an antifascist lichen

In light of the extremely harsh humanitarian conditions we are enduring, we fully recognize the immense suffering experienced by our people. This suffering surpasses the limits of human endurance, yet we believe that our dignity and core values must never be lost under any circumstances, nor can they ever justify engaging in harmful behavior or exploiting others out of desperation.

Recently, we have received several complaints regarding certain accounts sending messages that contain explicit threats, such as: "I will harm myself or my family if I don't receive donations." We want to stress that such behavior is completely unacceptable and in no way reflects our ethics or the principles upon which this project is founded.

We are the people of Palestine: doctors, engineers, teachers, writers, and individuals of untouchable dignity. We will remain loyal to our values, no matter how severe the hardship.

Accordingly, we announce that any verified account found to be engaging in such actions will be immediately and permanently flagged as “Scam/Bot,” starting from May 10, 2025, with no possibility for appeal or review. We have granted campaign organizers a full week to correct any misconduct and to cease these practices immediately.

We urge all our respected followers to work with us in maintaining our collective credibility by reporting any account that sends such messages. Reports must include a screenshot and be sent directly to us. Appropriate action will be taken promptly, whether it involves flagging the account or removing it entirely from our lists.

We reaffirm that the GazaVetters Team has zero tolerance for such violations and will continue to work diligently to protect the integrity of our campaigns and the dignity of our people.

With utmost respect and appreciation,

The GazaVetters Team

إعلان رسمي صادر عن فريق GazaVetters

في ظل ما نمر به من ظروف إنسانية بالغة القسوة، ندرك تمامًا حجم المعاناة التي يعيشها أبناء شعبنا. وهي معاناة تتجاوز حدود الاحتمال البشري، لكننا نؤمن بأن كرامتنا وقيمنا الأصيلة لا تُفقد تحت أي ظرف، ولا تُبرر بأي حال من الأحوال الانجراف نحو ممارسات مؤذية أو استغلال الآخرين بدافع الحاجة.

لقد تلقينا مؤخرًا عددًا من الشكاوى بشأن قيام بعض الحسابات بإرسال رسائل تتضمن تهديدات صريحة، مثل: "سأؤذي نفسي أو عائلتي إذا لم أتلقَّ تبرعات". نود أن نؤكد أن مثل هذه السلوكيات مرفوضة تمامًا، ولا تمثل بأي شكل من الأشكال أخلاقنا أو المبادئ التي يقوم عليها هذا المشروع.

نحن أبناء فلسطين: أطباء، مهندسون، معلمون، كتّاب، مفكرون، وأصحاب كرامة لا تُمس، وسنظل أوفياء لقيمنا مهما اشتدت الصعاب.

وبناءً عليه، نُعلن أن أي حساب موثّق لدينا يثبت تورطه في مثل هذه التصرفات، سيتم وسمه بشكل فوري ونهائي بعلامة "Scam/Bot"، وذلك ابتداءً من 10 مايو 2025، دون أي مجال للطعن أو المراجعة. وقد منحنا أصحاب الحملات مهلة تمتد لأسبوع كامل لتصحيح أي سلوك خاطئ والتوقف الفوري عن هذه الممارسات.

نهيب بجميع المتابعين الكرام التعاون معنا للحفاظ على مصداقيتنا الجماعية، من خلال الإبلاغ عن أي حساب يرسل رسائل من هذا النوع، على أن يتم إرفاق صورة للشاشة (screenshot)، وإرسالها مباشرة لنا. وسيتم اتخاذ الإجراء المناسب فورًا، سواء وسم الحساب أو حذفه من قوائمنا تماما.

نؤكد مجددًا أن فريق GazaVetters لا يتسامح مطلقًا مع هذا النوع من الانتهاكات، وسنواصل العمل بكل جد لحماية نزاهة حملاتنا وكرامة أهلنا.

مع فائق الاحترام والتقدير،

The largest dam removal in U.S. history. So successful that the salmon that haven’t run freely in the river for literally over a century came back the next year. Not steady progress over a decade as expected, the very next salmon run they came home. No one alive saw salmon in that river outside the hatcheries kept by native’s tribes and the Department of Fish And Wildlife scientists desperately trying to save them. One of the activists who helped bring the suit spoke of their dying grandmother making them promise to bring the fish home, and they didn’t know how that was possible, but they spent decades doing it.

The legal basis for successfully suing the power company who owned the dams was Indigenous treaty rights to eat the fish. Eating the fish was the one thing in a century that succeeded in being a clear and legally binding right that superseded the desires of white capital and industry. I have been going to the public interest environmental law conference off and on for 20 years where a lot of organizing for Undam The Klamath happened. I’ve heard updates about every legal tact they tried as they happened, and they tried everything.

There are healthy, thriving salmon, trout, and lamprey in a rewilding and recovering Klamath River right now as a direct result of Indigenous people eating them. Of their legally binding right to eat them. They sure as fuck care more about those fish than any white vegan ever could. They are salmon people that the Creator sent Salmon to feed, while charging the People with protecting and stewarding them. It’s not possible to learn about salmon and trout in the Pacific Northwest without learning this, and it’s unambiguously racist to dismiss this symbiotic relationship.

The white vegans are trying to get all hunting and fishing banned in Oregon, and that’s quite possibly the single most catastrophic thing that could be done to the animals here because we killed off all the major predators of creatures like deer and without anything hunting them their numbers will explode, eat all the vegetation, destroy the ecosystem, and then die along with everything else in that failing ecosystem. Controlled hunting of deer is vitally necessary for the deer to survive. This is something Native people know, but patronizing racist savior-complex white people refuse to listen to.

I have a whole collection of Oregon’s Public Broadcasting’s documentaries about Klamath River or the larger story of fish and people in the region. If you watch nothing else, watch Klamath Dams Are Coming Out, First Salmon Ceremony, After The Dams, and First Decent (Native made). It could not be clearer that the salmon are being protected and nourished by the people who eat them, and that stewardship is a massive part of their creation myths. But it contradicts political vegan dogma so they don’t listen.

Over the past 7 or so years, we've seen this absolute shift in expectation, migration, and stagnation in the webcomics sphere which applies to style, sustainability, and the platforms grip on readers and creators

I'll be the first one to say that webcomics are not an easy way to make money and a majority of folks who make them rarely see profit. This has always been the case! But when virality, siphoning audiences from all over, and opportunity to 'get printed' presented itself, that expectation shifted.

So let's talk about what those expectations are now: 🔴Demand for Higher quality- less readers will check out beginner looking works or comics that feel too 'faulty' in style meaning less excitement to see webcomics grow over the years. Polish is expected and commented on consistently by readers

There is also an expectation for specific visual and narrative styles. This applies to other social media platforms too- in that works that take less investing in are often promoted and prioritised. That means less risks on narratives, less nuances, and shorter series running.

🔴All on one site/app- That may seem pretty fantastic for getting new readers (and is the absolute main sticking point for so many artists) but when algorithms and specific series are wanted, your works have a harder chance getting to the people they need to. The search function is trash for a reason

I'm not one to toot the competition flute, but there's a level of that at play when the spotlight for that platform is actually pretty small. What you get is a lot of readers checking out the same comics, and not spreading it all out to find yours (their subs have a cap for this reason)

🔴Sustainability (and lack thereof)- The creator of these comics are often burnt out and given little support- all while fighting to see what is allowed on the platform with its excitable censoring. I won't speak for originals (there's many testimonies you can find) but their experiences of burn out are harrowing

With the high production expectation for a person who is rarely given help (often has to hire out of pocket for that) and the readers who want Updates Now, it's a frustrating place to post your comics with no rest. It's 2026, we shouldn't be treating cartoonists this way still.

Webtoons (the company) is always going to be interested in making a profit. That's sort of where it all starts and stops here. They'll embrace the slop machines (more slop sources) for investors, they'll mistreat creators, cancel 'unprofitable' comics, censor work, and protect that bottom line. That's their MO, always!

So when I see these conversations that inevitably float around about Webtoons and how the only response is 'stop using it', I think we also need to deconstruct what it's done to creators and readers and how they engage with/create works too- because it doesn't seem that simple of a solution

Webtoons has solidified itself in webcomics as the Place to start and stop with comics. They want you to use their app of course, but they've conditioned folks to think it's the only way to share your stuff. How do we break this? How do we get people to stop using it?

We share resources 😎

I only know the barest minimum about coding so I use the free version of the >>>Breakdance<<< plugin to design my sites. The backend looks like this:

It takes some playing around with but it's not as intimidating as coding from scratch. It was actually even fun once I got the hang of it.

Coding webcomic navigation can be tricky so I use the free version of the >>>Toocheke<<< plugin to handle my archive and navigation buttons. There's even a >>>guide<<< to help.

Yes I have to pay for domains and hosting myself. I think it's worth it.

I use Feedly to keep track of comic updates. It's like a subscription system you can use across different sites (look into RSS feeds if you've never heard of them!)

As a personal preference I don't maintain comments on my sites anymore and simply run a discord server instead. I like it much better when folks' comments are not permanently tied to my pages. I think it allows every reader to have a focused experience catching up to the story.

_______

The day Webtoon started advertising in Times Square I was actually pretty upset because I KNEW it was going to bring an unhealthy culture of expectation towards webcomics. I knew it was going to define what a webcomic was to millions of people who were unaware of what they were outside of that app.

But much worse was how Webtoon normalized pressuring webcomic creators to appeal to the widest audience possible, because now normal everyday people who don't share your interests might see you and judge you and leave nasty comments on the work you care so deeply about. You don't HAVE to use that platform. You don't HAVE to cater to that audience. You don't HAVE to design your narrative to appeal to the widest audience possible. I will tell you a secret:

You will be loved for the same things you are hated for.

In the world of entertainment the worst thing you can be is not hated, but forgettable.

August 1, 2026 - Every morning in Gaza, the search for water begins.

Video journalist Bisan Owda follows children carrying heavy water containers, families waiting for water trucks, and the people working to keep one of the few desalination plants still running.

Along the way, Bisan reveals what has been destroyed, why clean water has become so hard to find, and what it now takes to provide water for millions of people in Gaza. [video]

Bodily autonomy (like abortion, anti draft, etc) -> “The government shouldn’t be able to force anything on my body I don’t want.”

Anti surveillance -> “I don’t trust big government/big tech (big brother if you’re feeling frisky) with the ability to spy on me and my family.”

Immigration -> “Next to all of us immigrated at some point, I don’t see why the elites get to decide who’s allowed to be where. What’s to stop them coming for me?”

Climate Change -> “Big oil shouldn’t get to determine whether or not I get to go places. I don’t want to be dependent on some big business to survive.”

State Violence -> “I don’t want the goddamn secret police breathing down my neck! I trust my community a whole hell of a lot more to help me than I do the state!”

THOU ART CURRENTLY LISTENING TO

*Gregorian chanting*

13.21

*leper bell ringing*

HIGH MEDIAEVAL FM

*recording of John Lackland sobbing as he signs the Magna Carta*

WHENCE COMETH NAUGHT BUT LITURGIES

LITURGIES

AND MORE LITURGIES

*Templar knights praying out loud*

THIS ISN’T THY GRANDMOTHERES STATION

im having a delicious piece of cake now

Ariana Grande-Butera: