I Am Ahmed Al-Nabih From Gaza, And This Is My Twin Brother Abdul Rahman. I Am 30 Years Old. I Used To

I introduce to you

The heirs to the soul jams

Strawberry Cookie:

Becoming the heir to Hollyberry’s soul jam was something Strawberry Cookie could’ve never seen coming. Yet, here she was. Listening to the ancient hero talk about things she could expect to happen when she becomes the new holder. Strawberry spends her days constantly training and building up her strength. Often needing her to be pulled away by Hollyberry or Wildberry just to take a break. Her last known encounter with Gingerbrave forever changed her. She’s not as shy anymore, she starts to become more stoic and closed-off. Hesitant to meet new cookies.

Wizard Cookie:

Similarly to Strawberry, Wizard Cookie spends most of his time training and practicing on his spells. He hasn’t gotten used to the harsh weather in the Dark Cacao Kingdom yet, making it harder for him to focus when doing magic. He enjoys a good challenge though and has shown significant progress with his work. On particularly harsh days, Dark Cacao will stay by Wizard’s side. Offering guidance where he can and reminding him to clear his mind and keep himself grounded.

Custard Cookie iii:

The young cookie still wears a bright and innocent smile, unaware of the troubling truth being kept from him. Custard is left unaware of the truth of both the witches and Gingerbrave. Being told that his friend was put under a spell and this is why he’s as hateful as he is. This leaves the young healer worried for what could come, now that Gingerbrave is being kept with the Cookies of Darkness. So he listens carefully to Pure Vanilla and he gives it his all during training. He is the beacon of light and hope keeping the group from falling into complete despair.

Chili Pepper Cookie:

Easily the most outspoken and is the first to suggest ways to get Gingerbrave back when the ancients and their soul jam heirs meet up. Chili Pepper has made an attempt to get him back before (with the help of Espresso Cookie) but things did not go as planned. So she’s now become restless and is desperate to have things return to the way they used to be. Causing Chili Pepper to become more protective over Strawberry, Wizard, and Custard. Learning the best ways she could possibly keep them safe with helpful teachings from Golden Cheese. Leaving the two to strike up a close bond because of this.

I’m hoping that the next reference post will be Gingerbrave and Dark Enchantress. I think I need some extra time to figure out the Ancients’ designs

Villain and violent

Infant and innocent

bawling my eyes out in the sunshine state: The Floria Project movie review

“This movie made no sense … It had no plot whatsoever .. the ending didn’t make any sense” (Zia’s Google Review, 2024).  

While Zia may have only rated Sean Baker’s film, “The Florida Project,” one star, her reasons are precisely what makes the film such a masterpiece. The film follows a mother (Halley, early 20’s) and daughter (Moonee, 6) through a Florida summer living at Magic Castle Inn and Suites, a  budget motel less than 20 miles from Disney world. Halley and Moonee are at the bottom of a capitalist society, with no viable means of upward mobility. Much like life, there isn’t a distinct beginning, climax, and resolution to the story and Baker doesn’t invent a happy ending for a story representing people without one. 

The movie captures the slice of life spirit, especially because it is shown from the perspective of Moonee. Baker wonderfully captures the mind of a 6-year old with quotes like: “Ooh a spider lets see if it farts,” and “I love oranges but not the lid.” But it’s not just the portrayal of kids’ play, it’s the insight into how they see objectively dysfunctional surroundings. The only way viewers know Halley turned to prostitution is because Moonee has to take a lot of baths with loud music playing and try to understand the subsequent ostracization her mother faces from neighbors. 

While the film isn’t shown from Halley’s perspective, it paints a representative picture of her situation. She relies on TANF and free food from her friends with jobs to provide for her daughter, because no matter how hard she tries, she can’t get a job anywhere. After trying everything else, Halley resorts to stripping and then prostitution. In a highly capitalist society in the shadow of Disney, the only way Halley can make money is to sell her body.  

Baker is not afraid to talk about sex in controversial ways. Sex is one of the recurring motifs of the film, with portrayals of sex work, pedophiles, boob jobs, and nudists with varying degrees of ambivalent representations.  It’s also interesting how the kids intersect with the idea of sex. The kids' most exciting summer moments are when Gloria is shirtless at the motel pool, and they can look at her “boobies.” The kids might not know what sex is, but the film reveals just how much they are influenced by a society that capitalizes on sex.

