#i'm not even from asia

[kaladinkholins]

Seeing fan discussions about Blue Eye Samurai and especially Mizu's identity is so annoying sometimes. So let me just talk about it real quick.

First off, I have to emphasise that different interpretations of the text are always important when discussing fiction. That's how the whole branch of literary studies came to be, and what literary criticism and analysis is all about: people would each have their own interpretation of what the text is saying, each person applying a different lens or theory through which to approach the text (ie. queer theory, feminist theory, reader response theory, postcolonial theory, etc) when analysing it. And while yes, you can just take everything the authors say as gospel, strictly doing so would leave little room for further analysis and subjective interpretation, and both of these are absolutely necessary when having any meaningful discussion about a piece of media.

With that being said, when discussing Blue Eye Samurai, and Mizu's character in particular, I always see people only ever interpret her through a queer lens. Because when discussing themes of identity, yes, a queer reading can definitely apply, and in Mizu's story, queer themes are definitely present. Mizu has to hide her body and do her best to pass in a cisheteronormative society; she presents as a man 99% of the time and is shown to be more comfortable in men's spaces (sword-fighting) than in female spaces (homemaking). Thus, there's nothing wrong with a queer reading at all. Hell, some queer theorists interpret Jo March from Little Women as transmasc and that's totally valid, because like all analyses, they are subjective and argumentative; you have the choice to agree with an interpretation or you can oppose it and form your own.

To that end, I know many are equally adamant that Mizu is strictly a woman, and that's also also a completely valid reading of the text, and aligns with the canon "Word of God", as the creators' intention was to make her a woman. And certainly, feminist themes in the show are undeniably present and greatly colour the narrative, and Episode 4 & 5 are the clearest demonstrations of this: Mizu's protectiveness of Madame Kaji and her girls, Mizu's trauma after killing Kinuyo, her line to Akemi about how little options women have in life, and the way her husband had scorned her for being more capable than him in battle.

I myself personally fall into the camp of Mizu leaning towards womanhood, so i tend to prefer to use she/her pronouns for her, though I don't think she's strictly a cis woman, so I do still interpret her under the non-binary umbrella. But that's besides my point.

My gripe here, and the thing that spurred me to write this post, is that rarely does this fandom even touch upon the more predominant themes of colonialism and postcolonial identities within the story. So it definitely irks me when people say that the show presenting Mizu being cishet is "boring." While it's completely fine to have your opinion and to want queer rep, a statement like that just feels dismissive of the rest of the representation that the show has to offer. And it's frustrating because I know why this is a prevalent sentiment; because fandom culture is usually very white, so of course a majority of the fandom places greater value on a queer narrative (that aligns only with Western ideas of queerness) over a postcolonial, non-Western narrative.

And that relates to how, I feel, people tend to forget, or perhaps just downplay, that the crux of Mizu's internal conflict and her struggle to survive is due to her being mixed-race.

Because while she can blend in rather seamlessly into male society by binding and dressing in men's clothing and lowering her voice and being the best goddamn swordsman there is, she cannot hide her blue eyes. Even with her glasses, you can still see the colour of her eyes from her side profile, and her glasses are constantly thrown off her face in battle. Her blue eyes are the central point to her marginalisation and Otherness within a hegemonic society. It's why everyone calls her ugly or a monster or a demon or deformed; just because she looks different. She is both white and Japanese but accepted in neither societies. Her deepest hatred of herself stems primarily from this hybridised and alienated identity. It's the whole reason why she's so intent on revenge and started learning the way of the sword in the first place; not to fit in better as a man, but to kill the white men who made her this way. These things are intrinsic to her character and to her arc.

Thus, to refuse to engage with these themes and dismiss the importance of how the representation of her racial Otherness speaks to themes of colonialism and racial oppression just feels tone-deaf to the show's message. Because even if Mizu is a cishet woman in canon, that doesn't make her story any less important, because while you as a white queer person living in the West may feel unrepresented, it is still giving a voice to the stories of people of colour, mixed-race folks, and the myriad of marginalised racial/ethnic/cultural groups in non-Western societies.

