#I love voting on things and they also happen to be really good at recommending content

[repurposedmeatlocker]

HaveYou Poll Blogs Masterpost

I don't know if someone has made one of these already, but seeing the recent surge in poll blogs themed around statistics related to the Tumblr userbase, I thought I would compile a bit of a list including all the ones I have seen around (if anything just for MY ease of being able to find and vote for them).

@doyouknowthisartist - visual artists

@doyouknowthisauthor - writers

@doyouknowthismusical - musicals

@do-you-know-this-pasta - creepypastas

@doyoulikethissong-poll - anonymous song clips

@do-you-like-this-song - songs

@haveyoueatenthis - food

@haveyouheardthisband - bands/musicians

@haveyouheardthispodcast - podcasts

@haveyoumadethisdish - cooking/baking

@haveyouplayedthisgame - video games

@haveyouplayedthisgame-poll - video games

@haveyoureadthisbook-poll - books

@haveyoureadthismanga-poll - manga

@haveyoureadthisseries-poll - book series

@haveyouseenthismovie-poll - movies

@haveyouseenthisseries-poll - TV shows

@haveyouwatchedthisshow-poll - TV shows

@obscurewebcomictournament - webcomics (this one is not technically connected with the others, but I feel like it fits the bill, and it was technically my first exposure to the format some months ago when polls were first made available on Tumblr. Submissions are currently closed there, but it is a great source for voting and discovering new interesting things to read!)

I will update and add more to this list as more potentially come out! Happy voting!

[blogthebooklover]

30 Things I Learned As An Adult

In honor of me turning 30 in January, I’ve decided to write out a list of 30 things I learned as an adult.  Now, some of these worked for me through trial and error, while others did not.

1. Self Care Is Important

I cannot stress this enough.  We all need to practice self care, to take time for ourselves.  It takes baby steps to find a good self-care routine, and there’s plenty of online resources to find one to your tastes.  Remember it is all about trial and error, and don’t worry about perfecting it right away.  Research some different self care routines online as a starting point.

2. Read Books, Not Fanfiction

Okay, don’t get me wrong, I do love reading some good ole fanfiction, and current events.  However, definitely pick up a book once in a while.  Whether it’s a graphic novel, comics, manga, please develop a reading habit.  It definitely helped me out a lot as a former college dropout, there are reading lists on sites like Goodreads, here on Tumblr, even colleges have lists what books students are required to read.  And it does help with expanding your knowledge and vocabulary.  As I’ve previously said, I’m a former college dropout who’s currently back in school, however, developing a healthy reading habit is what kept me grounded.  If you need a starting point, I recommend reading a fiction book, preferably in the SciFi/Fantasy genre; or reread a book from your childhood.  Also, PLEASE GET A LIBRARY CARD!  You’ll definitely be saving a lot of money, and we need to support our public libraries now more than ever.

3. Say “No” More Often

If you don’t feel comfortable going out, or if your manager calls and asks to cover a shift, just say “no.”  Remember, you have the power to set boundaries, especially with family, friends, and work.  This correlates to number 1 on my list, self care is super important, and you cannot put your health at risk for anyone.  I’m going to repeat that last part: SELF CARE IS SUPER IMPORTANT, AND YOU CANNOT PUT YOUR HEALTH AT RISK FOR ANYONE!

4. Register To Vote, And Vote In Every Election

With politics being so polarized and divisive in the past decade, and the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Election, please register to vote.  And voter suppression has been very rampant in the past two, arguably three, decades.  To anyone about to turn 18 here in the US, please register to vote ASAP!  And vote in every goddamn election, both national and local.  I seriously cannot stress this enough.

5. Eat Healthy, No Seriously

I love some fast food once in a while now, however, please take some time to learn about healthy eating.  It will catch up with you in the future, and our US healthcare system is already fucked as all hell.  I know the rising costs of everything, including food, is insane right now; but please keep informed about how to prepare good healthy food.

6. Take Breaks From Current Events, Social Media, and the Internet

This also correlates with number one.  While it is very important to stay informed with what is happening in the world/country of origin; especially with the US Presidential Election year.  Remember, it’s okay to take breaks from reading too much news, and scrolling through social media feeds.  It really does have an effect on your mental health, and unfortunately too many people tend to fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole on all sides of the political spectrum.  To the teenagers and young adults, take breaks and focus on your mental health and well-being.  To the adults, read the previous sentence.  With everything so polarizing, take care of yourself first.  

7. High School Friends DO NOT LAST!

My friends from high school and early college years were definitely the “ride and die” type of  friends, metaphorically speaking.  If you have that one friend who was/is the “give the shirt off their back” type, check in on them once in a while.  However, with the former, just move on.  The friends I had in high school definitely had a lot of childhood trauma, and in one aspect, I’m glad that they were honest about it; it was/is a way to heal.  However, any “friend” who just doesn’t want to better themselves and use you for any convenience, DUMP THEM AND CUT OFF ALL CONTACT!  Remember just as you set boundaries with your toxic family members, and even for your job, you should do the same with friends.

8. Change Jobs, ASAP!

This is a very important one.  I didn’t really have a job as a teenager, I wanted to enjoy being a kid for a little longer, however, I did have an occasional babysitting job.  At 23 years old, I got a job at a fast food place.  While I do appreciate part of the experience, like how to use the “customer service” voice, however, any red flags that pop up in your head, change jobs, ASAP!  It was toxic, too political (for some weird reason) and a lot of drama (and not from the teenagers).  The grocery store I work at now does have its busy times, however, it’s much more calmer, and I don’t see too many “Karen” types. 

9. Declutter More Often

This is also a definite must as you get older.  Whatever you don’t need anymore, donate them.  Whatever is completely broken, throw it away!  Whatever it is that is in good condition, sell it or maybe give it to someone as a birthday/holiday present.  Any old makeup, throw it away!  It’ll help reduce the amount of clutter and mess.  If you need a starting point, I suggest the KonMari method.  It really did help me out a lot.

10.  Use A Planner

This is a life-and-time saver.  Write down any appointments, cleaning days, paydays, bill charges, etc.; into a physical planner.  If you’re in college, please use one!  And write down any assignments to work on/turn in BEFORE the deadline.  Also, anything important, put into your calendar app on your phone and laptop as a reminder.

11.  Have A Skin Care Routine

Okay, I know having a skin care routine isn’t for everyone, and we all have different reactions to skin care products; however, don’t be afraid to experiment with a good skin care routine.  In my early teen years, I used Proactiv skin care for my acne, and it helped out a lot.  Remember: cleanse, tone, any serum of your choice, and moisturize.  This also helps out if you don’t feel like jumping into the shower.  Also, use sunscreen, seriously.

12.  Don’t Get Married, Until You’re Ready

This is coming from someone who is single, lol.  If you plan on getting married to your romantic partner, I’m proud of you! Marriage is about communication, being honest, and doing equal amount of work (finances, household chores, etc.)  Save money if you’re planning for a wedding, or go to your local courthouse to get a marriage license if you don’t want the big, fancy reception.  

13.  Don’t Have Kids, Until You’re Ready

Again, this is coming from someone who is single and childless, lol.  Having kids is a lot of work: physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.  Not everyone is capable of being a parent, and I have read PLENTY of posts on here and other websites about toxic parents/parenting styles.  Take time and think about if you’re ready to become a parent.

14.  Learn How To Budget Your Money

This is for anyone of any age out there.  Please learn how to budget your spending.  Look for stuff on sale or clearance, or cut back on certain types of spending. I know most people have no idea where to start, but there is! There’s some great websites and YouTube channels on how to budget your money. Another great tool to use are spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. I use a Google Sheet template to help track my spending and budget my finances. Also, if you have gift cards from your birthday/holidays/etc; definitely use them, you won't be breaking your bank account :). Also, definitely have some paper cash in your wallet for emergency use.     

15.  Open A Savings/Emergency Funds Account, ASAP!

This is a huge one to have as an adult, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Anything left over from paying the bills, from a side hustle, or from your tax returns, put that into savings.  Certain banks will also have the option of creating “financial goals” in savings accounts; so I highly recommend using that as well.  This also correlates with number 14.  If you’re interested, open two or three savings accounts, the last one should only be for emergency funds.

16.  Get A Physical Hobby, AKA Exercise!

It doesn’t matter what type of exercise you do, please do it!  And for anyone who is physically disabled, there are modified options provided on YouTube.  We do lose certain motor functions as we age, so definitely pick an exercise that’s right for you, as they say. Even if it's just going outside for a walk for 30 minutes, please do some type of exercise.   

17.  Learn How To Meal Prep

It doesn’t have to be for every meal of every day, pick a meal you want to make and prepare ahead of time.  And prepare that meal the day before, so it will be on hand when you leave your house. There are some great videos on YouTube, and some ideas from Pinterest if you need a starting point.

18.  If You’re Able To, Go To The Dentist!

Seriously though, try and go for a checkup/teeth cleaning.  You’re only given one set of teeth after all your baby teeth fall out, and you need to take good care of them.  If you’re able to, or live near to one, local colleges have free cleanings through their dental training programs.   

19.  If Your Job Offers a 401K, GET ON IT NOW!

My old job at a fast food restaurant didn’t have retirement benefits, but my current grocery store job does.  I jumped on it right away, even if it’s not the job I want right now.  And it’s a good starting point to have some money saved up for retirement. If you leave the job that has a 401k, you can do what's called a rollover. This will put the money that was set into the first retirement fund into another one; you can do this with your bank or if your new job has a 401k.

20.  If You Don’t Have Health Insurance, Sign Up With The State, or Through Your Job.

In my experience, I have insurance through the state at the moment.  If your job offers health insurance as well, jump on it right away, even if it’s not the job you want, it’ll be a starting point that correlates with number 19.

21.  It’s Okay To Not Go To College

This is coming from someone who was a college dropout at 19, and currently back in school.  If you don’t feel ready to go to college, that’s okay too.  College is very expensive, especially here in the US, and not everyone can get a scholarship, even if they did apply for a lot of them.  Maybe get a part-time job or two (for some income), explore some hobbies you enjoy, and take some time to think about some goals.     

22. If You’re In College, It’s Okay To Stay At Home

Again, coming from a former college dropout, I stayed at home while attending a nearby community college in another state.  However, out-of-state tuition and housing is also very expensive.  If you have a good relationship with your parents, and if you’re going to school in-state, talk to them about staying home while going to school.  If you don’t, then talk to a trusted friend or family member about getting an apartment together that isn’t on-site housing while you’re attending school.

23. Watch Non-English Language Movies

If you’re a movie lover like me, take some time to watch some foreign language films once in a while; and I know we anime fans do, lol.  To be honest, it does get very boring watching English language films all the time, whether from the States, England, or Canada.  Watching foreign language movies will definitely help you to understand the world a lot better, if you don’t have the means for traveling yet; and they will help you to understand that no matter where we live, we all have similar issues, hopes, dreams, etc.  If you need a starting point, I recommend any of the Studio Ghibli movies, I would start with Kiki’s Delivery Service; or Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth.  

24. SET BOUNDARIES

Remember: toxic family members and friends are not worth it.  You are worthy and valid for love and respect.  This correlates to number 7.  This is also very useful in the workplace.  

25. Express Yourself Through Fashion

Like everyone else, I feel most comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt myself; however sometimes I like to dress up just for fun, or to build up my self esteem and image.  This also helps when learning to pair an accessory with an outfit.  Play around with different color palettes and clothing styles, and find the one you feel the most “you.”  For example, I’ve always looked my best in jewel tones and a cooler color palette.  Read some fashion articles or watch some YouTube videos about how to pick out an outfit.

26. It Is Not Selfish To Prioritize Yourself

This correlates with number 3.  I have noticed it’s mostly a Western/American/Christian culture norm, we’re always told to take care of others before taking care of ourselves; or we’re selfish for prioritizing ourselves over others. It is not selfish, it is part of self care. Again, this is tied in with number 24.

27.   Failing and Making Mistakes Is Part of Growing

There is so much societal pressure on trying to be successful in life and work, especially in the Western/American hemisphere. However, making mistakes and failing at something is part of growing, and learning as an individual.

28. It's Okay to Not Have a Label to Define Yourself

Hear me out. I understand the use of labels in society and culture in general; everyone wants to belong somewhere and feel accepted. However, it is okay to not have a label to define who you are, and who you want/choose to be. Take all the time you need to figure out what's best for you. And sometimes people don't realize a label will fit them until they are much older in life. Or they couldn't at the time.

29. Don't Compare, You'll Get There

We are human, and we all have the tendency to compare ourselves to others. Unfortunately, this doesn't end after high school and college. And that needs to seriously change, especially in the Western/American hemisphere. Simply writing down "don't compare, you'll get there" is a great reminder to have for yourself. Everyone learns and grows at their own pace.

30. It Really Is The Little Things That Keep Us Going

When life seems to get too hard, it really is the little things that keep us going. Whether it is something as simple as someone holding a door open for you, or someone complimenting* you on your outfit or your work ethic; those moments are the ones that matter the most. Remember those moments, hold on to them.

[bitchesgetriches]

and bitches how do I get sterilized (afab) i thought i might want kids in my 30s but i cant really risk it can i i just dont know what to do

Hi sweetness. I suspect a lot of people are in your boat right now. Personally, I got my first IUD implanted in January of 2017. NOTE THE TIMING. I also had a friend get her tubes tied around that time.

The most important thing to remember is that getting sterilized as an AFAB person is over 99% effective and pretty damn permanent. So if you think you just can't risk getting pregnant SOON, but you might want to SOME DAY... then don't get sterilized. Explore another option. Again, I have an IUD and thoroughly recommend it.

It's a fairly simple out-patient procedure, but as with any surgery, it comes with health risks. Sterilization for AMAB people is slightly less risky. Make sure to take all that into account.

So if you truly want to get sterilized, here's what I (a non-doctor) recommend:

The very first step is to make sure you have a primary care physician and health insurance. Your PCP is the one who will refer you for the surgery. Make an appointment and tell them this:

"I would like to be sterilized via a tubal ligation. I've carefully considered this for a long time, and after doing significant research and discussing it with my loved ones, I've determined it's the best decision for my future."

A lot of people get pushback from their doctors when they request sterilization. That's why you want to make it abundantly clear that this is not a sudden whim, but something you've put serious thought into. And married folks will sometimes be asked to clear it with their spouse first (that happened when my husband requested a vasectomy).

They might try to talk you out of it. They may flat out refuse to refer you. If this happens, just calmly say: "Thank you for your time. Since you won't help me with my healthcare needs, I will be seeking a new primary care physician at this time." Then get yourself a new doctor.

Under the ACA (the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare) the procedure will be completely free with your insurance. That's why it's important to make sure you have health insurance before you request the procedure. The Trump administration is sure to try repealing the ACA again (in his first term, John McCain was literally the deciding vote on overturning the ACA, and he's fucking dead now and congress is full of MAGA sycophants). So you need to work quickly in case your sterilization will no longer be covered.

I strongly recommend you seek more advice from healthcare professionals. @plannedparenthood is also a great resource for everything to do with reproductive healthcare. But this should help you get the ball rolling.

Good luck, my dear. Here's more of our advice:

How to Prepare for a Post-Roe World (Bonus Episode) 

How To Get an Abortion 

How (and Why) to Take Back Reproductive Rights: On Pulling Weeds and Fighting Back 

Did we just help you out? Say thanks with a Patreon donation!

[theresattrpgforthat]

I'm so giddy! I've been waiting impatiently for the askbox to open! Okay, okay, so... could you, please, recommend some free TTRPGS about vampires having fun and vampire adventures/shenanigans in general? VTM is the wrong kind of existential for me, so I need vampires being monsters and having a good time while at it. Also I have problems with purchasing things abroad (not from an English-speaking country), hence the "free" thing. I really love your blog and reading your recommendations, keep up the fantastic work! ❤🎃

THEME: Affordable Vampire Shenanigans.

Thank you so much for your kind words! Let’s see what kind of vampire games I can find for you.

All the Damn Vampires, by Ringo Stalin.

All the Damn Vampires is a TTRPG for vampires who just want to have fun, without the stress of being slain, or having to put on a masque.

This game is an unabashed power-fantasy for the disenfranchised, the marginalised, and the weird folks who always felt out of step with the rest of the world.

All the Damn Vampires uses four basic stats (Vigilance, Astronomy, Motion, and Presence), as well as a resource pool called Deadline to represent how much energy your Vampire has left. Your stats are better if they are lower, as you have to roll above your set number if you want to succeed.

Many typical vampire weaknesses aren’t built into your characters in this game; you can eat garlic and bathe in holy water, although you still can’t survive a wooden stake or a beheading. You also have a number of various vampire abilities available to you, some of which are ’nascent’, or “beginner” abilities, while others can be gained as you grow. If you want a power fantasy that lets your vampires go out and party with just the odd hunter or two trying to take you down, you might like this game.

All the Damn Vampires is currently pay-what-you-want, so you should be able to download it for free if you need to.

Vampire Friend-Group Needed, by SteelWhale.

In this party game, players will first create their very own vampire, and then try to convince the other players why their vampire is a perfect fit for this very exclusive vampire group. 

This game combines all kinds of vampires, from the cartoony Count Chocula to the original Count Dracula. You are all vying for a spot in a special vampire friend-group, and trying to impress your potential Vampire friends. There’s not much when it comes to playing this game, mostly role-playing through the initial conversation, and then voting on whose vampires are the coolest - or the un-coolest, if you want to play it that way. The designer recommends trying this game out as a prelude to another vampire game.

As with most of the games on this list, this is also pay-what-you-want!

VUMPIRE!, by dozens.

Play Baseball. Drink Blood.

You are umpiring the championship game and you are also an ancient undead vampire. You are here to steal some oxygen-rich, elite athlete blood. And also to enforce the rules of baseball and uphold the spirit of sportsmanship.

VUMPIRE is all about infiltrating a baseball game to get high-quality blood. It’s got plenty of roll-tables to make character creation interesting, as well as a few tips on setting up a baseball league of your own. Judging by the table of contents, it looks like you’ll mark some kind of progress over the game; probably both how well the teams are doing as well as how much blood you’re able to procure from your antics. If you want a combination sports-game and vampire game, this might be the game for you.

VUMPIRE isn’t free, but there are community copies at the time that I write this post, so you should be able to pick up a copy, or perhaps ask the creator for a copy if you can’t afford one.

Flesh + Fangs, by FrogmentSoul.

You are the followers of Count Dracula, and he has put you in charge of taking care of his castle while he takes a well-earned retirement. But it just happens that the day the Count is going to do his routine performance check, odd things begin to happen that make you look incompetent! It's time to right these wrongs before you lose Dracula’s respect!

Flesh + Fangs is a hack of John Harper's Lasers & Feelings based on the Dimension 20 season Coffin Run, serving as a way to further the story beyond its end. This is a game of undead havoc, macabre drama, and trying to make your boss proud for once.  

I’ve talked about Lasers and Feelings hacks a number of times before, but the basics is this: minimal character bookkeeping, little to no GM prep, and great for lighthearted, fun times. In this case, you’re all doing your darndest to impress Count Dracula, and failing horribly.

If you’re the one running this game, I recommend writing up a list of potential obstacles beforehand, maybe even writing up some possible room descriptions if you have enough time. These kinds of games are pretty heavy on improv, so having a few things to pull up when the players do something unexpected is a good idea.

Flesh + Fangs is pay-what-you-want, including if that payment is zero dollars.

Vikings vs. Vampires, by CartwrightShop.

Vikings Vs. Vampires is a rules-light role-playing game suitable for all ages created by Ben Cartwright and Jon Merrell. A big inspiration for Vikings Vs. Vampires was the wonderful game Honey Heist created by Grant Howitt.

Only half of the playgroup in this game are vampires, but the premise certainly feels goofy to me, and in a good way. I think it’s interesting that your Viking stats are different from your Vampire stats; the core of each of these character types are different, and therefore they act a little differently. Even though this game is goofy, keep in mind that the Vampires and the Vikings are at odds with each-other, and are designed to go head-to-head.

This is a very lovingly crafted game, and probably the most illustrated out of everything on this list. There’s plenty of backstory to set up the moment where your characters meet, although I don’t know how repayable the game is. It’s also pay-what-you-want: yay!

You Installed the Wrong DLC And Now You Must Fight Mathomagic Dracula, by kumada1.

For long ages, the arch-vampire has slumbered inside his geometric coffin. But now the seals are broken, the formulae are smudged, and Dracula is loose.

