i-am-mldy

[i-am-mldy]

I DONT GO HERE BUT LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO

[i-am-mldy]

There’s also a large grey area between an Offensive Stereotype and “thing that can be misconstrued as a stereotype if one uses a particularly reductive lens of interpretation that the text itself is not endorsing”, and while I believe that creators should hold some level of responsibility to look out for potential unfortunate optics on their work, intentional or not, I also do think that placing the entire onus of trying to anticipate every single bad angle someone somewhere might take when reading the text upon the shoulders of the writers – instead of giving in that there should be also a level of responsibility on the part of the audience not to project whatever biases they might carry onto the text – is the kind of thing that will only end up reducing the range of stories that can be told about marginalized people. 

A japanese-american Beth Harmon would be pidgeonholed as another nerdy asian stock character. Baby Driver with a black lead would be accused of perpetuating stereotypes about black youth and crime. Phantom Of The Opera with a female Phantom would be accused of playing into the predatory lesbian stereotype. Romeo & Juliet with a gay couple would be accused of pulling the bury your gays trope – and no, you can’t just rewrite it into having a happy ending, the final tragedy of the tale is the rock onto which the entire central thesis statement of the play stands on. Remove that one element and you change the whole point of the story from a “look at what senseless hatred does to our youth” cautionary tale to a “love conquers all” inspiration piece, and it may not be the story the author wants to tell.

Sometimes, in order for a given story to function (and keep in mind, by function I don’t mean just logistically, but also thematically) it is necessary that your protagonist has specific personality traits that will play out in significant ways in the story. Or that they come from a specific background that will be an important element to the narrative. Or that they go through a particular experience that will consist on crucial plot point. All those narrative tools and building blocks are considered to be completely harmless and neutral when telling stories about straight/white people but, when applied to marginalized characters, it can be difficult to navigate them as, depending on the type of story you might want to tell, you may be steering dangerously close to falling into Unfortunate Implications™. And trying to find alternatives as to avoid falling into potentially iffy subtext is not always easy, as, depending on how central the “problematic” element to your plot, it could alter the very foundation of the story you’re trying to tell beyond recognition. See the point above about Romeo & Juliet.    

Like, I once saw a woman a gringa obviously accuse the movie Knives Out of racism because the one latina character in the otherwise consistently white and wealthy cast is the nurse, when everyone who watched the movie with their eyes and not their ass can see that the entire tension of the plot hinges upon not only the power imbalance between Martha and the Thrombeys, but also on her isolation as the one latina immigrant navigating a world of white rich people. I’ve seen people paint Rosa Diaz as an example of the Hothead Latina stereotype, when Rosa was originally written as a white woman (named Megan) and only turned latina later when Stephanie Beatriz was cast  – and it’s not like they could write out Rosa’s anger issues to avoid bad optics when it is such a defining trait of her character. I’ve seen people say Mulholland Drive is a lesbophobic movie when its story couldn’t even exist in first place if the fatally toxic lesbian relationship that moves the plot was healthy, or if it was straight.                          

That’s not to say we can’t ever question the larger patterns in stories about certain demographics, or not draw lines between artistic liberty and social responsibility, and much less that I know where such lines should be drawn. I made this post precisely to raise a discussion, not to silence people. But one thing I think it’s important to keep in mind in such discussions is that stereotypes, after all, are all about oversimplification. It is more productive, I believe, to evaluate the quality of the representation in any given piece of fiction by looking first into how much its minority characters are a) deep, complex, well-rounded, b) treated with care by the narrative, with plenty of focus and insight into their inner life, and c) a character in their own right that can carry their own storyline and doesn’t just exist to prop up other character’s stories. And only then, yes, look into their particular characterization, but without ever overlooking aspects such as the context and how nuanced such characterization is handled. Much like we’ve moved on from the simplistic mindset that a good female character is necessarily one that punches good otherwise she’s useless, I really do believe that it is time for us to move on from the the idea that there’s a one-size-fits-all model of good representation and start looking into the core of representation issues (meaning: how painfully flat it is, not to mention scarce) rather than the window dressing.

