#tw discussion of war

[moran-with-a-g]

Tell me, what would you think of someone who respected the Jewish people but genuinely believed that Israel is as bad as their old persecutors now?

That honestly depends on what you mean.

Part of respecting the Jewish people is respecting their right to exist in their homeland, have a country that fits their cultural needs, and knowing that that country's government actions are not a representation of the entire population.

Do they believe Israel's existence as a concept is as bad as Nazi ideology of scientific racism? Do they believe the Israeli government is as bad as Nazi Germany? Do they believe the treatment the IDF ia giving the Palestinian people is as bad as the pogroms the Jewish people went through throughout history?

When you say Israel, are you talking about the country, the government, the people, the military?

When you say as bad as their old persecutors, are you talking about the Nazis? About other people in history?

I have no issues with people who hate the Israeli government, I have no issues with people who hate the actions of the IDF, what I do have issues with is people who say "Israel" without specifying what they mean, and the people who see the need to compare "Israel" with "their old persecutors".

Because you can criticize the government and the military actions as much as your heart desires. I'm not fan of the current government, I'm also very much aware that the IDF is not an innocent force. But when you just say Israel, I would think that actually, you don't really respect Jewish people, because you don't make an effort to seperate the Israeli civilians from the actions of the military and the government.

Because for some reason, people have this obsession of comparing us to the groups who hurt us in the past. Because for some reason, they have this obsession of taking out trauma, our history, and comparing half of our people to those who who hurt us. They have the option of comparing Bibi to Putin, instead they choose Hitler. They treat our past as if it's a lesson we didn't learn, as if we were punished for some great evil we commited and still have yet to change. We're just as bad, if not worse, as the people who burnt away our history, our records and our lineage.

If they properly criticize the government, and the military, and they believe they deserve to be considered between of the worst in human history - while being able to seperate them from the people who live in Israel, the people who believe in Israel's right of existence, and they don't specifically compare them to persecutors of the Jewish people - then I wouldn't consider them antisemitic, and I would love to have a civil discussion with them, and I would probably be able to agree with at least some of what they have to say.

If they can't seperate the concept of Israel into people, government and military, and if they only compare them to persecutors of the Jewish people, while claiming they respect Jewish people - then they never bothered to listen to a Jew when they were told they're being antisemitic.

So you tell me, is that person actually respecting Jewish people, when they don't make the effort to understand what it is they're doing that's antisemitic and why?

[ayaisokay]

The Kids Aren't Alright

* ~ I'm sorry for making this ~ *

Doomers & Fatalism

Regardless of your age, you need a reason to move forward. You need hope. Yet, it's hard to find hope for teens and young adults.

Not a year goes by without an update on the planet's decline (at our hand), wealth is only feeling more unstable and unequally distributed, a pandemic destroyed any hope of sociability for some, and social media does more harm than good when it "connects" people.

There's no true community, nothing to take pride in, there's hardly motivation for ambition or wealth. Hell, we grow up being told we'll be a generation of renters, because it's a statistical improbability than any of us will EVER afford a home without working 3 jobs into our grave.

I can't speak for America, but I know my government haven't made any real effort to prevent renter's from taking that news and slowly inflating rent costs each month.

I'm a part of the generation that is thought to deal with the broadest range of mental health concerns; however, I'm also part of the generation that's most likely to be told to "deal with it," or "grow up," by the people perpetuating our suffering, or the peers that fell victim to toxic hustle culture— enabling the shitty circumstances.

When you start adulthood with so many problems that directly impact your life, most of which come at no fault of your own, you'd hope for help in addressing those matters, but it never comes.

We're told we're lazy, we don't try hard enough, and we've got it easy (which is a demonstrable lie). How is it any surprise we became hopeless doomers? At some point you just get the idea that we were destined to fail.

Threats of War

Now we're told to be ready for World War 3 and I'm struggling to understand why. What values am I defending? Why should I die for a country that doesn't care about me?

Sure, Ukraine and Palestine are in shitty situations, but saying that doesn't require me to do anything. Though they demonstrate something: the government will risk our lives for money, and turn a blind eye to genocide if it suits them.

All that matters is that we're made to feel like our interests align. They don't represent us. They represent themselves.

Don't get me wrong, I don't support either conflict, and I sympathise with the aforementioned nations; however, I am not willing to die for them— I don't think you are. So is it even fair for us to bother complaining? It's not like diplomacy has done a thing so far.

Whether we're roped into a war or not, it doesn't feel like we'd have a choice.

Hobbies and Corporations

Normally I'd propose finding an outlet for everything. I'm not sure that's ideal anymore. Commonplace hobbies like gaming, sports, martial arts, reading, and art, they require 3 things: time, motivation, and effort.

Thanks to hustle culture, holding 3 jobs, running a drop shipping business, and abandoning any meaningful social life is considered just enough and reasonable. That doesn't leave time for personal hobbies, entertainment, or time to actually live. A life like that is no life at all. You're an animal operating on the exclusive goal of survival. You're alive, but you're not living.