As a creature of muddled mytho-historical origin, Dracula is not confined to any one setting or story. He can leap from reality to reality, claiming victims where he will.

And as a creature loosely associated with a pun based on tallying up numbers, Dracula also wields fell power over the nature of mathematics.

Unless he is stopped, he will rain untold terrors down upon the multiverse. Which is where you come in.

This isn’t really a tabletop game on its own, but rather a funny way to warp another tabletop game that you are already playing. “Install” Dracula into another game system, and he will slowly skew the system’s math - you must defeat him before he renders your game entirely unplayable! If you want a goofy game where the fiction jumps past the fourth wall and generates havoc with your table, this might just get you there.

And of course, the game is pay-what-you-want.

Other Vampire Games

Step Into My Coffin, Babe, by Super Sardine Burial.

Bubblegum Vampires, by Gormengeist.

Bloodlite RPG, by HiddenSky Estùdio.

My Alternative Vampires Post.

Fangs, Fangs, Fangs Rec Post.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/28/2024 Daily Crew Recap

TLDR; Hoist The Ads Charity Donations; Campaign Status Updates; Hunt For the Pirate Home Watch Party; General Morale; Past Renewal Campaign Comparisons; Cast & Crew Sightings; Upcoming Events: Pets for Pirates Jan 29; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika

=Hoist The Ads Updates =

Looks like the voting is done, and the results are in! @gingerlyvibing was kind enough to break down how much is going where. Just a reminder-- you all made this happen! Everything over the $10K it cost to get the billboard is going to help out these awesome charities! Links to threads: Tumblr / Twitter

Funnily enough, apparently one of the trucks still has the ads on it

== How To Help ==

How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US

How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US

I'm helping some folks over on FB get similar/ the same updates right now, if anyone would like to help give me feedback I'd appreciate it, please just PM me! I have a couple ideas and I want to run them by folks.

== Status Updates ==

Good news! Wb is still having trouble recovering, as it should. Thanks @btweenhisteeth on twitter

==Petition Status==

Over 82K -- going slow, but still ticking up! Takes time all, especially since we're focused on the networks right now. Don't give up!

== Hunt For The Pirate Home Watch Party ==

Had some great turn out all over the world today for the Hunt For the Wilder People watch party. Thank you again to @dandeebakes for getting those coordinated!

Saw some great trends during it, and a lot of people having fun. If you haven't actually seen the movie, I highly recommend it, it's incredibly good!

==General Morale==

So despite things being fairly quiet today, the general vibe from folks has been that we're just in a holding pattern and we're just gonna keep clowning and polite menacing until we hear more word.

== Other Cancelled Series Comparisons ==

Something cool that I saw more of today was several groups doing comparisons with other cancelled TV Shows. Thank you to @OFMDCrew for these stats on twitter.

After they were posted, I did hear conflicting feelings on these (some felt it helped raise their mood, some felt it made it worse). So I wanted to point out a few things:

1. We've done a hell of a lot in 3 weeks (and signatures were our priority for most of the first two weeks, but once David Jenkins lit the beacon 8 days ago, we changed our focus). 2. We had a leadership change mid-all of this with Renew As A Crew. 3. Oh and there's other stuff in the world going on (Palestine) 4. As @saltpepperbeard says in their post "David only posted his "call to arms" just a little over a week ago. Eight days ago." So much has changed and we've STILL accomplished so much in that time too.

We are kicking ass, we really are, I promise you!

Across Twitter / IG / and Tumblr, several people have mentioned they feel like something's "in the air". That's totally a second hand "I have a feeling" thing but as you probably remember, quite a few of us had that as a bad feeling the morning before the show got cancelled. Now, if you're not into that kinda thing-- I would like to mention, that could just be because this crew is so fucking awesome, and that's why the vibe is so good-- because we're leaning on each other and take care of each other. Also when lovely people like @saltpepperbeard (as referenced above) write lovely responses to asks that can always help too. This post made ME feel better, I recommend giving it a read for a little perspective :)

= Cast & Crew Sightings =

1. The weekend is still pretty scarce as usual. Our pirate queen Ruibo Qian has been enjoying a lot of everyone's artwork lately. 2. Nathan Foad announced his con dates 3. Renewal Campaign Related: mostly seeing updates again from our boi Erroll Shand supporting the campaign.

== Pets For Pirates ==

Tomorrow, Jan 29, there will be a Pets for Pirates Even! Share your Pet pictures and use the hashtags:

#PetsForPirates

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

==Love Notes==

I know, I know "Jeez Abby, Shut Up We Already Know How Awesome We Are" Well good! Cause you should! But that won't stop me from saying so again! I'm serious when I say the vibe is so good right now in general because we have such a great crew. You all take such good care of each other and it shows every single day. You helped raise an extra $11,578 that are now going to charities that are going to help so many families, and kids, and that's just from the extra stuff from the Hoist The Ads Campaign -- not including everything else going on. I'm going to include a picture from one of my favorite people @thelatestkate because she does awesome work, and this one applies significantly to all of you. <3

Daily Darby/Tonights Taika

Tonights gifs are brought you by the wonderful @celluloidbroomcloset's Posts: Rhys / Taika

I'm literally watching Green Lanturn this moment because I needed to remember this youngin Taika, so thank you / no thank you for that, but hey I've watched worse for Rhys so I guess I can't complain.

Goodnight Lovelies <3

[zwy01]

Blood Moon AU!! Part 2 - Werewolves

Second part of my second major AU, Blood Moon AU. The nobles and werewolves basically have a race swap in an almost brand new setting.

For more info, check out my first post where I explained the general lore and setting of this AU (highly recommended for a better understanding because characters in this post reference characters in the one linked below here):

I didn’t do every character because there’s a lot of them, so I left out ones that don’t have major roles in the story. If they have a name in canon, then they all exist in this AU, just that I haven’t named/drawn them yet. Maybe in the future if I feel like it. But for now, this is pretty much it.

The characters.

Peach: Current Lord of the Werewolves. Adoptive father of twins Ruth and Rosemary. Peach isn’t his real name. No one knows what his real name is. He never mentions it, and he simply smiles and doesn’t answer when asked. Peach is just the nickname the werewolves came up for him at some point because his face is covered in small fuzzy hairs which gives him the appearance of a fresh peach. And no one can really recall how he became Lord. It just sort of happened. The werewolves all agreed that he’s good for the job, and the throne became his in the blink of an eye. Okay then, sigh, fiiiiine, he’ll do it. The werewolves seem quite happy about it. It’s almost like they all voted on him. And the previous Lord has had enough and decided it was time for him to retire and enjoy the rest of his days with his family, so he was more than enthusiastic to step down and hand things over to Peach. Peach was confused about being put into a leadership role out of the blue, but he adjusted very well and does a good job of caring for his people. Perhaps the werewolves realized that physical strength is not the only attribute of a good leader. Maybe this is what they call change, and that they have evolved from the old ways. Anyways, Peach does qualify for role of Lord since he is decent at fighting and an impressive warrior, but his greatest strengths lie in his communication skills and diplomatic nature when it comes to problem solving and negotiation.

Peach is responsible for communicating with Marcus and his fellow nobles of the secret noble organization regarding transportation and distribution of resources from Lukedonia to werewolf island. Peach is eternally grateful to Marcus and his allies for going as far as to betray their noble Lord and in the process risk their own lives to help the werewolves survive and thrive in these trying times. The werewolves do have their own means of production, but it’s not enough and they need some extra help. And Marcus and his nobles answered. Peach just can’t thank them enough. Peach is also good friends and pen pals with Marcus. They call each other “Peachy” and “Maduke” in their letters.

Peach puts his own needs behind those of his people. When Marcus’ supplies of food, money, and other essential items arrive, Peach always tells his people to pick everything they need and even bring home some extras. He waits for everyone to take their share, then he picks from whatever is left. This often results in him not eating enough, though his weight loss is also partially due to him subconsciously eating less than what he really needs. He does this out of love for his people, and he wants to save every extra bite for someone who might need it… even if there are enough resources to go around a few times thanks to Marcus. Peach just wants everyone to have a good life, and being their leader means putting his people above all else, including himself. The werewolves are aware of their Lord’s tendencies to unintentionally skip meals, and they figured out a way to solve that. They would tell him that they won’t eat unless he does too, and then Peach would eat because he doesn’t want his people to starve themselves. If it works, it works. Peach appreciates his people just as much as they appreciate him. They know it’s no easy job to be Lord, and they’re all there to support him. Peach has their full respect and this unanimous sentiment is more than rock solid. He is their only candidate for Lord and they will never challenge him for as long as he’s willing to sit on the throne. There probably are quite a few werewolf warriors who are stronger than him and could defeat him in a duel, but no one even thinks of challenging him despite the old rules stating how the strongest gets to rule them all. Peach is simply too precious. Quite unusual for a warlike supernatural race, maybe even too peaceful to be true, but it’s real. The werewolves are one big happy pack.

Peach has no biological children, though the number of werewolf women who are eyeing him and more than willing to have his children can probably form a line all the way up to Mother Moon in space. It makes sense, he’s literally the perfect man.

Peach has two adopted daughters, Ruth and Rosemary, whom he found by the werewolves’ equivalent of a dumpster. He felt sorry that their parents didn’t want them, and took them in and raised them as his own.

Ruth: Adopted daughter of Peach, and Rosemary’s twin. Ruth is rather sensitive and has a tendency to make decisions based on feelings and impulse, and needs to learn not to jump to conclusions. She is also prone to overthinking and still doubts Peach’s love for her to this day. Ruth thinks her father only adopted her out of pity and that he is only nice to her because it makes him feel good about himself, which are all false. This puts a strain on their relationship and Peach has a hard time bonding with Ruth, and Rosemary takes up most of the communication between these two. Ruth does genuinely love Peach as her father but she just needs plenty of reassurance. Other than that, she’s a pretty chill person despite being stoic at times. Technically, Ruth has a lot of privileges as the daughter of the Lord, but just like her father, she has an immense love for her people thus never actually uses the perks she’s entitled to. Like Peach, she waits for others to take what they need and scavenges for the leftovers, though Peach always stops her and asks her eat properly because she’s still growing. When Ruth refuses and insists on being like her father, Peach then orders her to eat and she has to listen to him. It’s the only time Peach ever orders Ruth to do anything and it’s a running joke in the family, to the former’s amusement and the latter’s annoyance.

