#so we went months without talking

[reallyhardy]

Sorry what’s up w the Ethan slater stuff? I know him only from your posts / SpongeBob stuff

HI HELLO please buckle in

yep -- the same guy from the spongebob musical, and my posts abut the spongebob musical.

he blew up completely and now the general public knows him as 'ariana grande's new boyfriend' - their relationship seems to have started off the back of co-starring in the upcoming wicked musical film adaptation.

it's just been like. a monkey's paw curling sort of a way for him to get catapulted to fame, as i had always really enjoyed him as a performer (as spongebob, yes, but also in the other roles i'd seen him in,) and my biggest hope back around 2017 was that he would continue in and be really successful in theatre, get a lot of broadway roles, maybe take on some existing parts i thought he'd really suit, like seymour in little shop or ogie in waitress.......... but instead he booked the role of boq from wicked in a massive hollywood film production instead, where he met ariana grande. THE ariana grande.

and then yeah. at some point, he and grande broke up with their respective partners, (slater leaving both his wife AND newborn son) jumped into a new relationship, and now the whole wider internet knows who he is but certainly not for the right reasons.

there's been speculation regarding whether or not grande and slater had cheated on their previous partners before their relationship began with various sources coming out of the woodwork saying "yes they did" and others saying "no they didn't" -- humans are all perfectly capable of making stuff up, the media especially, so i simply don't know who to trust and i admit it had completely shattered my whole good impression of him - PLUS it gave the wider internet an absolutely awful first impression of him, resulting in, yeah, the (frankly, unflattering, sometimes downright cruel) memes of him popping up on twitter and, as i discovered yesterday, in non-theatre youtubers' videos who would literally never have heard of him if not for the slater-grande romance 🥲

FULL COVERAGE of the situation as it was happening can all be found on the lovely @notasimpleslater's blog under the tag 'ozgate' if you want to delve deeper!

#loren talks #ethan slater #months later let's call this my actual full response/reaction lol #i think at the time this was going down at the end of 2023 i was sort of just Freaking Out like my blood was boiling lol #i was parasocially furious with both of them #ofc now i do realise i'd put him on something of a pedestal #having seen his cute posts about his then wife an former childhood sweetheart plus posts welcoming his new son #AND having watched a youtube mini-series he'd made with his then-brother-in-law. i was SO invested and then. #i was like OH. he really DESTROYED his family huh. #but ofc! every situation is nuanced. we don't know what went on behind the scenes #wrg to his relationship. or what grande's was like with her ex-husband #since everything came to light there's been articles stating that slater wants to work with his ex-wife to share custody of their child #and that he's been spotted backstage WITH his son at spamalot on broadway (his current production) #so it sugggests he's not trying to be an Absent Father #which tracks with some of his own artwork as he and nick blaemire DID write a whole musical about the strained relationship between #a father and son and i just feel like. that suggests something about his personal character. and makes me HOPE he'd want to #be a present and loving parent regardless of circumstance. #anyways. #it's simply not my business BUT. seeing his face #popping up every now and again #it does just. feel extremely weird haha #there's a part of me that's like oh but that's musical spongebob my bestie what's he doing here #as for ariana i really have never had a strong opinion of her #but i have to say hearing her songs out and about these days...... :') i could do without it

[camgoloud]

you ever just. become overwhelmed by a sudden out-of-nowhere wave of tenderness and affection and longing for reconnection directed towards someone to whom you no longer speak for Very Good Reasons