Among those of us too physically or mentally scarred to work like our peers, we compassionately took to pen and paper, or software and devices, writing stories, drawing and animating worlds, or making music.

I fear that pocket of joy is getting smaller. AI image generation has already impacted artists, AI voice recreations are already being used in place of some voice actors, and we've all seen the AI voice covers for songs— claiming "you don't need to learn to sing." It didn't take long for me to see "generative AI" being proposed as a source for track samples and stems in music production.

Considering such things, it's hard to motivate yourself to put your work out there. You struggle to justify spending time creating anything, and you're probably not ready to put the effort into producing enough algorithm optimised works per day. After all, no one will see it. No one cares.

That's how it feels.

Social Media

Maybe we still have digital spaces? Really. Are cespools like Twitter spaces you can enjoy? Even Tumblr is quite detached, with small accounts struggling to get so much as a couple likes— nevermind a reblog, and god forbid you get a comment or DM.

That's minor though, it's the relationships that bother me. The ability to lock someone out of your life, within 5 seconds, for the slightest of perceived infractions. You're sensitive and a snowflake if you need boundaries, and you're "rude" and "mean" when you're pushed too far for not establishing them.

You can join a fandom or community and run into those issues, but do you really need more trouble? Ive hung around with furries since I was 13 or 14. It wasn't a furry that SA'd me, and I've never been groomed. But as a child online, I was labelled as a dog fucking groomer (at 15), because I was in a furry community discord server. I don't like to think about how that made the young adult owner of the server feel.

Social media is good for "satirical trolls," who take pleasure in hurting as many people as they can, and then claiming it's OK because they're joking, and you should've known. Is it really worth the effort for anyone else? You know, us "normal people," not bogged down by million strong fanbases, actively managing parasocial relationships and morally questionable stalking.

Closing Statements

I'm not entirely sure why I wrote this post. I guess I'm just another girl crying on the internet when I should save it for the therapy I can't actually afford.

I want to be hopeful, to feel like there's something attainable to desire, or even just things to look forward to. It's been a long time since I woke up and felt there was a good reason to be awake or even alive.

Thanks,

- The Girl That Doesn't Exist

[a-dorin]

motherhood in star wars

this has probably been discussed before, but the theme of motherhood and being a mother in the realm of star wars media has been on my mind lately.

here is my question: why is theme of motherhood in star wars so fucking tragic?

first of all, most (not all) mothers of force-sensitive children have their children taken from them at a young age so they can join the jedi order. and the worst part is that these mothers never really see their children again because the order forbids attachments. it is so heart-breaking to have your child taken from you to join a weird, cult-like order where you will never see them again. there is a sense of loss and suffering in that aspect.

then we have a plethora of characters who are mothers and DIE (leia, padmé, shmi), who lose their mothers or lose someone close to them after becoming a mother.

padmé amidala literally loses her life to complications of childbirth. she did not even get to experience motherhood before her life was ripped away from her. it's so upsetting to me because of her eagerness to raise her children with anakin and live a life of happiness with her new family.

leia is born an orphan who has no mother (yes i know she is adopted by bail and breha) but she literally comes into this world without her biological mother because her mom dies from the complications of childbirth! then, leia loses her son ben to the dark side, only to sacrifice herself in the sequels. which, causes rey distress because she was a mentor and (sort of) a maternal figure towards her!

shmi skywalker literally loses her relationship with her son after he departs with qui-gon and obi-wan. and she literally also dies after reuniting with anakin once more in aotc. she loses the one thing that meant the most to her (ani - her pride and joy!) and does not get to fulfill her role of raising him into adulthood.

while hera does have an adopted family (zeb, ezra, sabine, chopper) she does not get to experience the life with the family she created with kanan because he literally dies. while she received the ability to be a mother to jacen, she lost her spouse.

why does being a mother in the star wars universe only bring you tragedy, loss, and even your life? what do the writers have against womanhood and motherhood? i am aware there are good portrayals of motherhood in star wars, but 75% of the mothers suffer.

it's infuriating to me, and i am sure it's just rambling, but it truly is so upsetting that we do not have many feel-good, healthy, fulfilling portrayals of motherhood in star wars. women deserve to see it. everyone deserves to see it.

[queerbauten]

seeing liberal Zionists on this site talk about ideals while my inbox is flooded with dozens of Gazans trying to raise money as they are being slaughtered in unprecedented and horrific ways… unbelievable

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars 5.18 ‘The Jedi Who Knew Too Much' Reaction

I always like trying to spot which characters are in the background of big group scenes like this. So far I’ve spotted 3 admirals (Coburn, Yularen and Tarkin), assorted jedi, Master Sinube, Kit Fisto, Bail Organa and I think that’s Mon Mothma as well. 

Oh, hi again Barriss. Fancy seeing you here again! Funny that we keep meeting like this after so long.

