#but tumblr made more sense to me as a platform

[totkdaily]

Day 1: Below and Above

We walk down stone steps into the darkness, lit only by the torch in Zelda's hand. I feel awake for the first time in years. It's only here, heading into the unknown, that I realise some part of me has been asleep since we defeated Calamity Ganon. That thrumming in my veins, the low buzz in my ears as our footsteps resound against stone, wisps of Gloom around us. The Princess walks with purpose. I circle her tightly, trying to guard her from every side. She would have protested, once. Now she knows what manner of thing her Swordsman protects her from.

We find murals of ancient conflict. Zelda drinks in these hints at ancient knowledge, but something about them sets my skin alight. I can barely hear her, so focused on any hint of danger. The Demon King. The Imprisoning War. History. Stories. She’s delighted by how much knowledge she’s uncovering about the distant past. Somehow it doesn’t feel so distant to me, but I can’t explain it to her. I just wait, and follow.

The tunnel opens up into another chamber, wide and deep and dark, and something in me recognises this room. I reach for the Princess, but it’s already too late. The thing at the centre is moving.

A husk of a man, all tendons and muscles and no skin at all. But those eyes that shoot to us, to her. He shudders up from his splayed position. Was the green hand holding him in place, or sustaining him? There’s no time to work it out. The Princess picks up the stone, and I wish just once she would stop being a scholar long enough to keep her safe.

He speaks, and it means nothing but malice. He knows us. He knows her. He lashes out and I swing the Master Sword, relieved at last to unleash that thrum of unease into action. The sword shatters in the face of him. It can’t. It shouldn’t. It has. A fragment catches what would be his cheek, and his blood boils outwards. He’s reaching up, past the stone above. The castle. So much fought for, so much rebuilt, and it’s all vulnerable to this unseen threat below. As his power crawls up through the stone I feel the burning pain in my sword arm.

The ground shudders and cracks. I reach for her. It’s all I’ve ever known to do. Her hand stretches for mine as she falls away from me into darkness.

And then, light. 

Another hand grasps mine. It's the last thing I know.

I wake somewhere else. Another enclosed space, but soft golden light instead of that sinister red. The Princess is gone. My hair is longer than it was – please, it can’t have happened again. I failed to protect her once before, and slept for 100 years before I could free her from the darkness of the Calamity. My arm… it’s strange to me. Dark green and longer nails and wrapped in strange jewellery. 

That voice… could it be the voice of the creature? But no… he says he gave me his arm. Replaced it, just like that. I listen to him mechanically - Rauru. He knows Zelda. 

This place feels old but untended, the vines thick and ancient. I carry the remnants of the Sword, useless now. Corruption scars its surface as it ruined my arm. 

The consoles, the blue teleportation site, the machinery - it reminds me of Sheikah tech, but it’s different. When am I? The designs are strange, the green light unfamiliar. 

I know I’m being reckless, jumping without a paraglider. But the instinct doesn’t lead me to harm - and I find trousers, which is a relief. 

I'm above the clouds. Floating islands... Zelda said the Zonai came from the sky. I can see the Gerudo Highlands, Death Mountain - erupting. This is Hyrule. But it’s changed, I’m sure of it. How long was I asleep? These ruins are old. Have I slept another hundred years? I can't have left my Princess for so long again.

Time to jump.

This place is quiet and strange. Some of the constructs attack, some speak to me with kindness and melancholy.

One of the peaceful ones, a Steward says the Princess left the Purah Pad for me. She was here? How long ago? Is this where the light took her? The construct says she's waiting for me. I can't keep her waiting. I swore never to do that again. 

The sky darkens as I explore this island. These constructs have just... been left. They're so old. Everything they were built for is gone. I know how that feels, though they don't seem to. What does that mean for me - have I slept so long that I’ve missed the rise and fall of a civilisation? 

The Stewards’ patience touches me. Rauru's sadness at the last vestige of his people touches me. Wherever I am, it's so old. Is this what comes after Hyrule? Or… what came before? And where is Zelda?

[cinematicbookworm]

.

[shegoesbyjoy]

god i feel so much secondhand pain for the poor product designers who work on tumblr. i saw the new notes bubble and IMMEDIATELY knew it was to make it appear more tappable, and yet the tumblr user base is now anthropomorphizing it while loudly complaining about how a single 1 px stroke around some text is the worst thing they've ever seen

this is almost as bad as having to design products specifically for designers

[adventures-in-a-world-of-fiction]

I've seen a couple of comments from someone around paying Tumblr for stuff that I want to address. I'm not going to mention the person who made these comments because I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I think they're worth talking about. The comments in question are: "you think user money is anything compared to advertisers" and in a pinned post they tell people to not give money to Tumblr.

The thing is, user money can definitely be something compared to advertisers. There are multiple ways that an online company (in general, not just Tumblr) can make money, but let's break them down into three categories:

A. From the users - selling merchandise, subscriptions, premium packages, asking for donations, etc.

B. From advertisers - selling views and space on the platform to companies that use it to try and sell stuff to the users

C. From data - selling information about the user base to other companies that might use it in a whole bunch of dodgy and malicious ways, or just try to find better ways to sell stuff to us

All three of these are viable ways for a company to make money, and many companies use some combination of the above. What matters is what the company sees as their PRIMARY method of making money, because that is what drives their corporate decisions.

