#Amazing art is afoot

[bitmeddler]

BY JOVE, this is so absolutely jaw-droppingly incredible!!! Your art is so, so, SO spectacular and it’s just beyond amazing to see the boys in their Victorian garb. The deerstalker, coat and magnifying glass just suit Hermann so well and I love Newt's pipe, vest and shirt… put that man in a vest all the time!!! The 221B and the lamp and the LETTERS! Is Hermann examining a piece of evidence… or could it be one of Newt’s letters?!?!?! All while Newt is examining HIM. Thank you so much for this incredible art and I’m so excited that you’re excited for this story and I can’t wait to share more of it.

Hermann Gottlieb: Consulting Detective

Category + Rating: M/M (Mature)

Relationships: Newton Geiszler / Hermann Gottlieb  (Pacific Rim)

Tags: 

Alternate Universe - Sherlock Holmes setting but with Pacific Rim characters; Alternate Universe - Historical; Alternate Universe - Victorian; Alternate Universe - Detectives; First Meetings; Developing Relationship; Passionate and Fascinating Exchange of Letters; Slow Build; Slow Burn; Getting Together; Pining; Falling In Love; Eventual Relationships; Mystery; Murder Mystery; Action/Adventure; Adventure & Romance; 221B Baker Street; Eventual Happy Ending

Summary: When Hermann Gottlieb, the world’s only consulting detective, receives a letter from American doctor Newton Geiszler, their correspondence sparks the joint investigation of a series of happenings that take them into the fog shrouded world of the capital’s criminal underbelly. A Pacific Rim adventure mystery set in the gas-lit streets of Victorian London.

The First Arc: Chapter One: Prelude: The Arrival of the American Doctor

Chapter Summary: Dr. Newton Geiszler arrives to London from America to meet his correspondent of three years, Hermann Gottlieb.

[zzztlk]

hey is the demon (radel?) just seriously trying “fix” nat’s life or is something more sinister afoot? Alsoooooooo! I love your art style and the colors so much it lends energy to scenes very well. The demon design is amazing too!

Ty! And It's meant to be ambiguous— is it a feel good story about Nat discovering unconditional love in an unlikely place or are you just watching a demon break down the walls of its vessel by appealing to her emotional vulnerabilities? You decide!

[unreadpoppy]

A Noble Beast

Minthara centric fic (with a side of Minthara x Tav)

Summary: Minthara is no stranger to her companions' distrust, but when an unseen enemy preys on the uneasiness between them, the consequences may be severe.

My contribution for the BG3 Women's Wrongs zine

A/N: tw: animal death

This is the fic I wrote for the @bg3womenswrongs, way back in September. During that time, my dog, Malta, got extremely sick and unfortunetly, passed away, which served in part as inspiration for this. I think I'm still grieving her.

Shout out to @inaconstantstateofchange for beta reading this fic 🩷

ps: @viina-art did some amazing spot art for this fic, you can check it out here

word count: 2,527

Minthara first began to notice how strangely Halsin had been acting a week before, while they were out in the city, buying supplies. 

She’d never expected them to be friends, but the two had achieved a somewhat mutual understanding. Minthara did not bother him and he did not bother her. 

But that day, as she waited for Galatea - the group's de facto leader - and Astarion, to finish their shopping, Halsin came up behind her and whispered so delicately, she almost believed it was a trick of the mind. 

“You do not belong here,” he said. “The others will soon see who you truly are. They do not want you here.” 

She scowled. “Mind your tongue, darthiir, before I rip it out.” 

Halsin smirked. “Oh, but you wouldn’t dare.”

Her nostrils flared. “Is that a challenge?” 

“No. It is a fact. If you were to hurt me, who would the others believe more? The druid, who has always lent a helping hand, or the vengeful drow, born and bred in betrayal?”  

Minthara frowned, straightening her back and examining his eyes closely. There was something…perverse in them. As Halsin was not infected by a tadpole, Minthara could not reach his mind, but her instinct told her something was afoot. 

The same instinct that had told her to trust the outstretched hand of Galatea.

Her first thought was to bring it up to the others, but it quickly perished. Minthara would not throw baseless accusations with only her intuition as proof, and even if she did, the rest of the party would call her paranoid. Although she knew that Galatea would trust her judgment, she would not risk the two of them losing the artifact’s protection.

Minthara took a deep breath. “Meditate with one eye open, druid. I do not give my enemies a chance to strike against me.” 

Halsin said nothing, as his mouth twisted into a sardonic smile, giving Minthara an unreadable look before turning his attention elsewhere. 

.

It was evening, and the camp was quiet as Minthara laid on the hammock inside her tent. Almost everyone had gone into the city, but she had elected to stay behind, citing injuries from their last battle.

Surrounded by silence, she contemplated her current situation, as she entered a state of trance. Halsin wasn't the only one who had been acting increasingly strangely towards her. 

There had always been an invisible barrier between the party and Minthara. She remembered hearing their concern when she first joined camp, fearing she would act against them at any point. Even after weeks of traveling together, she could still sense a distrust. Whether in camp or in battle, they were distant from her. She thought back to their last battle. Minthara had been cornered by their enemies. She had looked at Shadowheart for assistance but the cleric had hesitated, only moving after she had already been struck. 

This rankled Minthara. She never expected them to be friends - nor did she particularly want to be - but how would they defeat the cult of the Absolute with so much distrust between them? 

And she knew who was causing this - Halsin. 

She had seen how he would whisper in the others’ ears, things she could not hear, but judging from how they would look at her, it was nothing good. He had also begun to bring up the Grove more, even in casual conversation, and he'd remind everyone what Minthara's original plans were. Afterwards, she'd see the way they all looked at each other, shifting in their seats.

At the very least, Galatea trusted her — a fact she was grateful for. The two had grown intimately close since Moonrise Towers, and although their relationship was still fresh, Minthara knew that the tiefling valued her presence, and as long as she did, Minthara would be safe. 

During that time, when she was feeling ostracized, Minthara had often found herself playing with Scratch. At first, she thought the dog to be a lowly beast, a mongrel who only followed them for food, but he ended up growing on her. 

Scratch, unlike many, was loyal. Though such a concept was uncommon and even despised in the Underdark, it was a trait Minthara had found herself admiring as of late, and she soon found that Scratch, a dog who had originally attacked the group for getting too close to its master’s body, was less likely to turn on her than some of her so called companions. 

When she was lonely, he’d run to her with his ball in his mouth, placing it at her feet, ears perked in a hopeful request. 

Minthara would indulge him, grabbing the ball and throwing it far. He’d run to it, and bring it back to her. A simple thing, but Scratch's enthusiasm for it lifted her spirits, a reluctant smile growing on her face as his tail wagged happily.

Her meditation was interrupted by the sound of Scratch’s bark. Immediately, Minthara sprung into action, grabbing a nearby weapon, prepared to ward off any intruders in the camp. Instead, she saw Scratch growling at Halsin, showing the druid his teeth, as the elf looked at him with disgust. 

When Halsin raised his fist, Minthara shouted Scratch’s name, grabbing their attention. She walked towards them, her weapon still in hand, and the dog quickly ran to her side. 

“Look at how he goes to his mistress.” Halsin sneered at him. “So obedient, so subservient. Did she tell you to attack me?” 

Scratch barked, and Minthara moved to stand between the two. 

“Keep your bloody mutt in check,” Halsin growled. “Before I find a way to silence him for good.” 

Minthara raised a brow. “Surprising that a druid such as yourself would be so bothered by a dog. Was it not a greater beast that gave you those scars?” 

“Yes. But the owlbear who did it is no longer in this world. I will not be provoked by any beast, great or small.”

Minthara’s eyes squinted. “You mean the bear who did it. I recall you saying it was a female bear who attacked you.” 

Halsin’s jaw clenched. “You probably misheard it. It was an owlbear.” 

Minthara did not reply. A moment passed, the two staring at each other, before Minthara took a step back and left, Scratch following behind. Neither of them relaxed until the druid was well out of sight. 

.

The following night, Minthara sat by the campfire, cleaning her weapons, still seething as she  remembered the woman from the Couriers, who’d claimed Scratch was hers. After she’d demanded the dog to be returned to her, Minthara had almost snapped her neck, the action only stopped by Galatea using her silver tongue to deceive the woman. 

“I didn’t realize you cared that much for Scratch.” Galatea said now, standing close by with her arms loosely crossed. 

“He is a noble beast,” Minthara responded. “And loyal - a quality many lack. It would have been foolish to betray him, to leave him with that bitch. Scratch belongs with us.” 

Galatea nodded. “I agree.”

A moment of silence passed between the two when Galatea said, “You know, he reminds me of you.” 

Minthara lifted an eyebrow. “Are you calling me a dog?” 

“No,” the tiefling shook her head, chuckling. “I just mean that you two are similar in how you act. Protective, caring, loyal.” 

Minthara opened her mouth to reply when a scream rang from across camp. Immediately, the two women ran towards the sound. 

In the barn where the owlbear cub typically slept, Shadowheart was kneeling, crying over…

Minthara caught a glimpse of white fur and felt an unfamiliar dread rising in her stomach. 

“Shadowheart? What’s wrong?” Galatea asked. 

“Look at him!” She stood up, pointing to the ground. The others arrived just as she did, all met with the sight of Scratch’s limp body, his eyes open but unmoving

Dead. 

From the corner of her eye, Minthara saw Karlach put a hand to her mouth, a curse falling from her lips as she cried, while Wyll hugged her from the side in comfort.

But her attention was quickly drawn back to Scratch, and she felt a sudden pain inside of her. 

She scowled. It was strange. She had seen death before, even of those she loved. She had killed lovers and held them in their final moments, and even in those moments she had not felt…this. This sudden empty feeling, the same as when a child loses its first spider. Minthara despised this feeling. 

Shaking her head, she stepped closer, and put a hand to Scratch’s fur. What was once warm and welcoming was now cold. Scratch should not be this cold. She petted his head, as she would normally do, and she felt her skin prickle with the strange sensation of something wet on her face. 

Tears. It was almost odd. How long had it been since she last cried?

Minthara quickly wiped them away, and stood up. Galatea's cold hand rested gently on her back,

“Are you alright?” The tiefling asked. 

“I-”

“How could you?” Halsin interjected suddenly, directing a furious look at Minthara. 

“Excuse me?” 

“You fool no one with this act. You know what you did, drow.” He turned to the rest of the group, grabbing Scratch’s dog bowl. “I saw you putting something in Scratch’s bowl.”

“It was his food.” Minthara said flatly.

“But that wasn't all, was it?” He handed the object to Shadowheart. “You’re a cleric. See if there’s anything wrong with it.” 

She looked between them, brow furrowed, before she muttered a prayer and passed her hand over the bowl, which still held some scraps of food. There was a faint yellowish glow on the food, and on Scratch’s muzzle. 

“It…it’s poison. His food was poisoned.” Shadowheart concluded and all eyes turned to Minthara, a grim accusation building within them. 

Minthara’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Halsin. “How dare you.” She bit out in a low voice, before turning to the rest of the group. “His accusations are false. I would not have intentionally hurt Scratch, much less take his life.”

“She lies.” Halsin declared. “You cannot believe her words.” 

“But…but why would she do it?” Karlach asked. 

“For the same reason she would have attacked the grove, child. Because she can.” 

“I have to agree.” Astarion chimed in. “We have all seen how ruthless Minthara is.If anything, I'm surprised it's taken her this long to get fed up with playing nice.”

“You know that’s not true,” Galatea defended. “Minthara never-”

“Would she not?” He scoffed. “You are too blinded by infatuation to see the truth. Minthara would sacrifice all of us to get what she wanted. At least I own up to my kills.” 

Soon enough, the situation devolved to a shouting match. Accusations were thrown from all sides, calling Minthara a monster, a cold and calculating murderer. Galatea continued to protest, with Karlach and even Gale chiming in as well, but everyone else kept pointing fingers at her. 

