Astronomy says: the sun will rise tomorrow.

❝ One thing I notice nowadays is how fast people in general move on from fandom. And I’m not sure if that’s actually the case or if it’s just me. What I’m talking about is:

1. New media gets released. New popular show. Everybody’s talking about it. Every fanfic and fanart of that fandom gets loads of kudos and comments.

2. Time goes by. Not that long. Maybe a month. Maybe a couple of months. People stop talking about the show. Fanfic and fanart of that show get less kudos and comments. And if it’s been, say, a year—which is still not that long—fanfic and fanart about that show barely get any kudos and comments anymore. It’s like almost everybody has moved on to newer fandoms. And the circle continues. ❞

What sustains fandom isn't just the engagement of fans, it's also the existence of an ongoing source material.

The biggest fandoms, the ones that gain the most momentum, are the ones that go on for years and years.

The ones that drip-fed fans one episode per week for season after season.

Nobody does that any more.

With video games I think it's more all the DRM and other anti-player bullshit. Hell, Mass Effect was totally ruined for me because of the sheer frustration of having to set up an EA account (which it didn't wanna let me do) and connecting it to my steam (took over an hour). This wouldn't have happened if I pirated btw.

Games that seem to have staying power are the ones that have a robust modding scene to keep things fun- see BG3 and Skyrim.

many such cases

They were also forced to be identified in camps with the brown upside down triangle

They were considered racially impure, much like the Jews. In many nations they were hunted by their fellow countrymen, who had an existing bias against them that was fuelled by war propaganda. The Einsatzgruppen (basically a moving, mobile killing squad) had Roma as a target. And, yes, there was a "Gypsy Question".

Their population was absolutely decimated. But worse.

August 2 is a date that some acknowledge this genocide. Some other dates....some not any dates at all. This date was chosen because of the huge killings on that night of those in the Zigeunerfamilienlager. Roma families were kept together in a camp in Auschwitz.

The Nazis decided to "clear" most of the camp that night, killing many children and elderly on purpose. There was a lot of fighting, they fought back with improvised weapons. Let no one ever say that they walked wearily to their deaths. They fought for themselves and their families with every ounce of strength they had.

Thousands were killed in gas chambers that night, the women, children, elderly and infirm. The rest were sent to work camps.

Germany only officially acknowledged this aspect of the holocaust in the early 80s. In the Former Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic Roma women were forced into sterilisation through a number of means, in the 70s, the 90s and into the 00's, with some reports that this is still ongoing.

The Roma are not a footnote in history. Their suffering was immeasurable, like so many others. In ways that some places will still not acknowledge or account for.

On the 16th of May in 1944, the guards attempted to "liquidate" the Roma Family Camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, ie to murder everyone held prisoner there. And, we fought back, with planks and hammers and bare hands, until the guards gave up and left. Although the majority of the camp were murdered within months of this event, that act of resistance in such a hopeless situation has become a pillar of remembrance and pride.

I can't remember where I first saw this information, but apparently Rocky's aim was to make the wall to the tunnel out of many different materials to find out which one Grace is able to see through easiest, not based on opacity - like a human or something that evolved to see light does - but based on acoustic impedance. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, it's a way of measuring how easily sound passes through a material - usually used in ultrasound scans. Therefore, for a species who uses echo-location, he's working out which material is easiest for Grace to see through - and from what I can tell he just got lucky with the clear Xenonite. I'm also fairly sure that he was completely unaware about species that see through light waves rather than echo-location, based on his reactions to Grace in the movie.

Basically, Rocky wanted to make things as accessible as he could for any alien that he could come across with the limited knowledge that he had of how different species see things. He is essentially setting himself up to be as accessible as he can for anyone he could possible meet out there. Whether its due to desperation for connection, or just because he's Like That, that's why I think he's so neat. His first interaction with Grace is just him trying to make Grace as comfortable as possible.

Really just reminds me that life is meant to be spent WITH FRIENDS!! SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE WITH THEM!! That’s why high-school and college feels so fun and fulfilling. Normalize staying at friend’s houses as an adult, even if they aren’t in need!! Don’t let work, life, or your partner dim that light!, See each-other more often, Keep having sleepovers, it’s a god given right!!

you have to be kinder to people who are slow processors.

you have to be kinder to people who don't understand your jokes.

you have to be kinder to people who forget important dates.

you have to be kinder to people with cognitive decline.

you have to be kinder to people who were always this way, too.