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#where was I?....oh right Palestine art

smelliewilliams · 1 month

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━━ wellie elliams

pairings : streamer!ellie williams x reader

warnings : use of yn, mentions of using weed/nic, lowkey self inserted uhh, more focus on ellie than ellie x reader

cr : @idontgetanysleep & @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

a/n : guys i really enjoyed doing this, had a thought of ellie's reactions to read fics about her, her edits (esp with the ai audios, shout out to akemi, i love her) & fan arts

DAILY CLICK

DONT BUY TLOU

WAYS TO HELP PALESTINE

👾 starts off doing streaming just for fun & thinks to herself that no one’s gonna watch it until people actually enjoy watching her play.

🎮 definitely play minecraft and would argue with KIDS on roblox and get competitive with them while playing.

🕹️ OBSESSED WITH FORTNITE LITERALLY A FUNDRAISER TO FORTNITE

👾 definitely would say this "i can cook, clean and carry you on fortnite" to flirt with girls

🎮 she definitely has a cat(s) and people would always want it on the stream

🕹️ i can totally see her raging while playing valorant lolll and would definitely waste money on the skins too.

“okay chat, should i buy it? nah, im just gonna buy it” the chat floods with saying no but will she listen to you guys? no. “okay, i just bought it! watch my aim get better chat” her aim DOES NOT get any better lol but at least the skins are pretty!!

👾 she’s surely shy at first and won’t show her face, hell even her hands !! she just shows what she's playing and just talk

🎮 would try to be social with her “fans” as much as possible cause she likes to hang out with them.

🕹️ would do a face reveal after she hit the milestone!! and people would go CRAZYYYYY. i mean who wouldn’t, right? it’s ellie williams!!!

👾 she probably would be active on twitter more and sometimes on tiktok and rarely on instagram (just to update story and her feed)

🎮 tweet the most unhinged things YET doesn’t get cancelled because somehow all of her tweets are kind of relateable…

🕹️ other than streaming her gameplay she would definitely do some reaction, play her guitar and sing, reviewing things that are so useless & stupid

👾 talking about reactions, SHE WOULD TOTALLY REACT TO THE EDITS, ART AND FICS ABOUT HER (she thought it was funny and some of the fics are BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN)

smelliewilliams : OH NO SHE KNOWS iloveellie69 : uhh yall better hide !!!! livelaughloveellie : ellie pls dont react to it 😇 simpforels : FOR YR OWN SANITY!! “chat, you’re going crazy” she scoffed. few minutes later… “oh wow, that sure is something! haha uhm…” "the technology is getter scary, how does she makes it sounds like me. like does that not sound like me actually saying it?? it's really impressive" her reacting one of the edits with ai audios that sounds like her “YALL ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD AT DRAWING”

🎮 she appreciates all of your edits, fics and arts! would totally do friday fanarts or something like tom felton would do lol!

🕹️ people BEG her to do vlogs, cause it would be fun and silly vlogs!

👾 her music taste is 👩‍🍳 💋, source? trust me bro.

🎮 people would want her to do a room tour cause somehow she keeps her room clean & tidy but also a really cool room

🕹️ small lights >>>>>> big lights

👾 people would be shocked if they knew how smart ellie is 😭 a major nerd if you ask me ! there's no doubt that she starts to share some fun facts that she knows & takes some online quizzes to prove that she's smart

🎮 would totally go on omegle and just troll or make new friends

🕹️ that is where she met you !!

you were bored one night and decided to go on omegle just for fun and you met her there. although ellie's platform is big, she still doesn't know half of the influencers or streamers so her chat goes CRAZY when she sees you and is like matchalvr : OMG IS TGAT YN ???? smelliewilliams : ELLIE YOURE SO LUCKY justanormalgirl : MY TWO WORLDS COLLIDING “wait a second, are you yn?” she asked ”that’s me” “why is my chat going crazy about you?” her eyes scanned the chatroom. “hold on, you do streaming too?”

👾 started to play with you more and she would occasionally join your stream and support you there if she can't play (since the timezone sucks)

🎮 people start shipping you two and one-day ellie liked an edit of you and her (which is super hot and the audio is boaf? BOAF!! , pls get what i mean 😢) and the fandom went insane

🕹️ the two of you started to get close and plan to meet each other sometime in the future

👾 LOL WOULD TOTALLY DO THE “when the gc makes it to the hang out” TIKTOK, the gc is being JUST the two of you 😭

🎮 she would either have an energy drinks, juice or water on her table.

🕹️ her sleep schedule is FUCKED UP, that’s explaining her dark circle & eyebags.

👾 love when people greet her at public place, she just love meeting her fans

🎮 oh im pretty sure she goes to the twitch con (?) thingy and would probably go with you as your date hehehehehehehhehehehe

🕹️ have figurines and legos displayed in her room

👾 super open about her using weed & nicotine (to sleep)

🎮 is open minded and an open book

🕹️ would do "my anons dark secrets confession" thingy

👾 OH SHE WOULD DO ASMR FOR FUN & people actually enjoyed it lol

🎮 she would play dress to impress with you

🕹️ STREAMING TOGETHER WITH YOUUU

👾 when the two of you are officially dating, both of you wear "i love my hot gf" every single streaming session

🎮 she loves matching bro so matching avatar in games

🕹️ would talk about you 24/7 EVEN WHEN SHE DIDNT MEAN TO

"oh me and my gf just-" , "chat, me and yn are-" elsyngfs : OKAY ELLIE WE GET IT!!!!!!!! ynssimp : i get it ellie, i too would talk abt her a lot ynaalyn : WHERE DO I FIND THIS RS GUYS idwtowatchellie : BRO UR R A LOSER GF smelliewilliams : gosh imagine if they're not ldr...

in conclusion, she's literally a loser lovesick lover girl

REMINDER !!

that neil is a zionist and therefore dont buy his games, doesnt matter remastered or not !!!

before you leave, have you DONATE TO PALESTINE today? ITS FREE TOO !!

#written by ellslvr ❦#ellie williams #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams headcanons #ellie x fem reader #ellie x reader #ellie williams fanfic #ellie williams imagine #ellie williams fanfiction #ellie williams fluff #ellie williams x female reader #ellie williams x y/n #ellie williams x you #streamer!ellie #streamer au

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energeticwarrior · 3 months

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GLOBAL STRIKE FOR GAZA 1/21-1/28

Apologies for my delay in using my platform, I found out about this strike yesterday and was taking some time to figure out what to say

Palestine has been suffering long before October 2023 and I need everybody to understand that. There is a genocide happening right now and if people don't use their voices to speak up, then they will become a lost cause in our history. We do not want the stories of their people to be told 50 years from now with a side comment like "oh no I wish someone would've done something" or "I can't believe that actually happened." Our voices can spread like a wildfire, so I hope that everybody joins the global strike this week in support of Palestine and uses their voices, social media, platforms, etc to voice their support.

If you are unsure of where to start, I suggest reading up on the history of Israel's occupation of Palestine dating back to 1948. Here is a free PDF download of this book. To be honest, I have not finished reading this book yet, but it's been highly recommended to me by multiple people. Buying the book from the author would be better, but I understand that it's not within everybody's budgets which is why I included that link.

______________________________________________________________

If you follow this link, this is a great guide on how to participate and support the strike this week. Doing every single thing is not realistic but do what you can and that is enough.

Here are some Palestinian journalists you can follow on Twitter, as they are the most reliable source. Many news sources worldwide have been misconstruing this "conflict" and completely ignoring the blatant genocide happening before our eyes. These journalists are Palestinian people who have been living this their whole lives (there are many more people and the Twitter thread can be viewed here)

Additionally, here are some other Twitter accounts that you can receive information from.

I urge everybody (art blogs, fandom blogs, etc) to put their interests on pause for the week and use that time to educate themselves on what's been going on for the last several years. This did not start in October. Keep speaking up and uplift Palestinian voices!

______________________________________________________________

Resources and other ways to help:

BOYCOTT STARBUCKS AND MCDONALDS (among other things)

Donate E-Sims to help journalists be in touch with the rest of the world

Stop supporting Zionist celebrities (ex: Noah Schnapp, Gal Gadot)

Uplift Palestinian journalists

Donate menstrual products to menstruating people in Gaza

Donations to UNRWA, Islamic Relief Canada, Arab (daily clicks and proceeds go to UNRWA)

If I missed anything, please feel free to message me or send me something in my inbox. Again, I urge everybody to pause their week to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and continue to uplift their voices. We are all stronger together.

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lahooozaherr · 7 months

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What Was I Made For?

~A Short Series~

[Masterlist]

Please note: This blog stands with Palestine. If you are interacting with my account and TLOU related posts, I ask that you PLEASE visit these links. Be critical and mindful while partaking in TLOU content and be aware that creator Neil Druckmann is a Zionist.

Pairing: Jackson!Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Rating: Starting T, Eventual E

MY WORKS ARE 18+ MINORS PLEASE DNI. AGELESS/BLANK ACCOUNTS WILL BE BLOCKED.

Synopsis: After finding a map to a rumored safe place in Jackson, you escape your QZ in Denver in search of it. Surviving by yourself is brutal and wears you down. When you’re finally close to your destination, you collapse from exhaustion. On their morning patrol, Joel and Tommy find you unconscious and frozen in the snow. They act fast in saving you, Joel carrying you back to Jackson. You form a bond with Joel through your recovery, relating over your grief and anxiety together. Eventually, Tommy offers you a job of helping do basic care for the patrol horses in the mornings, acting as sort of therapy and another way to regularly see Joel. Your feelings blossom for each other.

Warnings: fem reader, soft! Joel, themes/discussions of mental health (anxiety, grief, ptsd), probably tooth rotting fluff, discussions of loss/child loss (not super detailed), references to the book “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, comfort, sort of horse therapy, eventual smut, no physical description, no age specified, Joel carries reader 1 time, I’ll add more if necessary but also each part will be specifically tagged.

A/N: Oh heyyyy I started writing this and I’m determined to finish it. It was originally a one shot but it ended up but being enough where I figured I’ll just make it a short series. Maybe a little self indulgent? Maybe specific? I’m kinda unsure but today’s my birthday so I decided I still want to share it anyways. The title is absolutely inspired by the song by Billie Eilish. I saw a Joel edit to the song before seeing the Barbie Movie and I still think of him when I hear it. “The Road” also makes me think of him (apocalypse, father and child, grief). I’m going to research actual horse therapy but please don’t take this as super accurate representation. I also made a playlist lol. Sort of playing fast and loose with canon, sorry I haven’t played the second game. This is set a few months after Joel and Ellie settle back in Jackson.

My Masterlist | My AO3 | My Taglist

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Credit for photos in banner: Christophe Hohler (top row art), “Original Love” by Marijana Rakicevic (bottom right art).