Ruth is also a bit of an odd one out when compared to her fellow werewolves because she somehow finds fighting with a sword to be much more natural and swift as opposed to using her claws like werewolves are supposed to. It just feels way more intuitive, and she knows how to fight in that style. Too bad no one shares this feeling, and to this day Ruth remains the only person who can teach herself. Peach is looking into bringing proficient swordsmen into werewolf island so his daughter can have someone to bond and train with. His success is limited, and Ruth is stuck with self-learning. Maybe another day. People think it’s funny how the Lord’s daughter favors swinging around some sharp stick over Mother Moon’s gift of transformation and hand-to-hand combat. Well, she’s already kind of weird, so. Sticks over fists, y’all.

Ruth has a crush on Kenji.

Rosemary: Adopted daughter of Peach, and Ruth’s twin. While Ruth is skittish and distant, Rosemary is social and upbeat. Rosemary hopes that her sister will eventually see that her assumptions about their father’s feelings for her are only misunderstandings, but for now she’ll keep acting as the bridge between these two because Ruth isn’t exactly enthusiastic about sitting face to face and talking it out with pops Peach just yet. Rosemary just sighs. This is also why Rosemary is closer to their father because she has no problems with expressing herself and the communication between them is much better. Rosemary is the less independent twin and likes to stick around Peach for most of her day because she simply likes being around him, and the latter is quite flattered. She enjoys assisting Peach with his work and she’s one of the most hard-working volunteers who helps to transport and distribute the contents of Marcus’ packages to the citizens of werewolf island.

While Rosemary enjoys hand-to-hand combat, she also likes to study magic and draws magic circles in her free time. Being a werewolf magician is just so cool. Shooting powerful laser beams and setting up movement restriction spells? That’s a YES. Rosemary is a big fan of noble streamer Zivon Tradio, who goes by “GlitterDream KittyPaws” on the internet. Perhaps she can alter and adapt some of his spells for her own use. She also has a bunch of his merch, with a pink nail filer with his face on it as the latest addition to her collection. Peach is aware of Rosemary’s hobby and is supportive of her. It’d be fun if she can learn some tricks and give him a new hairdo in the snap of a finger! So fun.

Rosemary has a crush on Cloudy.

Ronan: Younger brother of Larke. A haughty and prideful werewolf with a certain hatred for nobles. Ronan insists that he despises all of them even though many of the foods he eats and the things he uses were generous gifts to them from Marcus, who is… a noble. His argument is that the noble Lord is incredibly selfish and malicious for monopolizing almost all the available resources in the world for Lukedonia and that Marcus is just doing what he’s supposed to do, to redistribute some of that back to the inhabitants of the world, which includes his pack. It does make some sense, but Ronan completely ignores the huge risks Marcus has taken by going against his Lord and he is somewhat ungrateful. His older brother Larke tries to correct him, to no avail.

Ronan is known for his speed, though Larke is even faster than him. He takes great pride in his brother’s achievements as well as his own. Ronan tries hard to impress Larke and loves him very much, though he doesn’t tell him that his deepest fear is that Larke will abandon him one day; a fear that will never come true but haunts him nonetheless.

Ronan also has a dislike for humans but he secretly loves spicy ramyeon and chocolate coated cookie sticks. It’s almost like a guilty pleasure to him, and he’d get all embarrassed when someone points out his double standards. Marcus occasionally sends human treats to werewolf island as well, and you can bet Ronan’s always rushing to check what’s new. He’s too prideful to admit it. Sigh.

Ronan has a crush on Sapphire and is borderline obsessed with her. He used to invade her personal space all the time but over time he has learned to not be an ass. He genuinely cares about her, and wants to win her heart one day. He’d gladly be Remi’s stepfather if both mother and son let him, but Remi doesn’t really like him. Rip. He tries to get Remi to like him, though.

Larke: Older brother of Ronan. Larke is famous for being the fastest of the werewolves. He and his brother Ronan’s late father was also known for his speed. Larke was able to push his own limits and at some point surpassed their father, which is a huge achievement. Larke might not talk much, but he cares a lot for his loved ones. Their father died when Ronan was a toddler and Larke raised him in his father’s stead. Ronan means everything to Larke and the latter would sacrifice anything for his younger brother. Larke is also completely dedicated to werewolf island and he believes that one day the most fulfilling way to die is to give up his life defending his home. For this reason, Larke trains day and night to become even stronger and always strives to overcome his limits. Larke is also wary of the nobles and more or less anticipates a surprise attack from Lukedonia given the nature of their Lord, though he doesn’t say it out loud like Ronan does. His gut feeling tells him that his father’s death had something to do with the nobles despite the lack of evidence.

Larke has a crush on Kameron.

Kenji: No one knows what his origins are. Kenji is one of the werewolves not native to werewolf island. Instead, he came from the outside and joined the clan here to escape his former clan. The clan he was born into was too aggressive and always at internal conflict, and that is not the lifestyle he wants. They were too bloodthirsty and merciless, and it wasn’t uncommon to wake up to a couple of dead bodies lying around soaked in fresh pools of blood. Those bodies would then be kicked around and ultimately dragged away and tossed into the ocean before the stench hit. The werewolves there treated this as normal occurrence. Just another day, no big deal. It’s too much for someone like Kenji. Kenji just wants peace and quiet, which is exactly what Peach’s clan can offer to him. He had heard rumors about Peach’s clan and ultimately left his old clan in search of a new home despite there being richer material resources in his homeland. It’s just not worth it to stay. And he is right. Peach’s clan is more much peaceful and conflicts only go as far as harmless personal drama. Peach listened to Kenji’s story and welcomed him to join their family, and Kenji’s been doing very well ever since. Sometimes Kenji accidentally hurts members of his new clan out of reflex simply because he had to stay on guard to defend himself at all times in his old clan, and that has taken a toll on his mind. His new family is very understanding of him, and tells him it’s okay, they’ll help him together. Kenji tears up every time they’re nice to him. Aww, he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear despite his scary appearance.

Long ago, in his homeland, Kenji had two daughters and a son but they all died from being caught up in the warriors’ internal conflict. Even his partner fell victim to one of the fights there, and Kenji wasn’t able to save them in time. To this day he refuses to get attached to anyone because he doesn’t want to experience loss anymore.

Linden: Son of an unnamed human father and werewolf mother. Linden is quite an oddity among his kind for being half-human. He’s definitely not the only one, but there’s not many of them. Growing up wasn’t easy because his heritage means that his body is a bit different from everyone else’s, and that his parents couldn’t fully grasp how to best raise their son because he is neither werewolf nor human, instead something in between. Linden’s father was one of the very few humans to reside in werewolf island as a permanent “member” of the pack. His parents had a happy, fulfilling life together and his father eventually died of old age and now it’s just Linden and his mother. Linden tries his hardest to adapt to a werewolf lifestyle but he doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of them. He looks like a pureblooded werewolf and acts and thinks like one, but the human blood in his veins would render him unable to keep up with the rest of his peers. His friends are extra careful with him because they’re afraid he might just fall apart if he accidentally trips himself or something. It’s okay, Linden’s tougher than he looks. He insists that they include him on their activities. He’s a bit slow and less strong, but he’ll catch up in a minute. Linden is a joy to be around so everyone likes him, even if he’s not quite at their level.

Linden has a special thing for tea. He likes to forage for leaves and puts them in boiling water to see how they taste. It’s so much fun! He’d take the leaves and dry them, age them, mix them with other ingredients etc. to create a variety of tastes. Though he has to be careful because some things that pureblooded werewolves have natural full immunity to are still dangerous to him. Once he almost went to the other side from drinking something he crafted without checking the contents carefully and his friends were barely able to pull him back from having one foot in the grave. Well, he had no one to check with, he thought he had full immunity just like everyone else! Now he knows. In the present day, the entire werewolf community is watching out for him. Oh my, thank you!

Linden has a crush on Ronan, and Rosemary, and Ruth, and many others. He ends up liking anyone who is nice to him.

Cloudy: Daughter of unnamed werewolves. She got her name from being born on a cloudy day. Cloudy is rather shy, and the only person whom she’s totally comfortable being around is her elderly father. He had Cloudy quite late, so he put all of his attention into her and she grew up rather sheltered. He did most of the talking for her, almost acting as her spokesperson. Cloudy would clutch onto her father’s robes and hide behind him when others approached and only grew out of it in adulthood. Sometimes, out of reflex, she still reaches her hand out expecting to grab onto a piece of cloth for comfort. Oops. She’s doing a great job though. Cloudy has her own group of good friends and they’re very caring with her. Rosemary, Kameron, and Linden are part of this group. Sapphire too if she decides to tag along. They like going to the beaches together and they’d sit on the sand and stargaze while listening to the waves and the gulls. Sometimes they’d also bury Linden until only his head is above the sand. And they’d all laugh together. Cloudy’s father was worried about her and what will happen after he dies because she’s so attached to him, but seeing his girl with her awesome friends has reassured him that she will be just fine after his soul returns to Mother Moon’s embrace.

Cloudy is one of the few if not only werewolf to not eat any meat. Like just no meat at all. This is a very strange thing for a werewolf to do, as the werewolves’ diet had been pretty much meat-only since the beginning of time, only to have evolved into more mixed one as of recently. Still, they’re mostly carnivores. Cloudy’s love of animals is very strong so she doesn’t eat any, as she can’t see them as food no matter how hard she tries. She’s fine with milk and eggs and such, just nothing harvested from an animal’s body. This diet would cause her to not be able to fully channel the strengths of a werewolf, but that’s fine to her since she was never really a fighter on the inside to begin with. Plus, she can just chill with Linden in the back. She can show him her colorful crystal collection and they’ll excitedly chat about where to find more.

Cloudy has a crush on Ruth.

Kameron: Son of unnamed werewolves. Kameron was the product of a short fling between his parents. His mother was a wandering traveler who stumbled upon werewolf island and that’s how she met his father. She left werewolf island and said her permanent goodbyes to her partner and then-toddler son to continue on with her travels, leaving her partner to raise Kameron on his own. Kameron and his father have a great relationship despite their differences in personality. Like his mother, Kameron is easygoing and cheerful. He has a talent for putting up smiles on people’s faces by being funny or making a fool of himself, or both. He always jokes about how Ruth and Rosemary are his long-lost sisters even though that’s clearly not the case. Peach thinks it’s hilarious.