#‘out of nowhere’ she says like she hasn’t been doing a lot of reading/thinking recently about various tragic messy breakups #and the later regrets of the parties involved #anyway. tell me not to text her #it’s been over two years since the last time we talked… absolutely no reason to break that streak now. lord give me strength #she was really fucking mean to me! like objectively intentionally unwarrantedly cruel! it ruined an entire year of my life #and fundamentally changed me as a person on a deep level! there’s a lot of things i used to like about myself that i don’t think i’m ever #going to get back #and yet every once in a while we have to do the whole ‘maybe i could make things right’ song and dance 😔 #the thing is most of the time i’m not even really angry with her anymore like enough time has passed since all the shit went down that #really i just sort of look at her behavior and feel sad. both because of the impact on me but also because of the ‘that’s really how you #felt you needed to act towards someone who cared about you? you couldn’t have just expressed your feelings in an honest and productive way #instead of just lashing out in the cruelest possible way and ruining the entire relationship beyond hope of repair?’ #and i feel bad and sorry that it went that way and honestly i kind of pity her and hope she’s gotten some of her shit worked out #so i’m not like. actively pissed off at her anymore. but also i can’t think about her without thinking about the worst year of my life so 🙃 #i don’t actually feel that trying to reopen that door would be very healthy for me at least #we did try a Reconciliation of sorts a couple of months after the initial falling-out and while it was kind of helpful for me in that she #like. apologized lmao. and affirmed that i wasn’t crazy and she did in fact On Purpose say the most hurtful things she possibly could have #said to me given the information she had at her disposal. and that i really had not done anything to her that could warrant that. etc. #it also left a sour enough taste in my mouth that i just don’t see a future where the two of us spending time together is enjoyable for me #and yet… the regret will always live inside me i think. maybe if i were a stronger person… #caseyposting

[silenthillbunni]

.

#it went!!! idk lately my pain treshhold has been so low bc im in pain all the time #so i just dont wnna be in pain anymore... he said that now it'll still hurt for a few days T-T #but he wasnt exactly sure what it was but i had.. a cavity?? #im not rlly sure abt the english terms for all of this but the tooth is dying lol #but instead of immediately killing it nd getting a root fill he said that we should give the tooth a chance #so he fixed what he could fix #i hate dentist treatments bc of all the air nd water nd my anxiety i need to swallow constantly #but this time i actually told them abt it nd he was very helpful sksks #he even said 'ok now take a break nd swallow' so i didnt need to be so anxious #nd it was a relief bc he wasnt bad at all. he was actually rlly nice nd easy to talk to phewww #it cost abt $80 so i can manage to be without that until next week!!!! #so yeah it went much better than i had anticipated so im happy abt that #but yeah the problem still isnt 100% fixed yet so im still not relieved #he said i had a cavity in my other tooth as well but that we needed to check that at another time #im so frustrated bc i brush my teeth 2/day i use mouthwash i floss.... #and for the last 7 months i havent even had any sugar!!!!! like why did this still happen.. o.o #oh nd he also said that i probably clench my teeth nd yeah i do that a lot more than i've realized #your teeth arent supposed to be touching!! never!! only when u eat #my teeth.... are touching pretty much all day omg. bc im so tense nd anxious #he said that he couldnt be sure bc he didnt have enough info to go on but that could have contributed to this #well well... i did it nd went even if i didnt want to #hopefully my tooth will be better now. nd i have another appt in may to see what i could get done further #if financial aid for it gets approved tho it might not #but yeah.. god dental pain nd issues is my no. 1 fear bc im poor nd i cant afford it

[8rujaa]

to anyone dealing with ptsd, has there been anything that has helped relieve some of the symptoms?

#im emotionally stuck due to the constant reliving of what happened #i get these weirdly intense flashbacks where i can remember the how the fabric of the couch looked like up close #and how they felt. and how everything looked. the way the colored lights hit the room a certain way #i think i did myself a disservice by thinking i was soooo in love that i didn’t want to forget any details lmao #now i can remember everything like a photograph and sometimes i find myself back in my old apartment and the fear floods my chest #and i can’t breathe and my stomach starts turning it’s terrible. i really felt like i was in hell #i stopped smoking ouid 3 weeks ago bc whenever these flashbacks would happen the high would make them HD and it would send me into a loop #but now i think weed was the thing keeping me above water… it’s been a rough 3 weeks. but before i start smoking again #i wanted to ask if anyone found something else that made it a little easier #it’s been months since our break up and i really want to move on. i’ve tried to meet other people but i’m terrified of men #and i find myself unable to connect with anyone… #i’ve been physically better which i am so grateful for because being unhealthy was my biggest reason i was so depressed #i’ve been doing therapy but i talk about the same thing with her every week. i’m tired of it #i think i’m still in disbelief that they did that to me. i never thought they’d be capable of hurting someone so badly. #i can’t get over the fact that he r***** me for months while i was disabled and pretended not to know what he was doing was bad #i realized he knew when he tried to make it look like i was crazy. that made me really sad. i think i was hoping he was clueless so #i could still believe he was a good person… or at least the man i fell in love with. i was willing to forgive him once he apologized… #when he tried to make it seem like i was going insane the blindfold came off and i saw him for who he really was #like no wonder i was so scared of u dude… no wonder i kept having panic attacks anytime we were together and i couldn’t sleep next to u #i’ve been afraid to admit that shit broke me as a person. i don’t think i’ll ever be the same. i can’t function. #plus knowing i stayed for her bc i was worried for her and didn’t want her to experience the same thing without someone there bc i realized #how good he was at gaslighting and lying. only to find out she was waiting for an excuse to get rid of me… she wanted me gone… #i went thru all that for nothing… #and i still don’t understand why each time i tried to leave for my own good- to get medical help and support they begged me to stay!!! why #brain vomit

