#Cost of Living in Poland

[bivampirical]

the worst thing to come out of the blue checkmarks fiasco was my realization that usamericans don't consider 8 dollars a lot of money to spend on a joke

#for reference i think my weekly grocery shopping (after split between me n my roomie) is. like 10 us dollars #my hourly pay in dollars is like. 6.5 lmao #for context i live in Poland so my cost of living is SIGNIFICANTLY lower #my posting #personal

[mountaincryptid]

x

#another loser moment of today was the books (one series) i ordered a while ago arriving and me realising half of them was one edition #and half of them another #+ since the edition i didn't want were books 3 and 4 and they #are in english and i live in poland #they'll be ridiculously hard to sell. unless i change my mintld and later try to sell used books 1 and 2 #since i'll have to cover shipping costs to gb if i decide to cancel i'll only get like half the money i paid anyways idk if it's worth it #stupid stupid stupid

[24-7-testing]

The end of the year can be tough for a lot of people. My goal? To make it a little bit brighter. That's why I'm pleased to once again announce the return of...

The Portal Holiday Spirit Initiative!

To help bring a smile to people's faces this year, I will be sending FREE Portal-Themed Holiday Cards to anyone who asks for one! There are a few changes to the cards this year because life has gotten very busy for me and I have less free time than in years past.

This year there will only be one card design, featuring artwork from one of the Portal Fandom's awesome artists! The cards will still be customizable to any Winter Holiday of your choosing, but you'll have to wait for your card to arrive in order to see how (the method takes cues from the Portal game's sense of humor, so it will very much be on-brand).

This year is also special because it is PHSI's 5th Anniversary! I can’t express the amount of thanks everyone who has participated over the years, whether you've reblogged and shared, requested cards, helped with artwork, or helped in other ways. You all deserve my recognition and thanks for volunteering your time, talents, and support! Thanks for helping to make PHSI a special fandom tradition!

If you would like to receive a Portal-Themed Holiday Card:

Visit bit.ly/PHSI-2023 ...

Answer the questions in the forms...

Wait for your card to be sent!

It's that easy! Card Requests are now open, and close on December 20th in order to give me enough time to make and send all the cards before the end of the year. Please submit sooner rather than later so I have time to finish them all!

Also, please don’t be afraid to request a physical card if you don’t live in the US! The card service I've chosen says they ship worldwide and, while it might take a bit longer for you to receive your card depending on what country you live in, the cards will get mailed to whatever address you provide, domestic or foreign. Last year I mailed/emailed a total of 164 cards to Italy, Canada, Germany, England, Poland, The US, The United Kingdom, Brazil, India, and Slovenia!

I’m happy to be a part of the Portal Fandom and hope to bring a smile to others in the Fandom this year! Making and emailing Holiday Cards takes time and effort, and sending physical cards is expensive. While it isn't a requirement to receive a card, I would greatly appreciate if you'd like to give $4 to cover the cost of your card or someone else's. Please visit ko-fi.com/247testing and click the Donate button if you want to help out. 

Also, feel free to DM me with any questions or comments. Thanks!

Answers for common questions and concerns under the cut:

Worried about providing a mailing address, for whatever reason?

PHSI has an eCard option! All you need to provide is a name for me to call you by and an email address to receive your card!

Worried about requesting a card because you don’t live in the US?

PHSI mails to any address provided, whether domestic or foreign! However, please wait patiently for your card, due to the current global rate of shipping.

Worried that you can’t give $4 to cover the cost of your card or someone else’s?

Requesting a card from PHSI has been and will always be FREE! However, giving $4 to the initiative helps me pay for the printing service and postage to mail physical cards (visit ko-fi.com/247testing if you’d like to contribute). I gratefully appreciate any contributions received, even if it’s just a comment saying thanks!

Worried because you don’t know how to support the artist of the card you received?

The artist’s social media is listed on the back of every card featuring their artwork. Look them up, commission them, reblog their art, and support them however you can!

Worried because you haven’t received your card yet?

Double check your email inbox and junk folders. I send everyone an email that either confirms your Holiday Card has shipped or includes your eCard! Physical cards take 1-2 weeks to arrive. If your physical card fails to show up after the first week of January, please reach out to me and I’ll send you a replacement eCard!

Worried because you received your card and don’t know what to do now?

Make a post about it! Include pictures, videos, or anything you’d like, and tag me in the post (@24-7-testing) so I can reblog it! If you don’t want to show your card off, that’s ok too!

#PHSI 2023 #portal holiday spirit initiative 2023 #5th year of PHSI! #5th anniversary #psa #please boost #portal fandom #still alive #aperture science #aperture laboratories #portal #portal 2 #fandom tradition

[gavisuntiedboot]

If you think that Israel should belong to the Palestinians, not saying you are wrong. What do u think should happen to the almost 7 million Jews that live there? I’m not asking this as a condescending statement, it’s genuine curiosity.

Hi - I'm actually really glad you asked this question!

So it's a very very common misconception that the freedom of Palestine means something negative for Jewish individuals that reside there. This was a tool used in apartheid South Africa and Jim Crow-era USA. In both of those countries, the common propaganda was this: "If we integrate Black people into society, if we treat them as equals, then they're going to kill all of us White people!"

I, as a Palestinian, along with the majority of Palestinians, don't have an issue with the Jewish people remaining within Palestine. So, in short, they don't have to go anywhere. However, settlers who have taken over the homes of Palestinians (as is what happened to my ancestral home in Nablus) would probably need to move out and give the houses back to their rightful owners. But they wouldn't need to leave the country.

Israel is built on the idea that "Israel can only survive if we wipe Palestinians off the face of the earth!" That's why a lot of Israelis and Jewish people believe a free Palestine is a threat. Because they believe that the establishment of a State and extermination to be linked. They are not.

All the Jewish people there would be able to become Palestinian citizens living under Palestinian law. They would give back ancestral homes and lands that were taken by force, but there is a lot of land in Palestine, so they would be able to live and work and own property fairly and ethically within the country.

Palestinians have never had an issue with Jewish people. (Aside: some Zionists will tell you this isn't true because Palestinians call it the "Jewish Occupation" in Arabic, but Israel used to block newspapers and radios from Palestinians, so they didn't even know Zionism was a word until the late 80s/early 90s. The only word they had was Jewish). There are Arab Jews living in Palestine under the occupation, and they want the same thing: for Palestine to be a free and independent sovereign state. Because Arab Jews are also denied the "right of return" to Israel.

Give Palestine to the Palestinians. Allow them to be self determined, to establish a government and a stable ruling body, to give rights to the citizens of the country based on who is from the land and who lives there. Allow Palestine to exist as a country that people can live in and immigrate to, just like every country on Earth. It is not about kicking Jews out - it is about having the ability to control the land that has been ours for thousands of years, to establish a system of law and government, to be free.

Because this is the talking point that a lot of Zionists give: "well Jews are indigenous to the land!!" Okay well, yes and no.

More than 80% of Israel is European descent (even the people in the government - they change their names to sound more "Jewish"). As you can tell by the rates of skin cancer in Israel, they are NOT indigenous to the Middle East. So if they wanna negotiate with Poland or New York for a slice of land, that's well within their rights. Another large portion are African Jews from Ethiopia and other places - also not indigenous. And then we get to the small subset of Jewish people that are actually indigenous to the Middle East: those are Palestinians. Their religion does not change that. And yet they're the ones being treated like second class citizens.

Give the governing power and control to the people native to the land. The people who came don't have to leave, they just have to operate under new management.

