Requested By Saltydivinity 

Chapter 2

Family Ties, Family Dies

If the smog painted the night sky any darker, Aseria would believe it was night. Her dirty blonde hair nearly dyed black by the smoke that drifted through the alleyways she snuck through them. It was a horrible night to be a citizen of any part of Whiusil. The villages had been torn to shreds during a war between the people and the neighboring powerhouse of Betrothal a year before.

While it seemed so simple to just let others live in peace, peace is not an option once others have better technology.

The people of Whiusil began fixing their wounds and ailments with a metallic substance, Sweoyae, shortened to Swey in the face of enforcement.

Sweoyae took the villages by storm, even people that didn’t need the metal used it to enhance their bodies in ways that were meant to be used for good. People began to create machines that could move and talk, but not have the same for of intelligence of a human.

All around, swey was helping the people of the nation. The men could build the villages, hunt or fish for longer periods of time and the women could stay in the fields to plant longer.Doctors could work longer on the things that typical amounts of swey couldn’t fix without being tired, and the children didn’t worry about broken bones as much as they typically would. In the lines of villages, everyone knows everyone, meaning that everyone shares the work regardless of their status.

As previously assumed, Betrothal caught wind of the neighboring technology and wanted to buy it all from the villages. Why would a line of villages need such materials if they have no one to protect themselves from? Why use it for little things like hunting when one could use it for strength?

Whiusil, barely takes a third of Betrothal’s size, meaning if Betrothal wanted something, they could take it by force, which is exactly how things happened on the night of October 12th.

Betrothal came in with a force unlike anyone had ever seen. Statues broken, people murdered in the streets, flags and buildings set on fire with no remorse.

Once the dust settled and the losses were cut, was no trace of sweoyae taken from Whiusil. It became increasingly obvious as the people of Whiusil began to fight back that the attack was never about sweoyae. The attack on Whiusil was all for the sake of showing off the immense power, threat that Betrothal holds and money that Betrothal could burn to show the steps they could take for power.

“What a night to be alive, huh dear?”

A calm, yet chipper voice says from beside her.

Without much thought, she swung her fist so hard the wooden post behind the alleged attacker dented slightly. A quick kick is swiped under her feet, giving her no time to dodge. As she reaches for the small dagger holstered above her ankle, the voice rings out again.

“It’s me! It’s me!”

A blur of black and white shoots in front of her like lightning, a loud thump hitting the floor a few feet away and the next thing Aseria knows, she is on her knees with one hand caught at the wrist behind her back.

“This is your lieutenant speaking! Stand down!”

With a cringe from the sudden realization, and a wince from the pain, Aseria’s head drops slowly.

“I’m sorry, it’s just instinct! Isn’t that what you taught me? Swing first, questions later!”

The lieutenant chuckles and shakes her head, the rest of her white curls falling out of her helmet. Lieutenant Reyna Muerzo, a terrifying leader that stands at six foot three, was nothing short of sneaky. For her size, she knew how to get around quickly and quietly.

“That I did. I know that is just how you were taught, but you know we’re not in those times anymore. The war ended last May, child.”

Letting a stressed sigh, Aseria sat back up to look up at the woman in front of her. Wordlessly, they both stand to overlook the burning city before them. Another product of a revolution that simply refused to end. The silence between the duo felt deafening, there was nothing to say, nothing to do anymore, nowhere to call home that wasn’t in cinders to return to.

Sifting a hand through her pocket, Reyna found three stray cigarettes and offered one to the dirty blonde beside her. As Aseria declined, she took a match to strike on the side of her boot to light the cancerous stick in her hand.

“I know you lost a lot, we all did. But you have to be willing to let go of the soldier you were, and accept the woman you are. You shouldn’t have had to grow up that fast. This should not have been your battle to fight.”

“That was the only time I felt useful, mom.”

Reyna’s eyes widened. She hadn’t heard that title from her daughter in over a year. Once the war for freedom started, she was nothing more to the country than a feared lieutenant. She regained her composure just as quickly as she was thrown off.

“Then find another way to be useful.”

“I don’t think I can find one so easily.”

“Then let us make one, my child. Where do we start? Rebuild the city?”

Looking up to see the expression on her mother’s face, Aseria sees nothing but a smile adorning her wrinkled features. It shouldn't be a shock for such a strong woman to be such a strong mother, but Aseria was still taken back by the gentleness in her mother’s words after watching her take countless lives for the sake of their freedom.

The silence feels tense for a moment, but Reyna moves to her motorcycle that was discarded at the beginning of their conversation. As she puts her helmet on the ground, she looks over her shoulder gently.

“I do not blame you for throwing your sword the way you did;”

Reyna starts to lift the machine, a gentle whirring noise coming from it, as if it was arguing with her. She fiddles with the kickstand as Aseria takes a sharp breath, unsure of where their conversation was going. She knew from the start she was nothing more than a combat medic, she was told from the very first battle between Betrothal and Whiusil to only save the people with mechanical enhancements on their bodies. She couldn’t help but wonder if her mother was angry at her for running away from her position as a medic.

“I know you were scared. I did the same thing when I was handed my first sword. I just wish they would have kept their promise.”

A sigh of relief left Aseria as she realized her mother was more worried than upset with her, but when she looked at her mother again, she could tell something was wrong. The way Reyna leaned against the motorcycle told her everything she needed to know.

She was tense, nervous like she told a secret she wasn't supposed to tell. Lost in her own thoughts, the lieutenant begins to mutter to herself, ways things could’ve shifted in their favor, things she could’ve done differently to avoid her only child going to war at the age of twenty, losing part of her own arm and more. It wasn’t until a hand was on her shoulder that she was drawn out of her thoughts quickly.

“..Mom? What promise?”

A deep sigh settles in her chest as she nods, more to herself than the confused woman in front of her. Taking her hand carefully, Reyna begins leading her daughter to the ruins of the city in front of them.

“I think it’s time I tell you a little more about the man your father was, more importantly, who everyone thought your father was.”

Aseria turns to point out the motorcycle her mother was just leaning on behind them.

“What about your bike?”

“He will follow.”

Without hesitation, the vehicle lights up and roars to life as if it was leaning on the stand in the first place. Aseria's eyes widened but set quickly, silently cursing herself for forgetting that sweoyae was also used in machines, not just humans.

“Maude, come. We are going home.”

literally the realest thing i’ve seen today

DUNE has my heart ♥

PRINTS are available at my store.

I was watching spanish channel news and the anchor said "until something changes we will be waiting here to report on the next massacre" and those words hit me so hard

Hello, everyone.

This may be the finest and most important article I've written since the creation of this blog, so kindly read it carefully and pay attention.

And share it so that everyone can see it.

There are many events happening tonight, and I will try to summarize them for you so that you have a complete understanding of what is happening.

Twelve days ago, a gruesome incident occurred, most of you have probably heard of it: the occupation forces shelled the Al-Ma'madani Hospital in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over a thousand people, including patients, their families, doctors, and young children.

Has the occupation been content with this? The answer is no.

Since that day, they have been threatening another hospital, Al-Quds Hospital, with the promise of bombing it, leaving civilians and patients inside in a state of terror, awaiting death at any moment.

The first time this happened, it spread across social media platforms, especially Twitter, and many people protested, causing the occupation to halt its actions.

Today, twelve days after the Al-Ma'madani Hospital massacre, they have once again sent severe threats to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for the immediate evacuation of Al-Quds Hospital, as it is destined to be bombed.

"🔴 Urgent: We have just received severe threats demanding the immediate evacuation of Al-Quds Hospital as it is set to be bombed.

Since the early hours of the morning, the vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital has been witnessing continuous airstrikes, resulting in the destruction of some buildings within a 50-meter radius.

📢 Please share, save Al-Quds Hospital! 📢

#GazaUnderAttack #GazaUnderSiege #Save_Al-Quds_Hospital

"

The second matter, three days ago, specifically on Friday, the twenty-seventh of this month, the occupation completely isolated Gaza from the world by cutting off the internet, telecommunications, and electricity. They were prepared for a brutal massacre that occurred that night and lasted for two days.

I'm talking about indiscriminate bombardment using all kinds of weapons on all areas of Gaza, whether they were churches, mosques, schools, or homes, regardless of their occupants, be they children, young people, women, or the elderly.

During that period, social media platforms and indeed the entire world were abuzz with the issue.

People from various backgrounds, nationalities, and religions unanimously agreed that it was inhumane to isolate them from the world and deny them the right to have a voice.

They were searching for solutions they could implement.

Some took to the streets, demanding the return of the internet, while others began sharing their plight on social media, primarily on Twitter.

They reached out to activists and officials who had the means to help.

One of the most prominent solutions that everyone turned to was contacting Elon Musk, the former owner of Twitter (X) and the current owner of SpaceX, to enable the people of Gaza to use the internet via Starlink's private satellites.

They hoped that he would hear their plea, as it was their only hope.

He tweeted:

"Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.

[ComStar]

"

On the same day, five hours after the publication of this tweet, the Israeli Minister of Communications commented on it, saying, in essence, that they would use all available means to prevent the supply of Starlink internet to Gaza because Hamas would utilize it. He also threatened that if this were to occur, he would sever all his office's ties with Starlink.

Now, let's discuss the issue of hostages for a moment because it is of utmost importance to understanding the situation.

On the twenty-fourth of this month, Yasmin Porat, one of the hostages, came forward to talk about her experiences during her captivity.

I will now share some of what she mentioned in the interview:

She stated that Israeli forces eliminated everyone, including hostages, amid heavy crossfire and tank shelling.

She highlighted the contrasting behavior of Palestinian fighters who offered hope for safe passage to Gaza. Israeli forces disrupted this hope with a storm of gunfire.

Palestinian fighters treated the hostages humanely, offering them hope of a safe passage to Gaza, despite the chaos.

This compassionate act stands in stark contrast to the chaos that unfolded.

After the interview was broadcast, it was completely deleted and blocked from all social media platforms and even from Kan's website. Moreover, Yasmin's account mysteriously disappeared from the "Haboker Hazeh" program, raising concerns of censorship.

Below, you will find the interview recording.

During that period, the Al-Qassam Brigades continued their communication with the Israeli government in order to release some prisoners for humanitarian reasons, including their age and health, among them two elderly women, one of whom is named Yohav Levisheitz.

But the Israeli government showed no interest in the matter whatsoever.

As a result, they decided to release the two elderly women.

Before leaving, one of them, Yohav Levisheitz, insisted on shaking hands with one of the resistance fighters who she was their captor, as you can see in the following video.

-Tumblr doesn't allow me to post two videos in a single post, so I will provide the video link on the blog-:

https://www.tumblr.com/storiesfromgaza/732027117370572800/al-qassam-brigades-released-two-of-the-hostages?source=share

After this, she insisted on participating in a press conference to share her experience, saying:

"When we arrived in Gaza, they initially told us that they believed in the Quran and that they wouldn't harm us.

They said they would treat us as they do with those around them.

We were under tight security, and medical professionals arrived to ensure we had the medications we always took.

They showed great concern for our health.

Our place of rest was the mattresses.

We had an accompanying doctor who would visit us every two or three days to check on our well-being.

In addition to a paramedic who looked after us and provided us with our medications.

They took on the responsibility and made sure to provide the necessary medications.

They looked after our hygiene meticulously to safeguard our health so that we wouldn't fall ill.

It was they who took care of cleaning the restrooms, not us.

They provided us with everything we needed, and I acknowledge their help in that.

If equivalent medications weren't available, they offered suitable alternatives.

They were remarkably courteous (kind) and ensured we ate well, sharing the same food they ate (bread, cheese, and cucumbers)

We were treated with kindness, and they paid meticulous attention to every detail.

Women among them understood the importance of feminine hygiene and ensured we had everything we needed.

Hamas had meticulously planned everything for a long time, providing us with everything we required, even down to shampoo and conditioner.

The inefficiencies of the army and Shabak (Israel Security Agency - ISA) greatly impacted us; we were pawns in the government's game."

After this, Western media outlets, with CNN at the forefront, distorted Yohav's words and published that she said, "I went through hell."

BBC, on the other hand, released two versions of the statement.

They published the original statement by Yohav on their account dedicated to the Arab audience, while on their accounts for Western and Indian audiences, they published a manipulated version of her statement that included the same content as previously published by CNN.

These are the testimonies of two different women captives, both of whom unanimously agree that they were treated with excellent humane treatment, and no one tortured them or attempted to harass or disturb them.

On the other hand, both of them agree that Israel did not care about their safety in any way and, in fact, they would open fire in the presence of the hostages, leaving behind lifeless bodies hit by their deadly bullets.

Now, let's focus for a moment on the point of Israel and the prisoners.

Two days ago, Abu Ubaida, the official spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, made a lengthy recorded speech in which he spoke about the prisoners.

He said:

"There have been numerous contacts in the prisoner file, and there was an opportunity to reach an agreement, but they delayed and did not show real seriousness in releasing the prisoners.

Instead, its barbaric shelling and continuous crimes have led to the killing of nearly fifty of them so far."

Do you understand now that Israel does not care about the prisoners at all, as it claims, and that their use of the prisoner issue is merely to prevent Elon Musk from providing internet access via Starlink in Gaza for its residents?

Remember to follow our Instagram account.

We regularly post a lot of content with fresh designs to reach a larger audience which you can easily share by posting it in your Instagram story, Facebook story, WhatsApp story or sending it to your friends through Direct Messages, we need all the support we can get.

The thing is. I would eat the grapes. I would eat the pomegranate seeds. I would eat the Turkish delights. It doesn’t matter what the stakes are if you put a little plate of snacks out in front of me I’ll eat them.

Feel like pure shit I just want him back

every year we have to say it