#NeXus Zachary

[mr-laveau]

Wabba see a sneak peek at some outfits for the cookout audio to be released tomorrow? Yeah? Well here's something for Uriah and Zachary

Enjoy ;)

[texasthrillbilly]

Bite the nose that sleegs you.

[agentplutonium]

I got silly goofy again with more NeXus characters. Anyway: Cher & Sherlock character study that got away from me and ended up being just over 2500 words

(the fic can also be found on ao3)

The clock ticked on the wall. There was the occasional shout of laughter from outside the apartment. Cher sat at the table, shoulders rigid, fingers tapping the wood beneath them impatiently. The wood was smooth under their arm, the back of the chair digging into their shoulder blades. They wanted to keep moving. They wanted out of here. They wanted to keep everyone safe.

Cher was dropped off at Alonzo’s and his partner’s place to be babysat, despite what Uriah told them. He said it was for their safety but they felt Uriah didn’t trust them, or that he thought they couldn’t take care of themselves. It was humiliating. Not to mention this was probably putting the lovers out of their way just to be there with them. They did not want to do that to them. Cher was not worth the amount of effort the two vampires were putting into them.

Suddenly, a mug was placed before them, snapping Cher out of their thoughts. Owl, what Cher has taken to calling Alonzo’s partner, took the seat across from them, a matching mug in their hands. They were silent, not looking at Cher. Their fingers stopped tapping. They couldn’t help but analyze the situation, Owl’s body language, the way they kept their eyes on the mug in their hands, the mug that was left suspended between the two of them. But Owl just fucking sat there.

The silence lasted for a few more moments

“It’s just hot chocolate, I’m not trying to kill you,” Owl said, those piercing eyes finally glancing at them. “Thought you might like something to do than just sitting here.”

“Where’s that boyfriend of yours,” Cher asked.

Owl opened their mouth, presumably to quip back, but stopped themselves. “Sleeping. He’s running himself ragged over this case.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Cher knew that the case Alonzo was running after was connected to them and the magical world. It was dangerous to have him this close. Cher knew that. Uriah knew it. And they were sure Owl knew it too.

“I do what I can,” Owl said with a shrug. They took a sip out of their mug before continuing. “I keep him safe. That’s all I need. But, I came in here to check on you. Not Alonzo.”

“I don’t need to be checked on-”

“I’d beg to differ,” Owl cut them off, leaning forward and resting their elbows on the table. “You’re in a bad situation, in a stranger's house, being watched like you are some flight risk. You sat at this kitchen table the whole time because you couldn’t bring yourself to sit in the living room,” they started counting on their fingers as they continued, to prove their point, “You haven’t asked for food, or water, or even for the damn bathroom. And you’re doing this to yourself because you feel like if you get too comfortable it would put us in danger. That it would undermine the struggle and pain you put yourself and your pack through just to keep them safe. You’re ready to fight, to run, if the moment calls for it.”

The air was still between them. Cher was stunned silent, and Owl was still looking at them. How those eyes of theirs were natural would be beyond them. There was the smallest smirk on Owl’s face. A self-assured, cocky smile, as if they knew they were right before they even spoke.

“Am I close?” Owl asked, voice dipping quieter.

Cher didn’t say anything, but they did drag the steaming mug toward them.

“That’s what I thought,” Owl said, smiling.

“You’re not getting anything out of me,” Cher warned.

“Never said I wanted to,” Owl said. “However, I took the risk of assuming you wouldn’t mind some company.”

“I like being alone.”

Owl scoffed into their drink, “Sure, Cheri.”

“What is that for,” Cher demanded.

“Nothing, nothing,” Owl said, holding their hands up, “pardon me if I think that a wolf likes being alone is a little absurd.”

“It’s not uncommon.”

“I guess not. But seeing you interact with Zachary, coupled with the fact that I know you have a pack, tells me otherwise. You are a protector, Cheri, whether you like it or not.”

Cher huffed, rolling their eyes. “Say what you want. This was needed.”

“Of course it was. Someone came after you, and you didn’t want the pack getting hurt. You haven’t stopped since Washington, and I’m assuming you’re not all too pleased about how long you’ve spent here.”

“What do you know,” Cher said, annoyed.

“More than you give me credit for,” Owl shrugged, but still there was an edge to their tone and Cher could tell that Owl didn’t like their experience undermined. “When will you start accepting that we can hold our own around here?”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Owl said, sipping at their drink.

“What do you mean by that?” Cher asked, painfully clutching the mug, warmth seeping deeper into their bones.

“I mean,” Owl drawled, as if explaining it to a child, fingers messing with the rim of their cup in a bored manner, “Uriah would never have harboured you if he thought you were a genuine threat, no matter how much he says he doesn’t trust you. Whether that be you or whatever storm you’re dragging along with you.”

Cher didn’t answer, curling in on themselves. They still didn’t like being here, especially now that Owl was reading them like an open book. Was this just something that vampires could do? Or were Uriah and Owl special?

Owl sighed, relaxing back in their chair. “Listen, I’m not here to interrogate you,” they said. “I just want to talk.”

“We are talking,” Cher snipped.

“Normal talking,” Owl clarified. “Small talk.”

“Why do you want to talk with me?” Cher asked.

“Honestly? Cause you’re interesting,” Owl said genuinely. “You’re a puzzle that I can’t quite figure out. I want to know what makes you tick, Cheri.”

Cher’s mind flashed through the worst outcomes of this situation. Owl could use this against them, or get something about their pack out of them, putting them in danger. Cher wouldn’t be able to stop them from here if they were to put something together. But, a smaller part of Cher’s brain chastised them for it. What was Owl going to do? They were with Uriah, and he was proving himself to be trustworthy. If something was to go wrong, it wouldn’t be because of them.

Cher took a deep breath, “What do you want to know?”

Owl sat there for a moment, staring at the drink in their hands. “You miss home?”

Cher almost changed the subject. However, their silence drew Owl’s eyes again, and they couldn’t stay quiet with the curiosity that burned behind them. Maybe they understood why Alonzo fell in love with them.

“Greatly,” Cher whispered, “every damn day I’m gone.”

“What do you miss most?”

“My pack.”

Owl chuckled, “Naturally. I don’t know why I asked that. You got a big one?”

Cher shrugged. “One could say that, sure. I never really keep track. We’re already a few generations deep.”

“Damn, that must be hard to manage,” Owl commented.

“It is what it is,” Cher sighed, “most of them aren’t old enough to participate in the logistical side of things.”

“And I thought Zach was a handful,” Owl commented, taking a moment to take a sip of their drink.

“Do you consider him a child?” Cher asked.

“In some ways,” Owl said. “He isn’t terribly young in human years, but he is new to vampirism. I can have adult conversations with him and then have to scold him for something stupid five seconds later.”

Cher chuckled, “Fuck, don’t I know what that’s like.”

“You got ones like that?”

“More than I can count,” Cher groaned. “Love them all to death, but I question how any of them are still alive.”

“I get that.”

“You have anyone other than Zach and Uriah?” Cher asked.

“Lump Alonzo into that group and that’s all I got, in some ways,” Owl shrugged, “the rest of the people I know I wouldn’t consider family the way I do them.”

“You’ve built a nice life with them, huh,” Cher commented, not unkindly.

“I sure have.”

Cher could relate, but they didn’t say that out loud. Owl didn’t need to know their connection to their pack ran that deep. It was bad enough they knew as much as they did.

“Do you want to see some pictures?”

“Pictures?” Cher repeated, confused.

“Of me and Uriah from earlier in our lives,” Owl clarified, “I can let you look through the old photo albums while I update the current one.”

They would let Cher do that? Look at something that, they’d assume, was important to Owl? To them all? One part of Cher felt like they were overstepping something. But, how could they when they were invited to do so? Was it an invitation, or a test? Could they-

“I see smoke coming out of your ears, Cheri,” Owl teased with a chuckle. “I’m asking you if you would like to. This isn’t something you need to overthink. Just a simple yes or no will do.”

“I would like to,” Cher responded, surprising themself.

Owl smiled genuinely. “That’s what I thought. Come with me,” they stood from the table, grabbing their mug before making their way out of the kitchen. Cher hesitated for a moment before following suit.

Owl had placed a few coasters on a side table beside the couch before moving across the room to a fairly full bookshelf. “Feel free to sit anywhere,” they said over their shoulder, fingers running along the spines of the albums.

Cher looked around for a second, taking in their surroundings. There was a couch and a few armchairs that encircled a small coffee table, end tables between the pieces of furniture. Cher hesitantly perched at the edge of the couch, on the side closest to the preset coasters. If anyone looked at them they were sure they’d see the tension that was currently residing in their whole body. However, they didn’t get to think about that much, as Owl was already turning around with two albums and a small decorative box in their hands.

“This one is one of my oldest,” Owl said, holding out the more tattered album. “It’s from a couple of decades ago. It’s not the oldest, but we sure were different people back then. Younger. More naive.”

