Yes, so, after literally years of searching for a website where authors could simply publish their own short works with ease, I found "Prose." However, in all of my searching (and my entire existence), I have never heard of anything with the acronym "WTW." However, here on this website I hear it referred to quite a bit, and it sounds like some sort of writing website. I have tried to look it up but can find no information on it whatsoever. I was simply wondering if anyone could give me some insight to this?...

Additionally, I have heard some pretty sorry things about it on "Prose." How come nobody seems to like it, and, furthermore, is it even worth my time? Thank you for taking the time to read this and for considering to answer my inquiry. All the best.

It's self sabotage to tell yourself you're fine

And go through the day holding back tears.

(Maybe that's life, but it's painful)

It's wrong to tell others they should love themselves

When you barely even like yourself.

(Maybe it's part of the process of self love)

It's not okay to stare at yourself in the mirror,

Chanting the same thing over and over again.

(Maybe it's worth it in the end, lying to yourself)

It's toxic to tell yourself you love someone

When you're just scared of letting them go.

(Maybe that is love, but it's always one sided)

But that's all it is

Toxic.

And it seems I'm

Addicted

To it.

Everyone one who knows me knows that I’m a big supporter of the LGBT+ community, but I didn’t always start out like that. As many would know I’ve been open about how I used to look down and think negatively on LGBT+ people. I used to be homophobic and ignorant in my youth. Why I was like that I’m afraid I don’t have a real answer. Maybe it had something to do with being part of a conservative Christian community and trying to fit in with their “norm”. I didn’t like myself. To this day I still feel guilty about what I’ve once thought and might have said. But as I loosened up later in life and started thinking for myself in college, I’ve become a very proud supporter for LGBT+ rights and the community as a whole. I’ve written posts and poetry expressing my support and have written characters with proper representation. Through my personal growth I’ve come to the conclusion that homophobia is definitely wrong. It can seriously mess up a person’s view of the world.

Religion has definitely voiced their opinions on same-sex relations and have made things extremely difficult for LGBT+ people, in particular the big three Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam). But that’s not to say that all religions, or any one person associated with these religions, is against same-sex relations. Allow me to pick on Christianity for a bit because a) that’s kinda my thing as a lot of people already know and b) it’s the religion I’m more familiar with. Obviously some Christian groups and denominations have expressed their disgust with same-sex marriage and the LGBT+ community (i.e. the Westboro Baptist Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Evangelists). But there are plenty of Christian groups and denominations that are really supportive and don’t mind same-sex marriage (i.e. Universalists, Lutherans, Protestants). You also have some pretty awesome religious figures that a very supportive like Desmond Tutu and Pope Francis, and then you got the other folks who are just cunts like Kirk Cameron and Fred Phelps. Bottom line, obviously not every Christian is homophobic.

But tells talk about the word ‘homophobia’. What does it really mean? What does it even mean to be homophobic? Allow me to quote the Star Wars Prequels. “Fear is the path of the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”

Phobia means fear, obviously. And more obvious is that homophobia doesn’t translate to a fear of a person’s sexual orientation but let’s break this down, shall we? The fear actually stems from one of humanity’s most common fear: the fear of the unknown. A fear of something that is outside of one’s comfort zone, or the so called “norm”. Imagine growing up in an area where the population is predominately heterosexual. This would be considered normal to you. Then one day you come across a couple of the same sex and they’re doing what regular heterosexual couples do: hand holding, kissing, all that jazz. For the couple and others this is considered normal (because it is), but if you were someone that has not taken into account that their are same sex couples this is unknown territory for you. This leads to questions, disbelief, concerns, and general uncomfort because this is outside to what you would consider “normal”.

Then that fear transitions into anger. They get angry because they view it as a mockery of their faith. It goes against the so called “God’s plan”. They’ll argue that homosexuality is against nature, revealing they really have no idea what they’re talking about since many different species in the animal kingdom often have same-sex relations and pairings (dolphins, chimps, lions, vultures, etc). They start shout crap like “It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve”. Personally I’m all for Lilith and Eve. Admit it, they make a much cuter couple.

Anger then transitions to hate. The sad truth is that human beings tend to hate anything that is different. For us, something different is usually viewed as the enemy. This is when things start to get very vocal. They’ll start rallies with picket signs with “God hates homos” smeared on them. They’ll start preaching Leviticus or some parts of the Bible that they haven’t throughly read, just to really show off their ignorance.