(Last aside for this very long post - when the "war" started, a ton of dual-citizen Israelis fled back to where they came from. Most of them come to reap the benefits that are afforded to them at the cost of Palestinian oppression, and they can pick up and go back to London or New York or wherever whenever they want, but my grandparents can never go back to their village.)

#gavisuntiedboot #gavisuntiedbootasks #palestine #gubtalksaboutpali

[pabsterthelobster]

The "Ascended" Spidersonas

For the third volume of Spider-Verse comics that came out in 2019, the concept of the "Spidersona" that was popularized by the release of the animated film Into the Spider-Verse was acknowledged by way of integrating three different Spidersonas each issue into the comic multiverse through short character profiles at the end of each issue. The former half of these 18 characters would even show up in the final issue of the run in person, with Sun-Spider getting some particularly special treatment afterwards.

Spidersona hero names are bolded and real names (if avaliable) are in parentheses.

Issue 1

Spider-Requiem (Polymnia Swan) of Earth-98117: Created by Cotton Valent from Thailand, Ms. Swan, named after the Greek Muse of Dance, hides her scarred face with her mask and uses her webs to control handmade puppets in combat.

Spinster of Earth-93191: Made by Antonio Demico of France with a design inspired by both the French Revolution and the original Madame Web, the Spinster can generate webs from her prehensile hair which she can then use to spy on conversation like a

V of Earth-43890: As written by V-0-3 from Poland, V is a robotic Spider who lives in Kyoto in the year 2177 who fights crime both physically and digitally, being able to connect herself to the internet to stop cybercrimes.

Issue 2

Spidair of Earth-91202: As written by Dice Shimi of France, Spidair was bitten by a spider from a space laborabtory and possesses thick skin that protects him from extreme temperature immunity as well as the ability to glow brightly to blind enemies.

Sea-Spider of Earth-19192: Being able to breathe underwater and wielding a hook and grappling pistols, the sona provided by the UK's James Gifford is a Spanish nobleman who sails the seas aboard his ship the Aracne.

Spider-Sting of Earth-38418: As explained by Tori Apiradee, Spider-Sting's powers are more acidic in nature, with webs that can erode concrete and bricks.

Issue 3

Sun-Spider (Charlotte "Charlie" Webber) of Earth-20023: Considered the breakout hit of these sonas, Dayna Broder's Sun-Spider has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which makes her hyper-flexible at the cost of needing to use crutches and a wheelchair for stability. She has received her own dedicated story in Edge of the Spider-Verse as well as a vocal cameo in Across the Spider-Verse.

Garden-Spider (Petunia Parker) of Earth-71925: After being shrunken down in size, Petunia tends to her garden, swinging from the flowers like they were skyscrapers to fight against villainous insects like the Aphid. Her creator is Alyssa Ragni of the US.

White Widow (Venice Doadi) of Earth-23233: Carly Henson describes this sona as coming from a future timeline, possessing the ability to secrete toxins from her bare skin, which she coats both her webs and clawed fingers with.

#spider-requiem #polymnia swan #spinster #v (spidersona) #spidair #sea-spider #spider-sting #sun-spider #charlotte webber #garden-spider #petunia parker #white widow #venice doadi #spidersona #spider-verse #spider-man #marvel

[kisiel-z-kosmosu]

I may spent entire day drawing grocery store as sexy dauther of mafia boss that was supposed to be quick concept art before making a purpously cringe ship with another shop but at least it finally broke my months lasting art block 🙃.

Inspirations:

The backstory: Once upon the time two of the most powerfull and common shops nations in Poland lived in relative harmony, until in the evening of fifth febuary this year the marketing team military council decided to make a mass attack. Spam sms army recruitment letters were send to all of lord Biedronka followers, informing of Lidls people inferiority and their cost of freedom (products) being much higher. The battle begun, Lidls soon made controfensive and set a battle line right beetwen both teritories. Sides are fighting with equal fury and determination and for now there isn't much advantege on any. Only time will tell what future awaits us.

The translation of one of many war latters receveid by people:

So yeah, they have a beef now and i decided to make some fun of it ;>

here's a gold coin for reading all of this lol.

#digital art #character art #design #art #biedronka #polska #poland #clowns #logo #shopping #my art #ladybug #storytime #oc #? i guess #dress #aesthetic #advertising #it's one am #why #random ships

[mlembug]

is poland a good place to be trans?

in australia, it seems pretty good for now.

In general, no. I am handling pretty well mostly because I went through most of the bullshit already, I live in a fairly liberal city, and I work in IT, but I have no vision for the future if I get burned out. I estimate like 90-95% of Polish trans girls have it worse than me.

In terms of recent events, we got rid of PiS recently so there is some win in terms of politics, so at least the most egregious corruption is out, but the other party has been promising improvements for LGBT folk a few times in the past and never did them, the only difference is that the leftists form a coalition with them and another party. Too bad the leftists have the least seats in Sejm out of the three parties, but it's still okay, in that the situation doesn't get worse over the next 4 years than it already is. The worrying part is that there are a few people trying to form the spearhead of the anti-trans movement here, but they're yet a minor drop in comparison to the problems Catholic church and regular right-wingers cause for marginalized people.

The following is a breakdown of how living in Poland while trans is like.

(A quick rundown on "cost of living": Minimal salary: 3221.98zł post taxes; Median salary (estimated): 4692zł post taxes. Renting a room: around 1000zł (plus utilities). Renting a flat: 2000zł and up. Loaf of bread: 2.50-5zł. Apples (1kg): 3-5zł. A beer (0.5l) in a supermarket: 4zł. A beer (0.5l) in a bar: 15zł. A large pizza (40cm): 40-50zł. A new video game or any Nintendo game: 250zł.)

Gender marker change: You sue your own parents for this. This process is significantly less annoying than it was 10 years ago in that the number of documents included is like half as much as it was back then and also you don't have to sue your adult children anymore if you have them, but it still implies outing yourself to your parents and them seeing your medical documentation you're sending as evidence (oh god why). The less the parents meddle the better for you. Your hope is that them putting in time, money and effort to meddle is not worth it, and honestly, even regular garden variety transphobic parents don't do much beside denying during a testimony. Otherwise prepare for years-long legal battle that will exhaust both of you. A judge can also decide to appoint an "expert" to judge the medical documentation, and make it more annoying. Very vague optimistic estimate (no external "expert", which honestly is not a given and cases with no external expert started happening recently) of procuring the documentation (psychiatrist opinion, sexologist opinion, lawsuit costs, that fucking stupid MMPI-2 test) puts it at around 3000zł. No same-sex marriage in Poland means that if you're married you have to divorce before attempting gender marker change process. Changing your gender marker means also your national identity number changes because gender is encoded in one of the digits.

The good part is that you don't have to get sterilized as part of gender marker changed, and no surgeries are required. The bad part is that you can't get sterilized without a gender marker change. Either do it outside of Poland or sue your parents. Also, HRT is required for gender marker change.

Name change without gender marker change: Significantly limited due to vast majority of Polish names being heavily gendered, and you can't assign yourself a name considered feminine. Without gender marker change your best bet is non-Polish names and names that are ambiguously gendered. Some surnames are gendered so if you have one you will likely want to change it to a non-gendered one. You likely also have to provide justification and hope for a friendly clerk.

Double mastectomy: With gender marker changed you can get it for free, though whether it's good enough I have no idea. Otherwise 10000-20000zł.

Hysterectomy: Can't get one without gender marker change. With gender marker changed it's funded by public healthcare.

