#or start a support group

[stealingpotatoes]

I have an idea for you: Ahsoka Tano and Galen "Starkiller" Marek arguing about their experiences as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader's apprentices, while Luke Skywalker plays the referree.

i think the 3 of them should just get therapy together

[wynterasiuuki]

They doxxed her in the official map for... Nothing?

[marragurl]

HOW WE FEELING AFTER THE 2.3 LIVE STREAM GANG???

Every time I think Ratio and Aventurine can’t get more obvious they just throw a whole new curveball at me 😭

THE DOMAIN HAS THEIR CATCAKES AS A SYMBOL I AM SCREAMING

[moonscape]

isat: explores the concept of found family outside of the expected nuclear family dynamic. goes even further by being explicitly against the idea of a found family always being nuclear, and shows this by having the characters cringe and express discomfort at the idea of being assigned specific roles. wants you to accept its found family being an amorphous blob

isat fans who don't understand themes outside of fandomized incorrect quote blogs: okay but what if odile was the mom friend and the rest of the group are her kids

[infiniteglitterfall]

I guess this might be why the UK seemed to go so antisemitic so quickly

I'm researching the 1947 pogroms in the UK. (Actually, I'm researching all the pogroms and massacres of Jews in the past 200 years. Which today led me to discover that there were pogroms in the UK in 1947.)

From an article on "The Postwar Revival of British Fascism," all emphasis mine:

Given the rising antisemitism and widespread ignorance about Zionism [in the UK in 1947], fascists were easily able to conflate Zionist paramilitary attacks with Judaism in their speeches, meaning British Jews came to be seen as complicit in violence in Palestine.

Bertrand Duke Pile, a key member of Hamm’s League, informed a cheering crowd that “the Jews have no right to Palestine and the Jews have no right to the power which they hold in this country of ours.” Denouncing Zionism as a way to introduce a wider domestic antisemitic stance was common to many speakers at fascist events and rallies. Fascists hid their ideology and ideological antisemitism behind the rhetorical facade of preaching against paramilitary violence in Palestine.

One of the league’s speakers called for retribution against “the Jews” for the death of British soldiers in Palestine. This was, he told his audience, hardly an antisemitic expression. “Is it antisemitism to denounce the murderers of your own flesh and blood in Palestine?” he asked his audience. Many audience members, fascist or not, may well have felt the speaker had a point. ...[The photo of two British sergeants hanged by the Irgun in retaliation for the Brits hanging three of their members] promptly made numerous appearances at fascist meetings, often attached to the speaker’s platform. In at least one meeting, several British soldiers on leave from serving in Palestine attended Hamm’s speech, giving further legitimacy to his remarks. And with soldiers and policemen in Palestine showing increasing signs of overt antisemitism as a result of their experiences, the director of public prosecutions warned that the fascists might receive a steady stream of new recruits.

MI5, the U.K. domestic security service, noted with some alarm that “as a general rule, the crowd is now sympathetic and even spontaneously enthusiastic.” Opposition, it was noted in the same Home Office Bulletin of 1947, “is only met when there is an organized group of Jews or Communists in the audience.”

The major opposition came from the 43 Group, formed by the British-Jewish ex-paratrooper Gerry Flamberg and his friends in September 1946 to fight the fascists using the only language they felt fascists understood — violence. The group disrupted fascist meetings for two purposes: to get them shut down by the police for disorder, and to discourage attendance in the future by doling out beatings with fists and blunt instruments. By the summer of 1947, the group had around 500 active members who took part in such activities. Among these was a young hairdresser by the name of Vidal Sassoon, who would often turn up armed with his hairdressing scissors.

The 43 Group had considerable success with these actions, but public anger was spreading faster than they could counter the hate that accompanied it. The deaths of Martin and Paice had touched a nerve with the populace. On Aug. 1, 1947, the beginning of the bank holiday weekend and two days after the deaths of the sergeants, anti-Jewish rioting began in Liverpool. The violence lasted for five days. Across the country, the scene was repeated: London, Manchester, Hull, Brighton and Glasgow all saw widespread violence. Isolated instances were also recorded in Plymouth, Birmingham, Cardiff, Swansea, Newcastle and Davenport. Elsewhere, antisemitic graffiti and threatening phone calls to Jewish places of worship stood in for physical violence. Jewish-owned shops had their windows smashed, Jewish homes were targeted, an attempt was made to burn down Liverpool Crown Street Synagogue while a wooden synagogue in Glasgow was set alight. In a handful of cases, individuals were personally intimidated or assaulted. A Jewish man was threatened with a pistol in Northampton and an empty mine was placed in a Jewish-owned tailor shop in Davenport.

And an important addendum:

I've read a whole bunch of articles about the pogroms in Liverpool, Manchester, Salford, Eccles, Glasgow, etc.

Not one of them has mentioned that the Irgun, though clearly a terrorist group, was formed in response to 18 years of openly antisemitic terrorism, including multiple incredibly violent massacres. Or that it consistently acted in response to the murders of Jewish civilians, not on the offensive. Or that at this point, militant Arab Nationalist groups with volunteers and arms from the Arab League countries had been attacking Jewish and mixed Arab-Jewish neighborhoods for months.

I just think the "Jewish militants had been attacking the British occupiers" angle is incredibly Anglocentric.

Yeah, they were attacking the British occupiers. But also, that's barely the tip of the iceberg.

Everyone involved hated the Brits at this point. If only al-Husseini and his ilk had hated the Brits more than they hated the Jews, Britain could at least have united them by giving them a common enemy.

[lipgloss3ater]

stupid idiot i hate emos

[sadlynotthevoid]

This came to me while I was reading a novel:

At the supermarket,

Og!Cale: Depressed? But I'm not depressed.

Og!Cale: I almost never feel sad or opressed.

Og!Cale: Actually, most of the time I don't feel anything at all!

Kind lady who was helping him to choose groceries: ...

Guy squatting next to them comparing soups: Can I recomend you my therapist?

For context, it was a modern AU in which Og!Cale had just moved to live by himself and went to buy essentials and meal for the first time. He had bought snacks and one or two items in stores before, but he never went to buy his own groceries and normal house stuff. He was just improvising and picking up anything he thought was useful.

Then he saw protein and vitamine bars and he was like "hey, why didn't I know this existed? Now I won't have to eat food!" And started puting a lot of them on his cart. One by one.

So a middle aged lady near him noticed it. "Young boy, you can take the box if you want".

"Oh."

And then she started to give him tips and helping him because he obviously had no idea what he was doing.

"Be careful when you pick fruit and vegetables. Fresh ones are better than frozen ones."

"This offer is a good chance. You always run out of napkins fast."

And so.

At some point the chat she was passing him recipes and told him to cook his own meals of it was possible because is healthier. And Og!Cale was like "but can't I just eat this bars and call it a day?"

Which turned into he telling her that food normally tastes awful or like nothing at all for him.

"And the doctor said you're healthy? Then it could be your mental health. My nephew had the same problem. He still does, but it happens less now. He was going through a big depression at that time".

By the way, the guy was totally eardropping.

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

What would it be like if people in your community looked out for you?

What would it look like if people outside your most-texted friends and closest family knew you and were invested in your wellbeing and were willing to make deliberate effort to contribute to it?

What would a healthy supportive community, full of a wide variety of people who aren't all necessarily friends, look like?

What would make your community more like that?

What structures or opportunities already exist that might enable that? Are they sufficient? Why or why not? If you don't know what kinds of organizations etc exist in your community, how could you find out? If they aren't sufficient, what could you do to contribute or create new opportunities for relating with each other?

What barriers interrupt opportunities for healthy connection and support in your community? What would effectively addressing those barriers look like?

What would be the easiest possible first step that one busy person could take to start to make your community more connected? Can you think of anything that you personally could do?

What kinds of skills or ideas would be necessary that you can't provide? How could you find people with those kinds of skills or ideas who are also interested in community care and who might be willing to work together?

You're probably marginalized by at least one form of oppression. Most people are. You're probably busy and tired. Most people are. What would make it possible for you to contribute anyway? What would make it possible for other busy tired people to contribute?

If you want your community to care for you—if you need that, as I'm convinced all people do—you might have to figure out how to care for your community first. If you wanted that, how would you start?

[dreaminofu]

Mä mietin sua / I think about you

Song: Mä mietin sua by Ida Paul and Kalle Lindroth

Credits: formulatv, latewathen, kaarijasupporters, käärijädashcorn, koppitules/2/3, katridogg, jokeroutfi, homeforinfinity/2, sampitar/2, petraceglar, seokoilua, nouroblem, jokeroutmexico, ylex, jokerman, spiuli, tanim, annemarie, safursey <3

[maxwolfess]

then vs now (x/x)

[youmakethelight]

I've avoided saying this bc it's weird to compare these two things, but it's genuinely ironic that a fandom focused on two abuse victims is consistently and cruelly gaslit by the jarring juxtaposition of storytelling and marketing.

While the relationship fans and characters have is parasocial, it still evokes real emotions. The people who enjoy these characters are real people with real experiences and real emotions. And the characters they identify with often reflect those things for them.

To use those characters to gaslight and manipulate fans is insanely irresponsible.

[littlemissglitter14]

hey guys, so, book of bill spoilers:

Bill and Ford are like. EXES exes. Which. We all knew that. Throughout the book Bill tries to get us to make a deal with him. But. Doesn't happen. He compares us to Ford like "how could you do this to me you're JUST like Sixer"

so does

does this mean that if you read the book

Bill considers you to be one of his exes

[cringefail-clown]

i love the new emergent genre of turnabout ships that's just targeting june with an orbital laser. dave's got a crush on your nanna, his bro is flirting with your dad, can't have SHIT in paradox space

shes NOT having a good time

[year2000electronics]

dory dory dory, can't you see, why have just one when you can have three?~

all aus pictured belong to me :] i have a problem

[nachosncheezies]

In defense of late-canon x files (including the revivals)

I was thinking about this poll after I commented on it, and I kinda want to be brave and say more.

Short answer to the poll's question before I go any further: If you're a new fan and a sensitive sort who thinks you'll struggle with your blorbos Really Going Through It and you really need a happy ending, I suggest you stop at the end of season 8. Do not pass go, do not look at spoilers. Disregard this post entirely, close the internet, and go look at something that makes you happy. (Also fuck every part of society that characterizes sensitivity as inherently weak and bad and some kind of personal failing, you are valid.)

That said, "quality" as a concept is entirely subjective, and the question of whether or not there's a decline in quality for any story is wholly subjective, too. In the case of x files? I'm not convinced there is a decline. I am going to be upfront that I haven't yet watched past season 8, though I am almost completely spoiled on events after that - and the reason I haven't watched yet is not because of how I know events are going to unfold, but simply because I don't want it to end!!! Ohh, the tension between "I CAN'T WAIT!!!" and "Nooo don't be over D:"

When I first came to txf fandom on tumblr and gradually became spoiled about what happens in late canon though, I was often left uncomfortable and tbh kinda queasy about it. As I said in my comment on the poll, the hate for especially the revival and IWTB, or to a lesser extent even seasons 8 & 9, is very well documented. But! There are other takes to be found here on tumblr if you figure out where to look, and my feelings have changed!

The thing is, I have yet to find myself in any fandom where there isn't a vocal subset of fans who dislike the story after a certain point. I am not joking when I say that no one hates the things they love as passionately as sci-fi and fantasy fans. In my experience, it often hinges on the extent to which a viewer has strong notions on where they would like the characters to end up. In particular with series where shipping is a dominant component for the bulk of a fandom, I have almost universally found that there comes some turning point in the story where "let them be happy you cowards" is the dominant view, and things that compromise the attainment of a degree of romantic stability and/or domesticity are, to many fans, annoying at best and despicable at worst. But! As one tagset on the linked poll said:

and I think for any fandom, that last tag especially is so so so important. (I think that's harder for people watching a weekly series live, bc you have so much time to analyze and speculate and dream before the next breadcrumb drops, but I digress.)

So why am I saying this and how do I apply it to x files? Well, I eventually found that there are also a subset of fans who find redeeming things right up to the very end and actually quite like the whole thing! The things that I had seen people rage and ventpost so much about honestly never quite sounded to me as "out of character" or "untrue to the story" etc as those same ventposts made them sound. And I've discovered I'm not the only one who felt that way. Do I love that the spooky squad had to go through all of those things? No, those poor guys D: Life is hard and they have been through so much trauma. But do those events and their choices make sense to me in light of everything that came before? Yes! And I honestly can't wait to see them fight to overcome those things, breaking, healing, always learning, always growing, always getting better.

So if you're wondering "where does it go wrong"... well, I'm a completionist, as many people who've answered that post are, but also my personal opinion is that I don't think it does go wrong. If you're new and interested in exploring why I've gone from "vaguely queasy" to "excited" about the whole thing, or want to maybe balance out the impressions you're getting about the later seasons before deciding whether or not you want to see the whole thing, I'll put a few blog names in the comments.

Final admission: even once I started feeling a little more confident in the possibility that "actually ok maybe I'm not crazy, maybe this all kind of is in character and does make sense", there was one big plot point that I was NOT looking forward to and I thought I would never be comfortable about. In hindsight, I think my discomfort came from the negative responses being SO seemingly universal that I hadn't stopped to let myself truly consider other possible interpretations on that point. (I mean my initial instinct when I first read about it was, why are we mad about this?? CSM is literally the most unreliable narrator in history???? it's obviously fake news?????? this must be either a fever dream someone's having or it's a misdirection ploy against whatever shadowy forces might still be lurking?????????????? but for whatever reason I guess I had halfway written that off.) Happily, just last month there's a new post-s11 novel out, and although reviews for the book as a whole are mixed, it seems to have laid the groundwork for resolving that plot issue in a way I think most fans would be broadly happy with. If you're interested in being spoiled about that and seeing how, I recommend searching #perihelion on @agent-troi who liveblogged reading it with receipts, scroll back chronological-style to the first post on the subject and see how it unfolded. (And never forget that Dana Katherine Scully is the queen of denial as a coping mechanism lol)

Everyone's mileage will vary. Each person can feel however they want! But for anyone new, I wanted you to know that the very many ventposts you might be seeing are not all there is to this show or its fandom. Some of us love it despite - or even because of - all the things that went "wrong". I think we just don't talk about it as much.

[mycological-mariner]

First day of Pride and I just want to shine a light on all the trans people who are unable to transition, especially those who aren’t fresh faced university grads. Those who don’t live in a supportive or even just accepting home or community. Those who aren’t well off, those who aren’t good at or popular enough to crowd fund. Those who can’t afford transitioning. Those who can’t even transition socially or need to stay in the closet for your safety. Those who rely on benefits or unforgiving jobs to just pay the bills. Having to hear day in and day out you’re just GNC, that your pre-transition body is “ugly” and the ways you can express your gender are “cringe.” Every trans person who’s been told they aren’t “trying hard enough”. Those trans people who won’t even get to imagine transitioning for years.

I see you. I love you. You’re so undervalued and under appreciated in a world where being a white, well off 20 year old on HRT and getting surgery is more common to see than people who work full time and just don’t have that privilege. It sucks, so much. But you are loved and you are seen.

Happy Pride Month to trans people who aren’t where they want to be. The world is better with you in it. We all need each other.