Potato-frend-blog - HellofellowHumanz.

links to help you actually learn and understand what happened in Israel on October 7

a site that collects the October 7th survivors' stories.

an Instagram profile that also collected survivors stories.

Yoseph Hadad - an Arab-Israeli who shows what it is like to be an Arab in Israel. also explains the situation.

Israel on Twitter - the official account of the state of Israel.

Stand With Us - a nonprofit organization that fights antisemitism.

4IL - an Instagram page for Hasbara (explanation).

Visit2Israel - explains, simplifies and updates on what is happening.

I do warn you - the stories are graphic, there will be graphic pictures. but this is the situation Israel is in, and there are so many stories to share that me, as a sole person here, just cannot bring you all on my own.

SHARE THIS PLEASE, LET THE WORLD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO US

Hey everyone. I remember reading an HTTYD fanfic titled "My Hiccup," and one of the plots was Alvin enslaving the Berserker tribe with Dagur trying to free them. And though why the hell not make this into a ROBTD comic with Alvin as the main bad guy? Of course, Pitch and others are in this too.

Almost done with my crochet strip lace cotton ribbon for raising awareness of the ongoing hostage crisis. It still needs to be starched and sewn in place. Still not sure where I can ask to have it displayed, but I’ll figure it out. Let me know if you have any ideas.

site that you can type in the definition of a word and get the word

site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

site that gives you synonyms and antonyms

Some thoughts I wrote for Valentine's days about relationship anarchy and how no one really knows what romantic love means (alt text below)

As an asexual person who doesn't really understand the concept of romantic love I have discovered that aloalo people have no idea of what having romantic feelings is o feels like. I have learnt a lot more about what love means in the aro community and the polyam and relationship anarchy community.

And I thought it would be cool to show some of that stuff I have learnt that should be obvious but people usually forget, (which I understand, life doesn't come with a rules book).

1. Love isn't a limited resource. You can have romantic feelings for more than one people and it's okay and normal! The same way you can have more than one best friend and love them all as much. Romantic love doesn't have to be restricted.

2. Your love for your partner is not better or superior than the love you have for other people. Amatonormativity makes us all think than we all desire a relationship on top of everything else. Which is stupid. All kinds of relationships can be as much fulfilling and everyone is different. Your love for a partner, a qpr, a friend, your family, your community, all are equally important in their own ways.

3. Some people don't want or need to have a romantic relationship, or a sexual relationship, or any kind of couple-like relationship to feel happy with their lifes and that's great! Aromantic people are amazing and it's hard to navigate a world so much focused on romance.

4. The attraction split model was created by the asexual community as a way to help define their orientation more specifically. And though it may not be useful to everyone I personally think it's very useful to learn and do some introspection about how many types of attraction we can feel. Humans are not machines and not everything can or needs to be defined, but giving words to our emotions is fundamental to understand how we work.

5. Despite what I said in the last slide, it's imposible to reduce everything to closed boxes, and that's a good thing too, you don't need to restrict your feelings to fit into normative standards. Don't let anyone tell you how you should or shouldn't love.

To conclude: Just love your friends. Take care of everyone you care about, built a community, don't let anyone tell who you should and shouldn't love and how to do so and be nice to others.

Tell your friends how much you appreciate them, buy them chocolates, give your mother flowers, kiss your partners goodnight, fight against amatonormativity, listen to our aromantic siblings.

And enjoy this day, thank you if you have read all this bible until this end <3

More useful links -

Articles

White phosphorus found in mortar shells fired from Gaza

Media Falsely Blame Israel for Rejecting Hamas’ Ceasefire “Proposal”

Unearthing the Story Behind the Gazan Mass Graves

Media Ignore Quietly-Revised UN Figures of Hamas-Reported Civilian Deaths

Terrorists Attack US Humanitarian Pier Construction Site Off Gaza: Report

Tweets with resources (some may contain graphic content) -

HAMAS/UNWRA stealing/destroying aid -

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HAMAS hurting/killing their own people -

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Misc -

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Writing Tips: The School Setting

The school setting trope is a narrative device that places the story's events within an educational institution. This trope capitalizes on the nostalgia of school life, leveraging the structured environment to explore a variety of themes, character dynamics, and conflicts.

Pros:

Familiarity: Readers easily grasp the setting, streamlining the introduction of complex plots.

Diverse Characters: Abundance of character types, from supportive friends to minor/major bullies to wizened mentors.

Natural Conflicts: Built-in elements like coming-of-age growth, exams, social dynamics, and extracurricular activities provide ample conflict.

Cons:

Formulaic: Due to the commonality of this setting, there's a potential for the narrative to become predictable.

Classroom Limitations: Often, the most interesting events occur outside the classroom during field trips or special events.

Contrived Stakes: The school, being a structured and safe environment, may struggle to convey a real sense of danger to the students.

Common School Tropes:

Late!: Scenarios involving characters running late.

Group Project: The teamwork and exploration of relationships through collaborative challenges.

Social Conformity: Exploring themes of individuality versus societal norms.

Prom Night: The buildup to and climax of a social event such as prom, as a backdrop for drama.

Academic Struggles: Plot points related to bad grades and their consequences.

Bullies: Delving into the complexities of bullying, from both students and teachers.

Sports and Games: The buildup to and climax of high-stakes events, as a backdrop for drama.

Vacation Time: Navigating challenges and relationships during vacation periods.

Detention: The conflicts and breaking of rules, leading up to detention.

Field Trips: Exploring the wider world and lore, while encountering conflict.

Tests: Showcasing the skill and growth of characters, while tackling the anxiety surrounding tests.

Social Structures: Examining the dynamics of school groups and hierarchies.

Graduation: Feel-good denouement, when the characters celebrate their successes and reflect on their journey together

Types of Bullies:

Goons: Unpleasant, hostile characters functioning as easy obstacles, typically following a Bigger Badder Bully.

Reasonable Bullies: Characters with legitimate reasons for their dislike of the protagonist, such as family rivalries or personal ambitions.

Villainous Bullies: Truly evil individuals collaborating with external threats or evil organizations for nefarious purposes.

Magic School Subgenre:

Adventure Within the Walls: The school itself becomes the focal point of the adventure.

Specialization in the Supercool: Schools where the subjects are about magic, monsters, superheroes, or even robots.

Wish Fulfillment: The reader is projected into a world beyond the mundane.

Trials and Tests: Incorporating trials, duels, and fights as rites of passage.

Secrecy and Intrigue: The school and its knowledge are usually secluded and hidden from the world.

Building an Alliance: The protagonist has to win over a diverse cast of characters to aid them in their fight against a great threat.

Rival from Nobility: One of the main antagonists is usually a scion of a high-status, wealthy family.

Outside Threat: The school is usually a focal point for a greater conflict taking place in the wider world. And comes under attack later in the story.

Outside Adventures: Characters sometimes leave the safety of the school for adventures in the wider world.

This is part of my Writing Tips series. Everyday I publish a writing tip to this blog.

Calm reminder that the mean of all age groups' yearly expenses average is 71k-ish.

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

Another crochet lace ribbon almost done. They’re yellow for the hostages held by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and whomever else. Let me know if you have any ideas for what I should do with them, or if you’re also Jewish and like to crochet.

i’m a little anxious to send this not on anon but i saw one of your posts where a comment mentioned jewish conversion and you seemed to support it. my boyfriend is jewish and i would like to convert to judaism but a lot of the research i’ve done says that you can’t convert, you have to be born into it since it’s an ethno-religion. i know everyone has different beliefs about this but i worry i won’t be accepted

Hello tyblackthornsheadphones, welcome!

"my boyfriend is jewish and i would like to convert to judaism"

Oooh! Mozel tov! I'm always so happy to meet new people who want to join the Jewish community! <3

"a lot of the research i’ve done says that you can’t convert, you have to be born into it since it’s an ethno-religion"

Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear that! D: There's so much misinformation being passed around online. :( Thankfully, I'm happy to report that those sources are incorrect: It IS possible to convert to Judaism. ^_^

Like any group, though, how friendly any given Jew is to potential Jewish converts depends on the individual and/or the group they belong in. Just as there's elitism and gatekeeping in every group of people ever (like high school cliques and video game circles--"you're not a REAL gamer unless X"), unfortunately you'll also find some snobbery, elitism, and gatekeeping in Judaism. :(

Though I think Rabbi Friedman has a very loving and accepting view of Jews by conversion. ^_^

The way I see it, the differing experiences of a "Jew-by-birth vs a Jew-by-conversion" can be comparable to an American citizen who was just born on American soil vs an American immigrant who had to go through a long and rigorous bureaucratic process to become an American citizen--they have to learn everything there is to know about American history, presidents, laws, customs, the legal system; spend a "probational period" living in America to become a naturalized citizen, etc.

(The Jewish religion used to be very conversion friendly, but that came to an end when Christianity and Islam became huge world powers who outlawed the Jewish community "tempting" good Christians or Muslims away from the One True Faith.

Jewish identity also used to be passed down from father to children in ancient times--as you'll see in the Torah--but that was changed by Hillel the Elder during the tyrannical reign of King Herod--yes, THAT King Herod! Hillel did this partly to give the children of Jewish mothers who were abandoned by their non-Jewish fathers a place in Jewish society, and he did this partly as a big old political "fuck you!" to King Herod, whose father was only nominally Jewish and his mother was a foreign gentile woman.)

Chabad is an Orthodox Jewish organization.

chabad.org

How to Convert to Judaism - What to Expect at a Conversion

I’m planning to convert to Judaism. This has been something I’ve been considering and mulling over for years, and I’ve made my decision. Wha

Reform Judaism

Choosing Judaism: Learn the Basics

People convert to Judaism for many reasons. Learn the basic facts about converting to Judaism, and how to take the first steps.

And here's a link from a Reform Judaism POV. ^_^

In my experience, Reform Jewish synagogues and organizations tend to be more accepting of and friendly to Jewish converts. (Though it's not universal! Sadly, there are snobs everywhere. D:)

So if I were you, I would just start with checking out some books on Judaism from your local library, attend Friday night or Saturday morning Shabbat services with your boyfriend (that's usually a time when non-Jewish guests attend).

If your local college has a Hillel or Chabad Jewish student organization, I would visit that too! They usually host fun events that are free and open to to all, especially students who're just interested in connecting with other Jewish students, and learning about Jewish identity. ^_^

In the meantime, I'd just take time to study and learn about Jewish history and culture just for fun.

I think Sam Aranow's "Jewish History" Youtube series is a very entertaining way to learn about Jewish history, from ancient to modern.

Unfortunately I have to go to work now, but if you have ANY other questions, please reach out to me! I LOVE sharing knowledge and resources about Judaism, especially to potential converts who show a genuine interest and curiosity.

(Jewish culture can be, in my opinion, not as accepting and welcoming of potential Jewish converts as they should be, and I want to make up the difference. ^_^ )