I think that’s Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo next to Barriss.

So, Barriss killed one of her childhood mentors? I’m probably going to collate my thoughts on Barriss at the end of this arc, rather than scattering them across various recaps. But so much of her characterisation here doesn’t make sense and doesn’t feel right, at all.

I’m not sure if I mentioned this in the recaps when Barriss first appeared, but why is she British?

There’s a shot of 6 beams of light going up from the floor so I’m presuming that means 6 Jedi died in the temple bombings, which seems like an awfully large amount. What were 6 Jedi doing in a hanger of the temple? 1 or 2, maybe 3 at a stretch, makes sense, but 6? I’m guessing this is a story telling decision to make it more impactful, rather than for any logical in-universe reason.

I really despise Tarkin.

Oh, so now the deaths of clones are convenient for you Tarkin. “Military matter” my arse.

Who are the military police? Is that not the Coruscant Guard? I know the general fandom take is that the Corries are saddled with having to do everything but is that the case in canon?

Ahsoka’s angry attitude is definitely going to come back and bite her in the arse later.

“Remember, revenge is not the Jedi way.” says the future DARTH VADER

“Nothing will ever change.” FORESHADOWING KLAXON

Ok, Tarkin is getting very close to being up there with Krell and Nolan. His fucking contemptuous finger waggle at Ahsoka. Ugh.

“I assure you that he [Palps] rarely does anything without a strategy.” Oh, if only you knew Tarkin. Or maybe he does? Hmmm.

Is Barriss a Jedi Knight here or is she still a Padawan? I haven’t seen Luminara anywhere so I’m guessing she’s a Knight by now.

Barriss seems a lot more conflicted and upset than I thought for someone that’s just bombed the Jedi temple and killed a childhood mentor who clearly meant a lot to her. Maybe she’s regretting what she’s done? Hmmm, not sure.

Saleucami! I hope Cut and Suu and the kids are doing ok.

Lmao that ominous brass section was not subtle. FOREBODING KLAXON

Why do they have the Venator shipping yards next to the prison?

That shot of the prison felt very Imperial Empire. All stark architecture, sharp shadows, black and white lighting, red flags and giant symbols everywhere. It’s interesting how Imperial iconography and visuals are starting to creep into Republic locations and situations. Something something visual metaphor about the end approaching.

Why is the memorial to the clones outside the prison? Or is this not the prison and is some other building? Is this the same clone memorial that Crosshair and Cody have their little chat in front of in The Bad Batch?

Corries! Wow, they do all match and have exactly the same armour paint. 

FOX!

That grumpy “Yes?” spoke volumes.

Fox, can you not cross your arms properly? What was that? I’m guessing it was more of a functional animation limitation than Fox not actually being unable to cross his arms. Insert your own fandom theories here about injuries that Palps inflicted on him while torturing him or similar that meant he can't cross his arms. Maybe he's got Force lightning burns across his back and it's painful and pulls when he moves too much.

The scan has Ahsoka standing there with her arms out but then the next shot of her is with her arms crossed? Continuity, hello?

At “Leave your comlink and lightsabers here.” Fox gestures down with his index and middle finger outstretched next to each other and oh boy did my mind go straight to the horny bin.

“Follow me.” Omg Fox did you have to say that in such a low, husky voice? That had a distinct feel of ‘Come with me if you want to live’ about it. If Fox basically whispered that to me it’d be “Sir, yes Sir, immediately Sir, however you want me Sir.”

The reference to the first 4 notes of the Imperial March theme there was pretty damn obvious. I remember reading a really interesting theory that Fox was a prototype for Vader and basically functioned as Palps’ attack dog before he turned Anakin to the Dark Side. I wish I could find it again because it was a fascinating read and might explain the presence of the Imperial March here. The music for the entire scene from when Ahsoka entered the prison was particularly foreboding, which makes sense seeing as it’s a prison. However, I’m not entirely sure who the theme is referencing because I don’t think it’s Ahsoka and Anakin isn’t here. Or perhaps it’s just adding to the general foreboding atmosphere. It’s entirely possible I’m reading too much into this.

Surely there are cameras and microphones recording this information that Letta is telling Ahsoka?

Is Barriss Force choking Letta from outside the prison? If so, then she’s fallen quite a long way to the Dark side because that seems like quite a powerful use of the Force.

That shot from the camera in the cell is definitely going to make it look like Ahsoka is the one choking Letta. And how convenient, the feed from that camera just cut out too.

Lmao Fox didn’t even hesitate. He was ready to fuck shit up. 

Oh hey, Fox also duel wields. 

Hmmm, I’m not sure how I feel about Fox immediately arresting Ahsoka. I think this is another example of the struggle I have with canon Fox vs fanon Fox. I’m going to have to collate my thoughts on that somewhere as well, probably after the chip conspiracy arc *sobs*. I think I’ve come to the realisation that I’m going to have to treat them as completely separate characters. I adore the version of Fox that the fandom has created. And every time I see the tiny bits of canon Fox that we get, it’s almost like a disappointment compared to the depth and layers of fanon Fox, to the point that canon Fox almost feels out of character. I know he doesn’t have any choice in the matter (none of the clones do) and I’m viewing this from an outside perspective looking in. I guess it’s more of an interesting conundrum to be aware of.