Kameron has a fascination with noble culture. Sure, Lukedonia’s not the greatest place and its inhabitants are a mixed bag, but it’s still so interesting. He wants to know everything about them. What they do for fun, what their jobs are like, how the weather is over there, do they get to control their own weather, how does it feel to read minds, how does it feel to get your minds read, do you even have eating utensils and beds if you don’t need food or sleep, do you pee and poo, why is everyone’s eyes red, blah blah blah… the questions are endless and he is overflowing with excitement and curiosity. Kameron daydreams about picking up a random noble from the streets and just interviewing them all day long, asking questions to his satisfaction. It’s just so cool to be a noble. Kameron likes being a werewolf, of course, he’s just drawn by the unknown. Perhaps he’ll even marry a noble one day, haha. Just kidding, that’s impossible. It’s better to stay at home, he thinks. No way that’s happening.

Kameron has a crush on Larke, though the two of them don’t know that the feeling mutual. Kameron likes to tease Larke and Larke pretends to hate it even though he likes it and wants Kameron to talk to him more. There’s quite some unresolved tension between them and who knows where it’ll go.

Gregory: Father of Sapphire, and grandfather of Remi. Gregory was Peach’s father figure during the latter’s youth. He still is, and Peach relies on him for advice. Gregory is one of the few people whom Peach can truly relax around because he knows that he’ll be treated as a normal werewolf and not Lord of the werewolves, which is what everyone sees him as. Gregory knows that Peach gets tired from being put on a pedestal all the time, and as much as Peach enjoys being in a leadership position, too much is too much. When these two are alone, Peach would jokingly complain to Gregory about how sitting on the cold, hard throne all day just hurts his buttcheeks and even his superior werewolf healing can’t save him. They’d have a laugh about it and talk about family drama and stuff. Though not related by blood, these two are very much family by bond. Gregory’s nickname for blonde werewolf is Peachfuzz. In return, he gets called Grandpa Grumpy. Aww.

At some point the nickname Grandpa Grumpy spread across werewolf island and now most of the pack calls him that instead of his actual name, as an affectionate way of addressing him. He’s fine with it. They all love and respect him for his wisdom, and for that he is grateful.

Gregory does have a real family. He has a daughter named Sapphire who looks just like him. As a father, Gregory feels troubled because Sapphire is too polite and formal with him. He wishes that she can be more casual around him. While Gregory is aware that being reserved is part of Sapphire’s personality, he can’t help but wonder if she will ever let him into her life, even just a bit. What she’s doing, how she’s feeling, what she ate for lunch, what she wants for dinner, did she make new friends… she doesn’t seem to share much. He knows it is possible that she just doesn’t want him to worry, but she’s still his kid and he’s supposed to worry about her. Gregory always lets her know that he is there for her. In a way, Sapphire reminds him of his late partner, who was also distant and private. Other than that, Gregory and Sapphire are a loving family and they have their moments here and there.

Sapphire: Daughter of Gregory, and mother of Remi. Sapphire is quiet and mysterious. While she doesn’t reject being in a social setting, she prefers to sit on the sidelines and doesn’t initiate any sort of interaction unless she’s being interacted with. Rosemary, a good friend of hers, makes sure she’s included in activities. Sapphire would just blush and follow her friend group around. They know she’s not cold, she’s just a little quieter and that’s fine. Everything is normal and time passes by peacefully until one day, Sapphire’s belly starts to grow and she could no longer hide the baby she’s carrying. Gregory and all her friends are shocked. They thought they had her trust, but she never told anyone. They’re surprised because they’ve never seen Sapphire with another werewolf, and that she’s going to be a mother at such a young age. By human standards, she’d be a teen mom. Gregory tries to be gentle and very carefully asks his daughter who the father is, if she doesn’t mind sharing. Sapphire just closes her eyes and silently shakes her head, refusing to answer. It’s alright then, if she doesn’t want to say anything. They’ll help her the best they can.

Everything continues smoothly and the due date neared. This is when tragedy happens. For the first time ever, Sapphire is crying. There had been evidence of an abduction and several werewolves had disappeared. Sapphire’s partner was one of them. Traces pointed to Lukedonia, hinting that this was the deed of nobles, but there was nothing solid enough for them to hold against the nobles. In the end, they couldn’t save him. Or any of them. Sapphire was grief-stricken and refused to eat, almost killing herself and her unborn baby, until Gregory begged and begged for her to please take care of herself and that he cannot lose her. Unwilling to sadden her father, she starts to eat again and her body returns to normal.

Soon, Sapphire gives birth to a son and she names him Remi. Remi will never have a father, but she will try her best to raise him. Sapphire doesn’t really have any hobbies that stand out because she spends most of her time on Remi so she never really gets the chance to explore with her life.

Sapphire is too busy to like anyone. She does have a lot of admirers, many of whom are more than willing to take care of her and Remi as her partner and Remi’s stepfather. Ronan is one of them. Sapphire rejects all of them, but they just keep coming back. Remi shoos them away for her. Maybe one day Sapphire will find love again, but right now she is still mourning her partner who is currently permanently missing with no news of his fate whatsoever.

(Eventually she does find love and has her happily ever after. In the far future she has another child aka Remi’s half-sibling with a nice werewolf guy, when Remi is an adult)

Remi: Son of Sapphire, and grandson of Gregory. Remi is stubborn and tends to react emotionally to things. He thinks this is his fault and blames himself for being temperamental, but in reality he’s just his father’s son. Other than his looks, he doesn’t resemble his mother much. Remi is in a bit of a special situation. Sapphire is his mother, but they’re more like siblings. This is partially due to Sapphire having him at a young age, but mostly due to his grandfather Gregory suggesting that he grows up as his mother’s brother instead of her son. This is to take some stress off Sapphire’s shoulders so she won’t need to be anxious all the time. Originally, Sapphire could’ve raised Remi together with her partner, but that became impossible due to the abduction incident. Raising Remi alone is too much for a young Sapphire, so Gregory stepped up. He doesn’t mind raising his grandson as his son, and tells Sapphire that she can choose to go on and enjoy life as she wishes and leave Remi to him. Whatever she decides, he will be supportive. Sapphire is grateful for her father’s offer, but ultimately decides to be a very involved sister-ish mother in Remi’s life. And that’s that. Their family is a bit special with unconventional dynamics, but still loving nonetheless. Remi calls his mother by her name and his grandfather “Father”. Neither of them minds and they’re quite content with it. Sapphire’s friends also treat Remi as one of them and often ask her if her “brother” wants to tag along for hunting or fishing or something.

Remi’s primary goal in life is to gain power. He wants to grow up to become a strong and wise warrior like his grandfather, and he’s a bit impatient with it, despite being so young and still having lots of time in front of him. Gregory tells him not to worry. Other than that, Remi is rather dense and doesn’t know how to have fun. His friends have to drag him outside or else he’s just training all day.

Remi doesn’t like Ronan and finds him to be creepy. Remi once slapped Ronan across the face when the latter called him “my son”. He knows Ronan has a huge crush on his sister-mom but that’s just going too far. Just… ew. No thanks, bye bye. And stay away from her because she’s not interested!

Remi is too dense to like anyone. (For now)

Zen: Son of unnamed werewolves. Zen is respectful and composed, which are traits that become even more obvious when compared to his best friend Ulrich. Zen is an independent thinker. While he does appreciate Lord Peach and noble Marcus’ efforts to keep the werewolves afloat with extra resources, he believes that the werewolves should gradually wean themselves off the nobles’ help and become truly self-sufficient. It’s not beneficial to rely on outside help and who knows if one day the nobles will come and ask for the werewolves to return the favor since they’ve been “indebted” to them for so long. Zen doesn’t like the idea of his pack having something that can potentially be used against them. In reality, Marcus and his organization would never do such a thing, as they really are altruistic with their good deeds. Still, Zen has a hard time trusting them and he can’t bring himself to let his guard down. Zen has told Peach about his concerns, and the latter has reassured him that his worries will never come to be. Zen thinks otherwise. Peach appreciates Zen’s efforts to watch out for him and their big family, and jokes that he should take a “chill pill”. Zen is not amused.

In his free time, Zen just hangs out with Ulrich. He’s down to do whatever Ulrich is up for. He’s even willing to leave werewolf island and follow his best friend to the ends of the earth if that’s what he wants. That’s how much Ulrich means to him. Sometimes, Zen has dreams where he and Ulrich are in another strange universe where they are not werewolves; instead they are a supernatural race and the dream ends with both of them getting executed by a mysterious winged being. Maybe he’s just too tired, that’s why he’s making up all this crazy shit. But it’s too realistic to be a simple illusion. This gives Zen the chills.

When Ulrich is busy, Zen makes art with chains. He links them one by one. Your average werewolf would find that to be rather boring. Zen thinks it’s therapeutic.

Zen doesn’t have a crush on anyone, though he has a platonic love for Ulrich.

Ulrich: Son of an unnamed half-werewolf mother and werewolf father. Ulrich is mostly pretty tame though he can get fairly angry and jealous when he is upset, where he then tends to lash out at things and people nearby. Probably not the best judgement, because being three-quarters werewolf means that he’s weaker than most of whom he provokes and often ends up getting his regretful ass beaten. Probably deserved it. They didn’t start it, he did, so it’s always his fault. Ulrich would then sulk in the corner with a bloody nose and some bruises and complain to Zen about how the latter is late at comforting him. Zen would just sigh, shake his head, and come over and crouch down with Ulrich and tell him “better not do it next time” as he pats him on the shoulder. Ulrich never listens and he’s definitely doing it again. His one braincell simply never learns. And this cycle continues in an almost comedic manner. Zen is more than capable of defeating Ulrich in a spar at any given moment, but he lets his best friend boss him around without any objections. Ulrich doesn’t even know Zen is just super chill and nice. There’s not another soul in this world who will tolerate his less than favorable attitude and temper without some form of retaliation.

Ulrich is also a bit of a hypocrite. He can hang out others all he wants, but he gets upset when he sees Zen with someone else. He can have many friends, but Zen can only be his friend. His jealousy would cause him to lash out at his best friend at times, but he isn’t actually angry at him. Ulrich just never learned how to properly and calmly express his feelings. Fortunately, Zen accepts all of Ulrich’s flaws and they’re still best friends.