If none of the methods are making money, the company will shut down, and I don't want Tumblr to shut down - I like this hellsite. If option B is what makes them the most money, then they will make business decisions that make the platform look better to advertisers and this is likely to drive everything in a more algorithm-centric direction and give users fewer options to curate their own experience. If option C is what makes them the most money, then they will focus on features that enable privacy invasion and data harvesting. If option A is what makes them the most money, then they have to think about how to keep the users spending that money. Now, option A doesn't always lead to good outcomes - in mobile/online games it can end up as loot box gambling add-ins and pay-to-win options, but thankfully Tumblr isn't the sort of site where loot box mechanics would make a lot of sense. Which makes it more likely they'll go the other option: delivering the features that users want to keep them coming back and paying for subscriptions. 

I would much rather Tumblr goes for option A than options B or C because it means that Tumblr is more likely to put the user base first when making decisions instead of advertisers. We just need to show them that it's a viable option.

Tumblr is trying what online games have done for years - crabs and checkmarks are the equivalent of horse armour DLCs and cosmetics. They're trying to make the business work through microtransactions. If enough people spend a small amount, it can add up to a large amount of money. The point of crab day is to send a message to Tumblr that option A is viable so that they make the choice to focus on that. If everyone goes, "No, don't spend money on Tumblr, you're nothing compared to advertisers," then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and Tumblr will have to go with options B or C if they want to keep making money.

I'm not giving Tumblr money out of naivety or because I think they're somehow deserving - I'm giving them my money because I would much rather they make money directly from me and give them an incentive to provide features I like, than by making the site worse so that they can exploit me.

[aces-and-angels]

PSA: PLEASE READ ‼

verification source (no. 246) follow: @henomohammed | alt. account- @hanaajad123 image description below cut

dear hanaa + family,

thank you for sending me this message:

Hello my dear, I am Hanaa from Gaza... A friend of mine advised me to send you a message because my Tumblr account has been closed more than once. I am upset about this. I hope you can help me

i am so sorry to hear that you've run into this problem multiple times 😔hopefully, this post will help more people find their way back to your new profile.

to my moots/lovely lurkers: by now, i think many of us have witnessed the alarming rate in which 🇵🇸 accounts are suspended/suppressed with no prior warning. it's a vile, twisted trend that infuriates both us and the affected families.

losing the ability to freely message others on this platform/having your entire profile deleted is detrimental in every way. individuals are forced to start from square one with new accounts and need to undergo the arduous, time-consuming process of re-verifying themselves to others (all of which is done with minimal access to a working signal // many families must travel far distances in order obtain a strong enough connection -> the trip itself puts them at greater risk). this ultimately stalls their efforts to receive life-saving donations.

as stated above, hanaa's campaign has been vetted and is listed on el-shab-hussein/nabulsi's sheet (#246). she has also been promoted by 90-ghost*, another trusted source for vetted/verified campaigns

*= the link provided shows hanaa's multiple accounts. @/hanaajad123 appears to still be functional. @/hanaayousef has been terminated. hanaa has told me herself she has made ~5 accounts now

hanaa's family lived normal lives. her and her husband worked hard to care for their baby, youssef (who is now 2 years old). 9 months of relentless bombardment have stripped them of their jobs, home, and any valuable possessions they once owned. it is not an exaggeration when they say that they have nothing left.

hanaa's fundraiser was made in an effort to regain some sense of normalcy for herself and her family. it has only been active since june 18th and hasn't gained many donations yet.

please support hanaa's family by:

sharing this post + hanaa's from her accounts

follow hanaa's tumblr

donate to her campaign if you are able 🖤

current stats: £2,667 / £20,000

[Image ID: digital drawing of two watermelon slices. written across the image: new account, please follow @/henomohammed, #246 on el-shab-hussein/nabulsi's sheet /End ID.]

[pumpkinpaix]

Chapter Spotlight 8:

"'Censorship Made It Better': Anti-Fans and Purity Culture in English-Language Chen Qing Ling Fandom" by Abby Springman

Describe your topic/chapter in one sentence/one meme/140 characters.

Rejoice! MDZS has been cancelled!

What drew you to this topic?

When I got into CQL fandom and started lurking on its outskirts on Twitter, I started getting this weird sense of déjà vu. There was this bizarre similarity between the arguments I was seeing about the aspects of CQL/MDZS and their fandoms being "problematic" from a progressive, social justice point of view and the demands for censorship in American libraries that conservative groups were (and still are) making at an alarmingly increasing rate. In an attempt to make sense of this, I fell down what ended up being a really long rabbit hole, and, well, here we are.

Was there anything you were surprised to discover while researching?

I was surprised by the wide variety of fannish backgrounds found amongst members of English-language CQL fandom! I'm not used to seeing so many different "areas" of fandom intersect over a single piece of media like this. Some folks are primarily into the live action movies and TV shows side of things, some are mostly in bandom, some (like me) are traditionally a part of the anime, manga, and gaming contingent, etc. I think that's fascinating, honestly.

Did researching/writing your chapter change how you saw the text, the fandom, or the media? How so?

I didn't use the block button on Tumblr or Twitter for anyone in the fandom while I was working on my chapter. It definitely changed how I saw fandom on those platforms—literally. It really highlighted how much power social media algorithms have over what kind of content is presented to us front and center.

If there’s one thing you hope the fandom takes away from your article, what would it be?

I'll be thrilled if it makes people think about "problematic" content in less black-and-white terms. They don't have to necessarily agree with my conclusions! But if my words make even one person stop and think more about context before posting a reactionary comment, then that would be great.

If you were isekai-ed into MDZS/CQL, what sect affiliation would you choose and why?

