shoujoprotagonist - Tumblr blog

shoujoprotagonist · 5 days ago

Text

"Kamala Harris has earned an eleventh-hour show of support from Palestinian, Arab and Muslim community leaders."

On October 24th, a collective statement titled "Arizona Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Progressive Democrats and Community Leaders Statement on Presidential Election" was published.

The 100+ signees include current or former leaders of Palestinian, Arab and Muslim organisations, the leader of Phoenix, AZ's largest mosque, Jewish activists and other elected officials. All of them have been listed at the bottom of this post.

You can read the whole statement here but I've also copy-pasted it's entire contents below.

Read. The Whole. Thing.

It is concise and will only take you a few minutes. While you read, recognise that these words are not representative of every single person belonging to these demographics. Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are not a monolith, and have a right to feel any way they do about this election. To those who do not belong to these groups - refrain from adding your personal commentary in the tags, and understand how excruciating of a place this statement must have come from for both the authors, signees and the communities they represent.

---

Arizona Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Progressive Democrats and Community Leaders Statement on Presidential Election

As Democrats and leaders in the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and Progressive communities in Arizona, we the undersigned make the following statement, published on 10/24/2024:

This past year has been very difficult for all of us. With over 42,000 Palestinians killed by Israel using American-supplied weapons and no end in sight despite all our struggle for a ceasefire, we approach the presidential election heartbroken and outraged.

We know that many in our communities are resistant to vote for Kamala Harris because of the Biden administration’s complicity in the genocide. We understand this sentiment. Many of us have felt that way ourselves, even until very recently. Some of us have lost many family members in Gaza and Lebanon. We respect those who feel they simply can’t vote for a member of the administration that sent the bombs that may have killed their loved ones.

As we consider the full situation carefully, however, we conclude that voting for Kamala Harris is the best option for the Palestinian cause and all of our communities. We know that some will strongly disagree. We only ask that you consider our case with an open mind and heart, respecting that we are doing what we believe is right in an awful situation where only flawed choices are available.

In our view, it is crystal clear that allowing the fascist Donald Trump to become President again would be the worst possible outcome for the Palestinian people. A Trump win would be an extreme danger to Muslims in our country, all immigrants, and the American pro-Palestine movement. It would be an existential threat to our democracy and our whole planet.

When we think of Trump in power again, we recall that even a genocide can get much worse. Trump just said that Netanhahu must “go further” in Gaza while criticizing Biden for “trying to hold him back.” His biggest donor, Miriam Adelson, who demanded in 2016 that Trump move the US embassy to Jerusalem if elected –– which he then did –– is now telling Trump to allow Israel to annex the entire West Bank. Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and the entire far right in Israel want Trump to win and grant Israel total free reign. We cannot give them what they want.

Trump must be defeated. The only way to defeat him is to elect Kamala Harris.

Voting for Harris is not a personal endorsement of her or of the policy decisions of the administration in which she served. It’s an assessment of the best possible option to continue fighting for an end to the genocide, a free Palestine, and all else that we hold dear.

We are deeply frustrated that Harris has not yet met our movement’s demand that she break with Biden, defy the powerful extremists enforcing the status quo, stand with the majority of Americans, and pledge to uphold US law and international law and condition aid to Israel. Still we believe there are clear reasons to hope that we can win positive policy change with a Harris administration and a Democratic Congress.

Multiple media reports state that Harris’s national security advisors are open to re-evaluating policy and conditioning aid to Israel. On October 13th, the same day the administration threatened to re-evaluate military support if Israel did not improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and reduce civilian casualties in the next 30 days, Harris tweeted: “Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and have access to food, water, and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected.” In Michigan the other day, Harris expressed clear empathy for the suffering of the people of Palestine and Lebanon and the impact of this devastation on Arab Americans. She pledged to do “everything in her power” as President to end the war in Gaza, end the suffering of Palestinians there, and achieve “a future of security and dignity for all people in the region.”

