#but i needed to archive this on my blog permanently

[rubyreadd]

The two-inch in-seam... Nigel Mansell you awaken an indescribable need in me

[noellevanious]

its beyond fucking sad like. tumblr as a site. as a function. is great. it arguably still holds a pre-internet 3.0 concept up and keeps it alive (blogs as a community tool). It functions completely uniquely from other social media. parts that haven't been eroded away by idiot companies playing hot potato are still great (i can still look through all of my posts with my archive tool, or make a new blog theme entirely).

All that had to be done was Not Dip Their Toes into the Transphobic Pool. Which isn't a hard request. It's literally just "respect the people that want to be trans and be happy and tell people that are slinging harassment at them to Fuck off".

Sure, they also need to not let the site erode more and more into this ugly little amalgam of a barely functioning ad-ridden Twitter wannabe that requires at least 2 different mobile add-ons to even function properly. But like. I'd happily support them monetarily if they weren't the most cartoonishly Scummy site.

Like I'm still on twitter and it's a cesspool. But there at least it's funny that "Cis" is considered a word that Musk wants censored for "Spreading hate speech".

Here I have to confront the fact, every few days, that whoever moderates the site will happily either Delete Trans/POC blogs without hesitation, or, if we wanna be generous, nobody moderating the site Gives a Shit and just lets Transphobe/racist hategroups run rampant on the report system.

And don't fucking forget what happened to Avery/Rita! I don't want to spread word about her without her approval, but I will say, people have no fucking clue how bad things got for her after what happened, and the fact that she's put up such a strong face when she was literally in the "Public's" Eye as a Trans Woman the CEO of a website stalked and harassed even after he personally demanded all of her blogs be Permanently erased, is beyond the pale of what should be asked for her, or any trans or poc person.

[clarenecessities]

He-man.org will close in 5 days.

He-man.org has been a staple of the Masters of the Universe community since the early days, originating as an email list that worked to document episodes before anything (not footage, not lists, nothing) was available online. It grew into a sprawling, multi-faceted beast of a thing, including an encyclopedia (an in-house wiki), merch lists, a marketplace, forums, anything you could think of.

Several years ago now, the main site went down for updates/maintenance. For a few weeks, we were told, maybe months. The forums remained open for fans to communicate, and barring a period of downtime earlier this year things were going smoothly.

Yesterday, the owner of the site, Val Staples, announced the site would be closed on November 14th, 2023. Six days later. We are currently attempting to contact him, to see if he’s interested in selling, and if he means closed as in “no new posts” or closed as in deleted entirely. Regardless of its eventual fate, the archiving of these forums is essential to preserving the history of the franchise, the fandom, and the brand.

TO SHE-RA (and MotU) FANS SPECIFICALLY: I have personally used these forums to answer questions that could be answered nowhere else. Had I not had access to them, I would never have been able to prove that Purrsia was fake, or found so much unpublished concept art, or discovered that Scott “Toyguru” Neitlich personally wrote Catra’s MOTUC bio (even if he’s put off answering my questions about it for over a year now). Forum members have conducted interviews with the likes of Jon Seisa, Cathy Larson, Janice Varney-Hamlin—essential figures in the very foundations of POP, and those interviews revealed and recorded priceless information for future generations (me! you! us!) to find. Did you know Cathy Larson named Adora? That she originally pushed for “Dorian”, after her own daughter? We cannot let this treasure trove disappear into the ether(ia).

TO THE UNAFFILIATED: Please help. Pretty please. If you’ve ever liked my art or my writing or my haphazard blogging, ever, at all, consider archiving just one board. Just one page. Literally anything helps. I am spiraling into madness & this is my library of Alexandria. The mythical one that was totally unique and persevered nowhere else and was destroyed in a single cataclysmic event. Pretty pretty please help.

HOW TO HELP:

Archive.org has several ways to upload shit but most of them are longer term than “a few days” so we’re focusing on two (which can be run simultaneously): Save Page Now, and browser extensions. From their help page:

1. Save Page Now

Put a URL into the form, press the button, and we save the page. You will instantly have a permanent URL for your page. Please note, this method only saves a single page, not the whole site.

We want to keep outlinks and screenshots wherever possible. The Archive does not keep your IP address, so your submission is anonymous.

2. Browser extensions and add-ons

Install the Wayback Machine Chrome extension in your browser. Go to a page you want to archive, click the icon in your toolbar, and select Save Page Now. We will save the page and give you a permanent URL.

One plus to installing the extension is that as you surf around, when you run into a missing page they will alert you if we have a saved copy.

More extensions, apps, and add-ons:

Firefox add-on

Safari Extension

iOS app

Android app

I strongly encourage you to use these tools even if you aren’t helping with this project/after it ends. Documenting and preserving information is essential in this day and age & The Internet Archive is at the heart of it. Please support them however you can.

I’m serious about paying you, though I may need more communication with folks I don’t know so we can coordinate/verify shit gets done. I think this is a worthwhile pursuit in itself but I recognize your time is valuable & like, people gotta eat. DM me if you’re interested and we’ll talk. I may need to adjust pay depending how many people bite but I’ll do what I can

[ladyyatexel]

Friends, Romans, Tumblrites, lend me your reblogs.

I'm Xel and I live in a society! I think there's a solid chance you do also! So you may relate to the profoundly crappy thing that happened to me and that I once again need a community assist.

I lost a temporary job that was supposed to turn into a permanent job in June because no one there felt safe enough to retire. Only two of us in the apartment were under 50. One of the crew was over 70. Three were chronically ill/disabled. No one felt safe enough to leave in order for me to stay, so I was trained for basically 6 months for nothing.

I have survived on savings from that job until this point, but I'm at the point where I cannot pay rent. I'm looking into getting help from sources more local to me but the internet has always felt like people who cared about me more than the people I share DNA with, really.

Many of the social services that I was signed up for expired the day that I was supposed to be told that I would be a permanent hire, and since that didn't go down, now I have to start it all again from the beginning, and there are gaps in my security net.

I tell you all of that just to say that I am actually trying to do things, I'm not here to just beg and coast along on some sort of lavish lifestyle where I, uh. Keep living in this dodgy apartment with my cat.

I don't want to bore you with an itemized list, but like 2,000 US dollars would get me through September and October without being worried about it like every 3 minutes. My rent is 700 and change, if you would like to know that. So I'm looking for like September and October rent and money to renew my driver's license, pay a few utility bills, buy a bag of cat food, and refill my medications.

If you have the notion to toss help at an internet pal or the extended reblogged acquaintance of an Internet pal, as is more likely the case, probably, that would be super rad of you.

I'm an artist! You could get things with images on them from me! I sell buttons, prints, and commissioned illustrations if that's your thing. My commissions are going a bit slow as of late - I only recovered from being not really able to walk like 2 months ago, and so I'm doing a lot of catch up like everywhere else in my whole life and trying not to spend too much time at a desk since it aggravates the spine thing that was the problem in the first place.

To be honest, it would be a greater help to me to just receive some Aid rather than full-on commissions, but I completely understand feeling fishy about people getting something for nothing and also feeling bad for being a charity case on the internet, so I'm not opposed! If you want to chat about that, I have a commissions post on the side or top of my blog depending on where you're looking at this!

