#The Hookah Girl: And Other True Stories

[cathcrsis]

【 briana cuoco //. demifem //. she/they 】 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠… NEMESIS KLINE into The Hub. You are registered to be THIRTY-SIX and have been given citizenship for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS under the Expatriate Act. According to the data compiled, your most notable qualities seem to be METICULOUS & RECALCITRANT. Please confirm that you are TRUE NEUTRAL. From what we’ve gathered your place of employ is currently for the SHABIRU as a CHŪNIN // OWNER OF A CHOPSHOP. We strongly advise that you provide the correct information pertaining to your background to ensure proper safety precautions: are you a HOST or HUMAN? A deeper dive into our archive suggests that you are gone with the wind and nearly as mercurial in spirit, even with your tap-tap-tapping along the pavement; the sounds of nails on a chalkboard, though alien, as if steel replaced keratin and their purpose is far more sinister; the way midnight looks when it's still in the city and fluorescent lights dance as purple and pink pixies across hazy vision and bad decisions; the smell of bleach and leather and the creak of a rubber apron far too big for the body wearing it. Though we noticed you, too, are similar to AEON FLUX (AEON FLUX), MEI TERUMI (NARUTO), DESIRE (THE SANDMAN), TYLER DURDEN (FIGHT CLUB), MARIKO (SHOGUN). ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ᴠᴇʀɪғɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ 100% ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ! Please comply to all regulations and laws. It is our hope that you enjoy your stay. 【 d //. 21+ //. she/they //. est //. trypophobia (visual), animal abuse & death, child abuse & pedophilia //. 】

most orphans have hazy memories of a childhood that they're just incapable of parsing, but not you... no, your memories don't even seem to exist before you were 8 years old, already deep underground and hidden away in training.

in fact, for all intents and purposes, you didn't seem to even exist before the age of eleven, and no one remembers seeing hide or hair of you before you were fifteen. no one questions it because no one has the luxury of worrying about others' origins when the world is like it is. another day, another lost child, who gives a shit. thank you, next.

your teen years feel different from the pictures played out in pantomime in old stories and visuals you've seen from the past. no friends, no family technically, but hours of training and practice to become something far more dangerous.

you weren't even born with a name, as far as anyone can tell, but nemesis kline was gifted upon you to help you blend. shadows don't need names, but the people they're posing as do.

nemesis kline, quick as a whip and stinging twice as hard, you are the picture of fit with a body littered with cybernetics and skin marked by tattoos and cyberware alike, you scream danger but in a way that's enticing... like a poisonous flower begging to be eaten only to clog the throat of the one who swallows with their own bile, blood, and something entirely you.

they know you at some of the clubs. you're nemesis kline, the impossibly cool girl (or boundless void, depending on how you feel of a day) who doesn't need friends, but also doesn't eschew company so much as never holding onto it. you're the one drinking from a glass of colorful liquid of indeterminate origin and smoking from an intricate, cyber-hookah providing you with mind-altering experiences, or at least so it seems.

you can count your close friends on one hand, and if you were honest only one finger would be held up to snuff. you prefer the company of animals, keeping a cat because it matches your energy in kind and leaving you sated when you might crave affection... because you do, at times, crave just that. the strays that frequent your place have become your family as much as anything else and come and go as they please, but rafael is the only one you have a paper trail for... sad, that.

a slew of lovers that equal parts clamor for your attention or can't remember your name at all after you're gone keep you otherwise content, and though sometimes you wonder if love is something you can wish for, you at least are settled in the thought that you are not a psychopath, sociopath, or anything in lines with that... just a bit damaged, a bit cracked, filled in with gold and silver and spit to make you whole again.

there's blood on your hands, nin. there has been since you can remember... nothing before that, and nothing planned for after. each day is a new job and a new experience waiting to grace you with some kindling.

you're nemesis. you're chunin. you're shadows and work and you serve none so faithfully as the ones who trained you, and their leader most of all. you own a chopshop... you chop everything there. everything. it's an honest(ish) living and it helps 'pay the bills' on the surface.

whatever else is just white noise.

wanted connections / plots

ride or die — she has exactly one person in her life who she considers a friend on a consistent basis. she's cursory friends with a lot of people. acquaintances are many, but this person she loves and considers her only non-shabiru family.

toxic love — she barely knows what she wants other than to do her job, which leans more toward official business for her boss than her own investment in the chopshop. but the idea of her coveting someone or them coveting her and making the most ridiculously, fucked up, toxic bullshit ever sounds so divine. I have that happily ever after IRL so I don't need it in the game... I need this messed up shit that is love but twisted. Slow burn preferred, hmu.

no one comes to be at 8 years old — give me the spicy drama of someone recognizing her as a child. I have no idea what direction I want to go with it so we could 100% plot something out that is as messed up as we want it to be, or as soft... idk, but I'm leaning towards messed up.

it's in the eyes — she might or might not have had a job that led to her dealing with someone in your vicinity. whatever that means can be discussed, but her mask hides everything when she works... except her eyes. fascinated by them, your character can recognize her from that but fears saying anything to anyone BUT nemesis... it can form into a little cat & mouse or a friendship that turns into something. who knows.

**character graphic by imnikkiheat

[darkmattersproj]

Marguerite Dabaie’s Graphic Memoir of Growing Up Christian Palestinian in US The Hookah Girl: And Other True Stories

[gaiapaia]

Kermit and Friends: Lucas 6:27

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. - Luke 6:27-36

This Bible verse is essentially the ‘Golden Rule’ we’re all taught in elementary school - treat others how you want to be treated. However, treating others kindly is very hard to do when the other person is bad to you. Perhaps the toughest part about being a Christian is the fact we’re supposed to love and pray for our enemies like Jesus would.

Elisa apparently has an enemy in Lucas, Andy Dick’s lover and ex-boyfriend. Lucas has been on the show a couple of times now but their animosity has taken place away from Kermit and Friends.

When Elisa first met Lucas, she heard a lot of good things about him from Andy and they seemed to get along fine. Unfortunately, Andy would throw fits any time Elisa and Lucas were around each other, with Andy accusing Elisa of sleeping with Lucas. Elisa would invite Andy somewhere and Andy would show up with Lucas, only then to berate Elisa later for always inviting Lucas on their dates.

Elisa could tell Lucas was in a bad spot and had some connections to get him a job interview. She set it up for him and sadly, Lucas wasn’t hired. Elisa claims this led to Lucas screaming at her at a Hookah Bar earlier this week, with Lucas blaming Elisa as to why he didn’t get the job. Elisa ended up screaming back at Lucas this time instead of just taking his abuse. Knowing Elisa like I do, it takes a LOT to get her fired up for her to get into a confrontation in public, so she definitely reached her boiling point with Lucas that night.

What’s Elisa to do at this point? The Bible tells her not to hold resentment, to stay kind, to pray for Lucas, etc. It’s very, very tough, but the best way to handle it my opinion is to avoid Lucas at all cost from this point on. Say one little prayer for his well being and then eliminate him out of your life. And if you come across him again, be cordial and just walk away if his behavior starts to bring you out of your true character. That’s my advice.

Anyway, this incident between Elisa and Lucas is where the show got its title from this week. Luke is obviously short for Lucas, and I thought it was creative the way Elisa tied the situation together. Further on in the show, Elisa would play a clip from Andy Dick’s new podcast aDICKted where Andy explained his toxic relationship with Lucas. Andy alleges that Lucas beats him, beats up all of Andy’s male lovers, has stolen from him, etc. Just because Andy says it doesn’t necessarily make it true (like when Andy says Elisa sleeps with Lucas), but if those allegations are true, Lucas is a very bad guy and I would personally prefer Elisa not to hang out with Andy anymore if Lucas is forced into the arrangement. But Elisa is a big girl and can take care of herself - I trust her to stay out of bad situations.

In better news, Elisa’s new song My Fiancé is a huge hit among the KAF fanbase. Literally everyone loved it, except for Andy that is. Regardless of Andy’s irrelevant feelings, the song is now available on Itunes, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere else you can listen to music.

My Fiancé was such a huge hit that it got three remixes in just a week! Two were from Eric Riggs, one from Andy Dick. Eric’s first remix was him just masturbating to the video, while the second remix was Eric singing about dancing like Michael Jackson. Andy’s remix was simply Andy cursing Elisa out to the beat of the song. Andy really needs to work on his songwriting ability, his version of My Fiancé wasn’t flattering at all!

Sharmin Smith ended up being the main focus of the show this week. She opened up to Elisa about the hardships she’s faced since she decided to run for President of the United States in 2020.

According to Sharmin, she was accused of sex trafficking and orchestrating a gang rape by QAnon members she hired from LinkedIn to help her with her presidential campaign. Sharmin’s teenaged kids somehow ended up hearing about these accusations and have had little contact with Sharmin since.

Sharmin bared her soul and you could tell how grief stricken she is over this, rightfully so. Sharmin obviously loves her kids very much and it’s not just the fact that they’re forced away from her that hurts, it’s the fact that they were led to believe these horrible things about Sharmin that aren’t true.

I wish there was something I could write to make Sharmin feel better about her situation. I do admire her strength to be so honest and sincere, and I appreciate she’s so willing to share her story with the Kermit and Friends audience despite how painful it is. But Sharmin if you’re reading this... it is very important to remain patient. I know it’s hard, especially this past year when we’ve had so much downtime to just ourselves, but you will be rewarded if you sit tight and allow the truth to be revealed naturally. You can’t force anything. Let God or fate or the universe, anything you want to call it, run its course and eventually justice will prevail and the good guys will win. You’re one of the good ones, Sharmin.

One positive note from Sharmin’s explosive interview this week was her acknowledgement of how Kermit and Friends entered her life at the perfect time. Sharmin emphasized how much fun KAF has been for her and how badly she needed some fun in her life. Kermit and Friends brings a lot of joy to the people who regularly watch and participate in it, and that alone makes the show a massive success if you ask me.

If you love Kermit and Friends, you can now donate during the show to have a comment displayed on stream. Elisa monetized her Youtube last week and received some nice donations. Capt Muttley, KAF’s dashing pilot, kicked things off and then Supertramp, Kleenex, and SaiyanZ Entertainment all generously contributed too. There’s so much going on during a KAF broadcast that Elisa can’t properly acknowledge the donations each time, but I know she appreciates it, and I also appreciate anyone supporting Elisa and KAF to such a strong degree. If you donate, you will always get a shout out in my reviews.

Chris Christine blessed Kermit and Friends with another appearance. She said a prayer for Elisa and Sharmin, and then let God choose a Bible verse to share. His finger landed on 1 Samuel 17, which is about brothers David and Saul coming together. Christine then beautifully correlated the verse to her, Elisa, and Sharmin as sisters coming together. Chris is wonderful every appearance she makes.

There were lots of awesome musical guests this week. We met a nice guy named Hud Isaacson, a rapper who Elisa claims is Andy Dick’s most normal friend. He performed a couple for raps for us and then shared how mean Lucas was to Elisa last week. Click soundcloud and Instagram to hear Ian’s songs and to follow him on social media.

Another new musical guest was Miranda Moore, who performed two beautiful original songs. You can check her out on Youtube and also follow her on Instagram.

Lastly, Johnny B returned to perform two karaoke classics, including one of my all time favorite songs, Hurt by Johnny Cash.

I really enjoyed this week’s show. It had less comedy than your typical Kermit and Friends episode, but the way the show was filled with love, thoughtfulness, deep conversations and interesting stories made it a really enjoyable experience to watch. Please be sure to tune in next week for a potential big guest and a huge update on Trumpster Bob that you absolutely do not want to miss.

[dlkardenal]

Behind the Scalpel #4 - The risks of a flawed MC

Hey there, traveler!

It’s Wednesday again, and as custom, our favorite penguin slashing up imaginary concepts for a living is back with another tale to tell. This episode is mostly about our WIP, but it concerns a pretty slippery topic we encountered – what is the cost of a flawed main character. There are a lot of people boldly proclaiming that they like to read about not-so-perfect, flawed, and fallible personalities, but is it true? Is there a place for a point of view character to start out in a miserable or even evil state without losing the reader’s sympathy?