“More naive?” Cher asked, placing their mug down to take the book from Owl.

“Mhm,” Owl hummed. “You never really stop growing, even as vampires. You learn and experience things you never would have if you were human. Gives you an ongoing update on how you view life around you.”

“How old are you guys?” Cher asked.

“Aw, come on now, Cheri, it’s rude to ask people their age,” Owl teased.

Owl turned back to what they were doing, leaving Cher to slowly flip through the book open on their lap. They saw countless pictures of Owl and Uriah in different locations, smiling their widest and looking happy. The descriptions beneath each gave context as to what was going on. There were a few where one was not as happy as the other, in the wake of a prank that was less than pleasant. Seeing the two of them like this made Cher’s heart squeeze. They missed their family.

They got to a picture of Uriah, his back to the camera, at the edge of a lake. The description didn’t give much away, just revealing when the picture was taken, and Cher turned the book around to show Owl.

“What was going on here?” Cher asked, tapping the picture.

Owl glanced up from their work, smiling when they recognized what they were looking at. “There’s a whole story behind that picture,” they said. “You wanna hear?”

Cher nodded, placing the book back on their lap to pay attention.

That’s how they spent the rest of their night. Listening to Owl tell these stories, fuelled by the pictures that Cher would point out. The silence was comfortable between them in between stories as Owl worked and Cher browsed the pictures. The two of them continue to share drinks, and laughs, and Cher would even offer the occasional story about their pack.

This was comfortable, Cher realized, not sure if they were more spooked or surprised by the fact. Owl genuinely did seem to want to get to know them, despite knowing the time that they would share would be temporary. Cher wondered if Owl felt the same way, or if it was different for them.

Later in the night, when the album updating was done, Cher found themselves relaxed on the couch, enjoying the conversation that they were having with Owl. It had been hours since Uriah dropped them off, but they were okay with that. They liked being with Owl. They were nice and seemed to sense when they were getting skittish about a topic, changing the subject soon after. Cher felt like if they met under different circumstances they would have been fast friends.

There was a noise behind them and Cher tensed immediately, spinning around. Uriah stood behind them, as if he was there the whole time. Cher let out a breath, scowling at the man. “Do you not knock?” they scolded.

“This house is just as much mine as it is theirs,” Uriah said.

“You knew who you left with me, Ry,” Owl commented, the slightest edge to their voice. Cher didn’t expect the vampire to stick up for them. “It is good manners to knock.”

Uriah didn’t answer them, turning back to Cher. “Let’s go,” they said, “we need to get back.”

Cher almost talked back, but stopped themselves, biting their tongue harshly. They got up without a word, brushing past her on their way to the door.

“I will see you later,” Uriah said to Owl.

“Uriah,” Owl stopped him. Their voice dipped quieter as they continued, but Cher could still hear them. “They’re a good person, Uriah. I promise you.”

“I know that,” Uriah said.

“I’m just saying. I know how skittish you’ve been around them. Treating them like a loaded gun.”

“Would you disagree?”

“Yes.”

Cher paused, caught off guard by the sincerity behind the vampire’s voice. Did they mean that?

Uriah was also quiet for a few moments, and Cher believed there was some kind of silent conversation going on between them. “You mean that?”

“Every word,” Owl promised. “Just… just get to know them. You’ll see. You know they won't hurt us already, but they aren’t as dangerous as you make them out to be.”

“I’ll see what happens.”

There was a soft sigh from Owl, and then they said, “Thank you. Have a safe trip, Uriah.”

“I will.”

Uriah was beside them a few moments later, and he seemed to be a bit more relaxed. Uriah opened the door, stepping aside and motioning for them to go through. “After you, mon cheri.”

Cher ducked their head as they passed by, face heating up at Uriah’s eyes boring into them.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Uriah asked when they were alone.

“Something like that,” Cher replied, not looking at him.

[news4dzhozhar]

The Real Origins of the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Began Long Before 1948

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Monday that Israel may have a “diplomatic window” of two to three weeks to continue its assault on Gaza. “From a diplomatic point of view, we recognize that pressure has begun to bear on Israel. The pressure is not very high [now], but it is increasing,” Cohen said.

When asked about the chances of a ceasefire at a November 9 press conference, US President Joe Biden said, “None. No possibility.”

Meanwhile, mass marches, shutdowns, and other disruptions have continued around the world, as Palestinian organizers, Jewish anti-Zionist protesters, and other allied groups demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israeli apartheid and the occupation of Palestinian lands.

An estimated 11,240 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza. Of those killed, 4,630 have been children. More than 3,000 Palestinians are missing, most of whom are believed to be buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that its aid operations in Gaza will cease within the next 48 hours unless fuel is allowed into the besieged territory.

According to ActionAid International, an international aid organization, 22 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals are no longer operational due to damage caused by airstrikes or because the facilities have run out of fuel. Israeli tanks reached the gates of Shifa Hospital on Monday, where patients, including premature infants, have been dying due to a lack of electricity and medical supplies. An estimated 50,000 people have been sheltering on the hospital grounds amid ongoing attacks. Unable to bury the dead, due to the threat of airstrikes and sniper fire, Palestinians on the ground have reported seeing stray dogs eating dead bodies in the vicinity. Israel claims that there are tunnels used by Hamas under the hospital but has produced no evidence to support these claims. Israel defended its bombardment of a convoy of ambulances attempting to evacuate patients from Shifa Hospital last week, claiming that there were Hamas fighters in the vehicles.

Amid such horrors, protesters and others who are seeking to raise awareness and increase international pressure for a ceasefire have faced intense repression. But in spite of firings, arrests, and efforts to ban expressions of solidarity, supporters of Palestinian liberation are continuing to pressure world governments to demand a ceasefire. One stumbling block that organizers face, particularly in the US, is a general lack of awareness about the history of Israeli aggression against Palestinians. While raising awareness about the atrocities that are presently unfolding is crucial, educating the public about the history that has delivered us to this moment is also essential. In the following interview, I discuss some of that history, as well as the politics of the present moment, with historian Zachary Foster. Foster has a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies and is the creator of the newsletter Palestine Nexus.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Kelly Hayes: While the events we are presently witnessing are devastating in scale, the attacks Israel is waging are grounded in a long history of ethnic cleansing. Can you share some of that history with our readers?

Zachary Foster: I think the real origins of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine began long before 1948. I think every Zionist leader, and every Zionist thinker from the late 19th century to 1948 all struggled with the same question, which was, “How is it that you establish a Jewish state in a land that is majority non-Jewish, in a land that is majority Palestinian Arab?” Different Zionist leaders took different positions, but I think that the dominant position was that the Palestinian people are not willing to subject themselves to Jewish domination. They have strong roots in the country. They have a strong national identity.

The position for most Zionists was that, “We’re going to probably have to expel them.” That was the position of Theodor Herzl. That was the position of Yosef Weitz, Ze’ev Jabotinsky. Many, if not most of the Zionist leaders leading up to ’48 believed that. And then, in 1948, when the British decided to pack up and leave, to abandon this colonial enterprise, this British mandatory government, war broke out between the Palestinians and the Zionists. Over the course of the 1948 war, the Zionist forces expelled something like 750,000 Palestinians from their homes. Of course, some of those Palestinians left on their own, some were expelled by force. But the reason I would call it ethnic cleansing is because in the aftermath of the war. The Israeli military prevented Palestinians who were trying to return to their homes after the war. They prevented them from coming back, and they had a shoot to kill order.

In the year and a half after the war ended, from late 1948 to 1949 and 1950, the Israeli military shot and killed more than a 1000 unarmed, defenseless Palestinians. That’s why I think most historians, pretty much all historians, would acknowledge that this was a mass expulsion, and I would say the ethnic cleansing of half of the Palestinian population.

That was really the first and most traumatic case of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. I would say the second major instance of ethnic cleansing took place in 1967, during the June 1967 war and in its aftermath, during which time the Israeli military expelled another 250,000 to 300,000 Palestinians from their homes in the occupied territories, when they conquered Gaza on the West Bank. 70,000 of those were expelled from Gaza, and then the remainder of that 250,000 to 300,000 were expelled from the West Bank.

Once Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, roughly 2,000 more Palestinians were expelled from 1967 to 1987. It’s of course much harder to expel people during times of peace, or let’s say relative peace, than it is during times of war, and so obviously, the expulsion slowed during that 20 year period, but they continued even after 1987. I would say the character of those expulsions shifted. It became obvious during the First Intifada that Israel could not maintain permanent military control over millions of Palestinians forever. Instead, it engaged in this process that became known as the Oslo Peace Process, during which it signed a series of agreements with Yasser Arafat and the PLO, in which it began to gradually transfer over some amount of autonomy within small cantons of the West Bank, as well as Gaza.