Ulrich has a weird hobby of pulling out his own fangs and fashioning them into necklaces and bracelets. It’s pretty hip, and hey it looks nice. Besides, he’s mostly a werewolf so they’ll grow back in. Ulrich makes Zen wear one of his “diy” necklaces and gets upset when the latter takes it off, so now he has to keep it on the whole time. Zen wouldn’t be surprised is Ulrich is making some pocket money with his unusual jewelry.

Ulrich doesn’t realize, but he too feels platonic love for his best friend. He probably can’t live without Zen.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for future posts!

[copperbadge]

Review: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

I am still trying to log my reading more diligently! And this one is the latest. Now there’s a title that makes it tough to recommend to people without a lot of disclaimers. :D

My psychiatrist is a specialist in medication management, and while he does see patients therapeutically, I’m not one of them; he sees me to prescribe ADHD medication and make sure I’m not having side-effects or misusing it. But of course part of the meeting is just chatting so he can gauge my behavior for himself, and in our last meeting we got onto the topic how I haven’t told my parents about my diagnosis because I don’t think any good can come of it. After explaining my somewhat complex relationship to my mother and stepfather, who I love but who also can be difficult, he recommended Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents (subtitle: “How to heal from distant, rejecting, or self-involved parents”) by Lindsay Gibson. 

It’s kind of a shame the book title is so direct, because I think my mother could actually really use to read it, but if you recommend a book like that to your parents it means you also read it and that...does not send a super great message about how you feel about them. 

I did a lot of highlighting.

Although, in the end, not for the reasons one would think. In part, while I recognized parental behaviors described in the book, I also recognized behaviors in myself. About halfway through, especially when Gibson was writing about how emotionally immature parents generally come from emotionally immature parenting themselves, I had to stop and think, “Oh. Maybe this is also me.” Fortunately I’m not a parent nor likely to become one, but it’s still a bit of a hard truth to see yourself in that kind of thing. I’m not much one to cause drama, at least not intentionally, and I try to be a generally good and emotionally supportive friend, but some of the stuff -- shallow emotional affect, difficulty with empathy and intimacy, anxiety surrounding strong emotion and personal relationships -- landed kind of close to home. 

The problem with self-help books and books like this which are on the edge of the self-help genre is that they tend to be written very structurally. They have a specific way of being, which if you’re already part of the way to the conclusions they’re presenting (or familiar with the scammier ones) can be less helpful. For one, because they are aimed at people who tend to be wounded and confused, they lay out whatever they’re discussing in a very systematized way, and human behavior often defies systems. I was seeing aspects of behavior in my parents and myself here and there, but none of us fit into the categories the book lays out. Most people won’t fit precisely, but being an outlier doesn’t really help. 

And, honestly, the case studies that are meant to resonate tended not to, simply because I looked at them and went “Oh, that person was abused. Those behaviors happened to me, but not at that level, and not in those ways.” I struggled too with the “workbook” aspects, where you’re asked to answer specific questions or make a list of things. One of the questions was “I wish people would just ______” where you fill in the blank, and like...I don’t have wishes like that. I’m still trying to figure out what I would even put there. Not stand in front of bus doorways so often? Stop voting Republican? I suspect that’s not what they’re reaching for.   

And when you get a little distance on stuff like the categories and case studies, what you start to see is a book that, like many books in this vein, could be half the length it is. So much of this book is designed to cause a resonance with the reader and then reinforce and reinforce and reinforce that resonance -- there’s a lot of repetition of theme in order to pull someone emotionally further and further into the book, meanwhile not really presenting new information, just the same information framed within a different anecdote. I don’t condemn that; it’s what you have to do to sell the book, and to sell the ideas within it to some people. Otherwise it’s not super publishable, and I get that. But once you see the manipulation going on it’s hard not to react poorly to it. 

A shorter, more informative book wouldn’t necessarily appeal to people who are pulled into the book via those reinforcements, but I started to do a lot of skimming because I knew I could. In that sense it’s a fast read, but I’m sure I missed some information here and there. 

And the real problem is that the solutions presented for how to deal with emotionally immature parents as an adult are all things I was already doing, which after all the emotional build of earlier was quite disappointing. The reason I’m capable of having a pretty positive relationship with my parents is that I know how to handle them without taking too much psychic damage, enough that it’s worth maintaining a relationship, and apparently that’s as good as it’s going to get. There’s a lot healing from the harm inflicted just in those behaviors, but also for anyone wanting to DIY the rest, there’s not much good advice -- it circles back around to “Go to therapy and heal your childhood wounds” which is fine, I guess, but not a super executable solution for me. It reminded me powerfully of reading a book about autism when I was younger; there was a chapter about resources for family members of people with autism, and within that chapter there was one paragraph about siblings. I can give it to you in a sentence: “Asking your neurotypical child to help their autistic sibling is very character-building and will teach them responsibility.” Sure, but could we not dig for something a little deeper?

So, insightful book, potentially very useful if you do have a fraught relationship with your parents, but unfortunately not terribly helpful to me personally. Still, worth getting out of the library. 

[thelaurenshippen]

okay, so, I tried to attend the virtual SAG meeting on saturday to ask some of my questions but it was literally full - I did not know that could happen virtually. but it's amazing, I love that the membership is SO galvanized.

that said, I have watched the in-person meetings for both LA and NY (both of which are, uh, 4 hours long thank god for 2x speed on youtube). the wonderful actors in attendance (including some real life pals!) asked all my questions and more. I took some notes on the SAG presentation (only the LA one - I didn't watch the NY presentation, just the Q&A) but I'm assuming it was larger the same) and the answers from the Q&A that I thought were particularly interesting.

I'm making a new post because my original post got so long, but I'm going to link this with a small summary in a reblog as well, because I think it's important to see how my thinking has shifted as I've gotten more information. (also, on that original post, I've seen some folks be like 'I'm not an actor or a sag member, but I think you should vote yes'...lovingly, please stop. share the post! share your thoughts! but please don't try to pressure a vote on a contract you have no material investment in).

anyway, let's get into it:

the presentation

nothing really revelatory here, but there were a few points that Duncan Crabtree-Ireland (the chief negotiator and a lawyer) brought up that I thought were really interesting:

if you wanted to make your own digital replica or have one made with a third party contract, you could then license that under the same consent rules as if the company did the scan. my brain immediately latched onto this because I think there is a lot of very interesting ramifications for someone making their own replica and then making an argument that the company needs to license that replica instead of scanning them. I don't think this is something that's really going to happen in a major way in this contract period but an actor having and controlling their own replica and making companies pay for it is genuinely very cool if I'm understanding it correctly.

he did mention that the dubbing issue with alteration was more about companies being able to hire an actor to dub in a foreign language and then alter the actor's mouth to match the dialogue, so presumably would not be a threat to dubbers. I don't know that the companies are required to hire a voice actor for this, but that was at least good to hear.

the whole thing about synthetic performers...Duncan really made some interesting points around this. in the Q&A, he basically echoed the point that I made in my original point that this doesn't actually have to do with actors at all, but he saw the inclusion of it as a good thing. synthetics have nothing to do with actor employment, but duncan argued that by putting it in here, we're forcing the studios to acknowledge that synthetics are horning in on our territory and it seems that the union will work to de-incentivize the use of synthetics by making it more expensive than hiring an actor (really hoping the MOA provides more clarity on this)

studios will meet with SAG twice a year to talk about AI stuff

he confirmed that studios have to hire background actors and if they use their digital replicas (which the background actors have to consent to) those actors have to be paid for their replicas work.

he made the argument that there are a lot of things, like consent to replicas, that are conditions of employment: salary, relocation, nudity, etc. and that's true, certainly, but this is still something we're going to have to keep close eyes on IMO.

there's a provision that actors have to be given notice for scenes that may be triggering to film! cool!

the Q&A

this is just a sampling of the many wonderful questions that were asked - if you're a member, I highly recommend you watch both of the livestreams and future meetings.

I didn't know this but there's a legal framework for minors to disavow contracts when they're 18, so this would allow minors to rescind their consent of their digital replicas. good!

someone pointed out that SAG could notify the membership about a company using synethics (which they have to notify SAG) about and use the membership/public to pressure the studios or boycott the use of synthetics. SAG confirmed that there's nothing to prevent SAG from telling us and letting us galvanize the public.

duncan reminded everyone that companies rely on copyright to make money and currently AI cannot legally by copyrighted, which will de-incentivize studios from leaning on it.

companies can only use digital replica in projects they've contracted, they cannot sell them to third party, which includes non-identifiable data. this was a great question and it's awesome to hear that the companies cannot do anything with any of the replica data, anonymized or not, without your consent.

there is so much likeness legislature out there already (you own your likeness, etc.), so these things just bolster those

a company choosing to hire someone else because you won't consent to scanning is not retaliation but being replaced during the course of your employment because of not consenting is and you could take action against that studio. and remember, they have to ask for your consent on specific things, so you would be giving your consent throughout presumably.

someone asked about loopholes with generative AI, and SAG emphasized that any resemblance to a real actor kicks it from synthetic into digital replicas and the actor would have to consent/be paid

background actors seem divided - in some ways they've gotten major gains and in others, they're very worried about being replaced because they don't want to be scanned.

they did fight for union consent to use of generative AI, and the studios are seemingly never going to give that

there was a question about studios scanning non-union actors and creating digital replicas and just using those instead; if I understood correctly (which I'm not sure I did), the studios would not be able to do that under this contract - all the digital replica terms would apply to any replica done, union or not.

my thoughts

I have all the same concerns as I expressed in my original post, but I do think that these meetings reassured me that SAG has the best intentions. I have been very vocal about my criticism of SAG (specifically how they approached podcasting, my main art form) so I don't have rose-colored glasses here. I have also seen them really improve on those areas of criticism in the past several years and I think we always have to keep in mind that we'll be back at the negotiations in two and a half years. I do think SAG is doing the best they can.

