A little girl died from hunger in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, despite being in the area where aid trucks are distributed. Another family in the north in Gaza city was forced to eat a donkey, which for many in Palestine is inconceivable culturally. Bisan says there isn't even water (clean OR dirty) for them to drink or wash with.
"Kill the largest number possible. The baby is an enemy. The first grader is an enemy. The pregnant woman is the enemy." -Israeli analyst and IDF veteran, Eliyahu Yossian expresses Israel's genocidal intent
"Hamas is not the enemy here, Gaza is the enemy. It's not important who you warn or who evacuates a neighborhood. This is what's called flattening the area, leveling the ground. You ask me what I would do? The answer is simply leveling the ground and to kill the largest number possible. Because the woman there is an enemy, the baby is an enemy. The first grader is an enemy. And the pregnant woman is the enemy. We see a boy carrying chocolate in his hand. He will learn to use a weapon. He is a terrorist even though he is a boy."
Video by award winning advocacy group Electronic Intifada
Zhu: Oppenheimer
Ma: Watched Oppenheimer with Zhu, then went to watch Barbie on her own
Xu Da: Barbie
Yuchun: Barbie
Ouyang: Oppenheimer
Esen: Oppenheimer. Brushed hands with Ouyang by accident in the darkened theatre. Thought nothing of it. Ouyang thought about it for the rest of the movie.
Baoxiang: Gathered his entire household for a public viewing of Barbie, watched Oppenheimer alone in private, then gathered everyone to watch Barbie again just to really drive the point home.
General Zhang: Watched Oppenheimer and then Barbie with Madame Zhang.
Madame Zhang: Watched Oppenheimer and Barbie with General Zhang. Then felt insecure and watched Oppenheimer again, alone.
Rice Bucket Zhang: Oppenheimer
Chen Youliang: Oppenheimer
Lady Ki: Barbie
Third Prince: Wanted to watch Barbie, but watched Oppenheimer with his friends instead.
Title: She Who Became the Sun Author: Shelley Parker-Chan Publication Date: July 2021 Publisher: Tor Books Genre: fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, queer lit
I think to sell this book as a “Mulan meets The Song of Achilles” is not only misleading, but also isn’t giving enough credit to Parker-Chan’s fascinating and rather original reimagining of Zhu Yuanzhang and the start of the Ming Dynasty. I was so taken to the political intrigue and motivations, which was brought together incredibly well by focusing on each character’s desires and their understanding of fate. The moral compass wavers quite a bit as the main characters narrate and get further consumed by their desires, putting the reader in an interesting position to work out how much these characters can be trusted in the end.
Leading me to what made this book so damn well: Zhu and Ouyang were standout characters. Zhu, being the protagonist, was one of the most well-constructed characters I’ve come across in a while. For one, to portray the first ruler of the Ming Dynasty as a genderqueer character was such a refreshing and original approach. Furthermore, Zhu’s gender identity was beautifully portrayed in a way that challenged the rigidity of the gender binary (and I would go so far as to argue the concept of the nonbinary identity). I loved how driven Zhu was by her burning desire for greatness—for better or for worse—that propelled her to where she ended up by the end of the book. As for Ouyang, I thought he was an equally memorable character. He’s an incredibly complex man who is eaten up by self-loathing and has a burning desire for vengeance, much of which is tied to him being a eunuch. Parker-Chan also does a deep dive into gender identity with Ouyang, scrutinizing the construction of masculinity in particular. At the end of the day, you could kind of call them both antiheroes in their own ways, and damn, they were well-written ones that really brought this book together.
One criticism I have of this book is that the fantasy element didn’t quite work for me. Unless I missed something, I felt that things were often left unexplained in a way that made the fantasy part of this book pointless. I’m hoping this is addressed in the second installment of this duology, but I guess we’ll find out in due time. I also found the pacing a little awkward at times, especially the middle part of the book, but not enough to frustrate me.
All-in-all, this was a fun read and well worth picking up if you want a unique reimagining of a historical moment and figure in China.
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If you cannot strike today, find Palestinian music, cook Palestinian food, read books by Palestinian authors. Israel is trying to destroy Palestinian culture as well.
we’re up to 4.
It's been a long time since my last visit here on Tumblr, right? So, as a comeback and since you loved my masterpost of websites for writers, I am bringing you my favorite Tumblr blogs to follow if you're a writer and are interested in finding lots of inspo on your timeline, as well as prompts, tips, and useful resources. Shall we start?
