#and if i'm adding a new post to be linked in the header i need to add the order: 4 or order: 5 or whatever)

[pixiel]

Old Tumblr Dashboard (Userstyle)!!

I created a Userstyle for the Chrome/Firefox Stylus Extension that reverts the new dashboard to the old format. This took a lot of tweaking and it's not perfect at all, but if anyone wants it I'll be uploading it soonish now!

You need to have Stylus installed. So if you don't have it:

Install the Stylus Firefox Addon or the Chrome Extension (You can install Chrome Extensions on Edge as well)

Once it's installed into Firefox/Chrome/Edge you can proceed with adding this style or any other.

To add the style, follow the instructions:

Go to this link: https://userstyles.world/style/11286/old-tumblr-dashboard-july-2023

Click on "install".

Style will open a tag with it and in the left side you'll have a button that says "install style", click there. (Step-by-step copied from the lovely dorothyoz39 who wrote this in a reply!) If you don't want the sticky header you can remove the labelled script at the top of the css below /* Sticky Header*/

Be sure to check for updates regularly and if you'd like, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/pixiel !

I'm currently taking donations so I can afford a much-needed wheelchair, so please check out my GoFundMe for more details! Any Ko-Fi donations will be added manually to the GoFundMe

..::::HOW TO UPDATE::::..

click the Manage button on Stylus and click the check for update button next to the userstyle, then click again to install!

Make sure to check the Userstyle and see if the version number matches the one below if you don't see any changes!

NEW UPDATE: 12/09/24 (D/M/Y) 20:59PM BST v14.11

v13.4: Added a way to fix the communities icon position if you don't have the New Xkit button or have hidden any of the icons. Just remove the highlighted /* */ pair in the code for what you need.

V13.5 & v13.7: Nuked the Go Premium button - Re-positioned the search bar on search pages v13.10: Changed a lot of the new look for replies - it's not perfect yet mind. Small bug with the "..." menu moving to the left with shorter replies. Looks a lot more like the old replies section though! Made it possible to remove the reply to reply button just search for "NEW Replies UI" in the userstyle and remove the /* */ around "display: none" OR use Ublock to block the element! v14.1: Reverted the "Original Poster" border + text to look like old version. Edit: Whoops, fixed an issue with showing the timestamps v14.11: Made Premium Perks button available in the bottom left corner for all premium users

Tumblr Post Width & More (OTD+ Userstyle) Is now available!!

OTD+ is an add on for Old Tumblr dashboard that you can use to edit the Post Width, Content Positioning & More - It must be used with Old Tumblr Dashboard installed as well on the latest update!

THE CREATOR OF THIS USERSTYLE SUPPORTS THEIR TRANS SISTERS. WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

Check the readmore for the changelog, custom code & known issues!

----- Known issues:

Only two columns in Masonry view. Unfixable, Tumblr creates columns based on monitor size, if I try adding another column (because it doesn't exist) it just perpetually loads on screen. Tempfix: Zoom out in chrome/firefox and it adds more columns

Search bar doesn't appear on some pages (like viewing a post), this is because Tumblr removed the search bar on those pages completely. Unfixable!

Tumblr has ONCE AGAIN CHANGED THE ACCOUNTS MENU. The menus are now shorter and have less information on them. This is unfortunately permanent. I do not see any way to fix this. Unfixable.

If you want people's icons to stay fixed in place, instead of scrolling with the dashboard add;

.FtjPK .AD_w7 .JZ10N, .RYkKH > .nZ9l5 { top: 0px !important; position: relative !important; }

to the top of the code! You can also create a second userstyle by clicking the 'tumblr.com' part of the link in 'Write new Style' and adding the code in there! That way you don't have to worry about re-adding it when you update.

Solved issues: (Update)

Menus need to be manually closed SOLVED! in V.4 and updated in V.5! The menu & icon WILL scroll with you if you have removed the sticky header CSS, however, clicking anywhere on screen will make the Menu disappear still.

Masonry view in searches is now fixed!

Resized Messenger Chat Box!

NEW UPDATE 16/08/23, 23:55 BST v6.5: Figured out how to reorganise the icons in the header. Let me know if you have any problems with it and make sure to update your Userstyle! Some icons are hidden with Display: Block; you can hide more icons with this method!

Solved issues p2

Brought back SOME of the icons for Tumblrs latest update - Unfortunately, this does not bring back user icons for Reblogged posts! Make sure to yell at Tumblr for removing the icons as well as the horrible dashboard update here! v7.5 Fixed icons for all posts and put them back where they came from!

v6.9.6.9 (I promise this is the last funny number): Fuck Off Buggy The Clown Update + All languages support for the old header design!

v7.0: Fixed the search bar for tumblrs new collections feature, so it looks like the original search bar!

v8.0: Fixed masonry view icons, hidden the reblog icon on dashboard icons, fixed icons in blog viewport

V8.1: Fixed issue with icons not working on soft-refresh & with endless scrolling disabled - be sure to complain to staff!

v9.3: Changed a few things with the search feature, I also made the posts less round.

UPDATE2 11/04/2024: SO We mighhtttt have overrun their servers. 😅 I'm getting a 500 Internal Server Error every time I try to fix it or upload it as a new style - the massive influx of people downloading the userstyle was probably too much. The Tampermonkey backup on Greasyfork works just fine though! Probably easier for a lot of people migrating anyway! UPDATE 11/04/2024:: My code has broken on Userstyles.world, (it is now fixed as of 12/04/24) until this is fixed I have created a Tampermonkey Backup Version of the Userstyle so feel free to use this version if you've broken yours!

https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/492279-old-tumblr-dasboard-backup

v9.6: Moved the Following | For you | Your Tags to below the create a post panel. Fixed the Accounts Menu! + Bugfixes V10.3: Patio compatibility. Added a way to hide the Patio button & "patio feedback?" button, just search for patio in the code and follow the instructions! v11.0: Temporary Chat feature fix after Tumblr broke it, fixed some positioning issues and j/k scrolling!

v12.3: Fixed a text issue (my bad!), I undid the changes to the replies function and added a way to fix icons order for when you get the communities update!

v12.5: Update to make compatible with the Content Positioning using Tumblr Post Width & More (OTD+ Userstyle) v12.6: Post buttons fixed, icons unable to be fixed yet as I haven't got the tumblr changes just yet - but I will fix them asap!

v11.7: Communities Update, changed the new search bar on communities page to resemble the old one. The search bar still doesn't work on these pages yet for some reason. Blog view icons fixed. v13.0: The icons change should now have a working patchfix! BIG THANK YOU to arcadian-asgardian for sending me the screenshots I needed and testing if it worked. + Minor tweak, communities button resized to fit the rest of the icons better v13.2: Mini fixes now that I have better access to the new changes! Communities icon re-centered, usernames nudged back into place.

[fingertipsmp3]

Once again I managed to get my homework done way faster than I thought so I'm like "what do I do now"

[moiraimyths]

Howdy, fateful friends! Are you an artist or illustrator with an interest in visual novels?

If so: Moirai Myths, creators of the visual novel The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe), are in need of guest artists! More specifically, we're looking for up to two artists to help us with the content graphics ("CGs") for Maeve and Shae's upcoming routes. All of the details will be listed on our application form (linked below), but here is the gist:

This is paid work with 20-30 business day deadlines per piece!

Complicated revisions in the post-sketch phase are compensated!

You will be prioritized for future guest artist opportunities!

You will be featured/credited on Moirai Myths' website and in the game itself!

Sound interesting? If so, apply here:

Click under the cut for some F&Q 👇

Who are you? (I'm new here!)

Hi! We're Moirai Myths: a small, newish visual novel company based out of Canada. We're making a game inspired by mostly Irish mythology, which was funded on Kickstarter in 2023! Our game's got fairy politics, a diverse cast, a Gaeilge-to-English translation tool, and routes that can be played either romantically or platonically! Also horses. An ungodly amount of horses, really.

If that odd pitch sounded intriguing, perhaps you'd like to play our demo! It's free on Steam & Itch.io.

Why are you looking for guest artists?

When we originally launched our Kickstarter, the plan was to have our three in-house artists collaborate on the CGs in the same way our header image was. However, we quickly realized that adding CGs, even if they're done collaboratively, onto the existing duties of our artists was a tall order. Add to that the departure of our original sprite artist (who has since been replaced by our graphic designer), and we determined that having our in-house team work on CGs was simply not possible if we still wanted our first release to happen in 2024. So, rather than omitting CGs or adding them in at a later time, we came up with the idea of hiring guest artists. Overall this means our CGs will be a bit more varied in terms of art style, but we like to think of this as a positive! NDM's development will take a number of years to complete in full, so we hope our CGs will allow us to feature a lot of artists either within the VN/indie dev community already, or artists who aspire to work in gaming and are looking for entry positions.

How long will applications remain open for?

This application will be open until Sunday, March 24 at midnight (EST)! If we intend to extend past that deadline, we'll make an announcement about it.

I can't apply right now. Will you look for more CG guest artists in the future?

Definitely! As mentioned, NDM will take a while to develop in full, so this is by no means your only opportunity to apply. That being said, we suspect we're going to end up shortlisting a number of artists over the course of this application period, and we intend to keep a list of all the runners-up. So, even if you won't be able to participate this time, it might be a good idea to apply anyway just to remain in our contacts! Either way, this will not be the last time we have apps.

Will you be looking for guest artists outside of CGs?

Maybe! We already have two guest artists (Nefukurou and Madi Funk) working on sprites and CGs respectively, so it's always possible that we'll have other artistic needs later down the line. Likewise, we may also reach out to past guest artists for future work with us, whether it's on this game or something else!

You say we need to sign an NDA. What does that entail?

The non-disclosure agreement essentially means you will be legally unable to publicly disclose any confidential information you become privy to as a result of working with us. This would include personal information about the developers, as well as spoilers from the game itself. In addition do this, you will be expected to sign over the IP and copyright of any artworks you produce for us.

Can I still use my artworks in portfolios, even if I don't own the copyright?

Yes! We'd only ask, if your portfolio is a website, that you wait to do so until after your art has been made public by us, either on our social media or via the publication of the game. Our first release is anticipated to happen later this year, most likely mid-autumn.

How do you guys feel about AI? Do you intend to use it, or would you ever train an AI off of the artworks whose copyright you own?

No.

Making a game is expensive and time-consuming, but AI is no replacement for human artistry. We fundamentally believe that any advancements in AI should be used for the purpose of giving people more time to make art, not take away opportunities for it. Moirai Myths will never, ever use AI or train an AI off your work.

***

If you've got any more questions for us that we didn't think to include here, feel free to send us an ask!

[yellow-computer-mouse]

⭐Intro Post⭐

ATTENTION: My DTIYS is up! Due date: October 5th!

Hey, what's up? I'm yellow-computer-mouse, also known as Yellow! I have a lot more info on my carrd, but here's the important stuff:

Pronouns:

He/Him

It/Its

Star/Stars

Ey/Em

I am a minor!

I am fictionkin (Snowfall WoF, Winter WoF, Aeolus EPIC) and a therian (Norwegian forest cat)!

⭐Userboxes by @kthecritter and myself! and blinkies by @spectral-stuff & @dragonpride17⭐

I use a lot of tone tags, and while you don't have to use them for me, it can help if the tone of a statement is unclear! Here are the main tags I use, along with their meaning! If you have any questions on other tone tags, ask away!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

/gen - Genuine! I honestly mean what I said! There is no sarcasm or passive aggressiveness in my sentence.

/genq - Genuine question! I'm asking a question out of curiosity, not malice!

/silly - Silly! I'm just messing around for the memes.

/lh - Light-hearted! I'm not being too serious, so don't stress it! Normally used alongside /silly :)

/lyr or /ly - Lyric! I'm quoting song lyrics.

I am also always willing to add trigger warnings to a post! If you feel like it's needed, let me know! You can reblog, send an ask, or DM me, whatever is most comfortable for you!

This does not apply to the 🦃🪓 anon because that is still ongoing, but please don't start ARGs with me. It's super cool that people want to, but I am not a puzzle guy. Thank you! (And no hate to turkeyaxe ^^)

I also use a lot of text colors! Here are the main ones and what they mean!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Red - Added emphasis. I'm drawing the eye to the important parts of a big text block.

Green - Links! I will never put anything incorrect behind a link, not even a rick roll.

Blue - Mostly just used on this post. I use blue whenever I type out a tag in the main part of a post.

Purple - Song lyrics!

Pink - Tagging a user!

There's some more things that I want to add, so they're going here! Nothing too important, so you can ignore this part if you want. /gen

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My favorite color is yellow! It took me a while to figure this out, so please don't be mean about it. No yellow hate on this blog! /hj

I also like orange and red!

I love getting asks! Even if it's just one word with no context, it makes me happy!

I love it so much, I made three ask blogs! All are WoF-centered: @ask-hs-jade-winglet and @wof-adoption-au are canon characters, and @wofsidequesters is for my OCs!

I also made a daily art blog called @daily-snowfall! go check it out if you're interested in having one (1) snowy on your dash every day

My favorite food is cheesecake!

My birthday is July 28th! I am a Leo (or a Cancer, going by the new chart! lmk which fits better if you want ^^)

My favorite animals are isopods, thresher sharks, and whale sharks!

My favorite UTMV characters are Nightmare, Red, and Dust!

My favorite WoF characters are Winter, Turtle, Blue, Sunny, and Starflight!

I have a pet cat named Azzy, a dog named Homer, and a leopard gecko named Honeydew!

I have an Artfight! My user is yellow-computer!

I take requests sometimes! Icons and headers, free to use as long as you credit me! I draw dragons, furries, cats, humans/humanoids... pretty much whatever! Requests are currently open!

I don't have an extensive DNI, but there are still some things I'd like to keep out of my blog!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Proshippers/Comshippers/Neutrals

Zionists

Radqueers

Anti-furries (from people who believe all furries are zoophiles to people who just think it's weird)

TERFs/SWERFs

Basic DNI criteria (homophobes, transphobes, right-wingers/centrists, racists, etc.)

Here are some people who I welcome here!

Alterhumans/Nonhumans! (therians, fictionkin, otherkin, otherhearted, etc! Voidpunk as well, but that's different from the others listed)

Selfshippers! (As long as it's not pro/comship, go right ahead!)

Systems!

Those with commonly stigmatized disorders!

People who are "cringe"!

In general, anyone who isn't on my DNI!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am a part of many fandoms, but here are some of my favorites!:

Will Wood

Bears in Trees

UTMV

WoF

Portal

Slime Rancher

The Owl House

Epic: the Musical

The main fandoms I post about are WoF and UTMV.

I am taking commissions for Palestine! More info on that in the post below, or DM me!

Also, if you are a Palestinian with a GoFundMe, feel free to send an ask or DM me for support! I can't donate, but I will promote your campaign however I can!

Remember to do your daily clicks for Palestine!

Icon Masterpost

Furry Species (Aebe) Masterpost

UTMV/WoF Playlist Masterpost

Blog Masterpost

Thanks for reading my rambles, and have fun! ^-^

[panelshowsource]

masterpost update... 🥹

hi guys it's been a minute 🥹 as i mentioned, i was working on updating the masterpost this past week, moving a large bulk of content onto my panelshowsource googledrive account, because i think everything stored there will be easily accessible and safe long term :)

the masterpost is the same original link it's been since it was established over 5 years ago! always bookmark the original post, not a reblog and not this post, so you have access to the most updated version & its links!

—

i had to do some reorganising of the post because of tumblr's latest round of post restrictions:

i'm not able to provide many alternative links because i'm nearly at the link limit as it is, but i think what's provided is reliable and you can always send an ask if a link needs updating!

since i can no longer give every series its own photo header, everything is organised by bolded text and bullet points, which will look and read best on desktop opposed to mobile (mobile seems to despise indentation)

—

a few notes regarding specific titles:

i did add all of taskmaster to my drive due to overwhelming requests, but only s1–4+15 are in 1080p, so i will begin updating the 720p files to 1080p over the next couple of weeks. thanks for your patience! in the meantime, you can watch them in hd on youtube ofc! i'll also update hypothetical as i get those locked down

i...i wanna say something so honest... i really don't care about a league of their own and most of you don't seem to either. it's a huge hassle organising the episodes because — not to say this for the third time in two sentences — but most people don't care much about it and haven't made the effort to keep it archived. we haven't seen a source for a complete series 6 in, like, 8 years. i'm not going to be making an effort to log that title for the time being. sorry if that's an inconvenience, but feel free to use the resources linked in my faq for your own research!

i added all of travel man (720p) and bridget christie's the change (1080p) to the misc watch links post (link below). i'll work on finishing upstart crow and then adding the rest of as yet untitled, game face, man down, and the cleaner!

i will continue uploading as-hd-as-possible versions of cats does countdown to my youtube channel and will eventually get them all on drive, but that's a slow process; i don't spend much time on youtube because half the commenters are tossers and deleting their negativity to keep it a fun space doesn't always leave me in a good mood 😡😡😡

i know a ton of celeb juice is on youtube but i haven't gotten around to organising it into a playlist (at least), but it's on my to-do list!

—

if you want to contribute to the post, i'm currently seeking these!

ask rhod gilbert

breaking the news (mostly looking for the tv version)

the news quiz (s97–current...i might have a source but it's a slow wip...)

there's something about movies

mel giedroyc unforgivable s03

—

➭ PANEL SHOW MASTERPOST

woooooooo

➭ ADDITIONAL WATCH LINKS

more wooooooooo

—

i'm going to tentatively open my requests (for watch links & gifs) so feel free to send a polite ask for something you may be seeking. it's much easier for me to keep track of asks than dms, if you don't mind sending there :)

okay friends enjoy! ヽ(゜∇゜)ノ

—

WATCH LINKS MASTERPOST / FAQ / TAGS / ASK

[tohwitchesduels]

Pick a name

Testing here how the polls work now that I'm going to use them, plus I need to make some decisions so buckle up everybody.

So first things first, since I know I can add a poll at any placement, here's my first question: since I intend to add information on what each competitor is capable of in their respective duels (what spells they use, what mindset they have, what tools are allowed) should I put such information first and then poll would be underneath them or should poll be traditionally on top and following information hid under the cut so to speak.

Now, I want people to take into consideration background info FIRST before voting, especially since I have a feeling some people coming here may just jump to conclusions. While I don't doubt people's intuition or knowledge on where characters stand, there's also the fact that some folk may not always know the rules and would pick their faves based on bias, not their strength (I do intend to add disclaimers for this at the top which I feel would be a good solution though background info could cool people down too), plus some background info can also help even the odds at times or make people reconsider things. However, I know that usually polls in Tumblr appear first pretty much always and there would be a lot of info regarding what characters are and aren't capable of so I wonder if you would prefer for such info to indeed be under the cut or screw that and be it front or center.

The second thing is I can't also add multiple polls, outside from picking a battle name, you can also pick the background for my bracket template in the comments, just refer to the pictures with numbers (like number 1 is the first photo):

Heck, I can make it its own post or perhaps I would change backgrounds depending on the qualification rounds. Let me know in the notes

Explanations for each and how potentially the data stats/propaganda would look like in battles (the above detour could also serve as such):

Witches Battles! - Technically speaking, lore-wise it was all the Collector's idea to watch the most powerful teen witches clash and they did refer wrongly to witches duels as witches battles.

Battle Witches! - just a reference to the original idea meta-wise, which is Battle Bladers (if you know, you're a legend). plus rolling the tongue kinda nice if you ask me.

Witches Duels! - classical, but it's not my top pick as witches duels are a custom, so naming this tournament just witches duels feels weird as there is structure to those battles as organized events instead of just random battles. But I will understand if you prefer this name and this reference to the show.

Granted when usually highlighting characters I will use big headers, but there's no need for short explanations of the names here

So anyway, here's the update, a bracket will appear soon (once I make it) and battles shall be announced along with it. Now that I will have a spring break I will try to get into that. It will be a new pinned post (but I will post a link to the first post which explains ALL the rules along with a disclaimer explaining the basic ones) and I will be also adding character profiles. Now, those will always appear underneath each duel, but as I explained in the first post, there will be Battle Royals featuring at times 8/9 people and I don't want for posts to get too big so occasionally I will be just sending links to read, but as they're battle royals, by that point I think people will have memorized the general info and I will add only more unique one separately. It's also worth noting that profile posts will have all the information, while specific duels will have a specific set of information at times (like how they do with palismen for example) so I will also add links to them despite already giving long explanations. Plus I'm also open to adding new information regarding the capabilities of characters featured in battles, so let me know in notes or asks if I miss anything that can determine how could battles potentially turn out.

OK, I think that's all for now y'all.

[the-lonelybarricade]

Fic Writing on Tumblr - Tips

Hello friends! I'm sure there's a million of these style posts floating around the good ole hellsite, but I thought I'd make a little post to tape up on our corner of the internet for any of the writers (old and new) that are interested in some tips for posting fic on tumblr 💕

Tip #1 - Always Use a Read More

This is crucial if you actually want people to reblog your fic. People don't generally want to subject their followers to scrolling through an entire chapter. I know it may seem like you're more likely to "hook" readers by putting all the story up front, but people who may have ordinarily read your fic may be disinclined simply because you decided not to follow this curtesy. As a general rule, I always put a "read more" on any fic that exceeds 500 words.

Tip #2 - Be Mindful of Using Art

Fandom is a community and people who read fanfic are part of that community. A lot of times, readers on tumblr will know fandom artists and their reposting rules. Always use credit if you will be using fanart as a header for your fic and always double check the artist allows this. Usually their reposting rules are stated very clearly on their instagram bios.

Additionally, you need to be aware that the art you're using is setting a first impression for your fic. For example, if you use AI art as a header, many users will decide not to reblog your fic simply because they do not support AI. The same goes for using art of whitewashed characters.

I would personally recommend creating a banner or moodboard for your fic, which will give you much more creative license to give the impression you feel is truest to your story! I use canva for all of my banners and moodboards, though you may find other apps that work better for you!

Tip #3 - Taglists

It is common curtesy to only tag people if they have requested to be on the tag list. There are some exceptions to this, where you may tag friends that you know don't mind or users who have openly encouraged their followers to add them to taglists (like me), but as a general rule of thumb, you should avoid tagging people unless they explicitly ask.

If you want to use a taglist but don't know where to start, I would recommend posting a (small) teaser or a synopsis of your fic in the appropriate tag and simply ask people to interact if they'd like to be added to the taglist.

Tip #4 - Use a Masterlist and hyperlink, hyperlink, hyperlink!

People are more likely to read your work if you make it easy for them to find. Generally, people won't spend time scrolling through your archive trying to find chapter 1 of a multi-chaptered fic you just posted. Making a masterlist that you link to each chapter will help new readers start at the beginning. And if they like your writing, a masterlist will also help them do a full binge of your works!

My friend @ofduskanddreams also recently did a poll here that suggested most users (at least in our corner of the internet) prefer to read fic on AO3. If you'll be cross posting to AO3, I definitely recommend adding a link on each chapter as well as linking your AO3 in your bio or main masterlist.

Tip #5 - Use appropiate tags and content warnings

Foremost, be respectful. While it may be tempting to use the ship tags for any background relationships that appear in the fic, I advise only tagging the ships that are central to the story. You may think using tags for background ships will give your fic a wider reach, but really you're just going to clog those tags with content that isn't really related to the ship. People, generally, don't appreciate this! Fandom is a community and our community is fairly small, so you definitely don't want to set off on the wrong foot by trying to "game" the tag system. People go into those tags because they want to see content for their ship and seeing an improperly tagged fic will certainly turn them off reading it and possibly reading anything from you in the future!

Additionally, if there is anything in your fic that might warrant a content warning (e.g. graphic violence, non-con or dub-con, blood, torture, etc.), then you will want to ensure you label this upfront. Both in the tags (with the format tw: blood or cw: blood) and stated clearly at the top of the fic (E.g. "Content warning: this fic contains graphic depictions of sexual violence). As a curtesy, all potentially triggering or NSFW content should be put beneath a read more.

Tip #6 - Fanfic Is a Community

I really can't express this enough! If you are not experiencing the engagement that you want on your fic, try engaging more with the wider community! Reblog and leave comments on other people's fics, send other people asks, reblog art and headcanons, participate in event weeks.

And lastly, because this is a community, be concious of the posts you make outside of fic. Your writing may be good, but if you make unlikeable posts about other characters, ships, etc., people may decide they don't want to support your works on principle. While it's impossible to please everyone and it's important to be true to you, it's important to understand that your blog represents your writing just as much as your writing represents your blog.

[lololollywrites]

Let's debunk Zionist arguments.

I made this original post a week ago, and have since added one major point and refined some of the language; there are also some timely updates, as things get worse by the day. So let's do this again.

There are some things I'm getting really tired of hearing from Zionists. Not only are they just blatantly wrong, but - even if they were right - their actions would STILL be against international and humanitarian law.

Let's break it down, shall we? (This is incredibly long, but so so important. Please hear me out). Text that is green, bolded, and underlined links to its source. Here are some classic Zionist arguments - if you're looking for your go-to defense, scroll down to the appropriate orange header. Things in red are just things I am really, really angry about or important points that need a bit of extra emphasis.

1. Hamas will never settle for peace nor a two-state solution - all they want is violence. (This is what U.S. reps just argued as they voted against a ceasefire. Again.)

Setting aside the fact that October 7 wasn't the beginning of the conflict as well as the fact that Israeli officials publicly proclaim not to want a two-state solution and instead wish to take over all Palestinian land, shoddy rockets built from discarded missiles (ones that had already been fired upon them), thrown rocks, and car bombs (in the 90s) aren't exactly a match for a military backed by the USA. We're also going to (temporarily) set aside the fact that Palestinians welcomed Jewish refugees post-WWII. I'll get there.

Let's pretend that they're right. Hamas - instead of being a few thousand or so young, traumatized men mostly in their late teens and early 20s who have never known a life outside of Israeli persecution - are vicious killing machines. Let's say that preposterous lie is true. Guess what? COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT IS STILL A WAR CRIME. Bombing civilians, almost half of whom are children, hoping that Hamas will surrender is a WAR CRIME. Cutting off food and water and electricity and internet is a WAR CRIME. AND THIS IS THE DEFENSE THEY USE OUT IN THE OPEN. IN FRONT OF THE UN.

You. Can't. Do. That. (But I guess they can, can't they?)

Also? A two-state solution only works if the other side is acknowledged as an independent state, and the West refuses to acknowledge as much (though the overwhelming majority of other countries do). You cannot claim to want a two-state solution if you do not acknowledge two states. Let's start there.

2. Israel has a right to defense.

Generally, I'd agree with this on principle alone. But... guess what? According to international law, an occupying power has NO right to defense from their own occupied territory. Why? IT'S NOT A WAR IF THE OTHER SIDE IS NOT A COUNTRY. IF THERE IS NO MILITARY TO FIGHT AGAINST. At that point, it becomes a massacre. So no, Israel actually has no right to defense. (Killing in the West Bank and Lebanon is also a bit contrary to that surface-level lie - Hamas aren't there).

Even if they did have a right to defense, the word "disproportionate" comes to mind. We're at at least 17k dead and 46k wounded in TWO MONTHS. An average of 200 children have been killed every day for the past month. Civilians make up at least 61% of deaths from airstrikes, which is a higher proportion than all world conflicts in the 20th century. A minimum of 1000 children are missing limbs (I linked just one story, as those tend to pull more at the heartstrings than statistics, but also check out Bisan on TikTok and Motaz Azaiza on Tiktok - both on Instagram as well- for news from the literal ground in Gaza. They are just two of many; Hind, Saleh, and Plestia are also so important to follow... they come up when searching). About 26 thousand more are orphaned. Premature babies were found decomposing in hospital beds during the temporary ceasefire because armed IOF soldiers forced doctors and nurses to leave but promised they'd send the babies elsewhere for care. They didn't.

None of this is even touching upon the blatantly illegal use of white phosphorous. AGAIN: THIS IS A WAR CRIME. It’s meant to cause suffering and pain.

And what do they have to show for it? Failure and death. The loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. Worldwide hatred. How does that benefit Israeli citizens? How does it help the Jewish cause? Where is the evidence that Hamas has been stopped? Evidence that hasn't been fabricated, I mean. We've all seen the fake "list" - the calendar on the wall. The small pile of guns that changed in number from one video to the next (and why the hell would Hamas leave behind weapons they could use to defend themselves?) The arrested, stripped-naked men and boys as young as 15 blindfolded, brought to their knees at gunpoint (and even just filming this violated the Geneva Convention). Claims they were members of Hamas were quickly disproven by those on social media who could identify doctors and journalists and shopkeepers. Another lie. And another war crime. I've seen claims that 60 members of Hamas have been killed. 60, hm? Sure, sure. That's completely proportionate.

Worse than that, against a **belligerent** and illegal occupying force who has violated territorial agreements by violently occupying land meant to be granted to Palestinians, imposing sanctions, killing civilians, arresting civilians (including minors and the elderly, who are often beaten and raped in captivity) without charge or trial, etc. - AN APARTHEID STATE WHEREIN PALESTINIANS ARE LITERALLY TRIED BY A DIFFERENT COURT AND MUST ADHERE TO DIFFERENT LAWS than Israelis and have no freedom of movement - Palestine actually has a legal right to RESIST. Imagine that. Why do people never say "Palestine has a right to defend itself"? Why is it just Israel?

Israel is so afraid of Palestinians appearing human that they forbade families welcoming back their freed children and family members (falsely incarcerated by the IOF) from showing emotion - THIS WAS DURING THE HOSTAGE EXCHANGE. October 7 didn't happen in a vacuum. Israel has long held thousands of hostages of their own. Children's bones are broken as they're beaten in jail. They're sexually assaulted. Denied food. Never presented with charges nor granted trial. How easily the demands of Hamas for them to be released were swept under the rug. How blatantly the crimes were covered up by saying "Palestinian teenagers 18 years old and younger" were returned in contrast to the Israeli "children" that were also released. They were afraid to use the word children in reference to Palestinian captives.

3. Nothing ends until all of the Israeli hostages are freed.

I am not undermining the fact that the Israeli hostages were traumatized and terrified (though videos of recent hostage releases wherein they're hugging and shaking hands and smiling as they say goodbye to Hamas - and one girl was even allowed to keep her dog - say that at least some of them escaped such anguish)... Because sure. Yes. It's not okay. But they were fed. Medications were administered. Connections were forged as the plight of Palestinians was explained to Israelis.

And guess what? I've seen interviews with more than one released hostage who said that their biggest fear was Israeli forces. Who witnessed IOF soldiers raiding where they were held and shooting and killing their own hostages. Who were just as vulnerable to the bombings as any Palestinian. AT LEAST 60 OF ISRAEL'S OWN HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN KILLED BY THE IOF. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR HOSTAGES. Would you bomb places where your hostages were meant to be kept?

Israel was so terrified by these testimonies that they have edited the interview footage and cut interviews short. The hostages are a convenient excuse for genocide. It's why it took so long for them to agree to any exchange at all; what would be their reason for indiscriminately killing Gazans?

IF YOU STILL DON'T SEE IT: If Hamas were hiding in Israel, do you think Israel would bomb their own hospitals? Carpet bomb their civilians? They should, after all, after spouting the necessity of their actions for so long - what would the difference be? Ah. Yes. They only see one set of civilians as human. They've said as much. Openly.

When you're trying to capture an armed militia, you send specialized teams. Reconnaissance. You do not just try to destroy everything in sight (and destroying places where hostages may be held goes extremely contrary to their claim of caring about said hostages).

If you don't agree with the following statement, then you should not support Israel: "The school shooters might still be inside. Let's bomb the whole school to make sure we get them. The kids and teachers are collateral damage."

4. Supporting Palestine is anti-Semitic.

There's so much wrong with this. 13% of citizens across Palestinian territories (Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem) are Jewish. Orthodox Jews have held and attended multiple protests. Jewish Voices for Peace occupied Grand Central Station to call for a ceasefire. Thousands, perhaps millions, of members of the Jewish diaspora have shouted "NOT IN MY NAME" to the rooftops. Through the streets. "Never again," they say, "means never again for ANYONE." 

Are you calling thousands of rabbis at protests anti-Semitic? Bold of you. I dare you to say so to their faces.

Do you know what puts Israeli lives - Jewish lives - in legitimate danger? Creating enemies of neighboring Middle Eastern countries and starting an international war. Weak Hamas rockets could NEVER lead to a genocide of Israelis. Lebanese missiles, however (because right - Israel has also been bombing Lebanon, despite it being solidly free of Hamas) - have a lot more ability to cause damage. Good thing that Israelis have freedom of movement - over 370k of them have already fled, many of whom to awaiting homes back where they came from in Western countries.

Zionism was not founded with Jewish rights in mind. Balfour was wildly anti-Semitic. Many Christian Zionists supported the creation of an Israeli state so the Jewish people could just... go away. Somewhere else. They also believe it fulfills biblical prophecy of a rapture that will kill a huge proportion of Jews, but that’s a topic for another day.The largest motivator of an Israeli state was a Western presence in Middle Eastern oil fields and natural gas reserves; Argentina was considered prior to Palestine, so the "ancient claim" is nothing more than a farce. They would have settled anywhere that made financial sense. Zionism itself is a profoundly anti-Semitic concept, goes against the Torah/divine will (there should be no ethnostate, it states), and does nothing more than CREATE MORE ANTI-SEMITISM.

Israel has perverted the very real issue of global anti-Semitism and generational trauma post-WWII to make Jewish people worldwide feel unsafe (doing so recruits citizens, after all). They've claimed birthright to the land - appealed to spirituality - and proclaimed that those who deny this hate them and want them dead (forgetting that the land is ancestral and significant for Muslims and Christians as well). They made their citizens feel attacked and persecuted so they could massacre Palestinians with impunity and call them barbaric terrorists and extremists. Many Israelis are brainwashed. Terrified of Arabs. That suits the Israeli government. They call everyone who hates the notion of the Israeli state around the world anti-Semitic. In the process, of course, they create actual anti-Semites who fail to distinguish between a beautiful religion and a settler-colonial, white supremacist political ideology. Conflating the two terms is an injustice to Jewish people.

Doing so is also horrifically disrespectful to Holocaust victims and survivors. Plenty of them have protested Zionism, in fact. Using perhaps the worst atrocity in modern human history to justify very similar dehumanizing, indiscriminately violent practices against another chosen "other" of human beings is so twisted and evil that it makes me sick.

Additionally, Netanyahu is far from popular in Israel. There were protests of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS just prior to October 7. Are they anti-Semitic for not supporting his rule and judicial takeover?

5. Israel is the only safe place for Jews.

Really? It doesn't seem very safe. Requiring youth to join the IOF - having a continuously armed and trained militia - doesn't reek of peace and prosperity. Imprisoning Israeli teenagers who refuse to partake in the atrocities (and subjecting them to potential abuses in prison) does not seem very safe. Building walls around Palestinian territories guarded by soldiers and cameras doesn't seem safe. Was the music festival safe? No. And we'll get to how that's even more insidious than it seems. 

This "war" isn't safe. Won't it just create more resistance? More members of Hamas? More enemies of Israel? Doing so feeds into their victimhood, however, and actually suits their purpose of killing without repercussions or regard for international humanitarian law.

People often laugh at wealthy white western Jews who make TikTok videos from their homes far away from the conflict who claim to feel unsafe now due to Hamas and the resulting world response against Israel. But it's not funny; this is all part of the plan. Propaganda is MEANT to make all supporters, especially Jewish people, feel unsafe. It's also actively leading to REAL lack of safety as it riles up and inflames those against Israel. All the easier to justify their cause.