Minthara stayed silent, as her gaze shifted between Scratch and Halsin, trying to understand what had happened. It was when the druid caught her gaze, his mouth twisting into a sinister smirk, that it all clicked. 

“Orin.” Minthara uttered, the word ringing with iron fury. The druid’s smirk grew, stretching and warping unnaturally as his skin melted away to reveal the Chosen of Bhaal. 

“You spoil my fun. I was going to enjoy watching as they tore you into precious pieces I could gift to my dear father.” Orin sighed, pouting insincerely. “At least I still have your druid to content myself with.” She laughed, twisting the ring in her finger and in a flash of light, she was gone, leaving them to the chaos in her wake. 

Silence rang across camp, as though no one dared to speak for a long moment. Looks were exchanged, heads shook in shame and guilt as the truth of the matter sunk in. 

Minthara walked towards Scratch, picking up his body, ignoring the others muttered regrets and attempted apologies

“Don’t apologize.” She said, back turned to them as she grabbed a shovel. “It is far too late for that now.” 

. 

Minthara chose to bury Scratch in a spot not too far from camp, in a wooded space that had been the site of more than one game of fetch. The effort left Minthara sweaty and covered in dirt when Galatea found her sitting on the ground, back resting against a tree.

Minthara chose to stay awake, looking at the fire she’d built to keep her company. Soon, Galatea joined her, sitting besides her on the floor. 

“Thank you.” Minthara said. “For trusting me, even when others didn’t.” 

Galatea held her hand and nodded. “Always. Though, I apologize for what happened.” 

Minthara shook her head. “There’s no point in doing so.” She sighed. “I expected this would happen.” 

Galatea frowned. “How?” 

“I grew up in Menzoberranzan. Betrayal is as normal as breathing.”

“But this isn’t the Underdark.” 

“Is it not? Spinning a web of lies to sow chaos is exactly the type of thing Lolth would be proud of.” She scoffed. “I do not need them to like me, but seeing as we share the same goal, a certain level of trust was expected.” She shook her head. “My freedom depends on the Prism to ward off the Absolute’s influence. I would not risk losing that with betrayal, even if it’s what others believe of me.” 

Minthara closed her eyes. “Halsin had been acting strangely. I should have known it was her. I should have told you my suspicions.” 

Galatea frowned. “Then why didn’t you?” 

“I…don’t know.” She answered honestly. “I feared no one would believe me, and my suspicions would be regarded as baseless accusations.” Minthara paused and took a deep breath. “I hesitated and now…” she didn’t finish her sentence, as her gaze turned to where Scratch was buried.  

That unfamiliar ache from before bloomed in her chest again, as she thought of Scratch. “He knew it was Orin.” Minthara whispered, a stray tear falling down her cheek. Galatea gently wiped it away as Minthara spoke. “He barked at her, and that’s when I knew it wasn’t Halsin. And still, I hesitated.” Her jaw clenched, as she took a deep breath. “I do not care that the others don’t trust me, but for them to believe I would ever hurt Scratch…” 

She looked away from Galatea, her next words coming in a helpless murmur. "Why would they think I killed the dog? I liked the dog."

The two stayed silent, looking at the moon, when Minthara finally stood up. 

“I hesitated once and Scratch died for it. I will not make the same mistake again.” She grabbed the shovel, and began marching towards camp, Galatea following behind. 

Entering her tent, she said, “Tomorrow, we will go after her, and when we do find her, I will kill Orin. Then, and only then, will I smile.” Her fists were clenched and she looked at Galatea. “Are you with me?” 

She nodded, eyes firm. “Yes.” 

“Good. For I will not know peace until Orin is dead.”

[memeapple2]

Things I've said to my dalmatian part 2

"Jesus tap dancing chirst, why are you so full of farts!?"

"You're no boxer! Stop trying to hit me with your BIG MEATY PAWS!"

"If you keep acting up I'm calling cruella on your ass! Yes I am! Yes I am! She'll turn you into a nice hat and scarf."

"GET OFF MY BOOBS! GET OFF MY BOOBS!! YOU'RE TOO LARGE TO LAY ON MY CHEST!!!"

"Your nose looks like a little black olive."

"Are you giving me a peice of your mind? With a head that big you have a lot of mind to give, and then some."

"Why are you glittery!? What the fuck was glittery that you could have possibly gotten into in the back yard!? What in the 5th grade arts and crafts project is this bullshit!?"

"Stop with the old yell and scream™️. It's three in the morning I wanna sleeeep!!!"

"ALRIGHT LISTEN HERE BOB SPONGE ME BOY!!!"

"SAVE ME BUNGHOLE!!"

"Please stop picking on the poor senior citizen."

"You're bulit like an oreo roll my guy."

"In another life, I'm pretty sure you were someone's weird uncle or creepy neighbor."

"Really!? Tell me about it! Use your words! Spill the tea big guy!!!"

"Your grunts make you sound like John DiMaggio."

"Bicycle seat headass!!"

"You're so majestic and beautiful but you're also a gross stinky lad at the same time! Amazing!!"

"People on the internet think you're very handsome! They're right beacuse you're the most handsome boy out there!"

"Oh my god! It's a real life silly goose! A silly Billy! Sillyam William!!"

"YEEEES!!! KIIIIIIIIILLLLLL!!!"

"Go my evil minion! Attack and dethrone god!!"

"Your eyeliner is always on point dude!!!"

"Can I please work on writing? Pretty please? You're lucky you have pretty privilege, beacuse I'd fire you as my writing assistant!"

"Wow that sure is a huge vomit stain on the carpet! Golly gee, how did that get there? I know I didn't leave it there. This sure is a mystery and half, ain't it!?"

"Dude the deer aren't even paying attention to you! Stop trying to yell at them!"

"Dude you have issues! You have clear issues! A malfunction in the junction!"

"I sense bastardry afoot!"

"What's that smell? It smells like BITCH in here!"

"Look, it's famous internet celebrity PearHead!!!"

"You didn't just kill lambchop, this is a whole ass lambchop massacre! This shit is straight out of a horror movie!!"

"MY PEANUTBUTTER SANDWICH! YOU BITCH!!"

"Did you just hit an Ariana note????"

"Part cow! Part dog! All cop!!!"

""Bark bark woof" to you, mister!"

"You're weird, you're strange, you don't wanna fit in!"

[queerwolf79]

Dean Winchester and the Spellbinding (Literally) Senior Year

Title: Dean Winchester and the Spellbinding (Literally) Senior Year

Author: @queerwolfsstuff

Artist: @rezal-art

Link to Story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55897192/chapters/141938545

Link to Art Masterpost: https://www.tumblr.com/rezal-art/750715243331715072/art-masterpost-for-dean-winchester-and-the

Rating: Teen and Up

Tags: Supernatural/Harry Potter Crossover, Set During Year Four, Re-write of Goblet of Fire, Canon Divergent, Wizard Dean Winchester from Ilvermorny, Wizard Castiel from Durmstrang, First Kiss, Action/Adventure, Romantic Comedy, Krum Who?, Dean Winchester and Cedric Diggory Bromance, The Triwizard Tournament from a Spectator’s Perspective, Hermione Gets the Respect She Deserves, Satirical Commentary, Queer and Trans Friendly Hogwarts 

Summary:

Dean Winchester, a senior from Ilvermorny, a wizarding school in Massachusetts, will be the first American student to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as part of a newly implemented Foreign Exchange program. And what a year to do so! With the return of the ill-fated and once banned Triwizard Tournament, and an extended invitation to two other European wizarding schools, Dean is going to learn more than just Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts in his final year. There is something dastardly afoot! Someone has tampered with the Goblet of Fire, naming Harry Potter, an underaged, famous wizard as one of the Champions magically bound to compete in the dangerous tournament. What was supposed to be Dean’s coast year before college is soon going to test him more than a final exam ever could. With the help of some new friends, and a dark-haired, blue-eyed wizard with a Russian accent, Dean plans to find out what is really happening within the halls of Hogwarts.

Notes: Many thanks to the mods of the @cdrcrossoverbang and my amazing artist @rezal-art! This literally wouldn't have happened without you!

If you decide to give this fic a shot, I hope you enjoy it!

*As a gender non-conforming person, I want to say any and all research done was without use of official sources that would benefit the source creator.

[oraclekleo]

Pick-A-Pile: Your self-healing status message

Hello and welcome to Kleo’s really quick Pick-A-Pile reading.

This time I have short messages for you regarding your self-healing process and progress. 

This is a timeless general reading so pick what resonates with you and dismiss the rest.

Disclaimer:

Don’t base life decisions purely on tarot readings

Tarot isn’t an exact science, your life is in your hands

I can never guarantee any of what’s said in the reading

Feedback: Feedback is very important for content creators and for me it’s even more important. Please, let me know whether the tarot readings resonate. If there’s anything you dislike or find off about my readings (like wording, topics, focus), just tell me. I don’t want you to write 1000-word feedback, very simple comments will do for me to stay motivated. I don’t know why I have to keep repeating this but this is something I do for you, guys, and when I don’t feel motivated to do tarot readings, I have many other things to do. The more motivation I get, the more readings you will get to read. The logic is very simple but it’s two sided.

🌸🌸🌸

Pile 01

You have been hurt and it still gives you pain. You might even feel left out or ostracised by others, maybe you have outgrown your friends or your soul family. Maybe somebody mistreated you repeatedly. Or maybe you mistreated yourself and didn’t listen to your own voice.

That needs to stop now. You are advised to cut ties with those who are toxic in your life, with projects that go nowhere and your own doubts about yourself. Forgiveness is the gift you give to yourself not to others. Let go of the past and allow your healing to start.

You are your own healer. Pamper yourself, build your self-esteem, become the person you always wanted to be. This is your time to steal the spotlight, to let people know how amazing a person you are. Don’t worry you will be alone when you get rid of the toxic people. Show yourself to the world and the right people will come to you. You are attractive, you are worth it, you are well prepared to embrace your own beauty and you deserve sweetness in your life. Your soultribe is out there but they will never find you if you don’t take the risk and present yourself. Start small, go for a walk and start a small talk with a dog walker perhaps (praise the dog, we dog lovers love other people praising our pets, you can’t say anything wrong as long as you say something nice about our dog, it’s the easiest way to actually start talking to a stranger), join a gym and make friends there, or join a group chat or online community based on your interest, become a creator of content and attract like-minded people into your life. The first step is the hardest one but believe you are ready to start!

🌸🌸🌸

Pile 02

Congratulations to you, dear Pile 2! You are mostly done with your healing, the cycle is over, you have made you are ready to make the next step. Your own soul is mended and fixed, your heart is overflowing, your life is on track (more or less).

It’s time for you to shift from self-healing to giving. You have a new interest or even basking in the light of the loving gaze of your new sweetheart. You have found your tribe, your soul family, there are people deeply attached to you and you are attached to them. You can now start creating something amazing together, be it a project, art, adventure, home or family.

This is all awesome but keep in mind to stay balanced and fair. Make sure your boundaries are respected, make sure your progress is not done at others’ expense. Be loyal and dependable but don’t let others abuse your kindness. You’re in a good place now but that doesn’t mean you are immune to heartaches.

🌸🌸🌸

Pile 03

The game is afoot, the healing and transformation has begun for you. Does it feel scary to face the past traumas and hurts within you, process them and let them go? Nobody said the healing process is easy. You might need a lot of strength and courage to deal with your spiritual baggage. Maybe you’re still carrying some difficult karma with you as well. 

