#...also can I say that I love your blog?

[cy-writer]

@kyokittymeow

Alright!

Context, I had intended this to be multiple chapters - or to go on longer. Not exactly much shipping but hey!

Hope you get a kick out of it nonetheless, as they are meant to be the end goal.

Copying and pasting from my phone, so the fic is under the cut!

The island representative was always an odd on to Tom Nook. Their appearance had wildly changed throughout their time on the small island of Dragon Bay, their behavior almost aggressive yet highly supportive of any and all residents that lived within their little island.

Their choices... Well, Tom found them to be questionable yet he was certain that even the most bizarre request came with good intentions. That's what he'd like to believe, but this time it just left a sinking feeling of dread as he looked over the document left for him on his desk. The document itself was nothing new, a simple request of residency with a short letter of recommendation from the island representative. Usually, these were easy to sort out and arrange a new home for their latest villager. This time, the name that was written on the paper stared at him, almost mocking his very being.

A Residency Request for Redd.

Tom quickly glanced at the signatures, in a fleeing hope that this was merely a joke done in poor taste. Yet he recognized each one perfectly well. The messy handwriting of the island representative, and the stylized writing of the kitsune. From what he could see, everything was in order and the document looked professional. The letter of recommendation was practically glowing, listing many points as to why the island representative thought he would be a good fit for Dragon Bay.

"I should talk to them first thing tomorrow..." His gaze drifted to the clock hanging on the wall. Four AM.

Surely, they must have been deceived by the kitsune. There is no way anyone who knew of Redd would ever invite him near their wallets, let alone their home. Tom knew all too well what happened if you let him too close.

But it was late, and he hadn't slept yet. Thankfully Isabelle was caring for the twins while he pulled another late night...

"Yes, yes. It'll be the first thing I do."

With that, he took another swig of his coffee and packed up his things for tonight. Tomorrow morning, he would have to sort this out. He would convince the island representative to reconsider.

He took one last look over the request, unable to stop his worrying. It was bad enough that the representative submitted the request, but the most concerning part was Redd even signing the forms. Had he simply been offered and took the opportunity to sell more fraud works? Or even worse, he was the one to suggest it. What could that tricky kitsune even want on their peaceful island? Those thoughts continued to nag him as he locked up the Residence Service building for the night.

From here, he could easily see the Nook's Cranny right across the path. It was a simple building, but one he was most proud of. It was a modest shop downstairs, with a small sales floor for his dear nephews Timmy and Tommy to take charge of. Upstairs held extra stock and a little clubhouse for the twins, while the back of the shop contained their small home.

As usual, Tim took the back entrance to their home and was greeted to the sight of Isabelle fast asleep on their sofa. A book in her paws with Timmy and Tommy on either side of her, quietly snoring. A warm smile spread across Tom's face as affection swelled in his chest. He may have been stressed, but the sight of his dear twins never failed to comfort him.

He walked over, easily picking them up - one tiny tanuki in each arm. He carefully brought the two to their room, gently tucking them in before making his way back to Isabelle.

{Insert later: Nook wakes up Isabelle and tells her about his plan. He then heads to bed. Stress dreams}

When morning came around, Tom found himself slowly waking up as he felt the warm sunlight across his body. There was soft chatter of other residents outside, a pleasant rustling of tree leaves and -

His tired eyes shot open, his body immediately sitting up. There was no way the island should be this lively early in the morning, or the sun's light to hit his bed at this hour, unless...

11 AM. He overslept. When was the last time he ever woke up so late? He couldn't recall, aside from the days of his reckless youth. Another question entered his mind as well. Why did the twins let him sleep for so long? Yes, Isabelle was kind enough to help the two get ready for their jobs, but surely they would have woken him!

He got dressed and ready as quickly as he could, not wanting to waste another moment. There was so much to do, too much to worry over. He needed to find a way to convince the island representative. He needed to shred that cursed document. Hell, he needed to keep Redd away from his island.

As much as he wanted to say hello to Timmy and Tommy first, he knew he had to hold off on that for the moment. He could apologize later on today, when he was finished with all of this. He tried to hold on to his determination, not wanting his worries to drown him once more.

Just as Tom was about to reach the door of Residence Services, his tired eyes spot the island representative. His paw slipped from the doorknob and immediately he made his way towards them instead. A part of him felt embarrassed to try and meet them so informally, however, this was an emergency after all.

His legs could only carry him so quickly, so he was left to a brisk walk as he watched the human in front of him rush along the terracotta paths. At least they were easy to spot, with their wild outfit and a black kitsune mask covering their face. Or at least, they should have been easy to keep track of.

As Tom followed them up the stairs along the north path, they simply ran through the trees and vanished off the trail. Perhaps they were going to thin out the cluttered trees today? Tom could briefly recall Isabelle mentioning that...

However, he could immediately see the results of the island representative's last project. A staircase down to the tiny beach that was tucked away in this northern section of the island. From here, Tom could easily see that wreck of a boat. The cliffs here could almost hide it, but the dark smoke floating up into the air was a dead giveaway of the kitsune's presence.

Normally, Tom liked to think of himself as a reasonable man. One to see both sides of an argument, to give a poor soul a chance. Had it been anyone else, anyone at all, perhaps Tom would have discussed this all over a call. However, Redd wasn't just anyone.

Before he even realized it, Tom found his way walking towards the boat. Up the ramp, past the curtain, and making his way down the dimly lit stairs. There was much to take in. The whirring sounds of a strained engine, the faint smell of smoke from the boat itself, and the suffocating sensation of the kitsune's magic. Though Tom was sensitive to such things, it still shocked him how residents couldn't feel the same type of aura radiating off of Redd. Then again, many seemed to turn a blind eye to his own presence as a tanuki.

"Here to sign the paperwork, Nook?"

He wasn't even fully off the stairs and he could already feel his annoyance growing. As he rounded the corner, there he could see Redd.

The kitsune had a smug look across his face - not an unusual sight for him. His blue apron looked rather clean, unlike the usual wrinkled or paint stained one the Tom could recall. Redd's tail swayed happily, the four spilt tail tips twitching sperate from each other.

"What are you doing here, Redd?" That was a safe question to open with. Something to stop himself from throwing accusations, or flooding the fox with a neverending stream of questions.

"Aw, come on. Isn't that obvious?" Redd gave such a wide grin, wasting no time to get in Tom's personal space. "I've been to this island a few times now, and I've gotta say... I like what I see."

The dim lights seemed to a reoccurring trend below deck. The lights had a faint tint, which made it that much harder to get a good look at the many pieces of "art" the kitsune had to sell. All fakes.

"You seem to be doing just fine scamming my residences from your boat. Why do you want a house here?"

"Did you even look over the plans my cousin gave you?" A laugh, followed by Redd hooking an arm around Tom's shoulder as he pressed against his side. "I want a store, selling my paintings to the kind folk of Dragon Bay."

"There is no way that I'm going to allow you to bring the black market to my peaceful island."

"Ouch, such a harsh accusation! I'm hurt, Nook." He pulled a paw to his chest, though his smile remained unwaivering.

"This isn't a game, Redd." Tom frowned, his eyes narrowed as he shoved the kitsune away from him. "I want you off my island, and I want you to stay as far away from my residences as you possibly can."

Redd let go of him, a more serious look now on his face as if he actually thought over Tom's words. It only annoyed Tom further, as this look was usually meant the kitsune was hiding something.

"You just don't get it." Redd shook his head, his grin faded from his face. "I'm simply playing for keeps."

What did that even mean?

"Get off my island, Redd."

"Make me."

The dim lights of the poorly made boat continued to flicker, allowing the brief glimpses of darkness to elongate their shadows against the wall. A little glimpse of what they really were.

For a moment, the only sound between them came from the annoying humming of the lights - or the gently sounds of the waves against the ship. He needed to take a deep breath and not fall into another fight.

As he continued to stay silent, Redd's expression faded from a defiant glare to something Tom couldn't quite place. He can't recall the last time he's seen such a face on the kitsune...

(And that's all I have!)

[corviiids]

hi rook sorrgy I'm back but I've been thinking about your akeshu as girls genderfuckery tweet for 20 million years. idk if you can share anything in good faith here on the Tumblr corner of the internet (if not then by all means ignore this) but if you did I'd owe you perhaps my entire soul!! thank you very much either way :3

i would LOVE to talk about this thank you so much for asking

[under the cut in case anyone would not like to see genderfuckery stuff]

okay so first of all.

on the topic of boobs

this is important to lead with do you understand. most of the akeshu as girls stuff ive seen around has akc as flat-chested and ren as boobed. and that's valid i support that. but personally. personally to me. i think it's the opposite. tbe reason (well one reason) i think it's the opposite is because i think girlren is a little rat of a creature and akechi who is prim and feminine and perfect is so FUCKING angry about her crush on ren like she's barely surviving it and then this is the nail in the coffin. she's like why can't i stop thinking about that messy unassuming thing. she doesn't even have boobs

my other reasons for tihs are that i think joker is more androgynous charm while akechi is more feminine/masculine duality i think this makes sense to nobody else. i think ren regardless of agab is riding the rail of the gender spectrum 🛹 while akc is collecting extremes of gender presentation like they're pokemon do you understand. are we on the same page here. ren being into drag is important to me for this reason (again regardless of agab). meanwhile akechi having very clear feminine secondary sex characteristics but presenting gradually more and more masculine in terms of clothing/hair/personal style etc. is also extremely important to me. and that includes being biog of tity while her style veers more and more into masc as time goes on

ok

the detective prince

i think girl akechi (at 17-18) presents very femininely because it's what's effective for her. i would call her style................... kawaii corporate chic. does that make sense for everyone. it's like schoolgirl girlboss. she has a bow instead of a tie but it's a very classy one not a kitschy one. smart blazer, uniform pleated skirt, patent leather shoes, u know the drill BUT. people still call her the detective prince. this is VERY IMPORTANT to me. no detective princess. only detective prince. do you understand the importance of the genderfuckery of a super feminine girl being called by masculine terms. to me. we're continuing the legacy set by my hero naoto shirogane bigender queeng. bigender kin. bigender genderneutral non-monarchical ruler

i think by third sem girl akechi is starting to dress more androgynously/masculinely. more pants. i think her third sem outfit is unchanged from canon. just a smart coat, sweater, buttondown, slacks. postcanon she gets a haircut.

just trying to live an honest student life

ren is like so fundamentallyuncomfortable with the fact of his existence at the beginning of canon so to me girlren is like... she dresses like she's trying to hide in her clothes. messy hair. i have no strong feelings about whetehr her hair should be long or short, or whether it's loose or pulled into a tail, but i know it's messsy. untamed curls. and she uses it to hide her face. none of her clothes fit. she's in oversized everything. i have a very clear image in my head of a ren idle animation where she leans down to pull up her leggings because they keep falling down. she also has terrible posture. she's androgynous at this stage not on purpose but because she's too self conscious to like... exist... and present... in any notable way at all

i think as she gets more confident and as the year progresses she starts to dress more distinctively. i like the idea of her getting more comfortable prettying up. maybe working at crossroads helps her with this 🤔 i dont know how to explain this but i think she's still feminine in a gentlemanly chivalrous way rather than a girly cute way. girlren has that same steady calming vibe that guy ren does

joker & crow

crow has a magical girl skirt. i have a drawing of this but im too self conscious about my own lack of drawing skill to show it off so i cropped out the key part and put it into an ms paint void in the distance as my visual aid

there. i hope this is illustrative

i think given girl akechi's use of her feminine charms to gain popularity, her hero complex would be similarly gendered given we have confirmation that robin hood represents not (only) heroics for altruistic reasons but also the theatre of being seen doing good. there's a real drama element to the idea of a magical girl transformation that i honestly wish we got for male crow too. i always am depressed that we don't get to see much theatre for akechi's initial appearance as crow and summoning of robin hood, anyway, girlcrow has ribbons and a capelet that flap in non-existent wind.