That shot of the prison felt even more evil Imperial Empire than the first one.

Great, fucking Tarkin again. Accompanied by hints of the Imperial March while marching down a stark corridor with harsh, ominous lighting. Definitely leaning on the Imperial Empire visuals this episode.

Called it. The footage from the cell is being used to frame Ahsoka as choking Letta. And the sound didn’t work either. How convenient.

Called it again. Tarkin using Ahsoka’s earlier attitude against her. Attitude doesn’t feel like the right word but it’s far too early in the morning and I can’t think of the right one.

Tarkin makes understandable points if this was some kind of detached, impersonal debate about an imaginary situation. But it’s not. He’s just being a deliberately abusive bastard. Definitely getting up there with Krell and Nolan.

Anakin being very Dark Side there when threatening Fox.

Who is helping Ahsoka escape? Is it Barriss? I don’t think it’s Anakin because he arrives after Ahsoka escapes. Plus clones were killed and injured and while we just saw Anakin threaten them and be all very Dark Side about it, I don’t think he’s fallen far enough to that level of Sithliness yet. 

Utterly unnecessary acrobatics but ok.

“If you see the target, shoot to kill.” Oh no, that is some painful foreshadowing right there.

Fucking yes, thank you Rex. Knew we could count on Rex to believe in Ahsoka. 

“Then who did?” Fox asking the question we’re all wondering.

Why is Anakin telling Rex to call security when Fox, the Commander of the Coruscant Guard, is right there? Surely he is the security?

How does Anakin telling Rex to tell security to search the entire base translate to an all-points bulletin on Ahsoka?

You can really tell from Rex’s voice how much this is affecting him. How he can’t believe that Ahsoka could do this. It was almost like he didn’t want to issue the order that he had to. I’m really glad that someone apart from Anakin believes Ahsoka, and that it’s Rex. Of course we could rely on our king. He can’t actually do anything to help her though. None of the clones can. They’re slaves. They have to follow orders. But at least we actually get to see that Rex doesn’t believe Ahsoka is capable of this and that he believes her, and believes in her. We’ve seen Rex’s belief and trust in Ahsoka crop up a few times now. The most obvious being his defence of her to Tarkin in the Citadel arc. 

Complete switch of tone but Rex, do you ever clean your armour? I know he’s busy fighting a war and all that but I’ve noticed his armour being especially dirty in a number of episodes now. It’s particularly noticeable on his bucket. That’s a lot of gunk and grime across the top of his visor.

Wtf is that giant vehicle and isn’t that just a little bit of overkill for trying to find one Jedi Padawan? I feel like there’s a point about excessive police violence in there somewhere.

So many of the shots of the prison feel very Imperial Empire. They’d barely have to change anything to make the switch from the Republic to the Empire. That’s probably the point too.

Grizzer!

Hound sounded distinctly Aussie there. More funkiness happening with the clones' accents.

Thunder and lightning? That is hilariously on the nose.

Clone troopers shooting like stormtroopers. Fanon Fox would not stand for this lack of accuracy from his Corries. He has standards and he expects them to be met.

Jhc they just used a canon to fire on a child. Fuck me that is far too excessive.

“Set weapons to stun.” The foreshadowing is causing me great, deep pain.

Ahsoka is deflecting stun bolts so I’m guessing the training that happens in episode 5 ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ of Tales of the Jedi has happened already? I wish I could find a resource of where all these episodes happen in the timeline and around which dates they happen as well.

We need to talk about the kama, because I am now utterly befuddled about which clones can get one. 

Hound has a kama, but he’s an ARF (Advanced Recon Force) Scout Trooper. 

The other ARF trooper in the Coruscant Guard also has a kama. 

Fox has a kama and he’s a clone commander and the Commander of the Coruscant Guard but he isn’t listed as having ARC training. 

I think I’ve seen other Corrie Guard commanders with kama’s as well. 

Rex, Fives and Echo (and eventually Jesse) all have kama's and they are ARCs. 

Cody is a clone commander and The Marshal Commander but he doesn’t have a kama and isn’t listed as having ARC training (I cannot believe that The Marshal Commander Cody doesn’t have ARC training but that’s another point for another time). 

Ponds had a kama and was a clone commander but isn’t listed as having ARC training. 

Bly is a Marshal Commander and has ARC training and has a kama. 

Wolffe is a clone commander and has a kama but isn’t listed as having ARC training (I also can’t believe that Wolffe doesn’t have ARC training either but that’s the same point as Cody so for another time). 

Keeli was a captain, not a commander, isn’t listed as having ARC training but did have a kama. 

