starbucks Korea has no affiliations with the part of Starbucks that sues their worker’s union.

However, I can make the argument that Yunjin could influence others to ignore the boycott and buy Starbucks. Is it true that she has several international fans and alot of impressionable fans? Yes.

But then we have to go back to our first argument; it was a few milliseconds of a low quality video.

And after finding that out, I started to feel like all the people commenting about “starbucks queen💕” and “omg whats your starbucks order?” is the problem.

YOU guys are the one promoting Starbucks at this point. Do you understand?

I’m not saying don’t hold someone accountable, no, but I’m saying the comments aren’t fucking helping.

Don’t get me wrong, I do live in Korea, and I have been actively avoiding purchasing from them because I saw a few posts on twitter referencing it. I based an activity on a twitter post. And wanna know when I figured out WHY I was supposed to boycott exactly?

After I deleted Twitter because of the stress I got from the app.

That’s when I finally found out about the BDS list, found out oh, Puma is on the list, McDonalds is an even bigger problem than Starbucks (directly supplying food to soldiers), HP APPARENTLY SUPPLIES TECH FOR THE ISRAEL GOVERNMENT, and oh wow! Starbucks isn’t even on the list because theres not enough proof that they financially fund Israel.

In conclusion, the people preaching about how Yunjin is a performative activist is such hypocrites themselves

It’s clear that while some of the comments and criticisms are genuine, trying to hold a person accountable, but its also clear that the repeat of the same mocking comments of Yunjin is just performative and for attention and likes.

That’s what pisses me off. People who don’t give a shit about Palestine, and people even if they do support Palestine not even doinng the bare minimum amount of research just having fun mocking (not criticizing) a person when a tiny bit of wrong doing is shown.

Please, go look in the mirror, and i dont like saying this but go touch grass, do your own research, dont base off your whole ideology on a reddit post or a twitter, tumblr post, read different variety of news articles from several companies, and THEN make your decision on a situation. Not only Starbucks, not only on Yunjin, but on several other ones too.

Media literacy. Look it up.

[echo-of-sounds]

wedding

Small headcanons about Aizawa, Toshinori, Hizashi, and Gang Orca's wedding.

I'm once again sorry about my absence. I'm trying my hardest to write. It's coming slowly, but it is coming. I promise. <3

Aizawa Shouta

Shouta wouldn't bring up marriage until a long while into the relationship. It's never something he's put much thought into, and he certainly never pictured marriage coming quickly or easily. He just needs time to warm up to the idea, partly because he's afraid of it ending badly, like how everyone fears, and partly because he's well aware he isn’t the 'husband type' people tend to picture. But he isn’t against it. Having someone beside you during your worst and highest points, sharing the love and emotions, is, admittedly, a comforting thought.

Before officially proposing, he’ll talk about it with you extensively. He isn’t the type to surprise his partner, putting way too much pressure on them in public (he often finds himself grimacing at the men who do that and their poor, speechless partners). The proposal “event” would be small — It’s evening. You’re unwinding on the couch after a long day out. And he casually slides the ring on your finger, asking if you’d marry him. The ring is simple, natural, and beautiful. White gold bands intertwine like vines, holding a petite rose quartz stone. 

He'd want a small wedding. No annoying bands, large festivities, or overly complicated planning. In fact, continually insisting on those actually makes him hesitant about getting married, as he'd feel you weren't considering his wants. He simply wishes the wedding would celebrate you and him, with some good food and the people closest and most important to you.

During the event, it's hard to read him. His face is flat as usual. His jaw is clenched, arms crossed, close to his body. Yet his eyes are genuinely happy. He doesn't get a lot of occasions to relax with his friends, but he worries something's going to ruin it. Rub the small of his back, hold his hand, and don't be afraid to kiss him publicly. It's the one time he's okay with it. And it helps him relax. 

Sho is definitely someone that spends as little as possible on the wedding and uses the saved money for a longer, better honeymoon. Where it is, though, he doesn't care that much. As long as it's not to some casino or any other loud place, he's okay with you deciding. He trusts you not to drag him anywhere he'd hate. Besides, letting you pick gives you a chance to surprise him with something he truly deserves: a relaxing vacation away from his stressful life. 