Ko-fi contains my buttons and is a good place to toss digital dead American presidents if that suits you. I will get hit by some PayPal fees in this process but, I'm willing to call that a call for help on the internet tax.

I promise I'm a real person and not a bot who has made up a cat and is pretending to have interests. My blog has been here since 2010! I've met people on this website in person and everything. I've had embarrassing obsessions no bot would bother coming up with. Speaking of:

Similarly to times before, I would like to be able to do something in order to feel like I have earned some kind of support, and as of my birthday last week I have resolved to try very hard in the next year to conquer my fear and absolute mortification about many of the things I make, so I will once again go digging into my archives for things I can post for you to enjoy as thanks and tribute! I also have a poll running right now to see what kind of buttons people want!

Thanks for taking a look! Be nice out there, take care of your spines!

[peripaltepsy]

BEWARE OF "body mod advices" - they can be dangerous and LETHAL.

(this post was about a deactivated blog but extends to any possible future blog like it)

edit3 since he deactivated: Red told me in the DMs that he WILL be more careful about all this risk stuff, I believe he is going to do better. Im sure he's a good person and he also was extremely civil in the DMs. Since he's not here to defend himself anymore I'll gladly take his side and say that despite this mess, all Red wanted to do was indeed reduce harm and potentially save lives. Good luck on all your endeavors, Red, I wish you a beautiful and successful career and that you have a great positive impact in the atypical dysphoria community, both on and offline. I don't know how my post truly impacted you, I'm so sorry if you're feeling bad. You acted the best way you possibly could.

Second, if Red comes back, DO NOT HARASS HIM, let him be himself and don't let his past hold them down.

Third, all my points still stand for their deactivated blog and any potential body mod tips blogs in the future. Please everyone, take care, stay safe.

Past edit: DONT HARASS any possible blogs like hers, just REPORT and spread awareness, (also don't make the same mistakes as me: TALK TO THEM FIRST)

Past edit: minors please interact with this post, forget my bio for this one

Past edit: editing editing the post since I talked to Red and he isn't bait. I definitely should have talked to them in DMs first. I sincerely apologize. So sorry Red! To those reading, don't make the same mistake as me, ok? Always talk to people privately first, I genuinely fucked up bad. This mistake of assuming others intentions, can traumatize them. If I were in Red's shoes I'd be traumatized. So yeah, I fucked up bad.

Their intentions are genuine but my point still stands that its extremely dangerous and can't qualify as harm-reduction / end edit note

alright, I'm not transid/radqueer but you guys need to REPORT AND WARN OTHERS of these accounts as soon as they appear. Do not entertain them, no matter how desperate you are to transition. You can become a victim of dangerous charlatanism.

LONG POST AHEAD, VERY IMPORTANT NEVERTHELESS

Archive to what i'm about to post

Red claimed to be "a non-professional surgeon, planning on getting better with practice." Bad move!

Red has told me he's pursuing a medical degree and won't actually do non-qualified surgery.

.

Red: "The blog is centered around an idea of "extreme" body mods that I would like to explore further, [...] things like breaking and re-mending bones, creating new joints, replacing skin, etc."

My point: the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and your blog was unsafe.

.

To any possible counterarguments: "But they (people following/asking advice) know the risks!" That's victim-blaming. Red gave himself the responsibility to give harm-reducing advice, but he didn't do a good job.

"But I know the risks!" You can't possibly know the risks because Red doesn't know either or "kinda knows" but has not properly informed his audience, it didnt give sources, oversimplified their advice and failed to provide accurate information about risk. Or gave plain misinformation.

Again I'm not transid, I can't possibly imagine what you're going through in order to try anything at all to feel better, including trying experimental surgery not legally available or not researched at all. However, please please please do not become a victim of medical deceit or whatever tf it's called. Even if the blog owner tries their best to be reliable.

They might sound confident, but they do not know what they are saying, what they're telling others to do.

.

Ask: "How would I make my skin gray without tattoos?" (DO NOT SHAME THIS USER BTW)

Red: "[...] I assume you want permanent grey. To do this, it's pretty simple, although it'll take a lot of time. Basically, what you want to do is to constantly be exposed to lots of silver. Any product with silver in it like specific lotions and skin creams. also fish, milk, mushrooms, and whole grains tend to have silver in them! So tldr, consume lots of silver!"

STOP!!! DONT FOLLOW THIS ADVICE!!! DONT OVER-EXPOSE YOURSELF TO SILVER!!! "Silver toxicity causes argyria. Silver toxicity occurs when too much silver is in your body." <- from a simple research on "too much silver in blood"

THE RESULT WILL BE ARGYRIA. EVEN IF YOU DO IT SLOWLY, YOU ARE BUILDING UP A HEAVY METAL IN YOUR BODY. THE GREY SKIN IS NOT PRETTY NOR WITHOUT GRUESOME SIDE SYMPTOMS.

Yall. Anything in excess will fuck up your body, including iron, vitamins, and silver.

To whoever asked Red, I don't know your mind, but I'm sure you'd love to live a happy life with grey skin! You'd love to have a body you're comfortable with and looks rad as hell! But you wouldn't be able to enjoy it if you're deeply sick with ARGYRIA, WHICH IS WHAT RED'S ADVICE WILL GIVE YOU!

.

Ask: "How do I get darker skin without going too dark? I’m pale and burn easily, I just want a color similar to Lin Manuel Miranda" (AGAIN DONT HARASS THIS USER)

Red: [...] "expose yourself to the sun more! As you do this, you'll get tan which will protect you from future burns and make your skin slightly darker, do this enough and you can engineer your skin to be as dark as you want!"

THATS MISINFORMATION! Yes you may tan to get darker (Lin's tone may or may not be achievable to you) but one: it's not permanent unless you're constantly going out; two: SKIN CANCER!!!! DONT OVER-EXPOSE YOURSELF TO THE SUN!!!! USE SUNSCREEN!!

TO ANYONE SEEKING A MUCH DARKER TONE: YOU CAN'T "GO AS DARK AS YOU WANT TO" BY TANNING. Just look at people who have lived their whole lives outdoors like farmers! White people can't tan to black! There's a limit to how tan you may get! Are you seriously gonna risk skin cancer for an impossible thing???

.

Red: "Self amputation is really dangerous! You should learn how to use a tourniquet, that way, you can stop the bleeding! [...]" WHERE ARE YOU GETTING YOUR SOURCES, RED?

If anyone reading this is seriously thinking of amputating themselves, and will not change their minds no matter what, please just have someone immediately drive you to the hospital. I do not support such operation and you can still die or get horribly sick even with your best precautions, but you better receive actual medical attention and stay alive rather than trying to heal it yourself. Because what you'll most likely get from following Red's advice is DEATH FROM BLOOD LOSS. Again, if you absolutely cannot get rid of this dysphoria with therapy, or manage it at least, or have a doctor do it for you, I still would NEVER suggest you do it yourself, but IF you end up doing that then at least please go straight to the hospital instead of trying to heal it yourself.

.

Red: "do not try and break your own bones to make modifications! [...] Get another person (Like myself) to help you with the bone breakage instead."