So what decides whether a clone can have a kama or not? I thought it was an ARC thing but clearly not seeing as other clones that aren’t ARCs can have one.

They’re mobilising a giant rolling tank thing and gunships to hunt down a child? This is definitely beyond excessive. I know at this point Ahsoka is considered armed and dangerous but she’s also A Child. This just feels completely excessive and cruel. And not that far removed from the Empire, which, again, is probably the point.

And now it’s raining. Because of course it is.

“Do not shoot to kill.” I hate all of this foreshadowing. All of it.

What are these pipelines supposed to be for? I’m guessing not petrol seeing as nothing has exploded yet.

That is a lot of skill from Ahsoka to be able to deflect multiple repeated stun bolts while sprinting flat out.

Did you just really fire on a child with a fucking rocket launcher?!

Oddball, what are you doing? I know you’re just following orders but you don’t have to sound so gleeful about it. Also, why is his helmet yellow? Actually that kind of looks like 212th orange. I thought Oddball was in the 501st? A quick google says he’s in the 212th but none of the search results seem particularly definitive or legit. If he is part of the 212th, what is he doing on Coruscant? We saw Obi-Wan on a holocall at the start of the episode talking about going to the Anoat system so presumably the 212th is there, and not on Coruscant?

Is this the first time we see Ahsoka do the move of cutting a hole in the floor with her lightsaber?

Ah, so the pipes are for water. Or at least I think they are.

Anakin is looking particularly conflicted and upset throughout all of this.

TW: Discussion of abuse below. If you want to skip this, it's the section between the three dashes '---'

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That exchange at the end between Ahsoka and Anakin was very interesting. Anakin is making some fairly reasonable and understandable points, which is intriguing given he’s characterised as the opposite of that most of the time. It’s another insight into how complex of a character he is. I think TCW has done a very good job of showing not only the depth and complexity to Anakin’s character but also how much more there was to his fall to the Dark Side. He is undoubtedly aggressive, possessive, abusive, and dangerous. Yet he’s also being groomed by a monster in a position of power that no one even notices or realises before it’s all too late. He was also a slave and had an abusive and traumatic childhood and seems to falling into the pattern of how abusees can often turn into abusers.

Amongst all of this, you can also see how much he cares for those who mean a lot to him. He and Rex are the only ones that believe Ahsoka, but Anakin is the only one in any meaningful position of power with the ability to do something about it. It’s plainly obvious how much he cares for Ahsoka.

However, that care and belief still veers too far into aggression and possession and he continues to cross the line multiple times with unacceptable actions and behaviour. I wonder if he lets Ahsoka go at the end of the episode because he trusts her or because he doesn’t know what to do?

---

Ahsoka was also making wholly valid and understandable points, which I think Anakin knew as well, even as he was trying to convince her to come back. Is this the first time we hear Ahsoka call Anakin by his first name? She usually calls him ‘Master’ or ‘Skyguy’ and her use of his first name here feels particularly personal and loaded with meaning. I’m glad Ahsoka knows that at least Anakin trusts and believes her, even when no one else does.

I wanted to include this gif because look at Rex looking like James Bond in the background being framed by the pipe.

Then this gif and the two above made me realise another thing about Anakin.

TW: Discussion of abuse and domestic violence below. If you want to skip this, it's the section between the three dashes '---'

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As much as Anakin cares about Ahsoka and is trying to help her, his possession and controlling is very evident here. The way he said "I would never let anyone hurt you Ahsoka" felt very much like something a domestic abuser would say after hurting their partner. Or what a possessive and controlling domestic abuser would say to their partner. There's a dangerous and desperate edge to it. You can also see Anakin doesn't agree with what Ahsoka is doing and is angry at her for not doing it his way. He thinks his way is the best way to try and fix this and of course he immediately gets pissed as soon as someone doesn't do what he says and follows what he thinks should be done. Anakin is refusing to let Ahsoka go, even while trying to help her. His possession and controlling is still here, even if it isn't as overt as when he's with Padmé.

---

The voice acting throughout TCW has been pretty damn excellent and Ahsoka is no different. Ashley Eckstein did a fantastic job. But it felt like it stepped up another level, particularly in that exchange between Ahsoka and Anakin at the end. There was so much emotion and upset and betrayal in Ahsoka’s voice. 

There is the subtlest of hints of the Imperial March after Ahsoka jumps and we get a shot of Anakin, Rex and Fox at the mouth of the tunnel, followed by a shot of Ahsoka falling. It’s very subtle, probably the subtlest I’ve heard throughout the whole series but it’s definitely there. The intervals between the notes of the Imperial March are very distinct. Again, I’m not sure what it’s referencing or emphasising here. Probably Anakin seeing as he does turn into Darth Vader. But like the scene earlier where Ahsoka first enters the prison, it also feels slightly out of place. Usually when the Imperial March turns up, it’s fairly clear that it’s referring to Anakin, like when he killed Merrik in ‘Voyage of Temptation’. It could also be a misdirection to make Ahsoka appear to be falling to the Dark side. Though that doesn’t entirely make sense seeing as we know that she didn’t kill Letta and is being set up. Hmmm. 