Vaginoplasty: Can't get one without gender marker change. Out of pocket. 50000-60000zł.

Laser hair depilation: Out of pocket. 300zł per session.

Access to HRT: Wild wild west, no regulations means doctors have their own criteria on what exactly do you need to get HRT. One endocrinologist will write a prescription when you ask for it, on the first visit, another will gatekeep you forever. Obviously do your research. A visit to the endocrinologist will cost 200-300zł.

Fem-HRT:

Estrofem (estradiol pills) 28 pills x 2mg costs 16.23zł. Public healthcare lowers that to 4.87zł. Androcur (cyproterone acetate) 50 pills x 50mg costs 91,69 zł. Public healthcare lowers that to 27.51zł. Divigel (estradiol gel) 28 packs x 1mg costs 41.25zł. Public healthcare lowers that to 24.88zł. No injections, all Polish trans girls go to Czech Republic for these, where Neofollin (estradiol valerate) 5 vials x 5mg costs 115.37 CZK, twice as much as when I bought them in November 2022.

Masc-HRT:

Omnadren 250 (testosterone injection, more specifically, testosterone propionate (30 mg) + testosterone phenylpropionate (60 mg) + testosterone isocaproate (60 mg) + testosterone caproate (100 mg)) 5 vials cost 88.14 zł. Testosteronum Prolongatum (testerone injection, more specifically, testosterone enanthate (100mg)) 5 vials costs 91zł. Nebido (testosterone injection, more specifically testosterone undecylenate (1000mg)) 1 vial costs 520zł.

Access to blockers: Also wild wild west, but I know nothing about how it is because I know no one who is on them. Probably sucks.

Society: more liberal in the west Poland and more conservative in the east Poland (the so called "Poland A and Poland B split")

Systemic discrimination: If you're a trans man after gender marker change and for whatever reason you birthed a baby, you're in legal limbo because you can't be written as neither as father nor mother on birth certificate. The one case I know of ended up resolved by giving up the child for adoption. Bottom line is that pretty much everything sucks aside from HRT access in case you're an adult, which is actually quite decent in comparison.

#trans #poland

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 14, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

You hear sometimes, now that we know the sordid details of the lives of some of our leading figures, that America has no heroes left.

When I was writing a book about the Wounded Knee Massacre, where heroism was pretty thin on the ground, I gave that a lot of thought. And I came to believe that heroism is neither being perfect, nor doing something spectacular. In fact, it’s just the opposite: it’s regular, flawed human beings choosing to put others before themselves, even at great cost, even if no one will ever know, even as they realize the walls might be closing in around them.

It means sitting down the night before D-Day and writing a letter praising the troops and taking all the blame for the next day’s failure upon yourself, in case things went wrong, as General Dwight D. Eisenhower did.

It means writing in your diary that you “still believe that people are really good at heart,” even while you are hiding in an attic from the men who are soon going to kill you, as Anne Frank did.

It means signing your name to the bottom of the Declaration of Independence in bold print, even though you know you are signing your own death warrant should the British capture you, as John Hancock did.

It means defending your people’s right to practice a religion you don’t share, even though you know you are becoming a dangerously visible target, as Sitting Bull did.

Sometimes it just means sitting down, even when you are told to stand up, as Rosa Parks did.

None of those people woke up one morning and said to themselves that they were about to do something heroic. It’s just that, when they had to, they did what was right.

On April 3, 1968, the night before the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a white supremacist, he gave a speech in support of sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Since 1966, King had tried to broaden the Civil Rights Movement for racial equality into a larger movement for economic justice. He joined the sanitation workers in Memphis, who were on strike after years of bad pay and such dangerous conditions that two men had been crushed to death in garbage compactors.

After his friend Ralph Abernathy introduced him to the crowd, King had something to say about heroes: “As I listened to Ralph Abernathy and his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about.”

Dr. King told the audience that, if God had let him choose any era in which to live, he would have chosen the one in which he had landed. “Now, that’s a strange statement to make,” King went on, “because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around…. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.” Dr. King said that he felt blessed to live in an era when people had finally woken up and were working together for freedom and economic justice.

He knew he was in danger as he worked for a racially and economically just America. “I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter…because I’ve been to the mountaintop…. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life…. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”

People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left.

Just as they have always been, they are all around us, choosing to do the right thing, no matter what.

Wishing you all a day of peace for Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2024.

[Image of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., by Buddy Poland.]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Heather Cox Richardson #Letters From An American #Martin Luther King Jr. #MLK Jr. #heros #memorial #justice

[hussyknee]

Not so friendly reminder that Tankies are people who deny not only the genocides of Russia but also Vietnam and China (including the Uyghurs), and are apologists for the North Korean regime. They push Russian propaganda of "colour revolutions" every time a Global South country rises up against a totalitarian government because they believe totalitarianism is merely anti-communist agenda; deriding, dismissing and dehumanizing the liberation movements of our countries that come at great human cost. They're not anti-imperialists or anti-colonial; their chief issue with the imperial core is that it's not their ideology seated at the heart of it. They only care about Global South lives when it serves their ideology, and have no genuine concern or curiosity about the ground realities or agency of the communities impacted by imperialism and colonialism.

I also want you to understand that every major power player involved in this conflict is a genocidal fascist. Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis that are fighting Israel are funded by the theocratic Iranian regime headed by Ebrahim Raisi (begging you to remember the hundreds of Iranian girls and women killed for protesting it). Iran is also an ally of the notorious Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Syria, responsible for the genocide and displacement of millions of his own people while actively funding the Islamic State he wages war against. Both Assad and Raisi are allies of Putin, who is currently trying to colonize and genocide Ukraine and is terrorising Poland, Hungary, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia etc. However, Iran and Putin (half-heartedly) are also allies of the Armenians who are being genocided by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is supported by the US, but also Erdogan in Turkey, infamous dictator that hates the European Union and is a close pal of Putin. Meanwhile the US's best friends in the Middle East is Israel, which hates Arabs, and Saudi Arabia, who doesn't recognise Israel as a country but is hated by most of the MENA and is currently in a Cold War with Iran.

*yanks y'all by the shirt and shouts in your face* THERE ARE NO GOOD GUYS HERE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?? ONLY INNOCENT CIVILIANS CAUGHT IN A SPIDER WEB OF GREEDY, DESPOTIC, GENOCIDAL, FASCIST CUNTS. THERE IS NO POINT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO GLOBAL DEMOCRACY BECAUSE ALL THE FALL OF ONE DOES IS CREATE A POWER VACCUUM THAT WILL IMMEDIATELY BE FILLED BY THE NEXT BULLY.

These governments can only be toppled from within by their own people once external threats like war with their neighbours are eased, because militaries with nothing to fight are economic black holes that try to eat itself, and it's this economic stress that act as catalysts for coalition building and civilian revolt. Military losses weaken imperialists' coercive power and legitimacy over their own people, so the best thing you can do to help them agitate for change is preventing imperialist expansions from claiming any more victims.

#TL;DR: if the US divests from Israel #withdraws entirely from Iraq and Syria and actually commits to helping Ukraine beat back Putin #it would break Israel's continuing destabilising of the Middle East #and consequent lessening of external threat might lessen some of these states' chokeholds over their own people. #Sadly‚ it's also why the US refuses to do so. Ukraine means little to the US #while the MENA keeps the US's arms and oil industries in business. #If Putin invades Ukraine and the US is tied up fighting seven different countries in the Middle East alongside Israel #he's going to try and encroach into Poland #and then we're on the brink of nuclear war. #Althoug actually we might not have to wait that long #considering the US is already aiming nuclear missiles at Iran for being mean to Israel #and also attacking the US's bases in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for Gaza. #tankies #war in ukraine #ukrainian genocide #palestinian genocide #armenian genocide #western leftists #geo-politics #decolonisation #colonization #imperialism #middle east #global south #totalitarianism #western propaganda #western imperialism #genocide denial #liberation #knee of huss

[azhdakha]

URGENT! HELP NEEDED!

My friend's parents are living in Kahovka, which is currently is under heavy shellings every day. They need to move and get to Kyiv. Kahovka is under russian occupation, so there isn't a direct way to Kyiv from Kahovka, which is why they need to go on a bus to Crimea and then through Georgia or Poland they can get to Kyiv. Traveling expenses cost around 400-500 USD + food and overnight shelter. Any dollar would be useful🙏 if you're not able to donate please share this!

You can contact my friend:

@eastern-anarchist on tumblr

@enola_and_alone on instagram

@MorningGlrrry on telegram

4149 5001 4650 5311 Natalia Heza (mother)

Privat Bank: 5168 7554 6787 3952 Tetiana Osadchuk (my friend)

P. S. If you send money to Natalia's card, please, inform me, as she has issues with internet connection and she might not get the notification.

#ukraine #khan bika

[assortedseaglass]

The Seamstress & The Sailor - Chapter Seven

Tom Bennett x OFC

[Masterlist]

Warnings: Language, World On Fire Spoilers

Word Count: 3.7K

Note: I like to imagine the banner is of Tom writing letters in his bunk. Can't wait for Chapter Eight!

November 1939

Dear Tom,

Another letter, I am impressed.

This one almost slipped me by – Dot opened the door when Dennis Warley came by with the post. I wanted to make some new trousers and ordered a pattern from the haberdashers, and it came with your letter. Apparently he said it’s good men don’t want me because dadda has someone to look after him when he’s old. You know what Dot’s like. Cora said she launched herself at Dennis and the post almost wasn’t delivered.

Her and Cora are still at the factory, though missing your Lois and Connie enormously. We had a letter from Albie yesterday. He’s in France now, helping with the refugees from Poland. Luckily he’s not been in too much danger. With them and Albie off in Europe, and you at sea, our world has become a little lonelier.

There was a dance the other night at The Palais, though the women outranked the men by about four to one. Makes a change. There is a great deal less drunkenness and wandering hands, but we do miss you all. And I’d happily exchange Walter Watson. I don’t suppose you’ll have heard about that? Was in France for two weeks and got invalided out. Not shot by the enemy like he told us, worst luck. Albie said in his letter that Walter was having it off with a Polish girl when her father found them. Well, he’s come back with his arm in a sling and is somehow as handsy as ever. Tried to put his hand up my skirt. Even Queenie Warren told him where to go. She’s been ever so down in the mouth since you all left, men were her sole source of entertainment, though I heard her and Frank Smith have been writing.

Cora is blue as well. Her Roger has been training every hour God sends. They’re expecting the RAF to start regular flights, though what, we’re not allowed to know. I suppose, that’s my main news – Roger got me a job at the Air Transport Auxiliary. I’m making planes, constructing the wings mostly. I love the smell of the metal and the oil, and working with my hands. Roberta is here too, though she’s driving the goods vans. Hattie and Jude have left to help the Land Army prepare for spring. They’re not too far away but they work round the clock.

I was listening to the wireless when I got your letter. There have been rumours that the government will ask most women to do war work next year. There goes the hope we’d be down Belle Vue in the spring. I’m glad, though, that the government has realised we are capable of lifting more than a hairbrush and lipstick, even if it has come at the cost of war. We’re more than just objects to colour men’s lives. Perhaps with all this war work, more of us will start wearing trousers and Dennis Warley can piss off. They mentioned rationing, too. Think it’ll affect the likes of Robina Chase more than us, but I don’t think Dadda will manage without sugar in his tea. Heaven forbid they cut eggs and bacon. Of course, that’ll mean no new clothes for a long while. I don’t mind but Dot will be distraught.

Dadda’s been spending a lot of time with yours. They go out on these long walks round the dockyard. Sometimes they even stay up later than me. I can see them in your kitchen, just talking. It did make me laugh the other day – sat there in their chairs by the fire, they look just like Mrs O’Connell and Mrs Flaherty down the road. But then I suppose, they have each other because they lost their husbands. Now, our dads’ have each other because you and Albie have gone.

What is it like there? I want to hear everything. How are the other lads? I hope you’re getting along. There’s a map on the wall at the factory and when I look at all that ocean, I imagine you in a little paper boat skittering across is. There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think of Albie, and of you. Do you think His Majesty will let you home for Christmas? Good for morale to let his soldiers come home. We’re hoping Albie will.

I had the thought that I should speak in letters from now on. Everyone is always telling me how quiet I am, yet here I’ve been writing pages and pages to you. I know I’m not good at talking, not like the others, but I can say it here – I miss you. Please, for me and for your dad, keep yourself safe. And write again soon.

Your friend,

Bess.

P.S. Make sure you write to Douglas, he’s suffering from missing you both.

Bess placed the finished letter in its envelope and wrote the address.

Tom Bennett

HMS Exeter

c/o Royal Navy Auxiliary

Portsmouth

Once the ink was dry and she had traced her finger over his name once or twice, Bess ate the remaining crust of her toast, drew on her blue jumper and cycled to the Air Transport Auxiliary factory. Straddling the cool metal of the planes as she drove nuts and bolts into their wings, Bess thought of her mother. She and Douglas had been courting during the Great War, but unlike Bess and her sisters, all she had to do with her time was wait. Wait for Douglas to come home with nothing else to occupy her thoughts. Bess was sick with worry, so much so that when she woke in the mornings without the churning of her stomach, she felt something was wrong. It wasn’t until sleep had faded and she remembered the war that the feeling returned, and she felt normal again. These few hours of respite at the factory, while they didn’t sway her fear, certainly calmed her. And who knows where these planes might go? Over the heads of Albie, or Tom, defending them from above? Into sun-kissed clouds, skirting heaven? And here she was, one of the girls making them fly.

By the time Bess finished her shift, grey clouds were low over Manchester and night was descending.

“Do you want a lift honey? Looks like it’s gonna chuck it down.” Roberta asked as they left the hangar. Bess declined, and they went their separate ways. Along with the other women, all covered in dirt and sweat, she meandered towards the factory gate, where a group of jeering men stood in a circle. At their feet, someone was on the floor, scrabbling to reach paper that was blowing away in the wind. As she got closer, Bess saw that they were boys, not yet eighteen perhaps. Except for one. Walter Watson.

“You’re a fucking disgrace,” he was saying to the man on the floor. “Handing out that horse shit.” The boys around Walter laughed. As they did so, the man on the ground stood. He was taller and broader than them, his face craggy with woe and as he turned, Bess saw the weary eyes of Douglas Bennett. She continued walking forward as passers-by ignored the altercation.

“Fucking coward,” one of the boys said. “Stood here selling your fucking peace paper when our lads are out fighting for their lives. For your life!” The youth jabbed bony his finger into Douglas’ chest. Bess was feet from them now, and still Douglas did nothing. It made her proud not to see him back down.

It was easy to infiltrate the circle; she was the smallest of this beastly party and each man was too focused on their abuse of Douglas to notice.

“You know Walter got shot!?”

“That’s not what I heard.”

