Seirously Pissed Off That To Get Better At Drawing I Have To Draw

February 28, 2024 - American military veterans burn their uniforms calling for a free Palestine, at a vigil for Aaron Bushnell in Portland, Oregon. [source]

art by the.gauntlets

gofundme for the family

"A god should know, where all her dragons are."

I've seen plenty of discussion about how it's shitty of Erzsebet and Drolta to refer to Olrox as a dragon, because Quetzalcoatl isn't really a dragon, but it's like... Extra shitty on other levels?

I mean, this quote is already somethin' because dragon or not, she's referring to him as hers and just making it clear that she does not intend to afford him any agency in this """partnership""".

But I keep Having Thoughts ™ about the role and symbolism of dragons in European folklore.

In the most general sense, they represent power. In a lot of these stories, the dragon is an obstacle between the heroic protagonist and some kind of secret treasure or knowledge (Wealth! Land!). Or the dragon is terrorizing a nearby village (Never mind if the 'dragon' was there first!!). Or the dragon is unfairly hoarding riches it has no use for (don't worry, the colonizers will show the 'primitive savages' how to make the most of their land!! Isn't that nice of them??)

In these stories, it's up to the hero to eliminate this obstacle that's separating them from some resource they feel entitled to, or to 'tame' it and exploit its power for their own purposes. As such, they're pretty on-the-nose colonialist propaganda when viewed under the right lens.

So I wanna talk about The Golden Legend of Saint George and The Dragon, which is one of the most famous of these stories.

Story goes: There's a dragon who's been terrorizing a nearby village. The people start offering the dragon livestock to appease it, and when they run out of livestock, they start holding a regular lotteries to sacrifice one unlucky person to the dragon.

St George shows up before the next person (king's daughter) is about to be eaten, and he doesn't kill the dragon, no. He dominates it:

S. George was upon his horse, and drew out his sword and garnished him with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the dragon which came towards him, and smote him with his spear and hurt him sore and threw him to the ground. And after said to the maid: Deliver to me your girdle, and bind it about the neck of the dragon and be not afeard. When she had done so the dragon followed her as it had been a meek beast and debonair.

*(debonair in the archaic sense = gentle)

Erzsebet makes it clear that if she can't be worshipped, being feared is the next best thing. She can't get Olrox to ally with her willingly, so she resorts to force. In the end, she's getting what she really wants: obedience and subservience. For him to follow her like a meek beast.

The Golden Legend doesn't stop there though:

Then she led [the dragon] into the city, and the people fled by mountains and valleys, and said: Alas! alas! we shall be all dead. Then S. George said to them: Ne doubt ye no thing, without more, believe ye in God, Jesu Christ, and do ye to be baptized and I shall slay the dragon. Then the king was baptized and all his people, and S. George slew the dragon and smote off his head, and commanded that he should be thrown in the fields, and they took four carts with oxen that drew him out of the city.

A couple things here that slot right into the themes of colonialism in the show:

The dragon is used used as a way to coerce people into converting to Christianity. Just as Olrox would have watched the Spanish settlers do to his people: under threat of force.

The dragon is feared by the villagers despite no longer being an actual threat, but St George does nothing to dispel those fears—he exploits them. Just as prejudices of all kinds are used to justify settler colonialism as necessary or inevitable.

The dragon is slain and discarded once St George is done with it. Just as Olrox would have watched the Americans betray and displace the Mohican people who allied with them during the revolution.

Erzsebet and Drolta calling Olrox a "Dragon" isn't just ignorant or disrespectful because he's not a dragon. It's downright degrading. They're not just refusing to address him properly—they're telling a man who has survived settler colonization twice over that they intend to use him as a tool with which to do it again.

Olrox spends the season carefully stepping around every appeal Drolta makes for him to pledge loyalty to Erzsebet. And he's damned good at it: never giving up his true intentions by saying no outright, but wiggling out of ever having to say yes by instead asking pointed questions and making cutting observations that always land the ball back in their side of the court.

But then this scene happens, and he can't wiggle out of it this time. They've got their dragon where they want him. He's pinned and 'meek'—and I can think of nothing more infuriating and degrading for a character like Olrox than to be paraded about in his own land to help Erzsebet build her empire across it.

Olrox isn't a dragon, but she's going to make him one.

Folks, friends, y’all…. esk*mo is a slur. I understand a lot of people don’t know that, I don’t want to be a dick about it, but I’ve been seeing it in fics. Wanna write “esk*mo kisses”? Just say “nuzzled noses” or something.

I’m not here to call anybody out, it’s been in multiple fics, I’m not vague posting. This is just a psa. 👍🏻

tumblr just deleted a huge swathe of palestinians who were on here trying to fundraise. if you've been helping any of these fundraisers please take this time to 1) check in with palestinians you're in contact with 2) help them submit support requests if needed 3) keep these campaigns circulating while the beneficiaries are being silenced. these campaigns are life or death, this isn't just social networking. do not let these fundraisers languish.

URGENT!!!!!!

IT TAKES 1 MINUTE TO HELP A BABY SURVIVE THIS NIGHTMARE

Thank you to everyone who helped the Ashour family reach €40,000.

But this is not the time to continue scrolling. They have a long term goal of €50,000 to raise.

As @dlxxv-vetted-donations pointed out, the longer it takes to raise €50k, the longer this family is forced to spend the funds on their survival instead of their evacuation. We don't know when the Rafah crossing will open again, but it is imperative that they have the funds ready for when it does.

Let me reintroduce you to this young family:

The Ashour family consists of Amal, her husband and baby Maryam. You can follow Amal at @amalashuor

Before the genocide began, Amal was studying for a Masters degree in French, and Maryam was only 9 months old.

Previously, their goal was to raise €30,000 to evacuate Gaza, however they have since been violently displaced several times. Costs in Gaza have been skyrocketing - transportation, tents, rent as well as food, baby formula, diapers and hygiene products. This has forced Amal to use the funds that were meant for their evacuation.

As of last month, bombings by the occuptation forced them to flee from Rafah to Khan Younis, then to Deir al-Balah, and then west from there. Please read Amal's post explaining this situation as well as the breakdown of expenses, and why they raised their goal to €50,000.

The money they raise from this fundraiser is all they have to survive. Just think about that. Maryam is facing severe malnutrition not only due to aid being blocked from entering Gaza - with more than 1 million people forced to starve - but also because what is available is extremely expensive.

Now winter is coming, which not only brings freezing temperatures but heavy rain. There isn't sufficient shelter and illness is already rampant - and don't forget they are still under constant threat of bombings and displacement. Everyday the situation is changing faster than any of us can comprehend.

It has been about a month since I started focusing on their campaign, which had been stuck on €30,000 for some time. The fact that it took this long to raise €10k, and that there is still a long term goal of €50,000 to raise, is deeply concerning.

The new short term goal is €45,000.

They are at €40,100 / €45,000 as of queue.

That is €4,900 to raise!

Please give what you can, even if it's as little as €5. These fundraisers survive thanks to several small contributions - a drop in the ocean goes a long way. For this family, your donation is a lifeline.

gofundme.com

Donate to Help me get out of Gaza for my baby girl, organized by Amal Ashour

Hello, I am Amal Ashour. I live in Gaza. I am 26 years old Before the war, I was … Amal Ashour needs your support for Help me get out of Gaz

#175 on this verified list

Tags below, please let me know if you wish to be removed from this list:

@thatsonehellofabird @buttercuparry @malcriada @neptunerings @butchmagicalboi @dlxxv-vetted-donations @appsa @imjustheretotrytohelp @rhubarbspring @commissions4aid-international @amvs4palestine @a-shade-of-blue @galactic-mermaid @khanger @jezior0 @lesbianmaxevans @lonniemachin @monstermashpotato @raatwitch @crapscicle @tortiefrancis @mangocheesecakes @schoolhater @comrademango @deathlonging @girlinafairytale @littlegermanboy @c-u-c-koo-4-40k @magnus-rhymes-with-swagness

Please do your daily click!

This is a great way for people without any funds or no ways to contact their representatives can help out!! 🍉🍉🍉 (link below)

Free Palestine

hear me out

They're also censoring people who use these tags on X. Sudanese creators and activists who are talking about their experiences -and often not able to share extensive details about their sufferings because if they do, they could be killed for sharing information. Saying 'genocide' is getting their posts flagged and accounts banned too. We need to be talking about this too.