#blue eye samurai #mizu blue eye samurai #fandom critical #blue eye samurai meta #wank.mp3 #shut up haydar #fandom.rtf #this is a bit of rant but the prevalent whiteness of fandom in general just gets on my nerves i'm sorry #giving me flashbacks to a:tla fandom fr cuz it's the same shit! people love to devalue the stories of non-white non-western identities #also to be clear i am a southeast asian living in southeast asia and similar to mizu i am often alienated for having mixed ethnic ancestry #and even for speaking english (bcs my granddad served the fuckin. british colonials. so my fam speaks mostly in english) #cuz where im from it's still extremely hegemonic racist patriarchal misogynistic homophobic like the setting in the show #so like even though the story is set in historical japan and may seem far-removed from the experiences of a US or european audience #those of us outside the west and in the global south still face a lot of the struggles that mizu goes through till this very day #so please dont just dismiss that. it feels incredibly tone-deaf #okay rant over

[cakemoney]

i don't want to put my uninformed foot in my mouth or get involved with the Discourse but i've been seeing the two extremes of reactions to the korean low birth rates issue (on tumblr and twitter both) and i'm just kind of like. look. i feel like "low birth rates (in many countries but especially japan and korea as part of this conversation) are more broadly the result of capitalism/a culture of overwhelming overwork that makes social relationships and having families incredibly inaccessible to young people" and "low birth rates are very much a part of the current conversation about misogyny and social expectations for women in korea especially in the context of reproduction as 'unpaid labor' for women" are statements that can both be true

#laughs awkwardly #gender #especially considering the ways patriarchal expectations and capitalism very much intersect in terms of quality of life for women #ex. women being expected to have kids / raise kids / do all the housework and cooking in a relationship #while ALSO existing in a society where women (even married women) have to work demanding jobs to deal with the high cost of living #AND women are systemically discriminated against in terms of pay / job availability / work environment and harassment #all of these things add up. these conversations are not opposing points of view. you know? #and also like. not super comfortable with how TERFs are discussed in terms of non-white cultures #TERFism / radfems as a MOVEMENT (and a cult) is very much rooted in white supremacy / ideals of womanhood #again. multiple things can be true at the same time. yes i do see (from my perspective involved in taiwanese social media) #some east asian feminists engage in transphobia in ways that approach radfem rhetoric ('women are victims of men' 'men are predators' #type generalized sentiments which you can imagine gains a lot of traction among women traumatized by patriarchy) #but movement-wise i don't think it's fair (or just in good faith) to generalize radical feminists from non-white countries #to straight up TERFs. which again. rooted in white supremacy. keep feeling like i have to remind people it doesn't make sense #for asians to be white supremacists and that not all oppression on earth stems directly from white people. you weirdos #'what are you talking about' in east asia the type of feminist statements called 'radical' are stuff like. #women shouldn't have to wear make up every time they go outside. women shouldn't be expected to do all housework. #should men pay for women on dates. debates that i think in the states we kind of take for granted as stuff settled years ago #even if some feminists might be transphobic it's not necessarily Transphobia As Core Tenets Of The Movement. does anyone get the difference #basically what i'm saying is. wow these tags got long. maybe let's not apply uniform standards of 'correct language and values' #to non-white people and attack them when as all movements they are fluid and influenced by the people living in it #TERF-style transphobia is not the predestined course for them. maybe it's more productive to have open discussions about transphobia #to work towards inclusivity and solidarity in these movements than to prescribe White Internet Morality to them #and declare that they're evil when they are still very much having conversations that need to be had. thanks i think that's all #essentially. i find that 'how dare a non-american movement not have morally pristine vocabulary priorities and membership #as determined by white leftists' to be in itself kinda a racist attitude

[unproduciblesmackdown]

for real how epic that akd crushes this role for 6 seasons where they are acting it tf up and whenever they appear guaranteed Very Present when they contrast so much against the backdrop of the rest of the series' milieu in addition to having a usual intensity in demeanor and billions had to hold the role back to avoid eclipsing its supposed core parts but didn't just try to get rid of them about it and so we get all this energy already and the constant nonbinarity too. win

