#your civilians who are losing their homes in the war don't give a fuck if the lightsabers are red or green

[thatwitchrevan]

Not articulate but. A big part of what bothers me about light vs dark Jedi discourse and pro Jedi vs anti Jedi is how much it centers the force sensitives. Like ye obviously this is the space wizard show about space wizards. Ye it's not that deep. Ye luke skywalker and the force is strong in my family and the force is in everything and that's what it's all about.

Except it is that deep, did ask, do care. I like the little guys. I like the guys who are as force sensitive as a stick and the guys who would rather die than feel the force in them and have to learn to live with it anyway. I don't like everything being about the jedi all the time. And the politics of the force gets old because it's only politics if you grew up in this culture. For everyone else the force is just there. The Jedi and Sith are all so self centered and special and I think it's fun but I'm bored of playing their game instead of looking at them from the outside and analyzing them from the pov of an overly invested observer or someone who has to live around them.

[cowgurrrl]

Strangers

Pairing: Javier Peña x fem!reader (cowgirl!reader???)

Author’s note: goddammit is this gonna be a thing

Summary: Javi struggles to assimilate back into civilian life in Texas until an old friend returns [1.5k]

Warnings: Texas Javi my beloved, language, addictive tendencies, PTSD symptoms, Javi + Steve 4eva, reader has a brother, southernisms, pining, yeah there’s probably gonna be a part two 🙄

Javi really did try his best to leave Colombia and the ghosts that pricked at his memory every time he turned a familiar corner. He wanted to do better. He felt he had to. Too many people died for him to just throw away his chance at life, but the days were long and hot, and he was so fucking tired. The nicotine patches stopped working, and the bottle suddenly wasn't enough to convince himself he was doing what he was sent to do. That he was doing the right thing. That he was a good person. 

He expected the feeling to leave him once he left the imaginary borders of Colombia and returned to the northern valley. He thought working with his dad and getting his feet back under him after years of being pushed and pulled at Reagan's whim would feel better than shaking down teenagers for narco information. Of course, it didn't disappear in the cacti and hazy horizons of Loredo or the arms of his father. It's only been a couple of hours, Peña, he thought. Give it some time. Who knows? Blistering Texas sunsets might be good for burning the blood off his hands. 

Except everybody in his small town knew of his exploits in Latin America. They knew his name was plastered to boxes full of evidence against the cartel and then some. They knew Chucho's boy was some kind of fucked up veteran or hero or whatever they wanted to call him. He avoided going into town more than necessary when he first got home because of how often he got stopped. It didn't matter if he was going to the hardware store, HEB, or the mechanic. Somebody ended up talking to him about Escobar or Cali. He couldn't escape his past even thousands of miles away from it. The only good thing about his newfound fame was the free drinks people pushed his way in the shit hole bar just on the outskirts of town. 

He tells himself to slow down, what with the early mornings and long days he's working, but it'd be a dick move to turn down free drinks, right? Sometimes, Javi loses hours in the bar, betting money on pool, flirting with women passing through town, and telling war stories of the jungle and sicarios and whatever else comes spilling out of his loose lips. He tells himself he's coping the best way he knows how when he comes down for breakfast looking and feeling like shit, his hair practically wet from lingering cigarette smoke, but he knows better. 

His dad deals with Javi's vices the same way they dealt with his mother's death: inefficiently and without making a sound. The most Chucho does is shake his head and sigh when Javi comes stumbling in at some ungodly hour. What more could he do? Javi barely told his dad where he was in the world. How was he supposed to tell him what he'd done? What he saw? What he allowed? No, his dad can never know. It'll kill him. It'll kill Javi to retell. 

Sometimes, Javi will call Steve and ask about Connie and the kids, and they'll act like they're old school buddies and not tethered together through tragedy and white powder. Steve will ask him about his sleep, and Javi will give some bullshit answer which makes Steve laugh. "Yeah, me too," he says one time. "Woke the baby up the other night 'cause I was talkin' again. Don't even know what about. Isn't that fun?" Javi doesn't give much away. He never does, but sometimes, it's just nice to know he's not alone in his struggle to get back to normal. 

Javi is back in town for a full forty days before he finally stumbles across you. At first, he doesn't remember you or your first name. Your last name, however, rattles around his skull until he finally gets the courage to ask if he knows you as he stands in line at the store. "You look familiar." He says, making you laugh. 