#joel miller fic #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x fem!reader #pedro pascal character fanfiction #the last of us

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iexistforidkwhatreason · 1 month

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My experience with Lumii/HoneyStarlightz/Lumiidere/Lumii after dark/KiramekiCookie

I have to get this out of my system because I'm deadass tired of watching this person wander around as if they're innocent when they aren't, and I'm also annoyed because of people not noticing what this person does behind the scenes because it now takes one quick Google Search using the prompt "Luca Wii Sports" to go down the rabbit hole. This is about HoneyStarlightz/Lumii.

Lemme begin with the minor stuff. So you know how Lumii has a massive grudge against me because of most of, if not all the stuff I drew in my DeviantArt account? Almost everything there was drawn when I was a FUCKING MINOR. I am 20 years old as we speak, and most of the drawings Lumii mentions happened BEFORE MY 18TH BIRTHDAY on the 1st of December, 2021, and I'll admit, during most of that time, I was a dumbass, immature, and an edgelord. I then stopped posting anything bloody and/or revealing but continued to post harmless drawings before my 18th birthday happened. October 11th of last year was when I stopped posting on that account all together because I found out that DeviantArt was blaming Hamas and Hamas only for the Palestinian deaths and making it as if the Israel military didn't do a thing to innocent lives in Palestine after Hamas attacked.

Next, we have them making me look like an asshole for shipping Luca with Abby (The one shipart I made of the two apparently traumatized them). Back when I was 17, I decided to draw Abby and Luca, two Miis I'm not a fan of, nor close to, as a couple because I thought shipping the two was a good idea. I then posted the finished product on the 23rd of January, 2021. The drawing was not meant to traumatize anyone. It was JUST. SHIP. ART. OF. ABBY. &. LUCA. The only bad thing about that drawing was that I shoved my opinion of the two Miis down people's throats in the description by asking how the hell do people like them because to me, they're just not fun to play against at all, and even then, it was drawn three to four years ago, and I don't even ship the two anymore. I ship Abby with Wii U Barbara now. Mate, I didn't even know Lumii EXISTED back then, let alone know they had a massive love for Luca.

Next, there's the clear as day hipocrisy that people have yet to notice somehow. So you know how Lumii has "Opinion Bashers" on their DNI list, right? On that same list, they also have people that hate, despise, even dislike Luca, instantly making them a hypocrite because they said they don't want to interact with people who just cannot tolerate others having a different opinion while also saying that if you think Luca is not a good Mii, you're instantly on their shit list. Also, they said no exceptions, meaning you can be the nicest person in the world, but if you dislike Luca, go fuck yourself.

I have several friends that like Luca a lot, some of which are here on Tumblr. I do not like Luca. We get along perfectly fine. I don't understand why they feel like Luca haters and Luca lovers can't co-exist when they clearly can. Just don't be an ass to others when it comes to what you think of the character, mate.

Lastly, we have the fact that they cannot take criticism. They said criticism is prohibited on their DeviantArt profile, which means that you can say anything positive about their art, but if you say anything negative, then nope. Get out. Oh, I'm so sorry I gave you a harmless critique that was just saying what I didn't like and how you can improve. I apologize.

Seriously tho, how sensitive can you be to the point where you prohibit people from critiquing your work? Or is it that they can't criticize you? Or is it both?

Now we go to the bigger stuff, starting with the TRANSPHOBIA ACCUSATIONS and obvious delusion. They said, and I quote "please shut the fuck up for calling him "Lucapoopa", "Boring", "Annoying", "Scum" and "Tedious" for the love of fucking god, he's fucking overhated and y'all are too harsh and transphobic at him, fucking hell".

Luca is not canonically trans. Don't even say he is because of unused data because I did my research, and the only unused data he has is facial hair related. Don't get me wrong, Luca being trans is a HC that I'm completely fine with. If you want to headcanon him as trans, fine by me. Trans rights all the way, mate. Don't fucking call people transphobic just for disliking Luca tho! Luca is not canonically trans, and even if he was, bold of Lumii to assume that someone that hates Luca hates him because he's trans. He appears as an opponent in three games and there's a chance that he might piss you off in all three.

How delusional do you have to be to see someone hate a character that isn't trans outside of your HC and go "Oh, they're transphobic"?

Next, there's fullblown insensitivity. I decided to check on DeviantArt for something, and I get a DM from someone. We had a chat about Lumii, and in that chat, they showed this...

Can you spot the insensitive part? Here, I'll make it easier for ya.

I'm completely fine with people giving dark backstories to Miis in their HC, but there's a line, and you crossed it. Can we not do rape related headcanons, please? I feel like that should go without saying because, oh, I dunno, that shit is OBVIOUSLY IN BAD TASTE!

Lastly, there's something I cannot show here because if I do, I'm going to get in trouble... It has to do with porn...

Lumii has a total of three accounts that I bumped into while looking at Luca images on Google that have porn of Miis on them. They have a Newgrounds account (KiramekiCookie), which has two drawings of Luca porn, a Bluesky account (Lumii after dark), which has twelve, and a Twitter/X account with the same name, which not only has porn of Luca, but of other Miis too... AND THERE'S AN UNGODLY AMOUNT OF IT, MOST OF IT BEING LUCA PORN! TELL ME YOU'RE OBSSESSED WITH OUT TELLING ME YOU'RE OBSSESSED!

I make YOU uncomfortable, Lumii? I make YOU uncomfortable?! You drew Luca laying eggs, you drew a worrying amount of Luca porn, and yet you have the AUDACITY to say I make YOU uncomfortable when you're obviously worse, you fucking hypocrite?! You drew art that is bound to make several people uncomfortable the moment they see it on the THREE ACCOUNTS you have, you falsely accuse people of transphobia, you obssess over Luca an unhealthy and uncomfortable amount, and yet I'M the one in the wrong because I drew ship art of Luca and Abby and art that has blood on it years ago?! I don't get your logic!

BTW, for those who say that this could've been resolved privately, it couldn't because Lumii has blocked me on DeviantArt, and they also blocked me on an old Tumblr account of theirs too, meaning that talking to them was out of the fucking question. They CLEARLY did not want to talk it out. They just wanted to avoid me entirely while also antagonize me for shit I did years ago that wasn't even that bad compared to the crap they did.

Lumii, if you manage to see this, which I know you will because I know you have a Discord and I know someone's gonna send a screenshot to you on there... All of this could've been avoided had you just been a better person.

#miiblr

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ceilidho · 3 months

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i saw your post about your recommended nonfiction books and can’t wait to read them! would you happen to have any more you suggest? i love learning about the world and how others perceive it ❤️

oh yes i have sooooo many nonfiction recs......it's probably my favourite genre tbh, i try to always read 1 non-fiction for every fiction book i read.

"a natural history of love" and "a natural history of the senses" by diane ackerman. i'm also currently reading her book "the moon by whalelight (and other adventures among bats, penguins, crocodilians, and whales)". she is the most evocative nonfiction writer on planet earth.

i recommended this in my last list but "underland" by robert macfarlane.

"everybody: a book about freedom" by olivia laing - a very good book by a very good writer. queer history, gay liberation, women's rights, reproductive rights, what does it mean for a body to be 'free'.

mary roach, overall, is a very good and very funny non-fiction writer. i've read "spook" (about ghosts and the afterlife) and "fuzz" (about animals and the law) so far, both such good books.

"all about love" by bell hooks. tbh anything by bell hooks.

"the body in pain" by elaine scarry. not for everyone. it's a study on torture and pain and how pain makes and unmakes the world. i read it for a paper i had to write in grad school because i've always been interested in literary trauma theory and it was so informative. also, maggie nelson's "the art of cruelty" and susan sontag's "regarding the pain of others".

"freedom is a constant struggle" by angela davis. so much i could say about this book - it's not dense, it tackles so so much like palestine, prison abolition, the anti-apartheid movement in south africa, and so much more.

anything by rebecca solnit, but start with "hope in the dark" or "the mother of all questions".

"SPQR" by mary beard. if you are at all interested in roman history, this is where to start.

"a short history of nearly everything" by bill bryson is also a very good like....introductory / condensed history book. so so interesting!!

now i haven't read this quite yet but i'm soooooo excited to read "the dawn of everything: a new history" by david graeber and david wengrow.

"four lost cities" by annalee newitz. this book looks at the ancient cities of pompeii in italy, çatalhöyük in turkey, cahokai in the americas, and angkor in cambodia, and delves into how people lived in these cities and how they were built and used. very cool!!!

most of these are history or cultural conversations because those are my favourite non-fiction books to read (i'm not really a big memoir/biography girl). i left off some of my favourite literary criticism books because idk how many people care about that, but if you want those recs lmk!

#book recs

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seenoversundown · 3 months

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Sparrow Of the Dawn : Chapter 4

Sam Kiszka x Willa (Female OC) Warnings: Teasing (in the making fun of each other way), dark humor, subtle pining, cursing, mentions of drinking/alcohol, and a lot of clumsy girl behavior.

Word Count: 7.6k

Summary : Sam unfortunately finds himself in not so meet cute with Willa. Hopeful that he doesn't cross her path again; the world works in mysterious ways and not always in your favor.

Author's Note: Just wanted to take a second to leave some resources in regards to learning about and assisting those affected by the genocide in Palestine. There aren’t words strong enough to convey how devastating the loss is. I will leave a few resources I have found linked and always remember that we’re not free until Palestine is free. #Ceasefire #FreePalestine 🇵🇸

• Six Ways To Help

• Carrd Full of helpful Links and Resources

• Daily Click!

Gives You Hell - All American Rejects “When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, gives you hell.”

I feel like I could fight God when my alarm clock goes off in the morning and my first thought is that I'll have to see Sam all day. Oh, great ruler of the Cosmos, please grant me the strength to get through this day. So mote it be.

I slither out of bed like the morning gremlin I am, pull on my robe, and head out to the kitchen, where I know Quinn is already waiting.

Quinn and I developed this cute morning routine back in college, where we met. We attended SCAD together and were lucky enough that we got along so well, both being art majors. Them in Art History and me in Photography. We used to cross the campus early enough to beat the lines, almost regretfully. We’re not exactly the greatest of morning people. I’d get the drinks, though, and they get the food. Only back then, it was just them assembling the breakfast sandwiches in the cafeteria while I tried to make the instant coffee drinkable. These days, it’s homemade lattes and skillfully grilled sandwiches. A vast improvement from our younger days.

“Good morning, Willard,” They beam at me through heavily hooded eyes, already pulling out a pan.

“Morning,” comes out of my mouth in a choppy groan.

“Breakfast sammies?” They wiggle the pan a little.

“Don’t!” I hold up my finger, “That is a banned word in this house.” I sit down on one of the stools at our island and place my head in my hands.

“Breakfast?” they inquire.

“No, Sammy.”

“Okayyyy.. Do you want a breakfast ‘he-who-shall-not-be-named?” they let out a chuckle.

“HA HA, very funny,” I roll my eyes, “- but yes, please.”

