venice-1987

[venice-1987]

Hey everyone, please consider buying the 2024 itch.io Palestinian Relief Bundle- it's 373 games, game-making assets, tabletop roleplaying games, zines, and comics for a minimum of just 8 USD! They have a goal of 100,000 USD, and as of the time I'm writing this post, they have 8 more days to reach it.

Link will be in the reblog!

[venice-1987]

Of course you don’t. Free college might hinder the school-to-prison pipeline your  prison owning donors depend on

[venice-1987]

Mettaton did not slay that hard for people to think that all trans guys are is stinky two day old hoodies and bad posture. Some of us are glamorous, darling

#mettaton #transmen #trans man #undertale

[venice-1987]

happy pride, sexy robot lovers 🏳️‍⚧️

(outfit inspired by @/besitosdeleche)

[venice-1987]

[venice-1987]

they're all gonna wake up with neck pains smh 🙄

Idk what compels me to draw them in a train, but here we are

[venice-1987]

Okay, I agree, but I also want to make a case that there is a lot more nuance than what is typically granted to this discussion. Mainly due to the fact that a lot of the scrutiny is placed on people reading into these friendships as romantic (aka, majority LGBTQ+ people, and young people at that) and not the allocishet typically white male showrunners, writers, and creators that refuse to develop a healthy male friendship that renounces ideas of toxic masculinity.

When people say "Let men be friends" its rarely ever in retaliation of media that has male 'friendships' where they are competitive towards each other, judgmental of what they perceive to be unmasculine traits in each other, and where they are unable to be vulnerable with the other in a healthy way. It is in retaliation of LGBTQ+ people who have been denied any sort of representation, and who try to see themselves in a well developed relationship between two characters that could be read as queer. Its sort of unfair to place most of that burden of male friendship Rep on LGBTQ+ people who are already putting so much energy into their own invisibility.

No, writers are not homophobic for not making two characters gay, and yes, there is a much larger conversation needed to actually change our allocishet society in order for more of these relationships to exist on screen, and yes, some people in fandom are absolutely horrible when it comes to these kinds of things. But its too often forgotten who is really to blame, and who is just trying to cope in a homophobic society by latching onto what they can.

Its gotten much better since when this post was made (gosh, seven years ago D:), but its still not perfect.

writer: this is one of my male characters! he cares about his guy friends and loves them deeply.

tumblr: oh! so he’s gay!

writer: uh…no, he’s attracted to women.

tumblr: ….so he’s bi!

writer: uhh…no…….he loves his guy friends but he’s not romantically/sexually attracted to them.

tumblr: ….so you’re homophobic.

writer:

[venice-1987]

[Stardew Valley] felt compelled to draw some ponies..

[venice-1987]

Kissing men (and putting the mayor's "shorts" in the soup and poisoning the governor)

duality of man

[venice-1987]

Normally I find this sort of "do this arbitrary internet thing and not doing it is difinitive proof that you support this objectively bad thing" really stupid.

But I do care about this.

If you don't reblog, that doesn't mean you disagree with the post or that youre a bad person. It just means you didnt reblog something. but be sure to keep advocating for support of all victims of these things.

Just an experiment. Reblog if you actually give a fuck about male victims of domestic violence and rape.

Of fucking course

What sick bastard doesn’t

[venice-1987]

The dog, a 13 year old black lab mutt, was clearly on its last legs. I had visited the home of the former partners for an initial meeting. It soon devolved into petty arguments and shouted insults, so much so that I wasn’t able to speak long before more scathing words were hurled towards the other. They didn’t much care if they were actually heard. I eventually accepted that they just needed to release what had been building for a while. 

But the dog came barking, directing it at no one in particular but adding more noise to the mess. Its eyes were foggy, and it must have lost control over its saliva a long time ago. As it reacted to the shouting the only way an age-addled dog knew how, drool flung across the room, catching on the edge of the dining room table cloth and puddling on the wood floor. The fur around its muzzle had lost all color, and its fragile limbs shook with the force of its own bark. It had clearly been in the home for a long while, and might be on its way out before the divorce was finalized. 

I had sighed, seeing no way the scene would calm any time soon. I placed my hands over my ears and waited. But on the edge of the stair landing, legs dangling between the banisters and face pressed into the wood was the child of the house. He had been described on paper. Twelve years old, biological to both parents, male, brown hair and eyes, and a weight of  a very skinny seventy pounds. 