My only critique of the film is that there is almost too much unnecessary symbolism and unexplained motifs. For example, why the pedophile? There was one three minute scene about him and then never touched on again. Why were there constantly scenes of helicopters flying overhead? That said there were symbols and themes I appreciated. For example, it’s clear whether a character was important by their name. The main characters are: Moonee, Halley, Scooty, Dickie, Bobby, Jancey, and Ashley. Rainbows are a symbol of better things to come, often reliant on money (the pot of gold at the other end). The movie is characterized by bright colors in the surroundings (green nature and the motel is purple), the way characters dress and Halley’s hair and tattoos. The color is symbolic of childhood wonder and the perceived brightness of Disney World. 

The final motif that I think had the biggest impact was the appearance of the American flag at the scenes that would make any nationalist question their faith in America. The irony felt the strongest when DCF comes to take Moonee away. Even though Moonee is in a dysfunctional situation, the film makes viewers frustrated in the system. Taking Moonee away to bounce between families for 12 years is not a solution. Halley is not perfect, but she loves Moonee and would do so much more for her if she had a reliable source of money. 

The ending of the film turns the American Dream on its head. DCF tries to take Moonee but she runs and escapes. She sobs outside her best friend Jancey’s motel door. Jancey grabs her hand and together they run to Disney World and hold hands in joy together outside the real Magic Castle. (Filmed on an iPhone 6 so that Disney would not make money on the film)

One of Moonee’s quotes from the film is, “Do you know why this is my favorite tree - cuz its tipped over and it's still growing.” Despite living in one of the poorest communities in America, Moonie still finds joy in life. That said, there is no possible happy ending for Moonee as her mother is arrested and she goes away. That’s precisely why the non-sense ending that many Google Reviews complain about is so beautiful. If you want a movie that will have you sobbing and questioning everything, as well then this is the perfect film. 

Sources: 

Sean Baker explains why the ending is imaginary: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-florida-project-review-20171005-story.html

A look at the experiences of people actually living in the motels outside Disney:https://newrepublic.com/article/164335/homeless-gates-disney-world-florida-sunbelt-blues-review

Sad SoG Lloyd doodle from lunch

Minifigs cheer him up

Inktober - Day 1 - Backpack

THIS IS INDEED THAT.

About a week ago, I made a post and included an image of Musk doing the Nazi salute at the inauguration and my post was removed and now my account is on the verge of being banned.

Videos I’ve liked and favorited regarding the US always come down for whatever reason.

Gotta love this circus of a country.

now that trump has tiktok, twitter, facebook and insta in his pocket, get ready for a massive wave of internet censorship. one of trump's greatest weapons has always been misinformation; it's going to become harder and harder to spread facts and criticism going forward. posts that aren't made invisible will be magically ignored by the algorithm. dissidents will have their accounts deleted and voices erased.

this is a suppression tactic. this is another stage of fascism.

I REALLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY BAD REPUTATION *guitar riff*

I GET REALLY SAD WITHOUT CONSTANT VALIDATION *guitar riff*

you would almost think that israel has stopped killing palestinians but in the past twenty-four hours i have seen some of the most gruesome images of dead and beheaded human beings in my life, once again, in july of 2024.

israel is banking on nine months of genocide pacifying global outrage, the slow and steady extermination becoming more palatable. however, nine months in this also incriminates them absolutely.

to be committing such heinous crimes nine months in, with a genocide trial, ICC warrants pending, the eyes of the world on them shows that israel is not a state with any system of accountability, nor are its citizens or its supporters capable of mounting a real opposition to its genocidal mandate of palestinians. nine months of unstoppable and unceasing war crimes, and nine months of israel apologists refusing to give an inch as they continue to take lives. nine months of proving that they were never trying to end hamas, nor were they ever capable of it, but they seek nothing except the annihilation of palestinians and the annexation of their lands. nine months of settler colonialism in action.

nine months of palestinians being proven, beyond a doubt, completely right in their assessment of israel. a state that is beyond redemption, a state that is not a partner for peace, a state that has never stopped reproducing the violence of its foundation since the day it was founded.

I’ve never been very good with the colored pencil medium but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it so here are some ocs

The first two characters belong to me!

The last character belongs to my lovely partner @kiobeeoooo <3