#responding to reply

[magz]

Responding common criticism and worries

@gymleacler replied : (Please engage in good faith because, to be clear, I am avowedly pro-Palestine, anti-Israel.) I have some apprehension about this, or at least calling it a 'strike'. Directing people across the globe to take unilateral/independent action in the workplace is a recipe for disaster and I don't think that has been thought through, esp. with about a week warning, and not how unions or strikes work. pt1 E.g. What kind of protections are in place for workers who dont work in case of action from their employers? From an employer/employee side of things, what are the demands of this 'strike'? Considering this is 'global', what about ppl from countries without a strong union movement? I just worry this could hurt people who have good intentions. pt2/2

Each time Bisan call for global general strike or protest, especially since December 10, there have been these questions n discussions abt it.

The Way This Works:

Someone directly affected - A Palestinian reporter with platform (like Bisan) calls for way disrupt economy in any way + pressure + and bring attention to the specific atrocities happening, often while thinking they will die. -

Originally, the first Global Strike (December 12) was for nearby arab countries - then U.S., U.K., Canada, n some E.U. - then expanded. -

Jan 21 - 28 Strike was called for while Bisan was at the last fully functioning hospital, being bombed n raided. And the daily (non-missing known) death counts rising even more. -

Because of dire circumstance of the genocide - long-term years-long planning on global-level, is not possible. -

We have to adapt this into strategy. It is still called global n general strike, bc it involves multiple sectors n strategies (including disruptions to weapons, gas industry where it apply, boycotting + pressure based on 20+ years of BDS org, work, mutual aid /backup, food, whatevers). This is a difference in connotations between culture n language, that have to be accepted when dealing with cross-cultural activism. -

So for work-related and school-related strikes, will have to rely local grassroots orgs and chapters that specify local circumstance of what can be done as group in your area and what local goals should be - beyond the Global goals. They will also generally tell what the risks are involved. Of which when going through the links n researching further - when finding list protest or strike organizing in area, will usually find info of which chapter doing organizing or what location n when. Plus, work strikes are supposed be done in groups. When deciding what to do, people should actually look through the links and do research as have been provided. A USPC won't be same as a FOA, nor APC-UK, in their strategies n needs. -

If its not possible for someone to do work or school related strikes, especially with high risk to themself and not having a local group nor union - they should do something else on the list. or talking to co-workers about Palestine when possible, anything. The reason this so wide in options and accommodating to the people involved, is bc of having to do this so quick bc there no recourse otherwise. -

Besides this, it would be good for you to actively search for these discussions and the contexts. Since your asking this on the 4th or so global strike means you aren't familiar, but there are other infos + strategies + resources from previous strikes n protests that can be referenced. -

Am from "Third World" and the Western World (not inner colony) has a different view and history on global solidarity methods, of which the connotations is something am not going to be able to personally unpack, especially when just woke up.

So would, encourage finding Palestinian and Arabi activists on here that can more eloquently explain beyond what Magz have without being at-risk throwing up and fainting, etc. from mental cognitive strain from disability + language issues. As am acknowledge n aware of Magz limits in these discussion. Thank you, and good day.

Note: If aren't going to participate in Pro-Palestine action, do not mention it!

For accountability: This is how Magz plans support Palestine during Global Strike January 21 to 28.

Am going to put more Palestine posts in queue, with more focus.

Am going to not spend on anything during week, nor go out (rare anyway).

Am going to not publicly post our arts and promos (of art freelance work).

Am going to read and learn more on Palestine - as there still more can learn.

Am going to be even more visibly pro-Palestinian.

Am going to continue keeping up with what's happening in Gaza.

Am going to continue boycotting products and services on BDS' Boycott List, including not giving free social media promo and good impressions.

Am going to try learn Palestinian Arabic.

Am going to describe, transcribe, and alt text posts on Palestine when possible - to make it more accessible (Am Multiply Disabled).

Am going to share ways to help.

One of shorter checklist options:

Longer checklists:

But really just do *anything* that support and raise awareness *more*, learn, or contribute. Whatever can manage do n able sustain.

If wasn't able to prepare in time, can still participate for rest of week. Is not "all or nothing", don't have to give up. Keep Palestine in your thoughts and actions !

Some links:

https://samidoun.net/2023/12/calendar-of-resistance-for-palestine-2024/

Popular Palestine Accounts: https://www.instagram.com/motaz_azaiza/ https://www.instagram.com/wizard_bisan1/ https://www.instagram.com/everydaypalestine/ https://www.instagram.com/letstalkpalestine/ (Has graphic footage) https://www.instagram.com/eye.on.palestine/

Some Useful Posts:

Hussyknee's Palestine Masterpost

PaliPunk's Palestine MasterList

SulfurCosmos' "Palestinian Owned Companies" List (for later)

Paradox_Punch's "Pro-Palestine Brands" Twitter Thread (for later)

SulfurCosmos' "Preserving Gaza's Universities"

LoveLetter2You's Learn Palestinian Arabic Masterpost

How To Archive For Palestine

(rest of Magz's #palestine tag)

(#AltTextPalestine on Twitter)

[corseque]

(video) Trick Weekes describes another rule they follow when writing Solas (which explains why players have had completely opposite reactions to him)(x)

[spicy-apple-pie]

Bruce posts this to his twitter with the caption "So proud of Gotham to be an accepting and inviting place where me and my family are free to be ourselves ❤️❤️❤️"

(HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYBODY!!!)

Commission Info / Kofi

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

In the world of heavy metals, love is denser than hate!

[sydmarch]

it's really strange to me how many people I've seen say that the substance is unsympathetic towards elisabeth & disdainful towards woman in general. idk it feels to me like the movie is really explicitly not saying "silly women, isn't it stupid that they're doing this to themselves?" but "isn't it fucked up that our culture puts so much pressure on women that they feel forced to do these things to themselves?"

[cutie-lumi]

Cosmic 💐🌟

[isbergillustration]

Looming

[iliothermia]

i would LOVE to see your take on someone who uses a cane!!! as i get older i see myself more in your art and i think i would be brought to tears seeing one of your beautiful men with a cane just like me

This is one of my favorite drawings from last year!! He's a cane user! I'll draw more soon with you in mind 🥰

[aroaceleovaldez]

What is the PR disaster in question that made Rick announce TSATS? I wasn’t active in the online fandom at that point

Of course! This was awhile ago so it figures people don't remember it/aren't familiar:

Basically a couple years back (2020) the fandom had some posts circulate discussing the ways different characters in the Riordanverse were written poorly or offensively. There was a masterpost that went around tumblr but the two major points people were particularly focusing on were Piper and Samirah (particularly because Piper had featured prominently again in Trials of Apollo recently and the third MCGA book had further emphasized and discussed Samirah being Muslim, since it was supposed to take place during Ramadan). Basically each had multiple posts breaking down the ways they were depicted incorrectly or offensively. The entire fandom for a little bit was VERY intensely discussing this (and it's around this time the "RR crit" tag got very popularized on tumblr - it did exist before, but suddenly was being used VERY frequently - cause it was that wide-spread - though the discussion took over basically every side of Riordaverse social media on different platforms). People really wanted Rick to respond to these criticisms, so he did!

He made two blog posts, one about Piper and one about Samirah. He has since deleted both so the links are to archived versions. The short version: he essentially tried to justify his poor research and double-down that he hadn't written them offensively, actually, people were just being mean to him. The fandom, of course, reacted poorly to this.

[Further elaborated events under the cut since this got a bit lengthy]

(Fun fact, this all happened within a month or so of the time i posted an open letter on aphobic tropes in the Riordanverse that Rick replied to, and then he immediately followed with announcing that Reyna was intended to be ace-coded [which cause a LOT of fandom debate] before Rick dipped for a couple of weeks, and then came back to post the blog posts in response to Piper and Sam stuff. So I like to jokingly refer to this as "The time I imploded the fandom/drove Rick off of twitter." Twas I that set the house ablaze.)

Rick fully left social media after this and the LT Musical social media manager became Rick's social media manager for the time being.

So this all happened June/July of 2020. Tower of Nero would end up being published in October of 2020 and a few months after that Rick would state that he was done with the series and wouldn't be writing any more series installments involving Percy, and also that he wouldn't be writing a Nico quest following Tower of Nero as it "wasn't his place to" and encouraged the community to write their own versions of Nico's story.

The community continued to circulate the tumblr posts and discuss the topics of Rick's offensive character depictions, and this is also where we see the dramatic shift in how the fandom depicts Piper in fanwork (though in most cases it is admittedly not an improvement 😬) because of all this discussion. This is also around the time when the fandom brought Viria under scrutiny claiming that she was whitewashing Piper as part of the same discussions, through the justification that she was drawing Annabeth as having tan skin (which she does canonically), and if Annabeth has tanner skin then Piper then that's whitewashing Piper? Except they were using completely separate images of not fully rendered Piper art versus Annabeth in dramatic lighting, so it's all very awkward and poor logic, and did actually get kind of racist. A lot of people were calling it "Tannabeth Blackchase" (yeah, i know) or similar and a common sentiment you'd see repeated is "Don't draw Annabeth as having darker skin than Piper, because that's offensive/racist/whitewashing." (Note: it was not phrased "don't draw Piper as having lighter skin than Annabeth" - we also won't get into certain offensive depictions of Native Americans, but I digress). But yeah, the Annabeth stuff in all that did not age well at all.

Anyways, in October of 2021 however Rick would announce that he was co-writing The Sun And The Star - with a lot of heavy emphasis on how Mark Oshiro works as a sensitivity reader, and some false advertising from the official social media that Mark Oshiro was the first time a non-Riordan author would be collaborating on the series (disregarding the ghostwriters completely). One of the big criticisms in the breaking down of issues in Rick's writing was his lack of ever seeking a sensitivity reader, and fans claiming that a sensitivity reader could solve a lot of the problems. This was basically Rick's "look! I totally listened!!!!" (though it did little to actually improve things, based on the book) and in TSATS as well Piper gets a large cameo at the end where the text very directly addresses a lot of points made in criticism of Rick's writing of her.

We also then of course got the CoTG trilogy later, explicitly stated to be for advertising purposes for the show.

So basically, short version: Rick came under scrutiny for a lot of offensive writing within the span of two months, made some bad blog posts doubling down about it, left social media. TOA ends. Rick says he wasn't going to continue the series/write what would become TSATS. Community celebrates the end of of the franchise but also continues to discuss Rick's poor writing and the blog posts at length. Rick suddenly announces TSATS and Mark Oshiro's involvement. Everybody gets distracted from being mad. Show announcement stuff also happens and the discussions peter out.

[hel7l7]

I don't know what to do now

[6okuto]

i write so you know i love you

🧺 #27: "handwritten letters" with akaashi for @shobvrry :D

the first letter akaashi wrote for you was a short, anxious confession slid into your locker, folded neatly with a star sticker to keep it shut.

i just wanted to say i like you, and i’d like to take you on a date sometime if that’s okay with you. please don’t worry if you don’t feel the same way, but also please pretend you didn’t read this if so. thanks for being my friend. i’ll see you tomorrow :)

he didn’t expect to see you waiting for him after practice that day, the familiar paper in hand. with his ending request, among a dozen catastrophizing explanations stood one reasonable for your presence—

“i like you too, ’ji,” you said a little faster than practiced, heart stumbling at the sight of him.

it was sunset as you held the letter in one hand, and for the first time, keiji’s hand in the other on your way home—pink and orange ribbons of light finding a temporary home in interlocked fingers and brushing arms.

the confession is still carefully tucked away in a box of other gifts and letters you’ve received—the first in a section just from him. he could’ve easily texted at least a third of them, you pointed out once, a few days before your first anniversary, but he only shook his head. it was the romanticism of it all, and—

“what if you texted back right away? i wasn’t ready to handle that, i probably would’ve thrown up or ran away or something.”

his feelings after your first date, a request to see you after school a month after, then the letter celebrating your one month anniversary exactly 31 days later.

they built and built—words pulled from an endless well of love and poetic prose in hopes of capturing just how much you meant to him. you still like flipping through them all, on anniversaries or an otherwise insignificant thursday afternoon.

seeing the different decorations and envelopes and letter lengths throughout the years, only keiji’s handwriting remains the same throughout. it’s the same one that writes “i hope these aren’t sour,” “don’t forget your project by the printer,” “i hope you have a good day :),” and i love you, i love you, i love you.

so when your four year anniversary nears and he makes a remark about his gift, you ask “another letter for me?”

keiji stills, fingers slowing down as they flip the next page in his novel—dostoevsky, you think. his index and thumb start to pull the corner (not enough to fold, but reminiscent of what he does to the hem of his shirt when he’s nervous anyway.) “maybe?”

he fixes his posture, sitting up straighter on the couch. “is that…i know i write them a lot, huh? would you like—”

“no!” you shake your head. “no, i like the letters a lot, keiji, i promise. i just,”—you move next to him and frown—“i hope you don’t feel like you have to write them, you know? i don’t know how your hands don’t hurt a lot after. you could type them out and i’d be just as happy.”

but keiji shakes his head, and it feels a little similar to three years ago. “no, that’s not the same at all. i want to write them for you,”—he closes his book with his thumb as a bookmark, the other hand moving to hold yours—“that’s what makes them special.”

“plus formatting them digitally wouldn’t be any easier than my double-sided tape—do you want to take the joy of tape and stickers away from me?” he raises a brow and squeezes your hand in his.

you snort. “okay, you know what? fair enough.”

and keiji pours a lot of honesty, of himself, into his letters, but maybe one thing he’ll keep a secret is how often his hand cramps and red indents and cuts form on his fingers. because it’s inconsequential in the end, really nothing in comparison to the bright smile and hug you give him when he hands you the next letter a couple of weeks later, carefully folded in an envelope with a star sticker on the front.

[petranaradulovic]

hey hey --

it's ya girl with another journalism request!!!

are you — or anyone you know — running a d&d campaign and have you noticed changes in your campaign dynamic after baldur’s gate 3 came out? do your players finally know how to use bonus actions and spell slots? i’d love to talk to you! please send me a DM here or email me at petrana at polygon dot com by friday (8/25)!!!

[lumi-cherries]

shu and mika booba comparison plsplsplsplsplspls (<- on hands and knees)

SHUMIKA BOOBA COMPARISON!!!!!!!

[magnusbae]

I am so smitten with fic writers who take the time to actually respond to comments, it is the loveliest sweetest thing, and I think it is not appriciated often enough. They anyways spend countless hours writing, and when not writing editing and trying to manage some other activities also. To sit down and reply to comments takes time and energy, and they chose to do this instead of the myriad of other obligations or, well— writing. I love this. Truly.

[nova-rpv]

unhinged stinky critter for @lazydayslivin

dont forget ur daily clicks!!

[frownyalfred]

“if readers take the time to leave comments on fics, then authors should at least take the time to reply.”

gently pats you on head. Babe. They already wrote the fic. For free. They gave you thousands of words to be judged and criticized. They don’t owe you anything on top of that.