"I'd hope so. You were practically livin' in my house in high school." You say, throwing him back to his high school baseball days, spending time either in the field or on the ranch with your older brother. You were a little bit younger than him— the daughter of a weathered cattle rancher— and only caught his attention when you were in the way or being an obnoxious teenager. Man, did you grow up pretty, he thinks. Suddenly, he's hyperaware of his sweaty hair, rumpled shirt, and god-awful farmer's tan. 

"Last I heard, you'd moved out of town," Javi says, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing you carefully. The freckles dotting your face from all your time in the sun should be considered lethal, especially when you smile. 

"Last I heard, you were engaged." Just as you did then, you don't hold your punches. The jab doesn't hurt, but it does make him laugh, an embarrassed blush crawling up his neck.

"Alright, you got me there," he says. "How's your brother?"

"Good. Married Suzanna a few years ago, and now they've got some babies running around." 

"They live around here?"

"Dallas," you say. "Dillon thinks he's too good for us and decided to be a real estate agent out there instead."

"Sounds riveting," Javi says and you laugh. The line gets shorter and shorter as you talk, but he can't focus on anything but you. "And you? What's a pretty girl like you still doing in this shit hole?" Something behind your eyes flickers at the comment and you take a deep breath, suddenly all too aware of how hot it is today.

"Somebody's gotta get Daddy off the horse every once in a while."

"And what? Your mama can't do that for you?"

"She knows better than to keep tryin'. I'm just as stubborn as he is, so one of us'll win or give up before the other." 

"Well, my money's on you." He says easily. You stare at each other for a little bit longer than necessary before the clerk calls you by name to get your attention. Your items are scanned, bagged, and paid for all in the span of a few seconds. You have no reason to linger in the checkout aisle, but you do, rocking on your boots' heels just a little. 

"Don't be a stranger, Peña." You say, looking him over as if you're seeing him for the first time. 

"I don't think this town's big enough for that." He says, and you chuckle.

"No, I don't think so either," you say. "Tell your dad I said hi." With all your Southern hospitality, you turn and leave. Javi watches you go until the clerk calls his name and breaks him out of it. Well, that and the sound of something crashing to the floor makes him reach for a gun he doesn't carry anymore. His shoulders brace for an explosion, and he can't catch his breath. He stares at the box and the broken jars in it as a pissed-off employee storms off to find a broom. He scoffs. 

Javi has dealt with some of the most dangerous people in the world, and jams are what spike his adrenaline. 

He tries to shrug it off and pay the cashier, but his ears are still ringing, and his heart is still racing when he climbs back into his truck. Fucking jam. He tries to forget about it as he drives home. He wants to forget about it. He wants to think of anything else. 

If that happens to be your smile, the way your laugh fills the air, or the inconspicuous way you looked at him when he complimented you, it's just a coincidence. 

When he gets home, he's craving a drink or a cigarette or something more physical to get his mind off of what happened. His shoulders slump with the weight of memory and Chucho sees. He always sees. He just doesn't know the right way to fix it. 

"Y'know, uh… your friend you used to play baseball with?" He asks, seemingly out of nowhere, as Javi puts away the groceries. He furrows his brows and gives his dad a confused look.

"I had lots of friends I played baseball with."

"He was datin' that girl you went to Homecoming with when you were a freshman?" Of all the things his dad remembers, of course, it's that. Javi resists the urge to roll his eyes and grinds his teeth instead.

"Suzanna?" He asks and Chucho snaps his fingers in a way that tells him that was the right answer. "His name was Dillion. What about him?" 

"Well, his dad heard you're back in town and invited us over for a barbecue," he says nonchalantly and Javi scoffs. "I'm not sure how he didn't know, but you know that old fucker's always out doin' something. Somebody probably told him something or the other. Anyway, you can say no. I told him you were still adjustin'."

"I'll go," Javi agrees too fast. "Might be good to… get outta the house. Wouldn't wanna be a stranger." Chucho is surprised but not displeased with Javi's answer, and they leave it as is. 

It's just reintegrating into civilian life. It's just socializing. It's just a barbecue. It's not an interrogation or a raid. It's coping. 

Apparently, coping could be really fun if he plays his cards right.