Once the emotions settle after everything, Shouta wouldn't feel much different. Your lives are pretty much the same. Though, his chest fills with a pleasant warmth when he's able to circle "spouse" instead of simply "partner" on paperwork or anything like it for a while. Not that he'd say it. And wearing the silver ring is quite nice, knowing you're also wearing one.

Yagi Toshinori

When he was younger, Toshi occasionally thought about getting married and having kids and how nice it would be to have that simple life. But then he became All Might. And then he got sick. And now he's sick and retired, struggling to see himself as worthy or as important as he once was. Marriage stopped occurring to him. He thought it'd just be another part of life he wouldn't get to experience. 

His proposal comes at the end of a romantic evening together. He plans it meticulously and worries throughout the date, toying with the box in his pocket while you eat dinner and walk through the park. The question comes a bit earlier than planned. He stops you among the trees and flowers and kneels, revealing the rose gold engagement ring with your favorite stone in the center. 

Whether it's more traditional, more western style, or a combo, it doesn't matter. Toshi isn't picky. He, like Shouta, just doesn't want it to be large or overly invasive like all the press and media events he's been subjected to. He'd invite Gran Torino, Midorya, Tsukauchi, and a few other close friends, but that's about it. This one part of his life he'd like to stay his.

His ideal wedding would be outside at a nice hotel or villa near the woods or ocean. Lanterns and string lights hang on the trees. Soft colors decorate everything — maybe a pale beige complimenting pink or a gentle cream to go with purple. Candles. Flowers. The ribbons on the chairs. It all matches perfectly. His outfit compliments what you choose to wear. A calm atmosphere, you, and your happiness are all he really wants.  

You won't really get a chance to pick your honeymoon destination because he'll surprise you with a trip to some place you've always wanted to go. So, in a sense, you do pick it, but he buys the plane tickets, books the hotel room, and looks into local activities before you can even bring up the idea of the honeymoon. It doesn’t matter if it's to the Naturmuseum Senckenberg in Germany that you've talked about for years or to Iceland, so you can finally see the aurora borealis and all the other natural beauties the country offers. He wants it to be special, memorable, and personal. Plus, he has the money and won't hesitate to spend extra on you for this occasion.

Yamada Hizashi

Marriage has been fifty-fifty in Hizashi’s mind. He isn't a stranger to relationships, but something's always held him back, possibly even scared him away from marriage. He knows he's not perfect. He can be loud, sometimes unintentionally annoying, busy with his jobs, unfocused, and just a bit much. There's always an unfocused, lingering fear that his spouse would eventually get fed up with him and leave. Yet, you’ve been together for years. You’ve never given him the impression at all. So, maybe it’s worth it?

He'd like matching wedding bands, and he's the type to never take his off. And because it’s Hizashi, the ring is assuredly flashy. Your bands would be gold with diamond decorations. Your engagement ring is the exceptional one though: diamond buds lay on golden vines with a marquise diamond in the center. Yeah, it's expensive and just a ring, but he loves what it symbolizes and wants you to feel special. 

Hizashi is one hundred percent down for the wedding being a grand yet laid-back production. Book the local band or famous DJ you love. Find the fanciest event site you want. Load it with candles and flowers and decorations of your favorite color. Style doesn't matter. He simply wants it to be fun. And he wants you to have fun with it. He hates how wedding planning is always stressful when it should be time for you two to relax and just appreciate one another, regardless if the party is grand or small.

Even if you spent a fair amount on the wedding, he also wants the honeymoon to be lavish. He’s by no means a millionaire, but he does have extra funds for things like this. And besides, this’ll be the only honeymoon you two go on. It should be memorable. He leans more towards cities rather than the typical beach-and-relax destination. Maybe Italy or Spain? He thinks of the architecture and culture, hot-air balloon rides, and winery tours. La dolce vita, y’know?

Gang Orca

Kugo knew he wanted a family and marriage since his teen years, and that desire has only grown as he has. He sees coworkers and colleagues posting about their anniversaries and children, all the happy couples holding hands and dancing at fancy events, and fathers playing with their children at the park, holding them as they did the monkey bars for the first time. He wants all that. Badly.

