independence1776

[independence1776]

online communities are so strange because people slip away so easily. you can be on here for years, folding people you've never met into the fabric of your daily life, and then they disappear, leaving only ghost posts scattered across tumblr behind. or their blog stays dormant, for weeks, months, years, until you're only still following them because you remember that they love sunflowers or they were kind to you when they didn't have to be or the last thing they posted was sad and raw and you still worry about them sometimes.

and sometimes they come back when you least expect it, years later, even, and there's this sudden rush of relief like there you are, there you are, even though you barely knew each other.

there's a strange kind of love to it. i don't know you and i want to hold your hand across miles and time zones and oceans. i can still see the imprint of you in this community you left. you don't think anyone will notice or care when you're gone, but we notice and we care and we wish you well.

i hope you're all okay out there. i hope the sun is shining on your face and you are breathing deeply. i miss you.

#100% truth

[independence1776]

"Luke Skywalker isn’t like the old Jedi. He saves Vader with his attachments!”

Wrong!

Luke Skywalker, at the end of Return of the Jedi, after his confrontation with the Emperor drags Darth Vader through the destructing Death Star. He’s desperate, knuckles white under the heavy weight of his father’s body, a little boy dragging his dad to safety. He sets Vader down for a moment, to catch his breath or maybe to get a better grip. He goes to grab Vader again, but Vader, uncomfortable and in pain, asks Luke to take off the mask. He wants to see Luke through his eyes instead of the eyes Palpatine built for him. Luke refuses, says that removing the mask is a sure way for Vader to die. Luke doesn’t want Vader dead, he wants Vader alive. Not to hold him accountable for his many evil acts, but for the same reason why Luke Skywalker can’t kill Darth Vader; Vader is his father and Luke loves him.

And yet, after a moment, Luke removes Vader’s mask. He doesn’t want to, he hesitates, but he removes the mask with enough slowness to allow Vader to take it back. In that moment, Luke sets aside his desire for Vader in his life, sets aside his desire to see him live, and sets aside his entire mission, the reason he was even on the Death Star in the place. In his compassion for his father, Luke stays with Vader until he dies. It is this moment where we see him be the best damn Jedi he can be. I’d even argue that this moment is the greatest example of non-attached love we see. Because Luke lets Vader go! He lets his father die, and in some ways, by removing the mask, he too kills Vader, he stays with him until his last moment, gives him the kindness of granting his last wish and finally chooses Vader.

And Luke doesn’t have to do this. If Luke Skywalker’s love for his father was an attachment, he would ignore Vader and continue dragging him to the escape pod, put his desire for a father as his central focus and ignore Vader’s wants and discomfort. Maybe he would even save him. But he doesn’t. Instead, he watches as Vader dies.

He builds a Jedi burial for his father and watches it burn the remnants of Vader and Anakin Skywalker away. He mourns Vader, he mourns what they could’ve had as father and son, considers what ifs and maybe-if-I-did-this. Vader/ Anakin is released from his mortal body, from his ‘crude matter’ and Luke lets him go. He says one final goodbye to Anakin. Then, he joins Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando, and the rest of the Rebels and celebrates their victory. He lives in the present and celebrates what he has instead of what he lost.

Luke Skywalker is THE Jedi. Everything about Luke Skywalker serves as the foundational cornerstone of the Jedi, everything about the Jedi as a culture and philosophy is reflected in his character. Luke’s desire for the New Jedi Order isn’t to throw away the values of the old Order, but to vitalise them, breathe life back into dying lungs, and rebuild a path that people set out on their way to destroy. (Yes, his Order is different from the Old, but that’s because it has to be. He doesn’t have the resources or the safety of the Old Order.) The philosophies of the Jedi are difficult and they aren’t for everyone, and like the perfect Jedi that Luke is, he struggles and stumbles and sometimes he even rejects it. But, no matter how far he falls, it is a way of life he chooses again and again and again. It is a way of life that welcomes him back each time

#this is my luke #star wars #queue

[independence1776]

Debunk here.

One of the best shot of Total Solar Eclipse from 08-04-2024.

Via @nasa-official

#this is FAKE #debunk

[independence1776]

Weekly Kudos Thanks

Thank you to TallShorty, Elenaji, FratBoyInTraining, nataliaromanovaswife, OoBooksAreLifeoO, Drakling, iris_in_verse, Dick_slutsky, Beth_Mac, Potter629, Random_persononthe_internet, elrhiarhodan, and two anons for leaving kudos on my fics last week.

#kudos thanks

[independence1776]

If you are a Christian that wants to host a Passover seder this year:

1) Don’t. It’s appropriative and gross.

2) Still don’t.

3) Jesus never participated in the type of seder that Jews have today. He lived (if he existed as described in your Christian holy books) during the Second Temple Era of Judaism, when worship was Temple-focused and ritual sacrifice was a key facet of the holiday. The modern seder takes most of its traditions from rabbinic Judaism, which was not the Judaism of Jesus.

4) Don’t do it. Don’t. No, there is no good reason for you to do it.

5) Given the Christian antisemitic violence traditionally inflicted on the Jews during this time of year (the lead up to Easter), it is EXTRA awful for Christians to try and appropriate our traditions related to Passover.

6) Don’t. Pesach is our holiday, and our religion is a semi-closed practice. Don’t appropriate our stuff. Don’t make our stuff about Jesus.

7) There are no exceptions to the rule that Christians should not host Passover seders.

Hope this helps.

#i know of one church in my area who held theirs before easter #and the person who told me about was claiming it was respectful and a rabbi was leading it (on a friday night so i have my doubts esp. #because i didn't recognize the rabbi's name) #i wasn't really able to convince anyone it was disrespectful and a diff participant in said convo later asked me if we call jesus 'yeshuah' #i said we call him irrelevant #it doubly irks me bc i recced months ago when the latter asked for a judaism 101 book rec that she read 'to life' and she clearly didn't #antisemitism #jewish

[independence1776]

bring back tumblr ask culture let me. bother you with questions and statements

#yep

[independence1776]

Unmute !

#music #neat stuff #queue

[independence1776]

When I came across this adorable 1883 house in Saint Paul, Minnesota, I fell in love with the sunflower painting. And, the 3bd, 3ba home was priced at $360K. It's been reno'd, but it's so unusual that I'm on the fence about it. I don't hate it. What do you think?

I mean, it's simple, clean, and not technically white. It's a blank slate for the new owner.

I find this interesting. They took that section of wall and cleverly made it into a fireplace and TV wall. That's unique.

They faced seating toward it and opened it to the kitchen, making an open concept family room/kitchen.

The kitchen's very nice, I like the floor, the color of the cabinets, and the cook stove in the middle with an attractive hood.

The renovated bath has a nice pedestal sing and a large shower.

Cute children's bedroom. It can be taken down if you don't have kids, but it's so cute.

They took the time to add architectural interest like the beams, spiral stairs and loft. This is actually the primary suite.

Very nice full bath here, also.

The sleep loft is brand new, cozy, and also has the small room and bath below, which makes it the primary suite.

These are the hall stairs to the 2nd floor.

The bedroom is large and has a bath that is shared with the room across the way. There's a privacy screen shielding the bath.

Very pretty.

3rd bedroom across the hall.

This is just so beautiful.

The yard has a pretty fence and gate that opens to a tiered patio.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/87-King-St-E_Saint-Paul_MN_55107_M84399-53088

#gorgeous #queue

[independence1776]

There’s that post that’s like ‘everyone should get into a tiny niche fandom at least once’ fully agree, that was really fun -- but I would like to add that everyone should get into a fandom where their opinions run counter to major fanon because it really teaches you about sticking to your guns and trusting your interpretation of the text without having to rely on peer validation

because WHAT are people talking about sometimes

#yep #fandom

[independence1776]

OMFG folks. Please. Please don't uncritically reblog this bullshit

Yes it looks pretty if you're into that kind of thing. Not it's not real. Not a little bit. If the sun had been this close to earth on 08-04-2024 or at any other time (compare the size of the damn star to the size of the leaves on the trees I beg you. eclipses can play tricks on the eye but not to that extent) then we would all be toast. Heck with the level of solar activitiy supposedly going on there (including some absolutely MASSIVE coronal mass ejections) we'd probably be toast, or at the very least severely fucked, even at the usual distance. YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED. Which would be fine if OP had labelled it, IDK, "photomanip of solar eclipse into the sky behind my house" or something similarly appropriate, but no, it's "one of the best shots" via "nasa-official". Suuuure it is, Betsy. The "nasa-official" link goes to this tumblr account btw:

Totally reliable in that they make it clear up fron that they aren't NASA or working for NASA, but not a source for reliable eclipse photos (also? this photo isn't even on their blog. funny how that goes) I doubt they even know about the photo, or the fact that they've been cited...

(This is the official NASA tumblr account btw)

Just to top things off, this is the OP of what is supposedly one of the best shots of the most recent eclipse, and in reality more like (at best) a composite montage or (more realistically) some heavy editing, possibly but not necessarily done by an actual human photo manipulator:

I mean this is a weirdly unpolitical piece of misinformation for a tankie but I suppose whatever gets people's attention? Hmmm I'm sure they're totally trustworthy otherwise Anyway, please think for a second, consider all the information you have about the solar system, or at the very least your personal lived experience about the size of the sun in the skies that you hopefully manage to glimpse at least occasionally, and then maybe check some facts? idk (I mean, in Tumblr's defense, the notes of that post are full of people calling bullshit (though a lot of them seem to be blaming AI). But apparently not a whole lot of people actually look into the notes)

#debunk

[independence1776]

This is honestly a beautiful love letter to the prequels AND Revenge of the Sith, and I encourage everyone to read it.

Some of the highlights for us:

In recent years, the slaughter of younglings and the ultimate efficacy of Order 66 may have become dank meme fodder to be filed alongside the droid attack on the Wookies and “Hello There!” But back in ‘05? That montage of Clones massacring Jedi across the galaxy, Anakin igniting his ‘saber at the Jedi temple, was a real watershed moment — a visceral evocation of the horrors of war and the sheer oppressive power of fascism. Thrilling and terrifying in equal measure, “Execute Order 66!” endures as a reminder of a more daring time in franchise filmmaking.

and

Even now, the emotional and technical craftsmanship of the duel is astonishing. Christensen and McGregor’s blistering choreography and the emotional intensity of their performances; thousands of man-hours’ worth of VFX blending large-scale soundstage work and real footage of Mount Etna erupting; Lucas going full Shakespeare with Anakin’s excoriating, “I hate you!”, and Obi-Wan’s anguished, “You were my brother Anakin… I loved you”; John Williams going God-mode once more with his cacophonous score. It’s an epic battle between the forces of good and evil, the culmination of two trilogies and almost thirty years of cinematic storytelling, painted on the largest canvas imaginable. Honestly, what more could you want from a Star War?

#star wars #queue

[independence1776]

Throwback Thursday

I was tagged by @starspray. This is the first time I've been tagged in this, so I assume it's something about posting about an older fic of mine.

Have the opening paragraph of my 2014 Back to Middle-earth Month fic "A Change in the Wind":

The wind howled through the oak, beech, maple, and pine trees surrounding his cabin. Maglor looked up from his seat on his bed, leaning against the house’s wooden wall. He’d closed the shutters already, but even so, he wouldn’t be able to see much in the dark. Not that he would open them in this wind and certainly not with the rain pattering on the roof. His cabin contained everything he owned and he didn’t want to ruin it. And Varnë didn’t appreciate being wet any more than Maglor appreciated the smell of wet dog.

I'm not sure of the protocol here, so I'll tag @grundyscribbling and @peppermint-shamrock.

#meme

[independence1776]

i have a sinking feeling that a lot of jumblr posts begging goyim to address antisemitism only get shared by other jews because goyim have all the big jumblrs blocked. gotta get all your info on antisemitism from Unbiased Goyim and not those Biased Jews. those hysterical Biased Jews think they're still oppressed! don't they know they're basically whiter white people now? BLOCKED!

#100% truth #antisemitism #judaism #queue

[independence1776]

19 Questions Meme

Supposed to be 20 questions, but one seems to have vanished along the way. Thank you to @spiced-wine-fic for tagging me.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 120, though some of those are moodboards instead of fic.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 492,336 words. I'm not prolific.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Star Wars, in the Kanan comics niche of the Rebels subfandom but I also work in rather a lot of Prequels-related material and I love the JFO/Survivor era. I also wrote a lot in the Tolkien fandom, Silmarillion side, but I'm only dipping my toes into the fandom at the moment and I'm not sure I'll return in depth.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? 

I am not the world's biggest fan of sorting by kudos; kudos doesn't mean best, it simply means popular. And often in the case of AO3, it means "in a popular fandom" so it skews results. There are plenty of fantastic fics that don't have a lot of kudos. And just because they're in the top-5 doesn't mean the author thinks they're their best works.

I'll step off my soapbox now. In order from most to least: To Remake the Universe (MCU), In Deep or In Darkness (MCU-Young Wizards crossover), Never Discussed But Silently Acknowledged (Star Wars), An Unexpected Welcome (Tolkien), Evolving Roles (Star Wars).

5. Do you respond to comments? Always. On one level, it's simply polite to say "thank you" to compliments. On an entirely different level, commenting on fics was how I found fandom friends, especially in my early years in fandom.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? The one where I killed (BBC) Merlin.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? *shrugs* I mostly write happy endings. Readers' choice of which is the happiest. 

8. Do you get hate on fics? A few times. I'm generally able to laugh about it now. There are a couple of hate comments I find truly hilarious.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Nope.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Love 'em. I write a lot of Star Wars-Tolkien crossovers. I have no idea which one people would think is the most out there.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes. The two I know of are on AO3 but there have been a handful of others over the years that people asked if they could translate and I have no idea if they ever were, where they were posted, or (at this end of time) even what stories they were.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? A fic, no, but for a bit, I co-wrote a short-lived series.

13. What’s your all time favorite ship? Elrond/Celebrían for Tolkien. For Star Wars, Han/Leia and Padme/Anakin. Favorite noncanon Star Wars is Owen/Beru/Obi-Wan.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? ...So I posted a WIP a couple of weeks ago. It is the only WIP I've posted because my policy is to only post completed fics. I'd hoped that I'd get some encouragement to write more but I'm honestly not sure anyone realized it was a WIP because I didn't get encouragement to continue or a single "looking forward to more!" type of comment. I lost the little bit of enthusiasm I had because I'd been stalled on the fic for a while (I began writing it in fall 2020!) and it really feels like I could walk away from it and no one would care.

15. What are your writing strengths? I am sadly the type of writer who has a hard time seeing her strengths.

16. What are your writing weaknesses? Description is my go-too weakness. You can probably add writing romance to this.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I prefer not to except for dramatic effect. I'm, for better or worse, monolingual. And I refuse to learn conlangs just to read a fic. If there's too much dialogue in a conlang, I'll hit the back button.

18. First fandom you wrote for? Mutant X.

19. Favourite fic you’ve written? I don't have an answer for that. Or at least a permanent one; there's a handful of fics that rotate through that position depending on mood, time of day, opinion toward the fandom, etc.

#meme

[independence1776]

NO OTHER PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM GETS TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES!! THE SIZE AND DISTANCE OF OUR MOON FROM EARTH AND THE SUN MAKE THE PERFECT CIRCUMSTANCES TO GET TOTALITY!!! THE EARTH AND MOON ARE SOOOO COOL AND OF COURSE OUR SUN!! I LOVE LIVING ON EARTH I LOVE YOU EARTH I LOVE YOUUUUU MOON I LOVE YOU SUN

[independence1776]

we don't need a boop button. we can just do something like this:

reblog to boop prev

[independence1776]

#swg by preference but will also read on ao3 #used to read on ff.net and sometimes still do if it's the only place the fic exists #tolkien #fandom