NO ONE KNOWS WTF THEY'RE DOING. YOUR FRIEND DOESN'T. RED DOESN'T (as they advertised in the post). NO ONE IS GOING TO GET MODIFICATIONS LIKE THIS. NO ONE IS GOING TO BE HAPPY. EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE EITHER IN PAIN, RISK OF HORRIBLE INJURIES OR TROUBLE WITH THE LAW. FUCKING AROUND = GUARANTEED BOTCHED OPERATION.

Also, now that Red has clarified she won't perform surgery until having an actual degree, you can't really go to her XD

.

Red: "Some advice for surgery [...] This one's important, make sure your patient is strapped down and properly sedated, if they move, even slightly, you risk hitting a vital artery or organ, if you do hit an artery, don't panic, this is why you learned how to use a tourniquet! if you hit a vital organ though, odds are you won't know how to fix that, so be extra careful with abdomen and face surgery!"

Thats still promoting medical malpractice, mutilating and potentially killing friends, dangerously downplaying surgery so much, this is not harm-reduction

.

Ask: "I want to be blind in one eye, but more-so in the sense of extreme but not total vision loss. I want to do something permanent in the future!" (AGAIN DONT HARASS THIS USER)

Red: Well, a simple fix to your problem is just get some calcium hydroxide in your eye and wash it out a few minutes later, this should lead to permanent, extreme (but not total) vision loss in that eye. Keep it in too long and it can cause total vision loss so be careful!

Ok so, it's great that you're trying to come up with alternative ways for users not to kill themselves by gouging their eyes out, but you've still failed to give them the full picture

From a quick search "calcium hydroxide in the eyes": Exposure to the skin can produce burns, painful irritation and necrosis, and exposure to the eyes may cause severe pain and vision loss that can be temporary or permanent. If calcium hydroxide is exposed to the skin, contaminated clothing should be removed, excess amounts of the chemical should be wiped off and the affected skin should be flushed repeatedly with water. Victims of calcium hydroxide exposure to the eyes should flush their eyes with water continuously for the first 15 minutes, but all cases of external exposure should receive immediate medical care. Inhaling calcium hydroxide through the nose or mouth can also cause immediate, painful and potentially life-threatening complications. Throat and nasal passages may become painful and swollen, and the swelling may restrict airways, making breathing difficult or impossible. If the calcium hydroxide particles are carried all the way to the lungs, this may further complicate breathing. Victims of this type of exposure should be taken immediately to a fresh air environment, and emergency services should be contacted right away. Administration of oxygen and emergency respiratory assistance may be required.

.

Red (answering an ask): "the question shouldn't be what DO people replace their skin with, it should be what CAN they, after all, just because it's never been practiced or very rarely practiced doesn't mean it's bad or impossible! Of course, my personal favorite skin substitutes are rubber and red velvet, I am also a big fan of stainless steel."

(Don't promote such an operation). THIS OPERATION IS BAD AND IMPOSSIBLE TO SUCCEED. SKIN CAN ONLY BE REPLACED WITH SKIN. SKIN IS A LIVING ORGAN. ANY OTHER SUBSTITUTE WILL CAUSE YOU TO LOSE BODY PARTS OR DIE.

YOU KNOW HOW PEOPLE WITH TRANSPLANTS NEED LIFE-LONG MEDICAL ATTENTION SO THEIR BODY DOESN'T REJECT IT? HOW TF WILL YOU DO THIS WITH FUCKING RED VELVET?

YOU WILL FUCK UP YOUR BODY'S IMMUNE SYSTEM A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS.

ANYWAYS. CROSSTAGGING FOR REACH. PLEASE EVERYONE REBLOG. THIS IS SERIOUS SHIT.

[the-nebula-sys]

Well, the personal era is over now. Now it's time for a somewhat more permanent era, the era of the Hexaflame. Because I, am many. There are six people in the brain. That number could change. This is a bio for all of them. Update: there are eleven

So hi, I'm the same ol' Ellie as the one who made this blog. I am an autistic, aegosexual, cupioromantic tgirl. Please use she/her pronouns for me. My hobbies are worldbuilding, and learning about stuff. I also really, really like the Outer Wilds. You should play it. Right now. Here's my AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TehAspyfics. If there is no signature, assume that it's me that's posting.

Hello there! I'm Megan, and I'm only fronting to make my bio. I am a very big lesbian. I would also like you to use she/her when reffering to me, please. (Quick note from Sieben, her signature is a pride flag. If you see a 🏳️‍🌈, then that's Megan). Update: as of april 25th, Megan is now a little

Hi there tumblr. My name is Sieben. I'm a straight up boy, so I use he/him pronouns. Respect that. Update now that I know my sexuality. I am ace. Good day.. If I'm posting, then you should see a radio. 📻

Hello. My name is Void. Pleasure to meet you. I am an agender void being. I use any pronouns. I use 🖤. (Note from Alex: Void's sexuality is unknown.)

I am Alex. Welcome to my blog. My sexuality is unknown, yet I am having a feeling towards women. Please use he/him pronouns for me. I use a butcher knife for my signature. 🔪 I also came up with the signature system.

Ah, hello there young ones! You may call me the Grand Maestre. I go by anything with the vibe of masculinity. Pleasure to meet you. Also, you'll see this ⚕️when I post. If you need help, call for me.

(Umm, what is this thing called again? Tumblr? Okay, I got it) Hello there, Tumblr! I'm very pleased to meet you! My name is Agatha, princess of somewhere or other. Use she/her for me or you shall be executed. You know who I am, as I use a crown. Good day!-👑 (note from Void: Agatha is a fictive of Sapphia from High Class Homos. And she really fucking hates it. Please don't mention thag comic when she's around. Thanks)

Tumblr. I am Unit 6497. Call me Unit. I go by any pronouns. I use a robot to let you know who I am.🤖

Am Sammie. Am what you call little. No idea what "pronoun" is. Ummmmmmmmm... typing thingie is signature. Bye. (Update from Ellie, it's a 🧸)

(Here we go) Yeah hi, I'm Entrapta. Yeah, from the show. She-Ra is that good, okay? Ellie's brain rotted too much and now I exist. Okay? She/her for me, and I use a wrench-🔧

I'm Bob, the resident trauma-holder. Please use he/him when talking to me. 🐻 because I can't find anything

I do believe that this bio thing is finished. I mean, not neccesarily complete, just that we can't think of anything more to add right now. I hope to see you again soon, sincerely, ⚕️

[stormblessed95]

I'm Stepping Away For A While...

Over the past week, and then some, I have been called a multitude of names in an effort to make fun of me and rude names including wh*re, p**sy, bitch, a liar, a fake, etc. I've been told I'm a fake/bad ARMY, a fake jikooker, etc. Ive had people call my friends deragatory names and misgender them. And I've also had someone in my DMs try to gaslight me into believing that this was not harassment or Bullying, but that I should apologize to my followers for threatening to block people and that people were just expressing strongly worded commentary over how my actions hurt them. And that I needed to take responsibility for creating the drama at all. And none of that is okay, and honestly it's been a lot. And the way people just brushed over the name calling and harassment regardless of if they disagreed with me or liked me, that was a lot too.

Blocking people to curate my space is not harassment or bullying or disrespectful. Its simply protecting myself and trying to curate a safe space for me personally. Nor have I ever started a hate campaign to try and drive another blogger off the platform. And if a post of mine encouraged people to send messages or hurtful asks to someone else, and I KNEW about it, I would've said something and asked them to stop. Sharing an opinion or disagreeing with someone is not me sending anyone hate. Nor would I ever want that for anyone regardless of any disagreements we had over whatever topic.