I make my way to the espresso machine, grabbing the portafilter and grinding up some fresh beans. I tamp down the grinds and place them back in their rightful spot before pressing the button to queue up the process. Repeating for Quinn’s second shot. Quinn is the complete opposite of basic in every aspect except their coffee order. A Vanilla Oat Milk latte, every time. I make it with extra love because that’s how it should be made. I quickly move on to my latte, only slightly adjacent to basic with toasted marshmallow flavoring instead.

Finishing at roughly the same time we trade specialties and they say “Okay, all wrapped and ready to go when you are.”

“No, I have the time to sit and eat with you Quinny the Pooh, so that’s what I’m going to do.” I smile and make my way to the island in our kitchen. I prop up on my same stool and unwrap my sandwich. God, this looks good. If they weren’t an art teacher, they could hack it as a chef.

Taking the first bite and rolling my eyes in the back of my head, “Good GOD, Quinn, you have outdone yourself again.”

“Thank you, Thank you. So tell me, how prepared are you to see Childish Sambino today?”

The glare I send them over my sandwich is deadly. “Do you have to talk about him?”

“We could talk about his mouth instead,” sending me a sideways glance.

“Oh, would you look at that,” I glance down at my bare wrist as if it contained the most interesting watch. “I’m actually running late. I need to get ready for work.” I set my sandwich back down on the paper and rewrap it to take it to go.

“Have a good day. Make good choices because we just paid rent and I don’t have bail money,” They laugh maniacally. I send them a snarky glare back before shutting my bedroom door behind me.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

When I make it to the Portland Press Herald office, I open the door, and I’m greeted with the sweet face of an older woman working the desk. Thank god it’s not another Daisy. I’d rather jump off the building than have to watch Sam flirt with another girl all day.

She leads me through the hallways until we reach a set of cubicles in the back corner.

“Alright, this one is yours,” She points to the closest cubicle. “And this one,” she points to the cubicle diagonally across from it. “Is Samuel’s. I’ll send him over when he gets here and you can point it out to him if he gets lost.” Well, at least I won’t have to look directly at him.

I start unloading my belongings onto my new desk and trying to arrange them perfectly. When Sam makes his appearance, he rounds the corner looking so good it's painful. The slim, dark blue slacks on his legs just hit the tops of his black Chelsea boots. A mixed red and blue sweater makes home on his chest, don’t think about his chest, with a navy linen winter jacket over top. God, he looks good. Annoying. No man my age looks like that let alone knows how to actually dress themselves.

When I come to my senses, he’s standing expectantly next to my desk. Looking at me like he’s waiting for my reply to a question I haven’t heard him ask. Not willing to give in and appear like I’ve just been thinking about how hot this man I hate is, I dodge.

I point to the clock reading 7:58 am, “Cutting it a little close, huh, Sammy boy.”

“It might not have been so close if you were sitting here staring at me like I’m a piece of meat.” He chides. Internally, I cringe. Yep, I was definitely not subtle. “I had car troubles,” He mumbles in a low tone, “Can you just show me which desk I’m supposed to sit at.” I wave my arm over toward his desk, and he walks away to get settled in his own space. Far away from me.. Well, okay, it's not that far, but it's far enough for me.

He’s in a monumentally bad mood this morning, and after a while the sighs of frustration he's letting out start to tick me off. Who breathes that loudly on a normal day? We’re stuck inside the building researching things until we have an event or idea to even photograph, which is bad enough without the sound of his mouth. I just hope we can get it together sooner rather than later. The faster we find a subject matter, the more time we have to capture it. I hear another loud sigh.

“Could you be any louder, Sam? All I can hear is your huffing?” I stand to get him in my eyeline over the divider. Big mistake. He’s wearing glasses now? I didn’t know he wore glasses. It should be illegal, to be honest, for him to look that good.

“I’m just existing, Willa. Sorry that my existence annoys you.” He pauses, “Actually, I’m not sorry at all. I take great pleasure in the fact that my mere presence sends you into a fit of rage.” He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms with a cocky smile.

Oh dear god, I definitely didn't prepare for this, this morning.

“This is not a fit of rage.” I sit back down calmly. Nope, not entertaining this today.

After a few minutes, it’s Sam’s turn to stand. If I lift my head, then I have to talk to him, so I stare at my computer screen where I’m currently researching different parks in the area. He clears his throat, and I don’t move. I will not be beckoned by his antics. He clears his throat louder this time.

“Yes, Samuel.” I finally stop and clasp my hands together, annoyed.

“When did that cafe open up? The new down the road?”

“A couple months ago. Why? Are you going to buy me a coffee to make up for annoying me this morning?” A pleasantly sarcastic smile makes its way to my lips.

“HAH, you wish. No, I thought it could be something to check out for the project.”

“I would hardly call that cafe something that is notable about Maine. It just opened.”

Clearly offended, he states, “Alright, let’s hear your big idea then?”

Sighing heavily, “I know I opened the dialogue here with you Sam, but I’ve suddenly realized that I am far too under-caffeinated to continue to be annoyed by you.”

“Well,” he laughs a little, adding fuel to the fire that is my irritation, “Aren’t you just a breath of vile air this morning.” he snarks.

“I might be more pleasant if your voice wasn’t so grating.” I shoot back. If tension were a physical entity in this moment, someone would be slicing it like a block of cheese being prepped for a charcuterie board. My stomach grumbles slightly. Oh, I am not going to let this man ruin charcuterie boards for me just because I am hangry.

“Shhhh,” someone a few isles extends their distaste for our conversation.

“See, look at what you’ve done.”

“Oh, what I’ve done. I didn’t realize I was talking to myself here.” He defends.

I sit back down in a huff. I cannot believe I have to spend the next few days with this man. A fact that makes it very hard not to get increasingly frustrated by the task at hand. It's March, there’s not a whole lot going on in the city and instead of a partner who is easy to collaborate with, I'm stuck with him.

Just as I get ready to do more digging, I get an email.

Samuel F. Kiszka shared a document with you.

I wonder what the F stands for. I click the link. Compelled by my own nonsense, I sing in my head ‘Wheezy F baby and the F is for front door.’

The document is titled ‘Ideas’ and a singular sentence is typed.

Since you can’t stand the sound of my voice and we can’t talk without getting heavily shushed by Susan B. NoseyPants, does this work?

Why is this simultaneously endearing and aggravating? Because yes, yes, it does work.

We take the time over what feels like a few hours bouncing ideas back and forth, and nothing seems to land with either of us.

Sam: Museums, theaters, ect, ect we even have Funtown for the kids?

Me: You want to lead with Funtown? Palace Playland is better AND by the beach even? If you don’t believe in it, neither will the people at the newspaper.

Sam: I’m not even going to entertain that argument because Palace Playland is definitely NOT better. Have you ever been on the Excalibur?

We both stare at the document, watching the line blink on the screen when the banter is no longer fun. He stands suddenly. “I’m hungry.” He states plainly. “It's almost lunchtime.”

“Astute observation, Samuel. Should we promote you to Captain Obvious?”

“You’re actually the funniest person I’ve ever met, you know. No. I know a place, you and I are going to go get lunch.” He puts on his coat and grabs his bag walking over to my side of the desks.

“We are? When did I agree to that?” skepticism heavy in my tone.

“Just now.” The manner in which he speaks matter-of-factly almost has me giving in instantly. Almost. “We need to get out of these little satanic cubes of torture and do some brainstorming. But we need brain food. I’m hungry. You’re hungry. We’re going, but you have to drive.”

“How do you know I’m hungry?”

“I’ve heard your stomach growling for over an hour.”

“Fine.” I concede. “But you’re paying.” I grab my heavy cardigan, slipping it on, and then grabbing my purse.

“That’s the spirit.” He says jovially, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I try not to think too hard about the grip he has on me as we make our way downstairs.

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The atmosphere of the restaurant he picked, “La Fromage”, is almost a bit uppity. How stuck up can you really be if you name your restaurant literally just ‘the cheese’. The lighting is low, even for the daytime, despite the two main windows in the front. The antique sconces create a nice, warm ambiance. It's a small room with bar seating and a few booths, which is where we take up residence right next to one of the windows. We’re tucked away in the corner but not too close to the front door. I slide into the booth against the wall while Sam takes the chair nearest to the walkway.

“This place looks nice. I’ve never heard of it before. How’d you find it?” I’d be a fool to think he hasn't taken a girl here on a date before. He's young and attractive. A fact I would never admit out loud because it would just inflate his already massive ego. I’m sure he doesn’t have a problem dating, something I clearly can’t relate to. He did seem to hit it off with Daisy. I imagine this place in the evening; with the street lights coming in through the windows mixing with the amber lighting, it definitely sets a romantic tone. Much different than the tone of an afternoon in the middle of a work week. It would be lovely to come here on a date instead of a bar.

“They have a location in Boston, not far from where I went to school. I heard they opened a location up here not too long ago, but I haven’t come by yet. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.” He picks up the menu, giving it a once over before settling on the alcoholic portion. So he hasn’t been here on a date.. Yet. Ugh. Stop it. “You should get a glass of wine or something.” Not bothering to glance up at me.

“I’m driving, Sam,” I state plainly.

“If one glass of wine gets you drunk enough to not be able to drive you have other things to worry about,” he looks almost concerned for a moment before his face completely shifts. “Is that why you spilled your drink all over your date the other night?”

God, must I relive this? Why is he bringing it up? As if he has no idea it was his fault. “Sam, you snuck up behind me and scared me half to death. I jumped, it tipped. That’s it.”

“If that’s your story.” The Cheshire cat smile painted on his lips looks almost good enough to smack. With my hand. Definitely my hand.

I’m about to make a case for myself when the waiter approaches.

“Afternoon, I’m Hunter. I'll be taking care of you today.” He looks over at me and winks. .. okay??? “Can I start you off with something to drink?”

Sam answers before my mouth even opens. “We’ll have two glasses of the 19 crimes red, please.” Why is he ordering for me? Hunter glances over at me like he’s trying to get a read on me. I realize then that my mouth is hung open slightly in disbelief.

“Is that okay with you?” Hunter asks me. Sam scoffs.

“Uh yes, yes, that’s fine.” I gain my composure and continue. “I’ll just also have a glass of water with no lemon, please. Thank you.” And with that, he turns and walks away. I don’t say anything. I just stare at Sam. He’s still gazing at his menu, brow furrowed a bit like he's mulling through his choices and can’t figure out what sounds good.

“19 crimes.” I chime. “Sounds devious. Did you commit all 19 by yourself? Or are you trying to drag me with you now?”

He laughs. “You know you have to look at the menu in order to find something to eat, Willa.” The sound of my name on his tongue is jarring. Again, he’s not looking at me. I take his advice hastily grabbing my menu, peering at him over the top. There’s a smirk on his face. What is his deal?

Hunter appears with our wine and my water with a lemon. Not wanting to create a fuss over a lemon I can very easily remove, I just say thank you when he sets it down on the oakwood table.

“She asked for water without a lemon,” Sam’s face is serious; I sit there, horrified at the inconvenience to the waiter.

“Oh, it's fine, really. Don’t-” he cuts my protest short, and I fidget, tucking my hair behind my ears.

“You asked for water with no lemon, Willa. This isn’t what you asked for.” Hunter takes the glass from his hand. When he turns and heads toward the kitchen, I whisper, “You didn’t have to do that, Sam. It’s not a big deal. Plus, that was kind of rude.”

“It’s not rude to expect to get what you asked for. You wanted water with no lemon, so you’ll get water with no lemon.” He says with finality. Why is that… attractive? I think he mistakes my stare as distaste for his commentary and quickly follows it up with, “If it makes you feel better, I’ll make sure to tip him well.” He shrugs a little.

I exhale heavily through my nose and change the subject, “What are you gonna get to eat?”

“The Gnocchi alla Sorrentini. What about you?”

“I was thinking of the Saffron Risotto aux Champignons. Have you tried it?” My mind drifts back to how many times he’s probably been to the other location and with whom. Wondering how many of these dishes he’s tried or if the menu is different there. How many glasses of wine he’s had or shared.

“I have. It’s my favorite dish here. It’s very good,” When he flashes me a small, slightly lopsided smile, my heart squeezes in my chest. “I think you’ll like it.”

We place our orders when Hunter comes back with my corrected water. He doesn’t make eye contact with Sam, but Sam looks directly at him when he tells him what he wants. There’s an obvious confidence about him that I like and something under the surface that feels almost like a challenge. Daring Hunter to look at him to know he has the upper hand on.. what, I can't figure out. Is this just some weird macho alpha male thing? I feel like one of them might start peeing on the floor to mark their territory in a minute.

I tell Hunter my order and then switch my gaze to the window. Something I’ve always loved about Maine is the water. Across the street, back behind the sidewalk, is a relatively short dock. You can walk down it and see some of the boats lined up. There aren’t many since the area is narrow, but you can see out toward the river. Sometimes, you can see people in smaller fast boats; other times, it's the larger fishing boats. I once took a walk down that dock with an out-of-town friend of mine, and there was a lone man on his fishing boat throwing some lobsters back into the river. He offered to let us hold one for a photo which absolutely tickled my friend pink.

Hunter brings our food out and disappears without any other commentary. I’m not sure I could handle another moment of ‘big men puff out chest be intimidating’ behavior. I take a bite of the risotto, which tastes as good as it looks. God, I’m going to have to take Quinn here. They'd absolutely love it.

My thoughts are interrupted when a bird perched on the ledge just at the edge of the window catches my eye. And suddenly..

“Sam.” My eyes were fixated on the bird. He hums. “Do you .. hike?” Unsure if he’s an outdoorsy kind of guy, given how well he dresses himself.

“Yeah, all the time, why?”

“Maine is the pine tree state.” He sends me another mhm, not fully following my thought, “You know what one of my favorite things to shoot on hikes is?” I point toward the bird in the window, not giving him a chance to respond.

“Nature. Literally, Maine is full of it. Like Acadia National Park? ‘Bah habah’” I say, mocking the more northern pronunciation of Bar Harbor.

Finally, he reaches me at the mental finish line, “Nature! Birds, Trees, Parks, Woods.. No, you’re right? That’s what makes Maine, Maine.”

“Okay, but also beyond this little bird in the window, there’s the dock. Maine is incredibly coastal, lobsters and allathat. We could do both. Like the duality of the State. Woods and Water.”

“Woods and water.” He repeats, taking a bite of his gnocchi. “Actually, you know what else could be a good idea? Old and New.”

“Old and new? What do you mean?”

“Digital and Print. I have a bunch of old film cameras. I kind of collect them,” a slight rosy tint covers his cheeks. “We could take an assortment of both digital and film photos and present both to the editors.”

“Sam, that's brilliant!” It takes us approximately three seconds to realize in my excitement, I’ve grabbed his hand that was laid on the table. We both pull away at the same time.

He clears his throat, “If you wanted, when we’re done, we could drive to my apartment, and we can take a look at the cameras I have and then figure out a plan.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” my meal suddenly becoming the most interesting thing to look at.

After a small bit of silence, Hunter comes back with our checks. Yep, checks. Plural. Sam noticeably shifts in his seat. He is apparently incredibly put off by this, and he bites out, “Just one check will do, Heath.”

“It’s Hunter.” He corrects, unamused, as he grabs the checks.

“Sure.” is all Sam says.

I laugh. I giggle, actually. Profusely. The situation at hand is far too entertaining to hold it in any longer.

“What?” Sam grills me.

“Heath! You know his name is Hunter.” I try to cover my giggle with my hand.

“I do, but I had to knock him down a peg. Assuming that I’d make you pay for your food?” he scoffs.

“I am not breaking up a fight, so reel it in, buddy.” I shake my head.

Hunter arrives with a corrected, singular check, sending us off with a ‘have a very pleasant day.’ Probably trying to play up a last-ditch effort of hospitality to ensure a decent tip still. Sam’s brow furrows as he looks over the check, he sets it down and runs his hand through his hair. No man should have hair that beautiful. My hair isn't even that beautiful. He starts to furiously pat himself down.

“I.. think I left my wallet in the office.” Oh great. Wonderful. Annoys me all morning, cons me into driving, and now I have to pay.

He winks at me, “Just kidding.” Tucking a few bills into the check holder and standing. What’s with everyone winking at me?

“Asshole.” I roll my eyes, grab my jacket, and slide out of the booth. As I stand, my foot catches on the leg of the table, and I slip. Sam rushes over to steady me upright back on my feet.

“Wow, you really are a cheap date, huh?” he jests. I try not to think about that too hard. “You sure you’re okay to drive?”

“I’m fine. My foot got caught, okay? I am not drunk. It was one glass.”

“Sounds like something a drunk person would say.” His laugh is infectious, and I hate it. It's very hard to stay annoyed at someone who laughs like they’re high on edibles all the time. But not in a Beavis and Butthead kind of way, in a carefree kind of way.

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The drive to Sam’s apartment is short; he lives closer than he made it seem which makes it easy. What is not easy, however, is the fact that there's off-street parking. I end up parking my Silver Honda CRV down the road a little by a very creepy looking ally, and we make the short walk back to his apartment. He lives on the second floor, so we at least avoid being locked in an elevator again and just take the stairs.

“Soo, I wasn’t expecting company, so don’t expect it to be too clean. And I should also warn you…”

“Warn me about what,” I say nervously. He opens the door in lieu of a response, and one of the largest dogs I’ve ever seen comes skidding across the floor. The dog jumps on Sam as he gently coos, “Woah down girl, down.” He scratches her behind the ears and continues his adoration. “How’s my girl today, huh? Did you miss me? Daddy missed you so much while he was gone.” Oh.

I step into the apartment and close the door behind me, coming into her view. She switches gears and suddenly jumps at me with full force. Given her size, and me being the least graceful person on the planet. I almost fall on my ass.

“Op,” I blow a puff of air toward my nose, trying to get some of her hair out of the way. When I steady myself on two solid feet, thank you very much, I ask, “And what’s your name, pretty girl? I didn’t know you had a dog.”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me. It’s Penelope, by the way.” Sam replies. “Or Duchess, or Penny, Penny girl. Whichever you prefer.”

“Penelope is a pretty name. You hear that? Pretty name for a pretty girl huh?” I coo in a slight baby voice. She is a gorgeous dog even if she is large. Her coat is incredibly soft. It's covered in black and brown with white all down her belly and just a bit on her nose.

“You know you can come in, right? You don’t have to stand by the door?” He waves me in.

“Uhm, actually. I have to use the bathroom, do you mind?” I hate this part. The awkward, I don't know you that well, and now we're talking about bodily functions, part of getting to know someone.

“Yeah, but it's actually through my bedroom.” He points to the doorway behind me. “First door is my closet, the second door is the bathroom.”

I walk through the doorway and take in my surroundings. Sam’s room is different than I expected and somehow exactly like I expected it to be. Not that I’ve pictured it, because I definitely have not. He has a king-sized bed with boring gray sheets. Typical. His deep wood nightstand sits just below one of 2 windows in his room, both without curtains. It’s pretty bare just an alarm clock, a lamp, and a charging pad for his phone. He has a few small plants in the window, which I should have expected given there’s a handful of plants in his kitchen. The walls are bare, apart from the few prints above his bed that’s sat on a frame with no headboard. I wonder if they’re his photos? He has a dresser that matches his nightstand and a TV on top with a gaming console. A very standard boy room apart from the few totes of his film strips that hang around. I suddenly realize I’ve been lingering too long in a space that isn’t mine, and I make my way to the bathroom, but not before I accidentally open his closet. Wow, he has a lot of clothes? I start to finger my way through the various fabrics. A man with a sense of style, so uncommon for this area. I close the closet door and choose the right door this time.

I rinse my hands under the warm faucet, letting my eyes close, and the water start to warm me. This is going to be fine. I look at myself in the mirror. It's going to be fine. The project will be fine. You and Sam will get along… eventually. You’ll get the job and you’ll never have to talk to him again. It’ll be fine. If I say the words enough, maybe I’ll start to believe them. I dry my hands off and exit the bathroom with a silent wish that I took less time than it feels like I did.

I pop my head back into the kitchen area where I first walked in, but I don’t see him.. Or Penelope. I take small, cautious steps toward what I assume is the living room. Just as I’m about to enter, I run full-bodied into Sam, causing my forehead to bounce right off his collarbone. A mixture of frustrated sounds escapes the two of us before he plants both his large hands on my shoulders and steps an arm’s length away from me. I rub at the pain between my eyes. Ouch.

“I thought you got lost for a minute.”

“No I just.. Didn’t know where you were. I wasn’t trying to invade your space.”

“Little late for that, isn’t it,” he gestures a hand between us, referring to our closeness. “Plus, there are only so many rooms, Willa. You would have found me eventually.” I hate it when he says my name. He turns and walks farther into the room calling after me, “You comin?”

I enter the room and it’s actually fairly large for it being in the city. Good, decent-sized apartments are hard to find here. There’s a half-brick wall behind the orange couch. The large windows set above it let in a ton of light but somehow don’t reflect off the TV screen sitting opposite it. He has records stored in a few different places and an old-style record player. A Fender Bass guitar and a small amp sit in the corner. I didn't know he could play an instrument. A small standing desk in the corner where his laptop sits among various other papers and notebooks. And to the left, there's a beautiful wall of shelves set up with a handful of film cameras. All old, each serving a unique purpose. It’s heaven for a person like me. I don't know why I've never thought to collect film cameras before.

“Wow.” It comes out of my mouth barely above a whisper.

“I know. It's my favorite part of my house.” He’s proud. And he should be. I can feel the weight of his eyes on me, studying my reaction.

“Where did you get them all?” I question, reaching to touch one before I pull my hand back. It would be rude to just touch something so delicate and important, but the desire in me is burning.