#winston billions #asia kate dillon #really showed up for a couple of actors just every instant giving utter performances #billions unable to contain them so we're shortchanged on behalf of these other roles that it very much can contain #and yet they also recognized like well this is gold so how about we absolutely never let them go #the epic highs & lows of billions giving taylor all their prominence in s4 only to then forever pull back on that #no they can't gain their autonomy again pre finale. no they can't escape wendy rhoades our insisted upon Centrist Hero core part lmao #winston fr it was like well we wrote a guy to be laughed at & pwned & he killed it....i guess we'll just do that for the rest of the show? #anyways nothing new here just thinking like Epic....Nonbinary #the idiosyncrasy that billions Can contain that other shows can't b/c billions has its deliberate off the railsness #and so for taylor to get to be this part that is even particularly idiosyncratic amongst that....scintillating. mwah #including being the closest to actually handling the idiosyncrasy of the autistic guy.... #if they were Really allowed to be so powerful as to cast off the Billions' Correctness ideas (which they can't b/c billions can't) #winston could be like no but for real re: wendy....and then there's a problem if taylor ever did truly just stop bothering w/her lol #anyways fr their getting to put the So Gender out there via also overall getting to be So Character making the series 900x more engaging #well no breaking news to anyone here i'm sure but let's post about it again for sure yknow. anytime....Them #sure had Writing behind it from the start but then the Acting & [actual nonbinary person] providing So much crucial energy #all the more of that Need for the acting in just like. peak That re: winston lol. the acting Making it a part.... #while the writing never strained itself trying to shift that distribution of effort lol. all up to the magic of actor w. roland.... #also at all present in [so your character being much less hindered would break open the rest of the series' limitations huh] for taylor.... #hooraayyy w/the most room for taylor in s4 but then that was as far as they could let them go & so shortchanged beyond that forever #and wayyy too much wendy & wags furiously held at the center of s7 like. taylor sacker philip teamup would be done w/this in 5 min? #skill issue for wendy & wags & for the series overall in not being able to Not focus 90098293hz of affection there at other roles' expense #didn't need all that axe either of course; another Thwartation device. if rian was gonna be like that should've written her out s5 or 6 #dollar bill is here because he just has to be here? at least they didn't try to focus on him all thee time or anything but smh #well anyways lmfao the point is against all odds still all this serendipity for Taylor Mason akd tour de force & gendering good for us all

[spacebuck]

genuine and srs post do any of my moots play and would be open to talking abt either g/enshin or s/tar rail because I'm going actually insane lmao

#Cap.txt #Having a hyperfixation and having no one to talk with about it is a new circle of hell #I have one friend who plays but is super anti-spoiler and I'm further than them so I can't say shit to them #And that's literally it lmao #It's very alienating to very suddenly lose your circles and community bc you all picked different things to be your thing after moving on #From the thing that you all collectively liked #This is me being very open and vulnerable and saying I would like just even 1 hyv friend who doesn't live in my house #And maybe some of my moots or friends are in the same boat so maybe? Idk #I may delete this later lmao #Or hell even someone who would like to get into a new game like one of these and doesn't know where to start #And before u ask I am on Asia server #I'm also v resigned to the fact that virtually none of my followers are active anymore let alone my moots so the liklihood of anything more #Than pity likes is low lmao but!! We try bc if we never try we never succeed

[statementlou]

Concerning touring Asia, I had done some digging around when it got cancelled and even some kpop and Asian bands were pulling the plug because things had gotten costly. Like you said you have to be a big act to make it work because you need higher ticket prices and lots of tickets sold (thousands) to cover just the expenses and have it be in the tour leg that includes Australia, New Zealand etc. Inflation and pandemic really did a number on international touring.

yeppp. I really don't think there's any need to go searching for causes or to call it a mystery; it was probably a long shot from day one and then things just got even harder for tours and that was that (for now; again I am certain he hasn't given up on trying to reach as many places as he can)

#asia tour #and I really think it does make it harder for Louis that he's a medium size act who tours like a stadium act sort of? #like he does things the way he's used to from 1D with like 4 trucks of tech and a million crew and pyro and this and that and the other #in a way that other acts his size do not #and so it makes it even harder to support in difficult areas I'm sure #fun though!