I've lost quite a few followers over the past week, people believing things that are being said and that's fine, i was never here for the numbers anyway. Id rather you unfollow or block me peacefully if you dont like me or my posts. Some of the people engaging with this hate against me were honestly surprising. But it is what it is. But I don't feel safe in this space anymore. I honestly haven't for a while. Blogging isn't as fun anymore. I don't want to post while it feels like a chore. And that's not because of anyone or anything in particular. I opened this blog because it brought me joy and it was fun. And it's really sad that something that brought me happiness is no longer doing that for me. It's not just all this drama either. It's probably been awhile coming, making my timeline posts for longer posts felt more like something I had to do for you all instead of something I wanted to do for me. And that's not what I want for this space.

So I'll be stepping away for awhile. When or if I come back will depend on if I can get that joy back for doing this and I feel like this can be a fun corner of the internet for all of us together again. And also for if I feel like I can do this without it being so mentally draining and just not good for my mental health like it has been lately.

I'll leave my blog here and my masterlist because I know that a lot of people enjoy the archive of some past content I have cataloged there. I don't want to take that away from anyone for that reason alone since I want people to be able to access that content if they can't otherwise find it. I also want the option to be able to come back to this blog again at some point. So I don't want to delete it or say I'm stepping away permanently, nor do I want people wondering what happened to me or anything. I just need a break. I do apologize for all the post series I have started that are remaining unfinished now for a little while.

If you want to unfollow me knowing that I'll be absent from here for awhile or for any other reason, that's totally fine. Honest. No hard feelings. I wish you well and hope everyone will continue to do well and enjoy the next few months of music, content and love from the members. Maybe I'll try to be back in time for JJK1 whenever that happens.

Again, this is just something I need. I'm okay, I'm not hurt or upset. I just need a break. I appreciate you all understanding. I'll still be in this fandom and be ARMY for life. I'll still be around for the next day or so. Thank you for understanding. I do love you guys and hope to back as soon as I'm able to.

[golden-explosions-main]

"Howdy, you already know who I am, so let's stop wasting time and get going," 🌻🎸🌟

(About/Rules below👇)

About: Welcome to Flowey's ask blog! It's a funny thing though, he usually has Frisk (his best friend) by his side when he answers questions, perhaps he feels more comfortable with them by his side? Or perhaps he just needs help with dealing with some the crazier stuff that happens time to time.

They live on the surface together, and both Asgore and Toriel are still divorced but both have shared custody, the teens switch houses every month or so.

Flowey used to go to public school alongside Frisk, but that only lasted nearly three years until a 'bully revenge incident' at 12 years old that got him permanently expelled, ever since then, his mother has been home-schooling him.

At 14 years old, after a very late visit to Alphy's office, he found out that he somehow got his soul back, however it's tinier than it used to be and malformed and lopsided, it also causes him a great deal of physical pain when he experiences strong emotions, he rarely complains though, at least not on the blog.

Proof of said soul. 👇🏻

At 15, he received what they ended up calling a potbot! (created by Alphys) It's a flower pot, but it gives him height, moves around, and has hands! It's not as great as a real body, but it's almost as great. Annnd...not long after that, he lost it in a river and nearly drowned, BUT, after a few months, Alphys gifted him a better one, and it's the one he still uses now. The potbot! (I'm really proud of this thing) 👇🏻

At 16, an Anon temporarily gave Chara their body back and it was revealed that not only has Chara been following their brother for years, but they were also the one responsible for returning his soul to him. They've been keeping in contact as best as they could ever since then.

Also at 16, Flowey and Frisk met a haunted creature who they call ??? or the Doctor (created by Complex) an Amalgamate from another timeline. The Doctor is a powerful mad scientist, who had long ago done something unspeakable which resulted in them being an Amalgamation (there have been several big hints as to who they may be), they have been keeping in contact with both of Flowey and Frisk ever since their introduction, donating their burned black book to Frisk, watching the two teen's lives from afar, the Doctor also seems to have VERY big plans for Suzy (from Undertale and not quite Deltarune(?)

Due to his anxiety, depression, self-hatred and trauma from his childhood and from being a literal soulless murderer, Flowey struggles to make plans for his future, but the love from the people in his life and his hobbies keep him afloat day by day.

Fun fact: Flowey has a surprisingly good relationship with his parents and even more so with his father.

Fun fact 2: He considers Frisk, Chara, Papyrus, and Monster Kid his best friends, with Frisk being his Number One Best Friend Who Is Alive. And being Chara is his Number One Best Friend Who Is Undead.

Most important fact: They live the Sunshine Route timeline or the Sunshine Route AU, it was born from my fanfic series, Growing Pains, which is where the Frisk, Flowey, and River Person blogs are very loosely based on.

---

Rules:

🌻Aside from the occasional swearing and harsh language, I consider this blog to be...fairly SFW, and I'd very much prefer to keep it that way, I'll let you know if I don't like something.

🌻Flowey is very protective of his timeline, he considers himself lucky, so if it or his loved ones are threatened in anyway, he will make threats and be very mean, his bark can be just as bad as his bite, so be careful if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.

🌻I usually prefer to keep things simple for my sanity; and prefer to have the role plays be one on one, so unless you have a very good idea or want to do something helpful, please don't ask to join.

🌻PLEASE DO NOT reply by reblogging, I often go back into my blog's archives to look for past posts, and responding by reblogging makes navigating things difficult and it can also clog other people's dashes.

🌻I also prefer to keep things light and funny, something to cheer myself and others up, but I'll allow depressing and dark things to happen if it's well written.

That's it, have a good one!

[mermaidsirennikita]

Could you do a summary of how ARCs work as a reviewer?

I'm intrigued. Like do you have to send the books back?

Sure!

So, there are several ways that you can get ARCs. Two of the biggest platforms for traditional publishers are NetGalley and Edelweiss. Tbh, I've dabbled with Edelweiss, but I find their interface very confusing and they do tend to favor industry professionals (booksellers, librarians, etc). And ultimately, I just don't think I need it at this time. I get (virtually) all the ARCs I want from other platforms.

NetGalley can and is used by independent authors and indie publishers. It offers e-ARCs and audio ARCs. With NetGalley, they're sorted into categories, and anyone with an account can request them. Some books are also, temporarily or permanently, classified as "Read Now", which means that anyone can just grab them. Some are categorized as "Wish for It" which means they aren't available for request but you can "wish" for them. It does work—I've gotten a couple of wished for books. Based on what I've read (and suspect) I think that wished for books basically filter out reviewers who don't meet parameters pubs have set for books. So if you do, you can request it. If you don't, you can wish for it. For example, I wished for a book by this one pub, I think they saw my stats and liked them, and then gave me the book. So far, I haven't had to wish for other books by that pub since.

Your request may sit there for months. It may sit there for an hour. It may never be accepted or declined. Almost all books have "archive dates", which means the book becomes inaccessible both to new requesters AND people who got the book but failed to download it. I download books immediately for this reason, but I also use a kindle to read them. When you don't read e-ARCs on a kindle (say, on your phone or your tablet in the NetGalley app), you only have a set amount of time to read them. Then they disappear. When you download them to your kindle, they're there forever.

