#It doesn't even make sense because I have different sideblogs for things so who are you sending my likes to

[pyralart]

I keep seeing posts "liked by (blog I follow)" is there.... Is there no way to disable this

[nanjokei]

further guidance for newcomers coming from reddit

hi arriving redditors. here are some things i don't see most posts mention. this is for people who conquered the baby steps of joining the site. i think they're pretty important! also me clarifying on some stuff i've seen people word very vaguely consistently in their guides

under the cut because it's a chunky set of bullet points! with a few that also discuss how to keep yourself in a safe and fun browsing environment for yourself and others (mostly quality of life)

if you have any questions either send me an ask (anonymously is ok too) or reply to the post

you can enable a custom theme that shows on the web in your blog settings, if you so wish (blog settings > visibility) and then (custom theme toggle to on) this is the classic tumblr experience, but it's ok to want to hide your blog from the public. however you won't be able to link stuff on your blog to people without tumblr accounts

you can find custom tumblr themes by searching resource blogs like theme hunter or just in the tags in general (like "tumblr theme" or just "theme" and see where the other tags you may find to refine your search takes you)

tumblr is currently trying to enact changes to appeal to "new users" that make the website less friendly to its current inhabitants, such as fucking with quality of life and muscle memory and even stuff integral to the culture of the site. if you see people complaining, i highly advise against going "this sounds kind of nothingburger" and assisting in sending tickets to support the drive against such changes

there is a 250 post per day limit. you probably won't hit it though.. maybe? but people used to make post limit blogs (seperate email) for that. but that is for heavy usage users.

you can make as many sideblogs as you want. you are free to divulge whether or not it's you. of course use common sense to gauge whether or not it matters. but side blogs can be anything: maybe you want to categorize things, maybe you wanna make one into a huge fan page/blog for a specific hobby/celeb/show/game/etc, maybe a quieter space, maybe posts you feel don't belong on your blog, maybe even a blog where you reblog resources to exclusively. the possibilities are endless! (maybe not for porn, it's a little harder to skirt by these days even with muh community labels)

a lot of posts are incredibly vague about whether or not you can leave comments on reblogs. i think it truly depends. for example, if it's praise for artwork, i feel like it is truly best left in the tags. the artist can see it still! it shows up in their notifs when you reblog. in comparison, when it comes to funny text posts and pictures, you can comment as you like, but consider TPO (time place occasion). it helps to check the notes (comments only filter) to see if the quip or comment you wanna make has already been made or if OP made further comments later. again, it's a call to use your judgement and everyone has a different tolerance for this kind of thing

i see many people or perhaps most came from LGBTQ+ centric subreddits so i am surprised i'm not seeing this mentioned often: there are unfortunately a lot of terfs here. please stay safe. install shinigami eyes and engage in blocking sprees whenever possible.

in account settings, not blog settings, there is a section called "content you see". it has filtered tags and filtered post content. the difference is filtered tags is specifically for tags, for example, if you want to hide a certain show you don't like, you can have the site apply a peek-a-boo filter on it (this content contains #TAG, as in click to view). you ask, what if the person on my dash doesn't tag it as that? that's fine! it also takes into account the original poster's tags. the OP didn't tag it? then filtered post content might help. MIGHT. it's pretty helpful and unlike twitter's mute list, as far as my experience, it is not broken. for example, if you write [SHOW NAME THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE] in plain letters (with aliases as seperate entries just to be safe) it will filter any post that has the words in the body of the post. pretty useful! use this to curate your dash further or even filter out triggers.

speaking of tags. a lot of people are also vague about this. i'll say it clearly. you can add whatever tags you want to a reblog. there's no limit (aside from character lim per tag)! there's no social faux pas, unless you're being backhanded at someone's creative work, like reblogging just to dunk on it or going "i like the art but not the character" etc. when it comes to your own posts, try to avoid tagging irrelevant tags (for example, if you're making a lot of posts that are tangentially about cardcaptor sakura, think about if it belongs in the tag or not. think of it as whether or not it deserves an OC flair on reddit). again, people's tolerance differs, but especially on older media and slow tags people do not appreciate random tangential text posts (for example "i wanna watch ccs!" and nothing else)

in terms of culture, tumblr has a weird balance between "you can ask for context" and "lurk for 10,000 moar years". i would not know myself. i've been here for 12+ years *shrug* you'll have to gauge it for yourself. most things you can google "[tumblr user] callout" and figure out from there LOL (yes that's usually what happens). i DO encourage trying to garner it from context, especially for terms.

due to the looser moderation(?) on here, LGBTQ+ and other minorities use their own discretion reclaim slurs freely. join in, or put the slurs in your filters. it's fine not to join in as that's your personal comfort, but this is a heads up that the culture is like this since i'm not sure how the moderation is in places like r/196 are. (sorry i used reddit for entirely different things ><)

DO NOT TAG D0NATION POSTS WITH #D0NATION OR ANY OTHER VARIATION. this is SO important. it's best not to tag donation posts AT ALL. tumblr internally flags them and suppresses the post. just reblog silently (d0nate if you can) and move on (censoring just in case lol)

search is useless for finding specific posts. give up before you even try. your best bets are google, asking for help on the dashboard, or just hoping it shows up on your dashboard one day (it probs will, maybe not immediately when you need it though)

i called old tags "slow" but not dead earlier: tags Do Not Die (though some just kind of randomly get wiped or lose posts, idk, it is some post-2018 indexing weirdness) so you can find fanart and posts from 2012 and it's ok to reblog! the essence of tumblr is the continued circulation of people's creations

please do not repost screenshots of tumblr posts unless they are no longer accessible (reblogs locked for example) 😭 i am seeing this happen already. this is the one thing from reddit you're gonna have to let go of. twitter and other place screenshots are OK (probably, some people don't like them). but don't let your page look like one of those r/(etc) post aggregate bots on twitter is what i'm saying. once you explore a tag enough times you'll know what is usually appropriate to post (usually derivative meme templates are OK, but don't overdo it (tho this just falls under "dont spam") (also this is MY personal preference, so if the climate of the tag houses a lot of memes, go ahead!)

in general reposting content that isn't your's is kinda eh. especially reposting people's art without explicit permission. there are art reposters who in the modern day usually ask for permission, of course there are internet spelunkers who repost content from old web and dead sites. there's a lot of nuance, but i highly discourage reposting things you didn't make yourself unless it's stuff like official art and whatnot. photography and other stuff from other people, use your judgement. and as an aside i know "stolen memes" are r/196 and other meme subreddit cultures but it's not exactly appreciated here and i feel like if the reposting gets out of hand tumblr users might get real tired of it. the humor isn't really the same here in that sense, i suggest posting them in a sideblog that archives such things so they aren't lost and/or keeping them in your community tags. ofc no one can stop you!! but the whole highly derivative fried meme thing is very reddit. the culture could not be more different even if we are similar in many ways. i mean this in the nicest way possible >_< if you're not sure, DON'T REPOST.