“Flea markets and vintage shops. Ebay. I even bought one off Etsy, oddly enough.”

The anticipation is killing me, and I start to shift anxiously on my feet. I feel like a child at a candy store waiting for permission to let loose and stock my bag full. I’m sure from the outside I look like a child at a candy store, but I don’t care. If Sam didn’t annoy me so much, I might try to con my way into being friends with him just so I can test each one out. Every old camera has its own quirks it has developed over the years. Like it curated its own personality, stealing bits from each person that has held it. It’s a fun experience to learn a camera.

“Go ahead.” he stifles his chuckle.

I run my fingers over the few cameras on the bottom shelf. He has a few different cameras from a few different decades, definitely older than both of us combined. I settle on a ‘1981 vintage Kiev camera Jupiter’; it doesn't shoot in 35mm like most standard film cameras. It shoots in 8m, creating a wider shot, not quite like today's panorama views.

“I love that one. She creates these really beautiful wide shots. You gotta make sure you press quick and hard, though, or you won’t actually capture the photo.” He steps behind me and places his hand on mine, tilting the camera upwards before pointing at the button he’s referencing. His hands are so warm. When I inhale to disrupt my own thoughts, my back touches his chest. His chest is warm, too. Oh God. It's too warm in here. I step forward and turn around, facing him again.

“She’s beautiful. I think I’ll go with this one. Thank you, Sam.” I dare to look at his coffee-colored eyes. “I know lending out something this special is a big deal. So thank you.”

“Just be careful. Josephine was a hard find." He grabs the camera from my hand and walks over to the couch where his camera bag is, slipping it inside.

“Josephine?” I question, “Do you.. name all your cameras?”

“Don’t judge me, okay. You’re telling me you don’t name yours? What about your car huh?” Oh, he’s got me there.

“I.. have named every car I’ve ever had.” I raise my hands in defeat and bow my head in amusement.

“Alright then. Take your judgy pants off and leave 'em at home.”

“Hey, aren’t you going to grab one?” avoiding the previous comment entirely.

“Nah, I always have my Olympus on me. I shoot on film any chance I can get.” He picks up his bag and slides it back on his shoulder.

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Back in my car and buckling our seat belts, he says, “So I was thinking about the woods and water idea, and maybe we can shoot in town to save time and then, uhm, tomorrow.. uhh, if you’re free, we could do the woods stuff.” He seems nervous, and I can’t quite place my finger on why. I agree, placing my car in reverse and backing onto the main road.

“I know of a nice place we can go… For tomorrow, I mean.”

“Should I be concerned you’re going to murder me in the woods?”

“I would never do that.”

“Sounds like something a murderer would say to a potential victim.” I side-eye him before returning my gaze to the road. “Don’t try anything, I most definitely will be bringing pepper spray tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m on sabbatical. Even serial killers need a break.” He flashes me a cocky smile and winks at me once again. The next person who winks at me is going to end up with their eyeball on a skewer. I SWEAR.

“Okay, now we're taking separate cars. That is, if you can even make it.”

“How dare you talk about Edith like that.” Raising his eyebrows in offense. “She is a gem and has been through a lot. She just needs TLC is all.”

“Edith? Josephine? What is this, the 1940s?”

“Hey! Edith and Josephine are great names. They’re vintage– my truck is older than I am, so it makes sense.” He shrugs. “What’s your car's name, huh?”

“Jon Bon Silver Fox.” I try not to smile at the ridiculousness of it, but it’s sentimental, sort of. And it makes me laugh.

“Jon Bon… Silver Fox..” repeating my words slowly. “Like Jon Bon Jovi?”

“Like Jon Bon Jovi. My mom loved him when I was growing up so she always had his music playing, I grew up loving him too. Nowadays he's a silver fox, my car is silver, therefore: Jon Bon Silver Fox.”

“You would like mom-rock,” we both laugh, and I send him a small eye-roll to follow.

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After finding another off-street parking spot, god, I hate Portland. We have a small huddle before deciding to split up and see what we can find. Our version of splitting up is just heading the same way down the road and shooting on opposite sides of the sidewalk, but it works.

As annoying as the parking situation is in this city, it's absolutely beautiful here. Every building is made up of tattered red bricks because everything in this city is old. Old, but beautiful. There’s a history here, every spot has a story. Every small restaurant is owned by someone's grandfather or great-grandfather and passed down through generations. Sidewalks with initials carved into them, we even have our own version of the ‘love locks’.

The evening breathes a different light, though. It’s painted with character right down to the cobblestone streets the drunk girls wobble down during the summer nights. The “cobble wobble” will never not be funny to me, especially since I’ve been that girl a time or two.

I spot a Song Sparrow; at least I think that’s the correct bird. It's a small little thing with a tan body and dark brown spots, and it's absolutely beautiful. I crouch down, trying to make myself small so he doesn’t get scared and fly away. Aiming for a shot on the vintage camera I’ve borrowed from Sam, I realize the view is far too wide for what I need.

“Sam!” I whisper-shout, looking around for him. When I don’t see him I call his name again a little louder. He pops his head up from behind a bush and I frantically wave him over pressing a finger to my lips to quiet him. He kneels down behind me.

“I need this,” I say, grabbing his camera, still attached to his neck by his camera strap. He leans into me further as I pull the viewfinder close to my eye. I adjust the settings as quickly as I can so I don’t miss it.

He's far too close to my ear when he whispers to me, “I can take it off, you know?” A shiver runs down my back from the heat of his breath. Focus, Willa.

“There’s no time. I don’t want him to fly away,” I click a couple times, and he shifts on his feet, crinkling whatever wrapper is trapped between his shoe and the pavement.

“Shhhh,” I reach my hand across my body and grab his face blindly, my eye still glued to the camera. “Don't. Move.” I release him. One more click, and I’m certain I’ve got a good shot.

“Did you get it?” He whispers in my ear again. I turn to face him, and he is so close to me. I follow his eyes as they meet mine and drop down to my lips. Oh, no.

I clear my throat, “Yeah, I think I did. Uhm,” I squeeze my lids shut and pause, trying to center myself. We both rush to stand at the same time. In the flurry of limbs, I seem to trip over my own foot, losing my balance completely. Sam lunges toward me but isn’t quick enough. I have no idea how I am the least graceful person alive. I grab the antique camera around my neck and on my way to the ground and try my best to hold it in the air. My ass takes all the damage in the fall but the camera remains perfectly intact. I breathe a sigh of relief, if Josephine was hard to find once, she'd be hard to find twice.

“Jesus christ, Willa,” he hurries to my side. His next words don’t match the concern on his face. “You have to be more careful. You could have broken something!” He scolds me. His camera? That’s what he's worried about? I look down at the palm on my left hand, it's scuffed and bleeding slightly. Small rocks embedded in my skin. My ass is definitely going to have a bruise.

“Don’t worry, Sunshine. Your camera is fine,” I roll my eyes and brush myself off before standing. I hiss as my hand starts to throb. “Ah fuck” I mutter under my breath, waving my hand, trying to shake off the pain.

“No..” a prolonged deep sigh escapes his lips. “Never mind, just be more careful,” reiterating his initial point.

“Yeah, Got it.” I snap. Annoyance settles through me to my core once again. A constant state of being when I’m around him. Does he really think I’d be the type of person to let his shit break? “No, you know what. You always have some slick comments to say. Like you might just spontaneously combust if the world doesn’t hear your shitty commentary. Why are you always a jerk?”

“Telling you to be careful, is me being a jerk?” He defends.

“I wouldn’t let anything happen to your camera, Sam. So, please, can you not think I’m an idiot for five seconds?” I huff out.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot? I think you’re a klutz and definitely way too cranky for your own good, but I definitely don’t think you’re stupid.” Sounding slightly confused. For the love of god, why is he confused?

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Can we go? I got what I needed, and I definitely don’t want to look at you anymore.” I start to head back toward my car.

“I hope it gives you hell when you do, Birdie.” he follows in my footsteps. Birdie? What the hell is that?

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I somehow have found myself back at the Caravel Tavern. I say somehow but what I really mean is Quinn forced me, and I really can never say no to them. They know that and pull the ‘I’m your best friend’ card constantly. They’re lucky I love them so much.

“I cannot believe you made me come back here.” I shrink in my seat, trying to appear as small as possible. We’re sitting toward the back but not entirely in the corner. I face the door so I can see most of the bar to try and prevent someone from sneaking up on me. A thing that I learned does not actually work when it comes to this place.

“Please, you act like I'm not at all nosy and don’t want to see the face of the man who keeps you lying awake at night.” Quinn teases.

“I do not lie awake at night. He just annoys me every waking moment of every waking day that I have to interact with him. Did I tell you he wore glasses today? It’s bad enough that he knows how to dress himself, but then to wear glasses? It made his face extra punchable.”

“Babes, that’s called cuteness aggression.”

“No, Absolutely not. He’s annoying, not cute. He also started calling me Birdie today. No idea why. Birdie??” In the middle of my defense, I notice Quinn’s eyes go wide and then the bartender I haven’t met yet appears from behind me, effectively scaring me. What is it with this place?

“Welcome, Welcome!” he says, as cheerful as if sunshine itself had manifested in our presence.

“Is it written in the manual as a requirement that you sneak up behind your guests and scare them?” I inquire.

“Ahh yes, actually. It's in the section of the manual right next to ‘How to deal with cheeky customers’,” He throws me an equally cheeky side eye and a smile.

“Ya know, I like you. At least one of you can grow a mustache around here.”

“I’m not Employee of the Month for nothing. Be on the lookout for a framed photo of yours truly on the wall over there.” He makes a small gesture toward the bathrooms.

“So what, can I get you started with today?” At least one person who works here is funny. He’s charming in a way that Sam wishes he was. Effortlessly so. He’s not cocky or arrogant, he’s just funny and warm. Warm in a way that if all the people of the world were like that, it would be a better place. He takes our orders, making us laugh through the whole interaction, which is a nice change of pace from the last few days. He pauses a moment before he leaves and his gaze lingers on Quinn a bit. Interesting.

“I think he thinks you’re cute, Q,” I whisper to them like a gossiping old bitty.

“He’s related to the owner.” They tell me, whispering back.

“Jesus Christ, there’s three of them?”

“Three of them?”

“Yeah, the one who can’t grow a mustache owns the bar, and Sam is his brother. If this one is related to the owner too, then they’re all brothers.” I pause.

“Wait, how do you know he’s related to the owner?” I look over toward the bar and accidentally make eye contact with Sam. “Oh god.” I whisper, “That’s him. Quinn, don’t look, he's coming over here.”

“What happened to not wanting to look at me? Change your mind and come to gaze at my devilish handsomeness?” Sam exudes cockiness from every orifice. What a tool.

“Devilish, yes. Handsome, debatable. I came for a drink. Had to unwind after dealing with the world's worst coworker today.” I flutter my eyelashes and throw him a sarcastic smile.