[secret-code]

♡

#hyerin #triples #acid angel from asia #triplesnet #kflops #jeong hyerin #hyerin gifs #triples gifs #kpop gifs #gifs #edits #graphics #gg #source: stage performance #from generation 221116 #??? used a ts file for the first time in my life and omg i'm never going back 😭 #the rumors were the quality was better but this much?!?!? it's crazy omggggg #anyway she's! so cute !! i adore her!!! i'll gif her even more !!!!!!

[welcometoteyvat]

yoimiya 2nd story quest ?!?!?!?!

#honestly didn't vibe with the first one that much but lets goooooooo #as a tcg player im ok with the main gimmick being a tcg patch but it would be kinda boring if you're not into that lol but i do hope they ma #make a somewhat compelling story even if the premise of the patch sounds like total crack fic material #also very meh on fontaine 😭 #i saw the key visual art for the livestream with like. charlotte. and my first thought was yanfei skin????? #and then i was disappointed. god the designs have not been hitting #i'm also delusional with fontaine bc before i knew it was gonna be france based i really thought the hydro nation would be either ancient ko #korea (to match with ancient china and japan) or maritime southeast asia #and seeing the underwater swimming clip just makes me want that more 😭😭😭😭😭😭 #you could make a tropical like coral island or something similar for an underwater region if you used sea/pacific islands god #and maybe fishing would actually be useful in hydro regions bc greater importance to culture or something idk im just saying #like idk when has france been known for its sailing or maritime activities girl #besides like as a product of its empire. which genshin doesn't and won't reference lol #im neutral on steampunk but idk its just the way they've been designing fontaine characters (from the leaks) it isn't hitting idkkkkkkkkk #whatever. delusionally thinking about how genshin phili.ppines or like ancient indo.nesia would be like if they were land of hydro #ramblings! #genshin spoilers #livestream spoilers #liveblog insanity

[welcometogrouchland]

well idk about anyone else but i- as the anon who sent u the darius camila ask in the first place, would be elated

I'M WORKIN ON IT FOR U ANON 🫡

#ramblings of a lunatic #asks #i just rewatched asias (FAVOURITE EP) and it gave me like. a few new Darius thoughts #nothing big or revolutionary just Reminded me of his whole deal and how funny it is. he is being nice in the meanest way possible #i desperately want to pitch this man against camila's bitchy coworkers. it'll be a blood bath #ALSO THE BEGINNING OF DADRIUS #two ppl who want to be nice so bad but have so many issues and obstacles (both external and self made) blocking them... #...and then they become like father and son bc they encourage that kindness in each other. what if i bit something #also it reminded me of how hard huntlow slaps conceptually but tbh that's nothing new. it's like. engrained in my brain wrinkles atp #idk what 2 tell you. it's the first time hunter has no plausible deniability and gains nothing from helping the entrails and he still does #it's willow showing hunter the joy of not only proving ppl wrong but also the joy of being appreciated for who u r #and then he goes on to do that for her when she needs it most #she's someone confident who guides him but more importantly she makes him want to be better. bc she is so good to him #i can't tell if I'm experiencing midnight hunger pangs or if I'm emotional but i did get big eyed at the intro w/ willow this ep #SHE SPENT YEARS THINKING SHE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH. SHE'S FINALLY BECOMING THE WITCH SHE WANTS TO BE #AND IN THIS EP SHE UNKNOWINGLY RECRUITS HER BIGGEST FANBOY. THIS BOYS ABT TO BE OBSESSED W/ HER AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW #ough. killing them out of like. cuteness aggression #I'm still only on 2B of my rewatch but idk who I'm gonna be when i get to the specials. the haircut scene. the pinky link. hhhhh