this is just advice from me, but when liveblogging a show, it's nice to tag it with a unique tag, such as #[your name/nick] plays [game]. i find it's ok to tag series name to some posts that are more substantial, people are happy to see others enjoy what they love, but using a unique tag also helps people track YOUR liveblog since they may save the tag to look at :)

put your age or whether or not you're an adult somewhere where people can see, (and your pronouns too or lackthereof). whether or not if it's on your bio, or an about page, or a carrd. please. it's a matter of curation and safety. some people don't wanna follow minors by accident and vice versa, just as a means to curate their space

people write alt text and image descriptions in the post bodies pretty often. yes it's built into tumblr, but either some people forget or the feature... refuses to work that time. yes it's BROKEN. if you feel like you can contribute alt text for an image in an adequate fashion, go ahead!

try not to reblog people's personal posts. asking people never hurts!

you can restrict non-followers from replying to your posts, or turn off replies all together. as far as i know it's not possible for seperate posts unfortunately, just a blog-wide toggle. when replying to someone specifically, be sure to @ them so they can see it!

for a long time, only the first 5 tags you used in an original post mattered. a lot of people still repeat this, but in my experience this seems to have... changed?? i can't say for sure, but my posts appear in tags beyond the first five. just to be sure, tag the most relevant things first! (or not, if you have your own strategy LOL)

you're free to not tag trigger warnings (it's nice to do it for others tho especially if they ask) but please tag flashing images as such. #epilepsy warning, #flashing, #flashing image, #flashing, etc.

REPORT BOT BLOGS. it blocks them for you anyway. just blocking doesn't do anything for anyone

you can add other people to a sideblog to make it a group blog. this is how blogs with mods work, or even collectives, it has a lot of uses in general so have fun with it! be wary it requires getting someone's email so be safe about that and try to do it with people you trust.

this is advice from me since i noticed after publishing this post that a lot of reddit users don't tag things. you don't have to btw!! but my advice that brightens up the website: if you reblog cool art, writing, music or photography (taken by OP) and you like it a lot, i highly recommend leaving compliments in the tags. we live in an age where creative creation is increasingly unappreciated and people are quiet silent— creators get no feedback therefore no encouragememt to keep creating. this is more like a personal plea, but like to reblog ratios have become DIRE. people are apathetic and scared to interact with people's creations even though on here they are actively ecouraged to. if you like art or fic etc i even more highly recommend you reblog it. likes don't do anything! reblogs = more eyes on it. let's support each other's creative endeavors 🩷

don't fall for the trap of trying to make tumblr into reddit, or trying to recreate the feeling of a subreddit. it's not gonna work. try to adapt. it's easier said than done but lol. rome wasn't built in a day. operate your blog like your own space rather than trying to recreate a hub. the tolerance for trying to change tumblr culture is super low and a lot of people who are much meaner than me will probably try to bully the idea into the ground. and people DO get mean. (like playground namecalling, but people have no reservations about it, so it's stuff that would probably get you banned on reddit)

if your post gets traction and the note notifications annoy you, deleting the original post will make the notifs stop coming. a lot of people reblog the post to keep it on their blog then delete the original to effectively "mute" the notifications permanently.

[snap-oversteer]

Is there any things you recommend to start learning about cars? Especially from a complete beginner standpoint

hi hi hi anon!! first of all thank you so much for asking this question and second of all: I binge youtube, and go to car shows. And play videogames.

A little bit of (disclaimer?) info is that I was never really allowed to do anything in my life, and that included driving and working on anything mechanical. We're still in that phase of getting out this box and branching out, so in a sense, we're both beginners on this together :)

Youtube - So there's a lot of youtube channels out there that talk about cars (and of course other automotives) my picks are the really silly funny ones. I personally watch MartiniWorks, spearheaded by Alex Martini. This channel is mainly focused on history and drama and of course useless fun facts about cars I wish I can afford. He has builds like the junkyard Ferrari and racetrack S2000 that keeps blowing up in retaliation against the government - Hmm, not into the history aspect of things? Want something more hands-on? Still want it to be silly so it doesn't bore you to death? Look no further than Garbage Time ! This channel is focused on mainly restoring weird little creatures and the video lengths are not too terribly long to make you wish you were in math class instead. Things to expect: trying to run the engine with chocolate / WD40, replacing the coolant with Pepsi, and restoring weird goobers you've never seen in your life. - What if you have a car and want to work on it? Getting serious about it? Then I must introduce you to every car guy's holy grail, CHRISFIX. This channel is all about the specifics and step-by-steps on how to destroy modify your car. Or maybe you just like the guy. Or like knowing how people work on cars. Either way, ChrisFix is a wonderful channel if you're interested in actually working on cars! - "But I like experimental vehicles and racing and cool expensive builds!" We have a classic for you, then! TopGear showcases the latest and greatest of cars, from the Tuthill GT ONE road legal Le Mans race car to the Bentley Blower, if you're one to simply appreciate great pieces of work, or you're a history nerd with a knack for enjoying sarcastic commentary, you're looking at the right channel.

Car shows / meets - My first experience with cars was a car show I went to by myself. The show included supercars, built JDMs, local cars, bikes... pretty much everything you'd expect out of a car show. I even have a tumblr sideblog where I post my photography. My tip when going to shows is don't be afraid to ask around! Car guys are simple people. You can come up to them and say that you're just starting out and would like a little explanation on what's going on with the car in front of you, they'll be more than happy to entertain you! You'll even make friends along the way :) There's different things to expect when going to a show vs a meet, I recommend going to shows rather than meets because meets are more closed and most likely held just amongst people who own said cool cars.

Videogames - Videogames remain a great way to learn and be accustomed to cars, and there's a lot of titles out there like NFS, Burnout, Gran Turismo, etc... so which one is for you? - Most mainstream racing games like NFS and Forza Horizon focuses on the gaming aspect of things. If you're looking for something uncomplicated and fun, those games are the way to go. - Lets get a little bit technical. Wanna learn how to build an engine, but you don't want to ruin your own? Car Mechanic Simulator. I'll admit this isnt the most detailed, theres so many things going on with a car and so many different platforms and complications, but from a learning standpoint? Really great if you're just getting into it or want to learn names of different parts effectively! - Ohh. Maybe you're that type of person. Experimental tuning and racing person. Assetto Corsa / Competizione, iRacing, Gran Turismo is for you, buddy. There is a steep learning curve that will force you to learn about different specs and how they affect the car holistically, and if you're into that, then I don't see why not.

Honorable mentions - [HOONIGAN] for very insane car builds. - eletor for really cinematic drift vids. - Misha Charoudin if you want to know what it's like driving a performance vehicle around nurburgring.

And REMEMBER, have fun! Everyone develops a taste in cars differently, some like muscle, some like JDMs (like us). There is no right or wrong way to enjoy cars.

I've only been into them for about 2 years, let's go insane together.

[thatgirl4815]

Hi hello! I'm new to tumblr and can't figure out how to send an ask from a sideblog. Sorry! I reblogged a post of yours over at sandsleatherjacket with some comments and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you're game. Sorry for my general lack of ability to tumblr.