However, the power of transformation and growth is in your hands, the seeds of happiness, love and abundance are already present in the fertile soil of your soul. Tend them and be generous. Make a plan for your future. What kind of person do you want to become through this healing? Start planning the steps to achieve your goals and dreams. Be ready to face challenges, overcome obstacles and accept assistance from the universe. If you are open to embrace the support, it will come to you like a healing summer rain, washing all the dust of your past away and leaving you feeling all fresh and rejuvenated. Your own inner power to reinvent yourself and restart your life is infinite. Once you know what your goal is, the path unfolds in front of you. Don’t be hesitant to accept help when it presents itself to you. This is your healing but nobody says you have to do all the labour by yourself. If you feel stuck with an issue, seek guidance and assistance from those who can provide it.

🌸🌸🌸

I hope you found something useful in this reading, let me know your thoughts and opinions.

Thank you for participating and be blessed regardless of the level of healing you are currently at.

Kleo 🦄

[weepysheepie]

retro-style free games on itch.io 💿

retrofab - retrofab is a collection of many MANY (seriously a lot!) retro game consoles throughout the years (1993-2006) from around the world (japan, russia, america). here's a quote from their page, "RetroFab is a new online collection of vintage electronic game simulations that can be played in the browser."

Pico World Race - "Pico World Race is a fast paced racing game for PICO-8. Get in your supercar and take a trip around the world, testing your driving skills on challenging circuits against a host of opponents."

Lost in Translation - So cute!! Pokemon adjacent art style with adorable aliens! "Help Rosetta Stone, an agent of the Alien Language Preservation Society, overcome the language barrier and write a complete dictionary of the Thesauri language. Listen to what the citizens of Thesaurus have to say and try to deduce the meaning of their speech from context."

Sheep in Wolf's Clothing - SO ADORABLE!! Amazing art and great story! "'Sheep in Wolf's Clothes' is a short  interactive visual novel (?), where you collect sheeps that got stolen."

Picokaiju - "You are one big monster with an appetite for destruction. This turn-based rogue-like PICO-8 game is all about that stomping, smashing, grabbing, and chomping your way through a procedurally generated hapless city and its tiny citizens."

Make-A-Friend - "Meet Nathan, a lonesome middle-schooler who's been given a seven-step ritual guaranteed to make friends. If the man in the cream suit is to be believed, it only takes some clay, some candles, and a small mammal. The only catch: he has to find those things in his own room."

Shooty and the Catfish Episode 1 - "Welcome to the world of Nimbin, a world full of strange characters and even stranger characters. Shooty and Zaat are a team dedicated to solving mysterious monster mysteries, for a price of course, as much as they love what they do they cant do it just for the love ya know. In todays episode a call comes in from a mushroom mining town called Grit where strange things are definitely afoot!"

Dead Function - "Gonner Hills Cemetery has been overrun with evil spirits, zombies and the weird locals! The only hope for ridding the cemetery of this spooky threat is some random kid with psychic powers!"

Aconite (Beta) - "He's a middle-schooler, and his dream is to be friends with everyone in his class (and eventually with the whole school!) 

Momo approaches the new days and new people with a smile and endless optimism. But it turns out that it's not enough to make friends with everyone. Especially when your longtime friend has moved to your school and doesn't like your new friends...

Aconite is a game about friendship, sincerity, and trust. It's about how the world is a much more complicated place than you thought.

And how okay it is not to be happy all the time."

Hauntsfield - "Oh no! Someone has stolen all the pumpkins from your farm, and the Hauntsfield festival is tomorrow! Get to know the townsfolk and try to get the pumpkins back in time..."

[fortheloveofarchons]

Neuvillette bakes some macarons for the others...

Inspired by @onaxart_ on Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter!

Go check her out and give her a follow, her art is amazing!!

C.W. - A Neuvi/Wrio ship - Characters such as Aether, Paimon and Sigewinne are included - Fluff and domestic fluff - Baking - Cookies - Mentioned Navia, Clorinde and Furina

.

.

In the cosy embrace of the kitchen, lies a white-haired man humming a tune while he decorates his cookies. From his many years spent in Fontaine as a human, one of the things he noticed was the evolution of desserts. Although the Chief Justice does not indulge in desserts, his keen sense of perception allows him to understand the joy of sweet food that indulges in human society. 

Rainbow Macarons, Coffee Bavarois, Pate de Fruit, Conch Madeleine, Fruity Trio, Blubber Profiterole, and Fontaine’s famous La Lettre a Focalors are truly artisan crafts in Fontainians’ kitchens. 

As a token of appreciation for the upcoming holiday where people give their friends, families, and lovers their own gift of love, Neuvillette wishes to adapt himself into this special day by making some rainbow macarons. He has heard that making desserts can be a special occasion for humans. It can be a sign that someone’s birthday was afoot, or perhaps a festival. As such, desserts held special places in humans’ hearts, for their dedicated baking was an act of love, a way to show that they were special and worth celebrating. 

Although Neuvillette does not understand how an individual could bring themselves to consume deep-fried foods like Fish and Chips, or oily food like Garlic Baguette, or even grilled food without a sauce to balance out the flavours. 

He’ll never forget those Charcoal-Baked Ajikenakh Cakes, the most dehumidifying food he has ever seen. Truly the worst culprit in the Chief Justice’s eyes! 

While he has heard that Miss Navia’s favourite hobby is making macarons and sharing them with the ones she cares deeply about, he could not possibly ask her for the recipe because he feels distant from her, as if he’s observing the starry night sky from the bottom of the deep lake. Even with Miss Navia’s apology for her emotional outburst and accusations of his cold-blooded heart, his heart still feels an uncomfortable tinge of guilt, for what has happened to her father. 

After all, human emotions are not like water. They do not settle quickly once agitated, nor do they naturally incline towards equilibrium. 

Perhaps, by making these human treats himself, could he understand more about the human experience of trying something new. He has been indulging himself in ceramics, perhaps baking would be something he would be interested in the future. 

With careful consideration, he decided that making cookies would be best instead of macarons. After putting the cookies on a tray, Neuvillette’s dark blue eyes sparkle as he watches the cookies slowly bake inside of the oven. While he waits for them to finish baking, he thinks about who he wishes to send the desserts to. 

One for Wriothesley, and of course, we can’t forget Sigewinne . His eyebrows knit as he remembers. The traveller and Paimon are no exception, and I mustn't leave out Miss Navia and Miss Clorinde. Unfortunately, I only made a small batch, so I don’t have enough to distribute to the Melusines and the others that have aided in preventing the prophecy… A shame. 

Ding! 

Oh, it’s done. 

~~~~~~

Aether didn’t know what the occasion was when Neuvillette invited him to the Fortress of Meropide. 

Did something happen? 

Why would Monsieur Neuvillette ask me to visit him in this place? 

Unless… Does this concern the Duke? 

Although his heart is certain that this letter would most likely involve Wriothesley, this was not what the traveller had expected when the white haired man gave him a small bag of heart-shaped cookies in Wriothesley’s office. 

“Monsieur Neuvillette, this is…” Aether blinks once, twice, and then looks down at his hands, staring at the colourful cookies made by the Chief Justice of Fontaine. Next to him, Paimon is practically drooling from her gifted bag as well, her eyes sparkling with joy from seeing such sweet delicacies in her tiny hands. 

“Well well,” Wriothesley holds the bag of heart-shaped cookies close to his face with one hand, his other hand resting on his waist, eyeing Neuvillette with a smirk. “I never thought that there would come the time where the Chief Justice of Fontaine would give us something sweet.”

“I…” Neuvillette coughs, then folds his arms defensively, making his stance. “I made them myself, and there is nothing wrong in indulging in human festivities.” 

That only made Wriothesley raise an eyebrow to him. 

Meanwhile, Sigewinne has already unwrapped her bag, her eyes widening at the sight of the pink and white cookies that nestled inside like precious jewels. Each one was a work of art, its smooth surface adorned with pink and white chocolate cream and delicate dustings of powdered sugar. 

“Can we eat it now?” Paimon flies down to look at Sigewinne’s bag, her excitement increases from smelling the freshly baked desserts. 

“Of course you can.” Neuvillette says, reaching a hand out for them to try. “Please, help yourself. I hope the flavour is to your liking.” 

Without hesitation, everyone slowly unwraps their own bag, and plucks out one of the cookies of the bag. While Aether, Paimon and Sigewinne happily take a bite, Wriothesley hesitates for a few seconds, looking down at his cookie...

[carlos-in-glasses]

Hii im so glad to hear you like my comments! at some point i worried i was being annoying lol. as for my writing its just been some drafts, i used to be into making visual poems and im gonna start doing em again! though i do also love to have little narrative pieces so im probably gonna rewrite some old stuff and maybe finally write some of the stories in my head! some of which ARE tarlos, i want kidding when i said its scary to read carlos fanfiction as a hispanic person, the steriotyping and bad spanish are REAL 💀 so ig ill try to be the change i wanna see and write some good carlos fics in the future LMAO. also! just wanted to say that in ur rythms fic carlos writing in both languages is such a mood, to me words flow easier in english but then i can get more poetic in spanish, wby? do you write in other languages? id love to hear abt ur process/what you like! ur writing is really amazing and just cozy? lol. hope you have a great day! ALSO yeah gringos dont really use wpp that much! crazy lmao

🐦‍⬛

🐦‍⬛ Hello!! Oh my goodness don't you worry - it's my absolute pleasure to receive feedback like yours! Amazing that you're going to get back into visual poetry!!! Poetry that you can SEE?!! Sounds brilliant. I could never. I love art. I love artists. It makes me so happy that there are so many different kinds of creatives in this fandom. It seems to me that if an arty-type discovers Tarlos...art will happen at some point. It's impossible to resist! ALSO so exciting that you have some narratave works afoot, including Tarlos fic!! I'm certainly relieved to hear that the Spanish in Rhythms rings true enough - I don't speak other languages, so honestly if the Spanish is decent it's a result of research and just trying really really hard to do right by the Reyes fam. I'm also cognisant to what 'poetry translation' actually means. A published translated poem is not literally word-for-word translated, but the meaning translated. I knew that Carlos writing a poem called The Wrestler in English wouldn't necessarily mean a Spanish poem called El Luchador, so it became El Angel. Because that (in my head) is indeed the added romance (as in actually romantic, not Rome) and poeticism that writing in Spanish brought to Carlos. English is a hard language in every sense. It's harsh. It's made up of aspects of many others. It can be beautiful but also ugly, but you can also get away with a pidgin version of it in a way you might not be able to with other languages. I kinda liked the idea of Carlos leaning into the ugliness of English and then turning the same concept into something else with Spanish, and leaning into how one thing can be two different things at the same time. Which is true of so much of life. But that's Carlos' process lol. Mine is more slapdash. I plan for all it's worth, but then writing goes off on a merry journey of its own and I have to wrangle it back. Imagine a string of pearls snapping and going everywhere, and scrabbling to scoop the pearls up. Imagine an orangutan eating the paint of an abacus. Imagine a golden retriever running downhill on an icy road. That is my brain. Also 'rules' about writing? Fuck 'em. Don't tell me not to use the words sigh and chuckle. Don't tell me not to use adverbs (oh adverbs my dearLY beloved). I will use whatever words the characters need in order to be themselves in the story I'm telling, and I will use everything in my broken and shy little soul to make them as real and loud as I can for the reader. I appreciate all fics that do the same - and I can feel it when they do. In fact, that's probably why I've found so many fics that I've LOVED so much more than actual books I've bought off the shelf. The warmth, the non-compliance, the experimentation, the absolute passion. I have a creative writing degree and masters specialising in poetry and fuck it, some of the best writing I've seen in my life is right here in the fandom.

Thank you for your kindness re. my writing and for finding it cosy!!!!!!! Amazing!!! And thank you for teaching me a thing or two about whatsapp. I confronted my friends @lemonlyman-dotcom and @thisbuildinghasfeelings about it after I saw your comment and I was like wtf do you mean Americans don't use it??? It's an American company???? and they were like....sorry??? And then explained the situation. Anyway, for about an hour I really couldn't accept nor face it. But I've calmed down now and you've reminded me I need to go back and edit. But then we lose the fun of Wrestling Whassuppp??? Which was a PLAY ON WORDS!!! Maybe I'll keep it anyway... ❤️

Me trying to explain my writing process:

[clanofjones]

Ghosts of Our Days (GoOD) Masterpost

Warning: Spoilers for TMNT 2012 are afoot!

What is GoOD?

Ghosts of Our Days is a TMNT 2012 fanfiction written in tandem by myself and @theosb0rnway. It centers on Casey and Raph, features Rasey, and takes place during and after the Season 4 episode 'Requiem'.

It features several character deaths (it's TMNT so some aren't exactly static) and extreme violence. Characters swear, and allusions to child abuse are present, as well as homophobia and transphobia, both internalized and not. It also features the deterioration of mental health and sanity, in-depth murder plans, lack of self-care, and gender dysphoria. (This section is subject to additions and changes.)

Summary:

When the battle against Super Shredder goes fatally wrong and Raphael pays the price, Casey is forced to go into hiding while plotting revenge against his newest foe. Despite abandoning the turtles, April, and his old life for secrecy, he's not as alone as he thinks he is... or is that just his newfound insanity?

Where can I find it?

I publish all chapters on Tumblr and Ao3.

Ao3 (slower updates)

Chapter One: Shredded Heart

Chapter Two: Iced Iced Baby

Chapter Three: Best Laid Murder Plans

Chapter Four: A Lover's Desperation

Chapter Five: The Ugly and Casey Jones

Chapter Six: So You're a Ghost Now - A Tutorial by Hamato Raphael

Chapter Seven: Death, Like Truth, Is Entirely Relative

Chapter Eight: Meanwhile in Tokyo

Chapter Nine: A Better Life is a Boring Life (TW: References/implications of child abuse)

Chapter Ten: Sleep is not Listed in the Plan of Casey Jones

Chapter Eleven: Two's a Company, Three's a Crime (TW: Homophobic language, semi graphic descriptions of the murder of a cop.)

Chapter Twelve: Assault and Amaze (Sex scene, warnings are placed, so dw)

Chapter Thirteen: Fire in a Denny's Parking Lot at Three AM (Referenced sex, nothing happens)

Chapter Fourteen: Murder Masquerade

Chapter Fifteen: I Have A Foot But No a Head: What Am I?

Asks?

Asks for Oz and I are open! No spoilers or info on future chapters, so don't ask or we are legally and morally obligated to give you a response that is hilarious to us and infuriating to you.

Art asks are also open! Just adhere to the rules of common decency, we reserve the right to refuse a request. Scene redraws are encouraged and probably taking up a good chunk of our own WIPs. Don't be afraid to ask!

Anything Else?

Assuming you read/enjoy the fic, any sort of support would be greatly appreciated!

All chapters, art (by myself, Oz, and others), and additional content will be tagged under the tags ' Ghosts of Our Days ' or ' GoOD '

If anyone would like a tag list to be tagged in all chapters, let me know and I will make one!

I hope you enjoy our brain child! :)

[alleiradayne]

In Baldur’s Gate, Dragons Dungeon You! | Art Master Post

An SPN/D&D mashup that can be read on its own or part of the greater series The Way Things Ought to Be.

On a quiet afternoon a week shy of Christmas, Dean is interrupted while poking through the news for a case. Someone is pounding on the  Bunker door. After a brief huddle with Sam and Castiel, they investigate to find Charlie on the other side, a box of books at her feet. She needs to use their archive for research and a place to stay while she does it. Of course, she's always welcome at the Bunker

After showing her to a room, Dean offers to help her unpack. He finds her collection of Dungeons & Dragons books in the box and asks to borrow one: Candlekeep Mysteries. Charlie offers to run one of the campaigns from the book, specifically, The Scrivener's Tale. And Dean, giddy as a school girl, rushes off to gather his party for a good ol' fashioned mystery.

But the game is afoot and has been since Charlie's unannounced arrival. Between that and her awkward behavior, Dean can't shake a familiar, nagging worry. There's just one problem: he can't remember what, exactly, it is about her or her behavior that's got him on edge. And neither can anyone else.

The campaign unravels—along with Charlie's secrets—as she tells the story of The Scrivener's Tale.

Characters/Pairings: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester/Eileen (implied polycule with Rowena and Gabriel), Jack, Charlie Bradbury, several original characters during the D&D campaign. Warnings/Tags: Plot-heavy, no smut, lots of comedy, action, fighting, intrigue, investigation, D&D stuff. Again, no smut. Total Word Count: 44,013 A/N: For @spn-mediabigbang 2023, I adapted The Scrivener’s Tale into an SPN story and the ever amazing @solstheimart​ rocked out some absolutely stellar art. Check out the art master post above (there’s more coming tomorrow)!

 I tried my best to format the different PoVs between the players and their characters, but blockquotes/formatting on Tumblr in general sucks, so good luck (I suggested using the AO3 link at the top of every chapter). Since this was a Media themed event, I also managed to sneak in over 80 (88 to be precise) pop culture references. Each chapter will have a count at the start, and if you can pick them out, you win fake internet points.

Playlist: In Baldur’s Gate, Dragons Dungeon You

Chapter 1 - Money for Nothing

Chapter 2 - Inferno Galore

Chapter 3 - Video Killed the Radio Star

Chapter 4 - Cult of Personality

Chapter 5 - On My Radio

Chapter 6 - The Grand Illusion

Chapter 7 - Ramble On

Chapter 8 - Destroy the Orcs

Chapter 9 - Turn Up The Radio

Chapter 10 - Hollywood Nights

This series is complete! Reblogs are loved and feedback is welcome!

[goronska]

My OCs - Merah

I was asked about some of my OCs again, so I decided to write a bit on some of them and summarize their arcs. I did one already on Dark Mizuu's current arc with James [here]. This one is illustrated with picrew and AI generated art.

Today, let's talk about Merah. [late 20s/early 30s, she/her, gynosexual, human, Vermillian] Merah was supposed to be a princess and then a queen of Vermillion, being the only child of a royal pair - Merahtua (mum) and Garura (dad) [they're a whole different story]. Spoiled at first, and some remnants of it can still be seen in her behavior, she wanted to experience something different than the palace life in modern times, so she listened to her Wanderlust and set afoot.

She is quite tall, slim and very confident in her femininity, which in Vermillion is defined as being strong, bordering ruthless, bold and unapologetic. She has pale complexion, white hair, sometimes adorned with flower-shaped pins, red eyes. Her make up further plays on her favorite white-red constrasts.

On her travel, she meets Sydney (not her real name) Rudkowski, a sloppy, disillusioned barista, short redhead who also travelled a lot. It's not my OC, so I won't go much into her. But Merah is somehow impressed with this one-eyed butch (the other eye is constantly covered in bandages, Merah doesn't see what happened for months) and slowly falls in love. Merah, being just dubbed "Red" by Sydney, feels some connection discovering the other woman broke most ties with her rich step-family and fends on her own. Sydney on the other hand, discovering most things were done for Merah by servants / slaves, makes it a point of honor to teach her basic life-skills i.e. cooking. Highlight of their first spark happened when Merah learned the name, look, smell and taste of 100 spices, to show her dedication.

After living in a small apartment together for a while, Merah is forced to leave and go to Asia. The two meet back again in the currect arc, in Ireland, where Sydney now runs a mysterious small town pub "The Silver Arrow". Red, while gone, not only learned to belly-dance for her, bake divine cookies and cakes, but also travels the Southern Asia mountains to find rubies of amazing pure rating. And best blacksmiths and crafters to make proposal… knuckles, as she recognizes the strength in Sydney she so adores.

The two reunite, get engaged and now run the pub together among local Irish patrons who quickly take a liking to this new community member. The women learn from each other a lot, Merah starts calling Syd her "Marigold", and finally reaches the point of introducing her fiance to her parents (meeting Sydney's brother Kyle and her mom, Life, is a very pleasant experience aftell all). The formal visit to Vermillion is nevertheless a big flop in which Sydney learns way too much about Merah childhood and faces a local goddess, Ubisi. In the end, Sydney saves her love by using a strange portal back home, dragging her back to the pub in Irish Athalacca, with seemingly lasting headdamage and some memory loss of their history together. Also Sydney is deemed a spy, traitor of the nation and a terrorist at large.

Faced with rapid changes on the political arena back home, Merah cannot choose between the love to her motherland and to Marigold, and is forced to marry her in a very small, private ceremony, before she leaves for the palace again for some time. The plan is to get back as soon as possible, on the basis that her new wife got sick (LIE!) and was left without anyone to care for her, but soon a better (?) plan emerges. Because her stepping down from the throne is not taken seriously by neither her parents nor the Council, she plots with some friends to formally adopt a young collage girl to be her next of kin and have the right to the crown.

The only problem is this well-behaved young lady, Jennifer, is not exactly what they all signed up for.

Now Merah Rudkowski, with partial memory loss, rapidly taking the role of a wife and a mother, tries to cope back at what she deems her home now, The Silver Arrow inn and pub. She is quickly reminded that her friends in Vermillion might be in grave danger, her dad passes away, and that one time where Ubisi the Red Goddess healed her biggest love's eye but Traced her on the cheek instead, um, that might have not been just because Ubisi took a liking to her Marigold…

[dapper-shipping-forever]

TALK TO ME ABT VASH!!!!!!!!! what sort of shenanigans are afoot w him??! how’d y’all meet??? favorite place to kiss him??? favorite place for him to kiss you??? what sort of dates will you go on?!! what is an art piece that makes you think of him/your relationship??? any songs u associate w him!??? aaaand anything else you want to gush abt w him <333

YES THANK YOU, BRO ! 🌸

There are fucking MANY types of all sorts of shenanigans with Vash, lmao. People call him the humanoid typhoon. My s/i is a bounty hunter, and he's always traveling and they both travel together getting into shenanigans; but they get each other out of shenanigans.

Bro, I wanna kiss him everywhere ! Favorite, hm, obviously I like his lips, but also great is kissing a bunch of little pecks across his cheeks. I can just kiss him many times and he gets all embarrassed and happy too. He just smiles and says my name, not looking into my eyes until I try to meet them. He's just adorable ! Love him ! Then dates, we mostly do casual times we spend time together and call it a date kinda, we do plan some dates, Vash likes to try being the best he can with our relationship. We surprise each other with sweet, little picnics, we also like walking around neat areas, and there's a lot of stargazing we both do cuddled into each other's sides most every night ! 🌸

Starry night !

Like Love Like This by Koni !

Hes fucking adorable ! He's bby ! Just fucking seeing him and thinking about him makes me feel super somft and in incredible, wonderful, super amazing LOVE. He only wants to save others, support them, do GOOD. There's no part of him that wants to cause or witness any harm. Whenever he smiles it just exudes warmth, his happiness is evident and always most noticeable when other people are happy. I want to bring him joy and see him be totally happy ! 🌸

I cherish him !

💜💜💜

[art-of-manliness]

Odds & Ends: April 21, 2023

Century of the Self. We recently revisited this 4-part documentary from Adam Curtis and found it just as engaging and eye-opening as we did watching it the first time a couple decades back. Curtis explores the way Freudian ideas and the movement towards self-expression in the 60s ended up being co-opted by advertisers, corporations, and politicians and channeled towards consumerism, so that what promised to liberate the human psyche, actually ended up making people more manipulated and controlled. It’s a must-watch for the modern citizen. “The Horse Whisperer” by Mark Maggiori. I’ve been a fan of the Western artist Mark Maggiori for several years now. I love his paintings depicting the American West. The way he paints clouds in the desert is amazing. Whenever I’m on a road trip in New Mexico and see a big pillar of clouds, I lean over and tell Kate, “Those are some Mark Maggiori clouds right there.” When I turned 40 a few months ago, a dear friend gifted me a print of Maggiori’s painting, “The Horse Whisperer.” It depicts an old cowboy that looks like my favorite literary cowboy, Lonesome Dove’s Gus McCrae, riding his horse amongst the sage brush. And, of course, there are some great Mark Maggiori clouds in the sky. When you order a Maggiori print, it can take months to get to you, and it just finally arrived. Can’t wait to get it framed and hung up in my living room. “Is There a Loneliness Epidemic?” You hear a lot of talk in the media these days about a “loneliness epidemic” going on in the West. We’ve even had several podcast guests bring up the idea on the show. But is there really a loneliness epidemic afoot? According to this article, no. Looking at the data, the author concludes: “today’s adolescents in the US do not seem to be more likely to report feeling lonely than adolescents from a couple of decades ago; and similarly, today’s older adults in the US do not report higher loneliness than did adults of their age in the past.” Guess it’s just the kind of narrative/buzz-phrase that makes for good copy. “Only the Young” by Brandon Flowers. If you’ve been following AoM for a while now, you know that I’m a big Killers fan. I’m also a big fan of the solo projects frontman Brandon Flowers has done over the years. His 2010 solo album Flamingo is packed with several underrated and overlooked gems. But the track that’s been getting the most play in McKay-family transportation lately is “Only the Young.” It’s so dang good. The music video is just as good. Makes me nostalgic for being young again but also hopeful for my kids. Quote of the Week There is only one real failure in life that is possible, and that is, not to be true to the best one knows. —Frederic Farrar The post Odds & Ends: April 21, 2023 appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/SmsNV8

[dashboarddiaries]

Dashboard Diaries is a production of Atypical Artists, hosted by Lauren Shippen (@thelaurenshippen) and Cher McAnelly (@overchers). Our theme was composed by Lauren Shippen and mixed by Brandon Grugle. Art by Shae McMullin. Transcription by Laudable.

For bonus clips, ad-free episodes, and more, become a patron at atypicalartists.co/support.

[intro music]

Lauren: Hello, Boopers! I’m Cher McAnelly, Head of Entertainment at Tumblr. And year ‘round fool.

Cher: And I’m Lauren Shippen, professional writer who hates all April Fool’s pranks except for the ones that Tumblr does. 

Lauren: And this is Dashboard Diaries ... and April Fools! I’m actually Lauren.

Cher: And I’m actually Cher. 

And this is a podcast for you – the folks who are in this internet bunker with us. We talk about what’s going on in our favorite hell site, get into what we like to call “tumbl-lore,” do fandom deep dives, and share the times when we’ve gone feral over a new ship.

So, Lauren, what has your last month on Tumblr been like? What’s been afoot?

Lauren: O gosh. It’s been wonderful. I mean, we’re going to talk about it in depth but I just had so much fun with the Boop o’meter or whatever. I did it on both of my blogs. My Lauren Shippen blog and then also my personal one. And the Lauren Shippen blog in terms of boops received – it kept maxing out. And it was like “OMG” or “Please” or “Help” or ... (laughter) the number of boops received. And I’ve got my little boop badge now. I wasn’t able to send too many just because I had to do my work. But it was so much fun. 

And then I’ll be talking about this more later in my Feels Corner because I have so many feels about it but just the 911 fandom has been having a moment over the last couple of weeks. And I have really, really been enjoying that. Although I have stayed off of Tumblr for basically the last five days because I haven’t watched the most recent 911 episode because I was in Texas for the eclipse. And that was unbelievably cool. This is not about my last month on Tumblr – this is about my last month as a human being. But yeah, me and my partner went to ... he’s from Texas originally so we went and stayed with his family and we saw the totality. The weather literally cleared for the moment of totality. We got a perfect view. It was unreal. 

I see why people fly around the world chasing total eclipses, because it was so cool! Yeah, just the majesty of the universe is really something to behold. So, that’s where I’m at. I’m grooving along. How about you?

Cher: So, you’re just amazed at the universe in which we live and trying to avoid 911 spoilers.

Lauren: Yes, exactly.

Cher: Which we contain multitudes. 

Lauren: You really do.

Cher: Yeah, I can’t believe you saw the totality. That is incredible. I am very jealous. 

Lauren: It was genuinely wild. And the things that they say of the temperature dropping and the crickets starting up and the birds going nuts and all that kind of ... it all happened. And then the moment that you look up at it without the glasses is just like ... it feels like all of a sudden you’re in a Star Wars movie or something. It looks like something out of a sci fi movie. It’s crazy. Did you see it in New York? You guys got 90%, right? 

Cher: Yeah. We got 90% so I went and sat out in my backyard for an hour and I had forgotten to get eclipse glasses until the day before. But I was like, I must do this. So, I just googled “eclipse glasses Brooklyn” and I was able to order them from 7 Eleven on Door Dash. 

Lauren: Oh my god. Incredible!

Cher: I had a very ... this is not an ad for Door Dash but it could be if you want to pay us, Door Dash. 

Lauren: Yes, please!

Cher: I had a very confused man drive up to my house with just ... I was like – it would be weird to just order the glasses, right? So, I also ordered Doritos. Also, Doritos – if you want to pay us ... 

(laughter)

Lauren: Official sponsor of the eclipse. 

Cher: So, yeah. I was there watching the eclipse with my door dash purchased glasses, eating my DoritosTM. But no, it was truly amazing. I ordered two pairs just to be safe. Not to wear two at once because I don’t know if I would have even been able to see anything. But I tried to use one of them to shade my phone so that I could take some photos with my phone. I’m not a photographer. I don’t think I’ll ever be in the photography space based on the photos that I got. But I did post one on my Tumblr. So, we can re-blog it to Dashboard Diaries. I think it really shows the majesty of the universe. And also just so you can really see ... I’ll just drop it in here right now.

Lauren: Yes, please!

Cher: I feel like you need to ... you saw totality but this is what I saw. So, I mean ... potato potato. 

Lauren: Who’s really winning? 

Cher: Yeah. 

Lauren: Oh, there it is. Perfect. (laughs) Incredible picture. Absolutely outstanding.

Cher: Thank you very much. (laughs)

Lauren: I also had a really hard time. I took a photo without glasses and everything during the totality and it’s just impossible to see anything. You can’t do it. But then on Tumblr I saw people ... everyone was saying it’s amazing to see everybody’s eclipse photos and stuff but nothing will ever beat the one from 2017 of the eclipse over the Waffle House. I don’t know if you saw this. I’ll find it and re-blog it. It’s genuinely very good. 

Cher: Oh my ... what a beautiful world in which we live. You know?

Lauren: With eclipses and Waffle Houses. 

Cher: When we went from being single amoeba organisms, single cell organisms to crawling out of the water – who knew that one day we would be taking photos of an eclipse over a Waffle House? You know? Just ... that’s where all of evolution was leading.

Lauren: Absolutely. Once again, the majesty of the universe. 

Cher: The majesty of the universe. The majesty of Waffle House. We did a special eclipse badge.

Lauren: Oh really? I missed that entirely!

Cher: Yeah. We have a phases of the moon badge. So, we did a special just for the day eclipse badge. And we partnered with NASA and did a little eclipse email, “Today on Tumblr” email. And also I don’t know if you saw but NASA did, “Do you love the colors of the sun?” 

Lauren: Oh my god. No, I did not see this! That’s amazing.

Cher: They did a post showing ... I believe in the week or two leading up to the eclipse. Yeah. 

Lauren: That’s incredible. 

Cher: I’ll drop that in too, which is very exciting.

Lauren: Yes, please.

Cher: I’ve been pitching a do you love the color of the universe post forever. And I’m so excited that we are ...

Lauren: You’re getting there!

Cher: We’re getting there. We got one little chunk. (laughs)

Lauren: This is so great.

Cher: My last month on Tumblr was very similar to your last month on Tumblr. Minus the 911 which I feel like is a show that I do need to get into because I love ... procedural – is that what they’re called?

Lauren: Yeah. It’s so funny because after the thing that happens that happened two weeks ago happened – that was the worst sentence in the world! 

Cher: Is it a ship thing?

Lauren: Um ... kind of. It could be viewed as a ship thing. Do you care about being spoiled? 

Cher: Nah. 

Lauren: Okay. 

Cher: Spoil me.