black mask's outfit is unchanged from canon. i'd like it to look a little less stupid but that has nothing to do with gender i just want it to look a little less stupid.

joker's outfit is also unchanged from canon. listen. im back on my bullshit. in the metaverse her behaviour gets more feminine and more sly and confident than in reality. she's got that femme fatale shit going on. however, she is still a gentleman thief. she has the long coat. she has the poofy trousers. she has the waistcoat. she's still smirking and fixing her gloves and flipping her knife and doing that thing that canon ren does where he lifts his chin and does the little "come on" thing with her fingers. do you understand? do you understand me

[wayward-sherlock]

do you have any fic recs? thank you!

HELLO ANON I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO ANSWERING THIS ASK SINCE I GOT IT (im going to assume you mean byler fics since that is my most recent specialty🫶):

a cruel summer with you by the amazing @campbyler is by FAR one of my all time favorite fics. never in my entire four year fic reading career have i read something that obviously has so much love (and lore) put into it. if you haven’t read it already (or interacted with their blog, which i highly suggest!) this would be one of my first picks! (anything by suni or thea or andi is guaranteed to strike you speechless, though, so definitely check them out as authors, too!)

take a little moment (find the right words) by my lovely friend @astrobei is definitely also in my top all time bc i am SUCH a sucker for college aus it’s not even FUNNY. anything by suni is a banger, honestly, but this one specifically nails the miscommunication/idiots in love trope AND has rotund ducks. what is not to love.

a body in motion (also by @astrobei) is one of the best and most visceral mike character studies i have ever read. i’ve read it twice and the playlist has a permanent place in my spotify library. i don’t think i need to say any more.

sleeping with the lights on by singingseok is another mike character study that tore my heart from my chest and made me watch as it picked it apart and sewed it back together. okay. it’s SO good i highly recommend it for sure!

literally anything by @parkitaco is going to be fantastic, but three of my personal faves are the gaps and the silence, the windows of this love, and you were bigger than the whole sky because apparently i love sobbing into my pillow in the middle of the night. it’s healthy sometimes.

the strawberries are dying by my favorite doopel @lighthouseas is PERFECT if you’re looking for a unique take on byler with a historical spin <3 im a SUCKER for historical aus as well so this great depression fic was so incredibly perfect hehe

landslide by chamb3rs is. it’s so good i don’t even have words. it captures the spirit of senior year of high school so well, especially now that i’m in it lol. anyway, i’ve read this one twice and will continue to read it again for the rest of forever <3

and lastly, if you’re looking for spiderman aus (which i LOVE), look before you leap by lumism, the higher i climb, the farther i fall by @andiwriteordie, and mike wheeler’s guide to falling in love with a superhero by @smoosnoom are all wonderful perfect places to start 💗

i hope this gives you a good place to start anon :3 and also that im not overwhelming you. lol. but feel free to check out my bookmark page here for a more complete list of fics i’ve read!

[luminique]

YIPEEE I LOVE DISCUSSING OCS !! i think people who think self-shippers/yumejoshis are cringe need a bit more whimsy in their life ☝️

my agent's name is scarlett reid and she's a bat thiren under victoria housekeeping ! i was debating whether or not i'd make her represent the vampire trope bc lycaon's story teased an upcoming vampire chara (altho idk if he's gonna be playable) but this is all i can think of for now so unless i can come up with something else, she's gonna be the vampire of the team 😭

basically her story is that she has a sickly younger sister who inspired her to pursue pediatrics, the only issue is her fangs become visible when she talks/smiles and it scares most kids 😭 she also has a crazy work history because she used to take up a bunch of jobs just to get by until she got the opportunity to join victoria housekeeping

i've also been considering making it so that she was a medic in the ember arena which is where she met lighter but i haven't decided on if she was born in the outer ring and moved to new eridu or born in new eridu and worked in the outer ring for a while for some reason

OOH SHE SOUNDS LIKE SHES SLAYING ?? like ugh i’d eat her up if she was in game !! her name is so pretty too and shes a bat thiren ?? sign me uppp

as part of lighter nation, i believe lighter would absolutely ADORE the little fangs. like the first time she smiles at him, he was a little scared but he finds it charming. whenever he’d attempt to flirt with her (and fail miserably), as long as her little fangs show, he KNOWS that she’s genuinely smiling and laughing.

also , since there’s a huge misconception that most bats like human blood, i think he’d be a little worried that she’d go crazy upon seeing him bleeding from his matches. BUT NO, she’s treating him so well, his eyes are focused on her while she’s busy patching him up. this is canon, i was there in the ember arena 🙂‍↕️

i hope we get more about the outer ring because i think it could definitely help you decide which origin is better for her. i LOVE your oc and i’m so happy that you’re telling me about it AKSHSKBS

[beastsovrevelation]

A complete travesty in the Good Omens universe? Michael not being portrayed the leader of angels.

She's supposed to be the Supreme Commander, and she's supposed to be the boss. I sincerely suggest you don't fight me on this hill. For Hell's sake, the actress has the perfect vibe... A crime has been commited here.

Therefore, I swear to fix it in my fanfictions. General, I'll do right by you. ❤

If you can't tell, in spite of being on the opposite side, I'm attached to this figure. I'm protective of this figure. I'll defend this figure with claws and teeth.

[sadaveniren]

.

[paging-possum]

on some level I understand that welcome to hell is probably a little harder to sell than hazbin given the *gestures vaguely* entire main plotline of w2h THAT SAID im going to be mad about it forever. because one of them is actually funny and has good character design and compelling dynamics and a good plot and its not the one about the freaking hotel.

[vellichorom]

Hey personal question. Because I never ever wanna make you uncomfortable. But sometimes I worry I might say something to nice about Theirry. Like example : gonna hug him and something else

But then other times I don't wanna say something to mean. Like example : make him explode

Like he's a lovely Narrator and I do enjoy his design. But I don't wanna miscommunication. I know the obvious stuff like generally being weird like you've pointed out in the past.

But I don't wanna say something In an ask and have it not come off as nice. You genuinely seem really cool and I don't wanna be rude.. yk?

Am I explaining this well? I hope so.

YEAH I GET WHAT YOU MEAN!

i was gonna have this big long elaboration on what i'd prefer you not say BUT I'LL KEEP IT SHORT; just try not to use any expletives that tie back to his being " stinky " ( ie; i wanna dunk him in the trash where he belongs ) or reiterate on & on about how you only want bad things to happen to him & you'll be fine

[starflungwaddledee]

ooooh aaah my first anonymous hate mail!

now i know i said i'd post this sort of stuff publicly to shame the sender, but i'm faaaaiiirly sure this is a kid. so! i'm not gonna post it, or engage, and have in fact already deleted it, because i really really suspect it's a kid.

i'll address one part: about me not tagging my work.

like many other things in the ask, that's an outright lie. i actually do my best to tag comprehensively and liberally, and if you're hatescrolling my blog you already know my tag for the shipaganza in particular is this: 🎀💖

i have put this tag (again, it's 🎀💖) on every post related to the shipaganza. even the explicitly non-romantic, platonic ones (like bandee's and kirby's) and the what the heck is that? ones (like marx's) so that people can liberally avoid it for any number of reasons. i'm just doing this event for fun, and want it to be fun for people viewing the work as well!

i also make it clear regularly that earnest folks can ask me to tag anything in particular and i will do so. however, i cannot control what tags are used on a post once it leaves my blog, so i recommend that you use this handy feature

to make sure you never have to see any of my content ever again, no matter who else might reblog it onto your feed!

if that's not enough and you're still finding mentions of me on your timeline (such as when other people @ me), you can also apparently use "filtered post content" and just put my username in there. now i haven't tried that in particular, but it seems comprehensive as it searches the entire post for instances of a phrase. here are the instructions on how to do that.

anyway! i hope these steps successfully help you to never see my content or mentions of me ever again!