They froze, and every face turned slowly towards her. Grease streaked her face and she reeked of metal and oil. The hands that had been folded across her chest slipped into her pockets and she leant slightly on one leg, hip jutting just enough to remind them of her womanhood. Some of the younger boys, who knew Bess only by her reputation, swallowed. Walter, who had known Bess long enough to watch her grow from witchy little girl to one of the most bewitching women in Longsight, looked ready to combust. Caught somewhere between anger and fear.

“Our Albert said a Polish fella broke your arm when he caught you balls deep in his daughter.”

Walter spluttered and his gang of underlings remained silent, shocked by the coarseness of her language. Douglas laughed.

“Did he really?” His smile was broad as he looked at Bess and she beamed back. She snatched the papers that Walter held in his hand and passed them to Douglas. Neither spoke and the argument was won; one by one, the boys shuffled home.

When the last of them had disappeared from sight, Douglas spoke. “Thanks, love.” Bess merely shrugged and began walking away. “If you’re heading home I’ll give you a lift.”

“Free bus ticket?” Bess said.

“No,” Douglas laughed quietly, and walked towards the bike resting against the factory wall. “Hop on.” He held the bike still as she perched on the handlebars and leant back against his shoulder. Bess shrieked at the first few wobbly turns of the pedal as Douglas adjusted to both of their weight, but soon, they were racing along the streets of Manchester towards home. “Used to take Lois home like this if she’d had a long shift.”

They were silent for the rest of the journey. Occasionally, they saw someone they knew and Bess would wave. From behind her, Douglas touched his cap. When she hopped of the bike outside her house, she turned to Douglas. “How is Lois getting on?”

“They’re working her hard. It’s an awful lot of toing and froing between camps. But she said she gets a thrill from singing for everyone. Nice to be doing her bit, you know.” He looked at the ground as he spoke, and Bess hummed.

“And Tom?” Bess tried to keep her voice measured.

“Barely hear from him. Last letter said he was on shore leave for a day or two, enjoying himself too much, no doubt”.

“I’m sure they’re fine, they can look after themselves.” He nodded solemnly. “Goodnight, Douglas.”

✼　 　✼　 　✼　 　✼　 　✼　 　✼

Over the next few weeks Bess developed a routine that, while unable to ease her worry, made the time go faster. It went thus; each morning she arose before her family, as always, and began breakfast. Cora would join her, and together they fed the family before each parting ways to their various jobs. Between nine and five, she worked at the factory. Lunchtimes were taken at the dockyard with Fergal. At five o’clock she helped Douglas Bennett hand out Peace News, and at six he cycled them home. The evenings she wasn’t with Roberta, Hattie and Jude, or repairing clothes (she had taken the task to make a little more money), she spent at the Bennett house. Be it cooking dinners, listening to Douglas’ opinions on the government and the war, or simply sitting in amicable silence, Bess found she increasingly enjoyed his company.

She had always liked Douglas. When the children were little Fergal, Etta, Douglas and Marie had taken them on picnics to Blackpool or Southport. Tom and Albie always ran into the surf and terrorised Cora and Lois. Dot was still small, making sandcastles while Etta and Marie talked the day away. Inevitably, Bess found herself trailing Douglas as he pointed out patterns in the clouds or interesting shells. Even now, Bess was drawn in by the gentle eyes set in his stoic face. The small smiles he offered when something had pleased him. The unshakable sense that maybe, just maybe, Douglas Bennett was the best of men.

Tonight was no different. Bess sat in a chair opposite Douglas, finishing some silk stockings for Queenie Warren. How she had been able to afford them, God only knew, but Bess enjoyed the feel of them slipping over her skin like water. Douglas was reading the newspaper. Every now and then, when Bess paused to rest her eyes, she caught Douglas glancing into the middle distance.

“Memories or visions?” she asked him softly. He sighed and removed his glasses.

“These days, they all blur into one horrible nightmare.” The silence resumed. Bess cast aside the stockings and took Douglas’ hand in hers, gently rubbing it with her thumb. He studied her a moment.

“You’re an odd lass,”

“So people say,”

“And a kind one.” She paused her movements and looked at him. “You should be spending time with people your own age, not barmy old men like me.”

“You’re not old. And I like spending time with you.” It wasn’t a lie. Douglas was a quiet, calm realist much like herself. Perhaps, if she had been born fifty, even thirty years ago, she would have liked him more. A thought occurred to her.

“I think you and Tom are more alike than either of you care to admit.”

Douglas huffed by way of a reply, then spoke. “He’s more like his mother than me. They both are. I don’t suppose you remember our Marie too much?”

“I remember her laugh, and that mam loved her.”

“Yeah,” he smiled and looked at Bess’ hand stroking his own. “Everyone did.” He paused once more before continuing. “What if Tom ends up like me, Bess?”

“What do you me-”

“What if he comes back from this God-awful war a shadow of himself? He’s so bright and full of life, like his mother, what if it disappears? If he comes back at all-”

Bess thought about her next words carefully. “We can’t know if they’ll come back. Tom, Lois or Albie. But we can live in the knowledge that death won’t diminish our devotion to them. You and I may not agree with war, but they’ve gone not because they blindly followed everyone else, but because they want to defend those who can’t defend themselves. And I am so proud of them. My Albie, and Lois and Tom.”

They were silent for a while as Douglas considered her words. Then, quite unexpectedly, he kissed her hand and placed his own on her cheek. The image of his son flashed across his face and Bess blushed.

“Off you go, Bess. Your family will be missing you.” The abruptness of their evening’s end took Bess by surprise, but she gathered her sewing, kissed Douglas’ cheek and left.

Dot was warming her feet by the fire when she opened the door. Cora was reading next to her.

“Dadda’s down the pub,” Dot spoke without looking up. “But you’ve stolen his drinking partner.” Cora pushed Dot’s leg with her foot, not looking up from her book.

“What do you mean, Dot?” Bess was in no mood to argue. Dot looked her sister dead in the eye.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Douglas.”

“Yes?”

“It’s not proper,”

“For God’s sake,”

“All these men on the go,”

“Me and Douglas are not ‘on the go’. And which men!?”

“There’s a letter on the bed for you.”

Bess’ heart stopped. “A letter?”

“Yes. Another letter.” Dot tried to sound aloof but her need for gossip got the better of her and she sat up in the chair. “Who’s writing to you, Bess? That man Tom punched?” She received no answer, for Bess was racing up the stairs to their bedroom. The letter was set against her pillow, and at seeing the familiar scrawl of her name, her heart leapt. Bess ripped open the envelope and found her seat in the window.

Dear Bess,

Thanks for your letter. Your writing is doing wonders for my reputation – the other boys don’t get half as many as I do, and most of them are from their mams. We’ve got a wall full of pictures that girls have sent the lads. Fancy sending one to add? Maybe you all oiled up at the factory. Lot of lonely sailors in need of entertainment, and God knows ENSA won’t be sent out here.

I wish I could be down The Palais. Not because I miss the dancing mind. We’ve not seen a woman for weeks and the thought of them all dancing together makes me weak in a way that has nothing to do with my sea legs. Tell us about it in your next letter, with all the details. Which reminds me, lay off Queenie Warren. I know she’s annoying but she means well. I don’t think you know how intimidating The Vaughn Sisters are!   

I’m writing this as we come into dock. Can’t tell you where exactly we are, for obvious reasons, but I’m looking forward to putting my feet on solid ground for a few days. Resupply means shore leave. I know you’d spend it looking in museums, walking and hunting down fabric, but for sailors it’s a different game altogether. It’ll be straight to the pub for rum and beer, before hitting the town. All hands on deck there, if you see what I mean.