I know I am starting to sound like a broken record here, but it feels that being a latina author writing about latine characters is a losing game, when there’s extra pressure on minority authors to avoid ~problematic~ optics in their work on the basis of the “you should know better” argument. And this “lower common denominator” approach to representation, that bars people from exploring otherwise interesting and meaningful concepts in stories because the most narrow minded people in the audience will get their biases confirmed, in many ways, sounds like a new form of respectability politics. Why, if it was gringos that created and imposed those stereotypes onto my ethnicity, why it should be my responsibility as a latina creator to dispel such stereotypes by curbing my artistic expression? Instead of asking of them to take responsibility for the lenses and biases they bring onto the text? Why is it too much to ask from people to wrap their minds about the ridiculously basic concept that no story they consume about a marginalized person should be taken as a blanket representation of their entire community?

It’s ridiculous. Gringos at some point came up with the idea that latinos are all naturally inclined to crime, so now I, a latina who loves heist movies, can’t write a latino character who’s a cool car thief. Gentiles created antisemitic propaganda claiming that the jews are all blood drinking monsters, so now jewish authors who love vampires can’t write jewish vampires. Straights made up the idea that lesbian relationships tend to be unhealthy, so now sapphics who are into Brontë-ish gothic romance don’t get to read this type of story with lesbian protagonists. I want to scream.      

And at the end of the day it all boils down to how people see marginalized characters as Representation™ first and narrative tools created to tell good stories later, if at all. White/straight characters get to be evaluated on how entertaining and tridimensional they are, whereas minority characters get to be evaluated on how well they’d fit into an after school special. Fuck this shit.                            

[i-am-mldy]

A PSA about the latest Vulture article to drop about Neil Gaiman -

Do not fucking read it if you are not in a stable state of mind.

Triggers include, but dare I say, are not limited to -

Sexual assault and misconduct

Anal, digital, oral, and vaginal rape

Forced urine/faeces consumption

Vomit/forced vomit consumption

Financial abuse

Gaslighting and manipulation

Sexual conduct in front of a minor (NG's son)

Sexual humiliation and degradation

Disordered eating, anorexia, and bulemia

Suicide, suicidal ideation

Self-harm

Child abuse

Scientology

Cult abuse

Drowning

Corporeal punishment

Intentionally painful penetration

Exploitation

Grooming

COVID-19

Classism

Overt and implied threats of homelessness

Endangerment of vulnerable women by parties who knew or suspected harmful behaviour/complicity in harmful behaviour

Most of these things are discussed in explicit detail multiple times. And to be very clear, the above is not a list of allegations, it is subjects that are mentioned within the article. Yes, some of them are, but not all.

It's harrowing and heartbreaking to read. Even if these are not specifically triggers of yours, I beg, take a second to really have a think about whether you're in a place to take this on.

[i-am-mldy]

TW: rape, sexual assault, child abuse

Archived version here, in case you hit the pay wall:

https://archive.is/HJtxW

[i-am-mldy]

Hello, my name is Saja from Gaza, I would like to inform you that my brother and I's previous campaign has been cancelled😭😭😭 I don't know why but I created a new campaign on Chuffed, please support me even if it's a small amount, I know that the beginning is difficult for everyone, and I feel frustrated because I will start from scratch again 😔, any donation you make will save my family and my son, please if you can try to save us!!!😭😢

The price of a bag of flour alone is about $600 due to the famine 💔 and the price of everything is several times its normal price. Please contribute as much as you can to the campaign. Unfortunately, we did not receive enough support 😭

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #299 )✅️

Please donate for my child 😢💔!

[i-am-mldy]

Hello 👋

I wish you a happy new year 🎉

Today is ezzdeen's second birthday in the genocide, he turned 8 years old

He is ADHD and very needy & picky, so the family is suffering with him 😔

You can help ezz by reblogging our family's artwork here and donating if you can 🙏🏻

Post Link

Thank you

Bump!!!

[i-am-mldy]

Help us, my children are eating tree leaves because there is no flour 😭😭

For the fifth day in a row, we cannot provide bread The price of bread has become fifty times its price a month ago.

The price of a bag was 5€. Today, the price of a bag is 500€.

During the crowding at the bakeries, 3 women were killed as a result of the stampede, and a week ago also 3 women were killed.

My family is asking you to help them save on bread.🙏

Vetted by: @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #1 )

@90-ghost

410/1000

🚨🚨Contribute and save my children from hunger We want to buy a bag of flour and basic supplies for the children.

[i-am-mldy]

Can you imagine being stripped of safety at the happiest moment of your life? I’m Suad, a young mother from Gaza, where I gave birth to my son Khaled amidst the chaos of w@r.

When I first heard his cries, I felt indescribable joy, but soon I was overwhelmed with fear. How would I protect him from the hor/rors surrounding us? Each day presents a new challenge from food and water shortages to a lack of medical care.

My family and I have faced repeated displ@cements, searching for a safe haven away from the bomb@rdments. I struggle daily to provide Khaled with his basic needs while our health deteriorates under these harsh conditions.

I urgently need your support to secure shelter and medical care for Khaled. You can be part of our story, as every bit of help makes a real difference.

If you can share my story or offer support, I would be forever grateful. Hope exists, but we need you to help us achieve it. Thank you for your understanding and big hearts.

Please share my story; it might reach someone who can offer support. If you’re unable to donate, sharing my story would mean so much. You can spread the link across your social media and reblog my pinned post. Additionally, sharing my account can help others follow our updates and support us.

I’ve been verified by Nabulsi, El-Shab Hussien, and NorthGazaUpdate, 90-ghost, and I’m listed on the vetted list on 279 line.

- Our story began with the birth of my son Khaled amid difficult circumstances; the joy was tinged with fear due to the surrounding situation. Link1 Link2 Link3

- Khaled fell seriously ill, and we had to take him to the hospital. These moments were filled with tension due to the lack of medical services and difficulty accessing them. Link1 Link2

-We experienced multiple displacements due to the surrounding dangers, facing daily threats to our lives and being forced to keep moving. Link1

-Khaled's health deteriorated significantly, and he required daily nebulization sessions to alleviate his condition, but power outages prevented us from providing the necessary treatment. Link1

-With the deteriorating conditions, we are suffering from significant financial pressures due to rising prices and a lack of resources, making it exhausting to meet our basic needs. Link1

I have come to realize that I can’t face these conditions alone. Every bit of support, whether through sharing my story or posting these updates, means so much to my family and me. I kindly ask you to help spread my story, as everyone who reads it may be a bridge to the support we desperately need.

Thank you for your understanding and your big hearts

@mushroomjar @heph @daily-spooky @blu-berry-blast @blu-berriez

@neptunerings @neatleaf @fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @mothblyatebanaya

@aleciosun @fluoresensitivearchived @khizuo @lesbia @transmutationdice

@schooloutfitideas @schoolhater98 @timogsilangan @buttercuparry @sayruq

@malcriada @akajustmerry @sar-soor @palestinegenocide @feluka

@tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @tsaricides @visenyasdragon

@kordeliiius @belleandwhistle @belleandsaintsebastian @raelyn-dreams

@ear-motif @troythecatfish @theropoda @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural

@skatezophrenic @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @awetistic-things @sygourie @junglejim4322

@junglejim4233 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @daily-spooky

@imjustheretotrytohelp

[i-am-mldy]

I don't go here but bucktommy deserves better fr

[i-am-mldy]

https://gofund.me/22e7b5a4

[i-am-mldy]

!! DONT SKIP !! donations urgently needed They are only at €5,561 out of €50,000 goal

I was contacted by Nader to draw pictures for and help spread his brother Abdulsalam Al-Anqar’s fundraiser to save their family. Nader is a 17 year old boy who lives in Gaza with his family: parents Ahmed (54) and mother Iman (49), brothers Abdulsalam (26), Mohammed (14), and Omar (21) and Abdulsalam’s wife and their one year old daughter Iman. Imagine it was your sibling, your friend, your son, who should be in school or with his friends, who instead has to hide from bombs and ask for help online to save his family. His family have suffered through one year of genocide. All of you are their hope to get to safety.