Beyond Harris’s statements, we know that her decisions as President will be shaped by the larger Democratic Party coalition that includes a growing force pushing for Palestinian human rights. Our Arizona Democratic Party passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in January. Every single member of Congress who has publicly called for a ceasefire in Gaza or for an arms embargo is a Democrat. The major national unions, civil rights groups, and progressive organizations that have called for a halt to military aid to Israel are all working to elect Harris.

On the other hand, the Republican Party coalition offers zero opposition to unconditional support for Israel and zero support for Palestinian human rights. Instead Republicans urge the US to join Israel in bombing Iran, call to “bounce the rubble in Gaza” and “kill ‘em all,” and would likely support the Israeli far right’s drive to annex Gaza and the West Bank.

What about a third party? Many in our communities believe this is our best option. Unfortunately, there is not a single third party member of Congress or even state legislator in America. In our electoral system, no third party candidate can win this election. But voting for them could make Trump president.

The polls show the presidential election is extremely close and that it will be decided by 7 swing states, including Arizona. While voting 3rd party may be strategic in non-swing states as a protest of the current US Israel/Palestine policy or as a step to qualifying the Green Party for public funding in future elections by winning at least 5% of the national vote, doing it in Arizona or other swing states in such a close election could bring disaster.

Some argue that if Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim voters and our allies vote for a 3rd party candidate and intentionally throw the election to Trump, taking credit for defeating Harris, it will prove our power to decide a close election and “punish Democrats” for complicity in genocide. Unfortunately, this is not how power, politics, or change works in our country. When Ralph Nader helped throw the election to Bush in 2000, he was rejected by millions for whom he was once a hero, banished ever since to the political margins. When Jill Stein helped throw the election to Trump in 2016, she remained relegated to the political fringe, becoming less powerful not more. If our communities ally with the Green Party to defeat Harris, we risk marginalizing ourselves as they did by alienating the tens of millions of voters who support the cause of Palestinian freedom and are fighting to defeat Trump by electing her.

Instead, by helping to elect Kamala Harris, we can say, “Despite it all, we gave you another chance and helped put you in office to defend democracy and uphold our highest American values. Now uphold them: end the genocide and secure Palestinian self-determination. We will fight every day to hold you to it.” If Harris and Democrats win, we will wage that fight with more allies among the American people, Congress, and the White House than ever before. If they don’t deliver, we will have a mandate and mass support to hold them accountable through every nonviolent tool of democracy, including protests, resignations, civil disobedience, primary election challenges, and even potential mass noncooperation. It’s a difficult path, but the one that offers the most hope.

The first step –– and our best choice in this horrible situation –– is defeating Trump by electing Harris. We urge you to join us.

Signers (affiliations listed for identification purposes only):

Maher Arekat, Founder, Palestine Community Center of Arizona

Usama Shami, President, Islamic Community Center of Phoenix

Fadi Zanayed, Vice President, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine - Arizona

Shams AbdusSamad, Secretary, Maricopa County Dem Party; ADP Exec Cmte Mmbr - At Large & SCM

Samir Mufarreh, Palestinian American Christian Community Leader

Jordan Harb, Lebanese American Youth Leader

Stephen Mufarreh, Attorney, Palestinian American Christian Community Leader

Misaal Irfan, Pakistani American Community Leader

Samara Hamideh, Palestinian Youth Organizer

Mohamed El-Sharkawy, Palestinian American and a Muslim leader

Ala Rumah, Syrian American Activist

Dina Hamideh, Coordinator, Arizona Palestine Film Festival

Salauddin Choudhury, Bangladeshi Community Leader; DNC Delegate CD 5; LD 14 SCM

Hani Hani, President, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine - Arizona

Dr. Navid Khan, Pakistani American Community Leader

Deena Mufarreh, Chair, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine - Arizona

Syed Nasir Raza, Progressive Pakistani-American Community Leader; AZ Progressives

Ashraf Elgamal, President, Arab American Organization

Salina Imam, Charity Program Leader

Sawsan Tannous, Chair, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine - Arizona

Saher Afzal, Pakistani American, Arizona Education Association member, and Exec board AEA local

Nathan Mufara, Chair, American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine - Arizona

