lucyrcrover

[lucyrcrover]

Bisan's recent post. I think it's important for you to read it. Tonight 03.12.23, journalists in gaza share their last messages. There are no words to describe the horrors unfolding in gaza right now.

I no longer have any hope of survival like I had at the beginning of this genocide, and I am certain that I will die in the next few weeks or maybe days. I have been sick with severe viral infection for days and cannot move from the mattress!

I suffer from nightmares that are so closely resemble reality that I no longer differentiate between reality and dream.

I live in a world other than the one I claimed to be building! I am a community activist who lived on the fantasy that the world was free and just, and I sought to bring rights not only to my people, but to many men and women in third world countries!

I was shocked that I was not from the third world! Indeed, we are the most humane and moral! Yes, because the world approves, supports, and finances the genocide we are being subjected to, legislates it, and gives reasons for for 58 days! While we are a people who have been living on occupied land for 75 years and are still searching for our rights and communicating our voice to the world!

My message to the world: You are not innocent of what is happening to us, you as governments or peoples that support Israel’s annihilation of my people. We will not forgive you, we will not forgive you, humanity will not forgive you, we will not forget, even if we die, the history will never forget .

A Message to friends: Thank you and the supporters around the world. You have been compassionate and very strong. We ask you not to lose hope, even if the world seems completely unfair and your efforts have not yet resulted in a ceasefire.

[lucyrcrover]

The painting held by the protesters is "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso. It was painted in response to an event during the Spanish Civil War in 1937 where the small Basque town was bombed extensively by Nazi German and Italian forces. 1,645 people were killed and a further 889 were injured. The town was defenseless and held no military gain or strategic value to either opposing forces.

A thousand died defenceless at the hands of an unnecessary military raid. This is a war crime condemned by thousands across the globe.

Tens of thousands more are dying today in Palestine due to Israeli "defences", yet the Western world refuses to condemn them for the same war crime, and dozens more at a much more severe rate.

Guernica communicates the same message today as an anti-war painting, however it is not a conflict if one side has the weapons and the other has their prayers.

Israel is not and never will be the victim.

Israel is an Apartheid Terrorist state.

A four day ceasefire will never be enough if Palestinians are given freedom only to be carpet bombed and buried again. They are grouping the masses to wipe them out more efficiently.

It does not stop at a ceasefire. Palestine must be liberated.

[lucyrcrover]

In this article, I try to examine the potential solutions to the occupation of Palestine within an anarchist framework. I discuss briefly the two- and one-state solution, which is preferable, and how neither are actually adequate if trying to attain genuine liberation both for Palestinians and internationally. An excerpt is below.

"It is crucial to always be in support of any advancement towards the autonomy of oppressed people, even if these gains are insufficient. For this reason, I will wholeheartedly lend my voice to those causes which might alleviate suffering. If it is the case that a unitary State between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean would put an end to the massive Zionist attacks on Palestinian lives, then it is so! Despite this, as anarchists, we must never lose sight of the fact that solutions which seek to reform society along State-lines will always fail to secure autonomy for the people within its borders.

There is no contradiction. In a fight for total liberation, compromises will often be made. Sometimes they will be brokered by comrades; other times by State officials. These compromises may even have good results. The issue is that these compromises simply placate people who are accustomed to wanton cruelty, yet do nothing to ensure that wanton cruelty will not arise again. If an arrow is stuck in your back, and someone replaces it with a "softer" arrow, you are not healed. So to it is with State coercion.

What this all entails is continuous attack. This means never allowing a true compromise- i.e., any situation wherein you might stop advocating for complete autonomy in exchange for a reform. For if the reform is to come about, if the people in power feel compelled to placate you, then this means your actions are strong enough to bring about that reform without settling for it alone. You have caused enough disruption so as to make those above scramble to quell resistance below through means they would not usually take. In this situation, the State is in an uncharacteristically weak bargaining position."

[lucyrcrover]

By the way, this photo of Israeli forces actively attacking the pallbearers at the funeral of the extremely courageous and downright heroic Shireen Abu Akleh, who was herself murdered by an Israeli soldier, was the impetus for the poem. The inclusion of the Dabke was inspired by videos of Palestinian youth dancing in the range of Israeli snipers- a defiant, beautiful act of resistance if I've ever seen it.

Originally, I hadn't considered using Tumblr as another area which I could share serious writings. But upon further consideration, it seemed worthwhile to use any avenue. Thus, I'm posting my most recent writing (It will be typed out below as well.) This writing venture has only recently begun, so there are two other writings besides the poem. The first is my purpose for writing at all, mixed with an advocacy of anarchist communism, and the latter is a short essay discussing terrorism and the absurd way it's used to justify the Israeli colonization of Palestine. As an addition to the latter essay, entitled On the Oppression and Liberation of Palestine, I want to note one simple point. I wish I could recall who said it, but, "Do not criticize the table-manners of a starving person." This is to say that any judgement made of Palestinians, Palestinian resistance, etc., which does not ultimately acknowledge the colonization and desperation faced by Palestinians, is barren of any understanding of the absurdly narrow set of options Palestinians have. Often questionable leadership, scarcity of resources, poor international aid and support, Israeli blockades, and just a focus on simply surviving. Here, now, is the poem in full: "And you said something in those streets that freed my soul and made me sing And sing did I, like a bird did I like a canary did I, like a dove did I The song of a people's dabke soaring through ears and out to new heights

Is this what resistance looks like, a flag soaring with a red triangle and uniformed men swiping the pillars of a coffin? Sometimes, it looks like standing in one place as the lead rains like acid droplets Sometimes, it speaks in ways that I can't write

I apologize if you wanted resistance to look like three sips of orange juice and a little bit of toothpaste I apologize if you expected it to look like shaking hands with a creature in a three piece suit I apologize if you expected it to look like chanting Alhamdulillah on a foreign God as their keffiyeh is ripped from them with all the force of men who cannot help but colonize down to the soul gently relinquished with due respect to the men praying for slaughter to the parameters of the debate You are angry that the revolution is an intifada, that their socialism is Arabic and that their communists wear shirts born of Tatreez Inshallah, inshallah. You take prayer for threat, though you speak the words every day in your own tongue. If god wills it, if god wills it, I hope. A boy will be out throwing rocks at their tanks, metallic claws dug into the soil their treads demarcating the lines of humanity. the boy will be called a terrorist and there will be riots, Inshallah

The earth rejoices in the colors of Palestine The blades of grass, waving at the sun revealing clear water slipping down the curves of their body Overwhelming, inescapable black night skies that come to shower us in radiant white stars the blood in the veins of Gaia’s, Gaza’s children Green, Black, White and Red The Earth rejoices in the colors of Palestine

The watermelon seeds The apples, the limes the figs and the figures cast when the light's bright enough to carve our caricature if only briefly into pristine sidewalk or ruined, bombed rubble. The Rabbi, the Priest, and the Imam. with shadows the same."

[lucyrcrover]

Originally, I hadn't considered using Tumblr as another area which I could share serious writings. But upon further consideration, it seemed worthwhile to use any avenue. Thus, I'm posting my most recent writing (It will be typed out below as well.) This writing venture has only recently begun, so there are two other writings besides the poem. The first is my purpose for writing at all, mixed with an advocacy of anarchist communism, and the latter is a short essay discussing terrorism and the absurd way it's used to justify the Israeli colonization of Palestine. As an addition to the latter essay, entitled On the Oppression and Liberation of Palestine, I want to note one simple point. I wish I could recall who said it, but, "Do not criticize the table-manners of a starving person." This is to say that any judgement made of Palestinians, Palestinian resistance, etc., which does not ultimately acknowledge the colonization and desperation faced by Palestinians, is barren of any understanding of the absurdly narrow set of options Palestinians have. Often questionable leadership, scarcity of resources, poor international aid and support, Israeli blockades, and just a focus on simply surviving. Here, now, is the poem in full: "And you said something in those streets that freed my soul and made me sing And sing did I, like a bird did I like a canary did I, like a dove did I The song of a people's dabke soaring through ears and out to new heights

Is this what resistance looks like, a flag soaring with a red triangle and uniformed men swiping the pillars of a coffin? Sometimes, it looks like standing in one place as the lead rains like acid droplets Sometimes, it speaks in ways that I can't write