Lauren: Major spoilers for 911 episode four of season seven. It’s their 100th episode of all time. And Evan Buckley who is my favorite character and who ... he’s the character who I most want to ... my friend is like, “You are always at your sicko window with Buck.” Do you know the meme, right? Of the guy at the window, Sicko, going, “Yes, yes.” 

Cher: Always at your sicko window is just a funny ...

Lauren: Always at my sicko window. (laughter) 

Cher: Oh my god.

Lauren: I’m always at my sicko window with Buck because he is just a golden retriever of a person who is just constantly being pummeled into the ground. He gets caught in the tsunami, he gets crushed by a ladder truck, he gets struck by lightning.

Cher: He can’t catch a break!

Lauren: He can’t catch a break. I love to watch him suffer. I really love to watch him suffer. And also I just think he’s a really beautiful character. His growth from season one where he’s kind of this Play Boy womanizer, immature, bro – to this guy who is like very earnest and sweet and just wants to be loved and is a great friend to people around him, and a great brother and all this kind of stuff. It’s just a really nice arc. 

He is now, this is the big spoiler, canonically bi-sexual. And it was just ... again, I’m going to talk about this more in the Feels Corner but the thing I was going to say is ... So, I spent 40 minutes texting one of my fandom friends, Molly, afterwards just being like, “Let me tell you everything that just happened in this episode.” I recounted beat for beat the episode. 

And she has to hear me talk about the show all the time for various reasons because I love it. But I actually ... she was like, okay, now I’m curious. I want to go watch the episode. And then she watched the episode and she started watching season one. And she was like, Lauren, why have people been lying to me and saying that this is a procedural? It is just a character drama! 

I’m like, I know! It’s a procedural in the way that Grey’s Anatomy is a procedural, which is like ... it’s not, right? 

Cher: My favorite flavor of procedural I think. Yeah.

Lauren: Exactly. 

Cher: Not a procedural.

Lauren: Procedural elements, right? Every episode they have a couple of different calls that they go to, a couple of different rescues, things like that, or one big rescue usually in the sort of premieres and finales. But it’s just about character arcs and found family and all the characters are so great. And so she is now gone deep in on the show in a way that I’m like, “Victory at last!” I finally converted a real life friend to 911. So, you’re next, Cher!

Cher: Oh my gosh!

Lauren: I will convert you next!

Cher: I’m next on the list. Also, the play by play that you said you texted her, why don’t you just post that? 

Lauren: Oh my god! 

Cher: Like as a text post. 

(laughter)

Please do! 

Lauren: I did screenshot it and sent it to another friend of mine! 

Cher: The people need to see. You’re essentially just re-blogging yourself within text which I do all the time.

Lauren: Absolutely. I derailed us from the point entirely. 

Cher: But I’m all here for it. Should we ... it’s like part two will be April Fools but this is now the 911 episode. 

Lauren: Someone reminded me, sent me a Tumblr ask being like, “I know you said that you would do a 911 episode if Buddy went canon,” which I don’t remember saying but I believe that we said that. But are you going to talk about that? I was like, oh yeah, we’ll definitely talk about it. It’ll be in the Feels Corner for sure because I genuinely was emotional about it. But now also this seems increasingly possible. So ... more to come. 

Cher: More to come on that. And I was going to say, we could do it for our pitching each other’s shows ones, but it’s not an underrated show. It’s like the number one show on Tumblr. Yeah, be pitching me directly a show but everyone else is watching it. 

The most specific podcast you’ve ever heard. Is this a conversation between two people that should stay between two people? No, everyone needs to hear why I specifically should watch the show. 

Lauren: Yes. Yes. Exactly.

[game show trill]

Cher: So, April Fools! I am so excited to talk about April Fools on Tumblr. My first question for you, Lauren, is ... you’ve been on Tumblr for 15 years? 

Lauren: 15 years. Yep!

Cher: You have experienced all the April Fools and I don’t know, a lot of community related April Fools moments and things tied in as well. So what is your first memory of April Fools on Tumblr? 

Lauren: I mean, I think my first ... it’s so funny, I was trying to think after the boop ‘o meter and the booping this April Fools, which do you want to actually briefly explain what this April Fools was? 

Cher: Lauren, I would love to explain what this April Fools was. It was very, very complicated. It was really in-depth, multi-layered-

Lauren: Lots of lore.

Cher: So much lore built in. Really and if you know, you know kind of situation. And what it featured was a button at the top of your dashboard that said “boop.” And if you activated the boop then you could go ahead and boop other people’s accounts and you yourself could be booped. And you’re just trying to get as many boops as possible or boop as many people as you wanted. And that was literally it. That was it.

But was it really it? Because it wasn’t. Because it never is on Tumblr. There were some other types of boops because we can’t be tamed. We can’t be contained to a single boop flavor. So, there was of course the normal boop. There was also the self boop. In case you wanted to boop yourself. There was the super boop. It’s like a boop but super. And then there were some additional ... we added some more boops halfway through the day.

Lauren: Oh really!?

Cher: Yeah. There were a couple ... my favorite was the evil boop.

Lauren: I did get evil booped.

Cher: Yeah, also there was the cat boop.

Lauren: Oh!?

Cher: Yeah. So, yeah, the nose boop. So, there were all types of boops and I do have some numbers for you as well if you want to know how many boops were booped. 

Lauren: I would LOVE to know.

Cher: So, the total amount of boops including all the different boop types was 142.5 million boops were sent.

Lauren: (laughs) Incredible.

Cher: In 24 hours. Yeah. 119.2 million normal boops. 12.6 million self boops. And we love a community that boops themselves.

Lauren: Wow. A lot of boop laundering.

Cher: [crosstalk 00:13:47] A lot of boop laundering. Yeah. When I discovered the ability to boop launder, I did ... look, I took advantage. 

Lauren: Me too.

Cher: Look, we’re doing what we can in this economy.

Lauren: Exactly. You gotta game the system. (laughs)

Cher: Look, it’s boopy boop on boop street. You know? There were 2.1 million super boops. And then 695.8 thousand mischievous boops. And 7.9 million cat boops. 

Lauren: Wow.

Cher: Not even a million evil boops. 

Lauren: What a kind community.

Cher: What a positive, kind, booping community. We love to see it. So, yeah, this was a very fun April Fools. 

Lauren: It was really fun.

Cher: I will say, I think those are some of the biggest ... our April Fools numbers are always ridiculous.

Lauren: Bonkers.

Cher: They’re always bonkers. They’re always boopers. Ridiculous and this one I think was some of the highest I’ve seen in my tenure (literally) of working at Tumblr. 

Lauren: So, last year, I know just speaking of metrics I think there were 5 million crabs or 50 million crabs. It’s one of our episode titles. 

Cher: There were 25 million crabs summoned. Yeah.

Lauren: That’s what it was. Yeah, 25 million crabs. And I remember-

Cher: No, it was 2022. 

Lauren: That was 2022? Oh gosh, you’re right.

Cher: Yeah, 2023 was the post reaction emojis. So, there was like a caterpillar post reaction you could do. A cheese. And then there was a crab reaction. Which I do have the numbers.

Lauren: What was I doing last April Fools? I feel like I was not on Tumblr that day, which is ... the 14 days a year I’m not on Tumblr all day. 

Cher: You weren’t cheesing people’s posts? You weren’t caterpillaring people? Wow.

Lauren: I wasn’t. It’s so funny. I remember the crabs. I remember the copy. But the one that stands out as sort of the first sort of April Fools event I guess I should say on Tumblr is I think an unofficial event which was the Mish-apocalypse. Cher, were you around for the Mish-apocalypse on Tumblr?

Cher: I was not around for the Mish-apocalypse on Tumblr. I was on Tumblr. I had a Tumblr.

Lauren: But you weren’t AT Tumblr.

Cher: I was not ... wait ... I was not at Tumblr. I started later that year. Which would make so much sense that ... because yeah, Mish-apocalypse was 2013. I started at Tumblr in 2014. So, I missed the Mish-apocalypse and I also was on the wrong side of Tumblr to experience it. 

Lauren: Right!

Cher: I was super active on Tumblr and did not see it come past my dashboard and would not know who this man was. The 2013 me would have been like, “Who is this person?” If he ever came by ... which is wild to think about now. So, you were there ... you witnessed Mish-apocalypse firsthand!?

Lauren: I witnessed it and what’s so funny, too, is ... I don’t know that I would actually say this to Misha but I barely knew who he was! (laughs) Which is so funny because now anytime he crosses my dash, which is not infrequently, I’m like oh yeah there’s my co-worker, Misha! 

Cher: There’s that guy.

Lauren: There’s that guy whose number I have. It’s just such a funny thing. I also just realized I should change his contact photo in my phone to the photo for the Mish-apocalypse. 

Cher: You absolutely ... you simply must. 

Lauren: So, there is this photo of Misha Collins that if you ... I have no idea the origin of the photo actually but if you have spent any time on the fandom side of Tumblr you’ve seen this photo. Because a lot of people have it as their icon over various backgrounds. But it’s a very blank faced Misha, which is so funny because he’s such an expressive guy, just sort of staring dead eyed into the camera. I have to assume he was doing a bit. I don’t know where the photo came from. Do you know?

Cher: It’s from comic con. It was recorded during a comic con panel. 

Lauren: That makes perfect sense.

Cher: I haven’t seen the panel, so I’ve just seen the photo with the comic con panel [inaudible 00:18:00] so I feel like he was definitely, yeah, joking.

Lauren: He was doing a bit.

Cher: Yeah, doing a bit, for sure.

Lauren: And it’s not super high res. It makes sense that it came from probably a screen shot of a panel, right? And somehow, I don’t know how it was organized because again in 2013 I was not in the Supernatural fandom. I was aware that Supernatural existed, because I was in my final year of college in April of 2013 and I had some friends in college who watched it, but I never had seen an episode. I was really starting to dip my toes into the fandom side of Tumblr. So, I had not gone deep in on sort of ... SuperWhoLock was definitely happening in 2013 and in some ways 2012 was really the height of SuperWhoLock but Supernatural to me was part of SuperWhoLock. It was not a distinct entity yet.

And then April 1st all of a sudden everybody on my dash, or basically everybody on my dash, had changed their avatar to this photo of Misha Collins. And it was the Mish-apocalypse. And just like you could not escape this photo. It was everybody’s avatar. People were posting it everywhere. It was just a dashboard takeover. And I don’t know, did you know anything about who organized that or how it got organized? Is it just one of those things that’s Tumb’lore and it just happened? 

Cher: I honestly think, I have no idea of the origin of the first post. It really, I do think it is, yeah, just Tumb’lore that just ... it sprung up just one day magically and please if someone knows the post or the user who started the Mish-apocalypse.

Lauren: Tell us.

Cher: We would love to give them credit and also speak to them. 

Lauren: Yes, please.

Cher: Yes. I don’t know, make a trophy of some sort, like a Mish-apocalypse. You know Task Master? 

Lauren: Yes.

Cher: I was about to ask if you watch. [crosstalk 00:19:51] Yeah, the golden head. I think if we did a Misha version of that.

Lauren: Perfect.

Cher: Right!? Call it the Dash Master.

Lauren: The Dash Master. That’s ... I’m putting a little pin, bookmark in that, because I want to make that a thing somehow.

Cher: We’re circle back.

Lauren: Let’s circle back to that. But okay, that was 2013. So, then presumably Tumblr was not doing official April Fools things in 2013. So, when did that begin for Tumblr?

Cher: So, it was 2014 and it makes so much sense now ... it’s all clicking for me why 2014 was the first one and why the 2014 April Fool’s joke was what it was.

Lauren: What was it?

Cher: We added top hats onto people’s profile photos. 

Lauren: The top hats‼ I forgot about the top hats! That was ten years ago!?

Cher: Yeah!

Lauren: Oh my god.

Cher: That was definitely a direct reaction to Mish-apocalypse where everyone changed their profile photos or did something. So, it was like, why not put top hats on it. And then yeah ... so that was the first official Tumblr April Fools.

Lauren: That’s wild.

Cher: I know that Danny Phantom does a similar to Mish-apocalypse April Fools thing with changing their profile photos to a Danny Phantom photo. Yeah.

Lauren: Really? 

Cher: Yeah.

Lauren: I am so not even adjacent to the Danny Phantom fandom that I’ve never seen that. That’s amazing. 

Cher: I also just love ... yeah, it’s call Danny-pocalypse. And it is exactly what you think. Where all the users change their ... everyone in the Danny fandom changed their profile photo to a photo of Danny Phantom.

Lauren: I love that. Okay, so it’s been ten years of Tumblr April Fools. Can you take us through the journey of this decade?

Cher: Lauren, I would love nothing more. Let’s go on a little scroll down the dashboard, if you will. ha ha. I know I’ve said that pun before but it’s just one of my favorites. Anyway ...

So, 2014, Tumblr Pro is what it was called. Everyone got their top hats. 

2015 was the Tumblr executive suite. And that was-

Lauren: Copy!

Cher: Copy Fame the Tumblr official mascot, who sadly passed on to the technical realm. I don’t know. At the end of the day. 