TAGLIST: @abbyhaslongshorts @kiwiharrykiwi @sumsworldz @myloveistoolittle @anavatazes @shyminnie07 @beezusvreeland @eddiemunsonsbedroom @harriedandharassed @doodlebob-mp3 @ignorethisplz2004 @buckyispunk @d1lf-loverrr @vee-bees-blog @moel-jiller @anoverwhelmingdin @casssiopeia @space-zaddy-din-djarin @rainy-darling @its-me-mila @mnn11ankamaaka

[brewed-pangolin]

What would soaps downtime be? Like who is soap when he's not in 141 mode?

A million apologies for this taking so long. I went on a super long rant about this but eventually turned that into its own post.

This is just Soap in his regular civilian life.

A bit of NSFW? Of course.

Soap outside of the 141 is both still the same man yet wholly different altogether.

He's a military man through and through, so he still appreciates a certain level of control and structure even when he sheds the Kevlar for a more comfortable civilian outfit.

It takes Soap a few days to pull his psyche out of the usual 'bump and grind' of being a soldier. He breaks this cycle by recharging in the simplest way possible. Sleep.

And when I say sleep, I mean sleep.

Dead to the world. Borderline comatose. (Brought on by massive amounts of Trazadone because, y'know, nightmares)

And after a few days of restful hibernation, he'll quickly pack up in preparation for his next necessity: escapism.

Soap finds himself, his true self, deep in the wilderness. Away from the world of responsibility and within the rejuvenation of fresh air and nature.

He'll spend a few days out in the wilds and come back with a fresh mind and a clear conscience. And that's when this man truly shines in his natural form.

Soap is a man with a very busy mind, so don't expect him to sit around while on leave. In fact, you should make a list of things he needs to fix. He'll love it.

Leaking faucet? Done. Need your oil changed? Already putting it on the floor jack. Hell, you wanna remodel the whole kitchen? He's already got a sledgehammer in hand ready for the first swing.

Point is, keep him busy. Send him on errands and keep him focused on anything else rather than you because oh my God your body needs to recover from the endless fucking he puts you through.

Soap is a man who aims to please and make up for lost time. This means the moment his mind is clear, it's laser focused on bending you over as many times as possible.

He actually doesn't care how you both do it. As long as he can bury himself in the sanctuary that is your wet pussy, he's happy.

Christian the entire house. Fuck in the 4Runner. Embrace your inner animals and let him mark his territory in the woods as he growls so loudly that you think there's a bear inside the tent.

Let him fill you. As many times as possible. He needs it before being pulled away into the line of fire once more. Needs it to remind him of the salvation he has to come home to. (In more ways than one).

You're one of the few outside the 141 that have seen him break. Head buried in your chest, arms wrapped like a vice around you as he sobs. Incoherent mumbles of the hell he's been through, and all you do is soothe him in this moment of pure emotion and vulnerability.

You remain strong for him. A beacon in a world of darkness and grazed bullets as he loses himself in your tender and affectionate embrace.

These moments are few and far between. Still, when they read their heads, you give him the time he requires to heal the mental scars to become whole again.

Of course, he enjoys times at the pub with his fellow soldiers. Throwing back a few pints, reminiscing over war stories and close calls within the familiar walls of their treasured tavern. It builds comradery. Strengthens the bond of the brotherhood outside the line of fire.

And gives them the mental break they need in the ease of civilian life before being thrusted back into the perpetual grinder that is being a soldier.

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog - Dofus, livre 1 : Julith [PART 23]

I think after this it's kinda natural that Joris will never ever put his trust into anyone that isn't Kerubim or Atcham ever again.

I am once again asking why Kerubim has these books and what was he doing at devil's sacrament.

He's never beating those necromancy allegations.

There's a canonical name for the evil-ass looking huppermages.

Once again, this is Them in Dofus 2 when they reveal to Joris that they framed Julith or something. (source: my beautiful mind)

The Dessous comic implies that Marline bought this stuff from Kerubim which is so funny. It's beautiful how little of a shit the man gives for the safety of others.

I may not like Khan in his present form, as a macho gobbowler, but I like the idea of him. Joris, and his little "ghnhnn I have to do what's right, I have sacrifice my happinesss for other people" complex needs someone like that in his life who will buy him alcohol and help him run away from home when he's 14-16.

I'm sure if given another movie, or a show, Ankama's plan would have been to make Khan more likeable. He seems like a ride-or-die friend.