When the proposal comes, he nearly drops the tiny box. It isn’t exactly nervousness. It's more that he’s thought about this for a long time and it’s finally time. He’s excited and happy and content and over the moon when you say yes. The ring looks expensive. It’s a vibrant white gold band with an Asscher diamond in the center. Blue sapphires accent it on either side. His ring matches; it’s a simple white gold band with a grooved center for sapphire stones. 

He leans more towards a traditional Japanese-style wedding. He wants the sake-sharing ceremony, to present a bouquet and a letter to your parents, and a smaller reception for your immediate loved ones followed by a more lively after-party. And seeing him in his handsome black kimono, haori draped over it, highlighting his shoulders and waist, isn't a bad look either. You can wear a kimono or a dress or something else, though. He wants you to be comfortable and confident in what you're wearing and wouldn't make you wear any specific type of outfit for his sake. 

Kugo finds himself enjoying the wedding more than he thought. Well, he knew he'd enjoy it, but he thought he'd be a bit more anxious or all over the place, worrying about food coming on time or if everyone was sitting in their designated seat. Yet, that stuff goes away once it's started. He doesn't need to obsess over other people when you're next to him.  

Despite wanting a wedding for so long, Kugo, surprisingly, has put no time into thinking about the honeymoon. Maybe he just never expected the former to happen, so the latter seemed like more of a pipe dream. His job responsibilities don't make the decision any easier. 

Depending on the time of year, Kugo might ask for a "smaller" honeymoon directly after the wedding, like a weekend trip to southern Japan at a nice beach house, to hold you over until he can take time off for a more extravagant honeymoon. And even if you insist that the few days on the beach are enough because you just want to be with him, he'll insist that you deserve more. He wants to treat you. It just sucks that life gets in the way sometimes.

[thebrightestwitchofherage]

Dear anti Zionists

I will try and make this brief and to the point since you often attack me without reading the entirety of my posts :

I’ve seen your recent posts about the trials in Haag, and the mockery you’ve made of the events of October 7th. That’s just disgusting. Freeing Palestine has nothing to do murdering Israeli civilians.

- This war was initiated by Hamas , a terrorist organisation on October 7th.

- You cannot deny that they invaded Israel and then massacred thousands of civilans , raped and mutilated women and children, kidnapped civilians , shot thousands of rockets, destroyed homes ….

There are currently 136 Israeli hostages still held in captivity, for almost 100 days. They’re held in underground tunnels and being withheld medical care and medications. The women are raped and the man tortured.

There are currently also hundreds of thousands of Israelis displaced from their homes due to the war.

-I will say it again: Literally every war or operation in Israel’s history was not initiated by Israel. It is always a matter of retaliation to foreign military invasion or terror attacks .

I’m only 22 and I have personally lived through one intifada, 4 wars and countless military operations.

We are all suffering because of Hamas. Once again- my city is often under attack and people I know are dead. And some of you here have absolute nerve to say that I’m privileged????

-Intifadas aren’t cute civilian uprisings. They’re violent terror attacks against civilians. Children’s Buses blowing up, restaurants blown up, shootings, stabbings, running over people…

read a damn book or something before you chant “Globalise the Intifadas🥹”.

-Have any of you here ever spoken to a Palestinian or an Israeli in your life? Do you even know anyone Jewish?

- Please give me actual example of the apartheid in Israel, I’m waiting. My Druze / Arabic colleagues , friends and I literally frequently joke about this claim.

-No, blockades between the West Bank/Gaza and Israel do not count.

There are ISIS affiliated/ Hamas terrorists in the West Bank and Gaza, territories that are not governed by Israel > there are borders check point. Israel has the right to defend itself against terror.

-by the way, Jordan and Egypt both have those blockades btw- I don’t see any of you attacking them? The hypocrisy…

- While I am not questioning the death and suffering of Palestinians , this has to be said:

The amount of Palestinian casualties during the Hamas-Israel war is estimated by unconfirmed sources , and isn’t corroborated by any neutral official organisation.

It was also proven that most of the casualties are terrorists.

The Gaza ministry of health= Hamas .

Al Jazeera= not credible &has been time and time again proved to be biased and anti-Semitic.

Furthermore, It’s been proven time and time again that Hamas terrorists work at UWNRA, and that Palestinian reporters in both Al Jazeera and western media outlets are in fact Hamas members/ supporters.