“Yeah, that Susan is an uptight bitch, huh?” He takes notice of Quinn, looking them up and down in their striped, earth-toned sweater and mocha-colored overalls. Their hair in their signature pixie cut curls.

“And who is this?” He asks while maintaining his gaze on Quinn.

“Uh, Sam, this is my roommate, Quinn. Quinn, this is my project partner, Sam.” He reaches out to shake their hand, which they return apprehensively.

“Birdie, you didn’t tell me your roommate was hot.” I would pay money to have had someone record this interaction because Quinn’s face is priceless. Maybe now they understand the hell I go through.

The third brother appears from out behind Sam, then in the sneaky way they all seem to have perfected.

“OKAY.” He says loudly, clamping his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Don’t you have some shit to take care of? Like your job.” Sam starts to try, and pull his shoulder away. By the grimace he’s making, he has a tight grip on his brother. Sam breaks free and rubs at his shoulder.

“Ow, Josh,” He says, not low enough to escape my ears. What a baby. I wonder if he’ll complain about that, too. Probably.

“So, sorry about him. He doesn’t get out much. He acts a bit rabid when he sees real people.” Josh pads off to return to his other duties.

“Do you see what I mean? He’s intolerable.”

“Absolutely, completely intolerable.”

“Thank you.”

“No, you’re right, Wilson. Sam IS cute.” They say a bit too loud for my taste. “Shhhhh. I never said that!” I look around frantically to see if any of the brothers are within earshot and regretfully notice a smirk on Sam’s lips. Curse Quinn and their antics.

<- Chapter Three Chapter Five

Masterpost | Taglist

Taglist 💜 :

(I don't know what happened last week with the tags I double checked this week 😅)

@gvfsstardust @myleftsock @mindastreamofcolours @imleavingyoufornewyork @dont-go-home-without-me@literal-dead-leaf, @lizzys-sunflower @threadofstars @mackalah @klarxtr @ourlovesdesire, @writingcold @edgingthedarkness @takenbythemadness @i-love-gvf @ladywhimsymoon @earthgrlsreasy @peaceloveunitygvf, @violet-hayes @anythingforjtk

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eretzyisrael · 6 months

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The Arab American News reports that a crowd of 1,200 Arab Americans filled an auditorium at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn last Tuesday evening, well after the Hamas atrocities were well know and documented.

That didn't stop Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News, to tell the crowd that Hamas was “not a terrorist organization.”

Imam Imran Salha of the Islamic Center of Detroit, a Palestinian-majority mosque, said that Israel will burn.

This is only what is being reported. The full video shows more outrageous statements.

That same Imam Salha referred to the perpetrators of the massacre, saying "the Palestinians that

stand up for their rights, that protest peacefully, that they cross the border. They do not love to die.

They love life. And because they love life, they wanted to stand up for their rights." His use of past tense makes it clear he was referring to this event.

Salha also mocked the Israelis at the rave who tried desperately to escape from being murdered by Hamas terrorists: "If you really had a claim to the land, oh Israeli, why did you run away like a chicken?" the imam said to applause.

Another speaker, Nasir Beydoun, invoked antisemitic tropes by saying "Before we end the occupation of Palestine, we have to end the occupation of Congress!"

He is a candidate for the Senate.

(UPDATE) Siblani's full statement was reprehensible:

We are not going to be intimidated or silent when they say Hamas is a terrorist organization. The fact is it is not a terrorist community. And we have to say to them that terrorist is Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. But not only Benjamin Netanyahu and his government but everyone that stands behind them and supports him, killing people in Palestine. We are not afraid to say it. You know why? Because it is the truth. And we have to say it because we are responsible before God. ... Let me tell you, let me tell you what happened on Sunday. So what happened on Sunday was shameful. Here in Michigan. Our representative went to a synagogue and that is not the issue. But what they did there is shameful. While people are being dead. Under the rubbles of their homes. From the bombs that made in the United States. And give it to Israel to kill people. They were standing and dancing and laughing on our bodies, on our homes.

Sunday was Simchat Torah. The representative visited a synagogue where Jews were dancing around the Torah as is done on this holiday. The idea that they were dancing because Israel was bombing Palestinians is sickening - because in synagogues around the world, this was the saddest Simchat Torah ever, as we were only starting to learn about the horrific and genocidal attack by Siblani's Hamas friends on thousands of innocent Jewish civilians.

Where I prayed, where we do not use electronics during the festival, the first time we learned about the attack was right before the dancing. We stopped, said Psalms, prayed for the safety of the people, and then danced a subdued set of hakafot with songs centered around asking God for salvation.

For Siblani to twist that into saying that Jews were celebrating Palestinian deaths is grotesque and revolting..

#osama siblani #arab american news #simchat torah #hamas supporters #dearborn michigan #imam imran salha

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stephenjaymorrisblog · 6 months

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There is a Christo-fascist in the House!

Stephen Jay Morris

10/28/23

©Scientific Morality.

I remember it vividly. During the Vietnam war in the 60s, the overall sense of helplessness among Americans as the U.S. Air Force dropped bombs on Vietnamese villages full of children, mothers, elderly people, and other innocent humans. The government said that the Viet Cong were among the peasants and was using them as human shields. Those civilians were merely “collateral damage.” In other words: oops! It got to the point, during the anti-war movement, where every tactic we employed was futile. Demonstrations, civil disobedience, voting for liberal Democrats. The killing continued. So, what could we do? A group of militants from SDS became “The Weathermen” and utilized terrorist methods, like planting bombs in public buildings or at corporate headquarters. It didn’t work!

Doesn’t that sound familiar? You see, if you criticized the U.S. government then for its war strategies, you were “anti-American.” The Conservatives were stanch supporters of the war in Vietnam. After all, not only was this a war against communism, it was also a war on yellow people! Bumper stickers abounded on 10-year-old cars: “Love it or leave it!” along with antenna-mounted American flags! My favorite Bumper sticker was: “Don’t like the police? Next time you are in trouble, call a hippie!” One thing they used to talk about was the man-made tunnels in which the Viet Cong hid.

The same thing exists in Gaza city; Hamas has tunnels everywhere! That is why Israel must flush them out by carpet bombing the city! So, if civilians are crushed under collapsing buildings, oh well. Blame it on Hamas! If they’d never attacked Israel, then nobody would have gotten hurt! In this war, if you criticize Israel, you are Anti-Semitic! History repeats itself, repeatedly.

The primary reason I hate Hamas is because they are Theocrats. They want Palestine to be an Islamic state. Israel is a Secular democracy and an asylum for Jews in the diaspora. There are some Judeo-Fascists who want to turn Isael into a Theocratic state, as well as a separatist state for Jews only. “Kick out all non-Jews!” This was the Rabbi Kahani doctrine when he was Aliyah to Israel. He was the founder of the American Jewish Defense League. They were a Right wing militia group for Jews. Got the picture?

Here is more bad news: The MAGA Republicans are one step closer to making America a Christian state. In Congress, the Republican majority just elected a certified Christian-Nationalist to be Speaker of the House. If that doesn’t put a chill in your spine, then you must be high on meth! Maybe you ought to forget your family problems and show a little concern. If not, well I don’t give a happy shit! You got so many warnings from the Anti-Authoritarian Left. If you believe it’s only a shower, then take off your clothes and walk in and get a whiff of Zyklon B. When Democrats warn you about the dangers of a fascist state, then you know you are the deep state. The Democrats never used the word, “fascist” until now.

You should worry. When the God Squad enters your homes and conducts a search for anti-American books and other Satanic contraband, then hauls you into Jesus’ camp for owning an art book full of photos of 17th Century paintings of nude, fat women, then you will say, “The far out Left was correct! Politically correct! Go ahead—laugh now, cry later.

Me? I will protect my family the best I can, but I will laugh at your tears the way you laughed at me. I will get the last laugh.

#stephenjaymorris #poets on tumblr #youtube #anarchism #anarchopunk #anarchocommunism #american politics #anarcho punk #anarcho syndicalism #anarchofeminism #anarcho primitivism #atheism #agnostisizm

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the-art-in-arthesia-is-loud · 3 months

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oh. hello everyone. there's a strike going on right now. you know. the one where we have to talk about palestine no matter what and try our best to not go to school or work?

yeah, because of that, i don't think i'll be posting art on here until it ends. i'll be rb-ing stuff on my main, you all should spread awareness too. don't stop talking about palestine.

#see you in a week.#arthesia's general seriousness

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tennant · 3 months

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Off the back of your last anon, I am curious about your perspective on something. Do you think it’s important that people thoroughly research an artist or a creative before “stanning” them or consuming their content? I was thinking how little I know about almost all of the directors I love, apart from what they show in their movies. Plenty of older actors and writers get passes, too, like Alain Delon as a popular example (a literal Nazi — but he was oh so hot in the 60s! …). Honestly, I don’t even want to look into most of the filmmakers and I actors I love; I only want to know them for the art they offer and my relationship to that. Naturally, I’m also selfish not to want them ruined to me.

There seems to be an opinion nowadays that, “How can you not know ___??? You’re obviously on the internet! Everyone knows ___!” but I really do stay away from a lot of it — I genuinely don’t know what most filmmakers and actors think, including the very famous or popular ones — even in regards to stances on recent(ish) events like Palestine.

Can we reasonably remain wilfully ignorant? Everyone can’t know everything about every single celeb. I’m usually just watching a film, not do an entire deep dive on everyone involved in it. Is that fair? Where is the line between what you’re expected to know and what gets a pass?

i'm not the right person to ask this kind of thing, but since you asked for my views about it....

is it important to do thorough research before stanning a celebs/artists and consuming their contents? i think it's important these days, cos in the olden days (before stanning culture wasn't as mainstream like now), i consume western contents casually for example... doctor who (i'm a southeast asian in case if anyone doesn't know yet, some of us grew up being ignorant for such things), i watch it for entertainment purpose and no idea about doing a research on things yet. and then one day the john barrowman sexual abuse rumour was floating around (apparently it was also implied on this song), then i realised that how important it is to do research things that affiliated with celebs/artists.

but again, it depends on whether if you want to be a casual viewer without actually being a fanatic (or "stanning") of a show/movies/celebs.

in regards on celebrities views' on palestine, i think plenty of them are actually on the zionist' side but not showing apparent things that they support them (hence why we genuinely doesn't know their opinions cos they just burst out their opinions later on), being neutral sided, some of them also have no idea (for example david oyelowo who signed the letter for biden, but then he quickly signed the letter artists4ceasefire bc he genuinely had no idea. hence why he's on the lists of both israel supporters and palestine supporters). or sometimes some celebs doesn't really care about this kind of issues?

about the line between what you’re expected to know and what gets a pass, i drew the line if i knew the issues beforehand (for example when one of your mates tell you "oh this is bad you shouldn't watch it" or when you casually scroll through twitter or instagram or tiktok, the news of the celebs that you consume their media appears), i do a research about it myself. if my mind decided that i shouldn't watch a media after my own research, then i won't. if it's the opposite, i'll may watch it.

the conclusion is, everyone has their own opinions about media that they consume. some people can be totally ignorant, others can enjoy media without actually cares about the celebs, or being actively voice their support; i'm not accusing you or people who have the same opinions as you being neutral sided or anything, it's all really back to the individual themselves whether they have still got that sense of humanity.