Hi! No worries at all. I'm assuming you're referring to this post? In which case, I'll go ahead and put your reblog comments down below so my response can sit right next to them :) --

This! But also I think what we're seeing here is that Sand holds himself responsible for what's just gone down, at least partially. He's just used Ray, who he does care about (and Ray's feelings for Mew) as a weapon against Top. And it's a weapon he couldn't control. He knew Ray has problems with alcohol, and with anger. He knew that he was lobbing a grenade he couldn't control the direction of. And now it's taking out somebody he cares about, in a way that he probably should have predicted. Ray's about to get in that car, and Sand probably feels like if anything bad happens it will be partially on him because he should have seen it coming. Add that to whatever has happened with drunk driving in the past and he's seeing a recipe for disaster. I feel like Ray is probably blaming him for some of what went down, too. He feels used, although maybe in a way he can't articulate. Might be why Sand gets called a whore, even though he's been pretty adamant about not taking Ray's money since they became friends. Anyway this fight hurt me and I am here for it!

I do agree that Sand could feel at least partially guilty for what's gone on, since he's the one that gave Ray the ammunition that sent him on this spiral. Though honestly, Ray was already headed that direction, this BostonTop cheating stuff just gave him an extra push.

I do also agree that Ray feels anger at Sand in a way that he can't articulate; for me personally, I think that comes from a place of confusion. Like "why can't I figure out how I feel about you?" Because we know that Ray cares about Sand, we know that he made an effort to move on from Mew, but Boston just had to remind Ray where his heart was at in the first place. I think Boston triggered something in Ray last episode that made him remember just how deeply attached he is to Mew. Mew even makes some comment about it at the end of Ep6--Ray has a hard time letting go. Also, it makes sense that Ray would want to lash out at Sand and his friends because lashing out is a lot easier than lashing in (for lack of a better phrase). He'd rather take out all his pain and confusion on those around him, even if what he says isn't always true.

So maybe Ray thinks that if he never latches on in the first place, he can spare himself the pain of what's happening with Mew right now. As in--maybe, if he keeps pushing Sand away and saying they're "just friends," he can spare himself heartbreak when things don't work out. I do also think that Ray knows he's a handful, so he probably anticipates getting left by Sand at some point (even though I think Sand has proven time and time again that he won't do that...I mean, he got shoved to the ground and called a whore and he still chased after Ray).

Anyways, yes, I definitely think there's guilt from both Ray and Sand in different ways, though for Ray I think the entire thing is much more confusing! He wants to be with Sand but doesn't think he can, wants to be with Mew but knows he can't, and just altogether hates Boston and Top.

[xerophylloom]

The Times They Are a Changin' by Bandtrees and Hatsunoid is absolutely amazing

...And if you can handle the contents of it. No seriously. The fic is definitely dark and if you're sensitive to MEDICAL ABUSE, GORE, AND ABLEISM—Don't read it. It's especially centered around those and unless you close your eyes for all of it, you're not going to be able to handle it.

BUT!! It's so good, I would love to erase my memory just to experience reading it for the first time all over again. The disturbing parts aren't OOC (in my opinion at least) and it's very well-written, some optional out-of-site parts too.

A Laconic Summary: Mob loses control over his powers and causes permanent brain damage to Reigen and Ritsu. This fic explores the possible effects of that

Things of Note (as tags): Ambiguous Ending, Parasites (Specifically maggots and they're not TOO important, but they're there during a somewhat important moment)

Extremely long rambling (with spoilers) below the cut

This fic is so good, I created a sideblog for my AO3 to post about it. This fic is so good, that I had to stop what I was doing even though it is probably going to be detrimental to my grades. This fic is so good, that I was nearly about to rip my hair out from its roots

It's about 100k chapters long, separated into two parts. I'm easily bored and there's been plenty of times I've read a fic with maybe half the length, gotten bored, and thought of some parts as a slogfest even when it really wasn't—I just suck at getting through longfics. But reading through this, there was never a point where I thought that. Tensions were always high, rising even when I thought it wouldn't be able to, and I would end up near-screaming

And the way it shows how different characters feel? Gorgeous. Amazing. Love it.

Obviously, we have the normal book style descriptions from one character's POV, but then we have Teru's diary and Shou's little monologues(?), and it's all really cool??!?! Maybe that's what helped keep my attention. That and the little off-site links.

Speaking of those, I think I found all of them, but I'm not that observant so I could have easily missed some. And wow. Jesus christ. The last couple ones, the ones of Shou's gallery as his phone was getting wrecked, I was. just. In shock. I'm a very sentimental person who cares about photos and things, and I don't know how Shou didn't begin loudly crying right then and there because I would have

And god, so many times did I think 'Is this fic going to have untagged MCD?'. I was constantly at the edge of my seat expecting that someone would die. Reigen, Ritsu, Mob, Shou, Teru, Dimple (especially when he confronted Mob right as he was about to lobotomize Ritsu)... Basically all the main characters in the fic had moments where I was preparing to mourn

Mob really left for the deep end in this fic. I won't say that I fully get why he was so convinced that what he was doing was right, but it makes sense for him. He's not the type to let go easily, he's someone who draws strength from his bonds, and his aspect could be blood. And almost all his life, the message to never give up was basically struck into his head over and over. The one time I can recall where it wasn't? Claw, Seventh Division, where Reigen told him it's okay to run away. But I doubt that tilted the scale into being balanced in the slightest. There's so much more I could say about him in this fic. But I'll save it for now

Teru was... Teru. I understand him more than I did Mob, I think if I were in his situation, I would have maybe stopped at a certain point but we would be very similar in most of the actions we take. In the first chapter, I went 'haha silly!' at his entries. Seeing them as a little treat between the downers surrounding it. But then after he helped 'operate' (It doesn't feel right calling it that), I guess it really hit me. Then I started questioning if I would have done what he did. Then I realised I would have. Then I spiralled until I told myself this kind of situation will likely never happen to me and if it does, I'll get to it when I get to it

Serizawa is easily one of the ones you can feel for the most. Unlike Mob and Teru, he hadn't done anything to Reigen and Ritsu personally. And unlike Shou and Dimple, he didn't say harsh words. Perhaps you could blame him for not taking action sooner, but they all can be blamed for that.

Shou... Oh my god. Shou. At first, I was ready to fight Shou tooth and nail because really? That one comment on FriendBook wasn't necessary. I don't know how or why Mob didn't block him. But then as Mob spiralled further and further, I was hoping for him to make his way back into the narrative to save Reigen and Ritsu. Then he did. And he failed and he was injured and I thought he was going to die. Then he didn't. And it's implied he could have helped them. But could he have also made it worse? Who knows, that's why I put Ambiguous Ending as a thing of note.

DON'T FORGET THE OUT-OF-LINK STUFF!!! Mixed media fics that have off-site links are truly beautiful. My friend and I love that shit. Should she ever get into MP100, I'll recommend this fic to him with a shit-eating grin on my face. I hope the word count doesn't intimidate him erogdfkg... Every single bit of the off-site links I saw was just so cool. The art of Reigen made me feel strong unease, the real videos too, and that one animated video with Ritsu and Mob and Teru. Okay basically everything gave me a strong unease. But that's the point!!! And it was done well!!!!

This fic is pure talent, skill, and effort put into something that shouldn't just be preserved via a PDF file, but should be carved into stone for future archaeologists to discover. I wish I could hold even a fraction of power needed to create something this masterful

On a more less-serious note to finish this off: Mobway. Red Mobster. I was about to lose my shit. Every single time one of the companies showed up I was about to tear my hair out (in a funny way) because it felt like falling for a prank. I ESPECIALLY LOST MY SHIT AT PSYCHOLOGIST PEPPER BECAUSE IT TOOK ME SCROLLING DOWN BEFORE REALISING. Truly, the minds behind this were geniuses

Also, this might sound weird, but I got reminded of KomaedaLoveMail while reading this. The off-site links to websites for sure helped, but I guess I just associate talk of gore in written form in this way with KLM? Or maybe I haven't quite recovered from consuming that piece of media (Can you even call KLM that?) yet. This isn't bad by the way, I loved deepdiving into KLM even though my feeble brain couldn't comprehend shit.

And and one last note- Opening the song link in the end notes was like emotional whiplash. I had to sit there for a bit to process. Good music

This is a whole mess. Even for a ramble, it's a whole mess. I don't have words or sentences or even phrases for how I feel right now. I'm a mess

[wonda-ch]

@dujour13 I had to take a screenshot to get it out of the sideblog. Sorry.💕 Thanks for asking. 😊

----

The lake lies quietly in the orange glow of the setting sun as Daeran approaches its shore with a blanket, a bottle of wine, and two glasses. He pauses when he recognizes Tishlia's silhouette, sitting near the shore with her arms wrapped around her knees, gazing into the water. She shouldn't be here. She should be looking for the animals, losing track of time as usual, and then finding him waiting on the shore, wine in hand, smiling at her.

The closer he gets, the more his stomach clenches when she does not turn her eyes to him, despite the fact that it should be impossible to approach her unnoticed. The slight trembling of her shoulders makes his gaze freeze for a moment. If she's crying, there must be a reason, one he doesn't know. As he continues to approach, he feverishly ponders what could be making her sad, and even more so, what could be keeping her from coming to him with that sadness.

Daeran is on the last steps to his wife when she wipes her eyes and sits up straighter, but she still doesn't look back at him. Shadowy, evil thoughts are already troubling him, and he tries to push them away until he can talk to her and get some clarity. "Tisha? What's wrong?"

"Nothing Dae, everything is fine."

The cramp in his stomach intensifies at this all too obvious lie. He sits down next to her, inverted so she can't avoid his gaze. When he tries to grab her hand, she reflexively pulls it away and the feeling of being rejected sends a chill down his spine and he tries hard not to let it affect his voice. "It doesn't look like all is well, why the tears, my love?"

"I'm grieving for my friend." Her voice is cold and dismissive.

"Midnight is gone, not dead. When Jax finds him and they settle their stupid argument, he'll be back." He relaxes a bit when he hears her reasoning, he doesn't quite understand it, but at least it doesn't seem threatening.

"You have no idea, Dae. They are dragons, I haven't heard any news from him, I have no idea where he is, he doesn't contact me. They are dragons, Dae, they have a different sense of time than we do. It could be years before he comes back." Without a sob, tears run down her cheeks again, but she doesn't try to hide them.

"If he wants to miss years with us, that's his choice and his loss. He won't risk it for long. Don't be sad, it wasn't you who argued with him. Until they return, we will be happy without them, you still have my most delightful company." Hoping that his motivating, light tone will brighten her mood, he tries to reach out his hand in her direction, but again she flinches from his touch.

Her reaction hits him like a low blow, and he drops his eyes to the ground. Hurt. Unsettled. He takes a deep breath, trying to control his voice, but the uncertainty clearly resonates in his next question. "What did I do wrong, Tisha?"

"It's not about you. It's nothing you've done, but it's not going to be all right because you decide so, Dae! Things do not come to you just because you want them to. You're not the center of the world." Her eyes pierce him and the anger in her sharp voice increases with every word.

The fury she makes him feel makes him flinch as if he had been physically hit. He quivers, angry at himself for not knowing where her anger comes from. His insecurity increases, he has no idea what words he can use now without making things worse.

A moment passes in which only the soft wind rustling the reeds can be heard. She has turned her eyes back to the water and he can see her holding back her anger, but he can't see why. The silence does not answer his questions and Tishlia seems unwilling to break it again.

His voice barely above a whisper, he makes a cautious approach. "I never wanted to be the center of the world. I only want to be the center of your world."

The wind continues to whisper, as if continuing his thoughts. When Tishlia looks into his eyes, he can see the sadness in the dark blue depths. For a moment, she stares at him as if to tell him her thoughts, and he chides himself for not understanding her. His self-reproach is interrupted when she finally speaks to him, calm and tender.

"That's what you are, you stupid idiot. That's why I'm sitting here, because of what you are." Her gaze returns to the water and more tears glisten on her cheeks. Hesitantly, as if trying to touch a burning log, he makes another attempt to take her hand. As she allows him to touch her, he finds himself holding his breath as he exhales in relief.

The warmth of her body suddenly leaning against his shoulder gently loosens the tense knot in his stomach. His free hand begins to gently brush her back, calming the renewed trembling of her shoulders. Without further questions, he waits patiently for her to explain what this is all about.

The setting sun bathes the lake in a reddish glow, the wind dies down so that even the whispering in the reeds seems to await her next words. "He wanted me to go with him. I tried to change his mind so he would stay. But he couldn't, he had to leave, and he wanted us to go together. I had to make a decision. I decided. And now… I miss him, Dae. It's like a part of me is gone. I don't regret my decision, I belong by your side, but sometimes… like today, it tears me apart".

He is glad that she can't see his face, in which his eyes now shine after her revelation. He holds her tighter in his arms, feeling the restless rhythm of her breathing and hearing the slight sob that has come over her again. His lips press tenderly against her temple as he says, "We'll look for him, everywhere, and we won't give up until we find him, I promise you, Tisha." She hears his promise and snuggles closer into his arms. These are the last words the lake will hear until the darkness falls.

[olderthannetfic]

I love Harry Potter, in a sense, and this statement has managed to become almost completely detatched from the author, because for years I have only been consuming the fanworks — art, fics, etc.

It has a special place in my heart just for introducing me to fandom spaces in the days where Granger Enchanted still existed. It was special, and it will be special, and so I consider myself a "fan," as it were. At the same time, I feel that I've gotten more eyes on me since joining Tumblr, from a completely different fandom, following a wide array of people, and from time to time I see hostility crop up and it just makes me feel uncomfortable in the sense that ...well, it feels like it's very complex ? I don't agree with J.K., but it seems as if some people might assume that based on my engagement with fanworks / fandom (I know, objectively, this is untrue; I've tried to write for it before, without having the books, and the amount of online resources are astounding—there are even people making fics now who admit they've never read the thing (and I also think this is amazing, if complicated, but I could go on about that forever, and so I won't)) and this isn't my responsibility, but I still find myself worrying and talking about it less due to the fear of those assumptions. It feels as if I'm navigating a minefield by engaging in the fandom because of this. I have no love for Rowling—I feel like the fanfiction interpretation is often better than the pre-established world, anyway, and I enjoy that sandbox; have played in it myself, even.

I'm not really asking for advice, or. Anything like that, really. I'll probably create a sideblog. Figure it out myself, you know? But I sort of wanted to vent, because it's been a recent frustration + seeing it spike + the Drarry / Jegulus asks reminded me, and, I guess, I also wanted know if anyone else feels like they might be toeing a line, even if they know it probably shouldn't feel that way ?

Doesn't need to be HP related. Anything that could be considered contentious will work. I'd just like to potentially recieve some solidarity, as I figure that might help me through these frustrating feelings and get me moving forward faster.