I would say that Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians shifted. Instead of pushing the Palestinians out of the West Bank and Gaza, like it did from ’67 to ’87, from the 90s onwards, the policy became pushing Palestinians from primarily area C to areas A and B. Because in the course of these Oslo agreements, the West Bank was carved up into three areas, areas A, B, and C. The largest 60% of the West Bank, that was area C. That’s the area Israel wanted to maintain control over, because it was the area of the West Bank that was least densely populated. It was the most sparsely populated, and the majority of the non-urban areas of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley and the border with Jordan, Israel wanted to maintain permanent control over that area. So for the past two to three decades, Israel has engaged in an ongoing process of pushing Palestinians out of those regions.

Just in the past month, since October 7, the Israeli military together with Israeli settlers have expelled 900 Palestinians from area C of the West Bank. Before that, in the year or two before that, so we’re talking 2021, ’22, something like another thousand Palestinians were expelled from area C of the West Bank. And there are many villages in the West Bank that face a threat of expulsion. Masafer Yatta is the biggest one. You’re talking about 1,800 Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, which is in the south Hebron Hills of the West Bank. Those Palestinians have been under threat of expulsion for more than a year now. In the Jordan Valley, in places like Hamsa, I bore witness myself, you have settlers setting up outposts around area C of the West Bank, and harassing the Palestinian shepherding communities in the Jordan Valley, as well in places like Khan al-Ahmar, and in Beita as well.

In various places of the West Bank, you have this ongoing effort to push Palestinians out of their villages. Again, pushing them into areas A of the West Bank, where you have the large Palestinian urban centers. I would say there’s another ongoing effort to push Palestinians out of Gaza, and this has been a trend that I think is relatively under-reported over the past few years. If you go to Gaza and ask people… And I was in Gaza about five weeks ago, just shortly before the outbreak in violence, and the attacks on October 7th, every single Palestinian in Gaza knows someone who has left. It’s the same thing that has been happening in North Africa over the course of the past decade and a half, Palestinians from Gaza are getting on boats and leaving, and braving the high seas, and hoping for a better life in Turkey or Greece, and beyond.

That is another worrying trend. Now, of course, in the past month or so, in Gaza, 1.5 million Palestinians have been pushed out, have been told to leave their homes. We saw, of course, the report that came out, an Israeli military report, that basically said the Israeli military intends to, or hopes to try to expel every single resident of the Gaza Strip, we’re talking 2.3 million people, and push them all towards Sinai, a complete ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip. That is now, I think, at least the goal of the Israeli military. It’s unclear that they’ll be able to achieve that goal, but make no mistake about it, that is the goal. That’s how I would characterize the past 75 years of ethnic cleansing efforts on the part of the state of Israel towards the Palestinian people.

KH: One common refrain we have heard during the last few weeks is, the Palestinians need a Gandhi. Such people have insisted that the Palestinian people simply haven’t mounted a sufficiently powerful nonviolent liberation movement. Such critiques overlook decades of Israeli oppression, including violent attacks on protestors, and targeted assassinations. Can you speak to some of this history?

ZF: There were many attempts at Palestinian nonviolent resistance, and in most of those attempts, the Israeli military resorted to lethal violence. The first real, I would say nonviolent attempt to resist military occupation was during the first uprising, known as the First Intifada, from 1987 to 1993, during which Palestinians spontaneously broke out into open protest, daily strikes, daily protests. In the first year of that revolt, the Israeli military slaughtered 142 Palestinians in Gaza, and in response, Gazans killed zero Israeli soldiers and zero Israeli civilians, because it was a nonviolent revolt. It was Palestinian kids throwing stones at Israeli tanks. I think Palestinians saw up close and personal what happens when they resort to nonviolent resistance. They get slaughtered. They learned that lesson in 1988.

I would say the same has been true in the Oslo process. You saw the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, sign these Oslo Accords with Israel, which is a peace process, and that’s a nonviolent process. In return, what did the Palestinians get? Over the course of the seven years during this Oslo process, from ’93 to 2000, Israel dramatically expanded its settlement enterprise, confiscating more Palestinian land, destroying more Palestinian property. Israel also imposed lockdowns and closures, devastating the Palestinian economy. During a period when Israel is supposed to be building trust with the Palestinians, it’s actually eroding that trust. During peak closures and peak lockdowns, in which the Israeli military prevents Palestinians in the occupied territories from leaving their towns and villages and cities, you had unemployment rates that reached 70% in places like Gaza, which led to total impoverishment. Entire communities lost their sources of livelihood, and this is what the Palestinians got for engaging in a peace process with Israel.

And then of course, in the 2000s, after Israel decided to build a wall, which the international criminal court declared illegal because it was primarily built on Palestinian land, in the occupied territories, you had many villages, Beit Sira, Bil’in, Nil’in, Nebi Saleh, throughout West Bank, villages whose lands were confiscated to construct this wall, to construct this security barrier, and they protested week after week, in some cases for years and years, and in almost every case, Israeli military killed innocent protestors. They killed protestors in Nabi Salih and Bil’in and Ni’lin, they killed protesters in places like Sheikh Jarrah which also saw many protests in places like Beita, which saw many protests. Again, nonviolent protests that the Israeli military responded to with lethal force.

And then you could also… I would say the other few examples I would bring up would be the BDS movement, which is of course, a nonviolent movement to boycott and sanction and divest from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation. And in response to that movement, which began, I believe in 2005 by Omar Barghouti, supporters of the movement were declared antisemitic. The leader was threatened with expulsion, and he was threatened with his residency status being revoked. And in general, Israel has engaged in a campaign to delegitimize precisely that non-violence that it claims that Palestinians should resort to.

And then the final example I’ll give is in Gaza in 2018, Palestinians and Gaza organized protests. They were called the March of Return protests during which many thousands of Palestinians protested peacefully against the siege on Gaza demanding the right of return, and they were slaughtered. 256 Palestinians were slaughtered over the course of that protest movement. And at the same time, the Israeli snipers that gunned down those hundreds of Palestinians, they experienced zero casualties. No Israeli experienced any major harm at all. And so if you look back to the history of the nonviolent movements in Palestine, they’re delegitimized, they’re dealt with extreme violence, and disproportionate force. And so I think the question is not so much, “Where’s the Palestinian Gandhi?” The question should be probably, “Where’s the Israeli Gandhi?”

KH: Raz Segal, an associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University, has referred to Israel’s attacks on Gaza as a “textbook case of genocide unfolding in front of our eyes.” But there has been a lot of pushback in recent days against people using the word genocide to describe what’s happening in Gaza. Can you explain why you believe it is appropriate to use that word to describe Israel’s ongoing actions toward Palestinians?

ZF: So I think I would first of all defer to scholars of genocide who understand the legal implications and the legal understandings of that term better than me. So that’s the first point I would make. And it wasn’t just Raz Segal, you had a petition already in the first week of this war, waged on Gaza, in which 800 academic scholars, PhDs who study ethnic cleansing and study genocide, they came out and basically said, there is a risk of genocide. And we can debate whether or not we’ve crossed the threshold. We can debate whether or not genocide is the right word, or whether mass indiscriminate slaughter of innocent civilians is the right term. I think at the point where we’re debating whether or not genocide is appropriate or is not appropriate, I think we’ve already established now that what is happening is totally unacceptable and it’s unlawful and it’s a crime against humanity.

And so I wouldn’t get too bogged down on whether or not we choose to use this specific word or not. I think reasonable people can fall on both sides of that debate. But what I think is unequivocal is that the statements coming out of the Israeli political establishment, the most senior Israeli political and military officials in charge of this war have demonstrated in multiple, in dozens of statements, we’re not talking about one or two statements, we’re talking about dozens of statements that they make no distinction between the civilian population of Gaza and Hamas. Even just recently, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, in a speech to soldiers going into battle, quoted the Bible, Deuteronomy. He quoted the verses in which the nation, the Israelites in the Bible, are told to destroy the people of Amalek. And if you go into the Bible and read those passages, it says that you go in and you kill every man, woman, child, and cattle and goats, because they’re all your enemy – [so that means] every single last person in Gaza.

So when you add up these statements from Israeli leaders declaring that we are cutting off all food, all water, all electricity to all 2.3 million people, so there’s a full blockade, full siege, Israel has prevented something like three to four percent of the humanitarian aid that is needed is being allowed in. So, 96 percent of people are essentially without water and without food.

Then when you add that up, when you add up the indiscriminate bombings, dropping bombs on civilian areas and refugee camps, 10,000 plus people die. How many more innocent civilians need to die before we say it’s a genocide? Is it 20,000? Is it 50,000? Is it 500,000? And so we can debate the exact number of people that need to die before we call it a genocide. But I think at that point, you’ve already essentially acknowledged that what we are talking about is a grotesque crime against humanity, and it’s incumbent upon all of us to call for an immediate ceasefire and end to the hostilities, because otherwise we’re just headed down a path that is either already genocide or will be genocide very soon.