NetGalley allows you to fill out a profile. I include my stats (blog follow count, what I like to read, my posting style, any achievements) and I link to my blogs, social media, etc. You also have a feedback ratio. NetGalley recommends staying over 80%, but this honestly may or may not affect your ability to get ARCs, depends on the pub. The higher your ratio, the better. If you decline to review a book (which you can) you will never have a 100% ratio. Soooooo always review.

When you review a book, you can go back and add links to your reviews once posted. I include a note to the publishers when reviewing on NetGalley (which I do immediately after reading) re: when I'll post my reviews. Some pubs prefer you wait to closer to release.

Then there are other distribution services, right? NetGalley is expensive. BookSirens and Booksprout are often easier for self pub authors to use. I have accounts with them, but haven't requested any books as of now.

There are also marketing agencies/services, often used by self pub authors. Things like The Author Agency, Valentine PR, etc. You'll often fill out a form for these services to request an ARC. You'll be accepted or declined based on their preferences. I've only read ARCs for services like these a couple of times, but they're great and often handle general PR for authors. They're boutique and handle a smaller amount of clients than something like Booksprout or BookSirens.

Theeeeen there are authors who handle their own ARCs. Typically self pub. They'll often have you sign up on their websites—they may refer to you as part of their "street team". In my experience (which is limited; I'm only on Grace Callaway's team as of now) these are often handled by the author or an assistant. You'll get an email like "Hey, this book is coming up, get ready" and usually get the book through a service like BookFunnel.

Physical ARCs are less common and often handled directly by publishers. They can be received through giveaways and promos as well. I just got a physical ARC through a giveaway a couple months ago, and while there's not an expectation that you review with these books, it's nice to do so.

Some publishers have influencer programs that can correspond to services like NetGalley, OR can be the only way you'll get a book. This is a more common way that people get physical ARCs.

You always need to disclose that you were given the book for an honest review.

You never have to give an ARC back, no matter how you get it. Like I said earlier, they WILL disappear if you read them on NetGalley without a kindle. But otherwise—yours forever.

You're never like, legally obligated to review an ARC. But authors and pubs have a limited amount of ARCs to distribute, and I've never failed to do it because, no matter how I feel about the book, I value it.

Anyone can get an ARC SOMEHOW. Like I said, there are Read Now copies on NetGalley that people use to build up their ratios/following. Many people who have very little presence online get ARCs of big releases. But it's always nice to have a blog. I'm not by any means well-known, I don't have a huge Insta following, I don't do TikTok. But I have a pretty good acceptance rate on NetGalley and through other outlets.

Edit: Oh, and on NetGalley they often give out "badges" which authors and pubs can see, indicating your feedback ratio being over 80%, how many reviews you've given once it's over 100, whether or not you're pre-approved (which is when a pub automatically gives you ARCs), when you've had at least 3 books featured by pubs (this means it's like, starred on their book's NetGalley profile). It can help, apparently.

Also, publishers can see not only your feedback ratio, but how many books you've been declined for, your average rating, how you've rated other books of theirs or similar to theirs, etc. It can help them make decisions.

[arlertdarling]

tldr: i’m cancelling my follower event and moving blogs to @junovie. i’m officially back from my ‘break’ but i can’t promise i’ll be frequently active (at least not as much as i used to be), much less that i’ll be writing/posting new works regularly.

i look forward to catching up with you all !! thank you for your support and understanding <3

full original post under the cut

hello!

you may or may not have noticed that i’ve been quite inactive for the last few months or so.

i’m sorry to everyone who has reached out to me in that time — i’m not ignoring you, i’ve just been logged out of this account and staying away from tumblr in general. i plan on getting back to you all privately and individually, but if you could read this post, just so you have an idea of what’s going on, i would really appreciate it! :)

anyway, i have two announcements to make regarding my blog — not bad, but definitely important changes! i’ve been meaning to make them for a while, but only just found the time and courage to go through with them.

there’s also a more in-depth (albeit rambly) explanation to why and where i’ve been gone after the announcements. it’s a little long, so there’s no pressure to read it all if you don’t want to.

my first announcement is that i’m cancelling my 100+ follower event.

...but you probably all saw that one coming lol

i absolutely intended to complete all the requests regardless of how long it took, but it’s been over 7 months now and i no longer see myself ever getting around to them at this point. i feel awful about it, especially because i was so excited about the event and milestone itself, but i just don’t have the motivation to write the rest anymore.

to be transparent, the main thing that affected and eventually halted my work flow entirely is this weird subconscious self-disciplinary rule i had where i was ‘not allowed’ to write anything until i’d finished my old projects. this isn’t an actual rule obviously, but it prevented me from writing new ideas or enjoying writing on this blog/for tumblr as a whole for months. every time i got inspired to write something, i’d remember that i have these obligatory requests to complete first, that it would be selfish and unfair to ‘ignore’ or not prioritise them, that people will be mad at me for not doing so etc, etc.

i’ve luckily stopped thinking this way now, but that’s why i’ve made this decision. i should write for myself and my enjoyment, first and foremost. it shouldn’t be an obligation. it’s not a commission or contractual assignment, it’s a silly online milestone event that i made and can just as easily discontinue should i want to — so that’s what i’ve chosen to do.

thank you to everyone who participated and/or supported the event, it means a lot to me still, and i’m sorry to those whose requests i didn’t manage to write. even with how much time has passed, i still feel shame and embarrassment about how this all turned out, so your acceptance and understanding would be really appreciated.

my next announcement is that i’m moving blogs.

i’m moving to a new account where i have an interaction/personal main blog (@junovie) and my current nsfw writing sideblog. i might make a new sfw one for my other writing shenanigans, but i haven’t made up my mind about that one yet.

it’s nothing serious, i mostly just want a fresh start. this blog has gotten disorganised and messy, and while some people don’t mind or even like it that way, personally i need structure and organisation in order to stay sane, so my plan is to move to a new blog. as for this blog — i might delete it permanently in the future, but for now, i just intend to archive it.

with the announcements out of the way, i just have a few more things i want to talk about.

i’m currently writing this part of the post in march of 2024, but i’ve been considering these changes since around december of 2023, and started drafting this post in january.

in that time, i’ve been mostly logged out of this account (aside from when i would come to add to this post) and keeping tumblr at arm’s length in general for... no reason in particular really? i know many people have had at least one bad experience or two during their time on tumblr, which may have led to them needing a break, but i’ve honestly been lucky enough to never have encountered anything severe personally.

for the most part, i’ve just been focused on my education. i’m at a stage in my life where i have important decisions to be making, paths and passions i want to be pursuing, responsibilities i need to be taking care of... and in comparison, my time for writing on tumblr has dwindled.

on the other hand, this ‘break’ of sorts, away from tumblr, has helped me realise just how much of my time i had been spending on what is really just another silly little social media app on my silly little phone. that’s not to say the people i’ve met and the feelings i’ve experienced aren’t good, valuable or a part of my life, or that the support i’ve received and joy i’ve shared don’t have worth in the bigger picture, because they are, they do, and i’m grateful for them all!! but in retrospect, there were, and are, more important things in my life that require my time, energy and attention [over writing] and that i should have been prioritising sooner. that’s on me for getting essentially addicted and becoming neglectful, and that’s why i needed to step back like i have.