(ALSO, this doesn't need stated, but it's Palestinians and pro-Palestinians who are unsafe. Palestinians who are being killed even in the West - even children - for wearing keffiyeh and speaking Arabic. Those who speak against Israel who are losing their jobs). It's Jewish people who are being protected by the West, but not out of respect for their religion. It's about money. Oil. The paying off of politicians.)

6. Palestine never existed. Israel is a land without a people for a people without a land.

This is perhaps the dumbest argument of them all, because it just doesn't matter. Zionists are wrong - completely - but even if they were right... PEOPLE. STILL. LIVED. THERE. If you care more about legal technicalities (the intricacies of which are decided upon by Western powers) than you do about the notion of literally kicking entire families out of their generational homes and giving the house keys to a newly-minted Israeli from Southern California, then something is broken within you.

Palestine was on the maps. There were Palestinian passports. Sports teams. Early Zionists acknowledged the existence of Palestine in their very rhetoric. Don't believe me? Look it up. Click on my links so far. I'm tired of citing every source for easily verifiable facts. For once, challenge yourself to obtain your information from somewhere other than the news. Millions of people live in Palestine and have for thousands of years. 

THE WEST DOES NOT GET TO DECIDE THE LEGITIMACY OF EVERY STATE AND COUNTRY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Who the hell are they to do so? Who put any legal weight into the Balfour Declaration or to the UN's proposed land distribution for the two-state proposal? Why do these foreign white men get to carve apart land they've never stepped foot upon? Nationalism is fairly new as well; empires reigned for centuries. Italian peasants in 1850 may have had no idea they were in Italy. Empires rose and fell and borders changed so often that they'd be altered within someone's own lifetime; look at the Eastern Bloc. No one says that Ukranians don't have a right to freedom from Russia despite Russia's historical claim over the land as the Soviet Union.

I have a few questions for you, if you're reading this and still a Zionist: Do you believe European settlers had a blanket right to land in the New World (pre-United States) because the Native American tribes did not receive nationhood approval by some Western governing body? Because there was no unifying flag or established Native country? Do you somehow also believe that American colonists had no right to fight for independence against Great Britain despite the lack of parliamentary representation, exorbitant taxes, and continued occupation that limited their sovereignty? They weren't a country yet, after all. Just a colony.

I'll bet you ANYTHING you argued the opposite in your American history classes. That you saw the barbarism against and genocide of Native Americans for what it was. That you teared up yourself upon learning about the Trail of Tears - the ethnic cleansing of 60k+ people who were forced out of their homes and land and into reservations despite being promised safety just prior. Who died on the long and arduous journeys on foot. I'll bet you that you understood the Native American attacks on colonists and violent enslaved people's rebellions against their white masters, even if you also understood the horror of the resulting violence... that you could see reason behind the uprisings. Do you condemn Nat Turner? Do you condemn colonists inciting a war against their occupying power in order to form the United States?

Hypocrisy. Western Zionists are hypocrites. Acts of uprising are only righteous in their minds if a) they are/were done by white people or b) are far enough back in history that it suits their current narrative and allows them to seem like a champion for justice. Nelson Mandela was also called a terrorist for protesting against apartheid. Do you see him as wrong, or have you checked out a book on him from the library to read to your children? Don't hurt yourself doing those mental gymnastics.

Bombing Gaza with thousands of tons of bombs - including incredibly damaging bunker-buster bombs - at a rate more than the carpet bombing of Germany in WWII and with more bombs dropped in six days than any one month of the U.S. fighting ISIS - is akin to building a wall around Native American reservations in the US and Canada and deciding to just... drop bombs on them. When they can't escape. Who in their right minds would justify that?

GAZA IS AN OPEN-AIR PRISON, but even worse because they've committed no crimes. Gaza is a CONCENTRATION CAMP.

7. This is war. Civilians die in war. This is called collateral damage.

Let's briefly forget the facts mentioned above that 1) this isn't war, as wars require an opposing military, and 2) collective punishment is a war crime. Do civilians die in war? Yes. They do. But more men, women, and children were killed in the first month than in any other conflict ANNUALLY since 2019. As the New York Times reports, almost 1 in every 150 Palestinian children has been killed; this is the equivalent to half a million American children.

Read THIS ALJAZEERA ARTICLE and look at the pictures. Tell me this is justified with a straight face. Look a member of the Palestinian diaspora in their eyes as you tell them so. Stand before someone who has lost their entire family. Look AlJazeera journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh in the eyes as you say that the killing of his wife, daughter, son, and grandson were justified, and that him learning about it on-air (REPORTED BY CNN, if your loyalty lies with Western media) is just "what happens during war". He's currently hospitalized with wounds to his hand and abdomen sustained during bombardment as he reported from the ground. Even despite his loss, all he wants to do is broadcast the truth.

Look at the faces of children crying and missing limbs on hospital beds and tell yourself it was for the greater good. Of patients who were unable to flee Al Shifa hospital for the South on cots outside of the building, languishing with their injuries and unable to move. Of orphans, shaking and in shock, desperately searching for their dead parents. Of kids covered in dust and blood and pulled from the rubble. Or children whose intestines are spilling out of their bodies as doctors without supplies seek to save their lives. These things are all on video, by the way. Don't believe me? Look it up.

This is not the normal consequence of war (though we shouldn't normalize civilian deaths at all in any conflict, this goes far beyond the expected harsh reality). Wars should allow civilians to flee. Permit humanitarian aid (at more than just trickling rates for either). All Israel has to do, it seems, is say "We're not targeting civilians" while clearly targeting civilians. "There's safe space in the South" while bombing the South and evacuation routes to get there. All they have to do is say "Muwasi is a no-fire zone! It's safe!" despite it being a "narrow patch of barren coastline" with no buildings, water, facilities, etc. that is much too small to house thousands, let alone millions.

Since the end of the temporary ceasefire, deaths have increased by 40%. Due to bombardment, yes, but also due to starvation and disease. Reports of Hepatitis A are steadily growing, and potentially deadly cases of diarrhea among children have increased by 400%. Hundreds have to share one toilet. Gazans desperately collect dirty rainwater streaming down their tent shelters, grateful to relieve their thirst and unaware of the danger the contamination presents. 360,000 cases of infectious diseases have been reported in shelters, made worse by intense flooding the past few days that has also attracted mosquitos and brought out rats. Is this okay?

But still, Israel can say (at least upon the first bombing of Al Shifa) "We're not targeting hospitals - that was Hamas!" (despite having bombed hospitals for decades and video clearly disproving their claims; another shows sound bites recorded by Israelis cut together to try and reveal a plot - those claims have since been removed from Israel's official X account). 

"Gazans have rights!" they shout, despite bombing them every few years or so and calling it "mowing the grass". "Journalists are safe!" despite literally mowing down American journalist Rachel Corrie in 2003, who was protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes, with a bulldozer and annually celebrating her death by eating pancakes. Additionally, at least 64 journalists have been killed since October 7. Their propaganda campaign is failing globally but upheld by Western governments.

They have also stolen dead Gazan bodies from various places, including Al-Shifa, raising concerns that these bodies were falsely claimed to be Israeli corpses for propaganda videos as well as that they might be being used to harvest organs.

7. Why haven't Hamas and Palestinians tried peaceful protest?

They have. Look it up. Hundreds have been shot and killed doing so (so claims that October 7 came out of nowhere and was just an example of random terrorism are preposterous). I have nothing else to say about it. TAKE MEASURES TO ELIMINATE YOUR OWN IGNORANCE PLEASE. We are TIRED of explaining things to you. Do I condone killing and hostage taking? No. Do I condemn Hamas for their desperation? Also no. No more than I would condemn the rebellion of enslaved peoples in early America. THIS IS A RESULT OF OPPRESSION. HAMAS IS A SYMPTOM, NOT A DISEASE.

Additionally...

8. October 7 was an unjustifiable atrocity. 40 babies were beheaded! Gazans elected Hamas, so they deserve to die.

First of all, no. Hamas did not behead any Israeli babies. Biden and the western media had to walk back those claims when Israel refused to provide evidence. Do you really think there were just... 40 babies at a music festival? The only babies who have been beheaded (by bombs) are Gazan. I saw a photo of a Palestinian father holding a headless child up in front of a crowd, and that was far from the only example of children being dismembered. 

Israeli propagandists tore apart a photo of another father carrying a dead infant with the claim it was just a doll, not a dead baby. They had to retract the article when it was proven that the baby was, in fact, real. And deceased.

Was October 7 horrific? Yes. Did innocent people die? Also yes. My heart hurts for Israeli people too; for families who lost loved ones. Whose grief was utilized to support a genocide. But here's another HUGE confounding factor: Israel has admitted to killing MANY of their own in the "chaos" of the event from Apache helicopters. ONCE MORE: ISRAEL FIRED UPON THEIR OWN CITIZENS DURING THE MUSIC FESTIVAL AND ADDED TO THE DEATH TOLL.