KH: You recently stated that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) can no longer be considered an organization that defends the Jewish people. Can you elaborate on this?

ZF: Historically, and to this day, the mission of the ADL is to prevent the defamation of the Jewish people. It’s to prevent discrimination against Jews. And yet it published a report just this past summer, basically outlining and documenting criticism of Israel, what it calls anti-Israel behaviors and statements and actions. Now, let me ask you this. Why is an organization that is focused on preventing discrimination against Jews publishing reports, talking about criticism of Israel? What does criticism of Israel have anything to do with discrimination against Jews? These are literally unrelated historical phenomenon. You have many raging antisemitic Zionists, and you have many Jews who are anti-Zionists.

So it is no longer an organization that I think can plausibly be said to be an organization that is dedicated to preventing discrimination against Jews. It’s completely politicized itself, and it’s not just that one report. Look at the tweets of, what is his name, Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of ADL. A huge percentage of what this guy is saying has nothing to do with discrimination against Jews. So I think it has really lost a lot of legitimacy in my eyes, and I imagine the eyes of many Jews who are critical of Israel.

KH: There has been a great deal of repression reminiscent of McCarthyism and the aftermath of 9/11 in which many people who have questioned the violence being perpetrated by Israel have faced professional consequences such as the cancellation of events or the termination of their employment. Can you speak to this repression and why you believe people should continue to speak out in spite of it?

ZF: First of all, let me just say that repression is most severe inside the borders of the state of Israel. You have, I think by now, over a hundred Palestinian citizens of Israel who have been fired from their jobs, from their places of work for coming out in solidarity with the people of Gaza. We’re not even talking about people writing in messages, talking about their support for Hamas or their support for attacks. We’re talking about messages in solidarity with the victims. Those people are being fired from their jobs in Israel. University students in Israel are being suspended. You have police in Israel walking into shops demanding that Palestinians open their phones to see what Facebook or Instagram posts they’ve liked, and if they like the wrong posts, they’re being arrested. You have dozens of cases of arrests. Again, all for just speaking out for condemning the violence being committed by the Israeli military. So I think it’s most severe right now in Israel, which is really becoming, I would say, a police state.

And then of course, it’s happening all around the world as well. We saw in Europe protestors being arrested for waving the Palestinian flag. It’s happening in the United States. You have people coming out, sharing their solidarity with Palestinians being fired, being forced to step down. Their invitations are being rescinded. It’s incredibly troubling and worrying, and I think it’s incumbent upon all of us to speak out against it and to continue to share our thoughts about what kind of country we want to live in.

If speaking out against a “textbook case of genocide” is now illegal or is now leading negative consequences, that’s a horrible society that I don’t think any of us want to live in. I think it’s absolutely horrifying to see these incidents, and I think it’s now more important than ever for those of us who care about human rights and who oppose genocide to speak out, because it’s our government that is implicated in this. We are not sitting on the sidelines here. We are an active participant in this conflict. So, it’s worrying and it’s distressing, and I think we all need to speak up on behalf of people who are facing pressure and losing their jobs because of this.

KH: What are your thoughts on news that Israel has agreed to a four-hour humanitarian pause each day in their bombardment of Gaza?

ZF: Either you believe that the people of Gaza should be able to live in peace and security, or you don’t. The blockade and the siege need to end. You need to allow more than a few dozen trucks to enter Gaza every day. Before the war, you had 500 trucks entering Gaza every day. Now, I believe in the past 24 hours, there were maybe a few dozen trucks allowed in, and in total, there have only been a few hundred trucks allowed to enter Gaza since October 7.

So you’re talking about a trickle, you’re talking about a trivial percentage of people’s needs being met. It’s insane. You’re letting people starve to death and dehydrate to death. So this concept of humanitarian pause, it makes no sense to me. Either you believe that the people of Gaza are innocent and deserve to have food and water and electricity and fuel, or you don’t. And if you believe that, then you need to support an immediate ceasefire and a cessation of hostilities and opening up the border completely, and allowing humanitarian organizations in the UN to deliver the necessary aid that the people need.

[protoslacker]

Polling data from the Agam Institute suggests that some 60% of Israeli Jews oppose allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. That is, 60% of Jewish Israelis believe all 2.2 million people in Gaza should die of dehydration and starvation. Israel’s problem is not its lunatic fringe, as Gideon Levy said earlier this week, “Israel’s problem is its mainstream.”  So, how did this happen?

Zachary Foster at Religion Dispatches. how 95% of Jewish Israelis Support a 'Plausible' Genocide

Foster has pinned 6 threads to make sense of Israel/Palestine at Twitter. He's also part of the team at Palestine Nexus, a good source for understanding Palestine.

[tieflingkisser]

Israel’s attack on Palestine’s libraries, universities is an attack on academia everywhere

For months now, watching Israel’s relentless genocidal acts against Palestine has redefined what I thought I knew about cruelty and violence – their blocking of humanitarian aid, arresting and brutally torturing civilian prisoners often without cause and allegedly abusing and raping girls and women. But, one aspect of their campaign that has largely been left out of mainstream discourse is Israel’s recent destruction of Palestine’s libraries, archives and universities since Oct. 9, known commonly as scholasticide.” By damaging, looting or completely destroying 14 libraries, publishing houses, bookstores and archival buildings, as well as 378 schools, including 12 universities as of Feb. 8, Israel is destroying important sites of Palestine’s culture, heritage, history and knowledge and, subsequently, any physical record of their existence within Palestinian borders.

[...]

Unfortunately, the truth is that this has all been happening long before Oct. 7. During the 1948 Nakba, the Israeli military looted and destroyed Palestinian archives and libraries. Today, Israel is erasing Palestinian culture and history, and even more so, preventing Palestinians from documenting evidence of the violence being committed against them. After all, without records, it’s difficult to verify facts or truth. It becomes easy to deny an entire people of their humanity, dignity and memories, and create new narratives that mythicize them or leave them out altogether from history.

[...]

But, it’s important to remember that Israel’s acts of genocide have not been met without resistance. Within Gaza, teachers who have survived IDF assaults are leading classes for children in refugee camps. Zachary Foster, a professor of Palestinian history at Princeton University, has been at work since 2020 creating Palestine Nexus, a comprehensive digital archive of Palestinian maps, newspapers, documents, diaries and other records from as far back as 1590.

[tortiefrancis]

[ ID from Alt Text 1: NPR reported on Feb. 4, 2024 (https://t.co/olYAwjoJP3) that Saleem Elrayes's antique shop in Gaza has been destroyed.

I was able to purchase 600+ documents from his shop in 2023 before it was destroyed. All of those documents are freely downloable here: https://t.co/Awla1mT8p8 pic.twitter.com/jlWqocTcBO

- Zachary Foster (@/_Zach Foster) February 6, 2024 /End ID ]

[ ID Addition 1: The above described tweet has a screenshot attatched of a website, reading:

"Download the Gaza Collection. This collection consists of hundreds of documents related to social, political and economic history of Gaza, specifically, and Palestine, more generally, from the 1910s-

1970s, with the bulk of the material from the 1920s- 1950s. Palestine Nexus acquired this collection from Gaza's only antique dealer, Saleem Elrayes. We are making the collection freely available to the public for the first time." /End ID ]

[ ID from Alt Text 2: Here is Saleem, in his home, which was also destroyed, talking about one of his documents. Praying Saleem and his entire family are safe https://t.co/49XbjYCfu4

Zachary Foster (@/_ZachFoster) February 6, 2024 /End ID ]

[ ID Addition 2: The above tweet is a response to another tweet by @/_ZachFoster, which has a video attatched, and it reads:

Meet Saleem Elrayes, Gaza's #1 antique dealer.

For 30yrs+, Saleem has collected private papers, rare books, manuscripts & historical documents from the people of Gaza relating to the history of Palestine.

Shortly before Oct 7, I was fortunate enough to visit his shop in Gaza (cuts off)

The video is of Saleem showing a document to another person, who looks at it, smiling. /End ID ]

[ ID 1: A tweet by Zachary Foster, @/_ZachFoster, which reads: "Meet Saleem Elrayes, Gaza's #1 antique dealer.

For 30yrs+, Saleem has collected private papers, rare books, manuscripts & historical documents from the people of Gaza relating to the history of Palestine.

Shortly before Oct 7, I was fortunate enough to visit his shop in Gaza City. I purchased 100s of documents dating from the 1910s-1960s.

Since Oct. 7th, the Israeli military bombed Saleem's home. Saleem believes his shop, which housed the literary heritage of the Palestinian people of Gaza, has been destroyed during Israel's genocidal rampage.

I'm sharing 200+ documents I received from Saleem for the first time now.