I’m getting along with the other lads just fine, thank you for your confidence. I’ve got plans to spend shore leave with Vic and Norman. Vic’s Mancunian too, reminds me a bit of your Albie. Head screwed on proper and he’d have your back in a fight. You’d like him. Norman’s a little green, but Vic and I will put him right. Said we’d bring him to Longsight when we’re home, I have a feeling Dot would eat him up. He’d love it. She likes a fella she can boss around doesn’t she, your Dot? Norman will probably bring Terry along – he’s the wireless operator. Wouldn’t say boo to a goose, which is unfortunate considering he’s in the navy.

You’ll be glad to hear I’ve kept out of trouble, though Campbell and Ginger have me contemplating the many uses of hawser every now and again. Campbell’s First Officer, decent enough bloke but he’s a posh twat. Doesn’t know how to speak to us but God, he does try. Ginger’s actually called Henry. From the East End and thinks he’s a real geezer. Always bossing Norman around and lording it over the rest of us – he was an Able Seaman before the war so even though we’re all the same rank he thinks he can give us orders. No-one would care if I pushed him off the dock so I might give it a go. Burn this letter in case they catch me, it’s evidence.

Sounds like Walter has had all hands on deck too. Surprised he managed to pull a girl, didn’t think the bloke could kick his way out of a wet paper bag. I have half a mind to kill him before the Jerries do. If his arm hasn’t healed by the time I get back, you’d better tell him to watch out. Dennis Warley too. Don’t think he’s one to comment on what people look like when the rat-faced pillock hasn’t touched a woman since he came out the womb. I wouldn’t change you for the world, Bess, and anyone would be lucky to have you by their side whether that’s your dad or your husband.

Look after yourself, and give a kiss to Cora and Dot for me.

Tom.

p.s. I’ve written to dad.

Bess reread the letter, trying to hunt out any details she might have missed. She couldn’t help but be disappointed by Tom’s letters. They were never as long as hers, and he refrained from telling her anything of substance, just the goings on of the ship. It wasn’t like their evenings in the kitchen, when he’d tell her everything. Perhaps, he needed the silence and Bess supposed he couldn’t send her a blank page to signal his internal thoughts. She tucked the letter in a book, kissed the picture of Tom she kept in its pages, ignored her visions of Tom in the arms of a strange woman while on shore leave, and wandered downstairs.

“So? Who’s your fancy man?” Cora looked up at Dot’s question.

“Who says it’s a man?” Dot looked annoyed at her sister’s answer but said nothing, switching on the wireless to fill the silence.

“Warsaw now lies in ruins, while Germany and Russia continue to carve out Poland between them. At sea, the Royal Navy are focusing their efforts on scouring the South Atlantic in search of the notorious German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. Rumoured to be somewhere off the coast of Argentina, the deadliest of Hitler’s Kriegsmarine has been involved in a number of skirmishes with merchant ships. There is a feeling that the Allied Forces are simply hoping that the inevitable will never come to pass-”

“Tom’s out that way, isn’t he?” Cora said softly.

Bess nodded. “Somewhere, yes.” The three sisters were silent, portraits of Albie and Etta looking down at them from the mantel as they waited for Fergal to arrive home. Across the road, Douglas switched off his own wireless, donned his cap and made his way to the pub. Bess watched him through the window as he made his way down the street, and her stomach gave a lurch. All these lonely souls left at home, severed from their loved ones with no knowing if or when they’d see them again. The horrors of war were unimaginable, but nobody talks about the living dead left behind.

Note: Happy Easter everyone! Sorry this chapter has taken a while, I’ve been so busy! I know some people reading this haven’t seen WoF (you should) – Douglas is a bus conductor. We’re with Tom A LOT for the next chapter 😊 While my paternal grandmother made munitions, my maternal grandmother (a seamstress) made planes – glad to have given the girls the same jobs as my grandmas’. The Palais, where Bess goes dancing, was where my Grandma used to go too. World on Fire is so intertwined with my family due to where it is set, it makes my heart sing! Here is my maternal grandmother looking fantastic.

Tags: @aemonds-wifey @multiple-fandoms-girl @jessssica1234 @babyblue711 @anditsmywholeheart @allthefandomtherapy @valerie977 @bookwyrmsblog @phantomontheinternet @chainsawsangel @greenowlfactif @thelittleswanao3 @yentroucnagol @skikikikiikhhjuuh @just-emmaaaa @beiigegalx

#ewan mitchell #tom bennett #tom bennett x ofc #ewan mitchell x reader #world on fire #the seamstress & the sailor

[warningsine]

As Russian artillery rained down on the Ukrainian city of Kherson last year, one girl found a surprising way of processing the horror that was taking place. She passed the time in a bomb shelter playing the stark, many would say depressing, video game This War of Mine.

There is a critical burden for every Ukrainian this winter. For her, it is trying to make sense of a terrible conflict. For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it is getting the weapons and international support to fight Russia and keep strategic momentum on his country’s side. For his soldiers, it is trying to keep morale up and stay warm in freezing temperatures. And for the almost 8 million Ukrainian refugees that the war has created, it is trying to rebuild lives in foreign countries.

A disproportionate number are doing so in Poland, which has registered more than 1.4 million of them for temporary protection, the largest number of any EU country, according to ReliefWeb.

The country’s particularly strong solidarity is replicated across Eastern Europe. Warsaw resident Konrad Adamczewski puts it down to proximity: “This was a war that broke out in a neighbouring country. You could immediately see people coming to Poland for shelter.”

The company he works for, 11 bit studios, made the bestselling This War of Mine. The unnamed Ukrainian girl in the basement got in contact at some point last year to thank them for the help the game gave her.

11 bit studios has been showing its solidarity since the beginning of the war in other ways, too. Within hours of Russia’s campaign, the company launched a fundraiser. For a week, all proceeds from sales of This War of Mine would be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross. Some $850,000 was raised, far exceeding what the company had expected. “The impact was huge. We were very happy we could contribute, but it was also hugely sad that in 2022 the message of the game was once again so vivid,” Mr Adamczewski told me.

It was a remarkable achievement financially. But, as Mr Adamczewski went on to say, it is only when you look at the content of the game itself that you realise quite how apt the campaign was on deeper levels. “We developed this as a game about peace. Immediately we saw people commenting online that the scenes of innocent people suffering unfolding on the news looked like This War of Mine.”

The game is, after all, entirely about war, but barely about soldiers. Instead, civilians are the protagonists in an unnamed conflict, as they try to survive and not lose hope in the process. Winning, if it can even be called that, is not triumph in battle, but just to survive until the end of the siege.

The setting is loosely based of the siege of Sarajevo, one of the longest in modern history, in which non-combatants were often forced into otherwise immoral acts to survive, be it hoarding resources, theft or even violence. But if the game had been released in 2022, Mariupol, Bakhmut or Kherson could well have been the inspiration.

Now the game is helping children outside Ukraine as well. At the end of 2022, it was officially included in Poland’s curriculum. Teacher Ilona Starosta says she uses it in her classes because of its many perspectives. “Students wonder what it means to win a game like this. Does winning mean surviving? Does it make sense to survive at all costs?”

These questions are not delivered in abstract debates. Players might be in the shoes of Adam, who struggles to get medicine for his ill child as he tries to untangle his own mind from severe shell shock. Or they might be journalist Malik, who has to balance the need to broadcast life-saving information with not angering a censorious military.