I also think it's important to always assume that the studios have the worst intentions. they're going to violate this contract if it's ratified and accept their fine/slap on the wrist/do not work orders and then violate the contract again. they're going to find loopholes to save money and behave badly. no contract in the world could prevent those things from happening. SAG is not great at enforcing these violations but no contract is going to fix that.

it has always been important for actors to rely on their agents, lawyers, and union for support and reporting violations and that's going to be more important than ever under this contract. it's also going to be so important for the famous and wealthy actors to sue the studios when there's particularly bad behavior on the AI stuff.

it's also going to be really important for you guys - the audience, the subscribers - to fully reject any and all use of synthetic performers. public pressure will be the way we keep acting alive as a profession and art form.

but here's where I'm at: I'm leaning toward yes. "but lauren, you had so many concerns! you think that this contract is an existential threat to acting!" yeah, I know. I'm still there, but I'm also leaning yes. I believe SAG when they say we're not going to get a better deal. I think even if we did go back on strike, we're losing public support and support from other unions - actors barely have leverage to begin with (which is why SAG contracts have historically not been great) and I don't foresee us gaining more over the next 6 months.

so I don't think we're going to get a better deal and I also agree that it's better to have some protections in place instead of nothing. ultimately, it comes down to the fact that my issues with the contract have a lot to do with that existential threat and the icky feeling that I get thinking about signing a contract that suggests at times that actors are meat puppets.

if this was a contract I was looking at as an individual, I would not sign it, plain and simple. but collective bargaining is a different thing. this contract unarguably gives actors more protection against AI than they currently have. we will get to renegotiate again in less than three years and this is a much better place to start from, especially considering how much AI will grow and change in the next few years. if we have to go on strike again, we will, and we'll be armed with a better contract and more knowledge, especially since we'll be able to see how studios behave within this contract.

I completely understand why people want to vote no. I would never presume to tell someone how I think they should vote - follow your conscience. I personally will not be voting until I've had time to review the MOA (memorandum of agreement) and I would encourage everyone to read the full contract before deciding how to vote.

tldr: I am leaning toward voting yes because my pragmatic brain is winning out - as someone who has experience negotiating with major studios as an individual, I know that SAG is telling the truth when they say this is likely as good as its able to get. this is the first battle in a war of AI and we can either live to fight another day or not. I think this contract will help us live, even if it isn't an out-and-out victory.

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Hi, sweet anon!

It doesn’t come across as insensitive at all! I appreciate you considering my feelings, though 🥹 because you’re right, writing is so incredibly hard (at least for me) when my mental isn’t in the right place.

In all honesty, I’ve thought about it. I thought about doing something similar to how some digital artists use Patreon, if that makes sense. Like Yuana has monthly member/subcriptions and they release content on a cadence for those subscribers? (If you like spicy art of jjk and other anime bois, I recommend becoming a member! I had to cancel mine since I can’t justify non-essential purchases rn 🥲)

My biggest problem with this is my own brain, I would feel a bit guilty doing something like that. Not that I judge others for doing it at all, it’s in the sense that I would feel like my content wouldn’t be good enough to justify it. Or like I wouldn’t be able to meet deadlines set because of the pressure. It’s also something that I’ve avoided because I wanted to keep it as a hobby and not an obligation so I didn’t end up burning out and no longer enjoying it, you know? But after losing my job last week, I’ve been considering it more and more just to try to supplement anything I can, you know? I had a full-blown major panic episode this morning about what I’m going to do if I can’t find a job soon because it’s just been rejection after rejection and it’s only been a few days of applying and I was supposed to move soon but that can’t happen if I don’t have a job…

One thing I could do is have multiple tiers, similar to patreon or maybe using patreon, where I post more frequent previews of things I’ve got in my drafts (e.g. au ideas, unfinished or scrapped ideas, things like Bittersweet Memories, the angsty blurb that I now call Stepping Stone thanks to that one amazing anon, and the self-indulgent untitled bit I’ve been writing). I could maybe do member/sub polls and votes to help me choose titles and stuff, too? And I could have tiers that get early access to installments or chapters for the series’ that I have going (e.g. Another Level, Physical Paradox, Gokudō, Before I Love You). It would be a big time commitment because I’d want to do it right, but it could be fun too I think?

If there’s any interest at all, I’ll start looking into it more. I would either use ko-fi or Patreon, I think. Unless I found something better or anyone has better suggestions for a platform. (I think tumblr might even have something like this but idk how much I like it tbh)

Thank you again for your message, question, and for considering my feelings! I really, really appreciate it 🥹 I’m genuinely touched that you enjoy Physical Paradox enough that you’re willing to pay for more 😭

(now you’ve got my wheels turning and I could do exclusive reveals or content or headcanons for Physical Paradox, too! 🤔🤔🤔 I have a ton of partially written blurbs that might never be included in the series but could be fun to share)

I hope you’re having a wonderful day or evening! Thank you again for lifting my spirits just a bit 💕

(reposting this ask so I can move the original poll I had in it to its own post...)

[fandomanimatic-tournament]

Fandom song animatic tournament: Bracket 2 Side B

Rät - Penelope Scott

"And the worst part is I loved you, I loved you I loved you it's true And sometimes I feel like I still fucking do I lived here, I loved here I thought it was true I'm so embarrassed I feel abused"

Therefore You and Me - TadanoCo / E ve cover

English translation taken directly from multiple animatics

" 'You are love itself!' Therefore You and me, you and me, you and me Love, love As a result of loving, As a result of forgetting You and me, you and me, you and me Love, love As a result of acquiring, As a result of losing"

Remember that we're voting on how Iconic they are for ANIMATICS, not for the song itself. In order to make things fair, the tone and mood of the song should not affect how iconic it is (for example, a serious song should not be considered more iconic than a joke song just because it's serious)

Propaganda and animatic links of the songs under the cut:

Rät - Penelope Scott

Propaganda:

not only is the song a banger and a half, it fits SO MANY FOLKS SO WELL and was the song for my first full animatic, though not with the character I thought I was gonna make it for initially ^^; it's about losing faith in those you idolize. it's about kids who grew up and realized this isn't what they wanted. it's about how hard it is to let go despite all that because you still care or see them as good. it's about trying to be like those you look up to and finding out too late what that means. (...in my case, this is a song about what happens when a program is too human and expected not to act as such or lash out when hurt. this is a song about a teenager who was left believing his father betrayed him and was left wanting to hurt those he once held in such high regard.)

It’s a good song and I’ve seen LOADS of animatics of it

Animatics with the song:

The Owl House

Amphibia Swap AU

DSMP

The Promised Neverland

Ace Attorney

Therefore You and Me - TadanoCo / E ve cover

Propaganda:

Me when ANY TWO CHARACTERS. Me when THEM. Also it can work for platonic, familial, romantic, more than two people, there’s a lot of flexibility.

Not only is it VOCALOID and... HATSUNE MIKU!!! but it's also a wonderful song about love that can be interpreted different ways. It makes for many possible relationships being able to be depicted in animatics because of it. It's epic and it's awesome, and honestly? It's iconic. Don't know how or why but it is.

The animatics often portray how two characters have strained/deteriorating relationships with the lyrics speaking of items that are considered lonely without their counterparts and it really hits (also the Eve cover of the song is really good)

Animatics with the song:

Detroit Become Human

Trigun

The Stanley Parable

OMORI

Homestuck

Please be cautious and read the title, description and warning cards on the animatic videos if you decide to watch them. If you've got specific triggers I'd recommend even more caution when watching animatics of fandoms you don't know, since sometimes canon-typical themes don't get warnings.

Please keep in mind that I don't know all the media and fandoms of the animatics provided as examples and I don't have the time (nor the will) to research them all. Don't come into my notes or my ask box complaining about them being included, I will simply block you. If a ship animatic included is about an adult and a minor, do tell me and I'll take it out of the post

ALSO keep in mind that I don't know all the artists submitted; in fact, even if I do know them I do not know absolutely nothing about them as people (I do not have twitter nor tiktok) and I could not POSSIBLY have the time to research ALL of the artists' controversies and what came of them so PLEASE don't flood my inbox with the artists' entire crime list.

[gwenresourced]

I’m working on my first group rpg as admin, do you have any advice and do you find discord or tumblr easier for people and getting them?

I've adminned THREE groups, and only ONE lasted over two months. I've been in and out of groups over the years so some of this is advice based on groups I've been in. If anyone has any other suggestions please comment. These are just eight tips that came to mind right away.

Have a laid back activity limit : think the rpc has stopped doing 3 days of activity and go for more like a week or more, which is helpful.

Member voting : I loved having members vote for things like what the next plot drop was going to be or what task. It allowed them to have a voice in what was going to happen

Listen to your members : If your members are uncomfortable or coming to you because they disagree with something then at least hear them out. Sometimes you can be the ear for them and make things easier for them with a simple rule update.

Discord vs tumblr : I'm going to admit that I am not sure what is the best style to do but I do know discord is more mobile friendly while tumblr isn't. I'd take a look at your abilities as well and if you are more mobile rping then setting up a discord server might be easier.

Require an introduction for your characters : A stats sheet or biography is helpful if your group is apples. I require them in my groups to be posted within the first 72 hours of your follow so members can know a little bit about your character.

Don't give up : It might be hard getting traction so I really recommend trying for a good month to promo the group before throwing in the towel on that idea. You can always retry to open the group up at a later date. Try not to open your group up during high-stress times like holidays or exam season or if you do take that into consideration activity and application flow.

Have a diversity rule : Have a rule about diversity and stick to it. Admins following said rule is important as well. I've also seen spreadsheets done to help calculate if your group is meeting the requirements that you set. Here is the one I thought of right away.

First ten tags : Your promos and posts show up in the first ten tags. Try not to spam your tags so don't post ten posts to "new rp" without checking to see if that tag is being flooded with posts that are just yours. I tend to have 5 different tag bundles that I rotated through for my promos, admin posts, answered asks, etc.

[ratwars]

she ra is good. like really good. i did vote skk on that poll but i had to sit there and think about it for about five minutes because that’s how much i also love catradora.

to give you the only mildly spoiler-y spark notes, their relationship is basically child good friends (who grew up in an incredibly traumatising military environment) to enemies (when one of them switches sides - that happens in the first episode so not too much of a spoiler) to even worse enemies to allies to hesitant friends to lovers.

yeah, it’s a wild ride and i definitely would recommend. the only thing is that it IS a kid’s show and it IS very rainbows and glitter and friendship is magic - it becomes more serious around season 4 but if you ever do want to watch it, just know what you’re getting into.

Don't worry about spoilers I will never watch it I know myself I can't do kids shows like that (no shade to anyone else though this is just personally how I am I beleive you when you say it is good)

But ty so much for the explanation! Someone else said toxic Yuri and you are saying friends to enemies to lovers (canonically?!!?) So I def get it skk doesn't stand a chance even bsd fam is betraying them to boot lol

[linearmoss]

how goes the magpie cloaking? on a related note, do you happen to have any tips for someone attempting a similar project?