A scene ago he was in Julith's arms. So, she found it important to get him into the arms of this dofus-powered doll. Personally, I like to think that he started thrashing and maybe even bit her.

What did she lie about though? Liking him? Not wanting the Dofus? Being a competent person and not a fuck-up? (I love Bakara and say all of this with affection)

Once again, I empathize, that Julith was gloating about this to Bakara. That she doesn't really care about Joris (and by extension, Joris's feelings.)

She is killing a thousand people, who did nothing to her. These are civilians who came to watch a sports match. How many mothers are here with their sons and daughters who just wanted to look at their idols? If Joris never had Grougalorasalar's soul, if he and Kerubim never learned of her plan, THEY would have been among these viewers.

Julith is a very interesting character because she's ruthless, she has no morals, absolutely no understanding or compassion for others, — even Bakara or her own son, — and yet she is driven by love almost entirely. And that's her one redeeming quality.

But also — does it really change things, when you're driven by love to kill a thousand innocent people? To ruin your son's life? Because it doesn't really change much, to me...

I think there's a tragedy in that. She does love the idea of Joris. She loves what she sees of him, his voice, his face, and eyes. If she learned more about him, she'd probably love the parts he didn't show too. She'd love to see how he grew up.

She'd love how committed he is to those he loves. She'd love his ruthless march towards what he thinks is right that will allow him to close his eyes as he does unforgivable things. The only thing she would dislike is his loyalty to Bonta.

But the reverse will never be true. Joris can become a warmonger, a dictator, and a war criminal, but he would loathe to place his needs above those of others. He wouldn't do horrible things if he didn't think it was for the greater good of mankind.

As a 600yo man, Joris has lived through two apocalypses, — and yet people like Nox and Julith will lose 1-4 loved ones and go insane, killing people. I doubt he feels much for her, except for disgust.

Their friendship is so important to me. But also, somewhere out there, Tatak is crying.

I think one of the great tragedies of Joris's character is that he is doomed to break his own moral code, slowly but surely.

One must imagine Joris Jurgen living happily with the blood of innocents on his hands, because the alternative is more haunting.

One of her main issues is that she projects the actions of a few onto literally everyone in Bonta. Which is a very crazy fucking reach.

But I understand how she arrived at this reach to begin with: I don't think she was ever happy, before Jahash, and when she finally was happy, for once in her entire life, they took even that away from her.

You wanna know who else in this scene is going to have only 2 people who give meaning to his life? Jo—— [I am forcefully restrained by the police]

I just really like pointing out the similarities between Joris and Julith, — and the way these similarities underline their differences.

Once again: she doesn't give a shit about anyone's opinion. She is betting everything onto a nebulous future where Joris and Jahash and Bakara forgive and forget everything she did, and they live as a happy Fambly (in Brakmar, because that's a GOOD city and they will LOVE to move there, after being no longer welcome in Bonta due to the 1000 dead people.)

(Guy whose very emotional and Julith and Joris voice) guys I think she's starting to realize that their familial relationship is going to be unfixable.

Joris and everyone present here are quite aware that stopping this will kill one of them.

They are also very aware that one dead person is better than a thousand.

[determinate-negation]

Days ago you said your "commitment is to women" and now you post about how the rape and murder of women within the context of war is justified because they "should've known better" than to go to a rave and therefore really did have it coming, they really did ask for it, they really were bad/stupid enough to deserve it. I think you've lost the plot. Its like you've achieved a place of comfort within the system you claim to intellectually oppose and don't really care anymore. I no longer think you are thinking or acting within the frankfurt school marxism you claim to academically represent or intellectually continue. I think it's all just a game of achieving academic success to you now and you don't care about truth.

what rape? i have yet to see a single actual verified report of this that is confirmed and isnt just people spreading shit on twitter based on a few videos and their own racist assumptions about arab brutality. (by the way, that video of the german israeli girl who everyone keeps saying was stripped naked was actually wearing that outfit to the rave and literally was just confirmed to still be alive) i never said or implied that rape and murder of women was justified at all. what i have said is its inevitable that 2 million people trapped in a small area of land under an internationally illegal blockade, with constant bombing, where their electricity and water are controlled by israel, where theyre subject to violence and intimidation by the idf who regularly raid their homes, kill their families, etc- not to mention that theyre the descendants of refugees forced from their homes, in these conditions people will violently rebel and if youre horrified by it you should be horrified by everything israel has been doing. including funding and supporting hamas. its unfortunate to me if any civilians die but this isnt new. civilians have been dying every day, theyre just mostly palestinian. also lmao what academic success am i achieving with this? my position is not one looked favorably on by academia and people regularly lose their jobs for supporting palestine. ive probably already made my own future more difficult for this because im on pro palestine watchlists and i really dont give a fuck, you are on the wrong side of history

and one more question: would you go to a rave outside of the modern equivalent of the warsaw ghetto?