[wild-at-mind]

TW- murder, transphobia, racism, incarceration, suicide

I remember in 2018 (I think that was the year) I went to a TDoR vigil at the cafe in the next city over, which at the time was the source of much of my LGBTQ connection, along with a meetup group I attended in the same area. The vigil ceremony was not ideal in many ways- some local reporters talked over part of the address, and during the name reading it was clear that the Latin American names were being pronounced wrongly. In the UK it can be harder to find someone who is culturally connected to Latin America who could do the reading or at least advise than it might be in the US, so I don’t know if they would have ever been perfect, but it seemed that pronunciation had not been even checked and it was really noticeable. But while there is room for improvement I still think it’s an overall good that this vigil happened.

The gathering in the cafe beforehand was better. I was very tentatively exploring my gender stuff back then, and being around so many trans and nonbinary people of all ages was very powerful. I remember seeing a group of older trans women who looked weary and tired talking at one of the tables.. or perhaps they were cross dressers. The line between them can be blurred, especially in older generations. And being a male cross dresser who doesn’t identify as a trans woman does not protect you from violence. One of the murder victims on the TDoR list this year is Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee, a black self identified gay man in the US who was murdered while wearing women’s clothing. https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/2022/07/08/jimmie-jay-lee_lafayette-county-mississippi-usa_348b20a4  Plenty of historical transfemme people identified variously as cross dressers or drag queens as well as trans women. I’m hardly the first to say this but I hope that an obsession with correct labelling in the LGBTQ community does not mean the important things get ignored.

At that 2018 gathering before the vigil the cafe was packed, full and standing. I felt a sense of community with people there suddenly, even though I didn’t know most of them, because I felt we were all coming together for something bigger than ourselves. I think it’s easy for something as personal and identity based as gender to become very inclosed in our own heads, especially for the comparitively privileged (Western, white, ok financially) and that’s something I’ve found difficult. For me at least, because of these things that I have and the comfort they provide, it can feel self indulgent to focus on myself. Coming together in this outward focusing way with so many trans and nb people at that time was incredibly moving and poweful. Especially important to me is that it had nothing to do with the kind of awkward self flaggellation that self conscious white queer communities can end up doing when trying to support people much more marginilised. I hate that this seems to be so inescapable sometimes. Though maybe that was a misguided view as I later saw an overview of some of the criticism of TDoR on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_Day_of_Remembrance  in the Reception section. (It uses a lot of language about ‘bodies’ rather than people, a language choice which I have seen pushback on recently from black people especially, so warning for that.) As a way to honour trans and gender nonconforming people who were murdered or took their own lives, it is vastly imperfect, as we saw from the badly done reading of the names I talked about earlier. It’s ok for things to be imperfect and nuanced, and I hope I will make an effort to actively learn more about these issues. It’s common for activists for a particular cause to be asked to think of and draw attention to related injustices, and I think TDoR should be no different. Starting in the UK, where I live, the story of Taylor really gripped me. Taylor was a trans man who in prison serving an IPP, Indeterminate sentence for Public Protection. He was in a situation where he had served 10 years over his initial sentence, due to the nature of the IPP, and had no release date. They no longer give out these sentences, presumably because they are inhumane, but they were not retroactively repealed. I encourage you to read more here: https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/2022/07/09/taylor_wotton-under-edge-gloucestershire-united-kingdom_87fabb44 and here: https://iwoc.iww.org.uk/free-taylor/ (Note- this was written before Taylor’s death.) Taylor took his life in prison while under an insufficient suicide watch. Transphobia was one of the problems he faced in his life but it was one of many, and all were exacerbated by him being locked up for so long. This makes me want to learn more about UK prison advocacy- we have the highest rate of prison suicide in the world according to the IWOC link there, and that horrified me. A homeless man in my hometown who to be honest was mainly known for acting strangely in public (shouting in megaphone while wearing odd outfits- mildly annoying I guess but harmless) was jailed for one of those ‘crimes’ they get homeless people for, and soon after he took his life in prison. There was a shrine to him in the town centre when the news came. His name was Lee and they called him Superman because that was one of his outfits. It made me think of him and how fucked up the system is, if he hadn’t been locked up he could still be alive.