[bangcakes]

.

#uh.... LOL so yada yada yada u know what im gonna talk about JDJDJD GOD HELP ME #i just realized........... that u know. usually on the 15th (bc timezones) im like super hype bc sjs birthday #but LMAO........ i so happen to be seeing.... my .... crusheroo on that day so Zjxjdjkdkdkd HOW LIFE CHANGES WOW #i didnt realize til i saw a bday (old) set of sj n i was like WAIT FUCK DID I MISS HIS BDAY. ONLY TO REALIZE. IT WAS THE SAME DAY.... #hhhh but god. ya i did it. i survived a whole month without seeing him. but like bc we message or whatever occasionally (and my #frequent daydreaming lets be real) it didnt feel that long !!! wow !! proud !!@ #like realistically i knew i could do it bc i went like. 4 months without seeing him JDJJDJDJDJD #god imagine. i spent the whole summer trying to get over him. only to see him 1 time n have everything come back #but WORSE. BC. RECIPROCATION????????? #god lmao. feel like im never gonna be over this. feel like i could even be married to him everyday n id be like WOW HOW DID THIS HAPPEN???? #shits so weird idk. idk. im just NDJJDJDJDJD HOW DO WE GET TO THE NEXT STEP #BUT AT THE SAME TIME. I SHOULD GET TO KNOW HIM BETTER. GOD ITS SO DJFJFKKFKDKDKDKKD #like this is what its like to really like someone huh. all those other crushes i had were like.... a 0 in comparison #like wtf is this. when everyone else had crushes and liked ppl is This what they meant. jfc #idk if i could go thru this again JDJDJJDJDJD. hope hes it. ya #id promise to save everyone n never talk about this again but we both know thats not gonna happen ANDNDNDNDND #personal

[cowboyhorsegirl]

Steve is most likely to end up in a lavender marriage and Tony's most likely to end up in a “married for tax/immigration/inheritance fraud” reasons.

They meet as married men and pine for each other hardcore and are also trying not to read too much into how their interest seems reciprocated and oh nooooo both Immigration/the IRS and the the Church/in-laws/DADT era army dudes or whatever are snooping around at the same time at each of their marriages and they have to be so good at being married at the people they are married to oh noooooo and they other guy doesn’t know why they are suddenly being iced out and maybe they were just imagining things? maybe it’s for the best with all these eyes around on them…

#not to get too real but i love queer people. we see each other and we save each other #i wish i could talk in depth about this lgbtq history panel i went to tonight without doxxing myself #but basically all of these panelists were older gay ppl & one of them won a very monumental court case in the state #and right after introductions one of the other panelists turned to her and thanked her so profusely for the sacrifices she had made #and the work she did to win that case #and that by achieving that win for herself she paved the way for this other panelist to have her own family recognized legally by the state #i don't know i'm not explaining it well but something about knowing and seeing that gratitude in real time. understanding so viscerally tha #so much of our history has happened within one or two lifetimes. to the point that many of the champions of our current rights are alive #today for us to learn from and listen to and THANK #i met two nb ppl through school last year and have since become very close to them #they are the only two ppl on this planet who use my pronouns the way i want them to be used. they switch it up every time and i love them #a little bit more each time i hear them talk about me. it's magical #my childhood best friend told me he liked boys and girls like a month after we first met each other in the fourth grade #he told me there's a word for that; he's bisexual #i think abt how incredible that was a lot. how brave he was to say that and to own that and how long it might have taken me to figure #out that i was the same had he not said it. #anyway all this to say that yes absolutely i love this #steve and tony meet at a military gala. steve's being recognized for his service and tony and his wife were invited by some higher-up who #imagined he could use the event as a way to cozy up to him and earn some good favor before negotiations start on SI's contract renewal #their eyes meet while steve's up on stage. he hates these things. hates being dragged into the spotlight. he feels naked and bare and #vulnerable every time. trapped in enemy territory with no cover. but he sucks it up he kisses his wife on the cheek and she smiles #big and beautiful; perfect like they've run their lines 1000 times over. like they could recite each other's parts by heart #he makes his way to the podium. breathes deep to center himself before he launches into his thankless thank-yous. steve's a terrible liar #but somehow he's made it this far in his career. he can manage for one more night. except #right as he lifts his eyes to speak he sees him. bright eyes burning into his from a shadowed table in the corner. the brass speaking at hi #on his left and a lovely woman who's bored and unimpressed on his right. and him looking directly back at steve #steve's breath catches and he chokes on air. trips on his lines. forgets himself and loses the beat of the scene #he looks down at his notes and ignores them. raises his face to the light and plays himself to be seen by an audience of one. #anon #signed sealed delivered