[jellybeanium124]

xxx

I'm angry in this one btw. real properly angry. I don't wanna talk about this because I know some of y'all are thiiiiis close to blocking me for not falling in line and being a good little jew and repeating the slogans thoughtlessly, but I'm so mad and scared and nobody cares at all and I wanna shut up about it so I don't lose all my goyische friends but I can't I just can't.

hm maybe people are being arrested because there is some violence and this is terrifying jewish students?? and I think the author of this article is way too kind to these students. they hail hamas as heroes. they don't think the innocent civilian hostages should be released for the crime of being israeli. they champion themselves as being antiracist when ANTISEMITISM IS AN ETHNIC PREJUDICE YOU DUMB FUCKING CHAZERS!!!

jews are terrified.

rabbis are telling us to stay home.

whenever there's an "assembly" on the uni I live by, I'm terrified it'll turn violent. I'm terrified they'll burn down or deface the clearly labelled building where the jewish org lives.

I stopped wearing my magen david because I'm terrified of my peers, my peers who are supposed to be inclusive and love everyone regardless of ethnicity, seeing that I'm jewish and harassing me or worse.

the average college campus is less safe for jews than it has been in decades.

the optics of your movement are shit. you're infested with jew haters, and no one seems to care!! no goy cares, because you all care more about hating israel than not hating jews. and hating israel turns into hating jews so, so quickly. I want palestine to be a free nation. I want this war to end. but none of you understand that as long as hamas exists peace cannot happen. none of you understand that if you hate israelis you're a fucking antisemite lol sorry. if you want every israeli dead, you want half the world's jews dead. if you don't think that makes you an antisemite, lemme give you another example. let's say you want all black americans dead (not all black people are american, in fact, less than half the world's black population are in america). are you racist? YES. same fucking logic here.

saw a video the other day where some dumbfuck was like "have you considered that all hamas knows is oppression and hatred? 🥺" THESE ARE GROWN ADULTS!! YOU RACIST FUCKING INFANTILIZING FUCKING IDIOT!! THEY ARE GROWN ADULT HUMANS AND YOU ARE TREATING THEM LIKE BABIES AND CLAIM TO BE ANTIRACIST??? if you see POC as too innocent to be bad, then you are falling for the noble savage stereotype all over again. has that stereotype historically been attributed to arab people? no. but it definitely fucking is now with the way y'all think rape and terrorism is excusable.

none of you fucking idiots see anyone involved as full humans because none of you have a goddamn piece in it. you see palestinians as innocent babies who could never rape or hurt anyone, and you see israelis as demons to be exterminated. you're racist, you're hateful, you're not helping anything, and I hope you will one day be so, so ashamed of the fear you've instilled in jews worldwide while seeing them as genociding monsters regardless of ties to israel or anything, as well as the myopic infantilizing racist way you view arab people.

and one last thing: "FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA" IS ANTISEMITIC. IT'S A SLOGAN ENDORSED BY HAMAS. IF YOU ARE CHANTING THAT OVER AND OVER AND OVER GUESS WHAT YOU'RE HAVING AN ANTISEMITIC PROTEST, SORRY. you can't reclaim that slogan, it is calling for the destruction of israel, which will lead to jewish genocide, or just a massive jewish refugee crisis if they're lucky and hamas doesn't succeed in their goal of exterminating the jews.

[cressida-jayoungr]

Brotherly Fire: A Message from an Ordinary Ukrainian

I apologize for bringing politics into this otherwise just-for-fun blog, but the author of this piece is a dear friend of mine. Though we have never met in person, we have been internet friends and chatted regularly for more than fifteen years. So I am doing my part to get this piece out, as she requested.