You can download them for free in the "Gaza Collection" here, in the folder titled "ملف غير محدد".

palestinenexus.com/sources" /End ID ]

[ ID 2: A continuation of the above described tweet, with a video attatched, reading:

In total, the Gaza Collection now includes 600+ documents, all of them purchased from Saleem. Here's a video with Saleem, taken on October 2nd, 2023, from Saleem's home (which is now rubble), where he is explaining one of the documents in the collection:

The video is of Saleem showing a document to another person, who looks at it, smiling. /End ID ]

[ ID from Alt Text 3: Here's a video showing all the historical treasures, the 1 of 1 documents, letters, manuscripts etc that were blown to pieces by the Israeli military. We've just lost the most important collection of records documenting the history of Gaza pic.twitter.com/ao3CVb29ur

- Zachary Foster (@/_Zach Foster) February 6, 2024 /End ID ]

[ ID Addition 3: Attatched to the above described tweet is a video of several documents and miscellaneous objects on the floor, in shelves or hanging from the ceiling. /End ID ]

[ Video Description: Same video as attatched to the tweet above. The video shows the antique shop, the camera moving slowly from one side to another.

CC: (chatter)

As the camera moves to the right, a man slowly comes into view, and the camera zooms in suddenly, away from him. The entire shop is filled with several kinds of objects and documents. /End ID ]

You can find the 600+ documents here. Help preserve Palestinian history

[myocstm]

All Characters

Current Number: 124

A

Characters: 14

Aiden Xiao

Alex Devine

Amelia Ramure

Amina Pashmina

Ammolite

Anndee Perkins

Artace Halira

Arthur Wiles

Arune Varo

Arver Thorn

Arzil Mor'garath

Astruxath Mor'garath

Atlas Atticus

Aurora Borealis

B

Characters: 4

Bamthora Galahrae

Beau Vine

Bowenite

Brittney Rivers

C

Characters: 5

Calcifer Grey

Cartrin Gyless

Cecil Reiniger

Cheri Tracer

Crow Hyde

D

Characters: 3

Dalgros Bulmek

Darwin Hughes

Devin Larimore

E

Characters: 6

Egg

Eiraden Mavola

Esta Flyoroux

Evan Cline

Evangelina Cline

Everett Fenske

F

Characters: 4

Fae Conch

Fenren Aelar

Frog

Fuego Flyoroux

G

Characters: 3

Gennas Ar'gun

Gillian Ghostgrinder

Gilrin, Lady Crowned with Stars

H

Characters: 2

Hollis Nysa

Hunter Smith

I

Characters: 1

Imryll

J

Characters: 7

Jade Wrath

Jamie Ivanov

Jasper Jacobs

Jee-Jah Theerdeseer

Jeremy Jacobs

Jewel Violalina

Jun Wong

K

Characters: 8

Kabuto Konishi

Kate Miranda

Kazlou Raylos

Kecuwi

Ki Jae-Yong

Kith

Kokoondar Gelbis

Koroit Moonstone

L

Characters: 10

Lane Marsh

Lasya Zam

Lazarus Lee

Leon Drake

Leona Lionel

Lilith Rogers

Lily Frank

Lin Jeune

Lovac Zinzber

Lune

M

Characters: 10

Magdala Lothaire-Scalise

Margrette Devita

Marline Sealsor

Mars

Meilough Jayz

Michewa Zam

Mila

Milo Stonewell

Moss

Mylodeus

N

Characters: 6

Neptune

Nesur Southeil

Nexus Flyoroux

Ni Weathers

Nikano Galahrae

Noël Roux

O

Characters: 2

Orabelle Ollivier

Ozos Mor'garath

P

Characters: 5

Peter Piker

Pietersite

Piper Belling

Pizrat Creatu

Pom A. Rain

Q

Characters: 1

Quill Violalina

R

Characters: 8

Rai Weathers

Ramona Monti

Ramulus Ghan

Rawk

Reagan Pandary

Rian Tensen

Ru Gōngzī

Rylan Grieves

S

Characters: 5

Salem Carthridge

Scarlet Sharp

Seamour

Sheldon Lancer

Spider Wych

T

Characters: 7

Tiger

Tip

Thomas Whaley

Thumbelina Angora

Tomias

Tyberious Lothaire-Scalise

Tyler Sanders

U

Characters: 1

Uriel White

V

Characters: 6

Valor Tyria

Valora

Vezotos Zaxbris

Vicky Castillo

Vincent

Vivian Lynch

W

Characters: 2

Wallaby Ingles

Wani Luar

X

Characters: 1

Xerthroth Mor'garath

Y

Characters: 1

Yvette Blythe

Z

Characters: 2

Zachary James

Zebris Sails

[othry4des]

LOADING... LOADING... LOADING... OTHRY4DES JOINED THE GAME!

OTHRY4DES just spawned! the 20 LVL WRAITH is PLAYING SOLO for now & there was a rumor they WERE NOT a beta tester. behind avatar is HARRIE MORETON, a FORTY year old from CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. they give me SPLATTERS OF BLOOD ON A WHITE LEATHER JACKET, VODKA STRAIGHT WITH ONE CUBE OF ICE, THE SILENT STARE THAT SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS, DARK EYES THAT HAVE SEEN TOO MUCH vibes and i swear, you can hear SEVEN DEVILS by FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE as they walk by. ― tara, 27, gmt, she/her

Hey! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to start writing with you all!

                                                     REAL WORLD:

Name: Harrie (Harriet) Moreton

Age: 40

Home: Chicago, IL

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Orientation: Lesbian

Occupation: Private Investigator

Why would a 40 year-old woman pick up a VR head-set and load into the Nexus? ANSWERS.

Zachary Moreton turned 18 last week, the only thing he wanted? A VR headset, and this brand new game: The Nexus.

He was ready for the release, anything there was to know about the game, he knew before the device was even his. It was more or less the only thing Zach had been speaking about since the game was annouced. Nexus this, Nexus that. Back then, Harrie was getting sick of all the talk about this new world, as he would always describe it. Now? Now she wished she could hear him rant and rave.

She sat and watched him set up his account; P3RC1V1L, a name adapted from one of his favourite films. He’d picked a Ghost, saying that he was going to found the world’s first virtual reality special forces unit.

Then he logged on. She knew deep down nothing good would ever come of this whole virtual reality business. The internet was dangerous enough; she’d know, in her line of work. But, he was so passionate about it... She should have followed her instinct.

Harrie knew something was wrong when Zach’s laughing stopped, and his smile turned. What is it? She’d ask. What’s wrong? Zach, what’s happening? She wished she’d reminded him that she loved him then, because when he stumbled back, shaking his head, trying to tug the headset off... Panic. Struggle. Fear. Those were the last emotions she watched her son go through before he...

A couple days past. A mother buried her son. Then, when the real world law enforcement didn’t seem to care about what happened because they were dealing with all the other reports of the same thing; the same thing they had NO idea how to understand, Harrie started her own investigations. Trouble was... There was only so much you could find out about the inside from the outside.

One more day and a bottle of vodka later, she sat in her son’s bedroom, the headset in her hands... Until she couldn’t help herself; she needed answers... 

                                     WELCOME TO THE NEXUS.

[dontjudgemeimawriter]

Find the Word

I was tagged by @loopyhoopywrites thank you!

Air

“People don’t OD on cigarettes,” I pointed out. “They would’ve known it was Gaian influence.” Jasmine’s specialty was manipulating gases, using air-borne toxins as her weapon of choice. -syndicate

Zone

Russell looks confused, but his eyes zone out a little, and he must be talking to it. A moment later, he says, “It says we can try.” He holds out a hand to me. -Off Base

Tip

Truth was, we weren’t that different. As soon as he’d walked in I’d wanted a way out, I’d been compromised. I’d gotten the aversion to guns as a method from Zachary himself, it was a solid excuse. But what was the story then? That I’d tipped him off myself? -syndicate

Hope

Despite how apart they’d grown, Mika looked a lot like her brother. Her hair, though longer, had the same shine to it. Their skin was practically the same shade— a light, warm brown. They had the same round face and the same deep brown eyes— though Mika’s were so often full of anger. Raymond’s were full of hope, despite everything. -syndicate

Law

She nodded, giving a small smile. “Time stops make it very hard to maneuver. The laws of physics get messed up, it’s impossible to do anything. So we slow it it down to—” She looked at her Nexus. “Once second real time passed every two million of our seconds pass, which means you’d have to be gone for about three and a half hours for someone’s eye to even process you were gone.” -Second Chance

For someone who writes about crime a decent amount the word "law" was super hard to find.

