#response 2

This is the kind of response that all Blue States should give to any & all of Rump's illegal Presidential Orders.

If he can ignore judges's orders, our states should ignore his...

He was elected by the people & he can be deposed by them as well.

You fight fire with fire.

This is the kind of response that all Blue States should give to any & all of Rump's illegal Presidential Orders.

If he can ignore judges's orders, our states should ignore his...

He was elected by the people & he can be deposed by them as well.

You fight fire with fire.

Closed just for fun

"Dameon, you gotta help me with something," Shadow pleaded, his deep voice echoing through the well-appointed living room of the sprawling mansion. He held up a piece of paper with a hopeful yet slightly desperate look in his bright green eyes.

Dameon, the tall, handsome striped hyena with the same piercing gaze, put down his guitar and leaned back in his chair. "What is it Shadow?" he asked, curiosity piqued.

"I wanna write a love letter, but I can't think of the right words. You're the smooth-talker here," Shadow said, tossing the paper onto the table between them.

Dameon chuckled, his tail swishing gently behind him. "Alright, who is the lucky girl?"

"Kim," Shadow replied, his tone dropping to a murmur as if sharing a sacred secret.

The name hung in the air for a moment. Dameon knew Kim well, she was a regular visitor to his Zoo, often lingering by the tiger enclosure. Her dark brown eyes and the way she carried herself suggested a sharp intellect and a sense of humor that matched Dameon's own.

"Why not just tell her how you feel?" Dameon suggested, his own words measured and thoughtful.

"Because she's… she's different, man," Shadow said, his usual confidence momentarily wavering. "I need to make it… special."

Dameon nodded, understanding his friend's plight. He stood up, his fur ruffling slightly as he moved to the antique desk in the corner of the room. "Alright, let us give this a shot," he said, pulling out his glasses, a fresh sheet of paper, and a fountain pen.

The two of them sat down to compose the letter, their heads bent in silent concentration. Shadow's eyes darted around the room, seeking inspiration, while Dameon's remained focused on the task at hand. It wasn't every day that a mutant turtle asked a hyena for romantic advice, but in their world, it was all part of the tapestry of friendship.

The room was filled with the sound of the pen scratching against the paper, occasionally punctuated by Shadow's frustrated growls. Dameon took the lead, his elegant handwriting flowing across the page as he crafted sentences filled with earnestness and wit. Shadow, on the other hand, was scribbling down ideas, most of which ended up in the discard pile.

After what felt like an eternity, Dameon held up the completed letter. "How about this?" he asked, his voice calm and steady.

Shadow leaned over, his eyes scanning the page eagerly. "You wanna read it to me?"

Dameon nodded, picking up the letter with a gentle touch. He cleared his throat and began to read:

"To the enigma wrapped in beauty's cloak, Whose smile ignites the dullest day, Whose laughter is the sweetest music's stroke, And eyes, the poets' muse alway—"

Shadow's eyes grew wider with each word, and he leaned in closer, entranced by the rhythmic flow of the poem. The words painted a picture of Kim that was both tender and fiery, a testament to the depth of Shadow's unspoken feelings.

"Your grace is like the moon's soft glow, On nights when darkness tries to claim, You shine, a beacon in the shadow's throe, A flame that warms without a name."

The room grew quiet as Dameon recited the verses, the only sound the occasional crackle of the fireplace.

"But why, oh why, this silent dance? Why hide what's clear as day? Your heart beats in a secret trance, While I'm lost in love's ballet."

Shadow's eyes gleamed with excitement and a hint of nervousness. This was it, his feelings laid bare on the page, wrapped in the finery of poetry that he had never before dared to attempt.

"If only you could see, my sweet, The storm within me rages, For you, I'd fight, I'd never quit, To earn your heart's sweetest wages."

The letter grew longer, each line more intimate than the last, delving into the quiet moments of longing that Shadow had never quite managed to express.

"Your voice, a siren's sweetest call, It echoes through my lonely nights, Your touch, a whisper in the hall, A gentle guide that sets my soul alights."

The turtle's face grew serious as Dameon read, the words resonating with a truth that pierced through the armor of his usual bravado. He knew he was incapable of crafting such eloquence on his own, and he was deeply moved by the hyena's understanding of his heart.

"Yet here I stand, a silent guard, My feelings trapped in shadows deep, Praying for the chance to be your lord, And watch your every quiet sleep."

The room was so still, it was as if the very air held its breath. The fire crackled in the background, casting flickering shadows across the floor. Dameon's eyes searched Shadow's, looking for approval, for any sign that he had captured the essence of his friend's tumultuous love.

Finally, Shadow spoke, his voice thick with emotion. "That's… that's perfect, man. Just… perfect." He took the letter from Dameon's hand, his own trembling slightly. "I can't believe you did this."

Dameon offered a warm smile, his green eyes shining with friendship and pride. "You got this," he said, placing a reassuring hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Just remember, it is not about the words on the page, but the feelings they convey. She will know it is from you."

Shadow nodded, folding the letter carefully and tucking it into his bandanna. "Thanks, Dameon. I owe you one."

-----

I hate feeling vulnerable, but not with you, you make me feel safe and protected. You're so kind, patient and understanding, and you have an excellent bedside manner, unlike some other doctors 😬. You have a nice smile and the most captivating eyes. I often think about the conversations we've had.

Although I am quite nervous to tell you all of this, I want you to know that you are special to me. 💕

Forever yours,

The room remained silent as Shadow processed the words he had just read. His heart raced at the thought of Kim's response, and his eyes darted to Dameon, who was watching him with a knowing smile. "Well, she certainly seems to appreciate the effort," Dameon said, his tone light, but his gaze holding a hint of concern.

Shadow took a deep breath, his confidence briefly deflating. "But she thinks it's from you," he said, his voice laced with a touch of disappointment.

Dameon's smile grew wider, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oops," he said, his tone playful despite the situation. "I suppose we will have to set the record straight, won't we?"

The hyena leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "We can not have her falling for the wrong mutant," he quipped, trying to ease the tension in the air.

Shadow rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips despite his nerves. "Very funny," he said, tossing a pillow at Dameon. "But seriously, what do we do now?"

The two friends sat in silence for a moment, contemplating their next move.

"Perhaps we should let her know it was you," Dameon suggested, his expression serious once more. "But we have to do it carefully. She might be upset by the misunderstanding."

Shadow nodded, his mind racing. "Yeah," he said, his voice low. "But how do we do that without making it weird?"

Dameon's eyes sparkled with an idea. "Leave that to me," he said, standing up from his chair. "I have a plan."

The hyena strutted over to his desk, his tail swishing with excitement. He pulled out a fresh piece of paper and picked up his pen. "We will write her back," he said, his grin growing. "But this time, we will make it clear who her true poet is."

Shadow watched as Dameon began to write, the pen moving swiftly across the page. He couldn't help but feel a mix of admiration and irritation at the ease with which Dameon could manipulate words.

"Here," Dameon said, handing the letter over. "Read it aloud to me."

Shadow cleared his throat and began:

"My dearest Kim, whose heart is a treasure, I hope this letter finds you well, filled with pleasure. I must confess, the words that you read, Were penned by my friend, though in my stead."

The turtle paused, glancing up at Dameon. The hyena nodded, his gaze intense. Shadow continued:

"I am but the vessel, the shadow of the flame, But the love you felt was my own name. The feelings expressed were not a lie, For in your eyes, I see the sky."

The words flowed from Shadow's mouth, the emotion behind them palpable. Dameon nodded, pleased with his friend's performance.

"Leave it in the same spot you found the first one. Let her connect the dots."

😊😊 i thank you too you make my life better amigo :)

hell yeah we’re on the best kick ass team and we r gonna annoy the heck out of everyone (i was gonna say take over the world then realized we’d probably be better at this)

Ahcidkdk I hope this is the next one buddy!! I think it is

Eyyy traumatized kid shit!! Also YAY I haven’t missed your birthday happy birthday in four days!!!!!!! And yeahhhhh I’m gonna be 17 and that’s one year away from being an adult I am old it’s wild. (P.s. our birthdays are one month and one day apart I love that)

That’s trueeee lmaoooo we would annoy the heck out of everyone and it’s great to hear this cause. Fuck me did I decide to overwork myself at school for Literally no reason jurhrhr

The increased availability of technology to the public has made the creation of art using different mediums easier than it has ever been before. This technological evolution has made the creation of art pieces easily reproducible and Walter Benjamin, the author of 2, believes exactly this. He talks about how our sense of perception changes with “humanities entire mode of existence”. Our current belief of what “art” is is vastly different than it was a decade ago. Years ago the art that was created had a special and unique aura about them. Benjamin argued that, “the familiarity of reproduced art works has increased to such a degree that it extracts it even from a unique object.” These pieces of art were one of a kind, but now that our technological advancements have made replication as simple as the touch of a button, these original pieces of art don’t have the same finesse as they used too.

The purpose of art has changed and evolved as the years have gone by, but now the uniqueness and noteworthy aura of it is being destroyed. As a society, we do not appreciate art the way used too. Art is made through a broad spectrum of mediums, and was created for an endless amount of reasons. But one thing remained true - art was supposed to illicit an emotional response, one that would challenge or refine your beliefs. But recently the public has recently become fascinated with social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and these media sites have increased the amount of attention certain items, categories or topics get online. This has further accelerated the increased amount of artistic replication that has taken place in the recent past, which thus continued to destroy the one-of-a-kind “aura” of individual art pieces.

Pieces of art are supposed to be hard to create, and are supposed to require some sort of effort. The loss of aura in modern mediums of photography shows that the standards for artwork have been somewhat lowered. As these replications give these original pieces of art new meanings, these new mediums can make viewers have different interpretations of the implications the piece of art is supposed to have. His argument, which he made around a decade ago, still remains true. It is actually probably more relevant today than it was when he wrote this piece. Every teenager/young adult seems to believes that any picture they take with their phone can be perceived as “art”. And while it can be possible that these individuals take a special and unique photograph, it is rare in the amount of people that consider themselves artists.

By: Czarina Ramos

Our generation and every generation after ours will be inaugurated into the age of technology. Children are quick learners as they are very impressionable. My niece is only two years old and she already owns and operates her own iPad! Today, children can use the internet to watch videos, play games, and even learn new things. Despite the many benefits the internet has to offer, there are also many negatives that come with excessive internet use especially since most of the time kids aren’t being monitored when they go online.

There are a number of things that can put a child at risk from having their own social media account, (e. g. viewing inappropriate materials, and online predators). One of the biggest risks for today’s youth is online bullying. Bullying is something that has been around many decades before the internet even existed. However, now the internet has made cyberbullying possible for children to become victims of harassment at their own homes.

Social media makes it easier for bullies to torment their victims, because with a click of a button they are able to send a nasty message or post an embarrassing picture for everyone to see. Many parents are unaware of whether their children are being bullied because their kids may be reluctant to report it. Some people don’t even view cyberbullying as a problem because it is thought to be a victimless crime in the sense that no one is getting physically abused. Even though cyberbullying doesn't leave any physical damage, it can contribute to a low self esteem and eventually suicide. This letter written by a 2nd year student at Wilfred Laurier University talks about how social media is becoming the new platform for suicide notes.

Of course, many believe that bullying is a part of growing up—but it really shouldn’t have to be. It is never appropriate to harass someone verbally, physically, or emotionally. Unfortunately, the chances of fully getting rid of this problem are impossible. However, the problem can be reduced by taking the following measures to educate: parents, teachers, and children about the issue and provide them with available resources for help. 

Reference: 

By: Rachel Simon

It's kind of unbelievable that people have gone from energetic and rambunctious to lazy and zombie-like as they've grown up. When I was growing up, the internet was just starting off and I used to play a little every now and then but I'd find myself busy outside and playing sports or riding my bike. I found that the more time I spent on the internet (and my late teenage years were also when social media websites began to gain popularity), the less time I was actually outside or busy doing something off my computer. I've never had a problem with being overweight or anything close to it; but I did notice that the more time I spent on my computer vs. exercising in some way, I was more lethargic and I had a definite loss to my stamina. One of the things I find with the need to be constantly using social media is that people are curious about the results of updates from others or curious to see what is going on with other people's lives (or what part of their lives they decide to share over social media). I personally believe that this is one of the main reasons so much time is spent on social media websites and as a result is weight gain due to inadequate physical exercise. Many articles have even been published about the connection between the two, stating how we influence friends and family and that social media is the connection between all of us. 

By: Vanessa Lauther

I personally can relate to this feeling of “rejection” through social media sites in the past. It was before I could rationally think of realistic reasons of why one of my friend’s wouldn’t respond to me. The feeling I would get from feeling rejected online versus being rejected in a face-to-face scenario is similar but doesn’t have as much as an impact. A friend may not respond to a message I’ve sent them on Twitter and I may wonder why they haven’t but I’m not going to make a big deal about it. On the other hand, I may have a friend who is continuously rejecting my calls which could be detrimental. This situation would be on my mind until it’s sorted. It may even cause an emotional breakdown depending on the status of the relationship and how long the relationship has last. People are more likely to think and understand why someone may not be able to respond to a message on Twitter or Facebook but it becomes eerie when the rejection is happening outside of a computer screen. 

Clinical psychologist and relationship expert, Carmen Harra has written a blog post for the Huffington Post titled, How to Deal With Rejection(2013). She illustrates points to successfully get over being rejected.

Reference