[figuerockfaeth]

I NEED TO MOVE OUT NOOWWWWWWW

#i woke up at 3 pm bc this was my 1st day ‘off’ in forever #and when i went to grab something to eat our back door was fully open and my car was nowhere to be found #cat* #so i freaked out and started looking outside but when i realized she wasn’t there and my roommate also wasn’t recently outside #i knocked on her bedroom door and she was like ‘oh sorry i was asleep do you want me to help look’ #YES i want you to help look what are you talking about #eventually i found her bc my cat is the best girl in the world and never left our yard- she was in the crawl space under the house #but not only am i pissed she let my car out then took a nap #but we don’t live in the safest city in the world and while we were both sleeping our door was fully 90 degrees open #so now not only do i feel like kevin (cat) isn’t safe here but I don’t feel safe sleeping here anymore #the lease is up in july and i finally get to leave #this girl is a random roommate my former roommate found to replace her #and the whole process/experience has been awful #i just have to survive 4 months #during the summer i might keep paying rent but fully leave and go live with family #bc my school isn’t in driving distance of any of my family #now i’m thinking about asking someone if they’ll take kevin for a couple months bc im so sorry about her #but my dad has a dog that doesn’t love cats and my best friend is allergic and my mom lives in another state #personal #delete later #also this is unrelated BUT every weekend without fail she does laundry at an insane time in the morning #and our washing machine is the loudest washing machine i’ve EVER heard #and of course it’s right against the wall of my room #not hers #i only get two days a week to sleep past 630 am and she almost always ruins it

[mcdbutgay]

i just remembered this blog existed… after like 3 months… haiii :3

#i was talking to one of my irls abt childhood memories and nostalgia and aphmau came up and when i tell u we went INSANE over mcd/mystreet #it made me remember that THIS BLOG EXISTS AND I CAN PARTAKE IN THE FANDOM WITHOUT FEELING CRINGE #bc everyone here knows how bad the writing and everything is so its rlly cool and chill here #i just need that tbh.. a place where everyones working with the same thing but has such different views of it is so cool to me #ANYWAYS SOOO coming back for pride month!!! maybe. who knows #it would be funny if i did bc of my username #i was watching mcd last night (currently on ep 35 as of me writing this) and my GOD i need to rework travis’ character so bad #hes silly and i like him but he clashes way too much with laurance #sooo maybe expect that????? idk. i dont wanna make any promises but 👀 #okay ill shut up now #NO WAIT I WONT i kinda wanna redesign EVERYONE and i KNOW thats a big commitment but I WANT TO SO BAD #im supposed to be getting ready for art fight but my GODDD redesigning already established characters seems so much more fun than #redesigning my own ocs. actually they might aswell be my ocs if i do DJSJSKAK anyways NOW ill shut up #ashe.txt

[eyesopentv]

dumb rant incoming

#miles thots #i love my best friend but one time i told her i was feeling left out when she was hanging out a lot with a group without me and we hadn’t #even talked in weeks outside of work- and this was a group of mutual friends so i didn’t understand why i was never invited #and she told me they were her ‘adult friends.’ this convo happened a couple weeks after i turned 20. i said okay bc i understood she meant #like. drinking friends. but it’s not like i don’t enjoy drinking too- and one of the girls is a few months younger than me- i literally went #to school with her #but now i always feel like i have to let go of ‘childish’ things i like so i can fit in with her older friends and like i can’t share all my #interests with her. when she got married she said she has to be an adult now and i’m scared that that means not being friends with me bc i’m #not adult enough or the right kind of adult #idk. i’ve just always been the youngest in my friend group and it’s really hitting now

[diabolicjoy]

.