Dr. Jaffrey Khazi, Community Leader

Hashim Hamid , Palestinian American Community Elder and Retired Businessman

Ameena Arekat, Palestinian American Health Care Worker

Mo Al Hwan Bahu, Palestinian American Christian

Deanna Dabbah, Former President, Arab American Anti-Discrimination Cmte, Fountain Hills, AZ

Dr. Hazem Jabr, Palestinian American Dentist

Jack Saba, Syrian American Entertainer & Democratic Voter

Ramzi Arikat, Palestinian American Business Owner in Phoenix

Shaikh F Shams, LD13 PC & State Cmte Member, Bangladeshi American Community Leader

Hussein Jabr, Palestinian American Doctor

Md Ibrahim Faisal, Bangladeshi American Progressive Democrats

Dean Dabbah, Community Activist, Fountain Hills, AZ

Mazen Arekat, Palestinian American Business Owner

Sujat Jamil, Bangladeshi American Progressive Democrats

Rocky Francis, Iraqi American Businessman

Hazem Arekat, Palestinian American Businessman

Arif Mahmud, Volunteer

Qumrul Ahsan, Precinct committee member LD13

Shahriar Anwar, LD13

Menassa Abinader, Lebanese American; Owner, Mejana Restaurant

Charlotte Hosseini, Sedona Resident ; Concerned citizen and voter

Tan Jakwani, Muslim Community Leader

William Havel, Iraqi Refugee

Jennifer Loewenstein, Jewish Voice for Peace - Tucson ; Arizona Palestine Network (AZ PAL)

Jessica Burke, Jewish Community Member & Progressive Activist

Bob Lord, Former Arizona Congressional Candidate, Jewish Community Member

Rachel Port, Jewish Voice for Peace - Tucson

Laurie Melrood, Jewish Voice for Peace - Tucson; LD 20

Rep. Mariana Sandoval, LD 23

Rep. Quantá Crews, LD 26 ; State and Precinct Committee Person

Martín J. Quezada, Former State Senator

School Board Member Patti Serrano, PC and State Committee Member LD 13, 2020 Delegate

Kai Newkirk, Co-Chair, Arizona Democratic Party Progressive Council

Erika Andiola, Immigrant Rights Leader & Bernie 2016 Latino Outreach Press Secretary

Mikkel Jordahl, Attorney

Belén Sisa, Former Latino Press Secretary for Bernie 2020 and DACA Recipient

Salil Deshpande, LD18 State Committee Member; DNC Standing Committee Member

Dan O’Neal, Progressive Democrats of America - Arizona State Coordinator

Armonee D. Jackson, President, Young Democrats of Arizona

Eva Putzova, Former City of Flagstaff Councilmember

Emily Kirkland, PC LD 8; Former Executive Director, Progress Arizona

Melissa Galarza, Chair, LD12 Democrats

Cameron Bautista, Youth Organizer & School Board Coordinator, KeepAZBlue Student Coalition

Nick Collins, LD 12 State Cmte Member, Progressive Council Interim Steering Committee

Ken Kenegos, LD 18 PC, member Progressive Democrats of America

Michael Bradley, Arizona Palestine Network, LD 4 PC

David Higgins, Co-Founder, Arizona Palestine Network (AZ PAL)

Natacha Chavez, Precinct committee person LD 22

Sarah León, Community organizer

Elizabeth Hourican, CODEPINK Phoenix

Emily Verdugo, Community Leader

Kyle Nitschke, LD 6 State Committee Member

Barbara J. Taft, Leadership Team, WILPF US Middle East Peace and Justice Action Committee

Nicole Gutiérrez Miller, State and Precinct Committee Person, LD 12

Dianne Post, International Human Rights Attorney

Lindsay Love, Owner & therapist at TherapyLuv, PLLC ; former CUSD school board member

Joan Etude Arrow, Founder, Arizona Progressive Action Community (AZPAC)

