Sacha Dhawan in WOLF (2023) 1.02 "Torture"

LET YOU CUT ME OPEN JUST TO WATCH ME BLEED GAVE UP WHO I AM FOR WHO YOU WANTED ME TO BE

(Reposting from twitter)

My POV as a Black fan that thinks Dot and Bubble's racism commentary is trash

Rewatched Dot and Bubble and I'm gonna break down from my POV as a Black fan why this episode didn't work for me & why it's an awful racism commentary. Long arse post incoming:

The whole "You should've noticed the cast was all white except for fifteen ha your bias is showing" doesn't work for a show that's been predominantly white for 60+ years. D&B casting has been the default for most of the show so its not abnormal enough to be a racial litmus test. An example is the Matt Smith era The only reoccurring character of colour in s5 (2+ appearances) is Liz 10. Artie n Angie in s7. 0 in s6. RTD's own era isn't fully safe either. For many eps Martha or Mickey are the *only* Black characters. Most POC are side characters or extras.

White fans should be aware of the predominantly white casting of the show but this late in the game feels cheap. Most of the show has gone through 100% white episodes including fan faves and it was never an issue back then bc it was beneficial. This is so hollow. Representing racists as cartoon caricatures SEVERLY underestimates the danger of white supremacy irl. White supremacy is system designed and constructed and rebranded over centuries. It is not accidental. People aren't racist bc they don't know they're racist because they *do* They know the system that oppresses POC, Black people especially, benefits them socially and financially and that is why they participate. Its not stupidity it's intention. That should've been the Finetime core not Lindy goofing around bc the arrows are gone or some shit.

Human Nature showed us racist young people that exercised this power bc they knew this. They may be children but they are still dangerous bc of their views. Martha knew this. The silly tech obsessed gen z angle erases this danger and that of actual gen z white supremacy

Instead of the camp goofy tone we could've gotten a serious focused episode. The slugs and millenial/gen z social media silly distracts from what could've been the main theme of colonisation instead of saving it for 10 mins of exposition at the end & scattering microaggressions. Saving Fifteen's racism scene for a goofy episode was a horrid idea. Spending 30 mins on representing racism as silliness then giving a dramatic dangerous score is the definition of tonal whiplash. Representing his oppressor as a blonde bimbo again does not take this seriously. Fifteen went to 1960s BRITAIN & got through it unscathed. Finetime is a fictional futuristic land but the racism of 1960s Britain was real. If anytime was right it could've been Devil's Chord. Distancing yourself from a panto villain is easy but addressing your history is hard.

The scene itself is incredibly performed so I'll give Ncuti his flowers but what he used this skill for could've been so much more. Having his FIRST SCENE begging to save a racist is disgusting. It isn't Black people's responsibility to show compassion to people that want us dead. Yes the Doctor helps the baddies bc they care. But they're aren't ignorant to prejudice. The liberal anti racism of who is so jarring and why I still think Thin Ice is performative. When white people are angry at injustice it's radical. When it's Black people we're aggressive.

Respectability politics is a tool of white supremacy. That if one pleads and is nice enough they can earn liberation. What would white fans think of Fifteen if he DIDN'T beg Lindy? If your allyship with Black people depends on showing kindness to racists you are NOT an ally.

Next up is Ricky. It was established ALL Finetime citizens have white supremacist views yet Ricky September stans refuse to see him in any negative light. Just like Joan Redfern white dw fans refuse to see racism if a character is likeable. If nice guy Ricky's a racist, then anyone no matter the niceness can be racist too and that's a pill white fans aren't ready to swallow. If racism is systemic and not about individual character, then what's keeping them safe? What happens when YOU are under the microscope.

THIS is why we NEED Black writers in Doctor Who. The nuances, depth and complexity of the Black experience can only be told at it's best by Black creatives and not guessed, assumed or spoken over by white fans and white writers. It's okay to put ego aside and say you don't get it.

"Im white but I loved the Doctor's reaction" "I'm white and i thought the racism commentary was great" "I'm white but i-" Yet again, we have to sit through another round of white and non Black fans of colour dictating Black representation for us. I'm so fucking tired man. AGAIN IM YELLING FROM MY HILLTOP TO WATCH SHOWS BY BLACK WRITERS. Almost EVERY single theme in Dot and Bubble and frankly most of the show has been done WAY better in other media. RTD is not the authority on Black stories. We are. Always have been and always will.

Tl;dr Dot and Bubble is an unserious and tacky racism commentary. It's core message is drowned by more RTD Who camp. Don't tell me this episode was good at representating my own experience. It wasn't. S15 having Black writers isn't a need it's a must. Goodbye.