Egypt has claimed that Israel knew about the planned Hamas attack days before the festival, and the event was even extended a day later than planned. Odd… was this so the attack could happen? How were armed members of Hamas able to overcome the most secure border in the world and take so many hostages? How did Israel fail to prevent this (and, in fact, add to the death toll - initially blamed on Hamas?) Listen, there's no solid evidence that Israel planned everything as a neat justification for their assault on Gaza, but it's the simplest explanation, isn't it?

It's important to note that ISRAEL CREATED AND PROPPED UP HAMAS to foster political disunity with claims they were helping establish a stable governing body.

FURTHER: Though Israel has denied this, there are reports of suspicious trading on the Israeli stock exchange in the days leading up to October 7. *Note that this is still unconfirmed, but:

"The preliminary research, which hasn’t been peer reviewed, found in the days before the Hamas attacks that bets against the value of the MSCI Israel Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) “far exceeded” the short selling activity that took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2014 Israel-Gaza war or even the 2008 financial crisis.

“Our findings suggest that traders informed about the coming attacks profited from these tragic events,” the authors wrote." (CNN).

Did Gazans elect Hamas? Sure, in 2006. With no measure of foresight, of course, and despite them being controversial even then (though, remember, they were supported by Israel - don't you think the election was already set into motion?) MOST GAZANS WERE NOT YET BORN AT THIS TIME OR WERE CHILDREN. Even if they had been, have we ever justified killing civilians based upon who they elected into office? America has had its fair share of corrupt politicians who commit overseas atrocities. Do we deserve to be carpet bombed? That's the justification of the 9/11 attacks; that there are no innocent civilians. That's also called TERRORISM.

9. Hamas are using civilians as human shields.

I can't believe I forgot this rote talking point in my original post. Let’s just forget the fact that Israel has yet to produce any evidence of this being true. There is absolutely no proof that hospitals and schools are a cover for their headquarters.

But let’s be magnanimous, shall we? Let’s assume this is and always has been Hamas' goal: to use civilians as cover. Employ some critical thinking skills. Why would anyone do this? Ah. Yes. Because they’d assume that doing so would provide some measure of safety; that no military, no matter how brutal, would mow down civilians to (only potentially) kill their target.

Israel saying “We don’t care - we’ll kill thousands of civilians anyway!” isn’t the win they think it is. On a smaller scale, if an armed bank robber physically hid behind a single civilian to avoid gunfire, would you shoot through the chest of said civilian to kill the robber? If you would, I’m sorry… I’m afraid of you.

I also saw a new argument today that doesn't quite merit its own numbered point: Hamas is restricting humanitarian aid and stopping food and water from reaching civilians. And... no. Just... no. I think those of us with functioning brains realize that this makes no logical sense - Hamas does not want to kill Palestinian civilians - but HAMAS DOES NOT CONTROL THE BORDER WITH EGYPT. ISRAEL DOES. There's enough evidence in the sources linked above that prove this, but additionally: ISRAEL HAS LONG (since 2007) CONTROLLED THE AMOUNT OF FOOD - DOWN TO THE CALORIE - PERMITTED INTO GAZA. The "tunnels" so often talked about with fear were really just used to smuggle in necessary goods.

(Also, the IOF have just flooded these tunnels with sea water to "drown" Hamas. With all due respect, Israel - which is none - isn't that where you keep saying the hostages are being held?)

10. Jewish people have a birthright and claim to the land.

First of all, nothing has ever stopped any Jewish people from moving to Palestine. They were initially welcomed after WWII, too, as there were already (and are still) Jewish Palestinians. (Christians, too - this is not a religious war. Churches have also been bombed). Though really, Zionist settlers should have considered (and I'm sure they did) that being granted unfamiliar land after surviving an atrocity at the hands of their own governments rather than being encouraged to go home should have warned them that no small measure of anti-Semitism was behind the Zionist project.

3,000 years ago, a civilization known as Israel - comprised by a racially and ethnically different population than modern-day Israelis, of course - lasted a brief 150 years. Shockingly enough, however, religious claims and historic occupation ARE NOT LEGALLY BINDING. Were the lands open for immigrants? Open to those who wanted to visit religiously significant land? YES. Were they fair game to be taken and colonized? NO. Did the UN have any power to designate the land? NO.

This would be like saying Muslim people as a diaspora have a claim to Spain due to their long historical stronghold over the Iberian Peninsula. It would be like Italians trying to take back the modern countries formerly a part of the Roman Empire. It would be like Catholics creating an ethnostate in Germany and massacring Protestants due to their historical control of the land. IT WOULD BE RIDICULOUS.

Look up the 1948 Nakba. Tell me that it doesn't make you think of the Trail of Tears. That forcing people out of their homes is okay because of some ancient claim or suggestion from white politicians that "Hey, you can move there as part of your divine right." I thought the notion of divine right ended with the rise of democracy and resistance to tyrannical historical monarchs such as "Sun King Louis XVI." That Manifest Destiny was just something we learned about in World History.

Nope.

Could you live in a Palestinian home still decorated and furnished with familial artifacts, knowing that the former family was forced to leave and forbidden from returning? No? Then don't support Israel.

11. Palestinians are barbaric! They'd kill you for being gay.

This is another silly argument due to its complete irrelevance. If you find yourself struggling to justify genocide and coming up with these sorts of answers - answers that imply that ALL PALESTINIANS are the same - check yourself and where that notion might be coming from. Stereotyping is bad, isn't it? Should we bomb the American South for being homophobic, as much as we may hate that fact? Um. No.

This perspective is fueled by Israel's long-standing pinkwashing campaign against Palestine, which both ignores the presence of LGTBQ+ Palestinians but also claims Israel to be a safe, modern haven in comparison to barbarism… it’s a means of dehumanization (AND ONE MORE REMINDER: NOTHING JUSTIFIES GENOCIDE).

Have you been to Gaza? Have you spoken to someone who has? Have you watched Anthony Bourdain's episode of No Reservations that highlights the humanity and kindness of Gazans? Have you watched the countless videos of Westerners, including women, who claimed they felt safer in Gaza than back home?

Could it be dangerous? Of course. Any place can be for women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Are there extremist Muslims? Of course. Would you want the Westboro Baptist Church to represent all of Christianity, however? Avoid sweeping generalizations whose only goal is to make you see millions of people (complex individuals with rich lives) as inhuman. As worth killing. See it for what it is.

Who tortures their prisoners, records it, and posts the videos to social media for people to laugh at? Israel. Who kills journalists, doctors, and bombs UNRWA schools using illegal white phosphorous? Israel. Who forces teenagers to join the military and jails them for refusing? Israel. Who routinely shoots Palestinian civilians to keep them living in fear and arrests them randomly and without charge? Israel. Who sets up chairs on a hilltop so they can watch bombings with popcorn and snacks? Israel. Who calls for the extermination of all Palestinians? Israel. Have you ever seen a Palestinian person call for the extinction and massacre of all Jews? No? You haven’t? Yep. Think about that. (And no, Hamas’ charter does not call for the death of Jews; they revised this in 2017 and specified that the enemy is Zionists, not Jews).

OVERALL: THE SIDE WITH THE PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN IS IN THE WRONG. THE SIDE LOSING THE CULTURE WAR DESPITE POURING MILLIONS INTO THEIR PUBLIC IMAGE AND PAYING INFLUENCERS TO MAKE VIDEOS FOR THEM IS IN THE WRONG. THE SIDE FREQUENTLY CAUGHT IN LIES SO EMBARRASSING THAT THEY ARE MEMED AND RIDICULED ON THE INTERNET IS IN THE WRONG. THE SIDE WHO ACCEPTS BILLIONS YEARLY FROM THE UNITED STATES THAT GOES TOWARD WEAPONS AND FREE HEALTHCARE FOR ISRAELIS (That Americans without this pay for with their own tax money) IS IN THE WRONG.

If you don't see this now, I can't help you. In ten years or so, however - when Israel's atrocities have finally been recognized and its leaders have been prosecuted for war crimes - have fun hiding evidence that you were on the wrong side of history. It's inevitable. On Friday, 153 countries voted for a ceasefire during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. 10 countries voted against. Guess who? Guess why? THEY ARE IN THE WRONG. AND THE WORLD AGREES.

Free Palestine.

[kageyuji]

Hii! This is my first time trying this, but do you have any advice for starting and building a writing blog?

I've been wanting to start one for a while but I'm not sure how to gain followers and stuff.

hi!! no worries :D and tbh.. i’m not exactly sure LMAO despite it seeming like i have my shit together i Do Not. but!! i can give you some general things/ideas:

write for yourself. write what makes you happy and what you genuinely want to write. despite how much of a people-pleaser i am, it’s also really important to remember that this is a hobby and if you write things you don’t really want to write, it’s going to show through your work but it’s also going to burn you out quickly.