2016 was the lizard election. That’s where animated lizards competed to win the hearts and minds of Tumblr. And we did actually hire a commentator to host a kind of fake update news show, like it was called Decision 2016. And we also added a post type feature that allowed you to make your own campaign posters for whoever you were supporting in the lizard election. 

Lauren: That’s awesome.

Cher: Which ties in really well when we do our Dashboard Confessionals because I did include some of my campaign content from the lizard election.

Lauren: Oh, I’m excited. 

Cher: 2017 was horse plinko. You got a digital horse.

Lauren: Yep. God, horse plinko was all the way back in 2017!?

Cher: Yeah.

Lauren: That’s wild.

Cher: Oh wait ... I’m trying to remember now. Was 2017 [inaudible 00:23:23] digital horse and then horse plinko started later because of the digital horse?

Lauren: No-

Cher: No, it was horse plinko. Because I remember playing it on my dashboard.

Lauren: I think you’re right. Yeah. There was an official dashboard horse plinko for sure.

Cher: It’s wild to me because I’ve worked here this whole time. I should remember but they all ... I know we added the horse plinko but there have been so many ... a lot of these creations come from hack day projects. So, a lot of the time I’m like, oh, I’ve seen that, I’ve played that, and the tester. Also, if you go into your settings and turn on Tumblr Labs you too can play with hack day projects ever so often. 

Lauren: I didn’t know that was a feature in Tumblr Labs. I have Tumblr Labs turned on. I love the Q 2.0 it saves my life. 

Cher: Q 2.0 was a hack day project. The re-blog tree was a hack day project as well.

Lauren: I love the re-blog tree.

Cher: Yeah, one of my favorites. 

2017 you got a horse. So, horse plinko.

2018 was Tumblr coin. Tumblr crypto currency.

Lauren: Perfect.

Cher: Also, everyone could trade for the day, which I feel like boop was the new iteration, I guess. 

Lauren: Absolutely.

Cher: Almost. 2019 was Tumblr memories and so you could create fake memories. It said you re-blogged this on this day but it wasn’t.

Lauren: Oh yeah! I do kind of remember this.

Cher: It said, yeah, everyone had different memories and it put you and your mutual’s and things into memories together that had nothing to do with. Which I vaguely remember that but oddly the fact that it’s called Tumblr Memories, but it’s ...

Lauren: It’s hazy. 

Cher: It’s hard. Yeah, I feel like I’ve been Eternal Sunshined. 

And then 2020 was the group chat story builder. So, that one was a smaller one for obvious reasons. We just kept it ... we launched group chat at the time which is a feature we no longer have. But there was essentially the Tumblr bot in the group chat helped you and the other users link in the group chat, you could create fake stories. It was a little story building device.

2021 was an NFT adoption fair and NFT stands for Non Fungible Tumblr Cryptids. So, everyone got their weird Tumblr Cryptids. Which was also super fun. I feel like I have to go dig into my archives and grab mine, too. [crosstalk 00:25:39] It would randomly generate a weird name, a weird shape with a few different features and there were definitely top hats involved. 

Lauren: Yes!

Cher: 2022 was of course bricks click-a-thon. Which the crabs were the most talked about moment of the day. The theme of it was essentially we’d hired a new chief engagement officer and his job was ... his name was Brick and he was a brick in a suit and his job was to get as much engagement on Tumblr as possible. So, he just added a bunch of buttons. So, all over the dashboard there was ... he succeeded. He got that engagement. So, look, Brick ... and he also posted throughout the day Brick Updates. And I think Brick quit.

Lauren: Or he got fired or something.

Cher: Yeah. Got fired. Something happened. Which I love the narrative. And then in 2023 was the post reaction emojis that we were talking about. And then 2024 ... here we are at the boop o’meter. Which yeah, is like ... by far the most clicked that we’ve seen. 

Lauren: Aw, that’s amazing. What’s so fascinating about ...and one of the things I love about this is that I remember some of these really vividly and I think I missed others entirely. And that’s what I love about this particular thing is if you’re not there on April 1st you just aren’t there. Right? And depending on the day of the week that April 1st was ... I’m sure that I was in recording or it was a weekend and I was out doing stuff. And I wasn’t really active on Tumblr or whatever. Which I normally am pretty much every week day and a lot of the weekend, let’s be real. 

But I just love that. I love that you kind of have to be there. And I feel like over the last couple of years it’s just become more of a thing that people anticipate, that people look forward to, that people are excited to see what the team is coming up with. Yeah, I would love to ... what is the first one that you really remember and what is your favorite?

Cher: Hmm. The first one I really remember is definitely 2015. Because it was my first year working at Tumblr. I was an intern. And also just ... I remember getting a top hat in 2014. So, I guess that’s the first one but I do remember it, but 2015 really sticks with me. We would have a conference room set up for the day and everyone ... the whole team is in there posting and responding and updating things as they went, adding reactions, things that Copy could say. It was really fun to be a part of it. 

So, yeah, 2015 is the first one I remember. And also 2016 really sticks out I think too as just a fun weird chaotic memorable one. 

Lauren: I feel like I still see posts about the lizard election. It’s loomed large in Tumblr’s memory.

Cher: It definitely, honestly, Mop stayed in the community consciousness and Deborah. Wretched Tooth.

Lauren: That’s right! Incredible.

Cher: I’m trying to remember, trying to figure out what my favorite is. I do think ... I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time deciding because I feel like they were all ... I feel like they were just all such fun days. The whole community gets together. So, when I’m picking a favorite I’m like, which one did I have the most fun with but every single one that really stands out, they were all fantastic, but I do think that the 2015 one, the executive suite with Copy stands out to me as my favorite just because I think both sentimentally and also because I just love Copy and how Copy came back with Tumblr Top Five and how Copy has had that staying power. 

And yeah. So, the first one I remember and my favorite are both 2015 executive suite with our friend, Copy, who by the way ... I have an action figure of.

Lauren: Oh my god! That’s amazing! (laughs) Is that Merch the Tumblr [inaudible 00:29:55]?

Cher: It is Merch. We have a bunch of them in the warehouse actually. So, I should definitely ... as part of your ... I was figuring out your birthday gift and I’ll definitely be sending you a copy as a copy of Copy as well! And also I just have to show you because I’m so proud of Copy’s placement in my room. In my office. 

Lauren: Oh my god. On your printer. That is perfect! He’s there to be so helpful when you’re making copies! 

Cher: Yeah, right!? Look, always there. Never takes a day off.

Lauren: What a guy. 

Cher: What is your favorite April Fools? And so I guess the first one you remember would be the Mish-apocalypse.

Lauren: Yeah. 

Cher: Which one was your favorite and which one were you the most actively involved in throughout the day?

Lauren: I do think that the boop o’meter is the most I’ve sort of been actively, very active ... but I say I’ve been on Tumblr for 15 years, I don’t mean that I’ve had an account for 15 years. I mean, like I’ve BEEN ON Tumblr for 15 years. Right? I don’t think a month has gone by where I haven’t used Tumblr in some capacity. Certainly there have been busier times and less busy times and times when I’m more active in a particular fandom and times where I’m not but I have been a fairly consistent Tumblr user. But I do think that the way that I’ve used Tumblr has sort of changed over the years. I think especially as ... let’s be honest, other social media has fallen by the wayside, right?

I think for a long time Tumblr was a very important part of my internet diet but because it was part of an internet diet I hadn’t really gone into all of the ways to use Tumblr to its fullest if that makes sense? Whereas now I’m a person who, yeah, has Tumblr Labs turned on and has all the different tabs of what you missed and popular re-blogs and all that kind of stuff turned on so I can mix and match my dash. I obsessively cue things. I’ve got Q 2.0. I really am deep into Tumblr as a platform. Actually using all the features for so many years. Tumblr is working great for me so I don’t need to dive into all these features and now I’m like Tumblr is working great for me and also I can now even customize it even more.

And so I feel like because of that I’m a more literal active Tumblr user if that makes sense. So, I do think the boop o’meter was the one that I participated in the most. And it’s a regency bias thing, too, it just brought me so much Tumblr joy. But I do think that horse plinko does stand out in my head. And thinking back on it now, the lizard election also stands out. But 2016 obviously was such a year on social media in general and just that was a real time for all of us as a nation, right? 

Cher: Yeah and we were in a different place in April than we were in November.

Lauren: Right, and December.

Cher: Yeah, and it kind of hurts to remember the fun we had. 

Lauren: It hurts to think of a fun election.

Cher: It hurts to think of the fact that we were having a good time with that. Even though it was nice to have a good time before the bad time.

Lauren: We thought we were going to have a good time in November, too, but we didn’t!

(laughter)

Cher: We did not. No. Yeah, I think that really does prevent me from saying that was my favorite ... or a top one, even though it was so memorable and so much fun because that was swiftly overshadowed.

Lauren: Yeah. Swiftly overshadowed. Whereas I do think that April of 2017 was also a time ... we were all sort of adjusting to the new way that things were. And also to me it’s just like ... it’s an interesting [inaudible 00:33:50] ahead of when Tumblr started to become the Tumblr that Tumblr is now. If that makes sense?

We talk about these eras of Tumblr, right? And yeah, if I think of my own ... and I’d be very, very curious what your personal eras of Tumblr are. 

Cher: Which I also love as an episode!

Lauren: Tumblr Eras.

Cher: Tumblr Eras.

Lauren: Yes. 

Cher: Tumblr Eras Tour? 

Lauren: Tumblr Eras Tour | Lauren & Cher Version. 

(laughter)

Yeah, we’re doing that. So, okay. I won’t go too deep into it but it’s like there are distinct eras of Tumblr that we will talk about on a future episode because I love that idea. And I do think that 2017, 2018 till now is Tumblr at its most pure and distilled. And where the Tumblr community and the Tumblr platform are sort of most in harmony. And frankly the weak ones have left. (laughs) You know? 

(laughter)

Cher: Only the strong survived.

Lauren: The strong survived. 

Cher: It’s like Bane, born in the darkness. I was born on this dashboard. You simply logged onto it.

Lauren: Exactly. So, for me, I think the digital horse kind of marks the beginning of that era. I’m just very happy to be in the Tumblr that we’re in now. I was going to ask you what your favorite Tumblr era is but we will save that for an episode because I think that is a whole episode.

Cher: I feel like yeah now I’m thinking about my Tumblr eras. They are absolutely so distinct. I think I’m also kind of entering and have been entering a new one now, because I do feel like, yeah, I’m definitely feeling the community start to not enliven because it’s always been so alive and engaged and fun and active. But I do notice I have a lot of friends who have told me they’re logging back into Tumblr after a while, reactivating their accounts, getting back onto their dashboards. I think largely after maybe not using other socials as much or what have you. And so it’s definitely been ... I feel like we’ve been in this really Tumblr ... not Tumblr fandom as in fandom’s on Tumblr but fandom other era-

Lauren: [crosstalk 00:36:26] OF Tumblr.

Cher: Yeah, now I really do think ... I love how the people who have been in this community for such a long time, for ten plus years, fifteen plus years – when new people join the community is so welcoming. And like, “Hey, here is how things work. How can we help you get up to speed?” We saw that with Tw-exit. When we had so many new users coming. Everyone was kind of welcoming them into the fold. 

So, yeah. I think I’m very excited to talk about Tumblr eras. Because I think we’re definitely ... I feel like there’s something new afoot, perhaps a renaissance. 

Lauren: I think so! I think we may already be in a renaissance.

Cher: I agree with you. Wow. All these renaissance and eras, we’re referencing all of the pop icons.

Lauren: Yeah, all the hits.

Cher: And also, speaking of Tumblr eras ... what do you have from your archives to show us today?

[guitar]

Lauren: I forgot what I put in here because I put it in several days ago. Oh, yes. So, I have a video that I re-blogged in, oh gosh, 2015. So, I mean, nine years ago at this point. And it’s just like, I don’t know, it encapsulates 2015 to me. It is a video of President Barack Obama, giving various speeches but somebody has cut all of the words together so that he is essentially rapping the lyrics to Uptown Funk. (laughs)

Cher: I remember this. I didn’t even need to put the sound on. I was like, oh, I know. 

Lauren: ‘Cause you knew exactly what it was.

Cher: I knew what it was but I do kind of ... I turned it on full volume in my ears. Which I deserved for hitting play on that. But oh my god. What a classic. What a heritage post. 

Lauren: True heritage post. Just wanted something silly for April. How about you? What do you have from the archives?

Cher: My dashboard confession for today is from the 2016 Lizard Election. It is the campaign poster that I made of MOP the Lizard who is a lizard in a bucket hat ... for our listeners. And it reads “MOP is me, I am MOP, MOP is we” and then it has three smiley faces on it.