The hardest part of being a divorce lawyer was always the children. I could deal with the parents, and frankly enjoyed a bit of tasteful drama. Mindless argument was another thing entirely. But it was always something I only had to endure until the end of the case. 

The son slipped out from between the bars and retreated further into the upstairs.

He could hardly do that now, in front of a courtroom. His saving grace came when, three days into the argument over that dog, the judge became exasperated at the weak ‘evidence’ to support custody and called for a short recess while he considered the facts. He was the first out of the room. I became exhausted at the circus, and was the second to leave. 

I found him in an adjacent hallway in the courthouse. He parked himself on the bench halfway down the corridor, his face red and puffy and his hands tucked in his lap. His feet didn’t reach the floor, and it struck me how little he was. How young. When I approached, he turned to me with a nasty glare. He needed someone to blame. What better person than the lawyer ensuring the divorce would happen. In a child’s mind, who’s to say I wasn’t the cause entirely. 

“That's my dog, you know,” he snapped. His voice was wet, but very angry. I endured. It was the least I could give him. “My parents-” he spat the word “-always talked about how she would snuggle into Mom’s stomach. And that she would curl up by my crib as a baby.”

“I played with her. Threw her favorite ball for her,” he said, stabbing his finger into his chest with each word. “She is my best friend before anyone at school, and you’re trying to take her away from me. My parents don’t even care about me anymore.”

Enough was enough. “Come with me,” I said. He crossed his arms.

“Shut up,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

He tensed when I began to move, like I would get him into trouble. But I just walked away. I found the parents quickly. They glared at each other from across the lobby of the courthouse, too occupied to even notice their son was missing. That he had run from the court. I motioned for both of them to join me, and they approached, bristling at the other. 

“This is ridiculous,” I said. Both reared back with offense, by I interrupted any indignant response they began to sputter out. “Your son is sitting alone in some strange and unfamiliar place and all you two can think about is hating each other and arguing about some…some dog!” 

The parents deflated. The mother put her hand to her mouth, and the father pressed his lips into a thin line. I didn’t think I needed to say it but I did nonetheless. “Shame on you.”

“Where is he?” the father asked. 

“He said he doesn't think you actually care about him,” I said. “You haven’t proven him wrong yet.” 

By then, the mother had begun to cry. “He loves that dog. She’s been his best friend since…She saw him off on his first day of school. She welcomed him home when he was born. He…” Her voice broke. The father looked like he wanted to comfort her, but he only crossed his arms. 

“We know that whoever gets the dog gets him,” he said. “I suppose it was easier to fight over an animal than to think I might lose…” His words failed him too. 

“I think you need to go tell him that,”  I said. I had softened my resolve, but remained firm. For perhaps the first time, they both nodded, agreeing. Without another word, they went to find him. They walked side by side, with space between them, but together. 

I never knew what they told him. I didn’t want to intrude, and it was likely the kid still believed I held the blame for the separation. But he returned to the courtroom, and didn’t look quite as defeated, even as the arguments lasted another day. The divorce proceeded, property was distributed. But in the end, the dog went to the boy.

You’re a judge assigned in a divorce case. Both former spouses have been fighting fiercely for three days to get full custody… of the family dog. They have not once mentioned their 12-year-old son, who watches everything from behind, looking defeated.

[venice-1987]

Anybody care for some little ponies?

Made the sonic one a couple days ago and ended up loving it, so now there's a tails and Amy to match, making an AU I suppose. Enjoy!

Edit: realized an AU needs a name, I've decided on

"MLP: Friendship got Faster"

[venice-1987]

[venice-1987]

Successful trans men

I wish I knew about men like these growing up, I wish I knew that trans men could be successful after a lifetime of never seeing anyone ‘like me’ excelling in life. So here are some trans men - some that you may have heard of, some that you may not - that are successful in a range of careers. Never let being trans hold you back, never think you can’t do something, never think there is not a place for you.

Ben Barres American neurobiologist for Stanford University and advocate for women in science. Barre’s research on the interactions between glial cells and neurons changed the way that we understand the brain and opened up a whole new field of research.

Stephen Whittle Professor of equalities law. Founder of FTM Network in 1989 and Press for Change in 1992. Whittle has been heavily involved in trans activism since joining the Self Help Association for Transsexuals in 1979. His research and activism has been instrumental in ensuring the rights of trans people in the UK.