#warning there’s too many typos but who cares #i’m always complaining to myself in my head about how me & my best friend have grown apart #we’ve spent all out teenage years doing everything together even though we weren’t from the same school #we’d still find ways to see each other if not every day then at least every month #& since she started college & then a relationship & then work we’ve just grown apart & it was embarrassing for me really because i was alwa #ys the depressed never busy always alone type & i always ended up felt clingy when asking to hang out #feeling* #specially because she’s a social butterfly & i’m the one who has social anxiety lol but it was always reassuring to have her by my side #during these social events #then the pandemic happened & after things went back to normal.. i can actually count on my finger how many times we’ve seen each other irl #also stopped texting each other which is an important detail considering we used to talk every single day #especially because she’s like. literally the only person i feel comfortable opening up abt things i wouldn’t tell anyone #so i just feel isolated & a bit lost in life without her presence in it... but i’m just a very insecure human & always feel like the plans #& little dates & things i come up & plan for us to do is just... super boring to her (or anyone else) #so i stopped trying completely. which is sad because i miss her immensely #but last november i went to a festival with some friends but felt super stressed on the first day but tried to hide it from everyone #because i don’t wanna ruin the whole trip by being moody so i just kept to myself #ended up feeling overwhelmed & on day2 of the festival we txt each other bc she’s gonna be there #so i just spent the entire day2 with her & her partner & we all had such an amazing time... it really revitalized me lol #& everything felt so familiar even though i hadn’t seen her since her bday in may.. #& idk i just missed her. i always felt like this lack of talking & seeing each other just meant that they didnt like me as a friend anymore #or that i wasn’t worth keeping around... idk i’m always expecting the worse which is so unfair to the other person #i know she loves me & that life happens #anyway all that to say that i decided to stop being a pussy & stop mopping around #crying abt how i’m alone & friendless. & like. just text them & invite invite them to see a movie or something #idk if it didn’t work our 2 years ago life happens i am trying again #i won’t find someone like them that easily again in life i think

[siristaci]

I spent the first couple days of my daughter's life hoping she'd be small enough to fit in this really cute preemie-sized crab onesie that was handed down to us. After she was born, and we knew she was small, of course. I wasn't hoping for an underweight baby or anything like that; I just wanted her to be small enough to wear it once.

I just wanted her to wear it once. Then she could grow out of it really fast; y'know, like all babies grow really fast.

Well, she's three weeks old and still fits in it. It's pretty much the only thing she does fit in. She's drowning in newborn clothes, and is technically too small for her carseat, stroller bassinet, baby carrier, and all the size 1 diapers we got from the baby shower.

She's worn the crab onesie five times.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#mine #i sure hope she starts gaining weight soon #we don't have a lot of preemie clothes #and we really don't have the money to buy tons of diapers right now #we haven't had an income in a month #and my husband just barely started looking for a job #and i just had to spend $300 on a bunch of baby stuff we still needed #still don't have everything I wanted to get but i had to prioritize #anyway #on a more positive note #she's fucking gorgeous and i love her so fucking much #i actually went a couple of days without crying over either of those two things recently #but I've cried over them twice today already so #pretty sure I've cried more than she has #and I've gotta stop talking about her or I'm gonna start crying again

[crimsonblackrose]

Please join me in a moment of pure shock that my mini boss jumped in and started helping me with a task and decide oh hell nah this is boring AF I’m getting you actual help next week you shouldn’t be doing this by yourself. On top of on Tuesday her coming in seeing the people who were here on Monday didn’t do anything and essentially bringing the hammer down so I wouldn’t have to do it all by myself. Which I think included pushing back to our main boss to make our boss do their job and flat out tell everyone how many hours they’re supposed to be helping me with said task.