One of them literally joined the Al Qasam forces in their attack on October 7th, and was reporting rather enthusiastically on the murder of Israeli civilians. As the massacre continued around them.

You would rather believe terrorists & terrorists sympathisers than Jewish/ Israeli victims’ testimonies and the concrete evidence they provide.

-It seems like you’re ignoring what Gazans are saying in your attempts to “free Palestine”.

If Gazans themselves are saying Hamas are to blame for their terrible living conditions and war , why are you defending Hamas?

Why are you assuming that you know better than the people who are actually living this conflict?

-The IDF has been trying every tactic under the sun to alert civilians from incoming strikes. There are whole unites devoted to texting calling Gazan civilians. They have made millions of calls this war alone.

And yes, even the infamous flyers you joke about are used.

Do you know any other army that does that?

God I am so tired of the misinformation, lies and hatred here. So many of you are showing your true colours- ignorance and antisemitism.

[faelapis]

despite some concerns raised by the trailer/marketing, i am still excited for the wish movie. a lot of that has to do with king magnifico.

that being said, i approach it from a different direction than a lot of other people excited for a “classic disney villain.”

first of all, yes. i, too, love the camp and melodrama of classic disney villains. i love that they express their wishes through big bombastic musical numbers, and said musical numbers are often the best in their movies. i like how queer-coded and fun they often are. i like the sass, the drama, the energy.

where i disagree with a lot of people is with this notion that disney movies “don’t have villains” anymore. i don’t think the likes of hans (frozen) and tamatoa (moana) are less evil than "classic" villains - they’re plenty willing to kill with a smile on their face.

i think what people ACTUALLY miss is the big performance around it all. the aesthetic. someone who does these things while being a major character (so not tamatoa) and deliciously, obviously evil while having fun with it the whole time (so not hans). i think it’s that specific combination people are missing. we still have villains, they’re just either not as “fun” or not as “important.”

of course, that take is less punchy than saying disney doesn’t have villains because "steven cringeyverse destroyed western animation and now companies are too scared to make real villains >:( !1!!!"

yeah i never understood where that came from. if anything, redeeming villains is more controversial than killing them. especially in america, being punitive is the norm. forgiveness is cringe. yet so many act as if there was some big consumer and/or corporate pushback against the idea of villains…? at some point?? i guess????

someone must've forgotten to tell that to disney tv animation, where you’ll find everything from bill cipher to belos in the modern era. (also, other companies exist? dreamworks is not some indie studio, they’re fully willing to have big, campy villains.)

but yknow, people like to feel like underdogs. they like to feel like they're somehow oppressed because some animated media don't have classic villains anymore... despite there still being plenty around. you can’t just like villains, you have to make it everyone else’s problem. like disney is obliged to do the same character tropes in every movie. or villains are "dead."

what actually happened is just… some writers at disney decided they wanted to do different things. that’s it. so you now have a handful of movies where the villain is either a minor character, or nonexistent.

it’s not a conspiracy, it’s not a concerted effort to destroy villains. it’s, at most, a trend. because some writers wanted to push against the previous status quo. and now other writers who grew up with that want to have more classic villains, because that’s what they see as exciting and new. it’s just a cycle of trends and countertrends.

anyway. long tangent aside, i’m actually very excited for king magnifico. in part for a classic villain performance (he gets a song!!) - but also, it sounds like he might scratch a particular itch of mine.

which is to have a big, dramatic, irredeemable villain… who is still a human and has an understandable pov.

yes, you can combine these things. it’s not common for disney, but a lot of what we consider “great movie villains” throughout history have been this exact combination. they have to be defeated, they refuse redemption, they are 100% committed to their goals and will not budge - but they also GENUINELY BELIEVE in those goals.

what i’m really asking for here is a sincerely motivated character. someone who is a villain, but doesn’t SEE himself as a villain. someone who isn’t lying when they try to endear themselves to the hero or promise to make the world better if they join forces. it’s just that they are completely misguided about what would be good for the world, and nothing will persuade them.

whether someone is a villain, a hero, or anywhere in between, i think asking a character’s motivation - and playing those motivations straight, rather than just as a mask for plain selfishness - is key.