I want to nail down some points first. By „flawed” I don’t mean antihero, nor villain. Those are entirely different tropes and they have huge fanbases (just think about Artemis Fowl and the recent uproar when the movie changed his villain status or Jorg Ancrath from Prince of Thorns), but people have a different take on these characters. Villains and antiheroes are expected to be cruel, uncaring, narcissist, and overly confident, because that what makes them fun to read about.

But what happens when you fall between the hero-antihero spectrum – like most people in reality?Let’s talk specifics and meet our wonderful main character, Zaira. I’ll try to give as much detail as possible without going into spoilers for the book, so I won’t reveal plot-points or that sort of thing, only if it serves as teasing you (because I’m a horrible bastard).

(Source: Legend of the Cryptids - Sun Goddess Amasol )

Zaira is a djinn, a mythical creature from legends, one of four distinct spirit tribes capable of manipulating the elements – but she isn’t. She’s trapped inside a human body and her power of controlling the wind is suppressed as punishment. What  our girl did is not obvious at first as she’s reluctant to talk about it to humans, but every waking moment is filled with the crushing reality that she could be so much more. She was so much more. The simple life of a human is dull and boring in comparison, so she’s not too keen on exploring it. She’s like a prisoner sentenced for many many years to a tiny cell after an adventurous life, so she’s kind of melancholic. She’s given up, she has no power, she has a body that shackles her to the ground and there’s no way this life could be fun or interesting.

That’s how we start, at rock bottom. Thankfully the plot starts from page one, forcing our girl out of her hedonism, but as anyone who tried to take a depressed person out to town could tell you, she’s not very appreciative of it. She was content with spending her unending days smoking hookah and contemplating her sorrow, but she can’t and she’s pissed about it. She’s enerved, reluctant, and tries to find the easy way out, if not for another main character. This can seem like she’s unbearable as a character, but that’s a concept. The whole story is about Zaira exploring her opportunities as a human, without the magic she lost and finding joy and love in a world she thought of as a prison. But that growth can only show if she starts as a flawed, not very kind, and even less proactive character.

We wrote the first draft in our native tongue and sent it to some friends to beta (or alpha?) read, and there was a surprising amount of disdain for Zaira. That meant we achieved the first goal (setting her up as a melancholic, cynical character at the start) but there was always a chance people will hate her so much they won’t wait for the character growth. Thankfully, there was a saving grace – the aforementioned other main character, Ezair.

(Source: Prince of Persia 2008)

Ezair is the polar opposite of Zaira. He’s as human as one could be, he’s capable as a swordsman, has an energetic and cheery nature, and refuses to stop, give up or choose the easier route. Since the plot forces the two to work together, they have to make some compromises and as such, they can learn from each other. Zaira starts to see the positive in Ezair’s hot-headed approach to life, while the numbness she got used to slowly lifts from her thoughts and she shows a caring nature, a sharp tongue, and a really creative problem-solving mind. That dynamic between the two main characters gives way for the readers to route for someone from the very beginning – if not for the soppy Zaira, then the charismatic and charming Ezair, then at the end of the story, they can look back and see the journey these characters took.

That’s my wisdom, for now, you should definitely, definitely do it the same, no originality, follow the rules! On a more serious note, I’d love to hear how do you guys and gals feel about flawed and unlikeable characters as the point of view. Do you think our method can work? Or do you think there’s no redemption for a melancholic, brooding character no matter the fluff?

Take care, travelers!

Dar

[lady-olive-oil]

BSB: Chapter 7

[THANK HANUMAN IT’S WORKING. The struggle I went through to get this out. Make sure you share it: like and critique is already appreciated. THANK YOU GUYS!] 

Warnings for the sexual encounter, will be in bold black letters leading up to the event itself. 

Warnings: sexual themes [wrap it before you tap it] & language

WC: 3.9K [I SNAPPED]

It seemed as though everything around them, seized to stop. The only noise that could be heard, was the sound of their heartbeats and gentle moans. A few soft caresses and effortless tugs on one another, neither of them wanted this moment to stop.

“It’s too quiet in there. They’re either; about to get it on or actually there isn’t anything else they could be doing.” T’Challa always knew when to stop while he was a ahead and most of the time his words come out confusing is stressful times. But then time however, the group agreed with him.

“Finally. The girls on the dance team owe me $20 each for this.” Nattie smirked gently and back away from the door.

Nakia has a mischievous look in her eyes, upon glancing at Erik.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, my love?” Arching her brow, she earned a smirk from him.

“If you’re thinking about going after Sean, then great minds think alike.” Erik pulled her close and kissed her nose.

“Exactly what I was thinking. You guys wanna roll?” Nakia asked and rallied up the troops.

“Hell yeah. We’ll catch em tomorrow.” Nattie grabbed T’Challa’s hand and headed down the hall.

Back in the room, Nefe couldn’t help but love the feeling of M’Baku touching her, admiring the way his tall stature had engulfed hers. Without a shadow of a doubt, she didn’t want to leave. He lifted her off the floor, to hoist her legs around his waist.

“M’Baku!” The squeal that left her lips, was a genuine one. His soft laugh echoed after her, keeping her back angled on the wall, continuing his tender pecks along her neck.

“Yes my love?” He let all his emotion take over and wasn’t ashamed to do so.

His lips trailed kisses up and down her heated neck, receiving compassionate praises from his love. He never thought they’d get to this point. Yet here they were; locked in a tight embrace, bodies shaking in desire and want. Never wanting to let go.

“W-we should stop…” Nefe’s voice betrayed her yearning to be closer to him as much as she wanted. As quick as road runner running away from Wil E. Coyote, M’Baku had pinned his lady against the deep red duvet on her bed.

M’Baku froze in place, glancing into her eyes as they conveyed mixed emotions. He nuzzled his hair against hers, gaining a giggle.

“Are we going too fast? I don’t want to do anything you weren’t comfortable with-”

“M’Baku, shhh. We can still do this, trust me I’ve been dreaming of it.” She pecks his full wanting lips gently, holding his face to convey her emotions to him.

“As have I, malkia wangu. (My love)” he whispered back before sitting up with her in his lap, holding on tight. After years of just being friends a true and honest kiss happened. One that was better than before.

“I still want you. I will always want you, yet I want to do this the right way. How about a date?” She suggested, tracing his strong jawline with her fingernails.

“A date? I have an even better idea. How about a weekend in New Orleans, just the two of us?” The tone he had whilst suggesting this spontaneous trip, made Nefe purr like a kitten in heat. She never thought she would ever get this point in time with someone she only considered her best friend. This time around she went with her heart.

“Hmm. A mini trip to Nola huh? Sounds wonderful to me, I’d love to go on a trip with you M’Baku.”

“Wait really? Truthfully?” He couldn’t believe his ears or his eyes. He had a goddess among men in his hands and just enjoyed the moment for as long as he could.

“Why would I lie? I may hide a few things but I’d never lie. This has been a long time coming M’Baku, and I’m going in with my heart. We’d have to take it slow.” Nuzzling into his neck with pleasant gesture, she meant every word.

“Then it’s settled. This weekend, you and me, are going to New Orleans for much...needed...getaway.” Emphasizing each word with a gentle kiss along neck, she erupted in a fit of giggles again.

“Baku! Stop it, that tickles.”

“I could listen to you laugh all day. But we must get back to our friends.”

With a delicate sigh, she nodded and shimmied off his lap, holding out her hand for him to take.

“Come on, great gorilla.”

“Coming, my Queen.”

This man did so much for her and vice versa, that she finally could see her true feelings shining through. Walking out of her room hand in hand, down towards the main foyer of the DST house, their fingers were locked in a sweet embrace. It just felt right for them

It seemed as though the party had died down, and everyone went home. Meeting up with the others at the house pool was convenient. Once everyone met up, the two were met by their group of friends, who all but seemed surprised by the two.

“Oh well lookie lookie.” Nattie grinned at them, while dusting off her silk red pj pants.

“Uh yeah. I’ll explain later, what happened to y’all?” Nefe asked with a quizzical look on her face.

Their friends had dirt patches on them in various places; a few hairs out of place, looking just rough.

“Alright I must ask this, who won?” M’Baku broke the silence and saw two hands raise up. Who did the hands belong to? None other than Erik and Nakia.

“Who was the fight with anyway?” Asked a perplexed Nefe, who rested her head on M’Baku’s shoulder.

“I’ll give you a guess..” Nattie mumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. Dragging the girls to the edge of the pool to just let their feet dangle in the water.

“You didn’t.”

“Oh but they did. They wiped the floor with his scrawny ass.” Nattie nodded in encouragement.

“He got knocked the fuck out!” Erik exclaimed in hysterics, still high from his recent escapades.

“Y’all are something else. Let’s just hope he won’t press charges.” Nefe pointed out as she felt a sudden change in heat by her right side.

“Y’all look cozy after all.” Okoye smiled happily.

“Mhm, too cozy. Spill it!” Nakia nugged Nefe and caused the group to erupt in laughter.

“Well we came to an agreement, a very hot agreement.” Nefe rolled her eyes and playfully hit M’Baku on his knee.

“It got quiet in there and we were worried-” T’Challa was cut off by Nattie hitting his arm.

“Y’all were by the door?! I can not believe y’all.” Nefe couldn’t help but picture her friends on the other side of the door, while softly laughing.

“But y’all did make up though right? You’re welcome.” Erik winked at Nefe and gained an eye roll, before M’Baku kissed her gently in front of them.

The whole group broke out in cheers and applause, causing the new couple to feel the heat rush to their faces.

“It may take some time to say it, but I know I feel it.” M’Baku admitted to Nefe, prompting her to hide her face in his neck.

“I know. I feel it too, don’t worry.”

“Now that’s that’s settled, what are everyone’s plans for this weekend?” T’Challa questioned as Nattie hands him another beer.

“Well, Nefe an di are going to New Orleans for the weekend. To you know, get to know each other more.” The cunning smirk that was etched M’Baku’s face was full of triumph and accomplishment.

“You don’t say? Well g’head playa.” Erik gave M’Baku a fist bump and T’Challa gave him a high five.

The girls giggled at Nefe and caused her to do the same.

He had earned his alone time with Nefe more than ever. It had been years leading up to this important weekend. From Friday to Monday, they’d be alone. In another city; in a hotel, surrounded and emerged in the love that is New Orleans. Nothing is going to ruin this trip.

“Little vacation ain’t hurt nobody. We’ll be back Monday night, right?” Nefe looked at M’Baku for confirmation.

Nodding at her with sincerity, he couldn’t get enough of how elegant she looked at this very moment. He was truly in love with how this gorgeous woman, had escaped her binds and fell into his arms. He thought he was in a deep slumber, but it was all reality.

“Make sure to take lots of pictures too.” Nattie reminded her.

“Can’t say you’ve been somewhere if you don’t take pictures.” Okoye pointed out as well.

As the height died down, the story of how Erik and Nakia got their hands on Sean was the biggest highlight of the night.

“So we just found him with Melanie, near the hookah machine right? Erik grabbed him and was like, ‘listen man. I don’t like how you’ve been treating my sister like you have.’ He was just going in.” Nattie explained

“And wasn’t having Erik be all in his face and shit either. So Sean was like ‘I don’t give a fuck. She’s my girl anyway. She’ll do as I tell her to. When you see her, tell her that a real man is looking for her’ and Erik just pushed him. Rammed him into the nearest tree and wailed on him.”  Nakia exclaimed, the group chuckled at her impression of Sean.

“Next thing we know, he was fighting him near the fountain. Driving punches to his face left and right, like Adonis Creed. Sean tried to choke him out, but with the strength of the Black Panther-” T’Challa couldn’t help but laugh too hard, while explaining his part, that it caused him to start snorting.

“He winded up holding him underwater for a few seconds, before campus security came to tear them apart. That’s how we all ended up back here, along with a warning.” Okoye finished it off with grace.

“Y’all are wild. I can’t have a moment without y’all getting into something.”

“You have M’Baku to keep you happy now hun. We can handle ourselves.”

Nattie did have a point, even when Nefe didn’t want to admit it.