#mumblings about work #me out here with shocked pikachu face #Like I'm still looking elsewhere but the fact she's making sure I'm not absolutely crushed is kind of stunning #add to it that I asked our boss if I could write and how to go about it and our boss was like business professional not happening #which crushed the last spark of hope I had #and my coworkers on the otherside of the fence are like yo we don't have enough to edit see if you can write for us at least #and I'm like staring at the fence like how can I sneak over a couple hours a week? #Honestly let me leave this job with a nice even 500 articles please? #I'm so close like literally five away #and I technically am being paid by the month so I think I can work it out since I took 2 days off #but IDK I'm trying to figure out how to pull that off without shooting myself in the foot since my main boss has me writing blacklisted #which makes no sense because I wrote one of our most popular articles #people buy our stuff because of me! and yet I'm like soft banned from writing #🤷‍♀️ none of my coworkers get it I don't get it and when I leave I'm going to talk to HR about it #but until then just let me jump the fence and get those last 5 with my 16 hours please #without my main boss being mad that I went behind their back #I just gotta figure out how #because I've written for them before #Anyway I'll puzzle over that later

[drella]

baby’s first heart break 👍

#and first year of college is overrr so i’m making my return to this app 🤗 #we dated for five months our first date was 24 hours long we went to a weezer concert #we’ve been broken up for two weeks now and #i don’t know #the second week is so much rougher than the first!!!!! why!!!!!!!!!! WHYY #but also shocked at how nice and kind ppl are :’) #like when a girl noticed i was crying in class and talked to me and got me an extension on an assignment #or when my roommate who i kind of stopped being friends with reached out to me and no were friends again 😭😭 #*now #also got high at the beach at night with one of my closest friends from middle school last night. living out my 12 year old wavves dreams fr #also heart break is weird bc i craved it so bad when i was liek 16 bc i had never been in a relationship and that all seemed so foreign and #strange and i just yearned so bad #it’s fucking weird!!!!!! i hate it. i just want somewhere to scream cry sob in peace without anyone bothering me #and i want weed #and i’m moving out of my dorm tomorrow #em.txt

[thethief1996]

700 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours and the airstrikes are more violent each night. Gaza's hospitals have fuel left for two more days. Israel only allowed aid into Gaza on the condition they didn't carry fuel. The Indonesian hospital has shut down already, because doctors have no supplies and no choice but to let the wounded die. They're calling it a collapse but the term doesn't do it justice.

Over a 100 incubator babies are at risk. There are 50.000 pregnant women in Gaza right now, and 5.500 due to give birth this month. Menstruating people are taking pills in order to stop their periods, because they do not have pads or water to maintain hygiene. Surgeons are operating without anesthesia. Water is not reaching Gazans because there's no electricity or fuel for water pumps.

There's no excuse for this. Israel justifies the airstrikes by saying they want to destroy Hamas infrastructure and release the hostages, but they have refused to negotiate for their release. Hamas informed Israel they wanted to release two elderly women without anything in return, and Israel refused. Netanyahu said they wouldn't take their own civilians back because it was "mendacious propaganda." When the hostages were finally released, Netanyahu prohibited the hospital from giving press releases. Yocheved Lifshitz went behind their backs and talked to the press anyway, saying she was treated very well by Hamas, but the government abandoned them. They're being used as straw men. Israel is conditioning the entry of fuel to the release of hostages and yet, according to The Wall Street Journal, when Hamas proposed to exchange 50 hostages for fuel they denied. IDF officials have said they fear the release of more hostages because that might withhold the order to their ground invasion. They do not care as long as they can use the hostages as a pretext for their slaughtering.

There's a turning tide for Palestine in public support. Support for Israel was built through decades of propaganda and we are making a dent into it. Zionists are desperate, holding zoom meetings to promote zionism, but we have to do so much more. We have to shame people in power into supporting the Palestinian cause.

Keep yourself updated and share Palestinian voices, looking to inform yourself from the sources. Palestinians have asked of us only that we share, tweet and post, over and over. Muna El-Kurd said every tweet is like a treasure to them, because their voices are repressed on social media and even on this very app. Make it your action item to share something about the Palestinian plight everyday. Here are some resources:

Al Jazeera

Anadolu Agency

Mondoweiss

Boycott Divest Sanction Movement

Palestinian Youth Movement

Mohammed El-Kurd (twitter / instagram)

Al-Shabaka (twitter / instagram)

Mariam Barghouti (twitter / instagram)

Muhammad Shehada (twitter)

Motaz Azaiza (instagram) - reporting directly from Gaza

Take action. You can participate in boycotts wherever you are in the world, through BDS guidelines. Right now, they are focusing on boycotting (don't be overwhelmed by gigantic boycott lists. Only boycott additional brands if you can):

Carrefour

HP

Puma

Sabra

Sodastream

Ahava cosmetics

Israeli fruits and vegetables

Push for a cultural boycott - pressure your favorite artist to speak out on Palestine and cancel any upcoming performances on occupied territory (Lorde cancelled her gig in Israel because of this. It works.)

If you can, participate in direct action or donate. Palestine Action works to shut down Israeli weapons factories in the UK and USA, and have successfully shut down one of their firms in London. Some of the activists are going on trial and are calling for mobilizing on court.

Call your representatives. The Labour Party in the UK had an emergency meeting after several councilors threatened to resign if they didn't condemn Israeli war crimes. Calling to show your complaints works, even more if you live in a country that funds genocide.

FOR PEOPLE IN THE USA: USCPR has developed this toolkit for calls

FOR PEOPLE IN THE UK: Friends of Al-Aqsa UK and Palestine Solidarity UK have made toolkits for calls and emails

FOR PEOPLE IN GERMANY: Here's a toolkit to contact your representatives by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN IRELAND: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN POLAND: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN DENMARK: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN SWEDEN: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA: Here's a toolkit by Stand With Palestine

FOR PEOPLE IN CANADA: Here's a toolkit by Indepent Jewish Voices for Canada

Join a protest. Here's a constantly updating list of protests:

Global calendar

USA calendar

Australia calendar

Here are upcoming events:

CANBERRA/NGUNNAWAL, AUSTRALIA – Wed Oct 25, 11 am, National Press Club. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyh1xy1BMrU/

OXFORD, ENGLAND – Wed Oct 25, 12:15 pm, Cornmarket. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CykroKeInz3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

SMITH COLLEGE (US) – Wed Oct 25, 12 pm, Chapin Lawn. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CymT8f5vnHN/?img_index=1

ST CATHERINES, ON ( CANADA) – Wed Oct 25, 6 pm, 61 Geneva St Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/889319005528757/

TORONTO, CANADA – Wed Oct 25, 5 pm, Sidney Smith Hall. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyjVbpGvva8/

SANT CUGAT, CATALONIA, SPAIN – Thurs Oct 26, 6 pm, Davant l’Ajuntament. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CynL834tgg9/?img_index=4

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct 27, 7 pm, Federation Square. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyhyd0vhP8t/

LIVORNO, ITALY – Sat Oct 28, 2:30 pm, Piazza Cavour. Info https://www.instagram.com/p/CyiWJ06MXpM/

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (US) – Sat Oct 28, 1 pm, Lake Street and Minnehaha.

ROME, ITALY – Sat Oct 28, Rome. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyi7ey-MMs1/?img_index=1

ROME, ITALY – Sat Nov 4, Rome. Info TBA: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyndKUitnMU/

WASHINGTON, DC (USA) – Sat Nov 4, 12 pm, White House. Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyiecRtr9-B/

Wollongong: Rally at Crown Street Mall Amphitheatre on 21 Oct at 1 PM

Melbourne: Blak and Palestinian Solidarity Rally at Victorian Parliament House Steps on 25 Oct at 6 PM

HOUSTON: Thursday, October 26th, 5:45PM, Rice University, Central Quad

VANCOUVER: OCT 28 at 2PM, Vancouver Art Gallery

KITCHENER: Wednesday October 25th at 5 PM at CBC Kitchener

SANTA ANA: 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701, October 25th at 5:30 pm

TORONTO: WED. OCT 25 at 7PM at Queen's Park

[CAR RALLY] WASHINGTON D.C: Wednesday 10/25 outside the US State Department on the 23rd Street side

Feel free to add more.

#save gaza #free palestine #gaza under attack #palestine

[redgoldsparks]

My very last comic for The Nib! End of an era! Transcription below the cut. instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

The first event I went to with GENDER QUEER was in NYC in 2019 at the Javits Center.