I apologize if you wanted resistance to look like three sips of orange juice and a little bit of toothpaste I apologize if you expected it to look like shaking hands with a creature in a three piece suit I apologize if you expected it to look like chanting Alhamdulillah on a foreign God as their keffiyeh is ripped from them with all the force of men who cannot help but colonize down to the soul gently relinquished with due respect to the men praying for slaughter to the parameters of the debate You are angry that the revolution is an intifada, that their socialism is Arabic and that their communists wear shirts born of Tatreez Inshallah, inshallah. You take prayer for threat, though you speak the words every day in your own tongue. If god wills it, if god wills it, I hope. A boy will be out throwing rocks at their tanks, metallic claws dug into the soil their treads demarcating the lines of humanity. the boy will be called a terrorist and there will be riots, Inshallah

The earth rejoices in the colors of Palestine The blades of grass, waving at the sun revealing clear water slipping down the curves of their body Overwhelming, inescapable black night skies that come to shower us in radiant white stars the blood in the veins of Gaia’s, Gaza’s children Green, Black, White and Red The Earth rejoices in the colors of Palestine

The watermelon seeds The apples, the limes the figs and the figures cast when the light's bright enough to carve our caricature if only briefly into pristine sidewalk or ruined, bombed rubble. The Rabbi, the Priest, and the Imam. with shadows the same."

[lucyrcrover]

I love "Almost Cut My Hair" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young as a Trans Gal

[This is mostly just me gushing over how I relate to a song]

I love this song so much. To my understanding, it's about the dilemma of hippies choosing whether or not to cut their hair. The singer discusses almost cutting his, but choosing not to, as a symbol ("I feel like letting my Freak Flag Fly"), because he feels he does "owe it to someone." This is such a beautiful, relatable song as a trans girl. Despite not directly relating to trans issues, it gets at the core of them (because the trans experience is ultimately a human experience.) It is about self-expression, and it is about what it means to express oneself in conflict with social norms, expectations, and even institutions. The entire song is about using your appearance to defy norms and signal resistance. Not only does it get at the feelings of self determination bound up in the matter (e.g., "I'm not giving in an inch to fear, cause I promised myself this year!"), but the social responsibility of visibility. Now I am not claiming that every trans person maintains a responsibility to be fully open and visible; this is not reasonable considering the weights and pressures we face. Yet, we have an obligation to others, to help them, to lift them up, to improve what we can. I am going to an event tomorrow; I will likely be the most visible trans person attending. Are all the trans people who would like to be in my position not owed hope? Are they not owed visibility? Are they not owed proof of their own autonomy? And even if I am not the one who caused these issues, does not every human have a responsibility to put in the work to push against them when possible? Am I, a woman guided by anarchist and communist aspirations, not tethered to this communal responsibility? It is not some grand, revolutionary resistance to be visible, but it is necessary. These contemplations, in our current society, seem core to any socially conscious trans person. And this is what I think when I hear Crosby sing that he did not cut his hair.

[lucyrcrover]

Reasonable. Sensible. Pragmatic.

cant wait until i break the cringe barrier and start going full snapewives tier about mikoto

[lucyrcrover]

I only understood half of this sentence and I'm okay with that. Not in the sense that I don't want to know the other half, but that I think my lack of understanding adds to the effect.

cant wait until i break the cringe barrier and start going full snapewives tier about mikoto

[lucyrcrover]

It's past midnight and I've been working on making patches out of canvas despite my need to sleep and this has fueled me. Reminded me of how much there is to do. The boundless creative projects which doom me to never sleep.

PS this is great and I'm definitely going to use this one day

new tutorial, this time for "fake" medals you can use to decorate your jacket or any stuff really.

give yourself a weird award you yourself came up with, coorperations do it all the time!

stuff you will need:

-scissors

-variation of pliers

-a stencil, the shape you want the fabric part of ur medal to be, make it a bit bigger so youll have room to sew

-piece of fabric two times the size of your stencil

-sewing needle

-sewing thread, i use dental floss

-safety pin

-paperclip, or just iron wire, around 1 mm Ø

-bottlecap

start with cutting out the two pieces of fabric for your medal using a stencil

pin em to eachother, with the sides you want to be on the outside, facing inwards.

sew along the side but keep the top open, so you can flip it inside out.

now you can flip in inside out, and fold the top around the safety pin, and sew it down

make sure the side of the pin that doesnt open is the one being sewn down. the opening part should be on top.