Okay so somehow I missed this so uhhhhhh sorry about that! BUT boy howdy does it goes well! Here are some photos from the latest batch I took:

Here is the full jacket in a progress image! The patches haven't been sewn on yet but I started arranging them to see how they'd look and decide roughly where I want them. The "I Voted"-sticker patch is my favorite :)

I mostly tried to keep it pretty random -- I didn't want a "fantasy creatures" or "animals" section on the jacket, for instance -- but I had a few minor exceptions. See:

Cursed sword that happened to go really well with this patch I made forever ago.

Sex jokes. (The one on the left is a tagline for a nonprofit, though they changed it recently. If you don't get it try saying it out loud.)

Fishies! Fish are such social creatures in how they school that it's just cruel to separate them, after all.

It was fun to put together little pieces that match, though I'm still not planning on having more themes -- the point of the Magpie Cloak is for it to be eclectic, not planned out, at least for me.

As for tips, I have a few! Here's what I'm thinking off the top of my head:

Pins take up way less space than you think they do. I thought I had a sizeable collection and realized I have a long way to go -- I've covered maybe half or even a third of my goal! That said, I want it to feel more like chain-mail than fabric by the end, so yeah. Patches are your friend for this.

Put it on periodically as you're assembling it. This is for two reasons: one, the fabric hangs a lot differently when it's covered in metal; I actually had two jackets to choose from for this, and was originally going to go for the nicer of the two but I didn't like how the pins changed how the fabric draped, so I'm assembling the other one instead. Secondly, the pins are... potentially kinda uncomfortable depending on what they use as a backing and where they are. When I tried it on with a tank top I realized the metal backing for an enamel pin I had on my shoulder was super scratchy and annoying. Still have to decide if I'm going to move it or just... not wear it with a tank top? We'll see

Laying it all out is a good choice, but when you're happy with the patches, sew them on, and well! For heavier-duty things (I have a decal that's not a pin I intend to hand sew on) I've been recommended using upholstery thread, since it's less likely to break. But yeah, sew those on; it totally changes the look once you start wearing it to try it out. I wasn't happy with it until I put the first patches on

If you're going the route of trying to source pins, talk to people, especially relatives! I mentioned this project and showed off to my grandparents and got literally dozens of pins from their past, including some from when my grandpa was in the army and a flower pin my great-grandma used to wear (none pictured, but will be added in the future...). Now people keep giving me pins as a gift for FREE which is, obviously, the best price to pay for pins. Also, far more importantly, going over the family history of these items has been super meaningful. I am actually so excited to be able to carry all these tiny pieces of family history with me :)

Anyways. Hope that's illuminating and not terribly ramble-y. Feel free to ask more questions (I love talking about this) and also please tell me more about your project too!! I wanna hear more about this mysterious similar project :0

[shallyne]

When it comes to wanting to leave a fandom the trick sometimes is to just take breaks here and there, a week-a month off, it’s what I do, when I get annoyed I dip for a bit until I feel up to dealing with the usual bs within a fandom. This is a book series and set of characters that deserve a better fandom and since that can’t happen overnight, I just decided to take breaks. I think because when a series and or it’s characters are SO good it’s not really worth leaving the fandom entirely? As in new layout and all. Interacting less or taking breaks is sometimes the more chill and reasonable route. I always advise that Feyre stan’s stay just because the Tumblr group of Feyre stan’s are the best I’ve ever come across. You guys are so admirably loyal to the character and you all make amazing content. Acotar fandom is mostly a bunch of grown weirdos who twist canon like no other fandom has before, but the Feyre stan’s are my faves and ought to reign always seeing as it’s HER series anyway.

I also don’t really want all the toxic freaks who have created their own narratives of the series over the years to dominate the fanbase. I hope all the love we spread for our main girl makes them cringe like hell because no matter the breaks I take or if I leave for half a year or so till we get a new book, I’ll always pop in Acotar fandom to spread Feyre love or to check a few disrespectful Anti’s every other day. Some characters or stories are too precious to abandon for me, despite shitty fans. So big breaks are recommended but if you leave trust me we’d get it.

Oddly I think it’s gotten alot better this past year for Feyre and the IC, it’s almost like the hate wave was mostly all those years ago and mainly after Acosf, the blinded hate after that one lasted a good year but nowadays I always see Pro-Acosf stan’s getting shut down in discussions or they have the unpopular say in things that gets zero votes. I’m telling you things change in fandoms if Pro-character stan’s remain ten toes down. It doesn’t take much to piss off or bother Anti’s because of their petty behaviorial traits so they always crack especially when they see you spread praise for a character that petulantly hate. Their reactions almost remind you a bit of Nesta right? Temperamental? Narcissistic? Deluded? They even act like the character they stan 💀

Notice, the hateful users always stick around or are louder in fandoms, and that the more sane and logical fans leave all the time. I legit refuse to do that with Acotar, like I said this series and it’s characters especially Feyre deserve way better. Like it’s weird how ODD the fandom is for even twisting the story as much as they all have for years.

Rant over! Just was up early and saw you fandom post 💕

Yup!

[okayto]

I realize the above might sound simple, like suspiciously simple, but you don’t have to just take my word for it—just take a gander at the notes:

So just to reiterate: it really can be as simple as a social media comment or a two-sentence email.

(Now is it possible to do more? Yes! Going to events when you can is always good! Voting for public officials who support the library—library boards in some places, but also school board members who don’t want to ban books, city councils who don’t act disgusted at drag queen story hour, etc. Contact your elected folks if they’re being anti-library, etc.)

Anything is better than nothing.

But as people will often point out on posts about libraries, they’re not all the same: your library may not have events, or displays, for a number of reasons. You can still support your library with easy things like:

Comment/email/call/post about a book you enjoyed that fits the criteria, or how you were happy to find it for your child/nibling/friend/whoever

Ask them for recommendations

Ask if a Pride display is coming because you’d love to find new reads/any other reason

Check out books/materials and return them! Libraries love statistics!

Is your library not doing anything, or doing less (possibly because of aforementioned problems)? Politely express your disappointment. "I haven't seen a pride display yet this year, is one coming?" or "I'm disappointed not to see a display for Pride Month" or "I was excited for X event and sad that it's been canceled/not happening this year, are there plans to do it again in the future?" Remember you don't know what's happening behind the scenes (but check the notes of this post for a glimpse)

Closeted or not otherwise able/wanting to be out? You don't have to out yourself to say you like or appreciate seeing things! “I just love the options here at X Library!” “What a lovely display!”

Request a book they don’t have! Literally the worst that’ll happen is they say no, and patron requests can often build a case/show support for titles that the workers aren’t sure about/are worried about complaints. (A request doesn’t guarantee its purchase for reasons that are a separate post! But it doesn’t hurt to ask.)

The current tsunami of anti-library, anti-queer hate didn't appear overnight, but if you're not plugged in library circles, you may not realize how bad things really are. Supporting your library is a year-round endeavor, but as you can see, it can also be super easy. Libraries are for everyone, not just right-wing HOA members—so make sure that they hear from the rest of us, too.

Hey, this pride month (or literally any time of year), you wanna know something fairly easy and great you can do?

Contact your local library (or comment on their social media) positively for any pride/LGBTQIA+/queer-related displays or events they have going on.

Seriously.

What I’m seeing and hearing from the (mostly US-based) library workers in my groups and social circles is that the anti-queer (anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-drag queen story time, etc.) comments and complaints that have ramped up in the past year aren’t going away. Even library workers with supportive coworkers/bosses/boards are steeling themselves to deal with an avalanche of garbage, or are second-guessing their displays and events because the amount of vitriol can wear a person down so much. And the ones without supportive people or work environments? It’s worse.

Give the library something else: give them both the ammo (by being one of the numbers they can count worth the positive group) if they need to show their community isn’t wholly negative. Give them the compliment of knowing that their work got appreciated.

A comment like “I love this” or “Wow, that looks great!”

An email about how much you’re excited about X event

A call saying you wanted to let them know you appreciate this thing

Tagging them if you share a picture or positive comment on social media

“Cool shirt/pins/etc!” (Because people are also bring harassed about personally being queer, even if it’s not a library display)

Literally anything that would be positive for them to receive

[notebookmusical]

Oh I missed your book poll but my vote would've gone to some mistakes were made! I remember reading the summary/snippet of that book before and wanting to know if it was good. I really like reading that kind of story..and it seems pretty similar to the book I recommended to you called If He Had Been With Me. Which..I found out is actually getting a sequel last week which I had no idea about! I was very excited for Taylor this week so I forgot about it. I think it might be kinda similar to the other book I recommend to you too..The Stepping Off Place. That book is also supposed to have a sequel too! Idk how to feel about the sequels as I thought they both wrapped up nicely but it's always nice to have more with the story or background cuz I did love the story and characters. I've never read a sequel that wasn't really a series or anything so I'm curious how it will be. If you have, let me know or what's your opinion on sequels? I know this is kinda off topic lol but maybe it will influence you to wait to read those or not. 🩷

oooh! i actually haven't looked into any of the plots; i was going to once i saw the poll results but a lot of real life things kept popping up this weekend and so i was not able to read! (which is fine!!) i probably won't get to any of those books till i'm back from chicago, unfortunately, but i am very excited to sit down and read them when i'm back! and yay!!! that's so exciting — i hope you like the sequel! i'm always very nervous about sequels (and also spinoffs) — whether it's a book, tv, or anything else. i think there are some sequels that i think are better than others, and i think it's also sometimes really telling when creators have thought things out through (i.e. crazy ex-girlfriend, where the writers had pitched it as a four season show and had planned a lot of "bigger" plot points out in advance), vs. capitalizing on hype/etc. i think most spinoffs are where i'm often left disappointed (i'm failing to think of a single spinoff that i enjoy more than the first book). i don't read a lot of series (i prefer duologies), but i was talking to my friend jamie a while ago about how the middle book in a trilogy is usually either the worst by far, or the most incredible thing i've ever read. i also do normally like waiting for a series to be done before reading it if i'm already pretty late to reading it! if it's a book that just came out, and i know there's a sequel coming, i might be tempted to give it a try but if it's an older book and the sequel is coming out in a little bit i'll probably just wait! it just depends on vibes too!! i don't often remember what happens in previous books, and so that's another reason why i struggle with series a lot of the time! i also often forget about sequels i'm waiting on, so if i start one too early ... chances are i'll never finish it. what about you? how are you with series/spinoffs?