This fundraiser is vetted by @gazavetters, number four on the spreadsheet here

Abdulsalams daughter Iman is only one year old and has lived most her life in a war zone. She is suffering from malnutrition. It’s every fathers worst nightmare to see their child starve and not be able to feed her. Please help him feed his daughter and get her to safety. No child should grow up hearing the sound of bombs. Every child has the right to food and safety. You can help give Iman the childhood she should have, where she can sleep in a safe bed at night with a full stomach.

Their father Ahmed has cancer and needs surgery and medication. It is not possible to get the treatment he needs in Gaza. every day his illness is left untreated, the cancer will continue to spread through his body, so he very urgently needs money for treatment and travel. If you help them get to their goal, you are saving their fathers life. Don’t let this family who have already lost so much lose their father, husband, and grandfather

Nader has showed me pictures of this explosion close to them, thankfully they were able to get away. Every day they stay in Gaza their lives are at risk from israeli bombs. Every day and hour counts. I know there are compassionate and kind people who are willing to help. every euro helps, YOUR donation will bring them one moment closer to safety. With love and hope I’m asking you to give what you can, I believe in the kind people of the world and I beg you to not let them die. If you can’t donate, please share so it may reach people who can.

Never forget that palestinians are not numbers on a list of deaths. Please think of each of them, think of their names and faces and know that you can help them. I think of them every day. I think of the hopes and dreams they should achieve, I think of their education, their future, and the love they show when they work hard every day to get help. You may feel powerless to stop this genocide, but you have the power to save Abdulsalam and his family. I dream that the day will come soon where they may use their days to rest and recover from what they’ve been through, where they can share a meal and laugh and the children will play, instead of having to use their time to beg the world to listen and help them. We can make this possible.

50 000 euros is a lot of money for one person to give, but for all of us together, it can be done. Please don’t look away.

(drawing above by @neechees)

Thank you for reading their story. Please don’t keep scrolling without sharing

here is the link again to their fundraiser

tagging for reach:

@90-ghost @heritageposts @gazavetters @neechees @butchniqabi @fluoresensitive @khanger @autisticmudkip @beserkerjewel @furiousfinnstan @xinakwans @batekush @appsa @nerdyqueerr @butchsunsetshimmer @biconicfinn @stopmotionguy @willgrahamscock @strangeauthor @bryoria @shesnake @legallybrunettedotcom @lautakwah @sovietunion @evillesbianvillain @antibioware @akajustmerry @dizzymoods @ree-duh @neptunerings @explosionshark @dlxxv-vetted-donations @vague-humanoid @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @sar-soor @northgazaupdates2 @feluka @dirhwangdaseul @jdon @ibtisams @sawasawako @memingursa @schoolhater @toesuckingoctober @waskuyecaozu

[i-am-mldy]

Hello everyone💐

I am Mahmoud Al Sharif, married and have 3 children. My wife gave birth to a newborn baby on August ,12 ,2024.

‎‏We are from the Gaza Strip, which suffers from wars. I lived through 5 of these wars, and I lost my eyes and fingers hand , and my other eye was damaged. These were the previous wars until this 2023 war came and destroyed everything from my home and my workplace.

Please, can you see my story and judge if it is important or not🙏. My family faces unimaginable ‎‏challenges living in Gaza. We are seeking your support to help us find a safe and hopeful future outside this conflict zon💔

Verified,and,Writings about me by:

@90-ghost : Link Here

@northgazaupdates2 :Link Here

@vetted-gaza-funds : Link Here

@dlxxv-vetted-donations : Link Here

@soon-palestine : Link Here

@lobie-the-cartoonist : Link Here

@aria-ashryver : Link Here

@riding-with-the-wild-hunt : Link Here

@sneez : Link Here

@ghostcat404 : Link Here

@gazagfmboost : On this page: tinyurl.com/GazaGFMDoc On the list 1st Goal My Number is 78