[kk-cats]

i think i should stop posting before i worry people or annoy people

[james-spooky]

this is a test

[cowboy-robooty]

not going to name names bc thats messed up but omfg i was tryna find records of old heta fandom shit to show inu right and i found a hetalia iceberg and I SAW MY 2019 OPP ON THERE. IT WAS SO FUCKING FUNNY LIKE MY EYES BULGED OUT OF MY SKULL BECAUSE IM NOT EVEN JOKING I HATED THIS BITCH SO MUCH WHEN I WAS 14 AND NGL I STILL HATE HER. I DIDNT SAY NOTHING AND KEPT CURTIOUS AND NORMAL OBVIOUSLY BUT ON THE INSIDE I WANTED HER ASS DEAD EVERYDAY AND WELL... you all know im never in the loop with things and had no fucking clue that she was just the antichrist for an entire group of people lol. SHE WAS MY ANTICHRIST THO. I HATED HER AND SHE HATED ME OKAY AND IM LIKE RODF SEEING HOW SHES ON THE FUCKING HETALIA ICEBERG I WAS LIKE OMG.... I THOUGHT ONLY I FUCKING DESPISED HER

[elftwink]

been learning to play ironsworn (gritty fantasy ttrpg which you can play with a gm but is mostly suited for solo or small group co-op gmless play) after having the rulebook pdf for several years (stars finally aligned to remove invisible thing blocking me from reading it idk) because i'm on another solo ttrpg kick & i don't know what took me so long to get around to this game because it genuinely is exactly what i was looking for. years ago when i was playing through solo 5e modules i should have just been playing ironsworn (believe it or not, 5e isn't very suited to solo play and is extremely clunky when you try lol).

also though i have dabbled in some other solo ttrpgs, a considerable amount of them are journaling games which is fun but imo considerably more work (usually by the time i'm a quarter of the way through the journal entry, i know how to entire scene played out and i want to move on to the next gameplay thing, so i get frustrated and bored quickly. it feels like when you solve a level in a video game but don't have the coordination to pull off the necessary move so you have to spend 20 extra minutes doing something you already figured out), so i really appreciate like not needing to write something for the game to progress (ive been taking notes for my own record since im playing solo and thus am not really out loud roleplaying the way you do in a group, but i definitely could do that instead and not take notes and the game would still function perfectly)

& ive been playing by myself but also in the past ive played a lot of ttrpgs in very small groups which has been other games but is mostly dnd and like. we also should have been playing ironsworn so that having a gm was not necessary. have definitely played games where we had to adapt the rules soooo much to do something that is just base game included in ironsworn. plus it's rules-light enough to do pretty complex moves that pose difficulties in bulkier games (ever introduced someone to dnd and they tell you they want to do a sick backflip and catch something and then attack and you have to tell them that will require several different consecutive rolls and some creative liberties with how the rules are 'supposed' to let you move? you can just Do That in ironsworn. use the strike move and describe it. done!)

the one thing is that although it's rules-light enough to theoretically play any setting or genre (some with more difficulty than others), ive found so far that like... the grittiness and sense of threat is very built into the mechanics so that would be sort of difficult to work around or change (but i think it's great from a game design perspective). what i mean is like, okay: you start with 5 max hp. there isn't really a way to raise this max hp, you just slowly gain abilities (assets) that make you less likely to have to lose the hp in the first place, or that make it easier to recover. when you encounter foes, you rank them on a scale of 1 -5, and enemies on the lowest side of this scale do one harm to you, while enemies on the highest side do five harm to you. so even though encountering an epic enemy won't always be deadly due to the assets you have, they are ALWAYS capable of taking you down to 0 hp with one good hit. so the feeling of threat is much more present compared to games where your character starts to be able to just tank and push through a failure or huge threat.