Got a bit rambly there. I hope it made sense. Sending my love to all trans and gender nonconforming people today. And I hope I can focus on the wider issues in UK society in the name of the amazing trans people I know, for the love of humanity and people of all kinds in our country.

#tdor2022 #transphobia #tdor #activism #prison advocacy #uk issues #fyi i'm focusing on the uk because it's the most reachable to me #i donate to international causes but getting further involved isn't really possible #however the majority of reported murders and deaths on the list are from central and south america #the us south asia and south east asia #that's important to acknowledge too #not proof read sorry #i'm not an expert or even a beginner on this stuff btw please look for resources that are from experienced people to learn moree

[lyrrotting]

Wait a damn minute... ur midwestern

no way baby i'm it

#PLEASE i'm russian #in fucking russia #😭 #not even in the midwest of russia #i'm from asian part ig? the mountains that make the border between europe and asia #fun fact the moscow people think we talk so fast they can't make #out wtf are we even saying

[kenzie-ann27]

I genuinely don't know what this medicine did to me but it feels like someone punched me in my neck so I'm not taking it again

#me complaining about how expensive one doctor's appointment is. try TWO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS #because she said to come back if it's worse and IT'S WORSE #and it's fucking worse for my wallet dude i am fucking broke #we all think of like the people who put off going to the doctor here because they can't afford it but like #as someone with chronic health problems it just fucking sucks it makes me cry #i just want fucking free healthcare so bad dude. you want to act like america is this big strong country bullying everyone and yes but like #i can't even fucking go to the doctor here. i'm gonna lose insurance soon and then i am just fucked #i have a tumor in my neck and it'll probably go cancerous at some point and i can't fucking afford that #at this point i wish people stopped donating to cancer research and just start donating to people who need treatment #actually make a fucking difference by keeping these people from going bankrupt because this fucking country can't give a shit #and people in europe and asia and fucking everywhere else takes that shit for granted like i wish. i wish i could just. go to the doctor #and not have to pull out my wallet at the end like gee how much today #because i want to live somewhere fucking nice. with compassion maybe #no. nope #sorry i'm just fucking stressed since my neck is fucked up and my constant state of panic isn't helping #and the medicine made it worse and tylenol isn't helping and ibuprofen isn't helping and i'm freaking the fuck out

[bohemiandeer]

You know what hits me hard? When 5 to 6 year old children, all the way in Southeast Asia, knows about what's happening in Palestine right now. That children their age is getting bombed, that they're starving to death, that they're getting shot at, and sniped in the head. Because, just this past 2 or so months, I heard some of the little ones in the Kindergarten classes I'm TAing in as an Intern talk about it. Hell, one of the little boys downright said he didn't like Israel, because Israel is bad, because they do scary things. Another was questioning whether Palestine was bad too, because, "why else would they shooting at them?". A little girl in one of my classes doesn't want to finish her food at all, because she wants to save at least half her meat and rice for kids in Palestine, because she heard that, they don't have food. And that's just the ones I remember. Namely the inciting cases before their classmates slowly follow suit. The littles are fricking SCARED. We had to sit these kids down, and tell them that the topic is too mature for them at the moment, that they shouldn't even be concerned because they're KINDERGARTNERS, they're not even old enough to properly understand. The one teacher I was TAing for had to make a class announcement saying that. What gets me is, these are 5 to 6 year olds, the youngest I've worked with in this specific age group is 4. 5 years old on average, and they've already been exposed to the worst horrors genocide has to offer through the news and snippets of conversation among adults and hell, considering how many of them say they like to play games on Mama's phone, or their IPad, even from fricking social media. And the fact that, these literal babies, from all the way in Cambodia, has more empathy in their entire body and soul, than full grown fricking adults have in the nail of their pinky finger, gets me. FFS we as adults could LEARN from them I feel sometimes. I honestly don't know what to feel about it anymore. On the one hand, this is the next generation I'm working with. And if the next generation's default response to a tragedy such as Palestine, is what I've seen come up on occasion so far? Perhaps there's some bloody hope for this world after all. At least in this country. Especially since a majority of them already come from families who survived a genocide. These are the 3rd - 4th generation descendants of those who survived the Khmer Rouge. They've got grandparents at home, who no doubt are more than intimately familiar with what Palestine is going through right now. And it shows.