bend the paperclip into something resembling the shapes in the pic below using the pliers, doesnt need to look good, mine sure dont

bend the edges of the bottlecap to the inside, and pin the hook part of the right iron wire thing down under the edge

connect the iron wire hoop you made (left in picture) to the piece of iron wire on the bottlecap. fold the point of the fabric part of the metal around the hoop and sew it down.

should look something like this.

now you can add decorations, you can paint the cap aswell as the fabric part, using patterned fabrics can also make ur medals look nicer.

ive seen people advise using modgepodge to seal the painted cap, instead of nailpolish, i dont have modpodge where i live but use that if youre able to get ur hands on it.

i hope this was clear, let me know if you want tutorials on any other stuff. i like doing them a lot.

[lucyrcrover]

I mean I feel like within the context of the book and the moment, it highlighted a very real thing happening at the moment it was said. That quotation came from a rioter who was interviewed, found that quote meaningful, and descriptive of their feeling of liberation and power at the time.

It was around the George Floyd uprising and calls for police abolition that I began to look into anarchism. Institutions that had been a negative force in my life, but which I was tacitly taught to accept, were coming into question

I set this context of a powerful insurgency up because for me, I think anarchism was the startlingly beautiful realization that I did have power. It was a sense of optimism that had been totally missing from my life as someone who'd seen the effects of the war on drugs and homophobic/sexist persecution.

I was reading Benjamin S Case's "Street Rebellion," and he quotes an activist at a riot who spoke thus:

"I know you think that's fear in your chest right now, but it's not - you've just never felt freedom before," and I think that moment alone encapsulates a lot.

[lucyrcrover]

It was around the George Floyd uprising and calls for police abolition that I began to look into anarchism. Institutions that had been a negative force in my life, but which I was tacitly taught to accept, were coming into question

I set this context of a powerful insurgency up because for me, I think anarchism was the startlingly beautiful realization that I did have power. It was a sense of optimism that had been totally missing from my life as someone who'd seen the effects of the war on drugs and homophobic/sexist persecution.

I was reading Benjamin S Case's "Street Rebellion," and he quotes an activist at a riot who spoke thus:

"I know you think that's fear in your chest right now, but it's not - you've just never felt freedom before," and I think that moment alone encapsulates a lot.

[lucyrcrover]

Sharing cause this is awesome and I want to remember this guide!

simple tutorial on how to make those bottlecap buttons you see everywhere

you'll need:

bottlecap•soda tab•safety pin•pliers•sandpaper/file•paint/paint markers/smth to decorate with•clear nail polish

remove the print on the buttons using a file or the sandpaper

(if you wanna keep the print skip this step, use a cloth to protect the print from scratches when folding down the sides of the cap)

fold down opposing sides of the cap, to help add in the safety pin

bend the tab at a slight angle, insert it into the cap. make sure the side of the safety pin that can not open is the one stuck under the tab

fold down one side of the cap to lock the tab in place, then try and press the tab as flat as you can, to lock the safety pin in place (prevents the buttons from moving on the safety pin, if you like rattling buttons, skip this step)

fold down all other sides of the cap

cover the button in one or more base layers of paint

add ur design (i use paint or paint markers for good coverage and vibrant colors)

cover that in one or two layers of nail polish, it will protect the button from rain and the paint from cracking

thats it, lemme know if you want tutorials on anything else, i like making em.

[lucyrcrover]

There's definitely a place for the villain who is straight up just a nasty, dirty bastard. We all love ourselves a good ol' villain to hate on. But there's so many shades of gray, and I love seeing it in stories. I still have a soft spot for villains who are doing the wrong thing for the right reason. I think it's something, if done right, adds a lot to a character. Like, ok ok ok, Asgore from UNDERTALE. I wouldn't call him a villain, per se, but he is an antagonist for a large part of the story. But he is so damn sympathetic! It's hard to genuinely dislike Asgore for me. He seems remorseful. He gives you time to do whatever you wish before fighting. He wants to be nicer to you, but feels like he can't. Of course, it doesn't have to be to this level of sympathy. It can be that they are overtly nice to hide their hatred or evil inclinations. There's so many ways to combine traits to create an interesting villain.

I think it’s important to have villains who are both nice and human.

Especially nice. Polite. Empathetic. Thoughtful.

Because none of those traits translate directly to good. And a lot of them are easy shields against the description ‘bad’.