And finally we have the last stage: suffering. Suffering can lead to harming others either verbally or physically because of one’s disgust against another’s sexual orientation. Sadly throughout human history the LGBT+ community has endured a lot of suffering ranging from gay bashings to conversion therapy to concentration camps. 70 countries still criminalise against LGBT+ people. Some of them impose the death penalty on LGBT+ people. This is made to justify a society’s discrimination as well as their religious views. It’s humanity at its worst, and at its most terrifying.

But the funny fact is that a lot of those that are homophobic are secretly gay themselves. And the four stages also apply here as well. Think about it.

1) Fear - they fear coming out, they fear of being ostracized, and they fear that God will condemn them for not being straight.

2) Anger - they get angry that they’re not straight. That anger builds and builds the more they deny their feelings.

3) Hate - they start hating other gay people as if it were some how their fault and they hate themselves because they can’t change.

4) Suffering - I’ve always viewed the stage of suffering as a double-edge sword. It could imply the suffering of others or the suffering of oneself. They’re interally suffering and self-harming themselves because they cannot accept what they really are. More often than not this leads to depression and self-loathing.

You could probably say that I’m talking out of my ass, and maybe you’re right. But I feel that this may help explain some actions and the mindset of some homophobes, speaking as someone who regretfully was part of this mindset. However this should not excuse their behavior. Going through this challenge I’ve read in other posts that homophobes need therapy. The truth is it’s not going to rid themselves of that hate. This is something a person needs to figure out themselves. They need to look deep within themselves and ask what are they really doing/saying, and ask if another person is really meant to be riddiculed like this. They also need to ask themselves if their child was gay would they be saying such ugly words? They have to help themselves first if they’re ever going to stop the hate.

I believe the true answer to why homophobia exists is this: it’s easy to hate and harder to love. As I’ve stated earlier we as human beings tend to hate anything that is different. Being homophobic is wrong because hating someone for their orientation, someone you don’t really know, is wrong. It is wrong because it can hurt someone. Whether it’s violence or words someone is getting hurt from it. And the worst thing is that you don’t realize how much you’re hurting people until you witness or hear about it and truly see the damage you’ve caused.

And just to throw this out there, stating that you’re not homophobic but saying that you don’t approve it still makes you sound a little homophobic. It’s like saying you’re not racist but you don’t think you’d date a black person. At the very least I’m happy to know that you’re not condemning anyone for people gay and you are at least showing and treating LGBT+ people with same respect you want. Also saying “Love the sinner, hate the sin” is an awful thing to say too. You’re basically telling them to hate a part of themselves they cannot change. Again, you’re still hurting people and you don’t realize it.

Thankfully change has been happening. More and more people around the world are starting to become more accepting. As of right now there are 29 countries around the world that legalized same-sex marriage. In 2015, the United States declares that same-sex marriage is legal across the country. Back in May Costa Rica became the first country in Central America to recognize same-sex marriage and ended their ban. We’re starting to see better LGBT+ representation in shows such as The Loud House, Steven Universe, Craig of the Creek, and most recently The Owl House. I’m happy to say that things are looking better for the LGBT+ community, and it’s only going to get better here on out. It’s still a slow process but it’s still better progress than 100 years ago. As long as we stay united, as long as we stand against fear and hate, there is hope for the world. After all, I’m not only a big supporter of the LGBT+ community, I’m also a big supporter of hope.

Some sources:

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/18/most-u-s-christian-groups-grow-more-accepting-of-homosexuality/

https://www.pewforum.org/fact-sheet/changing-attitudes-on-gay-marriage/

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/29-countries-sex-marriage-officially-legal-56041136

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-weird-science-of-homophobes-who-turn-out-to-be-gay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UfGLPhi0K4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-gd3H789Zc

#LGBT #essay #loveislove

Hello everyone! I'm Tohru! I have been writing this series with the help of Mollo25. I couldn't upload it on Thursday because I had to go to the doctor. I'm really sorry for the delay. With that said, let's get into this week's good news!

Smoking. It's a terrible habit which, unfortunately, a lot of people have. This pandemic, however, has helped reduce the number of smokers. In the UK, over One Million people have stopped smoking. "I don't want to be one of those people in a ward with an oxygen mask over my face struggling to tell my loved ones what I'm feeling," Dutt, a recent quitter, said.

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-smokers-quit-record-numbers-study-2020-8

Some of you may have seen a photo recently of a school with its hallways packed with students. The person who took that photo was suspended. On August 8, the mother told everyone that her daughter is no longer suspended. The school faced a ton of backlash after the suspension was announced. Just goes to show the power of social media, eh?

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/07/us/georgia-teen-photo-crowded-school-hallway-trnd/

A stray dog who spent his life on the streets gets adopted by the dealership he kept going to. The dog was also given a job as well. His job is to greet any customers that enter the dealership.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/stray-dog-who-visited-car-22504347

Time for some science. A team of chemical engineers from Australia and China has developed a sustainable, solar-powered way to desalinate water in just 30 minutes. This process can create close to 40 gallons of clean drinking water per kilogram of filtration material and can be used for multiple cycles.

https://www.inverse.com/innovation/sunlight-powered-clean-water

A lot of you may have seen this, but Bill Gates is spending 150 million dollars to try and make the vaccine for COVID as cheap as three dollars.

https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/8/8/21359227/bill-gates-foundation-coronavirus-vaccine-serum-astrazeneca-novavax

This next one is the best news I've read all week. Friends carry a man in a wheelchair to go see the waterfall. "We just wanted to see the waterfall, and Aaron goes wherever we go,"

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/aaron-goes-wherever-we-go-friends-carry-man-in-wheelchair-to-view-waterfall-1.5058

And that's it for this Friday. Before leaving, I want to say that the cases are spiking in some places but we shouldn't be sad over that. I mean, what good will it do? Instead, try to smile and say "It's gonna be okay". Be a symbol of hope to people who look up to you.

Thank you all for reading this and I will see you all next Thursday! Till then, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay safe!

Do you ever feel

the tickle of a tear drop down your cheek

And wish to never have to hide it

Do you ever feel

the sun drying up that water on your face

And wonder where the vapors go

Do you ever feel

The need to question yourself

and wish you had an answer

Do you ever feel

the sweat draining down your back

and wish your tears could flow like that

Do you ever feel

your laughter echo under your tears

and wish to find an ocean bed

do you ever feel

this way

and wish to tell someone like me

or it's just me

Rain. It poured through every crevice of her torn windcheater and permeated her very soul. had always been a wanderer, a daydreamer much like the geniuses of the past, where they beheld formulae, intangible, just out of grasp of the layman’s weary eye. She was never conventional, not a genius in the perfect sense of the word, but one that is evil, a necromancer perhaps. A diamond in the rough.

Her youth is something that she has treasured. For those who saw her- sun tanned deeply brown skin, jet black hair that reflected off of the sun’s crimson rays, forming countless prisms of shades expanding, growing far beyond the rainbows that hide legends, tomes of gold. Her eyes? Almond-shaped, streaked cerulean and violet, never had anything like it been seen before. The things we love never last, and her fading beauty was proof of it. She had come there to seek out a remedy, down a quaint country lane, out of a children’s book almost.

“What do you seek, child, and do you think this is where you shall find it?” a man’s voice rang out through the gathered oak trees, lilting and swaying like the wind. He emerged from a nearby bench and walked towards it, his calloused palm extended. “The Fountain Of Youth, at long last. Oh, I won’t be long sir.”, she wondered aloud. He muttered something incomprehensible then, and beckoned her to approach it.

The fountain was simple, unassuming, really, but no Trevi or Flora could ever match its excellence. The only decoration was a carving ‘levis est puer dominae suae’. The Latin she had heard, whispered from alleyways and the friends that had long slipped through her fingers escaped her then. She could only have faith, as she stepped forward for a drink from its freezing waters, not in scripture any longer but in what object lay before her.

She is awoken by the steady drip of rainwater, yet again. But not a torrent, reminiscent of tempests she is thankful to evade, but a drizzle. A haggard woman lies before her, her back strewn across the cave’s floor, a cripple. There was a glint in her almond-shaped eyes, however, vaguely, almost hauntingly familiar. A gentle, croaky voice erupts into the shadows “R-Run, while you can. RUN” and the glint disappears, a gentle glow replaces moves , ignited by the urgency in her voice, but she is stopped short by another voice, the man. He was back. “Youth is a flighty mistress, child.” Suddenly, it comes flooding back, as the man’s laughter rings out through the tepid air and memories rewind in her head- this was what was carved on the fountain. That was the last thing she remembered, as she felt her worn knees buckle to the cold, hard ground. She does not remember an echo.

Love

The do-all, end-all word,

fulfilling one's hopes,

aspirations, dreams.

Finding one soulmate

in a world of billions.

That is special.

That goes beyond love itself.

A testament in resolve,

an experience never duplicated.

... and that hole in your heart,

... is filled.

Pain

A constant reminder,

rumbling

throughout a tired body,

reminding us

to be healthy,

we must also suffer.

Truth

One person's truth,

is another person's fantasy.

One person's fantasy,

is another person's lie.

The truth is;

truth and lies

are constant bed partners

in life.

The last time I walked away, I did it without ever looking back again.

It was the hardest thing to do for me, a big and life-altering decision I had to make for the first time. But I was done with all the heartaches and your shenanigans. So, I walked away, regretting the wasted times spent with you.

The first time we met, you were a totally different person, the kindest, humble, and warmest individual, whom I wanted to be around on this planet. However, I am not sure what turned you into this horrible human being, who suddenly became arrogant, careless, and self-absorbed.

You just turned into this person I didn’t even know, a self-centered prick that was walking around without a soul. 

Overnight, one day, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and lost your innocence. Then, I guess the only person closer to you was me, so, you decided to push me to the edges, to the point I honestly despised ever seeing your face or calling your name again.

I became too fragile to be at your company, so I had found my way out of your life to completely erase what we’d had and avoided you forever by any cost.

What’s more heartbreaking is not knowing the reasons behind your absurd behaviors. Not knowing the changes in your color like four seasons is still nagging me until this day.

In the beginning, everything was smooth and I loved loving such a beautiful soul. Your smile was vibrant and intoxicating. You were outgoing, adventurous, and fearless. You had such a loving heart and most of all was a gentle and caring person. You were fun to be around, intelligent, beautiful, and open-minded. 

I can truly confess that you cared for me more than I did. 

What happened to you? Why did you turn to this bad and dispirited person?

What kind of poison did you drink?

Today, you’ve made me think that loving you was worse than I could imagine. Yet, I won’t ever wish your heart to break like mine. I only hoped if I knew why yours became so cold like ice and made me walk away from us without even saying goodbye with the last kiss on your soft and honeydew lips.

midnightink 7-24-2020

I wrote this for this challenge but by the time I was done, it was closed. Lol

https://theprose.com/challenge/10653

As a child, I have tried imagining creative ways to die. I have jumped off roofs. I have sunk in oceans. I have burned to death. Shot. Severely cut. And I was occasionally stabbed as well. There were all sorts of crazy endings. But in all of them, I had a higher purpose. I was to sacrifice my life for my loved ones, to save the world and so and so. But I always died for a reason.

But today, as a 17-year-old boy, I faced the worst casualty in my life. It was not a fight. I mean, I did not even know that guy. He just came out of nowhere and bang! Stabbed in the chest I was. It was very close to the heart. It's fatal.

Let's go a bit backward in time. So, I learn at St Lucius School, located right across the Westminister Cafe, of which I was a regular customer. Mr Parker, who used to run the shop, was very fond of me, I guess. Oh! He seemed like a nice guy. I should have talked more with him when I had the chance.

Well, let's come to the point. So, St Lucius School was one of the best in town. It had brilliant teachers, pleasant atmosphere. It was great. And I would not call myself a genius, but still, I was a member of the Teachers' Favourite Students Group, which I believe exists everywhere in the world where education is possible.

So you see, I try and procure as much hate as I can from my classmates. Though I was a bit to the nerdy side when it comes to learning, I was a total failure when it came to attitude. I was a bit too hyperactive, talkative, and everything that a nerd isn't. So you see, I did not belong to the nerd group as well. They considered me useful for doubts only, not the friendly type. And I am still not clear what a friend means in their definition.

So, I found myself rather alone for a few weeks. Then, as it occurs everywhere, I found my team at long last. There were half nerds, idiots, artists, psychopaths and everyone who doesn't belong anywhere else. They only belong together. I found the rest of my days filled with joy and laughter. No meaning. But I still enjoyed the company. It was a relief. But they were not among the ones who I wished to be with me till the end.

Although I tried recruiting new members to the team, they also did not seem to fit. There were a lot of leaving and entering for a few weeks. Then, it kind of acquired a stable state. But still, I was not satisfied. That's when I met her.

Rebecca. That was her name. Somehow, I found her to be very different from the members of my current team. She was different. I found myself to be very happy when I talked with her. I no longer found satisfaction in my old company. It was torture. I would watch her the whole time the stupid conversations go on. I desperately waited for the breaks.

Weeks passed by. And our relationship grew stronger. And I never found myself happier. Was this love? I asked myself. No matter how hard I tried to wipe that question out from my mind, I could not avoid it.

I could no longer talk to her like I used to. I found myself to be tensed and nervous when I talk. I ran out of words. I sweated. Me who desperately tried to grab her attention now proactively tried not to let her know my presence. I avoided her at times.

That was when I faced the next challenge. So, our class consisted of my team, the nerds, the silent, others and the useless. But, there was another prominent team which I always used to avoid. Though I found vague similarities in my attitude with theirs, I was sure I did not belong there. Because they were not the ones, nobody found them comfortable. They were strange. They were angry. They were the ones from who children ran away in horror.

But last week, their two representatives came to me. They wanted to discuss a serious topic. When I tried to go away, they held me by the collar and pulled me back.

'What do you want from me?' I asked.

They only smiled. Leaning a bit, the taller one said 'What is between you and Rebecca?'

"Nothing, we are just friends.' I tried to sound confident.

'Just friends?' asked the other one.

'Yeah, what more do you expect?'

'We expect nothing more.' They laughed terrifically and went away. I became paralysed.

What do they want from Rebecca? Why did they ask me about our relationship? I was confused. It was more stress than I could take. Should I tell Rebecca about this? No, no, I shouldn't. It would make her tensed as well. I had to solve this alone. And for that, I needed a plan.

I tried to formulate a plan all night. The nights of the following days also took me through the same procedure. But I was blank. I did not even know what they want. Then, how am I supposed to do anything against it? I didn't know how, when, why, what, where and who. I realised that I would fail if I try and do this alone. But, no one in my team seemed right. There was no other choice. I would have to tell Rebecca about this.

So, finally, Friday arrived, that is today. I left home early since I had a lot of urgent things to do. As fast as I could tell her about this, the better it would be. It was cloudy in the morning. The rain, last night, had left its marks behind. I had my raincoat on and my school bag on my shoulders.

I decided to walk past the alley to reach the school faster. Regrettably, that was the worst decision in my life. I did not even look straight while I walked. I kept my head down, deeply immersed in thoughts. I planned how to present the topic to Rebecca. I could not make her too tensed.

Suddenly a man ran against me, by my side. He nearly pushed me down. As I was recovering from the fall, I found a second guy running against me. And this man had a knife, in his hands and he was not at all in control of it. The next few moments were too quick to perceive. I was still trying to regain balance, the guy, with the knife, was desperately trying to stop on his tracks. But we both failed in our respective missions.

The result was bitter. I found myself down on the ground, the knife guy upon me. I felt acute pain in my chest region. When my hands reached my chest, a knife was perpendicular to its surface. I glanced at my hands, and all I could see was red. The knife guy stood now, utterly confused. He has just killed a boy. But, I was still moving. 'Should I save him? Should I not?' All those questions went through his mind. But, I could no longer stay awake. I was dying. I could not even warn Rebecca. I could not even say goodbye. Only one thought persisted in my mind. I love her.

It was almost dusk. The room was unfamiliar. I could see a basket of fruits in the table beside me. I still felt pain, and when I checked, I found my chest filled with bandage and plaster. A sudden realisation struck me. I am not dead.

Not dead. I breathed heavily.

'Hey, don't stress out.' I heard a voice. It was so familiar. It was Rebecca. She was at the door now. She came close and sat beside me. "How do you feel now?' She asked.

'Better'. I found it difficult to speak. The regret at my near-death aroused in my brain. I should not wait anymore. I should tell it.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, my mouth began to speak, though I had not asked it. My brain was overwriting my body. 'Rebecca, I think I love you.'

There was a moment of silence, and she broke it with a peal of laughter. But it was not a laugh out of humour, but one out of something strange. She just kept looking at me then. And I could do nothing but look back. Millions of emotions ran around my brain. Was this love? I don't know, maybe it is.

#fiction #opinion #maybe_romance_as_well

Along came a giant spider

Smiling at the young rider

Slowly it crawled nearer

Each time smiling as it moved closer

‘Mummy!’ The young one yelled--

But her Mummy was in another world.

Lowering itself on her shoulder---

‘Eek!’ the rider wished there was a boulder.

The spider laughed at the kid,

‘Ha!’ now it was time for the bid—

Evangeline spotted more bugs

Taking their time to give some hugs-

Really~ this was getting out of hand.

Oh...she smiled & raised her wand..

One by one the spiders & gang heard

Powerful cries comin’ from the bread

Sounds of a large army of yeast.... charged forth like the walking dead.

#ASSEMBLETHETROOPS

19th July, 2020. Sundae