So many of the people who came to my signing were librarians, and so many of them said the same thing: "I know exactly who I want to give this to!" Maia: "Thank you for helping readers find my book!" While working on the book, I was genuinely unsure if anyone outside of my family and close friends would read it. But the early support of librarians and two American Library Association awards helped sell two print runs in first year.

Since then, GENDER QUEER been published in 8 languages, with more on the way: Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese and Dutch.

It has also been the most banned book in the United States for the past two years. The American Library Association has tracked an astronomical increase in book challenges over the past few years. Most of these challenges are to books with diverse characters and LGBTQ themes. These challenges are coming unevenly across the US, in a pattern that mirrors the legislative attacks on LGBTQ people. The Brooklyn Public Library offered free eCards to anyone in the US aged 13-21, in an effort to make banned books more available to young readers. A teacher in Norman, Oklahoma gave her students the QR code for the free eCard and lost her job. Summer Boismeir is now working for the Brooklyn Public Library. Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive, apps used to access digital library books, are now banned in Mississippi to anyone under 18. Some libraries won’t allow anyone under 18 to get any kind of library card without parental permission. When librarians in Jamestown, Michigan refused to remove GENDER QUEER and several other books, the citizens of the town voted down the library’s funding in the fall 2022 election. Without funding, the library is due to close in mid-2024. My first event since covid hit was the American Library Association conference in June 2022 in Washington, DC. Once again, the librarians in my signing line all had similar stories for me: “Your book was challenged in our district" "It was returned to the shelf!" "It was removed from the shelf..." "It was moved to the adult section."

Over and over I said: "Thank you. Thank you for working so hard to keep my book in your library. I’m sorry you had to defend it, but thank you for trying, even if it didn't work." We are at a crossroads of freedom of speech and censorship. The future of libraries, both publicly funded and in schools, are at stake. This is massively impacting the daily lives of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and authors around the country. In May 2023, I read an article from the Washington Post analyzing nearly 1000 of the book challenges from the 2021-2022 school year. I was literally on route to a festival to talk about book bans when I read a startling statistic. 60% of the 1000 book challenges were submitted by just 11 people. One man alone was responsible for 92 challenges. These 11 people seem to have made submitting copy-cat book challenges their full-time hobby and their opinions are having an outsized ripple effect across the nation. WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS EVEN LOUDER. If you are able too, show up for your library and school board meetings when book challenges are debated. Send supportive comments and emails about the Pride book display and Drag Queen story hours. If you see a display you like– for Banned Book Week, AAPI Month, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, Jewish holidays, Trans Day of Remembrance– compliment a librarian! Make sure they feel the love stronger than the hate <3

Maia Kobabe, 2023

The Nib

#maia kobabe #banned books #library funding #comics #book challenges

[myname-isnia]

One of the singing competitions my grandma endlessly watches featured a song I was learning in singing lessons and was supposed to perform before I cancelled two days prior to the concert, so now I'm like... half triggered, half wrecked with guilt

#in my defense I didn't mean to cancel only two days before #I tried to tell my teacher I wouldn't be able to handle it from the minute she gave me the offer #I thought in the two months I've known about it I would have been able to hype myself up and do it #but several borderline panic attacks in the weeks leading up to it told me otherwise #so I snapped and said I wouldn't do it #I know I disappointed her bc she told me no one else would have a performance at all similar to mine #she told all her colleagues about how great it'd be. before I cancelled she invited another teacher to watch me rehearse #obviously didn't once I told her I won't do it #and the other teacher asked why we didn't call her after the lesson was over. my teacher didn't say anything in front of me #but said goodbye to me and led the other teacher to the back room #to complain about me? voice her disappointment? just tell her what happened? I don't know #but I never asked how the concert went and she never brought up wishing I was there. we haven't talked about it since #haven't practiced that song since either #so... yeah. I do feel insanely guilty. and disappointing people is a huge trigger for me. #and being reminded so suddenly did almost make me cry I won't deny it #I almost regret cancelling.. but reminding myself it's better for my already rapidly deteriorating mental health in the long run kinda helps #okay. okay. deep breaths. chill #one evening without something making me upset. please #it's literally no big deal. calm down #fuuuckkkkk why am I like this #pull yourself together ffs