I know it’s meant to be a big climactic ending to the episode but couldn’t Anakin just follow Ahsoka and jump down onto the ship that she’s standing on that’s floating down the giant tunnel? And couldn’t Fox just comm some Corries to follow the ship and meet it when it lands? He is the Commander of the Coruscant Guard after all.   

That episode was intense and A Lot. And there’s still 2 episodes of this arc to go. Oof.

[espinosaurusrexex]

So my social is full of the new Sebastian Stan paparazzi pics saying beefy long haired Bucky is back…

also the little hustle run in the next pic omg 😭 freaking adorable

AND THIS WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE MY FAVORITE BUCKY OKAY?! Civil war Bucky is superior and he is back alright?!

I can’t take my mind off him, it’s thinking about so many thinks I could write and want this man to do and it’s definitely not healthy but I just wanted to share 💓

pictures are not mine

[magicalqueersarah]

I know I've already talked about this re: the fandom's Gerudo genocide theory and Hyrule's Civil War but do people really want a genocide that is never hinted at to be a thing in Zelda? People make all sorts of leaps and assumptions to justify their claim. We know barely anything about the civil war and the events preceding TP.

I've seen people say "I have no doubt that Hyrule committed genocide against the Gerudo before WW" which is.. so gross. Using a group inspired by (orientalist depictions of) an actual ethnic group as a prop for your edgy grimdark "what if the good guys were evil!!" headcanon just disgusts me.

We are given like 3 pieces of info on the war prior to Hyrule Encyclopedia, which is really contested because it's mostly the authors' interpretations of the lore, not necessarily intended by the game writers. 1. The war ended 10 years before OoT after a long period of time. 2. Link's mother died fleeing the bloodshed 3. It ended with all the tribes of Hyrule uniting under the under the banner of the kingdom. Nothing about how it started, who sided with whom, or who participated.

Here's what we know about the relationships between tribes(warning: fantasy racism); 1: the king is a sworn brother of Darunia, King Zora was childhood friends with Biggoron. 2: the kingdom has been a long time ally of the Zoras. Darunia gets angry at the Zora mask, 3: Ganondorf, the king of the Gerudo thieves, feigns allegiance to the King of Hyrule, and many Hylians are scared of the Gerudo mask because they are thieves and Darunia hates Gerudos (😬) . Hyrule Historia says the king quelled the fighting and the entire land was united under his rule. After the Twinrova are defeated an NPC says the Gerudo don't seem so scary now, implying brainwashing was involved which is further supported by Hyrule Historia and a gossip stone

The King and Darunia are sworn brothers and probably have a good relationship. We can assume that the Zora and Hyrule were allies long before the war ended, since 10 years is not a very significant amount of time. The King trusts Ganondorf enough to not believe his daughter's dreams, even though the royal family are well known to have mystical powers.

The Shadow Temple was presumably used during the Hyrulean Civil War and a spirit says Hyrule has a history of blood and hatred. It's fair to come to the conclusion that this was used as a torture chamber during a period of battle due to all the torture devices. But we have no reason to believe this history is recent, and the implication of the above is that the current king is a decent ruler due to the (seemingly) good relationships between him and the other rulers.

Moving on to Twilight Princess, people often claim that the Arbiter's Grounds suggests the Gerudo were victims of genocide which is again, unfounded. As the video below shows, the Grounds were built by both Hylians and Gerudo, and they must have been built long before Ocarina of Time since the mirror of Twilight was used to imprison the Interlopers. It's highly unlikely that the Gerudo text and Snake Goddess statues would remain and be so interwoven with the Hylian designs if the building was taken over by Hylians. We see the Gerudo later in the timeline in FSA and they have a great relationship with Hyrule.

I really wish people would stop repeating Gerudo Genocide Theory as if it were canon. People should keep in mind that Zelda is intended for all ages. There's not gonna be a lot of subtle implications and depressing lore like the Soulsborne games. We learn all of the relevant story info in-game, and learn about the connections between the games through supplementary materials such as interviews and books.

[wildroombas]

in the timespan between october 7 and today, january 6, israeli forces have committed the equivalent of october 7 eighteen times over, a third of these deaths being children.

is this ok?

No, it's not.

However, many of Hamas's casualties are reported as civilians because they're not wearing uniforms for obvious reasons (linked - combat footage on r/Palestine, an obviously biased subreddit, as the first search result to "hamas gopro").

Some of the children reported KIA may be militants under 18, seeing as Hamas trains child soldiers (linked - video on CBN's youtube from 2 years ago).

Reports are inflated or even falsified, like Hamas claimed over 400 people were killed in the al-Ahli explosion that was, apparently, a misfired rocket that barely inflicted any property damage (linked - HRW report). Don't forget that the single reporter of casualties in the strip is the Gazan ministry of health, which is part of Hamas.