Dear English-speaking friends, please help me send this text to as many resources as possible. I feel there are narratives out there that we should be dismantling, and "we are one people" / "we are sister nations" as related to Ukrainians and Russians is definitely one of them. *** BROTHERLY FIRE The night before the war started, I ordered sushi and then ran a bubble bath. It smelled faintly of tea and the manufacturer's idea of magnolia. I poured myself half a glass of white wine, grabbed a book (I still buy oldschool books; more practical if you want to read one in the bathtub) and just chilled. Bona, my calico cat, was unusually clingy and wouldn't step away from me; that, I think, I read as a clear sign that something was going to happen pretty soon. Cats do know this stuff. (A little earlier I'd listened to the President's address and grumbled a lot; how was I to know that the man who had been giving me nothing but a mix of cringe and annoyance would grow a pair of brass ones before I opened my eyes in the morning?) My alarm clock is set to 7:50 on workdays; I've been working from home since the start of the pandemic (anyone remembers what that was about?), and the ten minutes is just enough to get ready to log in. That morning, I allowed myself to sleep in, to be woken by a call from my sister-in-law saying, "We have a war." That was when I first heard the siren warning us about a possible air raid (did not happen). And then it just snowballed, this horrific war marathon streamed live. There's been an air strike on a military base, on an airfield, on a spot next to someone's gran's village; they hit here, they breached there, took over a town, left a town, they advanced, they retreated, they FUCKING WANT MY LAND. They still want it, and since our military have proven, for want of a better word, unbreakable, they turned their attentions to the civilians, because attacking the weaker is what any bully or abuser does. Need I explain the nature of the feelings an average Ukrainian has for Russians these days? I think not. In fact, I find it rather funny when people start to preach about hate being oh-so-destructive; um, yeah, I sure hope it is, I actually want the enemy destroyed, because that's how wars work. And then, about two days ago, we suddenly faced a deluge of Russian posts reacting to the hell that their country made break loose. The message being, basically, "I don't like what's happening and I also wanna be able to buy a new iPhone and travel to the Mediterranean, so here's a hashtag to show my support." Our own exchanges with them would be hilarious if we could somehow distance ourselves from the horrible context: "I say no to war!!! I hate Putin!" "So go out and say that to Putin." "But I may get arrested and go to jail and lose my office job!" "Well, I may get killed. I win... I think." "My children found out about the war and are devastated, now they are going to grow up traumatized. Please try to understand it's hard on us too!" "Your children are going to grow up, period. The little girl doctors failed to revive in Mariupol, however, will always be six. Are you seriously demanding compassion and understanding from me?" (Lady blocks me for "rudeness.") A Russian feminist: "It's men who start and fight wars! It's men who hold all the power! You can't possibly demand that we rise and put ourselves in danger for a cause with such meager odds of success!" "Wow, imagine if the suffragettes were like: Nah, not going to that stupid protest, there may be DANGER there." (These are all REAL conversations. I think I can dig up screenshots if absolutely necessary.) All this writing shares one common thing: in their minds, these people firmly separate themselves from the policies and actions of their state. It's never their responsibility, they didn't vote for Putin, they don't like him at all, and could we kindly please stop associating them with the evil power all set to crush us. It's almost never "I understand and accept my part in rearing this monster and letting him loose, either by action or

by lack thereof," it's "I have no idea how this all happened even though I was present the whole time, now why don't I hide under the bed until you have sorted out the consequences. Oh, and get me a blanket, would you, it's chilly here." (I put "almost" there. Yes, I know there are people who still protest, a few Russian feminists among them, but their numbers are so depressingly low for a population that large, and they are so unprepared for actual physical resistance that riot police have no problem subduing them.) I've never had much love for Russia; I'm from the West of Ukraine, and our history with the Soviets, the version of Russia that we've known best, was especially bloody and troubled. But for us as a people it's been basically a story of colonization, with Ukrainians pushed into assimilation using means of varying degree of brutality, our language banned by decrees, our culture branded primitive and only fit for village grannies (um, hello, Eurovision), our peasants being in slavery up until 1860ies (yes, that's how long serfdom existed in the Russian Empire) and then decimated during the Holodomor of 1932-1933, our literature taught in schools in a way that would only make kids hate it for life, and the typical narrative being of us as those cute brightly clothed natives who cook yummy food and sing well. Naturally, the big Civilized Empire just had to step in and introduce some enlightenment, right? Right? It's ironic how they have been repeating this so often they actually started believing it, and now it's coming back to bite them in the ass. Perhaps I digress, but it's important to understand the context when you deal with all this #notallRussians rhetoric. All those imperial phantom pains need to be completely gone, and every single Russian needs to stop with the "we are one people" bullshit. Because we are not. We are two separate nations, and, judging by what I see and read these days, with VERY different national characters. At some point while writing this I typed "a semblance of goodwill between our two nations," but then rephrased the sentence. I realize that my readers will not live to see that happen. And, sadly, not just because of Putin, but because the messages we see from Russia these days almost all scream betrayal. It doesn't really make much difference in the end whether this betrayal came from their active support of the Russian authorities, or from choosing not to act when action was called for. A sin of omission is a sin nonetheless. It's pretty much impossible to accept assurances of brotherly love while you are under a hail of brotherly fire. Natalia Nakonechna

[hesiona-himawari]

What does visiting a drugstore look like for you?

Do you often stand in line for a few hours, wondering if a missile will hit you?

Let me tell you what it looked like for me.

Today, I had to go to a drugstore to get medicine for my Aunt. She has a bad knee, and she needs medicine urgently to help her walk.

After all, she needs to walk a lot now.

This particular medicine is only sold in 4 drugstores in the city. 3 are across the river, and going there requires crossing the bridge that is currently blocked, so I had to go to the 4th one.

Normally, it is only 15 minutes' bus ride away. However today, I had to walk for 1,5 hours to get there, as public transport is only available to transfer critical infrastructure workers.

There was a line in front of the drugstore, and people kept asking each other to watch their spot in line while they stepped out to go to a supermarket or check in at home.

It snowed today, and the temperature was slightly below zero. After about 40 minutes, my sneakers were soaked.

A grandmother standing behind me went home to change into warmer clothes and brought back a spare knitted hat for me, because I wasn't wearing one.

Then the air raid alarm went off. You are, of course, supposed to head to a shelter immediately when that happens, but the drugstore was only open until 4 pm so staff can safely get home, so nobody wanted to lose their chance to buy medicine. And there I was, staring up at the sky, remembering civilians shot yesterday in a different city as they went out to get drinking water and wondering if I was going to end up the same.

It took me 3 more hours to walk back home, as I kept having to hide somewhere whenever the alarm went off again, which happened about 4 or 5 times.

One time, there was no shelter nearby and a random lady let me into her apartment block.

I did get home safely.

Some people in Kharkiv last night didn't.

I live in Kyiv. We are fighting back against Russian forces every day, and almost all our strength is poured into that goal. We want peace. Even more, we want Russia to get the fuck out of our cities and our country.

On my way, I passed people helping each other selflessly. A little coffee shop owner who opened up despite the constant air raid threat and gave out free coffee to Ukrainian soldiers and donated 30% of all revenue to helping those who lost their homes in the war.

The lady who gave me a hat.

The lady who let me into her house.

A lady who went into a bread shop with me only to surprise a water station shopkeeper with it, saying "You must be sitting here all day, you probably don't have time to buy the bread."

If you're worried about WWIII, or if the sheer number of emergencies happening in the world right now are causing you to freak out in stress, I do understand you. But please, don't make this about you. Don't say things like "I can't take it anymore!", or "I need a break!". You can make it go away by closing the news tab. We can't.

You can look at the sky and think of the weather. We have to think of missiles and artillery fire and sirens.

If, however, you truly want to help - you can support Ukraine by going out on rallies, or if you live in a NATO country, petitioning your local government to give Ukraine air support so we don't have to look out for missiles any more, and need at least only worry about the land. That in itself would be a tremendous help.

[maraharme]

How are you coping with am everything and everything else in your country? Please tell me you are ok snd safe for the most part.

Hi

I'm fine, I'm safe, but it won't be for long. RuZZia will soon drag Belarus into the war. Atomic-nuclear missiles and bombs have already been brought to our territory - there will be a provocation, as Hitler provoked Poland to start a war (history repeats)

We have complete lawlessness going on, every day, like a lottery - whether you come home today or not. If you haven't heard, we have a policeman here, on vacation, shot a 16-year-old boy in the leg. Nothing to the policeman, and the boy - an article for hooliganism. And he was just sitting on a bench outside and playing with his friends. I have a question - there is a strict rule that says that when you go on vacation or retire, you NEED to hand over your weapons. So why the fuck is this son of a bitch, in civilian clothes, walking around the city with a gun and shooting at CHILDREN???? Unfortunately, no one will answer this question for me.