“I guess you’re right. Well, we all have to get up in the morning. Gotta leave early to head to Nola, y’all have volunteer hours. Tell professor Cunningham I’ll be gone and email me the assignments. My other professors know I’ll be gone.” Nefe dusted her shorts off, before kissing M’Baku’s head.

“We’ll keep y’all posted soon enough. If Erik goes to jail, we’ll bail him out.” Nakia made a promise and Erik scoffed, laying his arm around her neck.

“Good.”

The next few hours were restless for Nefe. She could hardly sleep and it was driving her mad. After a midnight snack, double stuffed Oreos and milk, she finally drifted off into a deep slumber.

-Next Morning-

“Ok. So I got at least four outfits just in case I decide to switch it up. Along with 3 pairs of shoes, one pair of heels that go with everything. Body stuff and I’m good.” Nefe was going through her weekend bag and noted everything she had and needed.

“Come on Nefe. We gotta go! Slow as shit.” M’Baku called up from the car, which was a black Tahoe.

“Boy if you don’t quit rushing me! I’m coming damnit!”

That’s how it went on for the next hour or so on the way up. Nefe was sound asleep in the passenger, the motion of the car lulled her to sleep. With a gentle smile, M’Baku moved a braid away from her face. Admiring her facial structure and how lucky he is to have her. After calling they’re friends to let them know that they’d made it safe to their hotel, M’Baku tucked Nefe into bed.

(Warning #1: Dirty part coming up soon)

The next few days were pure joy. From going down to the French Quarter; eating jambalaya, taking in a few live jazz shows, touring the bayou and enjoy all that New Orleans had to offer.

On their last night, they decided to have a romantic dinner. Brennan’s was recommended by Nefe’s parents highly. It had an amazing view of the street with all lights glistening in the southern sunset.

The dress Nefe wore, was a sleek golden yellow bodycon dress that left nothing to imagination. The sleeves accentuated her elongated arms; the bodice stuck to her curves in all the right places and angles. Making it appear to be painted on, the ruffles made her god given assets look glorious. Her shoes, were to die for. The black heels and gold accents made her look taller than before. M’Baku wore a matching golden yellow long sleeve shirt and a pair of black slacks, with a slick pair of yellow Stacy Adams to match.

“Damn we look good, but you my love are breathtaking.” He whispered gently in her ear, as they both took a picture together in the floor to ceiling mirror. The soft gesture caused the nubian goddess to chuckle elegantly. He half of the silver gorilla necklace was tucked into his shirt, so it wouldn’t make much noise.

“M’Baku my love, this is only the beginning of what is to come if you play your cards right.” Placing a delightful kiss upon his cheek, she dusted off his shoulders from any possible lint that was caught on his shoulders.

“Oh? You see more for us from here?” He watched her drift away from, bending over to grab her clutch. Great Hanuman, he thought to himself watching her more with grace and elegance.

“Why of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” Adjusting her half of the silver gorilla necklace, that was gracefully placed upon her bosom, Nefe smiled at her dear friend.

“Well, you know my secret and why I am here. You don’t want me for my titles; my notoriety, the money. What do you desire from me?” The question hung in the air as gentle as a feather drifting in the breeze. The look on her face was unreadable, then shifted to a soft one.

Caressing his cheeks with her thumbs, she looked into his eyes with sincerity. Feeling the pain of his past wash over his face. Nefe could tell that M’Baku had been severely hurt by the women he’s dated in the past. Especially Melanie, which she depicted herself that she didn’t know he was a prince. That was just the icing on the cake.

“M’Baku, my forever love, we’ve known each other for years. My views on you haven’t changed then, and they won’t now. Just because you’re a prince doesn’t mean I expect anything less of you. You’ll always be my best friend no matter what, and if the timing is right maybe even your girlfriend. So on and so forth.” The way she explained made his heart flutter against his chest as he held her close.

“That makes me happy to hear you say that. Truthfully, and I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. Now how should I ask you to be mine?” taking her hands in his, he led her out of their hotel room, towards their car waiting for them to take them to Brennan’s.

“Depends on how you do after dinner.” with a sly smirk in his direction, M’baku was up for the challenge.

(Warning #2: Dirty part coming)

Dinner was absolutely amazing. The atmosphere; the company, the food was to die for. The icing on the cake was the dessert. M’Baku couldn’t wait to have Nefe all to himself on their king sized bed, back at the hotel.

He picked her up with ease, before getting into the elevator. Their hands were clawing at each other, for release. He hiked up her right leg around his waist and rolled his hips into hers, trailing his full thick lips against her heated neck.

“M’Baku…” Nefe groaned in a hushed tone, feeling her skin overheat in desire. Hearing the elevator ding, the two pulled apart and ran towards their room to continue their rendezvous.

Locking the door behind him M’Baku had sauntered over towards Nefe; unzipping her dress from the back. The fabric fell down her shoulders and pooled around her dainty feet. Leaving her in an all black silk and lace lingerie, that highlighted her curvaceous figure. Her skin illuminated in the moonlight of the French doors.

Facing him, she unbuttoned his yellow shirt and let it fall to the ground as well. Discarding the rest of their clothes, she pulled him closer to her body.

(Warning #3: Dirty part!!! Count to 60 or skip)

“My my. Aren’t you a sight behold. Glory to Hanuman..” M’Baku picked her up once more, pulling her into a lustful kiss that was knee buckling. Her moans were music to his ears, and he wanted to hear a symphony. Their actions were breathtaking even, and they didn’t come up but a few second before going back at it.

With the help of his phone, the soft melody of Floetry, Say Yes, played through the room as a soundtrack to the perfect night. Amongst other 90’s R&B jams to help set the mood.

Grinding her hips against him, he moaned against her lips, falling back on the bed between her delectable thighs. She looked down at him with a mischievous smile  but it soon shifted when he flipped them over, having him on top.

As the kissing commenced, his lips traveled down her body. Making sure no skin was unkissed or groped.

“M’Baku you tease…ohh” her breathing was heavy and wanting, it hitched when she felt his tongue upon her bundle of nerve. Tugging and sucking relentlessly, as her nimble fingers gripped the back of his neck.

Her back arched like a bow, waiting to release its arrow, just as his tongue flickered with a swiftness and dipped in her heated treasure. Making her yelp in ecstasy, his digits moved faster and faster, her hips rotated against his skillful mouth. Changing her orgasm she finally calmed down, catching her breath.

“You-you’re too good at that.”

“I’m better at other’s things as well, my queen.” Licking his fingers clean of her essence, they eyed each other like lions in heat.

She beckoned him to come closer with her hooked index finger, and he obliged.

“Are you ready, my love?” He asked once more to make sure he didn't overstep her boundaries. Her consent was important to him above of all, next to pleasing her. She nodded her head gently.

“Yes my love. I need you.” Her body shook with desire and he was going to give it to her.

He made sure that the condom was on at least 3-4 times, you can never be too careful. He positioned himself at her heated entrance, holding her hips to glide in slowly to get her to adjust. It wa obvious that she hadn’t had a man the size of M’Baku before, it showed on her heated face as her eyes closed tight.

“Look at me, I need to see the elegant faces you make when you scream out into the heavens.” his lips ghosted against hers, her muscles adjusted to his size as she pulled him down to a hot searing kiss. He was sheathed fully inside of her, taking in the warmth of her body as they rocked back and forth under the royal purple silk sheets.  

“Glory to Hanuman, you are tight.” Lacing their fingers together, placing her hands above her head, his speed increased.

The faces she made were indescribable. She kept her eyes on his like a pro, moving her hips with his in tandem. Once he let her hands go, they found purchase on his ebony skin and her nails clawed down his back. It motivated him to go harder and faster. They both earned this moment more than ever.

“Nefertiti…” He groaned out this time, and it stirred something deep within her that caused a rift. Her muscles contracted around him again, milking him for everything had.

There was a sudden empty feeling and it caused her pout. She was dripping literal honey and the scene before him caused M’Baku to grow harder. Flipping her over, her ass in the air and her face in the pillows, her expression changed quick. He slid into her again in this new position and went harder.

The noises that left her swollen lips, filled the room. Sure enough to alert their neighbors, but they didn’t care. Pushing her hips back on him, twerking a bit earned her a smack on her rounded ass.

“Shit!” She squealed and moaned again, leaning her head back. Letting her braids dance along her back, she glanced back at M’Baku like a cheetah on the hunt.

“You like that?” He whispered hotly in her ear, as he went faster. The movement she made, made him moan this time. Pure music to her ears, holding the back of his head close to her neck. They seemed to move closer by the second.

His chest was to her back, the both sat up and faced the mirror so strategically placed by the bathroom.

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be squeezing you like a python right now, now would I?” Her voice was strained as her head was on his shoulder, his lips were on her neck. Their bodies moved in sync, as both their highs approached. Watching him move in and out of her, covered in her essence, made her body grow hotter.

“A python has nothing on you, cause dear god woman you are exquisite.” His rough hands squeezed her heaving breasts, pinching her nipples to get her over faster. Reaching behind her, she grabbed a handful of his ass, clutching on to him for dear life. Sweat glistening their bodies as the euphoric ambiance took over them.

His rhythm was like poetry. Drawing her in like a Shakespearean sonnet on a hot summer day. His body fit against hers like a glove, snug and secure. Wrapping his arms around her fully, turning her head to kiss her with such force and heated tension. It was now his job to be her protector, and he was willing to take on the job.

He felt her body shake, a clear sign that she was close to her release.

“M’Baku, I can't hold it anymore.” She whined, her voice strained against his lips once more.

“Let go. I’m right behind you.” He gave her the clear to let go and once she did, he followed suit. Filling up the condom as much as he could. He slid out gently, tying the condom and tossing it away.

(You can come back now!!!)

Nefe laid there in pure bliss, and closed her eyes to feel her body tingling. She was still burning and the cool sheets made it better. She snuggled up against M’Baku, once he came back from the bathroom. The sheet stayed at their waists, as the sounds of soothing R&B careered the perfect atmosphere. She traced shapes on his chest, heading his heartbeat.

“That was better than I expected.” He finally spoke.

“Better than your expectations?” The gleaming look in her eye, was a pleasant one. Kissing her head, she felt prideful and full of love. Finally, she felt as though she was a woman.

“Way better. You, my queen, exceeded them. In fact, how about a second round?” Kissing her softly, she draped her leg around his waist and straddle him.

“This time, I lead~” Kissing him back with so much love and adoration, she trailed kisses down his body in return.

“Dear Hanuman…” He groaned, and kept his eyes on her the whole time.This was going to be a long hot night.

[goldanddeceit]

Screenie from a rp today! Logs from the other rper because my LS exploded mid rp. x-x

Giselle Lockhart opens the door, the music ringing pleasant in her ears. "Ooh, I could get used to this." she said to herself, as a couple patron tilted their heads to the door. The merely nodded as though familiar with the red-headed newcomer. "Evening, gentleman! Good to see some familiar faces." she giggled quietly under her breath. "Any of you know the proprietor of this establishment?" she stood in silence, shaking her head. "Tsk..Want a job right, do it yourself huh?" she rolled her eyes. Giselle Lockhart walks to the bar, ordering a glass of red wine, before heading downstairs.

Orianna Chant sat in the back of the club, delicate fingers holding the mouthpiece of the hookah as she watched a performer on the stage. Voices drowned out by the music and song, bi-colored orbs flickered to the unfamiliar face that treaded down those stairs into her domain. Curious.

Giselle Lockhart ran her two gloved fingers over the rim of the glass as she looked towards the stage, her head lightly bobbing to the song. "I could /really/ get used to this..." she looked around through the dimly lit room, trying her best to make out any semblance of Platinum blonde hair, before her eyes fall on the Hookah table. "Ahh--Now we're getting somewhere!" she walked over, nodding her head. She spoke up a bit, as her voice would otherwise be drowned out. Giselle Lockhart: "I'm quite disappointed it took me until long to come here! I feel like I've missed out!" You laugh at Orianna Chant.