There is a lot of propaganda coming from both sides, but especially the Palestinian side, since so many more people circulate anything they see, and because Hamas doesn't have to actually be accountable for anything it publishes. Don't take anything at face value. Be aware of the bias in where you get your news, and the bias in where they get their news - if a report links back to a one-sided source, be aware that it may not be true, even in a supposedly credible news outlet.

[yellobb]

Sometimes I think about the assignments from my 10th grade English class and think “what the actual fuck was that.” It was basically a “let’s traumatize an entire class of 16 year olds” speedrun. Like, a lot of what we learned was important, but to have it all back-to-back was something else. Here’s some of what we read/watched (be warned, my descriptions aren’t graphic but the content is. TW for war, violence, and death):

Unbroken - This was our summer reading assignment. It’s about an American soldier and his real experience as a POW in Japan during WWII

All Quiet on the Western Front - Anti-war book based on the author’s experience in WWI. There is apparently a very graphic scene where horses are killed that I just completely blocked out of my mind. I do remember one character stabbing another and then having to rot in a hole with them for like a week while he slowly realizes how human the man he murdered was

Life is Beautiful - the most heart-wrenching movie I’ve ever seen. I cannot recommend it enough if you haven’t watched it. Just know it’s set during WWII

Hiroshima - The experiences of multiple victims of Hiroshima. I remember it being GRAPHIC

The Crucible - The Salem Witch Trials

The Things They Carried - Vietnam war vignettes. I remember one vignette included a lady with a necklace of tongues which was,,,,, certainly something

Night - A memoir from a holocaust survivor

Oedipus Rex - I feel like yall already know what this one is about. We also read Antigone, which isn’t much better

Things Fall Apart - Colonialism in Africa

A Separate Peace - not as bad as the others on this list, but notable because one of the kids breaks his arm and fucking dies because of it????

Crimes against humanity - I’m not even kidding. We were required to research a crime against humanity and write a paper about it. I wrote mine on honor killings. I know someone who wrote their’s on female genital mutilation

[eggsnatcheskneecaps]

Girl if I hear the Russian girl in my class shit talk Ukrainians one more time.

[leqclerc]

re. the upset at Ferrari contesting Carlos' penalty, I think part of it is the worry that it might eat into Ferrari's political capital with the FIA with little chance of success, on top of being time and money down the drain. There's been an ongoing worry that Ferrari doesn't have enough political sway vs. say Mercedes or RBR, which is ofc exacerbated by the effects of the TD last season. Imo, that shouldn't be a factor even if I think the appeal is doomed to fail but /shrugs/

Ngl it's strange to see the FIA = Ferrari International Assistance narrative still alive and kicking in some parts of the internet, because I swear for the past few years they've mostly been getting the short end of the stick in that department.

[queerbauten]

But "both sides". 🙄

[curator-on-ao3]

pikeuna prompt - "Just once."

Thank you so, so much for this excellent prompt, @fiadorable! 💕 I hope you like what I came up with. 🤞

For those who prefer to read on AO3:

For those who prefer to read here:

Note: Content warning for discussion about fear of loss of a loved one.

Hope

“Exploring is valuable work.” From his side of the table, Chris seems pensive, the food in front of him mostly untouched. “But it’s also good to be back in familiar space.”

“I understand. I feel pretty darn good just to be back in this familiar room.” Bob motions at their surroundings — the Enterprise captain’s quarters that were once his. “Though I had a roommate, if you recall. Sarah sends her best. She’s been swamped, as you can imagine.”

Sarah April, Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise when Bob was in command, now mostly tending to war wounded, a three-person dinner briefing cut down to two.

Bob finishes his second glass of wine, his meal half gone, Chris’ cooking as captain somehow even better than his cooking as XO.

“From the reports I’ve read, the war had most of the admiralty pretty worried.” Chris pours and red wine flows into Bob’s glass. “Did you ever lose hope?”

Familiar and unfamiliar, wine and sober truth, they all swirl together and Bob lowers his glass, his hand shaking only a little. “Just once. Sarah was on a medical frigate headed toward a battle site to render aid. I was at headquarters. A report came in that the Klingons had attacked the frigate and destroyed it. No survivors. Took two days for the report to be corrected to the loss of another frigate. Another three days for Sarah to be able to contact me. But in those two days when I thought my wife was dead, yeah, I lost hope. We think war is about governments and firepower, but it’s not. War is about people. Your people survive, you win the war. Your people don’t make it, and you lose the war. So for two days, I lost that war.”

On the other side of the table, Chris grips his own, mostly drained wine glass.

Regret pierces Bob’s chest. He shouldn’t have laid that story on Chris. Chris drinking and barely eating is usually a sign that Chris has something on his mind and here Bob went and got serious.

“What about you?” Bob intends this in a general sense, an inquiry into Chris’ sensibilities upon returning home after such a long mission in deep space.

But it sounds like a question about losing hope.

“Also just once. Getting the war reports was rough, don’t get me wrong. But the most scared I was out there was when some aliens kidnapped Number One and told us that she would be sacrificed to appease their ocean god. There had been a series of destructive tsunamis, and the aliens were desperate.” A soft exhale escapes from Chris. “We couldn’t get her out, but she ended up saving herself by proving to the aliens that their world’s tectonic plates could be monitored to predict tsunamis so inhabitants could evacuate the danger zones. She reported in more than twelve hours after the sacrifice was supposed to take place.”

A mission log had noted the incident, though not Chris’ thoughts about it. Bob’s stomach twists with irritation, though. To compare the potential loss of a first officer to the potential loss of his wife is insulting, and it’s not like Chris to miss the point so thoroughly.

But Chris’ gaze meets Bob’s and Bob’s stomach relaxes, becomes warm and full, because even though Sarah is the doctor in the family, it doesn’t take a medical degree to correctly diagnose a lovesick expression.

So Bob raises his wine glass for a toast. “To the people who give us hope — Sarah, Una — and to our luck in having them in our lives.”

Chris’ glass clinks against Bob’s, wine tips in inverse duplicate, and Chris finally picks up a fork and tucks into his dinner.

———

Send me an ask with character(s) and a prompt and I’ll do my best to write you a little something to give you warm fuzzies in your belly. ❤️

✨ All prompted Pikeuna ficlets are also available on AO3 as Constellations of Possibility. ✨

[jays-sfw-art]

In case anyone wants to know, I draw Kylo's scar having some actual effect on his face instead of being fairly superficial -- that's why I draw his right eye the way I do. Here's a breakdown of that.

(Spoilers for the end of the sequel trilogy under the cut.)

Also, I glanced at his page on Wookieepedia and uh, fuck canon. He keeps the scar after his redemption and lives to be truly redeemed. I am genuinely devastated to learn he gets healed of the scar. That's fucked.

[jewish-microwave-laser]

Israel won, and then lost. On September 14, Bashir Gemayel, the pro-Israel head of the Christian Phalangisst militias and newly designated president of Lebanon, was assassinated by Syrian agents. The IDF moved into West Beirut to prevent PLO units left behind from regrouping. On September 16, Phalangist fighters moved into Sabra and Shatila, two refugee camps in West Beirut, and massacred hundreds of Palestinians. One Phalangist in spiked shoes stomped a baby to death.

Though no Israelis were involved in the slaughter, the IDF had allowed the Phalangists to enter the camps, assuming their mission was to fight the remaining PLO forces there. And the IDF had provided flares to help the Phalangists to identify PLO fighters. World outrage was directed against Israel. "Goyim kill goyim," Begin was reputed to have said bitterly, "and they blame the Jews."

This time, many Israelis shared the world's outrage. Even if Sharon and IDF commanders hadn't known what the Phalange intended to do, they should have suspected: in Lebanon, massacre was the preferred method of retaliation. Israelis shouted at each other on street corners: You've disgraced the Jewish people! You're encouraging our enemies! One Israeli woman, a Holocaust survivor, refused to let her son in the front door when he returned home on leave from Lebanon until he assured her that he hadn't been near the camps. When Begin emerged from a synagogue in Jerusalem on Rosh Hashanah, demonstrators shouted, "Murderer!"

Peace Now announced a protest rally in Tel Aviv to demand a commission of inquiry. In the greenhouse in Ein Shemer, Avital and his kids prepared banners.

"I'm not going," said Avital's wife, Ada. "Why do we always have to blame ourselves? Arabs massacred Arabs. let's hear some self-criticism from our Arab neighbors for a change."

"You're right," said Avital. "But this whole war is rotten, and this is a chance to bring down the government."

Ada relented, but on this condition: she would bring a poster demanding that Arabs also demonstrate for peace. "And stay close to me," she said.

Hours before the rally began, the Square of the Kinds of Israel in Tel Aviv was already filling with israelis desperate to be cleansed from the shame. There were hand-written signs: "What Else Has to Happen?" "If I Forget Sabra and Shatila, May I Forget Jerusalem." "Why Did My Son Die?" And many Israeli flags.

The MC, actress Hannah Meron, stood on an artificial leg: she had lost a leg in a terrorist attack. "I refuse to live in shame," she told the crowd of hundreds of thousands, referring to Sabra and Shatila.

In the density of bodies, Ada got separated from Avital. Acutely nearsighted, she perceived the crowds as a devouring blur.

Ada held up her dissenting sign: "Where Are the Peace Protests in Umm al-Falm?"—an Arab Israeli town near Ein Shemer. Protestors mistook her for a right-wing provocateur. What is she doing here? someone demanded. You don't belong here, someone else said. Ada wanted to say: I'm from your camp! But why do we all have to think the same way, just like the right?

But her voice caught, and she couldn't get out the words.

from "Part Four: Middle Age (1982–1992)" in Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi, pp. 190–191