Lauren: It’s excellent. 

Cher: So, just some of my art. And it has three notes and two of the three are from my parents and the third is from a Tumblr employee. 

Lauren: Incredible. Well, it’s about to get a lot more because we will re-blog that to DashboardDiaries.Tumblr.com. 

Cher: Which I’m very, very proud of and I honestly do wish that we still had that post type functionality within Tumblr. 

Lauren: Bring back [crosstalk 00:38:57].

Cher: Yeah, my new platform is the ability to have a platform on your platform.

Lauren: Yes. I support this. 

Cher: Yeah, thank you very much. (laughs) With our last couple of minutes, because I know you wanted to dive into your Feels Corner ... What has you in your feels this week, Lauren?

Lauren: Well, first of all, I do want to mention ... because it’s been a while since we have mentioned this because I keep forgetting about it. If you would like to share your feels with us, you can send us a voice memo of 45 seconds of less and email it to dashboarddiariespod@gmail.com. That email will be in the description, so please share your feels with us. Yeah, so very very briefly – my feels is about spoilers for 911 – Evan Buckley being canonically bisexual. I watched ... the show comes out Thursday nights. I usually watch Friday during lunch. And I was literally at my computer hands on my face being like, “Is this happening?” Is this actually happening? 

Because we’ve all thought that he’s bisexual for a very long time. And I mean as a bisexual person it’s my prerogative that everybody is bisexual until proven otherwise. (laughs) But just the way they did it was so perfect. Olive Stark, the actor who plays Buck, clearly has so much care for the character and care for the story line. And I woke up the next day and was like, “Did that actually happen? Is that real?” And it is! And it did happen!

And I’m just very overwhelmed with emotions about it. Especially since ... and this is something that I’m just like, wow, April really is my month. I’m an Aries. My birthday is April 16th. The episode came out on April 4th. April 4th this year was also the ten year anniversary of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Which is one of my favorite movies of all time. And the thing that got me into the obsessive Marvel fandom. And I just realized the other day April 4th, 2013 was also the premiere of Hannibal. So, it’s like-

Cher: Oh my god!

Lauren: April 4th is just like my day for disaster by sexual men. 

Cher: Oh my god. You need to start taking the day off just to celebrate.

Lauren: It’s like a holiday for me! (laughter)

Cher: Also, I just love the idea of having personal holidays. This day specifically is a day that I take off and I celebrate. Yes, birthdays and etc but no, April 4th-

Lauren: This is my day.

Cher: That’s Lauren’s day. Yes.

Lauren: This is my bisexual day. 

Cher: I am literally adding a reminder to my calendar ... you’re getting something for Lauren’s Bi Visibility ... Lauren’s Individual Bi Visibility Day.

(laughter)

Only Lauren is visible.

Lauren: What about you, Cher? What has you in your feels this week?

Cher: What has me in my feels this week? The couple of things that have me in my feels – I don’t know how much I am able to talk about them because they’re not yet out. 

Lauren: Ooooh.

Cher: When this episode comes out I think Dead Boy Detectives will be out already. So, what has me in my feels is Dead Boy Detectives. Which comes out later this month. It is a spinoff of the Sandman series based on two of the characters from the Sandman who are two dead boys, shocker, who become detectives, also shocker. So, that comes out later this month. It is great. It’s super by, by the way.

Lauren: Oh, hell yeah.

Cher: I think you’ll enjoy it. I think the other thing that kind of has me in my feels is just the fact that, I don’t know, I feel like we spend so much time in the fandom community writing fan fic and hoping for characters to be queer, bi, and it’s so nice that it actually canonically happens regularly now. It’s just very nice that it’s no longer something that you feel like you’re writing in your fic and hoping you’ll get a crumb of something. You know?

Lauren: Exactly. 

Cher: So, I think that in general has me in my feels. And can’t wait for everyone to see Dead Boy Detectives.

Lauren: I know. I’m so excited. You were texting me about it as you were watching it and it sounds ... you’re so right. It sounds so up my alley. I’m very excited to talk to you about it. 

Cher: I cannot wait. I can’t wait for that episode. So yeah. That has me in my feels right now. And this has been great. My April Feels, April Fools ...oh god.

Lauren: Yes! 

Cher: Heyyy. 

Lauren: Tee hee!

Cher: And with that ... I’m Cher McAnelly and you can find me at OverChers.Tumblr.com. 

Lauren: And I’m Lauren Shippen, and you can find me at TheLaurenShippen.Tumblr.com.

Cher: This has been Dashboard Diaries. And ... 

[outtro music]

Lauren: May your anons always be loving.

Cher: Your dash always refreshed.

Lauren: Your gifs always be loading.

Cher: And your ships always canon.

Lauren: May the fics you’re reading always be finished.

Cher: And the answers you seek always in the re-blogs.Lauren: Thanks for scrolling with us!

April means April Fools! Tumblr has a long and storied tradition of built-in pranks and this month, we go through each one. Plus: big news in the 911 fandom, a new show to obsess over, and a total eclipse of the sun.

Credits and transcript in our reblog. You can find transcripts for this, and every other episode, here.

Find the posts discussed in this episode in this tag!

[labrunereve]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝔅𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔡𝔦𝔠𝔱 𝔅𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔤𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔬𝔫 𝔐𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 ⋆·˚ ༘ *

💯 super great fic║⭐️ chef’s kiss

𓆤 Paint With Me by @magpiencrow

Summary: It turns out multiple stages of a relationship can be forged over art.

𓆤 It is Just Tea by @leahsficemporium ⭐️

Summary: You drink some of Benedict’s special tea and now Benedict must take care of you until the effects wear off. With such a tea in your system, you can’t help but bring up some truths you’ve been hiding and Benedict is right there to comfort you.

𓆤 Benedict Bridgerton and Marriage by @iliveiloveiwrite 💯

Summary: Daily life headcanon having Benedict Bridgerton as your husband.

𓆤 A Love Story by @notmysunnydale

Summary: Benedict finds Y/N in the library, hiding from the party occurring just outside.

𓆤 8.05 p.m. by @magicalxdaydream

Summary: Benedict is amazed when you arrive at a ball.

𓆤 365 Days of You by @promenadewithme ⭐️

Summary: It’s the reader’s birthday, and Benedict decides to give her the most romantic present of all.

𓆤 This and the Next by @iliveiloveiwrite

Summary: Benedict hasn’t painted a thing in two weeks. He’s beginning to think he won’t paint again, but a Smythe-Smith musicale and the reminder of your love has him once again reaching for his brushes.

𓆤 My Heart, My Future by @make-me-imagine 💯

Summary: Benedict prepares a splendid surprise for the reader, one that requires him taking out a special box.

𓆤 High by @thebadgerclan ⭐️

Summary: Your husband comes down from Colin’s tea…

𓆤 Muse of Mine by @murswrites

Summary: You’re his muse and therefore his favorite thing to paint.

𓆤 A Melodic Language by @writeroutoftime

Summary: After a fight, Benedict tries to connect with you once more through music.

𓆤 A Lovely Sight by @writeroutoftime ⭐️

Summary: On a sunny, spring day, Benedict can’t help but capture the lovely sight before him.

𓆤 Back to Bed by @mrsbbridgerton 💯

Summary: Your husband pulls you back to bed, straight into his chest.

𓆤 As a Kite by @saintlike78 ⭐️

Summary: A stressed artist and “travellers powder” - a quite amusing mix, but not during family dinner.

𓆤 A Bet Between Lovers by @saintlike78 ⭐️

Summary: You believe that Daphne and the duke will be engaged before the end of the season… your husband on the other hand does not - why not bet on it?

𓆤 Hands by @ijustwant2write ⭐️

Summary: Hands are every artists worst nightmare, it’s always best to have a real model for help.

𓆤 Beloved Countryside by @alcottsangel

Summary: Benedict and Y/N enjoy their family life in the countryside.

𓆤 Painter’s Muse by @libraryofloveletters ⭐️

Summary: Benedict finally found the perfect muse for his painting.

𓆤 A Fitting Distraction by @benedictscanvas

Summary: In which a game of pall-mall is afoot and you and your husband, Benedict, engage in a bit of harmless spying on your brother-in-law.

𓆤 Best Behaviour by @dragon-baron

Summary: Benedict Bridgerton is oblivious when it comes up to his own feelings.

𓆤 Lullaby by @fanaticalfantasist 💯

Summary: Benedict spends the day with his children while reader hangs out with the ladies.

𓆤 Helen of Troy by @sometimesiwritesstuff ⭐️

Summary: Y/N has habit of scaring possible suitors away but maybe Benedict could be one that stays.

𓆤 An Evening in the Clouds by @justdaydreamsandimagines

Summary: Benedict falls in love at first sight with the reader.

𓆤 And Now I See Daylight by @wonderlandprose ⭐️

Summary: Benedict seemed to completely change his view on love after meeting the reader.

𓆤 A Secret Skill by @fanaticalfantasist 💯

Summary: Reader’s frustrated on Benedict, but that led to some shocking revelations about her skill on a particular sport.

𓆤 Word on the Street is… by @writers-hes 💯

Summary: Word on the street is that after years of seclusion from The Ton, you were back and a certain Bridgerton had his eyes on you.

𓆤 Midnight Dances by @gryffindors-weasley ⭐️

Summary: Upon your first week settling into your estate as a newlywed couple, you share a moment alone.

𓆤 Late Nights, Early Mornings by @gryffindors-weasley

Summary: When you can’t sleep, Benedict will always be there.

𓆤 She’s a Lady by @anthonysharmaa 💯

Summary: Y/N isn’t considered a proper ‘lady’ by members of the ton yet one Benedict Bridgerton would disagree with them all. Even if she did swoon into his arms.

𓆤 [Untitled] by @starryeyedstories

Summary: Family and friends constantly point out how compatible you are with Benedict Bridgerton.

𓆤 [Untitled] by @starryeyedstories 💯

Summary: Benedict as a papa. Imagine how fluffy it would be!

𓆤 A Tale of Two Proposals by @starryeyedstories 💯

Summary: After a few months of courting, Benedict has a question for you.

𓆤 [Untitled] by @starryeyedstories ⭐️

Summary: When Benedict feels like everything’s going wrong with his art, maybe all he needs is a kiss from the reader.

𓆤 [Untitled] by @starryeyedstories ⭐️

Summary: Accidentally bumping noses with Benedict when you’re about to kiss.

𓆤 Young Love by @bennybr1dge

Summary: You and Benedict have loved each other from a very early age. Having grown up around each other. However, both of you are silly and don’t say anything to one another for years.

𓆤 [Untitled] by @iliveiloveiwrite

Summary: Benedict Bridgerton and the shift from friends to lovers.

𓆤 Start Again by @iliveiloveiwrite

Summary: Benedict never knew he could be jealous of his brother, until it comes to you.

𓆤 Deception by @heloisedaphnebrightmore ⭐️

Summary: Violet’s constant search for a wife for her second eldest son has become too much for Benedict. The only escape he sees is to ask you to pretend to be courting each other. But how long will it work for with your feelings eating you up from the inside.

𓆤 Wrong Conclusion by @regencyslxt

Summary: Imagine reconnecting with Benedict after a less than easy split.

𓆤 Behind the Bushes by @shelby-love

Summary: After an evenful nightly escapade in which you and Benedict were the main characters, you find yourself letting him in on your deepest passion. Confused with feelings you never thought you would experience, all it takes for them to set loose is a simple drawing. But the fear of them being one-sided was ever present too.

𓆤 Forgive Me by @benedictscanvas

Summary: In which you think Benedict doesn’t like the idea of you marrying but really he doesn’t like the idea of you marrying anyone else.

𓆤 I Wonder What It’s Like to Be Loved by You by @iliveiloveiwrite ⭐️

Summary: You’ve loved him for as long as you can remember. Is this the season where he finally realises?

𓆤 My Whole World by @wonderlandprose ⭐️

Summary: Benedict rushes home after he got the letter that his son is ill.

𓆤 Fainted by @alcottsangel 💯

Summary: Y/N faints at a ball at Aubrey Hall, leaving Benedict to fear loosing the love of his life.

𓆤 Jealousy, Jealousy by @scandalous-chaos ⭐️

Summary: Lady Whistledown’s newest drama was her theory about how Y/N and Anthony were dating, and a certain Bridgerton brother starts to get pulled into a rabbit hole of investigation. Mostly to cover up how he was jealous.

𓆤 Faithfulness and Inhibitions by @writers-hes ⭐️

Summary: Benedict Bridgerton showed you the world that he kept hidden and feelings of worry ensue.

𓆤 Fear by @fact-fictionx ⭐️

Summary: Benedict and the reader has always been close, but he couldn’t get the courage to tell her how he felt about her… until it’s finally time for her to find a husband.

𓆤 Foolish by @make-me-imagine ⭐️

Summary: The reader is Benedict’s best friend and is in love with him. When her cousin comes to London and Benedict starts courting her, the reader was left heartbroken.

𓆤 Untold Truths by @itsmercurial 💯

Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is a perfectly curated image that men and women of the 1800s display to attract suitable matches. One would think that the highly honorable Bridgertons do not fall prey or become predators to this dishonesty… A visit to a certain modiste proves otherwise.

𓆤 Ties That Cut by @writers-hes ⭐️

Summary: The Bridgertons are great friends of your family and you find yourself particularly close to the artist. While your ties with Benedict Bridgerton has proven to be one of the things you and Benedict treasure the most, your fear of the unknown has only resulted to more pain and pining. As you traverse through adulthood, you found yourself growing together and then, growing apart.