@victormcdicktor : Link Here

@junglejim4322 : Link Here

@lonelymoonlight-mp3 : Link Here

@ech0light : Link Here

@gay-fae : Link Here

@zesty-lesty : Link Here

@catnippackets : Link Here

@captain-of-the-roses : Link Here

@overlyattachedto70s-sitcoms : Link Here

If you are not able to donate at this time, please pass this urgent request on to others in the community 🙏🙏🙏

[i-am-mldy]

man i don't know how to say this but gazans here are risking their lives to make posts asking for help. they are asking for you to contribute a small amount of money to buy food or medicines or get shelter.

whether we like it or not, we are complicit in this genocide. either because of our silence, or because our tax money if being used to bomb them. i thought that people would be more eager to help gazans, trying to 'reverse' the damage somehow.

contrary to what i thought, people are moving on. they're moving on from the al-shifa hospital strike, they're moving on from refugee camp massacres and from school bombings, they're moving on from dead children and orphaned children.

please don't be indifferent. help my friend alaa amsse [ @alaakh998 ]. she urgently needs money to buy a new tent. she needs medicine for her sick son. her tent was flooded and she needs to buy supplies. please please help her if you have the means to. her fundraiser has been verified by 90-ghost and the butterfly project (#307).

donate

[i-am-mldy]

this is your periodic reminder that for all the artifacts and errors and "tells" one could possibly list, the only reliable way to actually determine if an image is ai generated is to investigate the source. it is becoming increasingly common for "fake classical paintings" to circulate around curative aesthetic blogs, and everyone should be using this as an opportunity to not only exercise their investigative skills but also appreciate art more in general. you're all checking out the artists you reblog, right? 🫣

so what are some signs to look for? let's use this very good example.

what a lovely late-impressionist piece blended with evocative leyendecker-esque themes! why haven't you ever heard of this artist before? surely tumblr would be all over an artist like this. who is justin brown?

your two options from here are to do a search for the name, or a reverse image search. i prefer reverse image searching, particularly when it comes to a common name like "justin brown". so what does that net?

Immediately, without looking at any text, something is wrong: it barely exists. an actual historical piece would turn up numerous results from websites individually discussing the piece, but no such discussions are taking place. Looking at the text, though, does show the source-- and at least in this case, the creator was honest about their medium.

But let's also look at the "exact matches", in case a source doesn't make itself apparent in the initial sidebar results like this.

This section will often tell you post dates of images, and here it can be seen that the very first iteration of the image was posted 15 days ago. It did not exist online prior to that.

Seeing how long an unsourced image has been floating around is a skill applicable to more than just generative images! See a cool image of an artifact or other intriguing item with a vivid caption? Reverse search it! If all the results are paired with that caption and only go back a few months, you might just have viral facebook spam.

Sometimes generative creators are dishonest about their medium and do not tag it like in the example, so that's when establishing "jpeg provenance" becomes important. While it can be a little trickier to determine if someone is using generative images and not admitting to it if they aren't trying to pass it off as a classic, something to consider is the age of their account and the frequency with which they post. Here are some account red flags:

-Did they only start posting art after 2022, or if they did before, did their style/skill level WILDLY change? Not gradual improvement-- I'm talking amateur graphite portraits straight into complex digital renders. Everyone starts somewhere, newness is not a red flag alone; it's newness combined with existing in a vacuum away from any community.

-Do they post fully-finished paintings several times a week? -Do many of these paintings seem iterative of a similar theme or subject matter ("three well-dressed young men face each other under shade and dappled sunlight")?

-Does their style change in inconsistent ways? An artist that can swap between painting like Drew Struzan and Hokusai should be pretty well known, right? Why is no one hyping this guy?!

-Do they have social media besides the source instagram? If so, what are they posting about? Are there any WIPs? Doodles? Interactions with other artists? Gallery dates? 3am self-doubt posts? Or is it all self-promo? Crypto? Seemingly nothing art-related at all for someone pushing out 3 weekly paintings?

Basically, if it's important to you to omit this stuff when you curate, please don't just smash reblog if the source doesn't seem to be the OP themselves. Seeking out sources was important even before this became an issue, now it is more than ever.

peace n love

[i-am-mldy]

Save Abdulsalam's Father!