admittedly also i'm playing solo, im still learning how to balance combat, and also i built a character who has NO combat talents and iron (the close quarters fighting stat) is one of my lowest stats so i personally am under much more threat than if you built a character who knew how to fight or who could do deadly harm. but also the other thing about combat is it's extremely difficult to maintain control of the fight; you have to score a strong hit to do it on basically all moves, and there's a really limited pool of moves available when you don't have the initiative, and obviously none of them really favour you. i don't know that this makes combat genuinely more difficult, but it does make you feel like the fight is always about to spiral out of your control. every second you let it drag without decisive action feels like it brings you closer to dying. like i said, this is a feature of the game design and not a problem in any way. just thinking about it because when i was initially learning i was going to try to supplant it into a homebrew fantasy world of my own but the tone just wouldn't be right. and that it is somewhat difficult to replicate the kind of worlds that i typically play or run for dnd, which tend to lean somewhat sillier and definitely much higher fantasy

but i like to try new things and tbh especially in dnd i find that i very rarely feel that sense of threat and when i do feel it, it has nothing at all to do with the actual mechanics and reality of the combat and everything to do with how well the dm sells it to me and makes it sound and feel scary and dangerous. which is a testament to what a good gm can do for you but i do appreciate the threat feeling more built-in and also being actually real.

[hexastitchimera]

Hey folks, got another something to consider here, especially in regards to the safety of minors in adult spaces.

Let me preface:

I started off with having computer access as early as 4 years old. Granted, it was purely on the children's games my parents would set up for me on the living room computer, and I didn't even know how to click because all the games required was you hovering over your choice with your cursor.

However, because I was thick in the nest of neglect- what with one of my parents working constant, back-to-back overtime, the other unable to give a damn- this set me up for catastrophe.

To play Devil's Advocate, both of my parents were immigrants who still, to this day, struggle with their own Internet usage because they just don't understand the severe consequences and ramifications of putting things online. Their home cultures didn't even HAVE the kind of tech Americans in the 70s-90s had, due to war, poverty, and manipulated economy.

It was only when they immigrated that they realized computers weren't exclusively for Westerners, and for the few scientists/politicians in their countries lucky enough to be entrusted.

However, there is no denying that, without parental supervision nor adult attention, I sought out what I needed elsewhere. What was more convenient than having that at the push of a button?

Just like them, I didn't know better.

Unlike them, it was because I was a child.

Because I was a child, unfortunately, I was ripe for the picking. You name it, I lived it. All the way down to almost being trafficked, by the same person who had been thick in primary school when I wasn't even born yet.

Thankfully, times are different now, and awareness of these issues has never been more prevalent. There are helplines, in-school education on Internet safety and abuse, and then some.

In addition, many adults- myself included- don't feel comfortable engaging in minor-targeted spaces, let alone with minors period.

Whether it's out of respect, out of traumatic experience, or other reasons, it doesn't matter as long as it isn't a harmful one (i.e "I hate kids", which yes, IS considerably harmful, as someone who heard such constantly as a child and thus felt less safe to tell adults about the abuse).

This leaves us adults to create our own spaces, where we often do and say things that are adult-oriented. Again, this is perfectly fine, as long as there is no harm coming from it.

What is not fine is how- despite the abundance of awareness and caution- there are minors who will sadly undergo a repeat of the cycle in our spaces. All despite the prevalent messaging of "keep minors out of adult spaces," and how many of us adults have some form of "Minors DNI" on our pages.