in some ways, i feel a little guilty, because i feel like, i don’t know... like my sudden ‘hiatus’ should have been as a result of some big, crazy life event, or depression or something. and it kind of was [the latter], at the start, but the truth is it’s the opposite now? like, i’ve just been happier these days... but i don’t think it has anything to do with my break from tumblr, at least not in the sense that it makes me unhappy, or the absence of it improves my mental health or whatever. just in the sense that the time i would have spent scrolling or writing, i’ve now been spending doing other hobbies that make me happy, making connections with real life people, reflecting on and learning to love life and myself. i’m far from being where i want to be and i’m definitely still figuring things out, but i feel like i’m better at dividing my time now, and more capable of being on tumblr without it consuming my life force and every waking thought.

so, i’m going to come back, but i’m making no promises that i’ll be frequently active (at least not as much as i used to be), much less that i’ll be writing/posting new works regularly, especially not requests. i’m here just to have fun, be silly, bond with people over stories and fictional characters — and whatever else i may want in the future — but i never want it to feel like a chore or burden again.

even though i feel bad for basically ghosting everyone in my inbox and being inexplicably MIA for like, 3 months, i don’t regret taking this break. i just hope everyone will understand and respect my decisions and the changes to come.

friends/mutuals are welcome to message me if you’re curious about details or concerned or whatever else, but i’ve probably said enough here to answer any questions lol. i look forward to coming back and catching up with you all.

see you guys soon <3

[twisted-tales-of-all]

Hi, my name is Jay. It may sound familiar if you’ve ever visited the Storyteller’s home, as I am the human that They based Their identity around. Now why am I here, addressing you all in The Land That Connects Them All? I visited the Storyteller and found an empty home and an envelope sitting upon the table with my name on it. I’m here to read you the contents of that letter.

Hello, all. If you are seeing this, it is because We have decided it is best We use Our energy elsewhere. The stories coming to The Lands have become sparse over time, and thus there is no need for a Storyteller to sit within The Lands. Occasionally, We may return with a story from over the time I’ve been away, but, for the most part, you will no longer have Us here anymore. Obviously, you are still welcome to visit The Land That Connects Them All at any point, as this space is a collection of stories permanently open to those who ventures in. I hope you do not miss Us too much, as We enjoyed our time here greatly. We hope to see you again sometime in the future. Great wishes and stories to all.

-The Storyteller

Alongside the contents of this letter, The Storyteller has left me explicit instructions to keep everything in The Lands safe and secure where they belong, untouched and viewable for all. I have no knowledge of when or if they may return with new stories. For now, this space will serve as an archived catalogue of stories they’ve shared thus far. If you would like to keep up with me in other facets, I can be found over on my own personal chaos of a blog @jay-scenarios

[yandere-fics]

Hello!! I recently found your blog and 🥰 ive only gone through the kingdom masterlist so far but ive already turned into a blushing maiden whos giggling and twirling my hair

Anywho i was wondering how your kingdom ocs would be with a dragon darling maybe one that secretly lives amongst humans because while they do hoard a small amount of treasure what they love to hoard most is knowledge, anything from fairytales to academic papers to even outright blacksmithing

But feel free to change the request as you want i will love it regardless ❤️

(omg thank you so much!)

♡ How They React To A Secret Dragon Darling ♡

♡ Theanna knows everything mystical that occurs within her kingdom so of course she would notice a dragon living amongst her maids. She's too curious to drive you off when you first arrive, to be honest she assumes you must be after the power under the garden but you don't even seem to go near it. Sure you sneak the books in the imperial archives to learn more but you do nothing with that power. It's really such a waste you've only decided to be a maid, a queen would grant you much more access to knowledge don't you think? Just accept the proposal, okay, she'll give you everything you want darling. ♡

♡ She's an actual dragon hunter, she is obviously going to notice and she's actually a little bit pissed off when she first sees you blending in and she suspects your intentions are bad mostly because every dragon who has come close to the humans or tried to blend in so far has had bad intentions. She stops having any issues the moment you declare yourself a huge fan of the travel guides she writes. The praise does go to her head a bit, sure she receives praise constantly for the dragon slaying guides and being the chosen one but no one ever pays attention to the travel guides she writes. She's already decided you can be her permanent travel companion, she will not take no for an answer. ♡

♡ Yeah everyone at the academy already knows you're a dragon they just pretend to not be aware of it. Pauline is the only one who doesn't know because her power is curses so she doesn't have actual real magic in order to sense that. When she approaches you, you obviously say yes to the fake dating scheme because her parents own the academy so being in the family gives you the opportunity to learn things that would be illegal to learn otherwise. They are shocked when she brings you home though because they are completely aware of what you are but they don't mention it since they're pretty sure she must already know everything about you. ♡

♡ Abigail doesn't realize you're secretly a dragon, she just assumed you're an insanely strong scholar who just is very interested in the art of sword fighting and well she's spent her whole life perfecting it so there's no one better to ask about it. She's pretty upset when you declare you are moving on from the training grounds because you've learned all you needed to, luckily the Parley Duchess gets access all sorts of hidden knowledge so you can just marry her and learn new things instead, she won't accept any other answer. ♡

♡ Veronia is confused why her mate would be hiding amongst the humans, there's literally nothing interesting about them, she knows way more than them and it's all knowledge about other dragons so surely her knowledge must be far more interesting than anything they can do for you. She can bring you any books you want but you are not allowed to wander off her territory, sorry dearest mate but she cannot allow you to mingle with those who are below you. At most she may allow you to interact with the merchant who passes through and brings her things. ♡

♡ Ainsley has all the knowledge a dragon could ever want since she's constantly adding to that wealth of knowledge. She doesn't notice you're a dragon at first since she's just so focused on the whole love at first sight thing, it isn't until Theanna points it out that she's like "Oh that makes sense, well I don't really care about that stuff babygirl, you're mine anyways." She's also not going to allow you to learn from anyone else now, she has to bring you all your knowledge directly and she uses a collar to bind your powers and keep you bound to her tower so your pesky instincts don't disturb your love. ♡

[raelynnteam]

Trans woman prisoner no longer on hunger strike

Update 9/21/23: Jaina has been moved back to her old cell, with her friends. Thank you all who helped! The nature of this blog will change to allow for Jaina, Ashley, and Pharaoh to share their writing, but this post will remained tagged for a while longer.

Update 6/17/23: Jaina was moved to the unit with Ashley and Pharaoh. I understand that she has been eating. She's still not in the same pod as her people, which limits how much contact she can have with them, but we're considering this a win for now.

Thank you again to everyone who called! We still may have work ahead of us as we try to get Jaina moved back to her pod. Whatever happens, Jaina would like to continue sharing her experiences here, so there will continue to be updates.

Update as of 6/16/23 4pm PST:

I just got word that the superintendent has promised to move Jaina back to her unit if she starts eating. It's just a verbal promise, so we're cautiously optimistic, but we're about to head into a long weekend and if Jaina doesn't eat, she will probably get moved to a special offenders unit where she won't have any communication with anyone.

When I got off the call with Jaina, she was ready to start eating again.