#some of my mutuals here are ofmd stans and idk what they'll do after the issues surrounding their faves on the show #i'm not even unfollow them or pointing at them or judging them for being ofmd stans #i'm just minding my own business here like i always do #asks

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palestinenatural · 6 months

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went to a talk circle about palestine today out of curiosity -the pro-palestine movement in my country is in diapers and I wanted to check out the few groups organizing it- and. jskdk lol lmao. it was announced as a space to talk about palestinian politics and create posters for the protests this week but maybe ten people showed up. and they all wanted to sort out their personal feelings about the news and congratulate each other on how well-informed about the occupation they are and they kept relating it to local "liberal" movements that have nothing to do with SWANA politics. and they wanted to upload this to social media. they couldn't get past recounting the horrifying suffering in gaza,,,,their idea of "coming up with solutions" was to print some catchy slogans on a t shirt and do "geopolitical analysis" which truly did not go deeper than "it sucks that the usamericans keep intervening in other countries it's very sad and unfair."

we were the only three palestinians in attendance so we were like oh we have to guide this discussion it's so embarrassing that this is the best allyship our country can offer bdjfjf so we went hey isn't it outrageous how nearly word for word western powers are reusing lies they made up about Iraq in the 90s and ppl aren't realizing? what can we do to help them discern and remember these things? and they answered that actually ppl aren't falling for it bc social media is so descentralized these days. so we were like ok if you say so! hey in our experience the general public in this country does not even know where palestine is and they only hear about us when the violence of the occupation gets worse, so their only image of us is as terrorists. and some guy was like um no actually I don't see palestinians as terrorists so that can't be true. and we were like our literal lived experience has been that people's 1st question is "your surname is weird where is it from?" and their 2nd question is "oh you must have family in isis right?" you HAVE to believe us (the palestinians) when we say that this country is not ready to hear about support for the resistence -they don't know where any of these places are, they don't know anything about our society or language or art or music or literature or scientific production or history! cultural relations between both countries are non-existent so it would be an excellent first step to promote knowledge of these things. It's difficult to feel empathy for a people you only see as violent, or as perpetual victims, but these kinds of restrictive narratives do make it easier to accept the dehumanization of the population. the occupation has been so successful bc they know how (and have a lot of help and funding) to market themselves to the world, how to share their culture and achievements beyond the violence. that's why it took us until 2023 to begin organizing an allied movement! no one knows anything!

and these fucking people. said to my face that we can't share palestinian culture bc us influence is just too great :( :( even though I had provided firsthand evidence to the contrary. and they went right back to discussing how palestinian resistance movements relate to our local history. shut up shut up shut up!!!!!!!!! why are you here praising indigenous liberation movements if you won't listen to the indigenous participants!!!!!!!!!! and you can bet they didn't let me speak for long enough to suggest some starting points for learning about our culture and history beyond the occupation. since they want to see us as poor little cardboard victims they can whip out whenever they need to shore up support for controversial local politics so bad

#so disappointing. I was writing an article about the dehumanization of palestinians in mexican media #but this experience confirms that nobody knows anything at all about us beyond the horrors and so they don't care about us as people #so idk I might ask the activist group the article was for to work with me on a cultural exchange project instead #you will see the moral bankruptcy of using us to advance your own political agenda or so help me

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the1975attheirverybest · 5 months

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Hi I am that anon and I am not trolling or trying to make you mad etc. my person opinion is that no celebrity or person has to make a stance on things just because of their platform. I know that’s not a common opinion and I understand how serious and horrible the situation in Palestine is, but I still don’t think that celebrities have to say anything. And if you think that makes them a bad person, that’s fine. I was just trying to understand your pov

No, I agree with you. And, again, I have said this thousands of times. I don’t think that celebrities should have to voice their political affiliations in general. And I tend to get why those who don’t do it choose not to. But there is a difference between asking all celebrities to weigh in on all matters. Like they’re not getting a presidential briefing every morning with all the relevant information and taking to Twitter to say like “oh this bill has been passed and I hate it” however what is going on in Palestine is WAAAYYY PAST being political differences where each side has a valid point. It is a humanitarian crisis. A genocide. Children are being bombed and people are denied food, water, shelter etc.

Moreover, I would argue that the crisis (not war, not conflict, not political instability) in Gaza right now is a unique situation that requires non political leaders to speak up because, unlike other matters that fit white supremacy, when the US is funding the genocide, they tend to suppress media coverage on it. Go read about the ways in which news outlets AND social media has been working to cover it up. So, the REGULAR modes of education and information are not accessible in this specific case. Does it not then follow that it’s morally incumbent on people who have influence and power to SAY something???? Is that too much to ask? I’m just saying, she’s a billionaire. Can she please oh please see my people as worthy of being saved?

Taylor Swift says no thanks. And oh it’s okay that these people are killing your entire race. Sell them my movie anyway. Money is money. Even if it has Palestinian children’s names written all over it.

So, yeah, I don’t think being non-political is a bad thing (even though I think art is inherently political and she’s def happy to use it as such when it benefits her) but I am saying she’s a bad person for doing what she’s doing. And for staying silent.

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sunspira · 5 months

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i actually wanna be clear that i know for sure that if i grew up jewish in 2010-2015 i would have been misguided in the same way a lot of tumblr was then not realizing how much propaganda about israel had been fed to me. the people who used to have a different perspective and used to believe in a lot of zionist propaganda, genuinely believing it made sense, but changed their minds due to recent events i love and respect you so much. it's really only the people on here who were parroting zionist propaganda back then but in recent months have only since doubled down and played the victim fuck you in particular

because it IS mixed in with the truth and the elements of truth combined with a lot of programming from well meaning people and encountering that your whole life actually is a genuinely confusing process because you have to unpack the valid points from the invalid ones which will take many years. like the kind of racism that is embraced in liberal spaces can be tricky for a very young adult especially when many neo nazis are vocally anti israel just for all the wrong reasons. so it seems like you're on the right side? when there's so much fact from fiction to break apart. (like true: jewish people wanting a homeland and refuge is very understandable (many other refuge diaspora living in america can relate to this), jewish people still have a lot of personal and cultural connection to their ancestral homeland that was once israel and it makes a lot of sense to want to visit or do a pilgrimage there or even move there. to palestine. to join palestine and become a citizen. it's true that antisemitism fueled zionism that religious & ethnic minority have been incredibly persecuted in both the middle east and europe and displaced. some jewish culture and art overlaps with palestinian culture on its own naturally due to common ancestors. and false: palestinian culture is interchangeable with jewish culture and any jewish person can grab from the art and culture of the modern levant like accessories cause it's yours now / your parents claimed it during their birthright trip so that's fine and not colonialism at all, mizrahi jewish peoples cultures are basically yours to play with. israel is exactly the same as the united states and the false idea that 400 years of colonialism and ethnic cleansing should be compared as exactly the same to 70 years of it and seen as equally unreasonable and a lost hope to change now so the only reason there's a push to prevent the same extent of genocide befalling palestine while we still can is antisemitism. everyone shut it and accept the two state solution.)

basically i'm saying i know for sure i was very ignorant on many things back then too and i'm sure i would have been in the same boat spreading zionist talking points without realizing how wrong i was. i'm sure i would have not understood the complexity of all this when this very effective propoganda would have been targeting my family and community for generations i wouldve heard so many reputable people in and out of the jewish community saying the two state solution is reasonable (i'm pretty sure i heard this a lot from gentile people i trusted and my parents have always been very clueless or middle ground unoppinionated about all things israel & Palestine. i always remember my mom meeting some shopkeepers running a bath and body boutique in martha's vineyard who said they were from israel and my mom was like "omg cool my dad was from lebanon 😄" all happy like oh! a neighbor. and they frowned at her so hard until she left the store jdjfjebf and my dad had to pull her aside and be like. don't go telling people that stuff if they are from israel they don't like lebanon very much. my dads family in NJ was always more involved with the local jewish community than any italian one because personality and profession wise i think that's just where they fit in and what the chemical and computer engineering scene looked like in the 50s 60s & 70s. i always got the impression the blue collar machismo italian american family was just a very alienating and poor match for my classically nerdy granpa and he found friends in other scenes that he could relate to. this guy was always mistaken for being jewish all his life and found it to be a compliment & just funny and was a member of a jewish gym or rec center or this and that, cause he liked it there and tbh i admire his embracing of others of whatever felt good and just focusing on being a person with lack of ethnic tribalism that runs pretty deep with many southern italian families. and white middle class gentile american discourse and propoganda is very pro israel so that was my family's relationship with it jewish or not. my lebanese grandpa was a proud veteran of world war 2 and very patriotic so if america was pro-israel that's how he was going to be too. all this to say i sure as hell didn't have any guidance growing up about israel being wrong if anything passive support of it and it took time to figure out my opposition to it on my own. at 18 i was still deeply ingrained in american propoganda and passive racism and patriotism in the midst of questioning and rejecting that stuff and grappling with seeing bad things in people i love so i don't expect my peers from the same or similar background to be any different)

so if you once had views supporting israel and don't anymore i don't dislike or judge you for it i really don't. some people might and i get that but like me personally I was nearly as clueless and have no place judging your for stuff i know would have mislead me at the time. i don't dislike or judge you for having gone on a birthright trip 10 years ago when you were 18 and everything you knew about the world was telling you that's completely fine and not harmful at all! i know i would have done the same.

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chocolate-eclaire · 1 year

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Hello!!

I'm Claire! I'm a 19 year old asexual artist, and I use this account to post some of my drawings and reblog stuff I like :)

My Current Interests (+ Some Favorite Characters):

Major Interests (Actively Posting About It)

Jojo's Bizarre Adventures (Dio Brando [I have a love-hate relationship regarding him but bare with me here], Joseph Joestar, Caesar Zeppeli, Jean Pierre Polnareff, Josuke Higashikata, Yoshikage Kira, Guido Mista, Foo Fighters)

Super Mario (Donkey Kong, Princess Daisy, Luigi, Mario, Princess Peach)

Bluey (Heeler Family)

Minor Interests (Occasionally Posting About It)

Stardew Valley (Harvey, Maru, Elliot, Emily, Leah, Haley) (I'm still a little early into the game, so these opinions might change later on down the line)

As for my boundaries, I advise you not to follow me if you:

Support/Identify as a "MAP"/"NOMAP" (Pedophile)/Zoophile (I'll block and report you on sight)

Are a Bigot (Racist/Alt-Right/Neo-Nazi/Islamophobic/Antisemitic/Pro-Israeli Government/Anti-Palestine/Ableist/LGBTphobic/TERF/Radqueer/LGBT Fetishizer/etc.)

