I just rewatched The Thing (John Carpenter) and felt inspired to practice my shading! I know that there was a scene with him that had better contrast but I couldn’t find it ): I’ll always be more of a fan of the prequel but this movie is amazing, especially considering how well they used prosthetics and practical effects to make the whole thing!
As of 2026, around 42,000 Ukrainian civilians have died due to the war with Russia. Reported in an interview, CIVIC had with a Ukrainian civilian, he said, “I’m the fall of 2023…I slept so well. Now, when you sleep, a drone flies above you and you think whether it will hit your house now or fly somewhere further, and it is very scary, and now it has become much more… sirens sound 10 times a day, drones fly at night. Even I can judge for myself, this has become a strong impact on my mental health, on sleep and psychological integrity and resilience.” This man is one of the many Ukrainians burdened with the knowledge that at any moment’s notice, they could be killed by a UAV. Russia usage of drones isn’t for affordability, protection, or precise military attacks, but instead, widespread violence. They’re doing it to hurt Ukraine as much as possible—through their civilians. I wish I had more to contribute, but I’m learning more about this myself. Hearing that quote reminded me of the horrors going on across the world, horrors that people are forgetting about. Civilians shouldn’t be collateral damage for the actions of a government and that applies to people of any race, religion, and nationality.
This comic isn't perfect. I started it back in October 2023, and every time I picked up my pen, I wept.
I bring this to you today, on 9/11, in hopes that you reflect on this day a little differently than how most Americans would. Let it move you to continue to boycott, protest and challenge your family, friends and colleagues. You have a bigger impact than you would believe.
Thank you for reading this with an open heart.
From the river to the sea...
I'd like to bring to attention the fact that the figures depicted above are a gross undercount of the actual number of deaths. I scoured the internet high and low to source my findings and not a single one could break down the devastation that befell an individual ethnicity. Instead, they lumped a bunch of ethnicities together, provided a general timeline, and called it a day, reinforcing the sheer scale of dehumanization propagated in the west. The only consistency between all the articles I looked up was the 4.5 to 4.7 million figure I've included above, and even then, they were all published by western media news outlets... the very same that have been so unreliable and complicit in the genocide of Palestinians today. So I have to take everything they say with a grain of salt.
We are not just numbers.
All of us have ambitions and desires and lives worth living.
With that said, this is your friendly reminder to:
Donate an e-sim
Donate to PCRF to provide Palestinian children aid
Donate to Pious Projects to provide woman with feminine hygiene kits
Donate to CareForGaza to provide food to displaced families in Gaza either through their Gofundme or their paypal
Donate to any of the vetted gofundme campaigns on GazaFunds to help Palestinians trying to flee Gaza.
And if you or someone you know sees or experiences a hate crime and can afford it, SUE. This is a more effective use of your money than most realise. The reason zionists act with impunity is because of the normalization of white supremacy and oppression of ethnic minorities. Challenging that in any capacity tells them that there are consequences to their actions and makes them think twice before engaging in hate crimes and helps raise all of us up against the systems currently in place that let them get away with it.
If you can't donate or spend any money, you can:
Do your daily clicks.
Boycott targeted companies on the BDS list (if you're like me and you don't want a single dollar to go towards anything supporting Israel right now, you can use Bdnaash to double check what products are okay to buy, but the BDS list is sufficient as it is a strategic attack and proven very effective thus far)
Flood your representatives emails and voicemails with how you won't be voting for them unless their politics align with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Attend a protest, be LOUD.
Challenge your circle of friends, family and colleagues with conversations about Palestine. (THIS IS THE MOST UNDERRATED AND MOST EFFECTIVE THING YOU CAN DO)
and if you're really up to, be disruptive in any capacity that you can think of towards major corporations benefiting from this onslaught. (i.e. halting military manufacturers from production + shipments, sticking boycott stickers on products at your market etc)
And finally, if your country wasn't mentioned in the above excerpt, it was no deliberate omission on my part and I encourage you to come forward and tell your story about the suffering of your people so that this may be a learning opportunity for everyone.
Here’s an acrylic painting based off the Ender’s Game books (I haven’t seen the movies at all, so that’s why the designs probably look different since it’s just my brain’s version). The book was honestly so beautiful and I’m already moved onto Speaker for the Dead! The person on his left is Napoleon and the person on his right is Alexander the Great. Since there’s numerous comparisons between them and Ender throughout the book, I decided to paint him between, standing among them. And in the background…🥲
Practicing realism!! Wish I could find the source of the photo to cite, but I found it on Pinterest so it’s been reposted to oblivion. (I’m going to draw her clothing and earrings later, it isn’t my forte and I just wanted to practice faces rn!)
Why isn’t there an Ender’s Game animated series yet? I haven’t watched the movie in years so I have no memory of it, but I feel like the story would apply really well to a TV series—specifically an animated one, since there’s a lot of fantastical imagery that’d look better drawn.
Really excited for what’s to come, especially since Blyke is my fav. I really hope Blyke’s character arc gets fully developed before the series ends, not cut short.
WILL’S CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MIKE (please read this if you don’t agree with Will’s ending in the finale)
People in the fandom are too stuck on the fact that Byler had to be canon to recognize that Will’s ending was satisfying as well! While I’ve been a Byler fan since season 4 came out, the fandom’s response to the finale has been disappointing. I acknowledge that Will had a lack of attention in the final episode and while his interest in Mike was brushed off, there’s more to Will’s character and his queerness than his connection to Mike. I disagree with the idea that Mike was Will’s Tammy Thompson, but the messaging in Robin’s speech remains. The key point of her speech was saying that what’s important is self-acceptance instead of trying to base your identity around the person you associate your queerness, because that will lead you to let down.
At the end of the show, Mike says that all of them get a happily ever after until which Max points out that it isn’t that simple, resulting in him telling them of each of their next stage of their life, instead of the ridiculed “happily ever after”. The point of this scene wasn’t to say that the rest of their lives would be flawless and carry out in the way that Mike described, but to represent their next step in embracing life (and themselves) now that they’re going into adulthood and getting a chance to live, which was something they could never do before, due to Vecna—especially Will. Each character’s story is vague because Mike doesn’t know what’s going to happen, none of them do. They’re entering unknown territory where they get to discover who THEY are and Will is no different. The guy we see with Will isn’t going to be Will’s husband, hell, it could be their first date! What’s important is that Will is in a community that finally accepts him, and he gets to be unburdened from the reputation (given to him by Vecna) that hung over his head. What this also isn’t saying is that this a happily ever after for him (or any of the characters), because it’s not. Unfortunately, he still has much hardship and heartbreak in the future, but what matters is he’s taking that next step towards self-acceptance.
This whole story has never been about just Mike and Will, it’s been about all of them—about their family. Each character’s story isn’t defined by one aspect or connection, but many seem to think that Will’s queerness is erased and the show’s meaning is nonexistent due to Will not ending up with Mike in the end (similar to Mike x Eleven shippers pre-finale thinking that El’s character arc is ruined without her relationship with Mike). Will is a multifaceted character who was forced to confront that his best friend wasn’t interested in him the same way that he was. BUT because he is his own character and his romantic interest for Mike doesn’t define him, he decides to move on and keep searching for self-acceptance—something he won’t get by chasing after Mike (considering that even if Mike were interested in him, he wasn’t in the right mental state to pursue a relationship that wouldn’t cause more despair for both of them). Byler wasn’t canon in the end and it was deliberate, but people are still looking at the finale through the lens that this was a complete deviation that just a different route. I definitely think that a Byler ending could’ve been just as good or even better but that wasn’t what happened and while people have the right to be sad (I know I was), people are using that sadness and anger to discredit the entire show and discredit queer representation. Will had a good ending that portrayed GOOD queer representation!
If you have a different opinion after reading this, that’s fine! I’m open to talking about it in the comments, if you want! (:
The point was that there wasn’t supposed to be closure for ANY of them because they have their whole lives ahead of them and now they have the chance to appreciate it! While the ending wasn’t perfect, I still love it and my interpretation of Will’s ending is the second post on my blog! Please read it if you’re disappointed with the ending!
That ending was so beautiful. It had me in tears. While it definitely wasn’t perfect, I think it was one of the better ways that they could’ve ended the series. I’ve been a Byler shipper since season four and while I think Will should’ve had much more attention in the final episode —considering that it was him that started the whole cycle—and this show had so much potential to be a platform for queer representation in a time of such political turmoil, this ending was good for the character and good for the show. I definitely would love a Byler ending more than any other ending, but I think this works in its own way. The whole ending scene is about having the rest of their lives ahead of them—something Will hasn’t really had the chance to consider. This isn’t just a happy ever after (like Max corrected) because they’ve got a whole future ahead of them and this was just the beginning. Will had his childhood stolen from him by Vecna, capitalizing off Will’s fear of his own queerness and scarring him for life. This is Will’s chance to embrace that, away from his reputation and in a community that will be more accepting. While he has his friends in Hawkins, they’re all moving into the next stage of their life and so is he. The guy we saw with Will, he likely isn’t going to marry. There’s much more heartbreak and difficulty ahead of him, but the point is that now he has that opportunity. Every future Mike narrated in the epilogue was vague because none of them know what’s ahead of them—especially Will, because now they’re getting the chance to embrace life and transition into an adult. So even though they could’ve had something more conclusive, that wasn’t the point of the ending for any of the characters. I’m going to bed now and Happy New Years! I can’t deny that I’m disappointed that Byler didn’t happen and the underrepresentation of Will’s queerness and overall character in the finale, but the ending satisfied me.
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