I'll tag @raevenlywrites @stardustandsun @kessler-writes and anyone else who wants to (&lmk if you want me to tag you in tag games)

[mr-laveau]

Designs for Uriah and Zachary, the vampire parent-child duo from my series NeXus

[allyvampirelass29]

Take the Night Road Home

Take the Night Road Home A NOS4A2 Review By: Allyssa J. Watkins

How black is your soul? She took the Shorter Way to the Night Road A chink of glass and a sarcastic toast A chill in the air as he feels her approach Knives drawn in a parking lot Gasoline Fire and Eyes of Black Frost Drunk Whore Mothers are best left forgot To kill her is a kindness Her son, his to soothe Chin up, Victoria I'm the best thing that ever happened to you........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!! Yes, this SPECTACULAR episode is extra special for me, not only because it was a delirious joy and rare return to form, but because it premiered on July 5th, 2020, my thirtieth birthday, and MY GOD what a TREAT!!!!! Yes, while last week's episode felt like a rotten trick, The Night Road was an absolute treat, with the ooey gooey, chocolatey center, of Vic FINALLY facing off against Charlie!!!! I'm MESMERIZED, I am in LOVE with this episode, and the second it ended, I danced around my living room and started it over again!!!! I feel like gushing, after one HELL of a DREAM DATE!!!!

PARNASSUS!!!!! Oh you guys, ever since the first Parnassus episode, I have been dyinggggg to go back to this surreal nexus of Creative Thought, this funny little pub, where the darker Strong Creatives gather and commiserate!!! I must say, I was so refreshed to find Abe infinitely more agreeable and interesting than the bitter, mouthy, nihilistic, sexist fiend who "greeted," our Man Manx, on his last visit! Charlie is as snarky and charming as ever, and I swear Zachary Quinto grows more BEAUTIFUL, and alive with dark allure each new episode!!! So much intrigue in his and Abe's conversation, and I loved this new mystery of The Hour Glass..... So many new threads, I don't know which to pull first!!! Being in the dark can be such fun!!! I also thought that was so witty of Charlie when he said, "That's the spirit, Abe," with a sneaky smirk, as Abe said, "I wish you had died, Chuck." I liked him calling him Chuck, I thought that was cute, and I really ache to know more about their bizarre friendship, and this apparent debt Abe owes Charlie!!!

My absolute favourite scene was the Knife Fight in the Parnassus Parking Lot, and it was there I realized what had been so obviously lacking in the first two episodes. Charlie and Vic...... Full strength and face to face. That seething hatred, that electric chemistry, the fire and frost, the reveling rivalry. The dark flirtation as Charlie tells Vic he's the best thing that ever happened to her. To her son. GOD, it was ambrosia for the soul!!! Speaking of souls, I loved Charlie's coyness, haughtily asking Vic what darkness had seeped into her soul, and then telling her exactly why she was able to access The Night Road. He took such pleasure in it, scolding her about children born out of wedlock, and drunk whore mothers, flinging her down to his level, maybe even putting his own moral compass slightly above hers. The responsible father, and the screw-up teen mother. Their banter was phenomenal, and smouldering, I couldn't get enough, Vic telling Charlie she'd sacrifice her life to stop him, and Charlie simpering sadistic, saying he'd gladly take it from her, for the sake of everyone she loved so they wouldn't have to hurt anymore. WOW. I was like this is it, THIS is the NOS4A2 that I fell in LOVE with!!!! Yes, I was a bit glum that the fantastic tease, didn't lead into an all out skirmish, and bar brawl, but patience Pets, the season's only just begun, and I appreciated them leaving us with wanting more.

Charlie's coaxing encounter with Wayne was absolutely adorable!!! I grinned the entire time, ridiculously blissful, and I loved how touched and surprised Charlie was when young Master Wayne asked if he was feeling better!!! Sweet Baby!!! Aaaaaah and how CUTE was that when Charlie wagged his finger in gentle reprimand, reminding Wayne it was bad manners to abscond without saying a proper goodbye!? My heart twittered warily when Wayne took the candy cane, and I saw all the presents, and a brand new basketball inside the Wraith, but something told me it was not going to be that easy, after all Wayne is his mother's son. My suspicions proved true, as Charlie was thwarted even by the Littlest McQueen, failing to have said a rather important password. I giggled, adoringly, as Charlie tried to wave it off saying, "There are no passwords in Christmasland," but our sharp little lad, was much too clever for that, and took off running!!! I LOVE WAYNE, I LOVE this darling, beautiful little boy, and his precious curls, and deep, inquisitive eyes. Charlie having two quick McQueens to foil his dastardly plots is just too much fun!!!

Much less fun however, was the knock down, drag out, fight to the near death between Lou Carmody, who has to be the COOLEST, nicest, most congenial guy in the WORLD, and that BASTARD Bing Partridge!!!! I don't think I took a breath the entire time, and I was like I SWEAR Bing, if you FREAKING hurt Lou, you will incur my WRATH, you CREEPSTER Son of a BITCH!!! I absolutely LOVED the hidden message he left for Vic, Lou earning serious fanboy cred with the AWESOME Obi-Won reference, and I take it back, what I said about him being Vic's sidekick, because that teddy bear of a man was a BADASS Hero tonight, beating the hell out of Bing, and single-handedly saving his son from Manx's clutches!!!!

I also felt redemption was in order for Vic's parents, as shockingly they're doing better than Vic herself!!! Chris is sober even, finding solace from his demons in the woods, and the heartbreak on his face when he finds Vic's stash of minibar bottles in her pockets, is profound. He blames himself. His little girl inherited her Old Man's coping mechanisms, and nothing terrifies him more. I loved that he kept her sketchbook too, as a way to keep her close. Linda though, WOW what a change, Linda is a new woman!!! Gone, is that pale, schizophrenic shell of a battered wife. She's got a new hairstyle and a confident, secure attitude to match. It was such a nice shock to see her thriving, in a new relationship, full of good advice for Vic, and I think she's ready to heal, both from the pain she endured, and the pain she's caused. You go, Linda!!!

Speaking of Mothers........ Hold onto your Santa hats, Kids, because Mrs. Manx LIVES!!!! Millie's shocking discovery that her mauled mother, or at least a glazed-eyed apparition of her, still haunts her old house in Christmasland, stole the air from my lungs!!! WHAT has Charlie been up to beyond the borders of his merry inscape!? Crafting Sleigh House from memory, along with raising his own murdered wife!? My GOD, this episode came to WIN, going hard, even until the end!!! I have a theory that Cassie Manx has everything to do with why Charles has requested an introduction with the infamous Hour Glass Man, whom I suspect can alter time. I think Charlie wants to reunite the family Manx, bring back his wife, which in itself is a dizzying revelation, because I thought he ached to be rid of her long before that first AWFUL trip to Christmasland. I'm excited to see if I'm right, wondering at where they're going with this, and how Cassie will come back into the story. Could she love our Charlie again even after the atrocities he loosed upon her? I think maybe so....... I would. To love Charlie Manx once, is to LOVE him forever.

The Night Road is NOS4A2 at its coming-out-swinging best, and I feel like, after a few rocky patches and speed bumps from the previous scattered episodes, Season 2 is back on track and set to be BETTER than anything we've EVER seen before!!! My BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER, and I'm so happy I took the Night Road Home, back to the unique and enthralling, spine-tingling fun storytelling that I LOVE!!!! Thank you Charlie, tonight was the PERFECT date I've been WAITING for!!!! Same time, next week, Handsome?

[kvist51loomis-blog]

How To Backup Ps3 Backup On Ps3 Games, Copy And Burn Ps3 Games

The Charges: JJ's a 42 years old man going on 13. His re-imagining of the Trek franchise not only re-casts sacred acting cows Shatner and Nimoy, but he's fracking with Star Trek canon as well. Fans don't want another trip to Star Trek past, we had that with Enterprise and most of us liked it about as up to doing another tour through the 6th grade. We want the future, the next Enterprise team. We like Kirk and Spock right where we left them. Spock in generation x two-parter Unification, where he was attempting to reunite the Vulcans and the Romulans. And Kirk dying in Captain Picard's arms saving a million nobody aliens from the "Nexus". Plus have you read the new Entertainment Each week? Abrams is a snotty little prick! A speed of 300Mhz is required for your PC or laptop to run the satellite software. This speed needed as it must have to be a match inside your recommended internet connection. A better speed on your personal computer will make certain you have no problems accessing the internet channels. The casting was right. Chris Pine did a superior job as James Kirk and Zachary Quinto was great for a Spock whose emotions were a little closer towards the surface. I enjoyed seeing these new faces repeat the signature wrinkles. All of the actors did actually take the characters very seriously. I didn't detect any hamming it up or irony as they were working with the are really cultural insignias. The special effects were mind-blowing and the Enterprise never looked so great. One of the more used programs to playback a DVD on pc is the Windows Media Player from Microsoft. The program is used because it comes down preinstalled on each version of the Windows computer system. It is also more than likely end up being the default player for DVD movies for many people as amazingly well. When Windows Media Player is useful DVD playback it won't open mechanically. It depends on what is setup on the computer system. Often times an autoplay feature is available with all of the options you could choose. However, is Windows Media Player is set as the default player it should open automatically when a DVD disk is inserted into the drive. avg pc tuneup product key is "Make nero Digital Audio CD" again a data format that anyone to to put more music on a CD however the player you plan to use to be able to be suitable this file format. Once universal keygen generator have completed editing your files, on a daily basis save your MP3 files to WAV. Converting MP3 to WAV is necessary so that they be burned to Cd and dvd. More than likely, you always be burning your MP3s to some CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable). Newer model CD players can handle this regarding CD, however, an older CD player may not be able to identify them. driver toolkit key and email is at your feet Sounders fans, this is buyers be wary. If you ask the Sounders to "make it right" by dropping the friendly, they claim they will oblige.

[artwalktv]

Directed by Amber Schaefer Written by Amber Schaefer and Yoni Lotan Presented by Buzz Kill Media 12 Tin Cans Van Couch Sleep Cody Yoni Lotan Pat Beluzzi Griffin Newman Jess Alyssa Limperis Judy Andi Poland Barbara Maggie Reed Batman Rhasaan O. Manning Shitty Ironman Jithesh Kuyyalil Bluetooth Man. Dennis Williams Gregory "Smiley" Jenkins As himself Producer Sam Broscoe Director of Photography Jordan Parrott Art Director Kaitlyn Corwin Editor Micah Gardner Colorist Josh Bohoskey Color Executive Producer Krista Staudt Senior Color Producer Denise Brown Color Coordinator Lindsey Orlando Color Assistants Logan Highlen Gemma Parr Charles J. Brown Music Supervisor Nargis Sheerazie Original Music Composed by Zachary Seman and Roger Kleinman Re-Recording Mixer Geoff Strasser Audio Post Production Mr. Bronx “One Life” Performed by Malibu, Oliver Coates Written by Barbara Braccini Published by copyright control Courtesy of UNO NYC From the recording One Life, 2019 “Cops” Performed by Gobby Written by Gabriel Sugrue Published by copyright control Courtesy of UNO NYC From the recording Fashion Lady (Techno Ass Album), 2013 “Sun” Performed by Feral Written by Caleb Halter Published by copyright control Courtesy of UNO NYC From the recording Nexus, 2016 Movies, Weyes Blood Additional music by APM Casting Director Vanessa Hardy Associate Producer Ella Schaefer Production Counsel Riccardo Maddalosso 1st Assistant Camera Bryan Bonilla 2nd Assistant Camera Melanie St. Clair Sound Mixer Sal Barra Production Coordinator Alex Harris Production Assistant Raul Ravelo On Set Reader Benjamin Bogen Assistant Editor John Mattia Special Thanks Michael Keaton (the Dog) Nathan Fielder Loom Post Caviar Charles Damga UNO NYC Jason Foster Ariella Elovic Abracadabra NYC SAG-AFTRA AbelCine NYC MOFTB NYC Parks and Recreation copyright buzz kill media LLC

[thatnamejeremy]

Drop Off

The office was small, but it was hers. Marlena Proskouriakoff was never one for taking up more space than she needed - though when it came to this particular branch of the Department of Alien Linguistics of Kauna-Pskov University, one could have perhaps argued that a larger office would have done the woman some good. Every wall was occupied by a bookcase. Every shelf was stuffed with books. When the shelves proved inadequate, Marlena had taken to storing them on top of the cases. And then in front of them on the floor. Soon the collection had spilled into piles surrounding her desk, though she was always careful to keep a nice clean path from the desk to the door - for the sake of guest courtesy, of course.

Marlena was in the midst of frantically maintaining the path when her intercom beeped. "Professor Proskouriakoff," her assistant spoke blandly from the other side of the speaker. "Mister Babcock is here to see you."

"Kemos' name, finally," she sighed in relief, leaning to hastily dispatch the books she'd been holding onto the desk. "You can send him in, Trudy. I'll be ready."

"I've already told him to watch his step," Trudy answered before the speaker clicked off.

Marlena shoved one stack of books a little more in line with the others before quickly skirting around her desk and plopping into her chair. Her glasses returned to their pinched position upon her prosthetic nose, and she took up a pen and began to write. Sure, it was on a bit of napkin, but that looked important enough. She took in a breath as the anticipated knock on the door met her similarly prosthetic ears. "Come in," she invited warmly.

The door opened and tall, dark-skinned man stepped through. He was dressed quite properly, in a charcoal colored button up and a stygian black vest. A blue handkerchief was tucked into one pocket, almost perfectly matching the opalescent blue of the node fixed to the side of his temple. He smiled cordially at her as he entered. "Professor Proskouriakoff," he greeted. "I see you've tidied up since we last met."

A flutter of laughter left her and she waved a bony hand. "All for you, Mister Babcock. It is nice to see you again. I trust the trip went well?"

"Smoother than Ekosian silk," he assured. He carried with him a slim, leather bound book, which Marlena had to remind herself not to focus on too much, lest she appear rude. It was a half-failed effort, though the man politely ignored the fact. "Though," he continued, "there was a bit of an incident with a gas leak at the mine. Some of our party suffered blackouts - that wouldn't have anything to do with why all the workers bugged off, would it?"

The question was presented innocently enough, but even then that did not stop the knot of concern that began twisting in her throat. Her eyes wandered up from the book, back at the man. "Was the foreman not there?"

"No foreman, no security, no nothing," the man answered. His eyes had narrowed in his effort to study her reaction, but this only drew Marlena's thread-thin eyebrows closer together.

"May I see the book please, Mister Babcock?" she asked, trying not to sound insistent but sounding so nevertheless.

"You can call me Zachary," the man answered, unmoving, still sounding the epitome of polite.

“May I see the book please, Zachary?” she asked again. Any of her former pleasantness had melted, giving away to a quiet sort of fret. It was enough to get the man to hand the book over in any case.

Slender fingers clasped over the cover. It was immediately brought close to her chest, as though it were some precious child brought back from the dead. And then she was placing it on her desk. A gentle hand smoothed over the cracked hide cover before she gingerly opened to the first page. From there her pale eyes began to traverse quickly over the scribbles, intelligible to anyone save for her, the Pell, and a handful of other scholars across Nexus.

It was not a long book - seventy pages at most, and as Marlena skimmed deeper into the contents she at once seemed to completely forget about the man that was standing on the other side of her desk. She was lost. Lost in in the jagged glyphs that littered each page, telling the story of a god and its furious descent into madness. It had been locked away with-

The man cleared his throat.

Snapping out of her haze, Marlena’s eye lifted from the pages before her to stare at him blankly, as though just noticing he was there. “I’ll uh… be on my way, if that’s all then,” he said, shifting his weight to his back foot. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mis-”

“You need to take the book back,” Marlena interrupted, words abrupt and mechanical.

“What?” the man asked, voice every bit as sharp.

“You need to take the book back,” she repeated.

“Well I don’t want it,” the man replied.

“You don’t understand,” she began again. The lines on Marlena’s face grew more and more grim. She could feel… something. An unease growing beside her own, like a shadow that wasn’t supposed to be there. “What did you do with the rest of the items you found down there?” she asked warily.

The man seemed to take a while to consider her question. “I sold them to a trader in Slop Hollow,” he finally said. “Why?”

“Shit…” Marlena’s already pale face lost the rest of its color. For a moment she appeared paper white in the dim off her office. She sank back in her chair. That was when she felt it - a heat swelling in her chest, a feeling of betrayal, and oddly - embarrassment.

“Miss Proskouriakoff, I’m going to need you to tell me what the fuck is going on,” the man said firmly, straight-faced.

Marlena looked down at the book again before meeting the man’s eyes once more. “I’m afraid we’ve made a rather large mistake, Mister Babcock.”

[aion-rsa]

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 7 Easter Eggs & References

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers for “Unification III.”

It’s Spock time! In “Unification III,” Star Trek: Discovery has continued a story that The Next Generation began in 1991. And, in doing so, the series has created an episode of Trek that is both nostalgic as hell and also forward-facing and new. Back before we even knew what Discovery would be like, we were told Michael Burnham was Spock’s adoptive sister. And now, Spock’s sister has come home! 

From TNG vibes to sweet nods to the reboot films, to a lot of references to Spock, here’s all the Easter eggs and shout-outs we caught in Star Trek: Discovery, Season 3, Episode 7, “Unification III.”

New Starfleet Logo on USS Discovery

During the opening moments of the episode, we see that a newer, more rounded Starfleet insignia adorns the shuttle bay of the Discovery. This feels commensurate with the upgrade we saw the ship get last week.

USS Yelchin 

One of the “black boxes” Burnham recovered is from an “old” Federation starship called the USS Yelchin. This feels like a huge tribute to actor Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the Star Trek reboot films. Tragically, Yelchin died just before the release of Star Trek Beyond. 

Two-Dimensional Thinking 

Tilly tells Burnham that mapping all the Burn data works fine in two-dimensions, but not in three-dimensional space. This could be a slight nod to Spock in The Wrath of Khan. In that film, Spock points out to Kirk that Khan’s strategies indicated “two-dimensional thinking.” 