(that said, if you are writing for x reader content make sure your reader is ambiguous. having a character be a 5’4 brunette with a knack for baking is cool sometimes, but it’s also a very slim audience and it’s going to throw some people off)

similarly, don’t compare yourself to other creators and don’t compare yourself to.. yourself. if you have something that does really good, and then you post the next week and it does shit, that’s okay! sometimes tumblr algorithm is just shit. sometimes certain characters are more of a fan favorite. but, also remember that people who have already built a large following are going to have more notes. just don’t get discouraged easily — every fic is something entirely new and it shouldn’t be weighed off of someone else or an entirely different work.

make a masterlist, and make it organized. if you write for a lot of characters and use different posting types this can get really confusing, but look around at other places or play around with it until you find something that you think feels right.

watch your blog activity (once you start posting, anyway). i believe mobile doesn’t have it, but on desktop (or just login to tumblr from your phones browser app lol) there is a little icon that will show interactions with your posts/blog and you can ask it to show the chart based on time of day, weekly basis, etc. post accordingly to that, and hopefully your posts will gain a little more traction :)

aesthetic is (unfortunately) pretty important in my opinion. of course, if you have the most well written thing i’ve seen i’m going to ignore the kinks but i’m also going to be a lot more likely to read things that are organized well. this is mostly about fics to catch someone’s eye, although this bleeds into your actual blog as well.

(pinterest has lots of cool stuff for aesthetics. twitter layout blogs also usually have a lot of good headers. if you want dividers, you can search the “dividers” tag on tumblr or there’s loads of mobile apps to get the thin color strip dividers like i use.)

similarly, try to make your pinned/navi organized and easy to follow. in my personal opinion, i like adding things like rules/dni, tag guides, and especially masterlists linked somewhere in the post. although, again, it’s up to personal opinion on what exactly you want to link there. as long as it’s organized and somewhat simple, you’re good.

as far as a masterlist and rules go, i would recommend laying out certain things beforehand, like what characters you’re going to write for and hard “no”s. as much as i love people on tumblr, sometimes they just cannot read — it helped me a lot whenever i was new to tell myself “hey, i don’t have to do that. it says that right here and it’s not my fault that they didn’t see that!”

(i also added a little rule that said “if you actually read this, add a ‘<3’ in your asks so i know” LOL it helped me filter requests between who actually cared to read my rules and who didn’t)

add tags to your fics. add so many tags. add many more tags than you think you probably need. add so many tags that you get sick of them — that’s how people are going to find you.

try to keep anonymous asks on, that’s where a lot of interaction comes from. ik people can be dicks sometimes but there’s also a lot of shy people on tumblr. probably 90% of my asks are from anons and i use anon 90% of the time whenever i send asks (especially to my moots bc they’re scary :[ lol)

just generally be nice to people. you don’t have to go out of your way to send love letters to everyone on your feed, but i’ve found that just leaving a little “i hope you enjoy reading this” or something similar as a little note helps my mental for some reason, but it also (hopefully) makes me seem a little less intimidating

[wolfcat-hybrid]

Beep beep just got a new scam ask folks

Reminder that if you get an ask asking for donations it is 9/10 times a scam and you should report+block

Screenshot (+transcript) and stuff that makes me think they're a bot under the cut

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by @/foggysongthing that reads "I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at the end of 2023 while I was pregnant with my second child. It has been a battle to say the least but I am fighting! I had my first mastectomy while pregnant last year and recently finished chemo and radiation, which is huge but me and my family still have a LONG road ahead of us! I completed the ovary surgery now the other mastectomy will be next, once my radiation site heals. I will get another huge surgery! In the meantime I am taking my medication to hopefully keep any cancer from returning!! Physical therapy is in the works for my left arm. What a journey. I appreciate people taking the time to read this. My friends and family have been amazing threw this all!!! If you feel like you would like to donate my link is below! Please keep us in your prayers. I am FIGHTER! I would appreciate if anyone could share this! I ❤️". End description.]

Evidence of being a bot-

Their first post was reblogged yesterday. Their blog is entirely fandom reblogs, the only original post is the donation link. They reblog almost exclusively original fandom posts, meaning they aren't reblogging posts that the people have followed have reblogged, which I imagine is what most people do. To me this reads like the bot went though a fandom tag and reblogged every post in it. Additionally none of their posts have tags added, which isn't inherently a red flag, but definitely adds to the 'lack of personality' I've seen so far.

No details provided about who this person is. Personally I'm against providing details online, but usually blogs have a name (even a fake one!) or age or at least their interests in their bio. In the case of legit donation posts, people usually include images or proof, to catch attention if nothing else.

Their profile pic and blog header are both AI generated. This is something a normal blog could do, but combined with all the other red flags I'm adding this to the list. It comes across as way to imply personality without having to actually spend time coming up with a believable personality.

The ask for donations seems iffy to me too. I'm not as experienced with recognizing AI writing as AI images, so I can't say for sure, but im fairly confident this was compiled by AI. It's pretty vague (what ovary surgery??? It's breast cancer why are you having surgery on your ovaries??? Why do you need PT for your left arm?) and says the link is below when it, very clearly, is not.

Anyways long story short I am 99% sure this is a bot, yall should make sure to report and block any similar messages you may get

[sesamenom]

hey staff

can you put the new layout changes under a toggle/dash setting?

right now i have this layout:

ok, now compare it to this layout:

and this one:

all of these have the tabs on the left sidebar, a few options on the very top, and content in the middle.

versus tumblr's old layout:

which has all the stuff on the right, the navigation tabs at the top right to make them easier to access (less scrolling), and generally less busy/cluttered.

In staff's guiding principles post, you mentioned that you wanted to make tumblr 1) easier to use and 2) better for creators, so as an artist, i would like to say that the new layout is less intuitive and harder to use.

With the new layout, the account tabs (drafts, queue, activitiy) are in a place where I have to scroll down to access them. Tumblr Mart is all the way at the bottom, so I have to scroll even more to browse the shop. The activity badges are disjointed from the main activity/messages/inbox button, and the activity popup gets in the way of the main dash instead of staying unobtrusively on the side. In the main dash, the dash tabs are all the way at the top instead of comfortably around eye level, and the tumblr "t" is poking out instead of sitting neatly in the corner.

Generally with the new layout, I have to look around more (if i'm scrolling, i'm looking up and down, then i have to either go all the way up and lose my place or look all the way down to create a new post. To check tags I have to go to the left again, and then I can't read it while scrolling because the popup covers my dash. If i want to go find something in my drafts or queue, I have to go left and scroll down a bunch before I find it, meaning I'm constantly looking left and right and up and down with the new layout.

but i get it, maybe some people might want it, and anyways you need to do something to show your boss you're at least trying to make the site somewhat profitable. so i'm not posting this all just to complain about the layout.

instead, can I propose something like this:

You could have it automatically off if you're worried about new users, while still giving people the option to "Curate [their] Dashboard" and customize their experience!

In fact, you could probably add a few more options & toggles for various features, such as rearranging dash tabs, blog link in header vs url, or auto pause ads (they can still be there, just paused for accessibility)!

@staff @changes @wip @humans @photomatt hopefully you guys see this!

[ladyloveandjustice]

Finally did some much needed blog housekeeping while bored at work!

-enabled the tumblr tip thing. IDK if it's obnoxious, hopefully not, but I figure since I'm doing Patreon and Ko-fi for the liveblogs, might as well

-I tried to re-add the Patreon widget, but it didn't work and it's kinda ugly anyway, so just put some extra links in my header

-updated the faq with info about my amv recovery project and also weeded out some stuff that was from when I was mired in discourse wars years ago that was very defensive and self-flagellating at the same time and no longer necessary, Also added the amv stuff to the "my writing" section and updated the fanmix stuff.

-finally weeded out the fandom and tags section, just narrowing it down to a few always present tags that might be useful for navigating, added a couple new tags but also made it clear I don't update this page pretty much ever. Also added links to my goodreads and storygraph.

-added the 'year in books/comics' posts I do at the end of each year to the post series page, as well as the reviews tags. Again made a note I don't really update these pages much anymore.

Some solid housekeeping! I don't know if anyone even visits those pages anymore but might as well!

[toxicanonymity]

Hey! Just wanted to say your writing is a massive inspiration to me, and I'm actually starting a writing blog rn. I'm planning on making a carrd page for it, but was wondering what specific info I should include. I have a will/will not write list, tags, and characters list already. Anything else important to add? I'm totally new to publicly posting writing so I have no idea what I'm doing lol

Have a great day <3

Thank you so much. That’s awesome that you’re writing!  I’m flattered you’d ask me, and also kind of tickled - this is something I've been "meaning to" figure out myself all this time. I've been posting my writing for almost six months and still don’t have a carrd page, navigation post, etc. I fly by the seat of my pants adding posts and links all willy nilly as needed - my profile header is just links to posts or tags i’ve added gradually.  @dark-scape's still teaching me about tumblr sometimes lmao. i dove right in without any forethought. Good for you setting stuff up on the front end.