But on the other, it makes my heart sink because these are CHILDREN, these are LITTLE KIDS, they should be playing with their toys and watching cartoons and talking to their friends about everything from Spiderman to Speakerman to Kuromi and her friends, and be worried about whether or not they can go to playground that day, guranteed they're well behaved, or if Mama remembered to pack in their costume for swimming lessons that week. NOT JUST MY KIDS. But the little ones in Palestine too. They deserve better. They all deserve, so much better. Hell, it's come to the point that whenever I look at my kiddos right now, whether they'd be working in class, playing, doing something as mundane as eating lunch or getting ready for their nap. I think of the children their age in Palestine that didn't even get the chance to survive. I think of the ones whose memories from this age, is nothing but absolute horror and pain, rather than what has slowly become my normal, who never got to experience what my littles do on a daily basis right now.

Children shouldn't even be concerned about "War", about a Genocide. The last thing that should be on a 5 year old's mind, is pain, and suffering, and the worst horrors imaginable ever to be inflicted on a human being. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S INFLICTED, ON OTHER CHILDREN THEIR AGE. And for that alone, the world has failed them. Especially the kids in Palestine who didn't ask for any of this. They just wanted to carry on with life as kids do, the same way as my littles do on a daily basis no doubt, learning, playing, chatting with friends over their favourite cartoons and characters, worrying about whether they'd get to go to the playground or not that day.

I apologize for talking about this on this blog. I know my blog tends to be lighter in feel, a lot more unhinged and light hearted typically. I mean, I'm just a fricking nerd who likes to draw and write, and lurk about her favourite fandoms to consume and support what is shared among other nerds who also like to draw and write. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. About contemplating it, especially since I'll be back on a roll tomorrow, working with my kiddos again after not seeing them for 5 days straight because of Holidays. And, I just had to talk about it. This is something I felt I couldn't keep to myself this time, I don't think my soul'd be able to carry it. I had to talk about it.

FREE PALESTINE. Our children deserve better.

#free palestine #gaza #palestine #rafah #israel #current events #gaza strip #human rights #childrens rights #save the children #cease fire in gaza #cease fire now #cease fire permanently #palestinian genocide #support gaza #pray for palestine #ceasfire now

[unproduciblesmackdown]

asia kate dillon in triptych, ft. one-acts “phenomena & existences” by daniil kharms, “SPIDERS ARE REAL! THEY'RE ALIVE AND THEY HATE YOU!!” by t. adamson, and “le mort de tintagiles” by maurice maeterlinck

#ORB #no clue which is from which but presumably appearances from only two of the one acts are included here given same look in two #if i had to guess / compare to another pic ft faux spiderweb i'd say the second pic in coveralls w/a work light is from SPIDERS #all i know abt phenomena & existences is that the author is known as like avante garde early absurdist maybe #le mort de tintagiles was supposedly like. the author thought it'd have to be performed by marionettes vs live actors. but was not here #asia kate dillon #wait wait. stop the presses i think i can make a guess. they are The Queen in tintagiles. who causes le mort de tintagiles #primarily since they seem to have a crown...and are maybe holding a marionettesque pose there in the orb picture #and well maybe coveralls and work lights are about phenomena & existences. i'm only now relatively confident abt the other two there #triptych #phenomena & existences #(the coveralls pic) #la mort de tintagiles #(act 3 at the top; 1 at the bottom) #still figure they could be the queen with the crown & all. despite the queen not appearing; being Discussed as always unseen #and having no dialogue. or else i suppose they're ygraine; effective main character #but there were Other Actors naturally & seems like they were even speaking