Orianna Chant did not let her eyes fall from the woman as she watched her with mild interest. New people were always regarded with a cautious curiosity and as the woman's attention fell over to her, a smile drew up on the curtain of her lips. "Now you've found it, so welcome to the club." She surprisingly didn't have to try to speak above the song, long use to having to do such it was second nature to her. Orianna placed the mouthpiece to her mouth taking a long drag. Giselle Lockhart motioned with her glass to the Hookah on the table. "You know, it's not often I see one of those things around here. Probably cost you a pretty penny!" She took a short sip of her glass, eyeing the sofa before her gazed turned to the Miqot'e, waiting until she finishes her drag of the hookah before she spoke. "Orianna, correct?"

Orianna Chant inclined her head silently puffing out smoke. "Money isn't a concern." She shrugged then catching the woman eyeing the sofa would gesture for her to take a seat at her leisure. "You'd be correct... Who might you be?"

Giselle Lockhart walked over, shimmying by the table to sit kitty-corner from Orianna, placing her drink upon the table, along with her hat just off out of the way. "Surprisingly our paths haven't crossed thus far! Giselle Lockhart, I'm not quite sure if you've heard of my name." she gestures to the hookah carefully. "May I?"

Orianna Chant paused as she took a seat, the name was familiar. It only took several moments before it rang clearly in her head. "Your name has been tossed around a couple times." She would tap her clawed finger against the mouthpiece before handing it over to the hyur. "What brings you hear? Enjoying the music, trying something new?" Business most likely but why jump the gun.

Giselle Lockhart takes hold of the mouthpiece, reaching in to her pocket to grab a lighter purple handkerchief to wipe it down quickly before taking in a shorter drag. She holds it in for just a moment before letting out, a small cough along with it as she puncher her chest. "Been a--Bit too long since I've tried that." she retorted. "I've been working on a job that's been /oh too/ stressful, figured I'd find somewhere to unwind and perhaps talk a bit of shop." she continued-- Giselle Lockhart: "Then I come to find a member of the esteemed Chant family took over a place like this...I have to wonder why that is!" Giselle Lockhart: "Surely you don't need the money, no?" You laugh at Orianna Chant.

Orianna Chant let out a short giggle at the woman's failed attempt at the drag. She'd find the flavor to be mint. A blonde ear cocked casually in her direction as she explained to indicate she was listening. "Everyone needs a hobby no? I'm sure you have a couple according to the saucer." That pleasant smile curved to a smirk on her painted lips. Orianna Chant laughs at you.

Giselle Lockhart: "What's life without a little chance?" she giggled, attempting another drag of the hookah, this time managing to actually keep it down before pulling it away, rubbing it down with the handkerchief and handing it back. "Then I come to notice, you've been upping security quite a fair bit here..." she raises a knowing brow to the Miqot'e. "Patrons that rough, hm?" You laugh at Orianna Chant.

Orianna Chant: "Life without risks is quite dull." She would accept the moutpiece back holding it in her fingers as she let the silence linger. "Some people who don't belong here like to cause some trouble... got to keep out the riff raff." She winked, one sea green eye still on the red head. "This place does have standards to keep." Orianna Chant winks at you.

Giselle Lockhart speaks a bit more hushed, hoping the Miqot'e to be able to hear her. "And I take it the alleged alchemical work offered surely would have nothing to do with it?" she teased, reaching for her glass and taking a sip. "I was hoping we might be able to talk a bit about that line of work."

Orianna Chant kept her unreadable facade up as Giselle mentioned her more private work. Her tail flicked subtely against the cushion of the sofa. "People talk all kinds of rumors when inebriated." Nonchalantly she waved it off setting the mouthpiece down and picking up a glass that had been sitting on the table. A concotion of unknown alcohol and fruit. "Let's say it's true, what /poison/ are you after?"

You disagree with Orianna Chant.

Orianna Chant: "Something wrong with drinks?" She asked swirling her glass before taking a sip.

Giselle Lockhart: "Not quite the poisons I'm after. It's more of a...let's call it long-term proposal." she giggled quietly, rolling her finger over the glass rim once again before taking a sip, her lipstick leaving a mark on the glass. "I happened to have run with a group of people a long...Long time ago who despised the use of poisons. We ended on..." she pursed her lips in thought. "...Poor terms. I figured because of that, I'd do my own research. I've contacts I feel might be beneficial for someone who-- Giselle Lockhart: may be in that line of work." She smiled, nodding. "That, and I've been wanting to wiggle some leeway back in to the Ul'dahn scene. I never was one for clubs until recently." You laugh at Orianna Chant.

Orianna Chant: "You have my attention." She sipped quietly at her drink. "Deals in this end rarely end on good terms after awhile... shame really." The woman needn't the full story to know in at least Ul'Dahn circles many would stab your back for another step up the ladder. "You've been out of the Ul'dah circles for long? What new contacts could you bring to the Arcana that I haven't scooped up already?" Her gold banded tail flicked against the sofa again. "You hadn't found the right place, Honey." She-- Orianna Chant | gestured to the stage as the performer finished up their act. The music quieting down between acts. "There aren't many places in the city that cater to our kind of people."

Giselle Lockhart smiled, finishing off her wine and setting the glass down. She spoke quite forthcomingly, as if the information she had had no real bearing on her. "I've ins with several members of some lesser-liked circles of botany in and around Gridania. That's the thing---" she held her hands out wide as if to mimic the breadth of knowledge. "You have to think larger than Ul'dah! I haven't been around much because I've been focusing on footground in the other city-states. The things these botanists--- Giselle Lockhart: offer tend to be a bit tricky to come by, and might help expand your potential options in terms of what you can provide in terms of potions and...Well, let's call it 'Elixirs of negative effect'." she smirked at her own joke. "Plus, I've contacts in and around Ul'dah and Limsa that might be able to help increase the variety of performers you have around. Variety is the spice of life, after all!" Giselle Lockhart: "Not to mention my little brother tends to make it easier to convince the flames to turn a blind eye every once and a while." You wink at Orianna Chant. Giselle Lockhart: "Just don't tell him I said that." You laugh at Orianna Chant.

Orianna Chant laughs at you. Orianna Chant: "A line to the botanist guild would be very useful for my line of work. I trust should demand pick up you would be able to meet it?" She reached up to brush strands of blonde hair from her face. "Your connections in Limsa? Just performers or should one assume sailors with sticky fingers?" She grinned, sharp teeth glinting in the faint blue light. Her remark of having connections to the flames was interesting.... Useful should things ever get dicey.

Giselle Lockhart: "Well, initially I was only going to suggest performers, but if sticky fingers is what you need, I can probably figure something out. If it's limsan-based, surely I can find people who might be able to send supplies under the cover to anonymity should it be needed! Provided it doesn't require trade from the east after all."

Orianna Chant raised a brow at the comment of the east. "Why not the east?" Giselle Lockhart shakes her head, speaking remarkably quickly. "I don't deal out east." She goes to reach for the wine glass, forgetting it to be empty. "Ahh--Just a personal preference of mine. I find it easier to operate on a single continent." You smile weakly at Orianna Chant. Orianna Chant didn't believe it but made no further comment. "It's not a concern then." She brushed it off. "I have my own connections with the east. Not just a one city-state girl." She smiled innocently.

Giselle Lockhart nodded, placing the glass back down. "Thank you for understanding. Do we have a deal then? To be honest, I'm quite interested to spend a fair bit of my time here. The gold saucer has become /oh so/ tedious." You laugh at Orianna Chant.

Orianna Chant deliberated for a moment before her shrewd gaze would focus a bit more intently on the woman. "What would you gain from this transaction?" Curiosity killed the cat... "Money, connections or are you something else?" But Satisfaction would bring it back.

Giselle Lockhart lifted a coy smile upon her lips. "Now that you mention it. All I'm desiring is small. The connections alone are one of them, and as of recent money hasn't been an issue, though a small--" she pinches her index finger and thumb together "---percentage of the clubs profit would be ideal. The connections might help me with a job I have going on right now."

Orianna Chant gazes upon you in deep reflection.

Giselle Lockhart: "And before you ask, I don't particularly require a cut from the side business. Full disclosure, I'd make profit off of the supplies you'd get from my connections." You laugh at Orianna Chant. Giselle Lockhart: "No need to needlessly double-dip!"

Orianna Chant smiles at you. Orianna Chant would extend a gold clawed hand out to her. "Then I find this suitable terms to our deal." She rolled her shoulders. "I will arrange with my book keepers to make sure you are compensated. Is there any other business from you I should be aware about?" When Giselle shook her hand it'd be firm, assertive for the doll-like miqote. Once they shook on it she'd set her hand back in her lap. Giselle Lockhart accepts the hand shake whole-heartedly. The hand would feel surprisingly dainty despite the womans overall more masculine attire. Her entire structure even seemed like a dolls body surrounded in a wodden box for attire. "None at the moment. after this I'll probably go sit closer to the stage, soak up the sights." she smirked slightly. "Night's still young after all! Here--" she reaches in to her coat and pulls a piece of parchment out, writing on it and handing it over. "My linkpearl-- Giselle Lockhart: should you require it. I will see to it my contacts in Gridania expect a heightened workload."

Orianna Chant accepts the paper, folding it neatly and sliding it into a pocket. "Perfect." Orianna would begin to slide up from her seat, eyes connecting with a server to clean up the table. "Enjoy the night then, I have some further business to attend to." She would give a short carefree wave, completely at odds with her dress and demanor. "I look forward to working with you Giselle." Orianna Chant bids farewell to you. You nod to Orianna Chant. You bid farewell to Orianna Chant.

[mariacallous]

Meduza's The Beet: Tajikistan’s doxxing problem

Hello, and welcome back to The Beet! 

Eilish Hart here, the editor of this new email dispatch from Meduza covering Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been one month since we launched. To all of our subscribers, thank you and stay tuned! We have lots more interesting stories in the works. If this email was forwarded to you, sign up here to cut out the middleman. 

We created The Beet as a platform for underreported stories and this week’s feature certainly fits the bill. You don’t often see reporting on Tajikistan: President Emomali Rahmon’s authoritarian regime tightly controls information flows and has kept a firm lid on the independent press (RSF’s 2022 World Press Freedom Index ranked Tajikistan 152nd out of 180 countries, right between Sudan and Belarus). Though only a third of the population has Internet access, the authorities regularly block websites and even resort to full-fledged Internet shutdowns to suppress criticism. But even in this repressive environment, social media has become a space where people (particularly young people) can make their voices heard and challenge social norms. 

That said, the reverse is also true. While some use social networks to tackle taboos, others use the very same platforms to reinforce conservative norms, particularly when it comes to gender and sexuality. For The Beet, journalist Sher Khashimov reports on one such trend — men policing and humiliating Tajikistani women by leaking their private photos and personal information online — and how social media platforms, patriarchal culture, and labor migration enable it.

Tajikistan’s doxxing problem

By Sher Khashimov

“Hey, what should one do if their nudes were leaked?” 

The Beet’s correspondent received this message from a friend, Tomiris (who asked for her name to be changed), over Instagram late on a summer evening in 2021. Someone she had been casually dating had shared her photos in a Telegram channel that published intimate content of women from all over Tajikistan in an effort to shame them. “I got a message from some girl over Instagram about the leak. Apparently, her photos were shared, too,” Tomiris recalled in a recent interview. 

This type of online shaming is hardly unique to Tajikistan. The spread of smartphones and social media over the past decade has given rise to a global phenomenon academics call “digital vigilantism,” wherein “citizens, collectively offended by other citizens’ actions,” enforce legal and cultural norms by “naming and shaming the offenders and weaponizing their visibility using digital media.” 

In Tajikistan, digital vigilantism is mostly used to take on the state’s dysfunctions by recording and reporting traffic violations and incidents of hooliganism. However, digital vigilantism also takes more sinister forms — such as men identifying, doxxing, and shaming women on social media in an attempt to enforce arbitrary and unwritten social and cultural norms. Often, this shaming crosses into “revenge porn,” but in Tajikistan’s conservative culture, women can be shamed for doing as little as smoking a hookah at a bar or dancing with abandon at a wedding. 

“For a young woman even to have a cellphone in rural settings in Tajikistan and even in some districts in Dushanbe can be enough to be considered promiscuous by society and to end up on these shaming pages [on social media],” Rashid Gabdulhakov, an assistant professor at the Center for Media and Journalism Studies at University of Groningen, told The Beet.