The Lan. My existing skills are most likely to be applicable there (see: the library), it seems easy to find some peace and quiet when you need it, there are bunnies, and Hanguang-jun is there.

Chaotic one-sentence pitch to get your friends into MDZS/CQL?

My elevator pitch for CQL has historically been, "It's the adaptation of a book about a gay necromancer, except they can't actually show the gay romance or the zombies on screen."

What is one (1) book/media you would recommend to a MDZS/CQL fan? Tell us about it.

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling. It's probably the most accessible collection of Chinese stories of the supernatural available in English. If MDZS/CQL was your first exposure to traditional Chinese cultural beliefs about ghosts, exorcisms, and the like, this is a great introduction to the less xianxia-specific aspects. If that isn't the case for you, I still highly recommend it on its own merits!

Character you keep getting in those "which MDZS/CQL character are you" quizzes?

Wen Ning

Anything to say to potential readers of the collection?

Thank you, and I'm sorry—no, that's a joke. More seriously, I really am thankful for anyone interested in the collection. It's the product of years of hard work by many people, and I'm sure there's an interesting chapter in there for everyone.

(FAQ) (all posts on Catching Chen Qing Ling)

[catskets]

From Desires to Demo: How to Write a Good Demo for your Visual Novel

I'm deciding I want to expand on some topics in longer, fuller-length posts based on points I made in this general VN development post.

There is a problem that players have expressed to me about visual novel demos, especially in horror/romance/yandere circles these days: they are not demos at all. Rather, they feel like introductions to the characters and the setting, and nothing happens at all. No one wants to have to go find out everything good about your game by going to your Tumblr and going through 10+ months of asks to get themselves hyped up for your game. Most people are not going to do that. They will instead play your demo and go "this isn't enough for me to come back to" and never think about it again.

How, then, do you get people playing your demo and being excited for the full game? This is my personal guide on how to make a compelling visual novel demo.

In case you've never heard of me, I'm Kat, also known as catsket. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design. I've been making games for nearly 5 years, and I've been doing visual novels more "professionally" for 2. You may know me for Art Without Blood, 10:16, God is in the Radio, or Fatal Focus. I'm here to help you make your first visual novel, or, perhaps, improve on what you've already made.

What is the purpose of a demo?

A demo is short or a demonstration. Your job is to demonstrate a portion of your game to players. In more "traditional" games, a demo typically takes place in a very tightly-constricted space that is meant to show off how the game feels. Maybe this is the first few levels of a platformer that showcases the general atmosphere and gameplay of the game.

We aren't making action and adventure games in explorable spaces. We are making visual novels. Most visual novel demos just showcase a small portion of the game, maybe the first few scenes.

What your demo should have is this:

A general vibe for your game. You're writing a psychological horror game. Give me a taste of that! Show me a bit of the gore, a bit of the horror.

A sense of urgency. A lot of demos I've played and discarded have been discarded because the game itself does not give me a motivation

An established plot. What is going to happen in the future? Why am I in this world?

In general, think of your game as the back cover of a book. That's where the hook that draws you in to read it. Just give me a proper taste of your game!

There are cases in traditional games where things are hidden from the player in demos (let's all remember MGS2) and where things are changed in from the demo to the final product. That's perfectly okay! You are not obligated to update your demo unless you find gamebreaking bugs and other issues. If things change from the demo to the final product, let your players be surprised and intrigued by these changes!

I can make this a list of do's and don'ts:

Before writing your demo...

Do: Outline, plan, and everything else.

Unless you're blessed by Mnemosyne herself, you need to outline where your story is going to go.

When starting a project, I write a 1-2 page document that has this information:

Name of the game

The target audience

The genre and moods

A paragraph summary of the game

1-2 sentences describing main characters and their roles

Write a short scene that captures the essence of the game

Write a basic outline. You don't need to fit everything in and outline it all, but give yourself an idea. A beginning, a middle, a climax, and an end. Some people just write the start and the finish, and then the middle gets all muddled and convoluted.

While writing your demo....

Do: Make it clear how the choices will impact the game

Visual novels are a medium where player choices affect the game. Make sure those choices actually matter. They don't all have to, of course. They might matter later in the game, but you should at least try to write an example of how a choice may matter.

For example, in Art Without Blood's new demo, certain choices mean you meet the characters in a different order and experience different sides of them.

Having a certain amount of a sanity stat will cause characters to give you some flavor text.

Here's a very simple idea: if you're running your game on a "love points" or other points system, you can make it so if player gets 10 points with love interest, get a different scene. It shows that your choices are impactful. Just let players have a taste of the consequences of their actions.

Don't: Character dump.

Many demos I have played were just character dumps. This means using the demo just to introduce to us the characters but not giving them room to truly show their personalities or their attachments to the problem.

For example, I played a game recently that had the player complaining about their living situation, showing us the characters in the same living complex, showed off the yandere, and then had the player deal with an annoying, evil boss. That sounds like lots of games, right? And that doesn't sound very fun, does it?

Do: Ground the player in the world

Try to immerse your player character in your world. I want to read like I'm part of it. What is our purpose? If we are a stranger, how can you immerse us in a world so far removed from ours?

Do it slowly, and do it with necessity. You don't necessarily want an exposition dump either.

Establish the world, establish the conflict, establish why they got into this conflict, and leave us off with a reason to come back.

Don't: Make your players have to visit other sites to get important information

Your ask blogs or other social medias should contain supplemental material that keeps players engaged, but it should not be a place where you should go "well, actually, in the demo, x y and z should have happened but it didn't."

Try not to spoil your game on your socials. What's the point of playing if I can just read it all on your blog?

I should learn about the plot and the characters from the game itself. I should not have to get a sense from your blog about a character because they were so dry in the demo.

Obviously, this isn't to say you need to include everything about a character in your demo. But we need to get a sense of personality. I shouldn't have to go to Tumblr to find that personality.

Do: Ask for help

Making a game on your own, especially for the first time, is scary. It's okay to ask for help. It's okay to get people to help you out with parts you aren't so familiar with. It doesn't make you any less of a developer. A lot of people need some degree of help. There is nothing wrong with that.

Don't: Start your marketing until you know you can finish the demo

I've seen lots of demos that have been in the works for years. It can be disappointing for fans and demotivating for the developer to have an idea, tell the world, and then not see a demo for a long time. This is especially the case when money is involved, but it's still irresponsible to promise a product and never deliver it. Be honest about the status of projects and your life.

Do: Outline content warnings properly

It is up to the player to decide if they think they're capable and ready to play your game. Make sure to outline your content warnings. Cover the basics, and feel free to leave an extended warnings list in your game or on your game page for specifics.

Content warnings are usually things like blood/violence, profanity, sexual content, etc. Trigger warnings typically get into specific things, like suicide, dentists, or religious trauma. Think of content warnings like the ERSB.

Put a splash screen before the game starts that showcase the content warnings and a place to find trigger warnings.

Don't: Pull back punches with what your characters are capable of

It's fiction. It doesn't necessarily mean you support your characters being crazy stalkers. Know the audience you want to write for, and don't feel a need to cower. Let them be filthy. Let them get their hands deep into someone's chest cavity and rip a body apart.

What I'm trying to say is you really shouldn't tone down what you think your characters are capable of because you're afraid of making fans sad or upset because pookie isn't acting the way they thought pookie acted in their head. It's your character. You're commanding the story. You are choosing where it goes, not fans. Just because you have an audience doesn't mean you need to tone it down to be more palpable to others.

Once your demo is released...

Do: Keep a balance

Making games is very, very hard. And the world is very, very harsh. It is okay to let your fans know about delays or potential cancellations, such as through the devlogs on itch.io for your game, in your community spaces, or on your blog. Please be honest. If you do not think that, after a demo's release, you can continue on the project, make it clear that it has been cancelled or on hiatus.

People will be understanding. The world sucks, and it sucks the life out of us. People are more forgiving if you are honest with the status of your game, rather than leaving it in a perpetual limbo.

Don't: Think that the popularity of your demo constitutes how "good" your game is.

Your demo may not do well. That could be a number of factors. Maybe your marketing didn't hit where you think it should have. Maybe you posted it at the same time as another game. Not your fault. The full release may do better. Don't let the numbers be the reason you give up.

Do: Network!

Get to know fellow developers in the space so you can learn from one another and get more ideas for improving your own games.

Don't: Use developers.

Use a developer's resources. You should not be making friends with other devs if your desire is to try and become friends with big people. That's a parasocial relationship, buddy!

Do: Tell your fans the course of action

Do you have a development timeline set up? Writing multiple days? Give fans a general outline that you planned before writing your demo. It's okay to miss things as long as you're honest. But a timeline will help you hold accountability for yourself.

Don't: Charge for it.

I've seen at least 3 games take the "I'm going to charge for a demo" route in an effort to sway children from playing the game. This is going to sway everyone. Especially if players have not seen a complete + finished product from you, they will not be buying an unfinished game. There are other ways to hide your games from children, such as using itch.io's adult content filters and applying them to your projects.

Main takeaway: Be honest.

I say this a lot throughout this post, but it's because it pushes on a particular trend I see in beginner visual novel developers. There's this desire to create, but there is also the desire for fandom centered around what characters and world spawn from your creations. To maintain that fandom, you need to create. You need to be consistent. It may be harsh, but it's the reality.

Life is hard, and a large majority of us are NOT doing this for a living. Life will get in the way. It always has, it always will.

That's why it's good to practice integrity. Know yourself and your limits. Take steps back and be willing to be open + honest.

Fans won't be happy if you keep saying a game is delayed and show little to no work. Posting unrelated artwork and spending months answering Tumblr asks instead of making a game will eventually run you in the mud without anyone to enjoy what you have the potential to create.

Live up to your promises, and if you can't, be honest. Your community will support you as long as you're open.

[simplybakugou]

Worth It | Mystic Academia: Kaminari Denki's Route

↝ The day of the MFA party had finally arrived and despite all of setbacks you and your members faced, it all led up to this day. 

© simplybakugou — all rights reserved. DO NOT REPOST/REUPLOAD, TRANSLATE, OR EDIT ANY OF MY CONTENT ON HERE OR ANY PLATFORM

⋆ PAIRING: gamer!kaminari x fem!reader ⋆ WARNINGS/TAGS: fluff :) ⋆ WORD COUNT: 2K

A/N: here's the written part for kaminari’s route! don't pay any mind to how dog shit the banner looks, tumblr hates me. hope you enjoy!! :) the kaminari cap is from @eraserhead-transparents

Mystic Academia: Kaminari Denki's Route

The stairs leading to the venue felt longer and more prolonged than you expected as you nervously climbed each step carefully. The day had finally come after much anticipation despite all of the traumatic events that had occurred to you and your friends. 

The MFA party was finally here and you were filled with both anxiety and utter excitement. You were finally going to meet your fellow MFA members whom you had been conversing with for over a week. To say you were excited was an understatement to say the least, especially to see a specific blonde gamer.