[mademoiselle-crabaletta]

I do NOT understand how the hell instagram can have such an intense creepy tracking system but still somehow constantly show me garbage that I never like or interact with 😭

I literally only click/like/comment on pics/vids of dolls and sometimes art, but this damn app is constantly trying to show me dumbass vids from these tiktok rejects that have nothing to do with anything I've liked...I don't click on or view them so idk why the hell they keep showing them. I thought their algorithm was supposed to be stalker level creepy 🤨

#90% of the time it's losers doing dumbass skits to make fun of a group and feel superior #but they aren't even funny so it's just pathetic #the other 10% of the time it's shills trying to sell an asian beauty product bc it's allegedly what some kpop idol uses #l can only assume it's bc the dolls I follow are mostly asian brands? #and most of the losers making skits are usually white ppl living in asia that think they're better than white tourists #but it's still so annoying their vids take up half my screen I'm trying to look at aesthetic pics of dolls not you uggo chad chad wannabes #the only reason I use the app is to keep up with the latest releases from the doll companies and to look for outfit inpso for them #instagram #meta #bjd

[isekyaaa]

A really dumb part of me is looking at the Spices of the West events wondering if I should use this info for later fics.

#analysis #for example zh*ngli likes sticky honey roast #which is.... kinda surprising? at first impression he seems to be more one for cleaner flavors #this recent event is more interesting from the last because it's primarily mondstadt foods #which isn't asia inspired #tbh tho it seems like sticky honey roast is a crowd favorite ngl #it's even one of ay*to's favorites??? #find it absolutely hilarious that the soups are on alhaitham's disliked list #i'm still not over sticky honey roast #19 people have it on their favorite list #ya*yao cand*ce c*no sh*nobu th*ma y*njin s*yu.... #is it really that good...????? #i can't wait for them to have this event with inazuma foods #then sumeru #oh g*nshin limited world quests give me the hidden preferences for characters plssss

[nyancrimew]

Do you think your race/nationality may influence on the consequences of hacking? Or like how far you can even get?

I'm asking because I very rarely see a "prominent" hackitvist that's not white European/USA

it is definitely a factor yes, especially with me, like the only reason im free rn is because switzerland doesn't extradite citizens. but another very big part of it is that to become a widely prominent hacktivist (and as with many other things) you either need to do things western media cares about or get in trouble with the law big time (in the west), which also usually implies being in a country that actively works together with primarily the US or other empires that actively and publicly work against hacking and hacktivists. there are lots of hacktivists in asia and latin america (specifically phineas fisher here also being a popular figure, who is believed to be in latam and has yet to be caught) as well especially (also elsewhere ofc but i dont know of as many), but they are either doing hacktivism within their communities which are usually not internationally that news worthy, or are out of reach enough for the US empire to never get unmasked.

in a lot of ways being a popular hacktivist as an individual is actually moreso a failing in staying safe from consequences by either you or people you work with (see in the history of lulzsec and most of the now well known anonymous figures in the US) or a conscious choice done out of the knowledge that you'll be relatively safe/recklessness. but i definitely feel like international (social) media bias towards western interests is also just a very big part of why you will mostly only ever hear of (assumed) white european/american hacktivists.

and also just as a quick closing note, i would not say that (even white) people in the US or the US sphere of influence are safe from consequences due to hacking in any way, the US is one of the strictest countries when it comes to persecuting hackers and goes to long ways to be as cruel as possible, and especially so with hacktivists. this goes so far that in the 2020 counterintel report the US government put hacktivists/leaktivists on the top 5 biggest threats to the US government, which is ofc both a honor (and shows it works and scares them) but is ofc also scary as fuck. it is this big spectacle they make out of persecuting hackers and making examples out of them that also leads to more of the very distorted prominence of western hackers.

#not the most well phrased im not super focused rn #but i hope this gives a bit of a perspective