“There is a whole host of [social media] pages that publish the intimate content of girls along with their phone numbers and home addresses,” said Shakhina Khurshedzoda, a legal activist from Dushanbe. “These pages are duplicated and netizens actively read, like, and share such publications.” These posts become fodder for cyberbullying and can cause irreversible damage. “My distant relative committed suicide in 2013 because her nudes were leaked online,” said Farzona, a medical worker living in Dushanbe (whose name has been changed).

‘Shame TV’

Back in 2021, journalists identified more than 50 public duplicates of the infamous, and now defunct, Instagram page “Sharmanda TV” (“Shame TV,” in Tajik). A similar page called “Hodisa TV” (“Incident TV”) had more than 40 public duplicates. These accounts actively solicit content from their subscribers and publish it across multiple platforms at once (usually Instagram, Telegram, and YouTube). 

The doxxing and shaming in Tajikistan comes in waves — the last noticeable one occurred in early 2022. Often, these groups have a regional focus: in Dushanbe and Khujand — the capital of Tajikistan and the country’s second-largest city, respectively — there are dedicated social media groups and channels for doxxing and shaming local women.

“My ex leaked my personal photos to Hodisa TV, a couple of years after we broke up,” said Nigina from Khujand (whose name has been changed at her request). “There was nothing incriminating in them, just me wearing shorts outside or singing at karaoke. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t take those photos down. They’re all over the Internet now, and I get shamed for them, for absolutely nothing.”

In addition to Tomiris and Nigina, there were multiple women who didn’t want The Beet to share their stories — they prefer not to reopen old wounds for nothing. The victims of online doxxing and shaming usually have very little recourse, both globally and in Tajikistan. 

For one, most social media platforms have lax content policies. The messaging platform Telegram remains a hotbed for revenge porn, fraud, and misinformation, and even serves as a tool for authoritarian governments to spread their messages. Instagram’s lack of a reporting mechanism specifically for revenge porn (users can report it only as “nudity,” which means that it is ranked as a lower priority for removal) has long made the platform one of the prime spreaders of non-consensual intimate images. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, partnered with the UK’s Revenge Porn Helpline in December 2021 to create and operate a more effective tool for monitoring, flagging, and removing such content, but its efficiency and responsiveness is yet to be seen.

Language can also be a barrier for the removal of harmful content. Social media platforms notoriously allow dis- and mis-information, hate speech, and revenge porn to slip through their efforts to police such content because they often lack moderators who speak local languages and understand cultural contexts.

‘A culture of misogyny’ 

In patriarchal societies like Tajikistan’s, where most law enforcement personnel are men, government agencies also aren’t the most invested stakeholders when it comes to battling the issues of doxxing and revenge porn. 

In past years, Tajikistan’s police have used a punitive registry containing the personal information of LGBTQ+ individuals to blackmail vulnerable people into sex trafficking, forced informant roles, and to extort money. In October 2021, two police officers broke into the Dushanbe apartment of a Finnish citizen and threatened to disseminate a video of him being intimate with a woman if he didn't pay them off. 

The International Partnership for Human Rights recently reported that there have been targeted revenge porn attacks on women journalists, who were threatened with the publication of “compromising material” if they did not refrain from critical reporting.

Then there's the issue of jurisdiction. “I was part of a group of human rights activists and journalists who wrote an open letter to [Tajikistan’s] Internal Affairs Ministry and Prosecutor General in October 2020 asking for an investigation into the social media pages [that engage in doxxing and shaming],” Nisso Rasulova, a Dushanbe-based journalist and women’s rights activist, told The Beet. This effort and another investigation in late 2021 yielded the same results: “The law enforcement agencies concluded that the administrators [of most social media groups] that disseminate revenge porn are located in Russia.”

Almost half of Tajikistan’s population of 10 million is younger than 25 years old. In 2020, around eight percent of the entire labor force, including nearly a fifth of the country’s youth aged 15-24, was unemployed. With more than a quarter of Tajikistan’s population living in poverty, many are forced to travel abroad in search of employment. 

According to Russian government statistics, 2.4 million Tajikistani citizens were working in Russia in 2021. These labor migrants face daily abuse, discrimination, and even death threats from law enforcement officers, in addition to dealing with wage theft and ruthless bureaucracy. 

In the face of these challenges, desperately missing their culture and leaving part of their identity behind, many labor migrants turn to religion in search of an identity, cultural solidarity, and a sense of belonging. Some become radicalized and, in turn, seek to enforce unspoken conservative cultural norms — both upon fellow migrants in Russia (like when Kyrgyz laborers kidnap ethnic Kyrgyz women for dating non-Kyrgyz men in Russia) and upon their compatriots back home via online shaming and doxxing.

“These labor migrants bring their conservative norms and the culture of misogyny from home to Russia, where they are marginalized and face police abuse and harassment from local nationalists,” Gabdulhakov explained. “Harassing and shaming women in their own diasporas becomes a way to deal with the frustration [of living in Russia].” 

Their location abroad makes prosecution less likely both in Tajikistan and in Russia, where there are no laws targeting doxxing specifically and a patriarchal culture persists due to state conservatism. 

* * *

Tomiris managed to get her intimate photos taken down. “It helped that I knew who leaked my stuff — my ex-boyfriend. But I don’t know [that] those photos won’t resurface again,” she told The Beet.  

Others in Tomiris’ shoes haven’t been so lucky and the problem persists. “Hodisa TV lives on, like a hydra,” lamented Rasulova. “A hydra sure of its own impunity.”

[imjoessubconscious]

Dumping Wor(L)ds

Hello my dear friend Tumblr, I think I'm back.

Last time I wrote you I was eight years younger and really suffering from anxiety. Today I feel it was caused by the girl (or group of girls) that made me begin writing. Maybe it's ironic that I came back here after ending a 7 year relationship with one of the girls I wrote you about.

At "Arts of Vision" I referred to her as "Blue". Yeah, we were boyfriend and girlfriend for 7 years. What a fucking trip. My mom says it was a marriage without a marriage. I'm glad it's over, we were two codependent little humans that obviously couldn't stand each other in the darker moments of a relationship.

Me, always looking at other girls, her, always looking at me with some judgement, like I could do better with my life. Well, c'est la vie... I cheated and was a very annoying bastard boyfriend during the covid pandemic. I think this isolation fucked us all so hard we became numb to a lot of things.

I feel I'm getting better now, me writing these words right now seem to be one diagnostic of change. I used to be such a passionate guy, I would scream my beliefs out loud, would fight people that I thought were doing wrong to others... Well, I'm trying to regain that.

Another thing that has changed is that for nine years I was vegetarian. After the break-up I just didn't remember the passionate reasonings for me to have given up on meat. So I'm eating it again. For some weird reason my tongue still prefers the Impossible burgers and the vegan sausages.

One thing that hasn't changed is my addiction to smoking. I dropped out of cigarettes (although I still have some when I'm drunk at a bar or a party), but now I'm vaping. It's like a hookah but in the form of a cigarette, an always-lit-cig-in-my-pocket kind of contraption.

I'm living in Los Angeles now, I miss Brazil very much. I lost (or at least I think I did) many friends over the break-up, and I accept my villainy in this story. But it's so sad... Me being a cancer sign, I get my memories of people and moments all the time in my head, sometimes the shame of past moments is just unbearable, I laugh not to cry (Preciso Me Encontrar - Cartola).

My next post will be a poem I wrote to this Polish-French girl I met here in LA, it was the last moment I felt any sort of true passion towards another person that was not Blue. I hope it's as good as I think it is. But it's not, fuck it, it's me anyway.

[simpledestruction94]

vaguely nsfw asks 1. Are looks important in a relationship?

They are important to a point but it is not the MOST important thing. Personality over looks. The way I see it is beauty fades away but personality doesn't. 

2. Are relationships ever worth it?

Yes relationships are definitely worth it, but not toxic ones. Each relationship helps you grow and learn from your mistakes.

3. Are you a virgin?

Yes I am.  4. Are you in a relationship?

I am in the best relationship ever.  5. Are you in love?

I am definitely in love, but it is mini love possibly true love. Only time will tell.  6. Are you single this year?

I was briefly but not anymore! 7. Can you commit to one person?

I can commit to one person, but I kind of have commitment issues for like marriage lol.  8. Describe your crush

My crush is tall af, funny, dimples, caring, loving, the sweetest, teddy bear, and fine af. He understands me and loves me for who I am. He is ALWAYS there for me and makes me happy. I would do anything for him.  9. Describe your perfect mate

My perfect mate is my man. I already have him.  10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

No, I do believe in love at first conversation lol.  11. Do you ever want to get married?

I definitely do! 12. Do you forgive betrayal?

Depends on the extent of betrayal. If its something small, then yes I can forgive. 13. Do you get jealous easily?

Yes I do.  14. Do you have a crush on anyone?

No, my crush is my boyfriend.  15. Do you have any piercings?

Yes I do, I have 3 ear piercings on each ear and a nose piercing.  16. Do you have any tattoos?

No I don’t.  17. Do you like kissing in public?

Sometimes, but probably more when I am married. 20. Do you shower every day?

I wash my hair every other day but I take a body shower everyday.

21. Do you think someone has feelings for you?

Uh, yeah my man does.  22. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?

Yeah, my man.  23. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat?

Of course.  24. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years?

I really hope so. Otherwise, Imma cry.  25. Do you want to be in a relationship this year?

Ummm, I am in one.  26. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you?

Yes :)  27. Has someone ever written a song or poem for you?

Yes :)  28. Have you ever been cheated on?

Yes.  29. Have you ever cheated on someone?

No.  30. Have you ever considered plastic surgery? If so, what would you change about your body?

Yes. Probably my boobs.  31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl?

Yes.  32. Have you ever experienced unrequited love?

Yes. I am experiencing it now. 33. Have you ever had sex with a man?

No. 34. Have you ever had sex with a woman?

No. 35. Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

Yes. 36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends?

Not in a romantic way. 37. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated?

No, not really. 38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to?

Yes. 39. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have?

No. 40. Have you ever written a song or poem for someone?

Yes. 41. Have you had sex so far this year?

Nope. 42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander?

Ummm, like 5 minutes. 43. How long was your longest relationship?

2.5 years? I think.  44. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had?

None of your business. 45. How many people did you kiss in 2012/2013?

Ummm, one? Maybe. 46. How many times did you have sex last year?

0. 47. How old are you?

23. 48. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say?

I would cry. 49. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her?

Their positivity. I love that they look at the world as half glass full. Their kindness and compassion. Their intelligence and sense of humor.  50. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept?

My first true love is my current person, so yes.  51. Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for?

My man. 52. Is there anyone you’ve given up on? Why?

Yes, because they are a piece of shit or shitty person.  53. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?

No. 54. Is there someone you will never forget?

No. 55. Share a relationship story.

This is embarrassing, but I was at Disney Springs with my boyfriend and we were waiting in line for the buses to come. I had dropped something and I went to go pick it up and I fell down in slow motion. It was so embarrassing I wanted to die. My boyfriend did not realize I had fallen because I fell slo-mo. We laughed about it once it happened. But to this day, this memory haunts me.  56. State 8 facts about your body

I have really big eyes. I have a big butt. My hair is curly. I have 12-15 moles on my body. I have baby hands. I am short. I have soft skin. I have really light skin.  57. Things you want to say to an ex

Fuck you mofo.  58. What are five ways to win your heart?

Chocolate, food (taco bell/chick fil a), hugs and kisses, gifts, and sweet messages. 59. What do you look like? (Post a picture!)

No. 60. What is the biggest age difference between you and any of your partners?

5 years. 61. What is the first thing you notice in someone?

Their facial hair.  62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you?

Love me. Basically protect me and stand up for me.  63. What is your definition of “having sex”?

Uhh, the normal sex definition lol.  64. What is your definition of cheating?

Sexting, having sex, intentional flirting. 65. What is your favourite foreplay routine?

Not going to say it here.

66. What is your favourite role-play?

None of your business.  67. What is your idea of the perfect date?

Museum, dinner, hookah, and walk in the park.  68. What is your sexual orientation?

Straight. 69. What turns you off?

Cockiness, rude to people, and ungrateful.  70. What turns you on?

