How many classics do I have to read before I'm allowed to stop? Like I was forced to read the Great Gatsby in school and it was literally the worst book I ever read. If I read two more off the classics list, can I stop and read stuff I actually like again?
I cannot tell if you’re being intentionally dense or if your reading comprehension is so abysmal this post made you believe I was metaphorically holding you at gunpoint and forcing you to read Moby Dick.
It is your right not to like The Great Gatsby, I know I am in a minority of people who did enjoy it. It is your right to decide not to explore the works of older writers like Jane Austin and Mary Shelley and William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde but it does not mean these works are fucking bad and we should stop encouraging people to read them. The concept of classics is a wide swatch of history spanning the entirety of written language, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to contemporary classics like The Great Gatsby. It is so narrow-sighted to condemn them all and a disservice to you. You are well within your rights to remain in your comfort zone and only read a certain genre of contemporary fiction but there is a vast literary world out there waiting for discovery.
Starting again on July 1st is my favorite online artist event: Art Fight! If you have OCs, and enjoy making and receiving art involving OCs, then I highly suggest you check out the site and set up an account!
For those who aren’t familiar with Art Fight, here’s a brief overview:
Each year, participating artists are split into two teams.
The main goal is to find any artist from the team opposite yours, and ‘attack’ them by drawing art of their ocs! Your team receives points based on what you create.
Artists that receive attacks can then ‘counter’ by drawing an OC belonging to the person who fought them, or pay it forward by simply attacking anyone on the opposing team!
The official about page with more in depth information is located here! There’s also a video format for this information that can be watched here!
Art Fight is a great chance to interact with tons of different artists, get to know the amazing OCs that others have created, and have a lot of fun making art! The art you receive is also very exciting; you never know who may attack you! Keep in mind, it’s all in good fun and any skill level is welcome!!
The event lasts a month (July 1st - August 1st), and the team with the most points by the end wins!
I hope to see you there!!
Guys i don’t want to optimize you if you still care about genocide in gaza .
But the news saying the ceasefire agreement is done and they will maybe tomorrow Announce it .
Best thing is the isareli army will withdraw from all Gaza Strip that’s mean the Rafah border crossing will back to work again so i need your support your help so I could take my brother Mohammed out to be with his Son Zayed and his wife.
And didn’t told you before my brother Omar engaged and His fiancee still in north gaza. He asked me alot to tel you about her so he can also be with the love of his life.
Don’t think your contribution is small even the one dollar helps . Sharing also helping.
instead of continuously over-donating to ao3 when those running the site are racist zionist sympathisers who shut down support of palestine from its volunteers 1 / 2 (among myriad other issues that u should NOT be funding) please direct your attention to these incomplete fundraisers for people in gaza and various tangible operations doing work. this is a call that if u have donated even a cent to ao3 to a) match that in your donations to palestinians/causes and b) stop donating so uncritically and unconditionally to ao3, pressure them. id like to direct u to @end-otw-racism
fundraiser masterpost by @el-shab-hussein
mona
care for gaza
help gaza's children
operation olive branch
the palestinian children's relief fund
unrwa
the palestinian red crescent society
buy an e-sim / donate for mass buying
When the anti "LGBT propaganda" law passed in Russia, all of you were going insane and cared. Give Georgia the same energy. If you can have sympathy for our oppressors on the basis of them being queer, you should keep the same energy for us, if not more.
If this law passes, every Georgian queer person I know is so severely fucked, myself included. If you make jokes about "being illegal in several countries" you better fucking care about the countries you're apparently illegal in, or going to be illegal in.
Make sure to spread this around. This is important.
Urgent Appeal: Support Needed to Save My Family in Gaza
@communistchilchuck 🫶🇵🇸
@sar-soor 🫶🇵🇸
@fallahifag 🫶🇵🇸
@plomegranate 🫶🇵🇸
@fairuzfan 🫶🇵🇸
@vakarians-babe 🫶🇵🇸
@palestinegenocide 🫶🇵🇸
Dear world,
Today I address you with an urgent and moving appeal from the heart of suffering. I am Ahmed Abu Shamala, and I am trying my best to collect donations for my family who lives in the Gaza Strip, where they are suffering from famine and all forms of genocide.
Thanks to God, I was able to collect 10% of the required amount, but we are still very far from our goal. The small percentage of donors makes hope weak, but I believe in your generosity and kindness.