The dozens of users telling me "you misunderstood you misunderstood you misunderstood" bringing up white woman fragility, right wing echo chambers and rich white people antics telling me I "missed the point" like i haven't been dealing with ALL this shit my whole life is wild. There are *loads* of positive responses to Dot and Bubble, including from other Black fans. But my thread for some reason was enough for half of dwtwt to lose it. Its not enough for RTD to get groundbreaking credit I "have" to pat him on the back too. That's not happening I fear.

*Every single time* I do any type of racial analysis or crit of the RTD era it's a mess. Every time. If I wrote a 20 part thread saying Dot and Bubble was amazinggg *none* of this would be happening. But I didn't. I had the audacity to critique a white writer's rep of racism. You'd rather believe I'm a Black white supremacist or fake woke white person thats actively misconstruing his work for... some reason... then that maybe.. just maybe RTD isn't the expert on writing about Black experiences and he can be critiqued.

And that's scary. Real scary.

I don't like Fifteen's begging bc it hits close to home. There's been too many times where I've been in his position (not literally crying & screaming). Appealing to Lindy after Lindy in lots of lil ways gets so exhausting. It takes a *massive* toll on you. Avoiding MLE so I'm "talking properly", upset/angry but I'm hiding it so I'm not "aggressive" or "mean", right winger said something racist but I'm going "they didn't mean it they just need educating"

Know what I gained? Nothing. For every Lindy that cares 3 more keep going.

Instead of chasing after the boat I could've been where I was actually wanted. *Even in this discourse* the fact that if I wasn't "so articulate & well spoken" u lot would've continued to ignore Black critics & kept anti Black views towards us. That doesn't feel like a win. Even then a lot of people's main takeaway was "white people aren't allowed to like Dot and Bubble" "white people can't write Black people ever" & writing defensive posts justifying liking it when that's NOT what i said.

But that's what the fandom hears no matter how I write. The juice isnt worth the squeeze.

Melody Pond

River Song

Carol Flood.

Guy who is touch starved but emotionally repressed goading you into punching him for completely normal reasons

Use "said" for dialogue unless you are writing a man talking, in which case use "whimpered"

read on ao3: the freckles on your arm mirrored a body of stars

um sorry for moaning when you stabbed me. it's been a really long time since anyone touched me like that

[shaking, pale, clammy, on the verge of passing out from shock] please canyuou put your fwngers in it

happy easter from the prettier jesus

Hey guys let me tell you about advance fee scams

I hope y'all are familiar with these in this day and age, especially my artists out there, because they're incredibly common.

About half an hour ago I posted a drawing and tagged it #artists on tumblr, and very quickly received this comment.

My scam radar went off immediately, due to the generic blog name and lack of any emotion in the comment, but I decided it might be an entertaining venture so I dmed them. They asked for a drawing "of these", and sent me a random selfie. I got the details and told them it would be $15, and they promptly offered me $300. At this point I know it's a scam, but I play along for funsies and give them my paypal. Shortly, they send me this image for "confirmation" (I blocked out my email)

And they began to insist that I checked my email. I looked in my spam folder and found the following email.

This is fake. This is not a thing. And the "you're to refund the $200.00 back" is the scam. They send vaguely official-looking emails at you to "prove" that they sent you the money, then have you send them $200 (or however much the scam is for). Then, surprise surprise, you're out $200.

I continued to play along for a bit, and in the second email "Paypal" told me that I had to refund the $200 before they could "credit the $300 to my account", along with these lovely threats.

And yeah, it's silly. But it's not silly if you don't know and get scammed. So. Spread, please! And thank you very much to @mlaurel for the opportunity to get these screenshots.

This is a variation on a much older scam that often results in the victim being out money and also out whatever they were selling. It goes something like this:

- victim posts an item for sale on craigslist or w/e

- scammer contacts asking if a check is ok

- scammer then asks if they can write a check for more than the agreed-upon price and for the seller to give them the overage back as cash, often with some excuse about it being an out-of-state bank, they don't have a card and need some cash for something else, or whatever.

- scammer gives check, gets cash and item, and bounces

- guess what the check does, too

ANY kind of structure where you supposedly get money but have to give some of it back to someone should twig your scam radar, frankly.

Reblogging because some people need to refresh their scam radar, or start building theirs. I see far too many people fall for traps, and don't dare say for a second "this will never happen to me" because all it takes is a momentary lapse in judgement.

One of the best stories :)

Couldnt really do it justice with this ooster but I still like it enough to post it. And at last I've properly drawn the insane twissy handhold

Whovian Anniversary continuation :)

9:00-10:00 Spyfall Part 1

I want the godlike power of avoiding brain injuries like a Woodpecker.

mrs flood i hope you're the master because deciding to devote your life to narrating your boytoy's adventures and threatening to fight god would be iconic, actually

rose “she’s gonna smack you if you keep calling her she” tyler and belinda “does it have to say miss?” chandra would be bffs i am sorry