The anxiety you were facing slowly subsided as you began greeting the guests at the main doors, checking off people from your clipboard as they arrived. The security Bakugou hired had arrived and were stationed at every door and any possible entrance into the venue as he had instructed. Two burly men stood on either side of the doors, making you feel safe but also slightly scared at how intimidating their presences were. 

The first guest, a romance novel organization recommended by Mina, arrived, greeting you with a bright smile as they expressed how elated they were that the MFA parties were back. You smiled and thanked them for coming, continuing to do so as eventually a line formed as people waited to be checked in.

About half of the guests had arrived before you heard a shrill, high-pitched squeal, causing you to snap your head up to the source of the sound. A woman sprinted up the stairs, throwing her arms around you, nearly making the two of you topple to the floor. The two security guards to either side of you, knelt to your side, concerned that a random woman had essentially thrown herself at you but they eased up once they recognized the woman.

“Y/N?! I can’t believe it’s you!” The woman squealed, squeezing your shoulders in excitement. 

Thankfully since there was only one other woman in the organization, it was very easy to tell that this was Mina. You smiled. “You know you could’ve told me who you were before you jumped me, Mina.”

Mina laughed. “What can I say, I was too excited to see you.”

“Mina, I told you not to go too crazy,” a man scolded from behind Mina as he slowly climbed the stairs, clearly limping.

From his injury, you recognized him easily. “Hey, Kirishima.”

“Whoa you knew it was me?” Kirishima asked, slightly bewildered. “Was it the hair?”

You pointed to his leg and he laughed. “I guess that makes more sense.”

Your eyes darted to the long line behind your two friends, snapping you back to reality and your hosting duties. “Sorry guys, I’d love to chat but we still have all of these guests to check in.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can do it for you,” Kirishima reassured, taking the clipboard from you and immediately getting to work, smiling brightly at the next guest.

Mina looped her arm into yours, keeping an eye on Kirishima since his reputation made him popular and there was still a threat out there potentially still coming for all of you. “So, are you excited?”

You nodded. “I was definitely nervous before but I feel better after being here.”

“Oh, I get it. You’re nervous to see your boyfriend.” Mina stretched out the last word, poking your shoulder teasingly, prompting you to roll your eyes. “Speaking of Kaminari, what was it like seeing him in person?”

You shrugged slightly. “I think I was more worried about whether or not he was okay more than anything.”

You were purposefully leaving out a major event that had occurred when you visited Kaminari since you knew how Mina would react if she found out. However, she was not going to let you off the hook that easily, suspecting that you were hiding something. 

Mina narrowed her eyes at you. “So something did happen, didn’t it?”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Y/N, this is our first time meeting in person and I can already tell you’re lying.” Mina grinned. “Oh my god, did you guys hug or did he cry when he saw you? Wait!” She paused to gasp loudly.

“Mina, please calm down,” you muttered, smiling apologetically at the guests as they entered the building, taking notice of your energetic and overly excited friend. 

“Don’t tell me! You kissed, didn’t you?!” Mina exclaimed.

Your left eye twitched, confirming her guess and she squealed even more. “Oh my god, you did! I’m so proud of you!”

She tackled you into a hug once more and before you could calm her down as your face was heating up from embarrassment, an angry voice broke you away from your thoughts.

“Who the fuck is screaming like a little girl?!” A man bellowed as he climbed up the stairs. If it weren’t for his fashionable suit and matching vest, his scowl on his face definitely confirmed your assumption. This was definitely Bakugou.

“Dude, you’re not helping much either by screaming, too,” another man said, shaking his head at Bakugou. His black hair was combed back and he wore a white, plain suit. His eyes met yours and he smiled. “Y/N!”

The two men climbed the stairs until they reached the top. Bakugou looked you up and down shamelessly. “I guess you clean up nice even if you’ve got shit taste in clothes, new girl.”

“What the hell is your problem? I’m sorry about him. By the way, this is Sero and Bakugou,” Mina gestured to the two. 

“It wasn’t hard to guess which one Bakugou was,” you mumbled, causing Sero and Mina to laugh and Bakugou to simply glare at you. 

Bakugou moved past you and into the venue. “Let’s see if this isn’t a shitshow.”

Sero sighed, giving you an apologetic look. “Sorry we had to meet again like this, Y/N. I’ll make sure he doesn’t harass the guests and the staff.” Sero went inside, following Bakugou.

“I guess we should head in there, too.” Mina moved to make her way inside as well, stopping once she realized you weren’t following. “You’re not coming?”

You turned to face the stairs, taking a look at the guests and seeing the number of people dwindle down. Glancing over at the clipboard in Kirishima’s hands, it looked as though most of the guests were here. Well… except for one.

“He’ll make it, don’t worry,” Mina said reassuringly, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder and smiling softly. “You know he wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

You reciprocated the smile, nodding your head as you headed inside with Mina. 

The guests filled the once empty venue with their presences, numerous voices conversing and filling the once quiet air. The guests looked satisfied and happy, holding champagne flutes and plates of hors d’oeuvres. You smiled and briefly greeted them as you passed them, Mina doing the same. From afar you could hear Bakugou scolding one of the kitchen staff followed by Sero scolding Bakugou and apologizing for his friend’s brash behavior. 

“Y/N!” Kirishima called out to you. He handed the clipboard to you as he gestured to his phone. “There’s three more guests we have to sign in. Could you check them in for me? I got a call from my agency and I’ve gotta answer it.”

“Of course.” Kirishima thanked you as he made his way to one of the back rooms to answer his call. 

You made it back to the entrance, apologizing briefly for keeping the remaining guests waiting, and quickly signing them in. You sighed as you crossed the last guest name off the list, turning to thank the security guards who were keeping watch and keeping you safe.

One of the guards’ attention flicked over to someone behind you. “There’s one more guest you have to check in, ma’am.”

“Another guest?” You looked down at your clipboard and flipped through your guest list. “But that was our last guest…”

“Aw, come on, you already forgot about me, beautiful?” A familiar voice teased from behind.

You whipped your head around to the sound of the voice you wanted to hear the most, your heart nearly skipping a beat as you laid your eyes on Kaminari. He had adorned himself in a black suit, his blonde hair combed back with his black streak still in view and he somehow looked even more handsome than you could’ve imagined as he stood at the bottom of the stairs. 

The guards recognized him as the last MFA member as they greeted him. “You guys can head inside. We’d like some alone time if that’s alright.” The security acknowledged Kaminari’s request, closing the main doors and deciding to guard them from the inside. 

The sound of the doors shutting snapped you out of your initial shock and you rushed down the stairs and threw your arms around his neck. Luckily he caught you, preventing the two of you from falling. He laughed. “Did you miss me that much? We saw each other yesterday.”

You pulled away from him, moving your hands up to cup his face in your hands as you scanned him for any sign of pain or further injury. “Are you okay? Did the doctor say anything else? Is your arm infected? Did–”

“Okay, let’s slow down now,” Kaminari said with a laugh, moving his hand to hold one of yours in his. “I’m okay. The doctor said everything looks good which was why I was discharged today. You know I would never miss this.”

You smiled shyly, nodding your head as you knew he wouldn’t. “I know. I was just… worried.”

“You’re really cute, you know that?” Kaminari whispered, moving his hand to caress your cheek.

You felt your face heat up furiously from his words and he chuckled, knowing he successfully made you flustered. “Shut up, Denki.”

“I like the way you say my name,” Kaminari uttered softly, the pad of his thumb grazing down to your chin, hovering over your bottom lip. 

“Denki?” You repeated, feigning innocence as your eyes met his and moved down to his lips. 

Kaminari didn’t say another word as he wrapped his arm around your waist, bringing your body even closer to his and ducked his head down to close his lips over yours. You couldn’t help but smile against his lips, maneuvering your arms to wrap around his neck, as if you couldn’t get enough of him. 

That moment was everything for you. Despite how terrifying things had been the past week, your worries dissipated in an instant as your lips moved in unison against his. That is until the sweet moment was cut short.

“Hey! Are you two fucking idiots gonna keep sucking face or are you gonna talk to our guests?!” Bakugou yelled down from the top of the stairs.

You and Kaminari pulled away from one another, looking up to the top to see Bakugou, Mina, Kirishima, and Sero all grinning down at the two of you.

You laughed, surprised that even Bakugou had a small smile on his face. “Get up here, you two!” Kirishima called out as Mina was clutching Sero’s side and squealing furiously. 

Kaminari sighed. “Those idiots always get in the way.” He turned to you, extending his hand out to you. “You coming, gorgeous?”

You smiled, accepting his hand as your fingers laced into his and the two of you made your way back up.

This past week was a difficult one. Your life and the lives of your friends were continuously tested and you couldn’t help but feel as if you had made a mistake in joining this random organization that you happened to stumble upon, or rather were led to. But the sight of your friends looking down at you with genuine joy and the presence of the man you knew you wanted to be with for a long time made it all worth it.

Yeah… it was all worth it.

A/N: AAAHHH SHE'S FINALLY DONE! only took me two months hehe. thank you for all of the love and support for this route. i really enjoyed writing and editing this all out and i can't believe it's all done! if you're done with this series and are not interested in reading the other routes, thank you so much for reading kaminari's route! sero's route will take some time so for those of you waiting, please be patient :)

[hyunverse]

6:32pm — lee felix.

fluff. short drabble.

contains making out session. felix calls reader “sugar.”

disclaimer — © 2023 hyunverse on tumblr. all rights reserved. authors works are protected under the copyright law. do not plagiarize or translate my works. tumblr is my only platform.

the sigh at the tip of your tongue turns into a “huh,” the moment you unlock the door to your abode.

felix stands on a ladder, placed right under a light. a small pencil sits on his ear as he places the light bulb, a little of his tongue peeking through the side of his lips from outmost focus. it’s a rare sight, truly — it’s no wonder you wind up staring at him, bewildered.

“lixie,” you speak, hanging your handbag on the coat rack, “what’s going on?”

he looks at you, raised eyebrow and shiny eyes expressing his joy, “oh, sugar! ‘m changing the light bulb! the white light is too glaring, so i changed it to a yellow one. now the house looks more homey — and romantic.” he states, wiggling his eyebrows.

right.

you chuckle, “but don’t we have the handyman for this, my angel? and what’s up with the pencil on your ear, hmm?”

“right, this,” his pointer grazes the pencil, “just thought it looks cool. makes me look like handy manny. cool, right?”

you nod, as if it does make sense, “yeah, cool. . .”

after a while, felix finally steps down from the ladder, the old light bulb in one hand. he approaches you to place a sloppy kiss on your cheek, smiling from ear to ear.

“welcome home, sugar. d’you like the new lighting?”

“i do,” you look up to the light, “thank you, my love.”

“mm,” he hums, stealing a kiss from you.

the two of you spare a little time kissing, the old bulb abandoned on the floor as his hands are busied with your thighs. felix’s head tilts to deepen the kiss, taking his chance to slip his tongue into your mouth. if it wasn’t for the human need to breathe, you would’ve stayed like that for hours.