Defend: Certain Crimes/Criminals Being Romanticized Such as: Murder/Serial Killers (Specifically Real Serial Killers, examples: Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, etc.), School Shootings/School Shooters, Animal Abuse/Animal Abusers, Rape/Rapists, etc.; Sexual Scenarios Involving Children, Pedophilic/Abusive/Incestuous (Blood-Related, Step-Family, or Adopted) Relationships

Are a Lolicon/Shotacon/Kodocon or whatever the hell you call yourself

Actively Support Sending People Death Threats Over Minor Things

Are a Hardcore Fan of: Harry Potter, Hannibal, The Coffin of Andy and Leyley (Even if you don't support the creators of these medias, I still don't feel comfortable with you following me; Adding more soon)

Call yourself "Pro-Life"/Anti-Abortion but do absolutely nothing to help the parent(s) after birth

Treat Your Headcanons as Canon and Force Them Down Other People's Throats

Use the Terms "Cult", "Puritan", and "Purity Culture" When Referring to Anything That Isn't Related to Religion (example: Fandom Discourse)

Are a True Crime Community/Eating Disorder/Self Harm Blog

Are an NFT or AI "Art" Supporter

Have a Repost/Edit Account on Any Social Media Platform Where You Don't Properly Credit Other's Art ("Credit to The Artist" Is NOT Proper Credit.)

Are Under 13 Years Old (Why do you even have social media anyway?)

Are a Heavy N$FW Oriented Blog (If you post pinups/mildly spicy stuff or occasionally post n$fw and decide to follow, I'll be fine with that, but if your blog is solely centered around n$fw, then I won't really feel comfortable with you following me. I have nothing against these types of blogs, it's just a personal preference.)

Some more things:

If I follow/interact with someone/reblog something from anyone problematic/ isn't a good person in general/fits in the criteria of my list above, please message me to let me know! I may forget to do background checks sometimes, so any info will be appreciated!

Please pick a proper pfp/reblog some posts before following! If you have a default/thirst trap looking pfp or an empty blog, I'm going to assume you're a bot and I might have to block you.

Feel free to like/reblog any of my older posts. Even if it's from a few months ago, I won't mind :)

Oh, and one more thing...

DON'T👏SEND👏ME👏DONATION👏 ASKS/MESSAGES👏!!! I'm going to assume it's a scam and I'll block you, simple as that.

And I think that's it! If you'd like to check out my art, go to the "#my art" tag!

Socials (also in linktr.ee in bio):

Instagram/TikTok/Threads:

@/chocolate_eclaire1216

Twitter:

@/choc0latecla1re

Thanks for reading! :)

Current status: Active

Updated: April 26th, 2024

#welcome #welcome to my blog #artists on tumblr #artist on tumblr

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dungeonqueering · 2 years

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2021 Be Like

JANUARY

Bean Dad

Storming the Capitol

Impeachment 2

Reality Shifting Draco Malfoy Murder

Parler Hacked

Sea shanties are BACK BAY BEEEEEE

Inauguration outfits

BERNIE'S MITTENS

Militant Vegan Lady Tries to Bully Children and Gordon Ramsey

Executive Orders

Reddit Kills Hedgfunds with GameStonks

Politician openly believes California Wildfires were started by Jewish Space Lasers and somehow isn't removed from office for blatant antisemitism

Lady Dimitrescu,,, lady.... Tall

FEBRUARY

EEBY DEEBY

The Queen doing monarch shit on the DL

India Treating Farmers Very Badly

I promise I'm not a cat lawyer video

Trump Acquitted even though 57 / 100 voted against him.

Texas has no power, Cruz flies to Cancun for a vacay while ppl die

Rush Limbaugh dies, crab rave

WE LANDED PERSERVERANCE BAY BEE

Daft Punk retired. :(

Texas Freezes Over, Cruz goes to Florida this time.

March

Texas lifts mask requirements

Biden bombs Syria instead of helping people.

Dems pass the $1400 stimulus. No republicans support it, they could have included anything in that bill and the GOP couldn't have stopped them. They CHOSE to make it less.

Harry and Meghan on Oprah drag the royal family

NFTs enable art theft

Stimmy Time

The Pope says Catholics can get the J&J vaccine only if it's the only one available (it has stem cells)

Anti-asian hate crimes in Georgia

EverGiven runs aground in Suez Canal

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Montero)

Shrimp Tails in Cinnamon Toast Crunch

EverGiven freed six days later.

April

Prince Phillip dies, crab rave

Mars Helicopter Ingenuity

ON 4/20 THEY CONVICT DEREK CHAUVIN ON ALL COUNTS FOR MURDERING GEORGE FLOYD

May

This is the May

Israel somehow being EVEN WORSE to Palestine.

An oil pipeline company's financial systems are attacked, so they can't properly charge customers. They shut off the pipeline rather than risk anyone getting free gas. People put gas in plastic bags.

Israel now attacking news organizations.

CDC lifts mask recommendation foolishly.

Legendary children's author Eric Carle passes away.

June

Pride Discourse AGAIN

Annakin and Padme meme

Batman isn't allowed to eat pussy because "Heroes don't do that"

People are surprised the FNAF guy is a republican

Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years

John McAfee dies in a Mexican prison, where he was for tax evasion. It looks mildly sus, but Crab Rave.

Britney Spears fights her Conservatorship

July

TSR is back and they're transphobes

Britney Spears loses her fight. :(

Bill Cosby released from jail.

The Olympics are being HELLA racist. Banning swim caps for natural Black hair, banning two Black women for their natural testosterone levels, and banning one Black woman (who may very well be the fastest woman ever) because she smoked weed one time (in a place it's legal) to deal with the fact that an interviewer told her her mom had just passed away.

Ocean is literally on fire because a pipe broke.

Oh btw Israel is still doing human rights violations and denying vaccinations to Palestinians.

Catholic run Canadian and american residential schools found to have hundreds of bodies each of indigenous children taken from their parents to be indoctrinated into white society. As of July 2, 1505 at 7 out of 504 schools.

Right wing protests in Cuba

Olympic anti-sex beds

Popeye the Sailor, Nonbinary Icon??

Steam Deck (100k pre-orders)

Lmao Tumblr thinks we'll pay for premium content. Cute. Love that for them.

Australia hires furry artist to draw furries to promote the Olympics.

Texas puts $10,000 bounty on anyone who helps anyone get an abortion.

Chuck Tingle got DMCA'd for music on Twitter

Cleveland changes baseball team name to not be so racist

Jeff Bezos goes to space and, unfortunately, survives

Blizzard employees (and Activision employees, Blizzard's parent company) threaten to walk after it's revealed that, unsurprisingly, the company treats women like shit up to and including a culture of assault.

Frito-Lay workers end 20 day strike with inches gained.

August

Delta Variant of Covid is 'as contagious as chickenpox'. Mildly vaccine resistant, but still mostly affecting the unvaxxed.

Chrischan arrested on... Look, don't worry about it. Don't look it up. She did a very bad crime, leave it at that.

Idris Elba is gonna play Knuckles?

QAnon guy murders his family

Federal board of education decides to enforce masks in all public schools for '21-'22 school year.

Britney Spears' dad is gonna step down from her conservatorship maybe?

Taliban starts taking over Afghanistan

Places are probably going to shut back down due to Delta Variant not being taken seriously.

Governor Cuomo of New York steps down over sexual harassment allegations. (Fuck him)

OnlyFans getting rid of porn.

OnlyFans backs down obvi

Hurricane

By Talos this can't be happening

September

The Supreme Court refuses to see case about Texas abortion bounty.

ABBA releases new music

Ford Germany makes gay trucks

There Are Many Benefits To Being A Marine Biologist

Steve from Blue's Clues gives us all closure.

Suez canal blocked again (but only for a few hours)

Bongcloud chess move

MET Gala outfits, discourse (unfortunately)

Lil Nas X's first album, Montero

Nicki Minaj's Cousin's Friend's Balls

Epik, far right web hosting service, hacked. Embarrassingly weak security.

Gabby Petito goes missing, found dead.

Elvira comes out, has had a girlfriend for 19 years.

Chris Pratt cast as Mario for some godforsaken reason

Grimes and Elon Musk break up

China bans cryptocurrency

DnD 5.5e announced

Britney Spears' dad removed from her conservatorship, it's now run by an accountant chosen by Britney

"I can't believe you've done this." Taken down from YouTube after 14 years. Owner disputes. Denied. Heavy social media backlash gets them to manually re-allow it.

October

Grimes does stuff for attention I guess.

Facebook goes down briefly.

Squid Game

Dawn's Kidney Donation

Twitch breached massively.

Even bigger breach than the Panama papers shows what we already been knew. Pandora Papers.

Dave Chappelle actively a transphobe. People somehow forgot about his bigotry from, like, 2 years ago.

Alec Baldwin kills a cinematographer in an accident involving a gun firing blanks. Proper safety checks weren't done because of non-union being hired by the producer... Alec Baldwin.

Margaret Atwood makes a bunch of transphobic posts.

Brian Laundrie's remains found in Florida.

Kat Von D's anti-vax Nazi ass moving to Indiana

Facebook changing their name to Meta, Mark Zuckerberg shelf Barbecue sauce.

Marilyn Manson converting back to Christianity thanks to Justin Bieber and Kanye West???? Probably to deflect from him being outed as a sex pest tbqh

November

Zillow algorithm buys too many houses, record losses for the company, fires 25% of staff.

Turns out Meta is already a company and FB failed to buy the rights, so Meta is doing legal action against FB.

The IRS to start requiring NFTs report transactions over $10,000 just like they do for cash. Crypto Bros freak out

Travis Scott concert gets people killed (not of COVID)

Mercedes Lackey thinks trans people don't belong in fantasy

Brittney is free!!

Kyle Rittenhouse trial.

The Queen's New Phase

Kyle Rittenhouse ruled not guilty despite going to a place specifically hoping for violence.

Hillary Clinton-Kin fanfiction on the NYT Best Sellers

John Deere Strike doubles their raises among other successes

NFT Pirate Bay Funged the Tokens

Omicron Variant.

December

Ponder the Orb

Gen Zers on Reddit use algorithms and effort to crash Kellogg's website with bogus job applications , thereby preventing scabs from applying.

Ben Shapiro's sister tries to slut shame Madonna by comparing her to Nancy Reagan. Turns out Nancy Reagan was PROLIFIC at oral sex while working in Hollywood. Trending #throatgoat #superhead

Kellogg trying to hire scabs going VERY BADLY

Giant Tornado kills factory workers forced to keep working at 3AM directly in the path of the tornado despite the company knowing the dangers

Anne Rice died, AO3 goes wild

Kellogg strike ends, workers get a pretty good deal!!

Tumblr censors stuff in a very bad way.

Betty White dies. :(

#long post #improved the spacing #also #I made this as the year went including anything I thought notable #obvi I missed shit because I am one person but #I hope it gives some perspective on how much happens in a year

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