While she's being moved to the same unit, it's not in the same "pod" as Ashley and Pharaoh. They'll be able to see each other in yard and (i think) the dayroom, though. After the investigation is officially over, then she will hopefully be moved to Ashley and Pharoah's pod.

This blog will continue to be here and update as things go. We may need help in the future. For now, if you can, please send Jaina a message or post card or letter.

Jaina would appreciate messages from folks! You can write her online, or via snail mail.

To connect online, use https://securustech.net/ and search for her DOC # 409738

To write her, address letters to:

Jaina Raelynn #409738, 191 Constantine Way, Aberdeen, WA 98520

A timeline of events.

[archived] Call to get her safely back to her support system!

Please read and be ready to call! 

CW: suicide mention

Jaina Raelynn is a trans woman incarcerated at Stafford Creek Correctional Center in Washington state.  She has consistently experienced harassment from both staff and other inmates during her time there.  She depends on a support system of other trans, GNC, and ally inmates at the prison to keep her safe and sane.

Recently, an anonymous complaint was made against her and her closest friend in prison. While the complaint was investigated, she was moved to a unit where she was not able to depend on her support system.  For days, she was afraid to leave her cell, too anxious to eat, and only holding on because she knew the complaint was false and she had been told she would be moved back to her original unit when the investigation was done.

On Friday 6/9, Jaina was told to pack up her things because she was being moved, despite being told that the investigation had concluded, and the complaint was unfounded.  Feeling hopeless, she attempted to commit suicide immediately after.

Jaina is in stable condition but has begun a hunger strike and will continue until she is moved back to her unit.  Just any unit will not provide her with the safety she needs. Please understand that a hunger strike is very serious. She is at risk of permanent damage to her kidneys, and before long, they will force a feeding tube down her throat, which is torturous.

On Wednesday 6/14,Jaina asked that people call the prison on her behalf and ask for her to be moved back to her original unit.   

Call (360) 537-1800

Superintendent Jason Bennett: dial option 3 then 6

Associate superintendent Karen Arnold dial option 3 then 5 then 1

The voicemail messages have the wrong name, but you are dialing the correct people.  

You can say,

"Hello, my name is [name] and I am a community member who is concerned for the health and safety of Jaina Raelynn, doc # 409738.  I am aware that she is on a hunger strike and won't eat again until she knows she is moved to where she feels safe.  She needs to be moved to the same pod, with access to the same dayroom, as Ashley Raelynn (896177) and Pharaoh Grayson (807868). I do not believe she will be safe anywhere else."

Bennet and Arnold will try to tell you that they have moved Jaina for her safety, but Jaina is not safe, she is at risk of serious medical complications from the hunger strike.  They will say they treat all prisoners this way when a complaint is made against them (we have heard from other prisoners that this is not true).  They may lie and say that Jaina is not on hunger strike.  You don't need to try to argue with them. Chances are, they won't answer at all and you can leave a voicemail.

Use the hashtag #helpjaina to share when you call!

Share on Twitter: https://twitter.com/enbywerewolf/status/1668808955882258432?s=20

[ruinakete]

♡ ・ LETTERS TO THOSE WE MOTHER ━━━ an introspective, drabble series dedicated to zephia & eremiya

. a few days after apping zephia, i reread the script of NMotE and fell in love with eremiya's character. the potential, the archetype, and most of all, the backstory she was given. though i disliked how it was thrown messily into the script, i had no doubt that she could be a character i'd enjoy writing. which, then, led me to wonder how similar and different she and zephia were. and i must admit that i grew obsessed with the idea of them interacting with one another ( though, at first, the thought definitely stemmed from a flickering, romantic piece i wrote for them. pardon my insanity it was a voice test for eremiya,, ).

thus, i created this! letters to those we mother, is a drabble series where i hope to do an in-depth exploration of their characters, both in who they are, what they are, and the potential was created for them. though this is self-indulgent, i hope to entertain whoever reads along, whether in succession or standalone.

thank you, TOA, for letting me have the opportunity to explore writing styles within this setting, as these two would never tolerate one another otherwise.

further information ( synopsis, table of contents, disclaimers, schedule, set-up; all to be updated with each drabble posted to the dashboard ) beneath the readmore!

. SYNOPSIS. what happens when fodlan shatters the mirror separating an archetype? what should unfold when these two sides, cut from the same lengths of glass, find their hands touching, skin-upon-skin, without the safety of a reflection?

zephia dahut kurosawa, a mage dragon faithful at the feet of her lord, and eremiya n. ahava, a bishop condemned to obey the voice of her lord, have crossed into each other's territory and, thus, will embark on the reluctant path that mothers must retrace once their children have grown into young adults. a lifestyle they would have walked, separately, lest their corruptions never been birthed.

neither of these beasts have savored the taste of motherhood the way fate planned them to. so, what now? will their faith create permanent cracks in the mirror? will a dragon's realism and a bishop's pessimism meld together into the flawed glimpse of another; optimism?

this, only time would reveal.

. TABLE OF CONTENTS. as of planned, currently.

i. origins.

ii. cradles & fires.

iii. tbd.

iv. tbd.

v. tbd.

vi. tbd.

. DISCLAIMERS. neither zephia or eremiya are characters that will be redeemed in this series. instead, i hope to explain their conditions and explore the consequences to which they must be condemned. with this in mind, understand that these two muses are bad people and will not change automatically in the first drabble. the journey of self-introspection is a long one.

. SCHEDULE. estimated to be 6:00 pm on the 23rd day of every two months. ( ex. if the first drabble is posted on february 23rd, at 6:00 pm, then the next drabble would be posted on april 23rd, at 6:00 pm, and so on ) a brief prologue that contains a recap, teaser, and important information such as content warnings and writer notes will be posted at 9:00 pm on the 18th day of every two months.

. SET-UP. likewise, the order of drabble posting will switch between muses. this is with the hope that zephia and eremiya will have equal related posts to archive properly. the first drabble, origins, will be posted on zephia's blog, while the second, cradles & fires, will be posted on eremiya's blog. in that order ( zephia, eremiya, zephia, eremiya, etc ) the drabble series will be completed. none of these drabbles will be reblogged by either blog, simply linked. however, this post will be shared between blogs, just for easier access.

. final words from the mun. again, whether you read one or two or all drabbles in this series, i hope you enjoy it! if i missed any content warnings and need to tag any themes or spoilers, let me know and i'll correct the mistake. otherwise, that's all from me. see you on the 18th / 23rd, concerning the series, and may the day treat you kindly, reader! ( and ps. yes, i did choose the 23rd because the number is my birthday number MKSEWKMSDJN )

[i-am-still-bb]

Treat for 22/10:

One of them is a modern witch and an owner of a famous potions recipe blog. The other one is a bit of a fanboy / just trying not to get his eyebrows synged off…

A/N: Originally conceived as an AU of The World Next Door. That had me stuck though. So we have this. But it still has similar elements, age gap, instructor/student dynamic, etc.

—

Fili drummed his fingers on the walnut conference table. One. Finger. At. A. Time. Focusing on how there were pits in the wood and some scratches in the varnish beneath his fingertips.

“Do you have any ideas?”

The silence following the question stretched on a beat too long and Fili knew he was supposed to answer. “Can you rephrase the question?”

“Enrollment numbers are dropping.”