“there’s tiramisu in the fridge,” felix mutters after parting his lips from yours. “i made them for you.”

your eyes lighten, “really?”

excitedly, you head to the kitchen, legs practically skipping. the sight of the man’s tiramisu is mouth-watering — the taste even more.

“like it?” the brunette questions, standing in between your legs as you sit on the counter.

“love it,” you reply, mouth full with the dessert, “this is heaven, lix.”

he smiles from ear to ear, humming in delight when you feed him a spoonful. not to flatter his own ego, but the tiramisu did turn out great. felix feels proud — making a mental note to star the recipe in his notes app, maybe put it under a folder called “sugar’s favourites.”

“you know,” you speak once you’re done savouring the dessert, placing the plate down and taking felix’s small hands in yours, “coming home to all of this today makes me feel like you should give up on idol life and become a househusband instead.”

a fit of laughters leave felix’s lips — a melody that you wish to hear every single day of your life, “you think so, sugar?”

“mm, no joke,” you answer. he chuckles, placing his chin on your thigh. your hand moves at it’s own accord, tangling your fingers in his brown hair.

“‘s a tempting offer, won’t lie, sugar. what do i get in return, though?”

you jump down from the counter to stand before him, entangling both hands in his hair now. he looks beautiful under the kitchen light — brown hair messy and plump lips kissable as ever. one hand moves down to his belt loop to pull him over to you, and you kiss him feverishly.

satisfied hums elicits from his lips as he savours the kiss, your lips and tongue having a coffee aftertaste to them. his hands are everywhere on your body, nails digging into every inch of exposed skin.

this time, you’re the one to break your kiss in order to catch your breath. after placing a kiss on his nose, you press your forehead against his.

“convincing enough?”

he grins playfully, “perhaps i need just a little more.”

disclaimer — © 2023 hyunverse on tumblr. all rights reserved. authors works are protected under the copyright law. do not plagiarize or translate my works. tumblr is my only platform.

[thatdogmagic]

Remember this smug as hell post?

Well, keep it in mind.

I'm going to give some people here the benefit of the doubt and go into this post with the assumption that they genuinely don't know how fucking awful the Tumblr """"porn filters"""" are for images deemed - or reported by users as - 'NSFW.'

This is a rehash of everything I wrote out before, but it's going over all of it in one big post, because this issue with community labels moves well beyond debates over what is and isn't NSFW. There are doublestandards within doublestandards, and no way at all for artists and creators to know for sure if their post is going to get blacklisted.

We're not merely talking about the fact that these filters exist. We're talking about the fact that they are wildly inconsistent, and that reported images aren't seen initially by a person so much as an extremely stupid algorithm. That's why there's the option to say 'this ruling was made in error.'

There are literally no set guidelines for what qualifies as NSFW, and what doesn't, when it comes to nudity, and to what characters those guidelines actually apply. Staff rulings do not match up to one another. They legitimately do not make sense. You cannot divine how a ruling is going to end up, and it is infuriating that staff is jerking us around like this when the platform very clearly wanted artists like us back.

Not only that, they were, yes: that fucking smug about it. In case you forgot, that 'cheater' picture is talking about people who fled the NSFW ban specifically.

Examples follow:

Both of these images were caught by the filters, and then appealed. The first one was (visibly, as you can see) downgraded to Everyone, in spite of the character showing more secondary sex characteristics than the first (breast, visible nipple).

Similarly, a male character showing a pube fluff was left alone, even in spite of being cited in my appeal on the second image.

Last, there is, as noted, this readily available image of Felicia, that you can find by searching 'darkstalkers Felicia' on the search bar. Did people forget that she's bottomless, and those aren't panties?

Using fluff to cover junk is an age-old trick for characters like this. And it clearly isn't a problem with the male character.

Further, you can go through just about any archive and see a ton of images that were not subject to community labels, many of which are much more racy, and much more legitimately "NSFW."

So, yes, beyond the disgust of Tumblr staff treating any body like mine as filthy and inherently sexual in nature, this is also about a system that is arbitrary, penalizes artists for no good reason, and has deeply opaque standards. You never know when a piece of yours is going to run afoul of a bot, or what a staff ruling will ultimately be, or why the ruling is there in the first place.

And that's bullshit. If you think it's anything other than bullshit, you're being a contrarian ass. Especially since a forced label absolutely WILL kill your visibility, where compared to implementing the label yourself. It is punitive, it is punishing, and I will say again: it is completely unnecessary to jerk us around like this when the platform very clearly wanted us back.

And now that we are, we're back to being treated like garbage, constantly having to guess what the rules actually mean, how they apply, and to which sorts of bodies they apply, all while watching our viewcounts on contested posts eat ten kinds of shit.

tl;dr, do not talk to me about 'following rules' when the rules are so ill-defined as to be quite literally useless, to me, and to every other artist on this website.

[dekusleftsock]

Dekus no good, very bad, faceplant into masculinity and internalized homophobia

I made this a thought post from chapter 402 originally, but I can’t let these thoughts fester any longer. Gotta be correct about it 🫶🫶🫶

Alright so when I originally talked about this on a couple of platforms (not just tumblr, tiktok too and a bit on Twitter that has no connection to this account lmao) I feel like people told me that I was “stretching” with my assumptions.

But then Toga’s backstory being told to Ochako was… directly referenced to a queer allegory. And in 394, she directly says that she likes girls. It’s the thing said last, implying it’s something she’s still ashamed of feeling.