Maybe other writers/readers can advise on this? Feel free to add comments, friends

[atalana]

hey! I have been meaning to get xkit for a while now and you seem to be well versed, any advice, pointers, or places where to look? the new layout is hell for my brain to navigate

hey! and yeah, i've been using xkit since at least 2014

it's been through a lot of updates and changing hands as people have stopped working on it and new people have started, but they've kept it called xkit for conveniences sake

the most recent version, the one that's still updating, is xkit rewritten, this is a fairly bare bones version in that it's solely about fixing things staff have done to the website + adding accessibility options - this extension will show up in your browser extension toolbar and can be modified from there. this doesn't have a fix yet to fix the twitter layout (i'll get to that), but its most recent update was fixing the fact that you can't click on urls to go to specific posts anymore - if you look under tweaks, and "restore links to posts in the post header" (or worded along those lines, on mobile atm), that'll fix that. and feel free to have a playaround with the other stuff it can do!

new xkit is the version that existed before that - this shows up as an additional icon in the tumblr header (or now the sidebar for the twitter layout). a lot of people will say don't get this, i honestly don't see a problem with it, but this was the xkit that existed for a long time and used to have extensions that modified the website just for fun, rather than solely to fix it. this version is no longer updating and it lost about half its extensions in the process, but the ones that remain still work fine, and if you care for something more whimsical, there's a couple fun extensions left, plus i just find the customisability of extensions easier with this

(new xkit and xkit rewritten can be used at the same time, and i have been using both since i got xkit rewritten - but if you only want one, xkit rewritten is definitely the way to go)

now, if you want to actually fix the twitter layout, xkit isn't what you need, there's two options for that

i use stylus, and this extension, which has so far been working fine for me (minus one slight issue in menu sizing that i fixed with a single line of code, i'll throw details to that in under the cut if it happens to you)

i'm also aware of dashboard-unfucker, which uses a different browser extension, i haven't used this personally, but i know some people have had better luck with it than stylus, so feel free to have a playaround and use what works for you!

(and the author does have a note added in that this version of dashboard unfucker only works with xkit rewritten, it has problems with new xkit, so if you wanna go this path keep that in mind)

but yeah, you should be able to find some combination of extensions that works for you, feel free to get back in touch if you're struggling to install anything, and good luck in your journey of modifying tumblr!

okay so the issue i was having is i think this extension was designed on a very specific screen size, and i'm assuming one smaller than my desktop screen? so it ended up making the menus up the top super wide when opened

i'm not a css expert (honestly if anyone who is knows how to make the other new icons that i don't care about disappear, and realign what's left back over to the right, would love to know how to do that), but i researched enough to add this line in

if you open stylus once this is installed, click manage, and then select tumblr.com, you should be taken to the source code and be able to edit it

around line 281 (after you install it, the preview version has more stuff added in) there's a section titled "Moves the menu so it appears over the top and not in the header", and several lines of code underneath that

somewhere in that list (doesn't matter where as long as it's in the brackets, i've put it under max height for organisation) add "max-width: calc(20vw);" in on a new line (minus the quotation marks, but make sure you keep the semicolon)

basically that just checks the width of your screen and tells the menu it can't be wider than 20% of the screen, which works for me, feel free to change that number according to what works for you, i find stylus very easy to modify, you just hit the save button (i don't think you even have to reload the page, but try doing that if it doesn't work) and it'll make the changes

[ladyluscinia]

So in true Tumblr fashion, my Year in Review post won't, well, post. So you guys get the bootleg I'm copy / pasting myself lol 😆

With commentary!

I posted 3,406 times in 2022

That's 1,092 more posts than 2021! (Here's my 2021 Year in Review for comparison! It's much less impressive.)

362 posts created (11%)

3,044 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@autisticandroids

@altarofrowena

@ladyluscinia

@billiewena

@treesofgreen

I tagged 3,404 of my posts in 2022

(wait which fucking two did I NOT tag???)

#spn - 1,391 posts

#our flag means death - 668 posts

#ladyluscinia - 541 posts

#izzy hands ofmd - 486 posts

#blackbeard ofmd - 333 posts

#dean - 324 posts

#destiel - 302 posts

#gifset - 216 posts

#fanart - 216 posts

#castiel - 200 posts

(I'm still a Supernatural blog in 2022, and I will be one in 2023 😘🥂)

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#but i thought their initial posting was pretty interesting until one day i realized i stopped seeing it because i was blocked for crimes 😆

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I actually love that Vane is Mr. "What's in it for Me?" and openly philosophically inclined to, like, the simplest and most tangible desires, because in any other show he would be SO easy to get on your side, but in THIS show everyone is a 10 year plan double or nothing idealist so the conversations go:

Flint: "I can't give you money. I need the money for a convoluted scheme that will eventually offer all of us safety and self-governance and ideological superiority. Let me persuade you I know what I'm doing."

Vane: "No, I think I want money. Like, good luck with the rest of that, but I've got it covered. With a ship. And money."

Flint: "But what if the Navy comes for us?"

Vane: "That's tomorrow-Vane's problem, and he'll probably appreciate being richer than today-Vane if it comes up. Pay me."

Link - 493 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

#4

The lack of new Supernatural drama today despite the mass resignation of the British government is proof that Supernatural is tied specifically to American political upheaval, and now I'm wondering what is coming for us on October 11

Link - 658 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

#3

[This is where I discovered that adding any images other than the header that started the post caused the draft to immediately become unsaveable, so if you want to see my dumb joke you have to click on the link]

.

You ever think of a stupid joke you just HAVE to see visualized?

Link - 859 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

#2

Edward Teach Meta - Remember Edward Hasn't Always Been a Muppet...

...and honestly he's still just mostly faking it.

I see a lot of posts about the whole dichotomy of Ed vs Blackbeard, and - because I live in the Izzy Hands tag for this show - a lot of it takes a very... simplistic (?) approach. Mostly along the lines of Ed is a traumatized real guy who just wants love and softness while Blackbeard is the violent persona he puts up because he thinks he has to (and Izzy makes the situation worse with a fixation on a fake person).

This... does not really make sense to me. For one, if we're going to acknowledge "Blackbeard" is a persona then we should probably acknowledge "Ed" is equally fake. The dichotomy is two wildly different masks, and the same real Edward is behind them both. And I want to talk about that guy.

Warning - this got insanely long

---

Link - 884 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Ryan Reynolds having staff hype up his new tumblr account to users and then realizing that a shitty CW show that ended almost two years ago is trending over him in anticipation of the 5th

[Insert math lady meme]

Link - 19,855 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

---

Of course that fucking meme got first. Well it's technically Nov 5th posting so I suppose it could be worse. Good luck everyone with getting your own Year in Reviews to work if they haven't yet!

See you next year!

[unholyverse]

MYSPACE 1.0 THEME REFRESH (originally by conkersradfurday, refreshed by unholyverse)

live previews: 1, 2 / download (pastebin)

hi! i've been using this old theme for years now because other myspace themes don't hit the same, but i've been tweaking a lot of it for personal use. i think it's been long enough since this theme has been abandoned that i can upload something that can handle itself better on modern tumblr.

main features

asks are formatted to look like myspace comments. fun!

four custom links

myspace buttons to follow, message, or block the blog owner

a bunch of info spaces so the world can know what you're about

extra font options

functional search bar (but this is tumblr so...semi functional?)

that web 2.0 ugly goodness

other features + info below the cut

new features

friend space - ever wanna show off your friends? now you can with the friend space to show off your top 8 9 friends on your blog. don't have enough friends? no worries, you can always toggle it off

image space - wanna put a bunch of blinkies somewhere? you'll need to have a bit of html and css knowledge for it, but you can go into the code and add as many images as you'd like. just look for the section and start pasting those images. it's a little tedious but tbh that's just the authentic myspace experience isn't it? but if that's not your thing, you can also toggle it off too.

tweaked/deleted features

had to delete the music player :( sorry but it used flash and i'm not really sure how to make a music player in javascript yet

added username input because it was annoying me that your title could be your name and it didn't make sense in most cases

deleted infinite scroll because the script was super outdated

added the ability to change the "online now!" gif. the original gif will always be in the defaults of the code.

changed the text post header font to verdana because it was impact and you could not fucking read that and it wasn't accurate to a myspace bulletin anyways

deleted the feature that force showed all the pages you made on your blog. so annoying. it will look a little weird if you have asks/submissions deactivated, but i doubt many of you using the theme will have them closed anyways

changed the dead links to redirect to the actual myspace site

extra recommended add-ons

scm music player: a customizable music player with tons of different skins and tons of songs you're able to add

unblue polls by @glenthemes: what it says basically; allows you to customize the colors of tumblr polls on your blog

cursors-4u.com: i love these dinky little cursors they're so fun. great if you really wanna lean into the 2000s aspect of the theme

cursor sparkles: what else is there to say about this they're just fun

notes

i plan on updating the theme semi-regularly if bugs are brought up and stuff (which you can tell me through my inbox)

hopefully i can work on extra tweaks as time goes on (such as figuring out how to add a footer image to videos, toggle tags, etc)

don't repost/claim as your own because it already isn't mine in the first place

like/reblog if you use!

update log

added a tags toggle + tweaked the video post sizes

made the "is in your extended network" status customizable to add different text. feel free to tell the world how many gas station boner pills you took

added an official theme link