For Mr Adamczewski, the potential for explaining these dilemmas makes gaming a uniquely powerful tool for learning: “When children study literature, there is often a question of what the author had in mind. But in games, you become the author.”

The depth of the game has caught global attention. In the UK, London’s Imperial War Museum features it as an installation in its War Games exhibition, which opened in September. Curators placed it next to artefacts that captives made during the Second World War to create a sense of normality during extreme hardship; they include a teapot, given to an English prisoner of war by a Polish comrade, and improvised cigarettes. In the US, the game is featured in New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition Video Games and Other Interactive Design, which also opened in September.

However much renewed attention the game is getting globally, it remains a success firmly rooted in Poland. Like many other places in Eastern Europe, the country has a remarkably creative independent gaming sector.

As a developer, Mr Adamczewski says that the arrival of personal computers in the 1980s was a radical opportunity to learn more about life outside the communist bloc. More simply, people also wanted to use them to play games. With no access to ones developed in the West, people started developing their own. This wider wave of tech curiosity and the chance to start afresh after the fall of the Soviet Union are reasons that Eastern Europe has much better internet connectivity than richer western European countries.

But more than just a leading economic asset, the region’s gaming sector is becoming a cultural one, too. In the case of This War of Mine, to remind people that war has a terrible, complex impact on civilians. It is far too soon to say if a video game will ever reach the renown of All Quiet on the Western Front or Dulce et Decorum Est, classics that will explain history's worst moments for generations. But if one ever does, it could well come from Eastern Europe.

#ukraine #this war of mine #gaming

[24-7-testing]

The end of the year gets tough for a lot of people, especially the last few years. Because of this, I am once again excited to announce the return of…

The Portal Holiday Spirit Initiative!

To try and lift people’s spirits up this year, I will be making and sending out FREE Portal-Themed Holiday Cards to anyone who asks for one! The cards are customized to match any December Holiday of your choice and mailed to you physically or emailed digitally!

This will be the fourth consecutive year I have run PHSI, and features the return of the nifty Postcards from last year! But don't worry: All physical cards will be mailed in themed envelopes this year, so your postcards should arrive in much better condition! :)

These postcards are are also special and unique, because they feature new artwork made by eight different artists from the fandom, specifically for this event! The design of the postcard you receive will be based on what you select in your Card Request. I can’t express the amount of thanks these artists deserve for volunteering their time and talents to make PHSI 2022 special!

If you would like to receive a Portal-Themed Holiday Card:

Visit bit.ly/portal-holiday-spirit-initiative …

Answer the questions on the form…

Wait for your card to be made and sent!

It’s that simple! Card Requests are now open, and close on December 20th in order to give me enough time to make and send all the cards before the end of the year. Please submit sooner rather than later so I have time to finish them all!

Also, please don’t be afraid to request a physical card if you don’t live in the US! It might take a bit longer for you to receive your card depending on what country you live in, but they do get mailed to whatever address you provide, whether domestic or foreign. Last year I mailed/emailed a total of 141 cards to Italy, Australia, Canada, Colombia, The Czech Republic, Germany, England, Finland, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Russia, The US, The United Kingdom, and Vietnam!

I’m glad to be a part of the Portal Fandom and hope to bring a smile to others in the Fandom this year! While not a requirement to receive a card, please visit ko-fi.com/247testing and click the Donate button if you’d like to give $2 to cover the cost/postage of your card and someone else’s too. Thanks!

Answers for common questions and concerns under the cut:

Worried about providing a mailing address, for whatever reason?

PHSI has an eCard option! All you need to provide is a name for me to call you by and an email address to receive your card!

Worried about requesting a card because you don’t live in the US?

PHSI mails to any address provided, whether domestic or foreign! However, please wait patiently for your card, due to the current global rate of shipping.

Worried that you can’t give $2 to cover the cost of your card and someone else’s?

Requesting a card from PHSI has been and will always be FREE! However, giving $2 to the initiative helps me buy card supplies and postage to mail physical cards (visit ko-fi.com/247testing if you’d like to contribute). I gratefully appreciate any contributions received, even if it’s just a comment saying thanks!

Worried because you don’t know how to support the artist of the card you received?

Each artist's social media are listed on the back of every card featuring their artwork. Look them up, commission them, reblog their art, and support them however you can!

Worried because you haven’t received your card yet?

Double check your email inbox and junk folders. I send everyone an email that either confirms your Holiday Card has shipped or includes your eCard! If your physical card fails to show up after the first of January, please reach out to me and I’ll send you a replacement eCard!

Worried because you received your card and don’t know what to do now?

Make a post about it! Include pictures, videos, or anything you’d like, and tag me in the post (@24-7-testing) so I can reblog it! If you don’t want to show your card off, that’s ok too!

#PHSI 2022 #portal holiday spirit initiative 2022 #4th year of PHSI! #psa #please boost #portal fandom #still alive #aperture science #aperture laboratories #portal #portal 2 #fandom tradition

[mistakeofnature]

WATERCOLOR COMPARISON/REVIEW POST

provided by this dumbass

!!!!PLEASE READ FIRST!!!!

these are MY PERSONAL OPINIONS and you can feel diffrently about these paints and i actually encourage that you voice your own opinions in the comments/reblogs. Same with brands that you yourself recommend. I am restricted in the paint brands i can get my hands on due to my location so i cannot speak for other countries really so i hope by this post may encourage other people to speak out about their favourite brands That being said please reblog this if you found it helpful i wanna help as much people to make an informed purchase since watercolor isnt cheap and it pains my heart when i people loose their money due to buying an overpriced shitty set

!!!!INFO!!!!

- this is based after usage on both very good watercolor paper (100% cotton 300g/m^2) AND a "decent" sketchbook (sakura/talens sketchbooks, which arent made for watercolor)

TO THE ACTUAL COMPARISON/REVIEW

1. WINSOR AND NEWTON - COTMAN (+one professional) Personally i feel like its one of the best options available for beginners and more advanced artists. Here where i live its one of the most easily available watercolors and i consider it the "safest" option It can be rather expensive with one half pan costing around 2.8~ euros and 8ml tubes going for around 4.8~ euros but i can assure you that they come a long way like most watercolors (and you can often find them cheaper) POINTS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT IF YOU BUY (PTTIAIYB) - you dont need to buy a full set unless it really comes out cheaper and you plan on using the full range of colors - i recomment buying tubes instead of halfpans if you are on a budget and want to take this seriously. it will get you far more paint especially if you manage to find them on sale. YOU CAN BUY HALF PANS SEPARATELY - if you dont have a box dont worry! make one yourself and tape the halfpans inside it with something like nano tape 2. RENESANS - EXTRA FINE WATERCOLOR This one is a mixed bag for me. The value is amazing as they cost ~1.3 euro per pan and are very pigmented but they are mostly only available in poland and are rather thick. I would say they are person specific and you should give them a try if you can PTTIAIYB - INTENSE AND EF ARE NOT THE SAME PAINTS there are no tubes for EF. only pans 3. SAKURA - KOI WATERCOLOR

if you have no other watercolor supplies and you plan on taking your set places this is a great place to start imo. you get everything you really need and its really nice. the watercolor can be a little grainy at times compared to COTMAN for example but its still very good Its a very good student grade watercolor if youre just starting out! (they will fade in sun after some time as they are not as lightfast as the brands above from my research) PTTIAIYB - if you finish a color refills are hard to get and are more expensive than what its worth. try finding a nice tubed paint that is similar instead :) 4. NEVSKAYA PALITRA - SONNET These are great paints in my opinion, very smooth and nice to paint with and you get a lot of paint in the set. They are student grade and some colors will fade after a year in the sun PTTIAIYB - these paints are russian and i know some people would rather not buy any russian products at all due to world events. from what i gathered the best substitudes for them are Ukrainian ROSA watercolors and paul rubens student grade colors [i was not aware of either of these existance before buying the SONNET watercolors] - no refills available from what i gathered 5. KURETAKE - GANSAI TAMBI Personally i dont vibe with these at all. they are hard to work with, they are weirdly glossy and come out patchy on less luxurious paper which i know is a pain to get cheaply. they arent very cheap either! >:[ but they are definetely special compared to other paints! if you like them maybe give me some tips! PTTIAIYB - only available in pans BUT you can buy them separately - pans are VERY BIG. might be hard and inconvenient if you 6. DERWENT - INKTENSE