“I’d noticed.”

“We need better student engagement and retention. Do you have any ideas? You are the most junior member of staff.” That last part was a thinly veiled dig and threat.

Fili shrugged, brushing off the words, “We could try putting some stuff on social media, teasers, sneak peeks, behind the scenes stuff. Stories about how potions and other magic sometimes go awry.”

Frowns appeared on the tenured track professors’ faces as soon as the words “social media” had left his mouth. This is why he rarely spoke up during these things. He kept his head down, did his research, lectured, and quickly attended conferences and published. 

Alice, the other young faculty member, specializing in potions that assisted in the growing of plants, clapped her hands. “My students would love something like that,” she grinned. “And I think it would do them good to see us as human, to see that we also make mistakes and singe our eyebrows and armchairs off.”

The department head looked skeptical. “It is an ‘interesting’ idea,” Fili could hear the air quotes around the word. “I think one of you younger people should be in charge. And as Ms. Yu is already assisting the Archives in their project then it should be you, if you don’t mind.

Fili did mind. Very much in fact. 

“It shouldn’t take that much time, maybe an hour a week,” the Head continued. 

And that was how a decade later Fili found himself spending more time on social media (Instagram, TikTok, and the like) promoting the university more broadly and the potions department specifically. 

He had asked for an assistant and was denied. 

It was fun. 

Sometimes. 

But other times he was just answering basic questions, or telling people “NO! ABSOLUTELY DO NOT MIX THOSE THINGS TOGETHER!” and then hoping that they actually listened.

Most of the time he was typing up replies, proofreading, posting, recording response videos, without paying much attention to the usernames that came across his screen. Sometimes there was one that would strike him as particularly ridiculous or clever; he would screenshot it, crop it, and save it to a special folder on his computer. He did the same with responses that made him give up home for humanity. 

But then there was one user, K.O.A.K., who asked questions that often made Fili pause and wonder and sometimes his only response was “I don’t know” even after he did some research and some serious thinking. 

They had a video chain going back at least six months at this point. 

Fili’s videos were well-lit against a carefully chosen background from a tripod; all courtesy of a performing arts student who interned for him for a semester. Really, she had bullied him into letting her do an unpaid internship. She was a double major and she said that the content of his videos were fantastic, but everything else was tragic. 

So now part of Fili’s large office / workspace was permanently set up for filming videos.

K.O.A.K.’s videos were probably worse that Fili’s had started out as. He always held his phone which sometimes made Fili nauseous while the user tossed ingredients into a travel sized cauldron that sat on a stove that had a single burner and plugged into a wall outlet. The wooden table it sat on was scarred from mishaps and frequently littered with ingredients, snacks, dust, and the occasional iced coffee cup of varying fullness. 

K.O.A.K. never showed his face. 

His hands featured in nearly every video. Sometimes his bare feet (which Fili had scolded him for, “What if you spill [insert potion here]? Or it boils over?” K.O.A.K.’s only response had been laughter, and to show off a fairly impressive old scar on his shin from just that thing happening) appeared. 

Fili shared tricks for making a potion that temporarily improved hand dexterity. “Roast the willow root before cutting it into thin 1 inch strips.”

K.O.A.K.  responded with a video demonstrating the differences between his original potion, one following Fili’s tip, and then one where he had added some olive oil to the foil packet before roasting, and then had roughly minced the root. 

Fili amended his notes.

He toyed with the idea of sharing his phone number as they starting talking about more than just tips and tricks for potions. But decided against it. This account operated in an official capacity. And it was probably bad enough that he was carrying on personal conversations through it. 

But he did notice that the twinge of excitement he got when he saw a notification form K.O.A.K. was the same as the one he would get early on in a new relationship. He had more than a little bit of a crush. It was merely academic, or so he told himself. He did not often get to talk about potions with anyone else.

—

Direct Messages between You (Prof.Durin) and K.O.A.K.

You: Why don’t you have a degree in this? You’re better than some of my grad students.

IDK.

You: You should apply to Erebor’s program. 

I don’t think they’d take me. I never took those ridiculous tests.

You: I’ll get them waived.

… I may not have finished secondary school

You: I’ll see what I can do.

—

Fili dismissed the class early. The first day of a new semester was always short. Most of his students were out of their seats and out the door before Fili had finished wiping down the whiteboard. Except for one. He was standing by the lectern, backpack slung over one shoulder.

“Did you have a question?”

The student shook his head. “I just wanted to introduce myself.”

Fili consulted his attendance sheet for a moment, “It’s Killian Oaks, right? If you would prefer something else, I can certainly do that. I just don’t have a note from the college about anything like that for you.”

“It is. But that’s not how you’d know me.”

Fili frowned in thought, one hand splayed over his papers on the desk. There was the niggle in the back of his brain that told him he was missing something.”

“You’d know me as . . .”

--

Taglist: Everything: @silvermoon-scrolls Fili/Kili: @dubhlachen

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Meghans offensive charm I mean charm offensive by u/Mickleborough

Meghan’s offensive charm, I mean charm offensive According to Closer rag, here’s what Meghan’s going to do for Christmas:https://ift.tt/Gqa8Inb Flogging the dead American River ‘Orse.https://ift.tt/Bif3e6y How to make friends and influence people, Meghan style: buy them. (Isn’t Hollywood on a permanent diet? If so, what’s the point of something sweet (jam) which needs to be spread on carbs?)https://ift.tt/Kxf4GAt Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses (although I don’t believe this next bit)https://ift.tt/eUoOKP9 Manifest much?https://ift.tt/X8gR37G Closer article does scrupulously go into her failures as well - I’ve not extracted all of it. There’s also an entertaining fantasy about how the Portugal plot of land, I mean house, will work.The Christmas 2024 Charm Offensive is an interesting form of PR. A positive spin’s put out when things are bad. Where have we seen this type of headline before?To answer my own question: At the end of 2023, we had The Year of Redemption:https://ift.tt/UbwzLcW piece in Us rag was picked up by mainstream media in the U.K.This very positive spin followed hot on the heels of the termination of the Spotify contract (surprise!). From the Us exclusibe, it really looks like someone was on crack cocaine:https://ift.tt/RjmcTKQ following the delulu of The Year of Redemption was The Summer of Lurve: https://ift.tt/rHp26cZ Summer of Lurve looks like it was a major push to launch American Rubber Orchid - certainly more major than subsequent events have led us to believe, viz failed trademark registrations: really quite sloppy when you’re wanting to put your brand out there.https://preview.redd.it/2yzqg0i69x0e1.jpg?width=843&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1dac567f4e65b971e8f64d00c9dbb92befd08898Didn’t see much media blitzing other than a few tacky Instagram posts.This pattern of positive announcements sounds like the beginning of the end. Megxit was in 2020 - there was nothing like this in the high after they left the Royal Family, what with signing million-dollar contracts with Netflix and Spotify. The Year of Redemption proclamation in 2023 was the first such declaration. Niw we’ve got 2 in close-ish succession. How do you rebuilt bridges when they never existed! Closer archived / unarchived - on the charm offensiveUs Weekly archived / unarchived - for the year of redemptionExpress archived / unarchived - for the summer of love post link: https://ift.tt/Rr8plq7 author: Mickleborough submitted: November 14, 2024 at 09:00PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.