@givethispromptatry
@dailystoryprompts
@here-haveaprompt
@dark-fiction-and-angst
@youneedsomeprompts
@deity-prompts
@whygodohgodwhy
@writinghoursopen
@fluffyomlette
@promptsforthestrugglingauthor
@novelbear
@gfuckign
@ghostly-prompts
@worldbuildingprompts
@locationbuildingprompts
@wbqotd
@wildworldwritingprompts
@worldbuilding-question
@thealpha-chronicles
@happyheidi
@enchantedengland
@ancientsstudies
@greeksblog
@yourocdoeswhat
@questionsforyourocs
@oc-question
@oc-dev
@characterization-queries
@oc-factoids
@tag-that-oc
@some-oc-questions
not all of the following accounts post things but they reblog useful info
@writing-with-olive
@tstrangeauthor
@everythingwritingg
@writerthreads
@heywriters
@thewritersphere
@writelively
PS: If you think your account fits any of these categories, feel free to comment! Someone will check it out!!! :D
LIKEEEE
(spoilers under the cut)
to explain the context of this song (would've could've should've from midnights) taylor is talking about how if she never met the man who groomed her at a young age, she never would've experienced many things that resulted in her losing her innocence so quickly.
obvi this situation isn't super specific to donald, but i think you get how it speaks to how if his whole...childhood situation didn't happen he'd never have sold his soul with the union. he'd have grown into a sweet and kind boy who loves chocolate and is the top of his class and is en route to becoming a future nasa engineer, but now he's the boss of a criminal empire and is committing real estate fraud. he runs from his memories now that he's older, from the feeling of being weak and pitiful, being bullied in school and beat up by his stepdad at home with his new persona.
he's too terrified to confront the past and hides from it under the illusion of strength, but simultaneously he holds it close as a reminder of what might become of him if he doesn't keep striving, keep working till he dominates anything and everything.
the way taylor sings the bridge is so full of ??desperation?? the chorus is fast-paced, with a tone of regret and anguish that creates anticipation for the bridge. which taylor delivers, by the way, bc if the tone of the chorus is one of despair and haunting memories, the bridge practically blares it in your face!!
'God rest my soul, I miss who I used to be' carries resignation and hopelessness, and it reminds me of how donald transformed himself completely into someone he hated. he covered himself head to toe in tattoos even though they disgusted him, pierced every available inch of skin on his ears and his face (thank Razen he didnt get a nose piercing though🙏🙏THAT WAS NEVER THE MOVE) and bought those expensive but scary ass clothes just so he could pull off his 'intimidating' image. he invested so much time and so much money...for what?
i read on Genius.com that 'the tomb won't close' means taylor can't find peace with her situation despite trying. similarly, donald has never stopped hurting because of his past, yet he doesn't confront it. he runs from the pain in an attempt to escape without realising he's just running in circles.
verse three has GOT to be my favourite part in the song. you can really feel the frustration delivered by the last two lines of the song as the pitch and speed increases (soz hope im not wrong in saying this). it reminds me of how donald initially felt ashamed of the helplessness displayed in his childhood and adamant that he never experience it again, versus donald right before his death, finally looking back on his younger self with love and protectiveness.
it also holds the feeling that you get when you feel as if something has been taken from you. donald feels the unfairness of his childhood and innocence being robbed from him at such an early age. he mourns the injustice that his younger self was treated with, and my personal interpretation is that he wishes he could change it. it's normal when you feel like something was stolen from you...which in his case, it most definitely was.
donald is also SUCH a mirrorball girly. yes, he's always been a natural at everything (he's strong, he's smart, and he's sexy. what CAN'T he do?) but he's done nothing but try all his life. he had to work so hard from such an early age, and he could never stop to take a break, because if he stops, he dies. his mom is dead. his stepdad has left him. he's a newly orphaned 13 year old with no money and no school. if he doesn't look after himself, he passes away on the streets.
he never wanted to do crime. even in the union, he wanted to gravitate more towards the business parts of his job. he never got to experience a life where he got to do what he wanted rather than have to fight for survival all the time. he never got the option to learn that he doesnt have to live the rest of his life punished for his poverty and broken home.
because yk, there wasn't a 'rest of his life'.
the archer is another song. don't think i have to explain how the first couple of lyrics express the loneliness he felt in his journey to the top, but ARGHHHH!! the lines 'i cut off my nose just to spite my face, then hate my reflection for years and years...' it's so him, covering his whole body with tatts knowing he'll feel repulsed everytime he looks in the mirror.
the rest of the verse imo, embody the panic and trauma he must've felt with his circumstances that he probably subdued while he was alive.
i bet on losing dogs and class of 2013 by mitski are also honorable mentions
so kudos to taylor for being able to write music that panders not just to academically burnt out eldest daughters but also seventeen year old mafia bosses created by (assumably) generational poverty and a screwed up system
@weakhero-diaries
do you guys get it if i say donald na is taylor swift coded
a comic about fix-it fanfics
my last paycheck was embarrassingly small and bills cleaned me out immediately. i drive up to hundreds of miles a week for work and gas is stupid right now, plus i need some help with food and other stuff as well.
paypal venmo cashapp
i’m going to try to delay my car payment, and my next paycheck will actually be good for once, but it’s gonna be another week and a half until i get paid again. i fucking hate having to keep doing this.