Vulcan becomes “Ni’Var”

The new name for the planet Vulcan — Ni’Var — comes from OG Star Trek fan culture. In the 1968 fanzine called Spockanalia, fan writer Dorothy Jones came-up with the word “ni var,” which she claimed was a Vulcan word that referred to “two forms.” This is not the first time this word has made it into canon though; in the 2002 Enterprise episode “Shadows of P’Jem,” the NX-01 encountered a Vulcan ship named Ni’Var.

Saru and Burnham have no idea that Romulans have pointed ears

When Saru learns the Romulans are sharing the planet formerly known as Vulcan, he says: “The Romulans were considered enemies in our time.” Vance points out that “history forgot this in your time, but Romulans and Vulcans were two tribes of the same race…” All of this is true, but the funny thing is that because DISCO’s point of origin happens in 2258, that’s a full eight years before the events of “Balance of Terror,” in 2266, in which Kirk, Spock and pretty much everybody in Starfleet, learned that Romulans looked a lot like Vulcans.

Spock and “Unification III”

The title of this episode is a reference to the two-part episode in The Next Generation, “Unification Part 1” and “Unification Part 2.” However, in the TNG days, some of the multi-part episodes were styled this way; meaning the onscreen text read “Unification II” not “Unification Part 2.” This was also true of episodes like “Redemption II.” It was not the case with “The Best of Both Worlds,” “Time’s Arrow,” or “Descent.” It’s also not the case with the title of Discovery’s first episode of Season 3, “That Hope Is You, Part 1,” which very clearly spells-out the “Part 1.” That said, Discovery is the first Trek series to not actually show the episode titles during the opening credits, a tradition that continued with Picard. (Although Lower Decks used the TNG style and has the titles spelled-out in the credits.) That said, “Unification III” is the very first time an episode title in one Trek series directly posits itself as a sequel to an episode title from a totally separate show. 

Spock’s “death”

Vance mentions that the reunification of the Vulcans and Romulans “took centuries after [Spock’s] death.” To be clear, this is a presumed death. Starfleet’s records would show that Spock fell into a black hole in 2387, right around the time of the Romulan Supernova. They have no idea he actually went back in time to 2258, and also slid sideways into the J.J. Abrams universe in Star Trek 2009. Then, he eventually died in an alternate version of the year 2263 (Star Trek Beyond), which, in the parallel Prime Universe is like two years before Kirk and Spock even meet. 

So, Spock “died” in 2387, according to Starfleet records, but really went back in time to an alternate 2258, which in the Prime Universe, is the same year from which Michael Burnham went into the future. If you count Spock’s “presumed” death established here in Discovery, and his temporary death in The Wrath of Khan, and his “actual” offscreen death in Beyond, Spock has died three times. Starfleet’s recorded death of Spock being false when time travel was really involved also echoes Starfleet’s incorrect records of Spock’s bestie James T. Kirk, who everyone thought died in 2293 on the Enterprise-B (Generations) but, really, time-traveled via the Nexus and died with Picard in 2371. (It’s like space-poetry. It rhymes.)

Finally, it should be noted that all of Sarek’s children end-up as time travelers, except for Sybok, who, in The Final Frontier, touched the face of an evil space god, and got esploded. 

Multiple Spocks! 

The flashbacks we see of Michael talking to Spock (Ethan Peck), as well as kid Spock (Liam Hughes), come from the Discovery Season 2 finale, “Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2.” Combined with the archive footage of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from TNG, this is the only episode of Star Trek, ever, in which Spock appears three times, played by three different actors and in none of the scenes is the character “alive” in the present. This is also the only time Ethan Peck and Leonard Nimoy appear as young and old Spock in the same Star Trek thing. That said, there are oddly several precedents for Trek episodes or films in which multiple Spock actors appear in the same story. 

In the TAS episode “Yesteryear” Spock (Leonard Nimoy) meets himself as a young child (Billy Simpson.)

In The Search For Spock, Leonard Nimoy appears in the same movie with four other Spock actors, Carl Steven, Vadia Potenza, Stephen Manley, and Joe W. Davis. All of these other Spocks played Spock in his various stages of hyper-aging on the Genesis planet. But, don’t get it twisted, like Billy Simpson and Liam Hughes, these Spocks are canon!

In The Final Frontier, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is in the same scene with an infant version of Spock. We don’t know who that baby was, but it’s a good bet that it wasn’t archive footage of Nimoy’s actual birth.

In Star Trek 2009, Leonard Nimoy obviously appears alongside Zachary Quinto, but you also have a third, child Spock played by Jacob Kogan. 

In Star Trek Into Darkness, obviously, both Quinto and Nimoy appear.

In Star Trek Beyond, two still photos of Nimoy exist in the same story as Zachary Quinto as Spock.

In the Star Trek: Discovery episodes “Light and Shadow,” and “If Memory Serves,” Liam Hughes plays child Spock in the same episode that Ethan Peck plays an adult Spock.

Anyway. That’s a lot of Spocks! Does any other Trek character come close to having this many people play them? Second place seems to be a tie between Jean-Luc Picard and Christopher Pike, who have each been played by four distinct actors. Oh, and don’t even get me started on Molly O’Brien. 

The Spock flashback!

By now, it’s obvious, but just in case you missed it, the scene in which Michael views archive footage of Spock comes from two different scenes in “Unification II.” One scene, where Spock alludes to “closed minds” happens fairly early in the episode. The rest of the speech, however, happens at the end of the episode. In both instances, Spock was talking to Jean-Luc Picard. 

I never finished the command training program

Tilly mentions that she never completed her command training. This was a major plot point in Discovery Season 2, specifically the episode “Point of Light,” when we saw Tilly win the Command Training Program half-marathon. 

Graduate of the Vulcan Science Academy

Burnham mentions she is a “graduate of the Vulcan Science Academy.” This is something her brother did not complete. We saw Burnham’s graduation day in the Discovery Season 1 episode, “Lethe.” 

“Since the time of Surak”

Burnham mentions Surak, the founder of Vulcan logic. The first canonical reference to Surak was in the TOS episode “The Savage Curtain,” in which Surak fought with Kirk and Spock, alongside Abraham Lincoln. 

Qowat Milat and “absolute candor”

We learn that Burnham’s biological mother, Gabrielle Burnham, has become a member of the Qowat Milat. This references the Romulan warrior nuns, introduced in the Picard episode “Absolute Candor.” Like Elnor, Gabrielle Burnham has a sword on her back. This episode was written by Kirsten Beyer, who, along with Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, and Alex Kurtzman, co-created Star Trek: Picard.

The Temporal Accords

The Vulcan president, T’Rina (Tara Rosling) tells Saru: “Your jump to the future is not widely known, even within Starfleet.” Saru tells her that’s because they don’t want to be “polarizing, given the Temporal Accords.” This references Enterprise, in which Daniels told Archer that the Temporal Accords prevented time-travel from being used illegally. But, it also seems to indicate that Vance hasn’t told all of Starfleet where Discovery is actually from. 

Essof IV

Burnham’s mom mentions that she landed “right back on Essof IV.” This references the planet on which the Discovery crew tried to “capture” the Red Angel. Presumably, Dr. Burnham didn’t land “right” back on Essof IV. She also, clearly, journeyed into the future. How long has she been living on Ni’Var? We don’t know. Long enough to become a warrior nun! 

Needs of the many

Saru and T’Rina briefly debate about the maxim: “The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.” This originates in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. That said, in The Voyage Home, Spock’s mom, Amanda, pointed out that Spock’s friends believed that “the need of the one” — specifically Spock — was “more important to them” than the needs of the many. Amanda raised Michael Burnham, too! 

Vulcan gongs and fire reference “Amok Time,” and The Search For Spock

When Burnham invokes the T’Kal-in-ket, some very retro Vulcan-ceremony vibes. The gongs and fire are not only evocative of Spock’s “wedding” in the TOS episode “Amok Time,” but also the ceremony in The Search For Spock, in which Spock’s Katra was put back in his body.

Tilly and Burnham still share a room!

After much speculation, it seems very clear now that Tilly and Burnham still share a room. This is because Burnham makes a joke about Tilly asking her to “switch my bed to the other side of the room.” This means that they have been roommates since “Context Is For Kings” in Season 1 of Discovery. Is there just not that much room on the ship? Or do they just like it? 

“Live long and prosper”

Somebody doing the “Live long and prosper,” thing isn’t exactly an Easter egg, but it is the first time we’ve seen Saru give the famous Vulcan salute. Saru joins several other non-Vulcan Starfleet captains who have flashed the famous hand gesture, including Captain Picard and Captain Archer. Is Saru the first non-human and non-Vulcan to do it? It seems so.

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Star Trek: Discovery is streaming now on CBS All Access.

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