--

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

whats a hotch pot?

Well, at one point someone was going to ask, this is really about the blog and myself rather than any ghostflower stuff related, so feel free to scroll down if you are here only for that content.

Short answer is: Author is a bit of a dumbass, and Dyslexic.

Long answer after the cut.

You see, when I decided to make this sideblog (After deciding it was probably better to spare my few followers on main because I knew I was going to become insufferable with this movie,) I wasn't entirely show what it would be about, or how to name it.

I mostly do fanfics in my spare time, headcanons posts from time to time in my main, analysis in a few occasions (nothing close to my frame analysis tho, this is really new development.) I was thinking of going back to drawing, but it wasn't sure.

Because I already knew I wanted to do frame analysis, I wasn't sure how to name the sideblog, this type of post is not something you see that often in tumblr, or at least not in the fandoms I had been. The fact that I wasn't even sure the entire lists of things I wanted to do with the blog didn't help.

I also didn't want something too generic, mostly in case the name could sound similar to another tumblr blog out there that could exist.

So looking around for possible words, I came across this one

This seemed like a good approach; it was definitely not a word you would usually use for a sideblog, and a mixture of things certainly seemed like the right description for this.

Now, here is an interesting fact about me: I am actually Dyslexic.

I try to not talk too much about me in this sideblog, but the rest of this story doesn't make sense without that context in mind.

Now, while juggling for different ideas for a name in another page, for whatever reason, the site I used register hodgepodge as a real word, I probably typed it wrong without realizing, however rather than correcting to hodgepodge, it corrected to hotchpotch.

Since I wasn't familiar with that word, I looked it up in the dictionary.

Now I thought this was funny.

Hodgepodge was technically the appropriate word to use for this blog, but I thought using food would be funnier. Is technically related because is still a mix of things in one pot, but using food make the blog seem less serious and more silly, which I thought would be better.

Now, remember how I am mention that I am a bit of a dumbass, and also dyslexic?

Well, rather than just copying and pasting the word right there, I saw that the synonyms word was HotchPot, and decided to use that one because it seemed simpler.

And what does my dyslexic brain end up retaining and typing down?

Hot Potch, because somehow that made sense for me.

At this point I had debated over the name so long and seeing so similarly worded words, that my brain didn't register any issues, and when the grammar on my website told me the word was wrong, I just didn't think much of it because I thought perhaps it was just unfamiliar with that word in particular (that has happened to me before really.)

By the time I realized of the mistake, a lot of people had reblogged and liked the blog, and I know if I change the name not only all the people who reblogged previously will have the post with the grammar mistake on it, but also will probably break the links since if you change your url things fall apart.

And ultimately, I decided to leave the mistake and admit on it on the account on one thing: This feels on brand with me.

Overthink stuff, looking for things over and over again, and still make a careless mistake because my brain has multiple crossed wires in multiple levels. I decided to leave the mistake because the title basically reflects what you are about to see.

Ghostflower stuff, a mixture of many things, the author of the blog making mixing shit up in ways you kind of wonder how they did it.

I thought leaving the grammar mistake made this blog title a bit more unique too, seriously how many people would had end up with this name? It went to so many twists and turns I can't believe this could happen to someone else.

And I think leaving that mistakes also reinforces another thing: Don't take me too seriously.

Like everybody, I had my own biases, I miss stuff, and ultimately this blogs relies heavily in my opinion and way to see the world. I encourage everyone to not just see the frames I put, but feel free to look up those scenes and draw their own conclusions.

Sorry for the long response, but I think I needed to show a bit of the journey as to how I ended up having this name.

Thanks for reading!

[izanyas]

Hi Ro! I'm a "long" time reader, not really in there grand scope of things, but I've been around since March 2020 and that feels like ages in social media time. And my question actually wants to address that if that's ok? Maybe it is not a struggle for you, but how do you manage keeping your artistic vision and taking time on your art? I'm sure there are people who started reading atc and by now are not even into danmei. I myself have a "long" fic (just over 100k words) that has taken me over two years and it's only around 70% done, and it sometimes gives me grief of how many people that would've been interested about it are not even now, or dropped it, or moved on with their lives. I write for me yeah, but I haven't found my "community" that likes what I write outside of ao3's comments. So sometimes it's discouraging. Sorry for the long ask and I may not be making sense. I love atc and know that whenever the story is concluded, I'll be there for it even if I'm not into wgxn anymore ❤️

hello, thank you so much for sticking with me for so long! ❤️

i think i understand what you mean. i'm not sure i have a good answer for this unfortunately... in truth, i'm not actively into mdzs fandom anymore and haven't been for several years, but it doesn't mean i can't write for it :) just like i haven't been following bsd in years but still enjoy writing fics for it. sometimes people go back to fandoms they've left behind (like me right now shoving fma fics into my mouth for weeks now lmao) and people who love your fics will not hesitate to come back and read them again, even long after leaving the fandoms they're for.

i don't know if there's any good trick to finding a community who likes your work specifically... but making this very blog that's dedicated to my fics has been such a nice experience! people will follow you for that if you give the link at ao3 because they want more of your writing :) and they can send you messages or otherwise communicate with you in ways they can't at ao3.

i think tumblr is better than twitter or discord if you wanna make a space for your readers to follow you and interact, since it allows for anonymous messages, and a lot of people are too shy to go out and say things openly. i can't guarantee that it'll be a huge success or anything but this blog is my favorite space online. make it strictly for fanfiction business (this one is a sideblog, my main blog @tahwan is where i do regular blogging) so you don't overwhelm your followers' dashboards with posts that aren't what they follow you for. allow anon asks. don't hesitate to post links to all your fics with proper tags and everything so more people on here can see them. or straight up post them on tumblr as well! there's no rule saying you can't post the same fic in 5 different places if you want to.

i hope this helps... i know it's very difficult to find a real regular readership for your work with fanfiction. i'm extremely grateful for all my followers here and how lovely you all are. but with time i'm certain that you'll find fans of your stories who want to read everything you write, even for fandoms they're not a part of haha, and who'll want to build a community with you.

[blushstories]

hi! hope you're okay! :)

i just wanted to maybe explain a bit of the perspective of people who don't reblog stuff on here, not trying to justify anything because i'm aware that writers deserve to be recognized for their work and people should share it when they're able, but there are a lot of reasons why people don't reblog anything!

in my case i used to not reblog a lot if not at all because i read like 50 things a day and i felt like it would be annoying for the people that follows me to have their timeline full of my reblogs, especially because most of them were from different fandoms and had completely opposite interests, also it made me feel so anxious because there's stuff i don't want people to know about me that's maybe visible on the things i read (or at least it felt like that in my anxious brain) and i'm sure other people have other reasons and again, i know it's not fair and it doesn't justify anything, but everyone is different! as for me, now i reblog everything i read/enjoy, but it was really hard to let my anxiety about it go!

anyway, maybe this won't help at all and i'm sorry if it's inconvenient or upsetting!

i absolutely love everything you write and i hope i can read more of your work soon! :)

hello! thank you!

i do understand that perspective, and i absolutely can see those fears but i think it’s more than just being ‘recognised’, and i’ll explain why!

firstly, yeah being conscious of your followers is totally fair, however the beauty of tumblr is that you can make sideblogs, or tell your followers to blacklist/filter a specific tag so that their timelines arent clogged! even just queuing the posts gives a chance for them to scroll by if they want. ofc certain tws make sense to not share with followers who know you tho.

sometimes it isnt even about reblogs specifically; if someone left a comment or ask instead of a reblog that’s more than enough! the problem with just liking posts is that it creates a really consumerist experience on tumblr, which is first and foremost a blogging platform: so when i see empty blogs and their like pages are just full of fics i bluescreen a bit. these days, the like to reblog ratio of literally every artist (writer, fanart) is really really sad to see, their audiences just consume it without even sending a kind thought to the creator!!! doesnt that make your heart ache??

imagine a small town. everybody knows everybody, small businesses everywhere trading their own products to share the love and hyping up each other’s babies (their passions). that’s how i imagine blogs, and so when i see spam likes without reblogs, or a “part 2 when??!” when said person hasnt even commented before or reblogged, it transforms my blog from a community space where we share thoughts about blorbos into a product that only serves to entertain.

i really dont care about followers or note counts; i do care about having conversations with anyone who decides to hang around, if that’s a reblog chain or an ask or a comment thread then that’s how it is! we can talk headcanons or daydreams (within reason) or just generally chat!

i just cannot describe how crushing it feels when i open my notifs and only see likes. it makes me close the app straight away because there’s no one to interact with. also, it gives the message that someone read my fic, and liked it, but not enough to share it with their friends.

i hope that clears it up a bit more! it’s not a vanity or note count thing, if you comment or send an ask about a fic that’s exactly the same thing! thank you for reading and let me tell you i say this with nothing but love.

[mirpkechi]

THAMK YOY SO MUCH MIRORO SOBS <//3 apparebtly i have no other real value than being a joke emu wonderhoy emo otori omg haha look it’s emu

currently watching them make memes of the gc and i’m in literally none of them so i . posted some salty passive agressive memes about my effort being worthless or sum and some of them just went “this is so me” like bro no that’s not the point i’m begging for attention

jfhgjf vebting on disc is not enough atp when everyone ignores it there

who the FUCK. anon i'm on my way to beat the fuck outta them. you don't deserve that at all, i love you. ♡

i know who you are, anon, but i won't tag with your specific tag just to keeo that sense of anonymity. if you'd like,, we can always talk on our sideblogs ♡ i love you dearly, and you're so fucking strong.

this post will be a much longer ramble because i have many feelings about this specific situation, and i feel like i actually can talk about it, being someone who has been through this whole thing too [fairly recently]. anon, you're so strong for this, genuinely. ♡

as i mentioned before, i've also been through the exact thing, almost to the very point, and it truly fucking hurts so, so much, when you get boiled down to the "happy-go-lucky & silly" person in the group and being brushed aside as if you were nothing but the "comic relief" in the group [in my case, i felt boiled down to just one half of the "silly loud emukasa duo",, and it hurts so, so much to have a group of "friends" that really never cared to get to know you].

it gets tiring, doesn't it ? when you feel as if you have no use other than being a source of "entertainment" for them. maybe not in the literal sense of the word, but moreso in the sense that you only feel needed when you interject to make some kind of joke and keep up the façade of being the silly friend [yet when you actually start a conversation, suddenly nobody wants to talk, do they ?].

i'm assuming our friend groups were very, very similar [minus the fact that i'm assuming yours is an online group, whereas mine is a mix of irls and online "friends" ? correct me if i'm wrong, anon ♡], in the sense that everyone had an "assigned" proseka character — with those who chose which character was assigned to each person deeming themselves to be "complex" characters like mafuyu or ena, and then assigning you to be emu because, yet again, emu's just the loud, dumb-happy character, of course !!

i don't think they realise how complex emu is, do they ? people compare mafuyu and emu as if they were polar opposites, yet they truly aren't that different, are they ? i hate the dumbificatiob of emu so, so much. she isn't just the loud, forever bright character, and you know that. the way that they condense you into just that, it makes you want to keep the act up, right ? but i promise you that it's okay to let it down and that, around the right people, you can truly be yourself ♡ even if it's just on your sideblog, that's okay ♡

in my experience, i felt almost as if it was expected of me, to "not be capable of any negative emotions", and it just. it feels so invalidating, doesn't it ? feeling as if you're doing this because it's an established role of yours. the invalidation hurts even more when you feel like you have to keep up a persona that no one even realises that you have to perform, just to not inconvenience them. you're doing so, so well and i really love you. /gen /p

as for the "making memes of the gc whilst leaving you out" part . . . i'm not too sure as to how to help in a healthy way. over the past week [?], i've seen my own so-called friends make memes whilst excluding emu / kohane [thr characters they see me as], or straight up placing a different friend into the role of emu. i'm not sure how to help, but god do i know what it's like, and it truly does just crush you, realising that you no longer matter, or that you aren't seen as "worthwhile" to them. i'm so, so sorry, anon. you deserve so much better, and please trust me when i say that i would give you the world if it could make things any better. ♡

i honestly don't get why people reply to /personal/ vents / pleas for help with "oh lmao so me fr",, it's so invalidating, and it really does just make you feel even worse. there's a difference between using your own personal anecdotes and trying to foster a sense of understanding between you and the person who's venting, and then just being cruel and making it all about you, and actively ignoring what the person is trying to say.

you truly are such a good person, anon, and like i've said already, you don't deserve any of this. even if we've only known each other for what, a few weeks now ? you're still a person i consider such a close friend, and you really do mean a lot to me. maybe we can suffer through our crumbling friend groups together lol [crude attempt at a joke].

but in all seriousness, i hope life treats you well from now on. i don't fucking care how much people try to make friend group troubles seem inferior to romantic relationship struggles, because friendship issues can hurt so, so much, especially when you feel as if it's your fault [trust me when i say that i know you've not done anything wrong. some people are just cruel, and i'm so sorry that they have hurt you like this. ♡♡]. i hope life is easy on you, and that you can rest as much as you need to. please drink water and make sure you're eating every day, and that goes to both anon and anyone who managed to read all of this. i love you dearly ♡ /gen /p

[processingabuse]