Uhh none of your business.

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream?

Uhhh none of your business. 72. What words do you like to hear during sex?

Not having sex.  73. What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you?

My man does all the sweet things like sending me flowers and gifts because I am a princess.  74. What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for?

Facial hair.  75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you?

Write me poems and sent me a care package.  76. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone?

Moved across the country and sent a care package. 77. What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships?

I am okay with it. I like guys older than me.  78. What’s your dirtiest secret?

Ummm, none of your business.  79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why?

Today. My friend was talking about her best friend and wished I had that kind of best friend relationship but I don’t.  80. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?

Today. But it was mini love.  81. Who are five people you find attractive?

My man, my baby, my man, my boo thang, my future husband.  82. Who is the last person you hugged?

Kazal.  83. Who was your first kiss with?

My first boyfriend.  84. Why did your last relationship fail?

He was a piece of shit.  85. Would you ever date someone off of the Internet?

Yes. 

[plusorminuscongress]

Picture This: Cartoonists Comment on the Lasting Impact of Will Eisner (1917-2005)

Cartoonists Comment on the Lasting Impact of Will Eisner (1917-2005) By Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Martha H. Kennedy, Curator of Popular & Applied Graphic Art, Prints & Photographs Division.

During Will Eisner Week, March 1-7, 2020, the Library of Congress joins art schools, libraries, universities, and museums in a global celebration of this legendary creator’s contributions to the world of comic art and particularly spotlights the rise of the graphic novel.

Year after year, I rediscover the many comic artists who share with me their admiration for the work of this groundbreaking master of graphic narrative. Whether inspired by his poetic evocations of specific times and places or moved by his own personal stories or those of people he knew or invented, cartoonists of different generations, backgrounds, and interests find that the lifework of Will Eisner helps to spark their own creative processes.

Collage of cover details of graphic novels and short story collection by Will Eisner: A Contract With God (1978), To the Heart of the Storm (1991), and New York: The Big City (1981). Photo by Martha H. Kennedy, 2020.

In addition to reading his series The Spirit [view catalog record], countless cartoonists have studied and admired Eisner’s graphic novels including such autobiographical and semi-autobiographical works as A Contract With God (1978) [view catalog record] and To the Heart of the Storm (1991) [view catalog record], two of my personal favorites. I asked several contemporary comic artists to share their thoughts about how Eisner’s graphic novels have influenced the development of their own work and/or the art form. A sampling of their remarks follows, along with a few images from their graphic narratives.

Everyman wanders in the rain, without an umbrella . . .. Drawing by Eric Drooker, between 1985 and 1992. Published in Flood: A Novel in Pictures, 1992. https://ift.tt/2wpGZB7

Stating that he always loved Eisner’s work, Eric Drooker, who created the award-winning Flood: A Novel in Pictures [view catalog record], shares this poetic recollection: “I immediately recognized Will Eisner’s primordial urban visions when I first encountered his work . . .  I, too, was born and raised in New York City, so Eisner’s haunted cityscapes were instantly familiar to me, and highly detailed depictions of ethnic inner city neighborhoods . . . continue to influence my own graphic novels.” (An original drawing for Flood appears at the right.)

Peter Kuper, who created the Eisner Award-winning graphic album Ruins, remembers that he encountered Eisner at a New York Comic Con in the late 1970s, “just as he had published A Contract With God and [I] bought a copy directly from him. Though I . . . loved The Spirit, I was just beginning my cartooning career and Contract hit like an inspiration bomb with exciting new ways of storytelling. His wordless short comics in books like New York: The Big City launched me into experimenting with that form as well and eventually led me to create several wordless graphic novels of my own. I’m forever grateful. . .”

Henni. Drawing by Miss Lasko-Gross, 2015. Design for American Library Association poster. https://ift.tt/2TAka5t

Miss Lasko-Gross voices similar appreciation for Eisner’s work, emphasizing that it “created a path for autobiographical artists like myself. Even without always being a direct point of reference. It was an audacious leap away from the idea that comics were exclusively a realm of larger-than-life creations. Making room for the ‘little’ and the personal.” Lasko-Gross explores the truth of a personal life in her graphic novel Henni [view catalog record]. (A design for a poster advertising the novel is seen at the left.)

“Maybe I should thank Dad because I don’t know if my rebellious side would be as strong without him.” Drawing by Marguerite Dabaie, 2010. Published in The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories, volume 2, 2010. https://ift.tt/3crmHaT

Another comic artist and illustrator, Marguerite Dabaie, writes that she thinks Eisner was “masterful,” and adds that “He’s been more of an indirect influence for me but it has been a powerful one. I don’t think there are many cartoonists his work hasn’t influenced in some way.” A rising voice in the field, Dabaie has drawn upon the challenges she has faced as a young Arab-American woman seeking to pursue her own path as an artist in the face of traditional expectations for girls in her family’s culture. (A drawing from Dabaie’s The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories appears at the right.)

As one of the progenitors and masters of the graphic novel as we know it, Will Eisner holds a key place as a gifted, prolific practitioner of the art form. In his work as a teacher and promoter of visual storytelling, he also contributed vitally to worldwide recognition of graphic narrative as a respected, powerful genre of artistic expression.

Learn more:

Works by Will Eisner in the Prints & Photographs Online catalog give a snapshot of his multi-faceted comic art.

Explore works by Eric Drooker in the online catalog.

Tour Comic Art: 120 Years of Panels and Pages — an exhibit on display in the Library of Congress Jefferson Building until Sept. 12, 2020, and available 24/7 online!

Read Martha H. Kennedy’s article about a lecture Will Eisner gave at the Library of Congress in 2003: Martha H. Kennedy, “Wisdom from an Old Master: Will Eisner Discusses the Graphic Novel,” Library of Congress Information Bulletin 62, no. 5 (May 2003). And view a video of Will Eisner’s talk!

Published March 03, 2020 at 11:48AM Read more on https://loc.gov

[meridianrose]

“Last Temptation of Midnight”

Not a full review more of an overview and a rant.

Midnight continues to be both entertaining and to increasingly piss me off.

Manfred running away because he's scared of his destiny; acceptable. Manfred running away because his dull love interest broke up him; not acceptable. The latter implies he doesn't even care about saving the town (the world?) or anyone else. None of his friends matter, just the woman he's been screwing. And few things piss me off as much as the false relationship hiearcharcy of "person you're screwing" at the top and every other relationship way down below.

Xylda tells him she had a vision of his destiny but didn't do enough to prepare him. Very trope-y, the unprepared/reluctant hero. Not buying teetotal Xylda, she's one of the few non-Puritans in the Harris novels. Nasty "be sober at all times if you have a child" vibe. She was smoking a hookah pipe in one episode for God's sake. And I seem to recall her chainsmoking in the Grave Secret novels. Hence the throat cancer. Would have been better off giving up the cigarettes than the gin. The flashbacks show her affection but also failings in raising a psychic.

With no pills left, no phone reception, and the van broken down, Manfred starts walking. He veers off the path, a good use of tropes around the dangers of leaving the trail and the spirtual experience of a walkabout.

Back in town things are getting nasty. This seems to be drawing on the final book of the trilogy, where people are ritualistically commiting suicide at the crossroads to bring forth the demon (according to the blurb and my knowledge of the other books). Crossroads are a mystical power source, traditionally. Fiji prevents a suicide. Everyone meets in the church. They need to do something. Joe's taken Chuy out of town before his demon-half takes over, Manfred's run away. It's up to them. Also Creek's father left her the deed to the house so she can move the hell out of Manfred's place. The only sensible thing for her to do at this point is to rent/sell that property and leave town, go to college as she wanted, far from the demon. But her sole job is to be the thin white girlfriend so she's going to stay :/

The "priest" hoping to ressurect the demon is killing people on the way to Midnight, stealing their faces and has stolen a van to put the bodies in to offer them as a sacrifice. When Manfred's RV breaks down he wanders off to get help.

Not buying Manfred's withdrawl either. Don't know how many painkillers he was taking but he had one left and it would take a while for symptoms to kick in I think (and he gets over it pretty quick too). His vomiting and brief collapse serves as the episode's Manfred whump which happens every episode. I'm not complaining about the whump, far from it, though some more hurt/comfort than outright whump would be nice too.

While Manfred is lying in the sand Xylda appears, no longer tethered to the van, to encourage him and then pass over. They don't even get a proper goodbye (she says they spent a year doing it when she was dying from cancer). Manfred staggers off, no longer in withdrawal, possibly hypothermic, hasn't even had a drink - his RV frige always had beer and soda in it, why didn't he take something with him before he wandered off into the desert.

I bet we'll never really address Manfred's grief. He may have mourned before but she was still with him and now she's gone. And Xylda was a great character and I'm annoyed they wrote her out and I'll come back to that later.

Manfred flags down the creepy priest but sees the ghosts of the dead. He jumps from the vehicle and runs but secretly doubles back and hides in the back with the bodies. He finds a cellphone and calls Fiji, who's glad to hear from him. He warns her that the bodies are being brought to raise the demon.

Fiji makes a potion to stop people being compelled by the demon who's going after the supernatural and the humans who are sad. The Rev is eating meat while Lem gets hungry for Olivia's blood. Lem and Olivia have a fight. He wants to turn her. She doesn't want it. I'd have preferred him just being overwhelmed by his hunger and unable to control himself at all, that would be easier to forgive I think. It's very physical. Olivia's a badass but she's still just a human female. It's brutal to watch in places. Also how/why bother to cut her hair during this situation?!

Creek wanders around being Sad and the poor acting really shows here. Maybe a better actor would give the one dimensional character more depth. Manfred arrives seconds before she kills herself for the demon. "Creek's not the only one acting out of characer," Fiji says, dosing her with the antidote to compulsion. You call that acting? Character? OOC?

Manfred goes to help distribute the antidote and sprays Lem before he can turn Olivia. He asks them to table whatever "this is" until they deal with the demon.

All the bodies are piled up to bring forth the demon. It's called Colconnar which might help them defeat it, to know what they're dealing with. It wants Fiji. Manfred calls on the spirits of the dead to help. Together they shove the priest into the flames. Fire comes forth, Manfred pulling Fiji back in a hug, a moment I loved. They're safe for the moment but the sacrifice has been made. Bobo promises he won't let the demon take Fiji.

Manfred's RV is still in the desert. I hope he gets it back. Lots of his stuff is still in there - most of the occult items were stored there. Manfred sums up Xylda's loss as "Xylda moved on. Which is how it's supposed to be." Really show? That’s it? In an attempt to show she's not completely devoid of affection Creek asks if he's okay. Manfred's going without pills despite headaches. You could get some over the counter stuff you idiot instead of completely going without. And maybe Fiji has something that can help or a book that can teach you to better manage your abilities.

Creek asks "Why did you come back?"

"I had to come back, it's my destiny to save the town, prevent this demon from entering our world. I had to protect my friends." Is not what Manfred says even though it's true he finally accepted his destiny and at the start of the show the writers acknowledged Manfred's friendships instead of pushing only Creek at him.

"I came back so I can stick my penis in you when you stop sulking." Is not what Manfred says but what the writers mean. They're obsessed with this dull ship - why does he like her? Unattached white girl is all she's got going for her. We never see them talk about anything but her fucked up family (now all gone) and how that impacts on their screwing. Not a single shared interest or complentary quality between them. Why should I care about them? I rewatched "Deadpool" this week. Wade/Vanessa is a ship rooted in sex but they have more than that. He takes her on a date when he's paid for sex that first time. They're both geeks. They play a "whose life is worse" game as flirty banter. She's determined to save him when he's diagnosed while he's resigned. He leaves to spare her seeing him suffer (she's rightfully angry) and won't return because he thinks she can't love his damaged face (he's wrong). In an anti-hero action movie there is the love story the trailer promised and they make me believe they love each other.