Abdulsalam Al-Anqur (found at @aboodanqar20 and @imanfamily2024) and his family have been trapped in Gaza, enduring a genocide for almost a year. Abdulsalam is a husband, and a father to a one year old daughter, Iman. He hopes to evacuate his family to safety in Egypt.

Abdulsalam's goal is even more urgent, as his elderly father, Ahmed Al-Anqur, has been diagnosed with cancer, and requires surgery every 3 months. However, due to the war, being able to get the necessary surgery is extremely unlikely, and far too expensive to afford on their own. Ahmed also needs access to medications which are very hard to obtain in Gaza.

Here are some of the medications Ahmed requires, as well as medical documents Abdulsalam asked me to share.

Right now, Abdulsalam needs funds to care for his family. He needs to purchase food, a good tent to protect against the coming winter cold, and medicine for his father. He also needs to save money so that when the border opens, he and his family can evacuate to Egypt.

The costs for traveling to Egypt are extremely high, and the prices for housing, hospitalization, and housing are massive as well. Abdulsalam needs more money to pay for his father's treatment, but he has only raised a small amount of what he needs.

€2,745 / €50,000

Right now, Abdulsalam has only raised a fraction of his goal. He needs your help get the food, medicine, and safety his family desperately needs. Don't ignore him. Donate, share his campaign, send it to your friends.

Don't be complacent, you can make a difference in this family's lives.

Verified by @gazavetters, #4 on their spreadsheet

Tagging for reach:

@timetravellingkitty @deathlonging @briarhips @dirhwangdaseul @mahoushojoe

@rhubarbspring @schoolhater @pcktknife @sawasawako @appsa

@strangeauthor @gabajoofs @irhabiya @wellwaterhysteria @tamamita

@deepspaceboytoy @post-brahminism @khanger @kibumkim @neechees

@kyra45-helping-others @7bitter @tortiefrancis @log6 @toiletpotato

@fromjannah @omegaversereloaded @vague-humanoid @evillesbianvillain @aristotels

@komsomolka @xinakwans @heritageposts @transmutationisms @amygdalae

@ankle-beez @lonniemachin @dykesbat @charlott2n @watermotif

@mavigator @lacecap @yugiohz @vakarians-babe @socalgal

@chilewithcarnage @ghelgheli @sivavakkiyar @anneemay

[i-am-mldy]

Hello. I am Maryam Um Baraa, 33 years old.

A mother of 4 beautiful children, the youngest of whom is 8 years old.

I live in northern Gaza.

Our life was very beautiful until the brutal war on Gaza began. We began to suffer from hunger, thirst and deprivation.

We have endured many hardships that mountains cannot bear.

My husband was injured in the head due to the brutal bombing, and my young son was also injured in the head.

We suffer from a severe shortage of clean and healthy water, to the point that my children walk a distance of one kilometer to get water.

A gallon of water is enough for five people.

We were suffering from a lack of food and nutrients to the point that we ate animal feed to stay alive, which caused us to lose weight and have low immunity.

In addition, my children were deprived of education and building a beautiful future for themselves..

My children suffer from malnutrition and skin diseases that have no cure except for the lack of medicines and the spread of waste everywhere around us. We also suffered from repeated displacement from one place to another and we do not have cooking gas, so we use wood and plastic to cook food, which makes me exposed to burns from the fire.

Help me, my children and my family to get out of Gaza.

You also have the TikTok link for my eldest son Baraa so you can see our suffering.

and the Instagram link.

https://www.instagram.com/baraa5546?igsh=MTBieGExNmdyNzBkYQ==

donation link.

https://gofund.me/be35b382

Donate to save me and my children from the brutal war.

My children need your help.

VETTED BY BUTTERFLY 🦋NU 911

Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #34 )

[i-am-mldy]

THIS IS THE SHIT I COME BACK TO THIS APP FOR

don't mind me while I pierce the fucking sound barrier

WE GOT CALAMITY FOLKS!!! WE GOT ZERXUS!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA