the wokeler

californian failing to survive new england. pseudo-intellectual fan of dinosaurs, basketball, and philosophy

[terminally-american-optimist]

introduction/navigation post

Hi everyone!

This is a new blog for me; now is not the most comforting time to be asian-american, queer, or a history-fixated american leftist, but the optimist in me must believe that — given time and given community — we still shall overcome. This is a new exercise in giving myself and others some time and some community.

I don't know yet whether I'll find that here and now in theory, in fandom, or somewhere else entirely, but I do know talking and listening helps and any start is better than despair. I do know that the people, places, and ideas I care about are worth continuing onward for.

Here's a quote from Dr. King I've found helpful recently:

"I refuse to accept the idea that the 'is-ness' of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal 'ought-ness' that forever confronts him [...] I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. [...] I still believe that we shall overcome."

Below, I'll add some links that matter to me — please don't let yourself give up on caring about things! Take all the time you need to rest and recover, but always remember what we're fighting for and why!

> never forget (believe me, I know it can be easy to) that reading is not only good for you but really fun! Keep yourself educated even when keeping yourself locked in gets tough

[scramratz]

I think people would be less suicidal if they were allowed to talk about being suicidal without risk of being sent to the Torture Dungeon

[mawofthemagnetar]

What do you mean “chat” is now referring to ChatGPT and not twitch chat? What? What? What the fuck? No?

When I address chat I am speaking to a presumed Greek chorus of real human people shitposting on their lunch break, not a machine that devours lakes to covert electricity into slop.

[soapdispensersalesman]

I can't stress enough how much I miss StumbleUpon

[zevveli]

StumbleUpon once sent me to a supercut of Lion King, Lion King 1 1/2, and Lion King II, the main edit being that the scenes of Lion King and Lion King 1 1/2 were interspersed so that they happened in the order they actually happened.

[redpandarascal]

stumbleupon not existing anymore can be directly traced to a dramatic decline in my mental health, I could do a thesis on it.

[musashi]

bestie stumbleupon very much still exists its just called cloudhiker now. i use it all the time.

[lesbiassoon]

mini compilation of suggestions from the replies:

The Bored Button - "Press the Bored Button and be bored no more."

The Useless Web

Cloudhiker - "Discover the most interesting, weird and awesome websites of the Internet" (not really a rebrand, it's a different person running it but they have the same intention in mind)

Astronaut.io - "These videos come from YouTube. They were uploaded in the last week and have titles like DSC 1234 and IMG 4321. They have almost zero previous views. They are unnamed, unedited, and unseen (by anyone but you)."

Marginalia - "This is an independent DIY search engine that focuses on non-commercial content, and attempts to show you sites you perhaps weren't aware of in favor of the sort of sites you probably already knew existed."

[no-one-offical]

‎

[totally-cis-offical]

I used to love take me to a useless website

[aqueerkettleofish]

For those who have missed it, a tourist in Hawaii decided it would be fun to chuck a rock (a BIG rock) at a monk seal. He missed, but he was captured on video, and when told it was illegal to interfere with them, said "I'm rich, I can pay the fine."

Is the best part that he got doxxed? No.

Is the best part that he got tracked down by a local and beaten? No.

Arrested on state at federal charges, looking at up to 5 years and 50K? Nope.

The best part is the local city council's reaction.

And the best part of that is the look on the attorney's face.

[batsandboba]

“scientists don’t want you know” is a phrase that always cracks me up because if you actually meet a scientist they will be shaking and crying like an overstimulated chihuahua with the need to let you know

[sabertoothwalrus]

yknow how the greener parts of apple skin are tan lines from where leaves and branches obscure the sun? I’m surprised I’ve never seen anyone utilize that for printmaking

[sabertoothwalrus]

finally got an apple that shows this effect well

[sabertoothwalrus]

OH THIS IS EXCELLENT THANK YOU

[podcastwizard]

"yeah i know it's bad for the environment but like so many things are so i just use it anyway" COOL I'M GONNA BITE THROUGH THIS TABLE

[supertaliart]

Happy Star Wars Day! I’ve decided to make my Skywalker comic into one easily rebloggable post.

[sirfrogsworth]

I know these people are incapable of feeling guilt or empathy most of the time, but I'm going to tell every one of them my mother died and it sucked. I don't care.

Maybe I'm trying to make sure a horrible, pointless, unnecessary death can have some meaning beyond my grief. That my mom's suffering can have some... reason.

[armandgender]

donald trump will die on july 20th 2025 at 1pm pacific standard time

[myladyofmercy]

like to charge reblog to cast

[videntefernandez]

[inquisitor-apologist]

Idk I feel like a lot of fans forget that Palpatine is in fact a beloved figure in-universe. The RotS novelization calls him the most respected man in the galaxy; the people of the Republic like and trust him so much they’re willing to support a sudden genocide and outright descent into fascism for him; in Andor, a group of rebels fighting the Empire seem to respect him and legitimately believe that the ISB is running a shadow government responsible for the Empire’s atrocities.

Right up until ANH with the destruction of Alderaan and dissolution of the Senate, Palpatine is an incredibly popular leader. The vast majority of people in the Star Wars galaxy like and support him. They don’t know he’s the villain, and that’s kind of a vital part of the story

[inquisitor-apologist]

This post was made by a trans man if you still have harry potter in your url you are getting blocked

[transitranger327]

Like, this is how Palpatine presents himself to the Galaxy as Emperor:

A kindly old gentleman, a grandfather for the galaxy.

“If only the emperor knew” is what people said in Tsarist Russia when atrocities happened and is definitely what was said in the Galactic Empire pre-Alderaan.

[patrick-stewart]

I am hopeful that those of you who know me will vouch for my credibility in the days to come. I stand this morning with a difficult message... ANDOR | 2.09

[terminally-american-optimist]

I adore this speech, for largely obvious reasons that are very topical but also because this scene and the show as a whole were conceived when those reasons were not so evidently topical. Star Wars has ofc always been political, and this feels like a very authentic dive into the details of Lucas’s thematic and ideological intentions with the rise of the Empire. Lucas wrote Star Wars to explore what he thought of as the fundamental mythological patterns of human communities, and recontextualizing (perhaps even decontextualizing) this speech pushes us to consider its message in its significance as a fundamental political pattern of human communities. In Lucas’s words, “It’s like poetry; it rhymes.”

Considering making this more coherent…

[terminally-american-optimist]

ALSO PSA:

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CREDIBILITY are things all of us can build that verifiably can help deprogram people and stem the spread of fascism/political disinformation generally. Recontextualize abstract issues as personal. Never let voters feel disconnected from the consequences of their inaction.

[patrick-stewart]

I am hopeful that those of you who know me will vouch for my credibility in the days to come. I stand this morning with a difficult message... ANDOR | 2.09

[terminally-american-optimist]

I adore this speech, for largely obvious reasons that are very topical but also because this scene and the show as a whole were conceived when those reasons were not so evidently topical. Star Wars has ofc always been political, and this feels like a very authentic dive into the details of Lucas’s thematic and ideological intentions with the rise of the Empire. Lucas wrote Star Wars to explore what he thought of as the fundamental mythological patterns of human communities, and recontextualizing (perhaps even decontextualizing) this speech pushes us to consider its message in its significance as a fundamental political pattern of human communities. In Lucas’s words, “It’s like poetry; it rhymes.”

Considering making this more coherent…

[mattrnurdock]

[j-em-g]

Queen

[peachandpinwheel]

me: oh yay Andor is back what's going on gang

Andor: undocumented immigrants are facing sexual violence every day. left wing infighting will get everyone killed. rich people buying back things stolen by colonists is still an act of colonialism.

me: right so just a light season then