"Naked truth? Um What you and I started, it's, um I never felt that with anyone." Is what Manfred does say because he's goddamn obsessed with her for no earthly reason (supernatural reason? I'd buy that :P) "And I I get that a lot's happened, and I get that you need time to process, and I'll give you that time. But when, or if, you ever feel ready to pick up where we left off, well you know where I live." aka please resume our fucking. "Besides, my RV's dead"  pretty sure you can find a mechanic. Stop taking away everything from Manfred’s pre-Creek life. Let him stay because he wants to, not because his van is broken down. "and Midnight's as close to a home as I've ever had" FINALLY SOME ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THAT "so I figure, if the veil to hell is opening, might as well stay, fight for it." Don’t sound too enthusiastic about saving the world Manfred! :P

Final note about Xylda: it comes off that he doesn't need her now because he has Creek. Once again, "person you're screwing" over all other relationships. If you have to sideline or erase all other relationships to push your ship, you're doing it wrong. Give me the close friend as well as the lover. That way when things get tough they have other people to talk to. Your lover should be your friend but you should have other people in your life.

Joe will come back next episode yes, because can at least one of the only confirmed gay/non-straight characters* make another appearance please and who better to fight a demon than a fallen angel? *Bisexual Olivia? Bisexual Fiji? Bisexual Bobo? And do we know if Joe and Chuy are gay or bi? What about the Rev? Is Lem straight? Still here for actually asexual Manfred, bisexual Manfred, or Grey-ace Bi Manfred. Here for many diverse sexual and romantic orientations (biromantic heterosexual Fiji?). Just not here for the bland “because we said so” ships.

[adastracomix]

Today's #SJComix365 is "The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories" by Marguerite Dabaie (Rosarium Publishing, 2018). In the current political climate, being a Palestinian is a hazard - but there are common grounds where East meets West. 'The Hookah Girl' is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel of a childhood as a Christian Palestinian in America. Told in short stories and with narrative ranging from growing up in a refugee family to how to roll waraq (stuffed grape leaves), this book is an account of living in two seemingly different cultures that actually aren’t very different at all. The narratives blend with beautiful artwork for a comic that feels both intimate and highly politically relevant. ✨ #hookahgirl #palestinianstories #palestiniancomics #graphicnovels #comics #rosarium #refugeestories #talesofmigration #twoworlds #memoir #americanpalestinian https://www.instagram.com/p/BvotxePgh9m/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1nprfqp3hi1rr

[granvarones]

Louie: Let's start off with your upbringing. What was it like growing up in Chicago?   David: I grew up in the North, Northwest side of Chicago. I've moved around most of my life. Sadly, in most cases due to evictions. Somehow my family always stood close to Main Street Pulaski. Blue line for life bond!! I'm the baby of six kids; five boys, one girl. My sister is the oldest. My father passed away when I was two years old and from the stories I hear, it was a blessing. He was abusive to my mother and drank a lot. I'm the only one of my siblings that doesn't have a single memory of him. Growing up my mother worked day and night. I only saw her in the mornings while she woke me up for school. I would walk home and my mother would call home from work to find out what we wanted for dinner. It usually had to be something quick as she was using her lunch break to run and grab us dinner. Then go back to work. My mother is my hero. No extended family helped us. My mom raised six kids in Chicago all by herself. We are all still here thanks to her. No degree. She scrubbed toilets, cleaned trucks, and learned skills all on her own.   Louie: What is it like being Latinx and queer in Chicago?   David: This is such a hard Fucking question. I'm still discovering the answer to this. My identity to ethnicity is so complicated. I'm Mexican, Polish, and Russian. My dad was Mexican. My mom polish and Russian. Our Latinx community here small yet still big. I'm still proving myself as a LATINX. On both sides of my family I am fourth generation American . I don't know what part of Mexico my family comes from. My great-grandparents had the attitude, "You're in America ...speak English." Nothing was passed down and I used to hate that so much. Most of my friends back in the day were Mexican and I would see how important culture and family was and would be so jelly. My family wasn't like that.   Louie: My experience is similar. I grew up feeling not Latino enough. David: To the Latinx community, I'm still just white. To whites, I'm Mexican . I honestly come to terms that I might not ever be accepted by the Latinx community for the simple fact I don't speak Spanish. I know what you and others might be thinking "Then why don't you just learn?" BITCH! Pay my bills and I'll take a whole year off to start learning!! (LOL) That's kinda a lowkey goal of mine. To go somewhere in Latin America or Mexico for like 6 months and just learn . But whether the Latinx community wants me or not, I'm still here and don't intend to go anywhere . If anything I use the term Latinx more than anything because of the term being more inclusive.   Louie: When did you first time you heard yourself say "I'm gay?"   David: It was just before my 21st birthday. I was working retail on the side and by this point even if I didn't announce it, most people that met me by this point knew I was gay. The first person I came out to was the hardest person to come out to. My best friend. A straight guy that can get any girl he wants. He probably was born with a six pack (LOL). We had been best friends since the 7th grade and I was convinced that this would ruin our relationship. That he would think that all the arguments we had, that all the play wrestling as kids, and our entire relationships was base off of me having some other type of feelings for him. Which might of been true when we were kid without me realizing it but by this point he was simply my brother. It was winter break and he was home from college and as soon as he gets home, we link-up, chill, and light up a hookah. We were at my place and I knew I wanted to “come out” but also knew he should be the first to know. We sat in my room and I told him I had something important to tell him. He had to go and his ride was coming to pick him up so I had to say it already. I started out simply by saying " I'm ...." and that's it. I stood in mid sentence for a good 20 minutes just frozen. He didn't rush me. He just chilled. Waiting for me to finish saying it. Looking back on it now, I know he knew but I had to say it first. Mind you, until this moment I had never said it out loud even if myself. His ride was here and he had to go. He put his book bag on looking at me waiting for me to say it already . I finally said it. "I'm gay." It was the first time hearing myself say it. As I put my head down not wanting to see his expression . He simply said, "That's it? Cool." Like it was nothing. Because it was nothing. I told him why I was afraid and he shrugged it off like it was no biggie. I walked him out. That was it. That was the beginning of me coming out.   Louie: When did you tell your family? David: Once I had enough support, I then told my family. My mom shrugged it off too. I'm blessed. I didn’t have the whole family disowning me experience or the people no longer wanting to be friends with me. Some needed a moment but I also had the mind set that “fuck whomever can't handle it.” I learned to understand that everyone deals with acceptance differently. For my brothers, it's making jokes about my sexuality. That's how we talk about it. That's how they came to accept me. Louie: How is life now? David: Now I mentor young people. So many the young men I mentor have told me I am the only gay person they know and literally have jumped into conversation defending gay people when they hear homophobia in class, in the cafeteria, in their lives. All of this made me even stronger. Now, I own my sexuality more than ever. I look back and I can't believe how long it took me to get here but then I shake it off and remind myself that I'm here…at least. I owe my sexuality with pride with hope that my youth discover acceptance through me, or for themselves by seeing me be the proud fag that I am. My best friend today is still my best friend and we never been closer.   One last thing, Shout out to my youth program Creative Action 2017! Some of the most woke young people I ever had the privilege of working with. David M. Gauna, Chicago, Illinois Interviewed and photographed by: Louie A. Ortiz-Fonseca

[ask-the-purple-minion]

"Let your deepest desires come true.~"

“A small golden magic lamp, the beautiful story of the Djinn that can make your dreams come true and transform your life in a paradise, this is the stories the adults tell to all the children of Shurima. You just need to take the lamp on your hands and rub it with a simple hand gesture, the Djinn appear in front of you, surrounded by magical clouds, always with a hookah with him, every girl and boy dream to found the magic lamp, well, until they discover the other side of the story. The childrens know the fairytale, because they are too young and they need to dream in a land like Shurima, but... The old men and women, someone of them still remember it, the original story, the story of the demon. Before the empire of Shurima disappeared in the dunes, there was a great demon, who stealing other people's dreams, it can looks so silly, but the people can't live without their dreams, their life slowly abandon their body and leave an empty shell. This nightmare continued for years, until one day, four mages from different regions, stopped him, in a night, with the stars on the sky and a strange purple moon. They put on the demon's arms two golden bracelets and sealed him in a lamp, for that, Azir rewarding them with the gold and a place in his palace, but they refused, they go back where they come from and leave the magic lamp in the Azir's hands. After that, the magic lamp was secured in the treasury of the palace to take the dust for years, until the fateful day, when Shurima disappears. No one know what happen to the lamp, some said it was still there in the treasury, some said the looters take it and now is around in some old haunt of bandits or maybe in a bazaar, where an old woman try to sell it like an old and dusty lamp. Maybe is true, the lamp is somewhere out there, voices tell that someone become crazy for a sort of lamp, because with it you can control the demon inside and make your wishes come true or this is what people think. The demon is still a demon, he just want to trick you and become free from his curse, but... You do not believe in this fairy tale, right? Of course not! You are here for a wish don't you? So now, inhale deeply the smoke, you can feel it right? It's good yes... Now sleep and let your dreams become true.~"

[hishotandhaywireheart]