It's scary, but we Belarusians have been living like this for 30 years, but I'd be lying if I said we were used to it. No, we're not used to it. And no, we are not silent and do not sit in corners, as many write in the networks, especially Ukrainians. We also fight the Rashists at our own risk. Let me remind you that I have already written that since May 29, the police and all law enforcement agencies and authorities can just shoot at us, referring to the fact that we are allegedly terrorists. Well, you understand with the case of that boy.

I am offended that there are still people who devalue our exploits, our actions. I would be interested to see such people if they found themselves in our situation - when one part of the population is tortured to this day in prisons, another part was sent for compulsory treatment (where they are made into vegetables) and the third part left the country. So-so picture turns out. And this is not counting the number of dead and missing.

I do not know how else to stay in my mind. Perhaps because I'm trying to somehow distract myself from reality by reading books and watching fantasy movies. Otherwise, I would have been consumed by great anger and resentment for my people and my country - and this is bad, you can't lose your humanity!!! Of course, when terrible injustice and lawlessness are happening nearby, it is very, very hard.

But I don't give up, in any case - I know how to shoot an arrow 😂🏹

Have a nice day 🤗💋❤️

[alterrune]

BCC NEWS.COM

Civilians take a stand

Hatred against The Trinity of Fate has skyrocketed

A new organization, known as the Civilian Militia, has been formed to help the civilians of the world that are in need while also helping in taking the fight to The Trinity of Fate. The organization has been founded by Sarah Kelso, she looks to the vision of helping the people who are in need and helping in the battle against criminals and terrorists. The Civilian Militia has helped in offering food, water, supplies, and a home to those who are in need. They group has also allied themselves with GEOGRAM and Aaron Schaffer. Settlements are also being built to help the people who doesn’t have a home. GEOGRAM has also chosen to help supply the Civilian Militia and support their cause in making the world a better place.

Sarah Kelso says

“These criminals think they can just leave us in a world without rules, that would just result into an anarchy, the deaths of many innocent lives, and the stealing of all of your important property. We all have friends, children, family, homes, food, water, and especially democracy, and those are things we can’t lose. With the help of GEOGRAM, we will take the fight to The Trinity of Fate and eliminate them once and for all. Those who support The Trinity of Fate are supporting criminals, we cannot allow that to happen.”

CEO of GEOGRAM Aaron Schaffer says this,

“We cannot let The Trinity of Fate dominate the world that we live in, those who send funds to The Trinity of Fate are funding criminals, these criminals will use these funds to cause more harm than good. With the help of the Civilian Militia, we will help those who are in need while also taking a stand against The Trinity of Fate, we must stay strong so that we don’t fall apart into an anarchy society.

The Public has returned to funding GEOGRAM and the Civilian Militia, sales to GEOGRAM has increased by 75%, and a large portion of its funds will also be shared to the Civilian Militia.

GEOGRAM and the Civilian Militia now looks to the following goals

Non-Violent Post-War Survival

Democratic Governance

High Moral Standards

The Trinity of Fate and it’s leaders and members will continue to remain on Interpol Red Notice, updates on this are currently pending.

ARTICLE ENDS HERE

Shit, this is bad. Alter, their funding just went back up.

Relax. I recorded another speech that might just give us the boost we need.

Begin playback.

"You know, some of us didn't WANT to become criminals. We have children and family as well."

"Some of us were FORCED to steal just so we could get by. And just because we did something to help our families, we were immediately marked as criminals, losing friends and other things in the process."

"The Toppat Clan has provided more hospitality and care for people than the government ever has, and likely ever will have."

"We don't want to cause 'anarchy'. We just want people to have everything they should have with no price, unlike the government, who taxes everything they can."

"Some people have to steal things for them and their families to get by. We provide them a safe home and the ability to do so, unlike what the government does to those people."

"The government wants anarchy, if anything. We just want to provide something that should've be provided to them in the first place."

"We do not want 'anarchy'. What we want is freedom for all, without a price."

End playback.

Holy shit. That was fucking amazing, Alter.

Yeah. Took a few tries to get that little beauty right.