Again, having been there myself, I completely understand that neglect of ANY kind can make one look to the outside world instead of further into their unreliable inside group. Being alone, or even isolated/sheltered, is an inherently anti-social experience that our social animal brains cannot handle without succumbing to dissociation, "acting out," etc.

As children especially, we are wired to rely on adult attention for survival, and we do experience extreme psychological distress when that necessity isn't met.

Nevertheless, it truly is imperative for minors to understand the following:

Adults on the Internet will NEVER be a safe replacement for your own parents, families, guardians, teachers, etc.

Even if an adult is well-intentioned and otherwise on their best behaviour, there is no guarantee that their friends are the same. Digital abuse can, and does, often start by proxy, especially in fandoms.

We created these adult spaces to keep YOU safe. It is not an exclusive club that we are gatekeeping you from. You can join of your own accord once you're 18 or over.

This isn't to victim blame, nor to shame minors for seeking out what they should have been given since they were born.

There is a reason why it's up to adults to check ages, to make sure their age-restricted servers are watertight (which they never can be, so long as someone out there is being dishonest about their age/ID), and to avoid privately messaging minors period.

All the same, it's also up to minors to learn how to keep themselves safe. Not to the point of paranoia- you too will be an adult one day- but to the point of being able to protect yourself as both child and adult.

After all, predation doesn't stop once a fawn has grown into a deer, and adult protective services exist for good reason.

So, instead, minors ought to:

Seek out well-moderated spaces that are curated for minors with the safety of minors in mind (note: avoid self-proclaimed youth cults like the plague).

Learn what makes a safe friend and an unsafe one (i.e learn about the signs of abuse).

Never be afraid to block anyone who gives you The Ick (i.e gut feeling), especially if they're an adult or otherwise age ambiguous.

If someone makes you feel unsafe, tell a moderator ASAP, or simply block + report them. If you aren't taken seriously, escalate to their supervisor, and even go straight to the top if need be.

And 5., the most important:

If someone has committed a crime against you, DO NOT POST IT ONLINE, EVEN TO WARN OTHERS. REPORT TO YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY ASAP.

If you do so and THEN go to the authorities, you will either not be taken seriously due to perceived ulterior motives on your part (ex. your post gaining significant external attention), or you could get into legal trouble yourself if failure to report and/or smear laws exist in your country.

As well, if you do report it- whether or not you're taken seriously, they have to make a case file by law and you must enforce your right to as much- the authorities will pick up on the pattern if ANOTHER victim makes their own report, and will hopefully escalate the situation then.

You can still denounce the actions and inactions of your local authorities, and use their services in a time of duress because they are the ONLY authority that has the resources to do something about it. You are not a hypocrite for keeping yourself safe and alive, and it's not your fault that alternative options do not exist.

-

Though it always is up to adults to be responsible around minors, only YOU can curate your own Internet experience.

The block button is your bestest friend.

Use it well and use it often.

Cheers, thanks for reading, and be safe. 💜

[averlym]

whshdfhfjf.,,,

[words-be-upon-ye]

There are a couple tropes I really love in the space of Miraculous Ladybug fan works, but quite possibly my favorite is when the miraculous holders just get creature from using their powers.

Like yeah, I would say that hosting the power of an abstract concept given sentience, that got shoved into the shape of an animal and bound to a piece of jewelry, would kinda mess with your body a bit.

The little bit of this we get in canon is basically that Adrien loves being a cat and the whole Tikki munches incident.

But I love it when people give them ears and wings and tails, give them eyes that aren't quite human anymore. Fuck with their gender and their sense of body. Sometimes it's body horror, sometimes it's just aesthetic. Love it either way.

I just think it's so fun, a lot of the time it's combined with the like "when a holder and the kawami really respect and bond with each other there's nothing that can be done except having magic bleed into the holder" I think that's fun, but also just making the animal of the kwami a bigger deal is fun. Like if you're going to make it a ladybug you might as well give her wings and antenna and mirrored eyes.