Survey from Esther~

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most? Janina Gavankar - Don't Look Down The Irrepressibles - Two Men In Love The Irrepressibles - The Arrow Flor - Warm Blood Shearwater - Animal Life Bastille - Laura Palmer 2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? I'm overwhelmed by this question and can't pick a single answer, sorry lol. This is like asking me what my favorite Pokémon is. 3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. I'm in a dog boarding facility's kitchen at the moment, no books in sight, I'm afraid. But I am reading the first book of the Raven Cycle series in audio form, if that helps 4: What do you think about most? What a question. Art? Animals? 5: What does your latest text message from someone else say? It's my boyfriend saying he's going to sleep :3 6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on? *Gamagoori voice* I sleep in the nude 7: What’s your strangest talent? Even though I am not a smoker [unless you count a couple of hookahs per year], I can tell the brand of a cigarette by the smell of the smoke. The smell on someone's clothes, I know immediately what brand it is. Mixture of childhood exposure, sensory sensitivity, and the jobs I've worked lol. 8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence) Girls are powerful. Boys are powerful. 9: Ever had a poem or song written about you? I dunno. Maybe? 10: When is the last time you played the air guitar? Uhh. Not a thing that occurs to me to do, to be honest lol 11: Do you have any strange phobias? Big phobia of hypodermic needles, or generally anything like a splinter, tiny shard of glass or hook getting underneath my skin. Phobic of getting pregnant. I guess those are weird. 12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? Uhhh probably? 13: What’s your religion? What a complicated question lol. Simple answer: I'm pagan. But there is literally nothing simple about my endless thoughts about spirituality 14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? Taking a walk in the woods, or sitting by a stream or body of water [water sources are especially sacred parts of nature for me] 15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? Both. But I love taking photos and nobody really takes any photos of me. So I guess behind. Especially when it's behind a Polaroid. 16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band? Shearwater. Honorable mention to the Irrepressibles. 17: What was the last lie you told? Fuck if I know 18: Do you believe in karma? Not really. But as always I believe in the awesome power of the brain. 19: What does your URL mean? It's my name with "Irrepressible" after it, in the style of Jamie Irrepressible, the vocalist of, well, you can probably guess which band. 20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength? Weakness - I'm extremely prone to gaslighting and self doubt about my own reality. Strength - I might not be a fan of abrupt change, but I am very adaptable, given time to adjust. 21: Who is your celebrity crush? None 22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping? No, sadly. Remember what I said about my irrational fear of stepping on hooks or sharp objects? Interferes with my sacred need to swim in every lake I see. 23: How do you vent your anger? Ideally, art. Drawing, writing, even recording myself ranting to my microphone about it. 24: Do you have a collection of anything? I collect retro Pokémon merchandise and certain old video games. :> this makes me sound like a massive genwunner but rest assured, it's just an Aesthetic™ 25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? Text, to be honest. Us auties generally do better communicating in text based media. Skype calls are useful at times but I've always found them too awkward with delays and such to use reliably. 26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become? Hmmm. Tentatively, yes? 27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love? Sound I hate: male voices shouting. Sound I love: music bouncing off walls and becoming ethereal and far away. 28: What’s your biggest “what if”? What if I don't understand what this question is asking me? 29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens? Ghosts, no. I talk about them a lot though because the idea of them is dear and important to me, but literally, no, I have no belief in some vaporized version of your personality that goes on after death. Aliens, I assume are a matter of inevitability. But I don't believe we will probably ever find or meet them in the foreseeable future. Humans think they are much more fascinating than they actually are. Aliens are not crawling all over themselves to build technology just to come fly over to our house and meet us. Sry 30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm. Air both times lol 31: Smell the air. What do you smell? The heat coming on at work because morning is here. Faint dog poop smell. Gonna have to tidy that up lol 32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to? Buttfuck nowhere, West Virginia 33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast? East Coast, if we're talking america 34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender? I don't have an opposite gender 35: To you, what is the meaning of life? To create something meaningful and beautiful, and to enjoy myself to the fullest while helping others whenever possible 36: Define Art. If it makes you think about whether or not it's art, then it's art. 37: Do you believe in luck? Uhh. Like as an actual outside force that decides whether good or bad stuff will happen to me, no. 38: What’s the weather like right now? Coldddd 39: What time is it? 6 am. Time to get off work! 40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? Yes, I drive, don't love it but glad I am able. No, but I did run over a bin once 41: What was the last book you read? A book about the history of heterosexuality as a concept, fascinating read actually 42: Do you like the smell of gasoline? As a kid I liked it but it's kinda gross now 43: Do you have any nicknames? Many 44: What was the last film you saw? Can't remember a film rn but I am currently watching The Story Of Film which I CANNOT recommend enough, it is a documentary series about, well, the history of cinema and even if you don't care about movie making... It will absorb you completely and make you not only care but be totally fascinated. I adore it. 45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? You know, I've been really lucky. Never broken bone or needed stitches or even like, been to the hospital, lol. I think I chipped my shin bone on a brick stair once. And a couple years ago I missed a stair going down and sprained my ankle, and my work refused to let me spend any time off my feet so I was crying from pain in front of customers lol. But it healed fast once I had a brace. No problem. 46: Have you ever caught a butterfly? I dunno. I was taught as a child that if you touch their wing dust even a little, they will lose their flight and die. So probably I haven't. Even though I now know this isn't quite true. 47: Do you have any obsessions right now? The Story of Film, some bands, getting sucked back deep into my lifelong love Pokémon again lol 48: What’s your sexual orientation? Pansexual, or: Why Are Gender And Genital Shape Our Main Social Indicator Of Romantic Or Sexual Preferences, Of All Things, That's Really Weird And I Can't Relate, Please Save Me From This Bizarro World 49: Ever had a rumour spread about you? Oh yes, plenty back in school 50: Do you believe in magic? Ahh. I believe in the power of will. I believe in the ability to make your own life full of magic via willpower. I believe in the harmless use of willpower to try and cause a change in your environment. I believe the force exercised by children known dismissively as "imagination" have incredible power to influence the mind and soul. I have no belief in a metaphysical force in the universe called "magic" that could describe basically anything and everything unknown to current science. If you ask me flat-out, I will say yes, I believe in magic. But this is more of what I mean. I don't believe in "magic", except that I do. Adamantly. 51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? I do not tend to forget. Forgive is a matter of situation. But I don't forget. And I am quite the talented ice prince when it comes to freezing someone entirely out of my life. This includes immediate family. I only speak to my little sister out of my entire family. 52: What is your astrological sign? Taurus-Gemini cusp! 53: Do you save money or spend it? Spend :T 54: What’s the last thing you purchased? Bread, milk and a couple very cheap, very pink, very glittery nail polishes. My weakness. 55: Love or lust? Yes. 56: In a relationship? Yep 57: How many relationships have you had? Uhh... Many? Serious, deep romantic relationships, which I suspect is your real question: three. 58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue? Nope 59: Where were you yesterday? Home, and briefly out at the store. 60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? My nails are pink and glittery. 61: Are you wearing socks right now? Yep. I wear two pairs to work because my super comfy work shoes are just the tiniest bit too big. 62: What’s your favourite animal? You asked the impossible question. Today, your answer is: praying mantis. Specifically praying mantis godmothers. Ask me again in two hours for an entirely different answer. 63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you? Sorry, too socially awkward for this prompt 64: Where is your best friend? In bed, it is very late and/or early. 65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr. Don't really have favorites? Just people and stuff I like. 66: What is your heritage? Whitey white. Scots Irish, English, a bit of German, and like everything else you can expect from a family that's been in America about as long as a white devil could possibly be. My mother is a hobbyist genealogist, so this isn't just typical white folks bullshit, I'm vaguely more educated on my roots. I am in fact a distant cousin of notable American politician of the 19th century, Henry Clay. 67: What were you doing last night at 12AM? Playing Pokémon Blue! Beating the game for literally the first time ever! 68: What do you think is Satan’s last name? Uh. Um. Oh god, I don't know lmao 69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off? Yes, everyone has, normalize it 70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend? Hmmm. Yes. 71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do? Lose my job bitches, and maybe hope to go viral and boost my chances of getting a new job for doing this thing lol 72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid? A-Maybe. At least a few people. B-Travel, make good art, write my will, get my affairs in order. C- Yes, for a while. 73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love. Trust obvs 74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it? Many. First one that comes to mind is Empire by Jukebox the Ghost 75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number? Nope 76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship? Being best friends and trying to understand one another and willing to be open and honest, no ego in the way 77: How can I win your heart? Buy me sushi. 78: Can insanity bring on more creativity? Yes. 79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far? To not have children. 80: What size shoes do you wear? American size seven in men's, nine in women's. Sometimes half a size up or down. 81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone? No idea. I should get thinking on that. 82: What is your favourite word? Don't really have one favorite tbh 83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart. Glowing lights, core imagery 84: What is a saying you say a lot? Hell yeah 85: What’s the last song you listened to? Maxiimo Park - Going Missing 86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours? Long story short: indigo. 87: What is your current desktop picture? Some Pokémon, I forget which. 88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be? A random white supremacist, maybe, but honestly, I probably wouldn't press it 89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on? No idea rn 90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do? I'd be quite disturbed because I cut my teeth on Ocarina of Time and was very creeped out by ReDeads 91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power? Shapeshifting. Always my answer. Covers being an animal, or being a child, or flying, or swimming. 92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again? First thought is a marching band performance from high school. Second thought is back in that car in the vast moonlit Utah desert. 93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? Bad math teachers. Gave me a complex about math and didn't improve me as a person in any way like most of the others did. 94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be? No interest 95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? Japan motherfuckers 96: Do you have any relatives in jail? Not that I'm aware of but I couldn't care less tbh 97: Have you ever thrown up in the car? If I have, I must have been very small. 98: Ever been on a plane? Yep, just twice. 99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say? If they actually absorbed what I had to say? Love yourselves. Love each other. Endeavor to understand each other. Try to figure out what you were taught wrong about yourself and your fellow humans, and unlearn those things. Embrace humanity in all its diversity. Open up and be vulnerable.

[dydturktek]

Nem Kurutma | Nem Alma | Rutubet Kurutma | DYD 444 0 719

A typical example of an essay written on Alice in Wonderland

A typical example of an essay written on Alice in Wonderland

Another character that embodies the whimsical thoughts of wonderland could be the Caterpillar, also known loosely as the” that is“hookah-smoking.

If there have been ever a mysterious character with a colorful imagination, it will be the Caterpillar. He would ask Alice “Who are you?” (Carroll 58). Caterpillar is an extremely hassle free character with very simple questions that unearth extremely deep issues in the main character. Children likewise have this same tendency, the essential innocent and easy of questions that will quickly throw an elder into a panic. Simplicity seems to be a main theme with this character; usually the view with this character is askew since he is viewed as complicated. Rather, the cause of this character is always to provide a typical example of how as you grows older one tends to over things that are complicated. Therefore, caterpillar is an excellent creative embodiment regarding the whimsical nature of wonderland. By examining Lewis Carroll’s disposition for the kids, Alice Liddell to his relationship, as well as the whimsical pseudo logic of his characters presents that the writer created a fantasy world where all act and think using the intense imagination of children. Many of Carroll’s characters may have been based on real people such as the character of Alice. It could be sensible to assume, though this whole story was originally a simply spun tale, there is a lesson that Charles Ludwig Dodgson intended for his readers to know. That lesson was taught by Alice, Caterpillar, The Mad Hatter, and many other things characters like the Queen of Hearts; the adult that is strangely overcomplicated is lacking the spark of simple knowledge that children know. Charles embraced this in his real world utilizing the children he encountered and it eventually lead to the classic that is wonderful Adventure’s and Wonderland”. Including the story, perhaps it is time to head the advice of a good author and spirited characters; do not let one’s inner child escape and pay attention to one’s surroundings as a good jar of Orange Marmalade could pass by.

Annotated Bibliography Curran, Jane. “Local Lives – Alice Liddell.” BBC News. BBC, 21 May 2009. Web. 3 May 2015. The article that is internet Lives- Alice Liddell” discusses the life and personality of Ms. Alice Liddell. She was the inspiration for Charles Ludwig Dodgson’s, a.k.a. Lewis Carroll, Alice for the story “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. It discusses her family life. Alice’s mother was very influential in Alice’s life. Over and over again Mrs. Liddell was called a ‘King Fisher’ a bird famously known from hovering over the water before hitting its target and even stalking fish from a branch above that is high. Mr. Liddell was a scholar, both he and buy essays his wife were influential people that intended on passing this trait that is social their children. Carroll, Lewis, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Glass that is looking. New York: C.N. Potter, 1960. 3-89. Print. This book could be the topic with this extensive research paper. It is a classic novel about a girl who falls down a rabbit hole into an extremely quizzical land called ‘Wonderland’ after chasing a white rabbit with pink eyes wearing a waistcoat. Several times during her adventure, little Alice is faced with some peculiar characters and situations that she somehow does not question. She would travel in one end of ‘Wonderland’ to the next, encountering danger as she enters the court associated with the Queen of Hearts or ‘The Red Queen’. Eventually, Alice would find her way home just in the same place she had entered ‘Wonderland’.

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. This source is from Sparknotes.com. It stops working the story of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” in an easy method many can understand it. In short, Spark notes editors review the theme and every chapter in a detail fashioned in layman’s terms. Spark notes makes it much simpler to understand the meanings of a tale and in addition translates the slang, dialect, or language differences into a modern terminology for the readers. This site provided a review of the book, discussion, notes, questions to prompt thinking that is critical along with other extremely helpful sources to follow more research. “The Lewis Carroll Scrapbook Collection: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson “Lewis Carroll” (1832- 1898).” Charles Lutwidge Dodgson: A Chronology of His Life. The Library of Congress (Global Gate way), 19 July 2004. Web. 3 May 2015. . The Library of Congress provides this web site and its sources to your public for educational or recreational pleasure. This page in specific recites a time-line that is chronological of Ludwig Dodgson’s life. Other links on this page lead you to credible sources on the niche, details of his career, childhood, and much more. There clearly was an amount that is enormous of about Charles Ludwig Dodson as a photographer, mathematician, and also as Lewis Carroll the writer are found about this website. The Library of Congress is funded because of the U.S. government and this is simply one of the very subjects that are many are obtainable within it.

Reeves, Erin. “Charles Ludwig Dodgson (Lewis Carroll).” University of Colorado. Web. 3 May 2015. . The essay is all about Charles Ludwig Dodgson as a mathematician and a great math scholar. It describes the influences that are many had in the math world while also juggling his two hobbies of photography and writing. In fact, it really is a statement that is true Charles Ludwig Dodgson nearly became famous through photography. Additionally it is true that Charles Ludwig Dodgson did in fact become famous from some of his works that are literary as “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”. He wrote under a pen name of “Lewis Carroll” and until several years after his death was not known for his works; Charles’ writing was only well known by those closest to him, such as for instance his colleagues “Lewis Carroll – Poets.org – Poetry, Poems, Bios, & More”. Academy of American Poets. 1 May 2015 Lewis Carroll was a pen name for Charles Ludwig Dodgson. He was a professor in the Christ Church in Oxford, England. He attended Christ church and received his Masters degree before becoming a professor of Mathematics. During His time at Christ Church he became a photographer that is profound wrote the story “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Into the Looking Glass”, two works he would become insanely well-known for after his death. It is a little known fact that Lewis Carroll a.k.a Charles Dodgson was nearly well-known for photography and was a pioneer regarding the art.

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