Elizabeth Ogren, LD5 PC and State Committee Member

Jenise Porter, PC and State Committeeperson AZ LD18

Dave Wells, United Campus Workers of AZ, PC LD9

Andreas Clayton La Grow, Community Organizer

Robert Flamida, Palestine Community Center of Arizona, Member

Dr. Marannagan, Autistics for Peace

Bonnie L Lynn, State Committee Member

Frederic Artus, LD 5

Isabel O’Neal, State Committee, PC LD 14, CD 5 Immigration Advocate

Deborah Arekat, Democratic Voter

Asfandyar Khalid, Na

Kathy F. Yontz, PC LD12

Pardis Baradar, LD 12 PC

Grace Wagner Democrat LD8

Laiken Jordahl, Community organizer/advocate

Kathryn Soderquist, Constituent, AZ LD 9

Jana Rose Ochs, Progressive Democrats of America, Progressive Activist

Victoria Eloisa Ramos, Community Leader

Aaron J Essif, LD17 PC & SCM, PDA, Indivisibles

Judith Hilton Coburn, Member, CodePink Phoenix, PDA, Phoenix Anti War Coalition

Dev Gautam Dogra, Progressive social democratic student from The University of Arizona

Peggy Thomas, Progressive Democrats of America activist

Anne Khoury, Concerned citizen and voter

Emily Williams, Democrat LD 12

Molly Donnelly, PC LD 12

4K notes · View notes

shoujoprotagonist · 12 days ago

Text

'S-Classes That I Raised' Translation - Chapter 851: Save Me

I will note that this is one of the most emotional chapters of the novel, and is much more impactful when you have the full context of the story. If you don't like spoilers for that reason, you should probably skip reading this.

Chapter translation under the cut.

---

Chapter 851: Save Me

Sung Hyunje.

Two words were written clearly on each palm.

Sesung Guildmaster.

Together with the words on both hands, his fading memories resurfaced. In his mind, a clear, bright voice spoke as if chiding him:

"Sung. Hyun. Je. Now, repeat after me. I am Sung Hyunje. I am the Sesung Guildmaster. I will repay my debt to Han Yoojin tenfold. I will not leave a single crust of bread uneaten—"

"That, I don't like," Sung Hyunje muttered aloud.

He could feel the dampness of the wet earth against his skin. With every breath, the sickening stench of blood seeped deeply into his lungs.

His head was intact. Below that, he gradually became aware of his body, both arms, both wrists, and the two hands connected to them. He tried moving his fingers slightly. Both legs were also properly attached.

After being shattered, broken and torn apart countless times, he had begun to question whether his limbs had originally been attached at all. Wasn't it normal not to have them in the first place? His original form became obscured in the mist, and a single fragment became the self. Was the current self the real him, or was it the past self, or even a self from a more distant past that even he didn't know? Could one truly be certain that their present self was the real them if they couldn't recall their beginning?

Sung Hyunje clenched and unclenched his hands. They were clean except for a few smears of blood. But he could still remember the tickling sensation of the pen writing along his skin.

Sung Hyunje. Sesung Guildmaster.

The erased past, the hazy present, and the fragmenting future didn't matter. Those four words defined him. Another memory surfaced.

The aquarium.

He had kept two memories for himself. One of his identity and one of his purpose. His name written on his palm and the promise to go to the aquarium. Even if everything else about him was erased, as long as those two things remained clear, he was confident he could rise and walk without wavering.

His golden eyes opened and closed slowly. It was a simple goal, just a promise to go somewhere together for fun. It was the kind of promise that could have easily been written off or forgotten. And yet, that was precisely why it had been engraved even more deeply. Deliberately keeping such an ordinary and lighthearted promise meant that the other person was that special. Someone who could turn even the ordinary into something extraordinary.

His limp arms bent and pressed against the earth. Blood seeped from the soil between his fingers. Sung Hyunje rose to his feet.

It was night here, and yet there was no night. The bright light of the moon had chased away the darkness and bathed everything in silver. Only a few faint patches of shadow lingered, drifting to and fro between the swaying auroras of pale moonlight.

The moon rose at night, but could this place truly be called that? With a sky so silver that nightbirds closed their eyes, and daybirds couldn't sleep.