I have another fandom sideblog on here and a few people have been really shitty over there today and I usually don't indulge in controversy or discourse that isn't worth my energy or time but I responded to a post that really really bothered me and people are being super shitty about it (sending mean anon messages, insulting me, insulting someone who reblogged my addition and agreed with me to the point that that person has since deleted their post). I was so close to retaliating and was even going to send a message to someone who had been particularly awful, but I realized that I'm an adult who has control over their emotions and I sensed that I wasn't thinking clearly and needed to back away. I was really angry in a way that I haven't felt in a long time, and I don't think it was unjustified, it was just that it wasn't like me, the person, feeling and expressing anger, which isn't always a bad thing, it was more like my person was being take over by anger, which IS always bad. And just for like, clarity, and in my defense, I guess, yeah it was a fandom thing that triggered my anger, but it wasn't like "they had a bad take or a different opinion than mine so I got mad", it was something that had larger ramifications for how they treat other people, and it was in reference to something in the show that deeply affected me and brought up some trauma stuff for me. Without going into detail, it made me feel like "if that's how all of these people feel about this character's suffering, how am I supposed to expect people to treat me with kindness and understanding, because similar things have happened to me as to this character." But yeah, simply put, I was about to send someone I don't know irl a message anonymously calling them an ass hole just to try to make them feel bad because they were cruel to a person who DOESN'T EXIST. So I thought, hey, instead of doing that, I should probably vent some feelings somewhere else because clearly I am not in a good place at the moment. I mean the whole thing that upset me in the first place is that these people seemed to lack all nuance or empathy or understanding; it seemed they got a kick out of being cruel which really disgusts me. But I feel like recognizing when those same bad instincts come out in me and stopping them shows that those really are my values. I had a human moment and I stopped myself, which is good, because it means that I'm largely in control of myself. And after coming out of the abuse I was kind of afraid of distrusting anything I might feel for fear of letting go of my intuition that kept me in the abuse. But now I'm on a path where I can confidently say to myself "your anger makes sense, it's okay to feel this" and I can trust myself to reign myself in because I genuinely believe that I have my own best interests at heart. When I told myself I was being irrational and needed to take a beat, I believed me, because it wasn't said in the same tone as when I tried to convince myself that the abuse was okay. Anyway, thank you for listening if you did, this felt really good to get this off my chest.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

What's your favorite social media platform? What do you like about it?

Hmm. I'm actually not very big on social media as a concept. It's not a big draw for me, and I've been pretty good at not interacting with any particular social media (although I'm currently playing with the possibility of having a Tumblr sideblog)

But since the answer to this question seems to have changed, I've changed my mind a little bit. Facebook has been around longer than any of the other social media sites (and it's a lot better organized than other sites I've used); I do use it a lot, as do lots of other people I know. And even if I don't use it a ton, it has the feature I care the most about: groups.

Tumblr and, to a certain extent, Instagram are my favorite because of how user-made they are. Tumblr doesn't have any "official" organization, and users can set up groups and do stuff that feels like they're running a club. I don't have any particular use in mind right now, but I do want a social media space that is more like the experience I get on tumblr.

When I'm looking for content it's probably a combination of things I look for that I don't see anywhere else, which is:

- people I've never seen before talking about things they care about in a personal way, especially for non-serious things (although this is not always the case, there are a lot of serious-sounding and interesting-sounding people on tumblr, I just need them in more contexts, because the same person can be serious in one thing and silly in a different one)

- lots and lots of really long text, the kind that people are always writing and reading on tumblr, often stuff that's fun to read but often has a lot going on. I don't care so much about "drama" or anything like that, but just anything that feels like it goes on forever and you don't really know where it's going -- and in particular I like reading long things about the same topic from different people. I especially love it when the topics are things I already care about or am interested in, even though that's hard to find.

- people who are also into similar things I am into. Not a big part of my life, but it's important to me on a purely "personal preference" level that it be there.

- aesthetic/artistic photos, videos, etc. (I want the option to browse Tumblr without seeing a lot of "people talking about how they like art/music" and "people talking about how they don't like art/music.")

- a lot of long posts that don't fit into an easily-skippable format because of their length, which are often pretty serious. I don't expect to read anything on tumblr if the point isn't serious in some way, but I do like reading things that make me think about my day, like how I've been feeling or thinking.

- personal blogs. There are certain kinds of posts I want to see a lot (some of which are "drama" posts and I should avoid), but there are lots of personal blogs and it's important to me that they exist.

I guess those are all more or less the features I think are nice about Tumblr right now?

As for what makes Facebook good, it's a social network. What it isn't is like most other sites -- it has no particular theme or content. It's just a social network, and I like that.

I've heard from some people that their Facebook experiences (in the sense of like, they see people who are often interesting/important/etc) are different from mine, but I dunno. I still feel like people (e.g. my Facebook friends) have to be a lot more important and a lot more like me to make me want to post or see their stuff, and to a first approximation the same people I see are people I already know through the internet generally.

Another interesting thing I like about Facebook is that while it is an awful app to use, it's an easy app to use. For other sites I've used, the interface is kind of complicated, and there's a million little things to think about and look up before I can do anything. With Facebook, the interface is basically all there is to use. If I want to do things, I just do them in the Facebook app, which is an app that, unlike most apps, was designed for social networking. It has basically the same functionality as the website, but it's a really easy app to use.

(One of the big problems with Twitter is that the whole site is designed to be easy to use but the app is actually complicated. The Twitter app is not designed to be a social networking tool, and it forces you to learn a bunch of new social media things in order to use it like a normal Twitter client. For example, every tweet on Twitter has its own unique URL and the default page displays tweets chronologically and in reverse chronological order. It's not like any other app, and you have to learn how to use it. The Twitter app also has special functionality -- you can "follow" a blog or a person, but you can't follow a hashtag, for example, you have to follow the person and then type the hashtag you want to see posts from.)

[deciphertheriddler]

hi, noticed that you use both dano and hasan as fcs. i know hasan is the voice of the riddler in unburied and this is a different version, but i find it a bit odd to see two races for the same character being played, especially since hasan is being delegated the minor role in comparison. its your blog and of course its your choice how you run it, but i wanted to give a nudge that that might not sit well with some people.

Hi! First of all, thank you for the respectful way you approached the topic :) I really don't mind receiving nudges about things I might do wrong.

Now... This is a bit difficult for me. When I first started this blog, I thought they'd get more balanced threads and that I'd have to beg people to play with Dano!Riddler... But I also thought I wouldn't be here for more than a week and people would hate me, so that's on me. It certainly didn't go as I originally planned. I did also have a plan of watching Gotham and having a verse for that - but I got too lazy, and the mixed reviews didn't make me very excited about it. From the very beginning, I planned to have multiple Riddler interpretations on this blog, because I loved those versions equally and wanted to try my hand at it.

While I get what you mean about having the one with a POC FC not being my main, I do consider them as different people, but with the same core. For example, hasan riddler is a gemini, dano riddler is a cancer. They have different struggles and disabilities. While both have OCD, I approach it in different manners. Hasan Riddler is more comic compliant and I plan to rewrite his background to reflect that (and you can also notice that they have different backgrounds and deal with frustrations differently).

My Hasan Riddler is talkative, social, can be charming, has a real terror of being called or being insane, is always stuck into the "am I a villain? can I be something different?" thing, is a man who was removed from his origins and is seeking to find root, to understand himself, connect to something.

Dano Riddler is socially awkward, has a very unstable behavior, is certain he's, in fact, insane and nothing can be done about it, so he might as well use it in his favor. He seeks to do something with all the anger he has, anything to give him answers for his life.

While at the core they're smart, like riddles and are obsessive, I write them as different people. I'd see my blog more like a dual muse, honestly. They can't just change places, one doesn't erase the other. When I write Dano Riddler with comics in mind, I always have to rethink everything. For example, Dano Riddler would never become a private investigator, while Hasan Riddler does. Hush comic arc I think makes much more sense to Hasan Riddler, for Dano Riddler I'd have to rewrite it all. Even something as simple as Pandora's box, the BDSM club, they have a different relationship with it. Hasan Riddler is a person who has friends, who people genuinely likes and he usually doesn't notice or give it too much importance.

I also do write taking notice that they are of different races and that makes them different from the very beginning. They have different outlooks on life. I always try to make sure this is being taken into consideration.