I have the biggest love-hate relationship with these ever. On one hand they are something way diffrent than what any other watercolor can offer, they have some colors not available in other sets and are generally weird af BUT ON THE OTHER they are very hard to work with and dont really hold up on the promises made mostly the "pernament when dry" claim That is kinda bullshit ngl. even my swatches which have been drying for like 6 months at this point still lift up from the paper IMO unless you REALLY want them and get yourself educated on them DO NOT BUY. Especially if youre just starting out PTTIAIYB - get educated on pros and cons - technically NOT watercolor (rolls eyes)

That was the last set of better watercolor i own heres a picture of all of the sets mentioned and how they look in action! (scanned and in picture)

GUIDE ON HOW TO READ

spread test

blend test

test to see how easily it reactivates with the layers below

on top of pen and pencil

eraser test

and then little faces painted with the watercolors

IF YOURE READING THIS

know that watercolor is not for everyone and you might not like it, but in some cases if you dont have the correct supplies you might get discouraged early :( please dont give up but also dont force yourself to do something you dont want to (i for example will not pick up a pastel ever lol) no matter on what art level you are your art is special so feel free to share your watercolor paintings and thoughts on paints that you use in the reblogs i will try my best to see all of them :) Have a great day and have fun creating Mistake of nature

#art #watercolor #art advice #paint #watercolour art #watercolourpainting #artistshelpartists #art tips #art help #art resources #artists on tumblr #artist #traditional art

[chicago-geniza]

Every day this job and CTA and this government compel me to set my life on fire and go to grad school in Poland. Everything in Poland is the same as it is here or worse (awful government, cost of living incompatible with life) except public transportation, which is demonstrably better lol

#Cons: not a citizen + would have fewer rights as such #Pros: access to Polish libraries and archives #Cons: would immediately start beefing with institutions exactly like I do here (e.g. Kraków JCC) #Pros: novel beefs; would force me to improve my Polish #Cons: Holocaust tourism industry makes me insane #Pros: you can buy so many foods I miss at Biedronka

[mariacallous]

President Joe Biden’s meeting with Poland’s two leaders at the White House on Tuesday is both about getting more aid to Kyiv, and an attempt to show that even political rivals can come together for the defense of Ukraine.

Conservative Polish President Andrzej Duda joined Poland’s prime minister, the center-right Donald Tusk, on Tuesday for a discussion about sending more weapons to Kyiv. They have an intense political feud at home, but they’re putting differences aside to convince Congress and Biden to ensure Ukraine doesn’t lose more ground to Russia.

“The entire Polish political scene, dare I say it, is coming together to show that we are united in matters of our country’s security,” Duda said before flying to the United States. Tusk added: “I differ politically with President Andrzej Duda on almost everything, but on the security of our homeland we must and will act together.”

Duda and Tusk’s hope is that their show of unity will convince partisans in Washington to work together in common cause of defending a democracy in Europe. White House officials said they want to see that message resonate throughout Washington — and particularly in the halls of Congress.

“There cannot be a free Europe without a free and independent Ukraine,” Tusk said at the outset of the Polish leaders’ East Room meeting with Biden.

In a clear signal to Republicans, Duda used an op-ed in the Washington Post on Monday to call on all NATO members to increase their defense spending to three percent of their GDP.

Biden, during brief comments while reporters were in the meeting room, praised Poland for spending nearly 4 percent of its GDP on defense — double the NATO benchmark many member states have yet to meet. And he continued to emphasize the urgency of getting Congress to approve more defense aid for Ukraine.

“We must act before it literally is too late,” Biden said. “Because as Poland remembers, Russia won’t stop at Ukraine. Putin will keep going, putting Europe, the United States and the entire free world at risk.”

Duda, a darling of conservatives, also met alone with Speaker Mike Johnson, who hasn’t brought the $60 billion supplemental for Ukraine aid to the House floor. “Duda is our Republican whisperer,” said Michał Baranowski, who leads the German Marshall Fund’s Poland office and is in close contact with senior officials in Warsaw.

Tusk, speaking in Polish to reporters outside the White House following a meeting that lasted an hour and 40 minutes, said he hoped Johnson would realize that inaction could cost “thousands of lives in Ukraine.”

“This is not some political skirmish that only matters here in America,” he continued. “The absence of this positive decision of Mr. Johnson will really cost thousands of lives there: children, women. He must be aware of his personal responsibility.”

The visit comes at Washington’s initiative and has forced the leaders to paper over their deep political divisions.

“Especially on the importance of support for Ukraine, there really is national unity in Poland, so going together is this absolutely unique sign of political unity meant to show that this is a serious situation,” Baranowski said.

U.S. officials said the gathering was scheduled partly as a celebration for the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO. But it’s clear that Ukraine will dominate the Oval Office conversation, even if other issues like energy security and democracy protection in Poland will come up. “The leaders will reaffirm their unwavering support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s brutal war of conquest,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a February statement.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan announced before the meeting that the U.S. will offer Poland a $2 billion military financing loan and the ability to purchase 96 Apache helicopters.

There’s fear throughout Europe that the U.S. won’t pass the supplemental, but concern is palpable in Warsaw, which under Duda and Tusk’s leadership became a key node in sending weapons to Ukraine. Biden twice has given speeches in Warsaw to rally the West to Ukraine’s side.

CIA Director Bill Burns told lawmakers Monday that, with the supplemental, Ukraine could hold its positions into early 2025 and strike strategic Russian positions in Crimea and the Black Sea. Without it, Russia will take even more key cities and territory. “And that, it seems to me, would be a massive and historic mistake for the United States.”

The White House is expected to announce a new $300 million package for Ukraine on Tuesday that will include a number of Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel missiles, an older version of the Army Tactical Missile System, which travels 100 miles and carries warheads containing hundreds of cluster bomblets.

Radek Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, echoed Duda’s push for boosted defense budgets in a Tuesday meeting with reporters just blocks from the White House.

“Three percent was more or less what western European countries were spending during peacetime during the Cold War,” Sikorski said . “This is just an acknowledgement that continental peace has ended and that disarmament and deindustrialization in the defense field have gone too far and you need to spend up front to bring back even the capacities to produce more weapons.”

Poland is one of only three countries, along with the U.S. and Greece, currently spending three percent on defense.

Sikorski also told reporters he urged Johnson, who hasn’t budged on Ukraine aid two weeks after being pressured by Biden, Burns and the three other congressional leaders during an intense Oval Office meeting, to think beyond his current political calculus and consider what a Russian victory in Ukraine might mean.

Should Russia succeed in Ukraine and then advance further west, eventually NATO “will need more troops in Poland, including American troops,” Sikorski said. “So if you don’t want to send your people to Europe, the best thing is to defeat him in Ukraine.”