Sung Hyunje looked up at the moonlight. Within that cascading celestial glow, the Crescent Moon gazed down at him, like a god watching over her creation. It wasn't far from the truth.

"It's clear that I won't be able to escape this place with my own power."

Golden light flickered around Sung Hyunje. He had already surpassed S-rank. In his hands, he held a portion of his accumulated power and the Gardener's mana stone, refined using the Caregiver's title. One step further and he could have reached the level of a Transcendent, though he still fell short of the level of the Crescent Moon. The layers of contracts that bound him also held him back.

"But… you will not get what you want either."

Jingle, jingle— The tinkling of bells echoed.

Feeling a shiver run down his spine, Sung Hyunje lifted the corners of his mouth.

The small moon now had enough power to reach its fullness. With the Gardener's mana stone as the final drop, the vessel had been filled. Yet, Sung Hyunje had not lost himself. The Perfect Caregiver. The power held by that title was preventing him from transforming into something he didn't want to be.

By the skin of his teeth, barely, precariously, struggling to hold on. Yet refusing to give up.

The Crescent Moon didn't move. She simply hung there. But the moonlight quivered. Clink, clink, clink— Silvery chains poured down from all directions.

Clang, clang!

Golden light flared to meet the moonlight. Hundreds of chains burst forth, but were struck down by an even greater number, crashing down in waves of gold. Under the overwhelming difference in power, the light fractured, shattering into countless pieces. The moonlight became stained with blood as it sliced through his limbs like blades.

Without even a scream, Sung Hyunje was torn apart. Painted red once more across the red soil. The metallic tinkling of bells subsided. The moonlight resumed its quiet flow. The scattered fragments began to reassemble Sung Hyunje's body again.

The power of the pseudo-Origin, wielding the force of creation, restored 'Sung Hyunje' to his original form. Recreated perfectly, from his body, to his clothes, to even his shoes. It was proof that he hadn't lost himself.

After inhaling and releasing a long, labored breath, Sung Hyunje lay there on his back, staring up at the sky.

"You've failed again," he said.

The Crescent Moon, who had reclaimed Sung Hyunje, understood his condition. Despite having gathered everything it needed, the small moon had failed to be reborn as a full moon.

Ordinarily, 'Sung Hyunje' would have disappeared naturally under the weight of such immense power. But Han Yoojin's memories continued to awaken 'Sung Hyunje'. Erasing memories alone wasn't enough to erase 'Sung Hyunje'. And the Cradle that sought to claim the Caregiver had been blocked by the Young Chaos.

The only remaining options were to break 'Sung Hyunje' or erase his memories and start anew.

Jingle─

The moonlight trembled.

His body had been shattered to pieces countless times. When the body broke, the mind was inevitably affected. Yet, Sung Hyunje endured. He was still the Sesung Guildmaster, and he still had a promise to go to the aquarium with Han Yoojin. If he bought him ice cream, Han Yoojin would accept it while pretending that he didn't want it.

"The Cradle will disappear as well."

Sung Hyunje stood, slightly unsteady. His intact legs felt momentarily unfamiliar.

"The Elder will handle it somehow, I'm sure."

The Newbie would end up helping Han Yoojin too. The world Sung Hyunje would return to would be safe. His golden eyes curved gently as he smiled. The Crescent Moon's expression remained unchanged as she looked down at him. Her detached demeanor was like the impassive face of the moon hanging in the sky.

"Your plans have gone awry, haven't they?"

— 'I wanted to perfect you while keeping you as intact as possible.'

Unlike her unchanging face, her voice carried a clear affection. And that made it feel eerily incongruent, like a doll playing a recorded message.

Clink!

A beam of moonlight shot forward at a speed that even combat foresight couldn't anticipate, piercing Sung Hyunje's shoulder. He grabbed the moonlight, which had solidified into a chain, and tore it away.

— 'I hoped you would stay unbroken until the moment of your completion.'