as i’m saying this, you might notice that it’s not actually too far off from what i like in other characters. jasper in SU is basically this in her "main arc” in season three. she refuses help, she’s a huge dick to everyone… but she also 100% believes in homeworld as an institution and is actually, genuinely selfless. even if it means her own corruption, she refuses help, because that would betray her cause. which she values above her own life. and by rebecca sugar’s own words, jasper doesn’t even believe she deserves help.

the common thread here is really tragedy. someone you can root for and against at the same time.

so how does this relate to king magnifico? well, jennifer lee (writer for this movie & also the frozen movies) just had an interview where she talked a lot about wish, and in specific, having a classic disney villain in magnifico.

she illustrates a lot of what i’ve been talking about - that there is no grand conspiracy at disney against villains. they just had different stories they wanted to tell. there was no mandate either for or against villains, not in this movie or any other. they just did what they wanted to do with those stories. (btw, that’s not me saying there isn’t pressure at disney to tell certain stories and not others. it’s just that the concept of a villain isn’t as important to the corporate side as, say, not making elsa gay.)

anyway. what makes the king magnifico portion interesting is how lee talks about exactly what i’ve been saying. they knew they wanted a classic disney villain, but it sounds like they still want him to be different from other such characters. namely, they wanted to find the benevolent side of him, how he genuinely believes what he believes and DOES want what he thinks is best for the city of rosas.

and the plot totally checks out - basically, he decides whose wishes come true. and that’s really interesting, because a wish can be anything, good or bad. it sounds like he really wants to prevent what he sees as bad wishes from coming true, and is too conservative in what he allows or not. and his way of being kind about rejection is to remove those wishes from people’s hearts if he cannot fulfill them.

that’s SUCH a great concept for a villain. it speaks to issues of control, of agency, of being in the paternalistic position of deciding what is “best” for everyone else. it gives me a little bit the wizard of oz (as in the wizard himself, who is a charlatan trying to maintain a pleasant status quo, even if it’s a lie), and a little bit white diamond (controlling the lives of others, but genuinely believing you are being selfless and heroic about it / steering people on the “right” path).

reading that interview, my excitement for this movie went from like a 2/10 to a 8/10. jennifer lee seems to have a real interest in creating characters, not just stock tropes. elsa is one of the best disney princesses (fight me) for exactly the same reason.

another great concept talked about here (which you also see in lee’s frozen, with anna and elsa as opposites) is that of duality. there’s a lot of talk about magnifico and asha being two sides of the same coin, both initially believing in this system and wanting what’s best for the city. and from there, they divert to their opposite paths in what specifically they think is right. the interview talks about them as if they were this thesis and antithesis about what’s right for the city, needing to reach a synthesis. in talking about this concept, they included this illustration:

notice the similar poses. both have their hands behind their back (commonly used to convey a character is hiding something), their feet pointed out, and give the world a pleasant smile. asha has a darker color palette in a world of light, magnifico is a ray of light in a dark space. it's interesting for its duality.

so yeah. all in all, i’m still excited for wish. i want to take alan tudyk goat out back and shoot it for a quick, humane death… but failing that, i’ll just pray his role was hammed up for the trailer. please tell me it’s not that insufferable. please.

because i do really like everything else i’ve heard about this movie!! i like that asha is described as this idealist with “dumb courage”, like maybe she’ll actually have some character flaws and need to learn?? (maybe? hopefully?) i like everything i just said about king magnifico. i like that we have this blend of 2d and 3d animation, that’s such a clever concept for a “100 years of disney” celebration.

so yeah. i will be watching. never have i ever prayed for chris pine to save a movie, but today might just be the day!

[pr0lis0k-posts]

before 2022 people asked me stuff like “do you guys still all live in villages over there?/ do you have electricity over there?/ isn’t it just steppe and nothing else?/ most people there are farmers, right?/ wait, but isn’t it just part of russia?/ is it actually a real country?” (i really wish i was kidding with the last one)

i think sometimes the world forgets about how it ‘forgot’ of ukraine up until our suffering became relevant to the west, yet many people have strong opinions about my nation, my culture, my country, but all of their knowledge is based solely on what they have learned from watching western news media from the safety of their homes

and still for some reason ukrainians who have been actively living through this nightmare are not worthy of being listened to, not a credible enough source, too biased, too ignorant, are just not considering other perspectives, victims of propaganda, paid actors