Now, If I were to change it now, what could really be done? I stop playing Hasan Riddler? Wouldn't that be worse? I do Hasan Riddler as main instead? But he wouldn't fit in most of the threads I have because they're not interchangeable. I give Hasan Riddler a sideblog? Still, relegating him to a minor space. Give him a blog of his own? While this is possible, that would overwhelm me and I would probably not be able to keep both accounts active.

I can try giving him more interactions, maybe write more opens, that's definitely something I'd like to do. Other than that, I'm not really sure what could be done. If you have an idea or a different approach I could have, I'll gladly listen to anyone's input. And this is not meant as a "I'm right, and I'd never do anything wrong" sort of answer, I acknowledge I can be wrong, but I'd like to explain my vision. You're welcome to come on or off anon to discuss more about it if you'd like. I also hope this made sense.

[rainbow--skies]

Because I've seen an uprising recently both in people being completely anti-fandom and anti-fanfic and people in fandom with no critical thinking:

If you're against fandom and fanfiction as a whole I literally have a fandom sideblog (that I'm going to reblog this to as well) and I read and write fanfiction so you probably shouldn't be following me. A lot of points presented are usually good however I find that a lot of people who are against fandom as a whole aren't saying anything that isn't also being said by people still in fandom with common sense, and a lot of them also engage in literal middle school bullying shit and call people nerds and advance cringe culture because they have no idea how to have actual civilized discussions. However I am critical of actual harmful things that get promoted in fandom, some of the stances that should be common sense but apparently aren't that I hold are:

I don't support proshipping

I believe that you should engage with media critically and if something's really bigoted just full on stop engaging with it

I don't think writing fanfiction or shipping or making headcanons is inherently a marker that you don't understand and respect the themes of the original or an inherently bad action, yes even if it's an AU or is NSFW (about characters that are actually adults and tagged properly) or is a fix-it or whatever it's cool to dislike now

The above point doesn't extend to actual incest, pedophilia, or real people if you write that you're gross

All that being said also you should engage with and understand canon before you interact with the fandom and during your interactions with the fandom, the original themes are still important even if you're mainly here to write fanfiction

You should actually acknowledge when the source material fucked up and did something bigoted even if it was unintentional or whatever, your favorite piece of media is not exempt from being queerphobic, misogynistic, and racist just because you like it or other media has done worse

All the fanfiction being turned into YA is bad but it's not because it was originally fanfiction and all fanfiction sucks or whatever, it's because turning fanfiction into original fiction doesn't work fundamentally (because you're not developing your own unique characters if you just repurpose fic and the way you structure plot for fanfiction and original fiction should be different to, fanfiction builds off of or changes canon, original fiction should be able to stand on it's own and have unique plotlines) and half the time the writers getting published sucked at writing

It is possible to engage in fandom to have fun and also acknowledge the flaws both in fandom culture in the original media

Bigotry and other harmful views are present in fandom spaces just like they are everywhere else and it's the responsibility of people engaging in fandom not to spread these things further

If you disagree with anything I just said there you can go too you shouldn't be following either. I block basically anyone who's either against fandom completely or in fandom but doesn't engage critically because I'm trying to find the increasingly vanishing middle ground of "fandom people engaging critically with media" that disappears further and further as time goes on on this site. I am just trying to have fun and also analyze things critically, which most of you seem incapable of doing either one or both of.

[gisellelx]

What do you think Carlisle’s birthday would be? Or what month? I wish we had a cannon day. I know days were different when he was born but an estimation?

I have a pretty firm headcanon on the month and day, which much to my joy and probably thanks to the ole' sideblog seems to have become the fanon date for many people.

In canon, Edward says he "just" celebrated his 362nd birthday on the first day that he and Bella are at the house. Canonically, this is Sunday, March 13. So it doesn't seem very likely that Carlisle's birthday was months and months ago. March, though, is firmly the land of Picses, and even if you aren't into the zodiac (as I am not), it seems pretty clear Carlisle is not a Picses, or at least, if he is, he's got some big other sign controlling him. Aquarius makes a ton more sense, so we back up to February instead. (If you want to go bonkers on the zodiac thing, @loyalmuse has done this for you in exquisite detail.) So I felt it more likely his sun sign is Aquarius, which would still make his birthday "just" having happened. And then I landed on the 17th. Why the 17th? Who knows. My characters often tell me when they were born. I have characters I've been writing for 30 years and I know exactly how old they are--Isaac's birthday is April 3, 2000. Why? Don't know. It's not an important date to me; it's not my birthday or anybody else's, but Isaac said he was born on that day. Similarly, the Carlisle in my head said the 17th.

I have a much looser headcanon about the year. If he was born "just before Cromwell's rule" (TW p. 331 ) depending on how you read "just," the common fanon of 1640 full stop seems unlikely. Cromwell ascended to power over the Commonwealth of England in 1649, and was Lord Protector of England from 1653 until his death in 1658. That Carlisle remembers this suggests he was probably above the age of seven, and probably even a little older. So instead we get something more like 1643, which would have made him ten at the time of the establishment of the Protectorate.

I can accept a number of years in the mid 1640s for Carlisle's birth. Later makes him younger in 1653 and less aware of the significance of the Protectorate, but it's reasonable to think his father was so elated about it that its existence was a major topic of conversation. Earlier makes the "just" a little more of a stretch but given that Edward specifies that it was probably 1640s, nothing is too far outside the realm of possibility. In my own fics I went with 1644 purely to use the Great Fire of London as a literary device, as a burned-out city gave me a lot to play with setting-wise as an author. This was especially important since if we follow actual history instead of SM's fever dreams, he didn't encounter vampires in London's non-existent sewers. So it needed to be some other eerie place, and I went with buildings in ruin. That, however, was a writing choice, not one driven by history or canon.

That all being said:

The idea that Carlisle didn't know when he was born is ludicrous to the extreme. They kept time just fine. Although the Gregorian calendar wouldn't be adopted in England for another hundred years, it wasn't as though they weren't keeping a calendar (the shift to the Gregorian calendar involved skipping 10 or 11 days in most places at the time it shifted). And you know whose job it was to keep the time? The vicar. Not only were these records being kept, it was literally Carlisle's father's obligation to keep them on behalf of all the people in his parish. Maybe, maybe you could argue that since Carlisle was probably born during the English Civil War that the records weren't being kept as well because of that, but it certainly wasn't that "time wasn't kept as well back then" and even if the whole register wasn't being kept, you mean to tell me that the parish priest didn't write down the records for his own family? Nah. I can suspend disbelief for sparkly vampires but there has to be a line somewhere!

Now, birth wasn't always recorded, that's true. But baptisms and deaths? You bet. So Carlisle would know the date his mother died (it was also probably on her tombstone, which likely was in what was basically his backyard) and therefore would know the date of his birth. And I headcanon that his father, being somewhat clueless about the resiliency of infants, assumed there was a good chance his son would die also, which makes it very likely that Carlisle would've been prophylactically baptized the day he was born. So again, that baptism would've been in the church register, and Carlisle would know the date.

So, Carlisle knows when he was born; he didn't need to make up a date to make Esme happy, cute as that is. Canonically, it was sometime in the mid 1640s, and possibly was February.

In my head and all my fics, it is February 17, 1644.