My family, like many families in Gaza, suffers from poverty, hunger, and constant danger. We urgently need your help. Your donations will help save the lives of my loved ones, and give them a chance at a dignified and safe life.
I ask you to open your hearts and contribute what you can to save a suffering family. Every amount, no matter how small, makes a big difference.
You can donate through
Thank you to everyone who will contribute to saving innocent lives. Together, we can make a difference.
May God reward you.
Verified by @el-shab-hussein , @ibtisams 🙏
@sar-soor @appsa @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @marnota @el-shab-hussein @sayruq @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @vivisection-gf @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @ibtisams @animentality @kordeliiius @communistchilchuck @brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @the-bastard-king @tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2 @90-ghost @skatehan @awetistic-things @gentl3manly @baby-girl-aaron-dessner
With chapter 152, we have a glimpse into the tattoo on Takiishi and Endo's shoulders.
Let's disect it!
Breech-loading swivel gun – or Furanki (仏郎機砲, "Frankish gun") in Japanese (Turnbull, 2006) – was one of the first cannons used in Japan. Coming from the Portuguese, these early European models were either called ishibiya (石火矢) or furankihō (フランキ砲) (Gunsen History, 2019), the latter bears similarity with the gun's Chinese name "Folangji", which comes from the Turkish name "Prangi" or Turkic "Farangi" (Chase, 2003). This explains the "Frank" on the tattoo.
I was trying to see if the wheel in the tattoo has any other meanings, but as far as I know, it is simply the wheel of the cannon. The same structure can be observed from Nii Satoru's drawing of the cannon wheel with 4 main spokes and 4 additional, underlying spokes. (Most wheel symbols in Hinduism or Buddhism are eight-spoked wheels).
The right-most part of the tattoo appears to be the rings and the button at the base of the cannon. It is pretty similar to what we'd see with a top-down view of the plan below.
Note. From Oozutsu cannon Japan 16th century [image] by Unknown author. Wikimedia Commons, 2010. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oozutsu_cannon_Japan_16th_century.jpg
The illustration of the wolf was cleverly combined into the cannon. Its hind legs turned into the cannon base while its fur blended into the fire surrounding the cannon.
Wolves have many symbolic meanings, but here I believe Endo was trying to highlight Takiishi's fierceness. Takiishi is an untamed, lone wolf. He doesn't obey the rules; and Takiishi's world, as per Endo's explanation, has no one other than Takiishi (of course until Umemiya makes an entrance).
Japanese Ishibiya (石火矢) hand cannons are also early firearms in Japan and have made an appearance in the movie Princess Mononoke.
If you find Endo's explanation confusing, here's a more visualised version for it.
Takiishi Chika (焚石 矢)
焚 (taki): to burn, or anger. This character is made up of two 木 (trees) and one 火 (fire)
石 (ishi): stone, or rock
矢 (chika): arrow
Ishibiya (石火矢)
石 (ishi): stone, or rock
火 (bi): fire
矢 (ya): arrow, projectile
Occasionally, Furanki guns were also called Kuni-kuzushi by the Ōtomo clan, which means country destroyer (Gunsen History, 2019).
Kunikuzushi (国崩し)
国 (kuni): country, or nation
崩 (kuzu) し(shi): breakdown
References
Chase, K. W. (2003). Firearms : a global history to 1700. Cambridge University Press.
Gunsen History (2019). Taihō (大砲): Japanese Cannons and Artillery. Gunbai: Ancient Japanese Warfare. https://gunbai-militaryhistory.blogspot.com/
Turnbull, S. R. (2006). Samurai : the world of the warrior. Osprey
Unknown Author. (2010). Oozutsu cannon Japan 16th century [image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oozutsu_cannon_Japan_16th_century.jpg
Marcelat Sakobi of Democratic Republic of Congo, at the end of the women’s round of 32 boxing match against Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova, made a strong gesture to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in the DR Congo by placing her hand in front of her mouth and pointing two fingers at her temple.
Resources for Congo:
Friends of Congo
Panzi Foundation
War Child
CammeDRCongo
Genocide Watch
A guide to the decades-long conflict in DR Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Industrial mining of cobalt and copper for rechargeable batteries is leading to grievous human rights abuses.
An explanation thread from 2019.
Books on Congo.
Feel free to let me know of other resources to add.