More beams of moonlight shot at him. A few silver chains exploded amidst the burst of electricity, but there remained too many to fend off. Sung Hyunje's body was flung to the ground like a ragdoll, his arm broken, his ankle twisted at an unnatural angle.

"Hrgk—!"

A choked breath reflexively escaped him as the chains coiled around his neck. They yanked him around violently like a toy, careful not to kill him. No matter how many times he severed them, the moonlight was infinite. His one remaining intact leg was torn apart, and his broken ankle was ripped clean off.

Crack—His vision went black. The lifeless body of 'Sung Hyunje' was restored to its original form again. His golden eyes blinked open beneath the strands of his disheveled hair.

— 'My child, in the new world, you will not Awaken.'

Sung Hyunje's legs, barely supporting him, were pierced by chains. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

— 'You will be unable to convey your will, neither through voice nor written words. And yet, there will be countless who desire you, and that itself will become your torment.'

Powerless and mute, yet a coveted existence. Such a thing would ultimately be treated as an object. Some would cherish him, while others would enact unspeakable cruelty upon him. Even those who cherished him would not cherish him as an equal.

— 'You will wander, unable to establish anything of your own, until you give up on yourself, or the power that sustains you fades.'

It would be different from before. Someone who had always risen to the highest place would now have to crawl at the lowest. Even if his innate excellence made him rise again, the moment he clawed himself out of the muck, he would be dragged off to a new place again.

Sung Hyunje would have no opportunity to refine the power he had accumulated. He would have neither time nor freedom to find a way to escape from the Crescent Moon. He would be muzzled, collared, and trampled helplessly underfoot.

Instead of using his impaled legs, Sung Hyunje spread his wings. But before he could rise far, the moonlight tore them apart. His body plummeted, and was shredded to pieces by the silver chains before it hit the ground. He rose, ran, and flew countless times, yet his end was always the ground.

Sung Hyunje opened his eyes once more. His limp arm and open palm came into view. Sesung Guildmaster. Sung Hyunje.

"A promise I can't keep…"

How long would Han Yoojin live? Sung Hyunje was confident he could endure, but he couldn't guarantee Han Yoojin's remaining time. Even if Han Yoojin grew old to the point Sung Hyunje could no longer recognize him, that would be alright. Even if their world had changed completely, it wouldn't matter. Even if the aquarium was a dried-up, empty lot with not a drop of water, just going there together would be enough. Even if there wasn't a single minnow, they could remember, imagine and talk about the biggest whale shark.

Sung Hyunje stood once again, his golden eyes wet. The welling tears fell silently down his face. What he felt wasn't desperation or hopelessness. It was simply…

— 'Such sadness.'

"How could I not be sad? I loved those times."

Every single moment of living in his world. Of Sung Hyunje's life. Even if Han Yoojin's time ran out, Sung Hyunje still had death left to him. His faithful death would eventually come and deliver him the final gift of closure.

So he felt neither anxious nor afraid. What he felt was purely sadness.

Song Taewon would recount for him everything that had happened. There would probably be time to share a drink or two. But nothing more than that would be possible for him.

"I want to live in my world."

Just a little longer. Greedily. Like a child who still had so many things he wanted to do, yearning for more time. He didn't want to let go of all the moments yet to come.

"I want to celebrate every birthday, and even death, in that world."

His own birthdays, but also the birthdays of others. He hadn't properly celebrated Han Yoojin's birthday even once. Maybe Song Taewon's upcoming birthday would be a little different than before. Perhaps Sung Hyunje would send off everyone else first, including the two of them, and be left alone again. But this time, he hoped to remember it all and long for it once it was gone.

Even being a gravekeeper would be a joy in that world.

"While remembering who I am…"

Moonlight poured down like rain, veiling his tears. His blurred vision became stained with red. Though he knew full well he couldn't win, golden light surged forth. Electricity crackled fiercely until his last breath. Over and over, again and again.

Yet, slowly, his memories began to dissolve under the relentless violence. Sung Hyunje. Sesung Guildmaster. He struggled to connect these words, to recall their meaning. The aquarium. The massive glass tank where fish swam. He couldn't remember that place.