Michael D Cohen Actor, teacher and coach. Making his break in award-winning Nickelodeon sitcoms Harvey Danger and Danger Force he was the first series regular actor to publicly come out as transgender. Cohen has a BSc in cell biology and a masters degree in adult education, teaching at his own acting studio and providing workshops.

Chris Mosier American triathlete and award-winning coach. Six time member of Team USA in both duathlon and triathlon, Mosier also won two national championships in racewalking and was the first transgender athlete to qualify for the Olympic trials to compete against other members of his gender.

Yance Ford African-American film producer and director. Ford received an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and was nominated for an Oscar for his part in producing and directing the documentary Strong Island which follows the death of his brother.

Kael McKenzie Canadian judge. Serving in the Canadian Armed Forces for several years, McKenzie later attended law school and and worked as a lawyer before being appointed as a judge to the Provincial Court of Manitoba in 2015. 

Shane Ortega Native American former flight engineer in the US army, former marine and professional bodybuilder. Throughout his career Ortega has served in Iraq and Afghanistan in over 400 combat missions. He has a long history of advocating for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the recent banning on transgender service members in the US army. 

Drago Renteria Chicano photojournalist and deaf and LGBT activist. Renteria founded the Deaf Queer Resource and is CEO of DeafVision - a webhosting and development company run by deaf people and the founder of the National Deaf LGBTQ Archives. Renteria has been instrumental in both creating and hosting many online deaf/queer spaces online along with being heavily involved in real-world activism for decades.

Phillipe Cunningham Elected city councillor for ward 4 Minneapolis and previous special education teacher, Cunningham holds a masters degrees in Organizational Leadership & Civic Engagement and in Police Administration and is passionate about tacking inequalities in his community. 

[venice-1987]

Israel is one of the most racist countries in the world.

[venice-1987]

Is there anything I can do to help Palestinians besides call my representatives and beg them to stop killing people?

This is a great question. There are a few things you can do—just off the top of my head:

BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) https://bdsmovement.net/

Direct Action https://www.palestineaction.org/

Urge your University/School/Organization to put out a statement denouncing Israel

Organize a Protest/Participate in a local one

You might already be doing this but while calling your reps, tell them that as a voter, you're unwilling to support them in the upcoming election unless they urge the White House to take a stand against Israel and stop funding them

Share art/writing/films around Palestinian culture

If you're part of a union, ask them what they're doing to urge their industry leaders to take a stand against Israel + pressure the White House OR urge them to start a strike/walkout/etc if they're not doing anything already

Talk with your friends IRL about Palestine, whether in an activist capacity or watching a movie or literally anything

Reach out to a mosque to see if you can help them with anything

See if your city/state council has put out a statement in support of Gazans. If not, try to push them to do so.

Donate to Palestine Legal or Direct Action if you have some money to spare

KEEP TALKING ON SOCIAL MEDIA!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know some of these don't feel like they have as big of an impact on helping Palestinians, but we do need to make an effort not to forget their humanity in the face of continued erasure and the media's sensationalist rhetoric.

Talking on social media and posting—while not seeming like a lot—does SO much. I know in USAmerica, it's like yelling into a void, but political analysts are saying that most of the "Global South" has completely lost any amount of goodwill it may have had the past few years. Hopefully, countries will start to put sanctions and embargoes en masse on the US and Israel soon.

Our goals here are BOTH short-term and long-term. We hope for the life and liberation of the Palestinian people, so anything that you can think of might help at some point in the future is encouraged to at least try.

If anyone else has any more ideas, feel free to reblog and add on. Thank you for asking, and here is to a liberated Palestine where Palestinians can live and thrive without fear.

[venice-1987]

Good morning. This might be my last message from the city of Rafah. The occupation [Israel] is carrying out crazy fire. Violent belts. As you’re hearing, there are helicopters. Planes and gunfire from the vehicles. There’s a complete invasion of the city.

We don’t know what is going on in Rafah. The place that the occupation [Israel] claimed to be safe. This is happening all of a sudden; the people didn’t go out. They didn’t do anything. More than thirty targets were hit in just minutes. People were asleep. We woke up to the bombing, to the shooting from the helicopters. It was horrifying. Unacceptable. This might be my last message. Please relay it to the world.

— Hazem, journalist residing in Rafah; 02.11.2024

Rafah was Palestinians’ very last safe zone. There is quite literally nowhere else left to go. And now it’s being bombed with airstrike after airstrike.