This chapter basically confirmed in my mind that Himiko’s blood quirk was the equivalent to the homophobia that was probably in her own household. And in my mind, that means that blood quirk = metaphor on her queer experience.

And then suddenly, the pieces clicked into place.

In 348, Izuku disagrees with Himiko and Ochako’s ideals—not only at the idea of girly romance, but also at unconventional romance.

Ochako has distanced herself due to Izuku’s inability to confront his own feelings. Shown both physically and metaphorically.

Ochako took all the steps to walk away because from Izuku. Because Izuku held her back.

Or more rather, she realized that Izuku was no allmight, but rather just an average boy in need of saving as anyone else. He is someone who’s flaws cannot align with Ochako’s own ideals for a relationship.

Because ochako is weird.

Izuku holds her back. She can’t be everything she needs to be while around him.

And that’s something Izuku’s not going to understand, not like how she needs him to understand.

And Himiko knows who Ochako is on a more fundamental level than Izuku ever will, and that’s okay.

I feel like whenever I talk about these character flaws having to do with Izuku, it almost sounds like I’m bashing him? I swear, I’m not, it makes complete sense as to why he is this way. And there are people (Katsuki) in the world who can have this in a relationship under the right communication, and some people can’t. And that’s just how we exist. That’s okay. We don’t all have to be compatible with everyone.

Back to the main point, the pieces and the people putting those pieces together were starting to see their parallels.

Even the manga placement parallels them, especially with how clever I feel horikoshi can be with his paneling.

Looking down, looking up. Both three quarter angles. Small mouth expression, big mouth expression. And that blush.

Fake smile when unhappy. Falling for someone who is dying, who you’d do anything for, even toe the line of death defending them, fixing them—just because you can’t help but love someone you wish had walked into your life sooner (or in Izuku’s case, accepted into your life sooner).

Someone you’d sacrifice for. Someone you’re violent for. Someone you’d kill for.

Someone you’d rather let an entire population of people die for than live without.

Someone you’re undeniably, unequivocally, selfish for.

And yet Izuku doesn’t recognize his same symptoms of love through Himiko Toga as Ochako does.

Himiko must be dehumanized to Izuku, because if she’s a person, then she is him.

(What’s even more interesting about this panel, is that if the characters were reversed and it was about Izuku’s violent feelings over protecting Katsuki, danger sense would be going off constantly. So toga is the perfect counter, but Izuku is the ultimate weakness.)

So, okay, how exactly do these things matter? How does this have to do with Izuku’s own personal struggle over his masculinity?

I think what’s important to clarify here is that when I say “internalized homophobia”, I don’t mean that he necessarily is beating himself up over the fact that he likes a boy instead of a girl.

I think it’s connected to his fear of rejection, and his own personal issues having to do with remaining a “strong man” instead of a “weak man”.

Izuku may not believe that liking men is anyone’s business but his own, but does Katsuki think that?

Izuku has called his feelings of admiration gross. Not that he himself is an awful person for feeling them, but that Katsuki will be the one to think they’re gross. And he’s worked so hard to get to this point in their relationship, he doesn’t wanna let it go over some stupid feelings.

And this is where toga comes into the picture, his parallels between her, because just how is Toga supposed to know that Ochako isn’t judging her for her feelings? Technically, all of the things she’s said before the final fight between them have only proved the inevitable. That Toga is gross, a freak, a predator, a danger, because she loves a woman.

How is Izuku supposed to interpret being called a stalker by Katsuki? How is he supposed to interpret when people call him creepy for his muttering and analyzation? How is he supposed to interpret being called a crybaby by his idol, Katsuki, and everyone else when he cannot control that?

How can he handle feelings that are out of his control, and still believe that they’re okay?

And at the very least, even if homophobia doesn’t exist in mha, heteronormativity does. Especially shown through Ashido, a straight girl.

None of that is necessarily Allmight, Katsuki, or even Ochako’s fault, because of course they’re just teasing him—but it doesn’t change the fact that it affects how he perceives himself.

So when I say that Izuku has problems with internalized homophobia, I mean that he is afraid of how the people around him will perceive him, than a constant feeling of self hatred due to not liking women.

And when I say that his internalized homophobia is an extension of his masculinity, I mean that because he has no confidence in himself and his more vulnerable emotions, he is unable to accept what or who he is. This ofc affects the people around him, like saying that Ochako CANT be weird because she’s just “so amazingly normal” without realizing that he’s just downplaying who she is and what she thinks, or dehumanizing the most openly queer character in the series because it benefits the perception he has of himself, or even silently rejecting Katsuki’s feelings simply out of a need to “control his heart and control his quirk”.

In Izuku’s mind, the only way to keep Katsuki is to not be the weird kid he was in his childhood. In a way, Izuku is still performing for Katsuki.

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

unpopular(ish) tig opinions/mostly just me ranting

a few people have done this so here are mine (also just me ranting)

this one isn't super controversial but i don't really like alisa. she's nice and all, but the way she treats libby is just so weird to me and i can't bring myself to love her.

most people in this fandom are grayson stans but my fav is jameson. i love grayson, don't get me wrong, but i feel like his character is sort of overdone. i mean, almost all love interests nowadays are moody, broody, i never smile except when im with you. im happy avery ended up with jamie not just cause they fit together, but bc, for once, the love interest isn't the broody type (like i said, love grayson dont hate me)

i commented this under a post, and i don't think this is super unpopular but im lyra neutral. i literally cannot love a character unless i know them (i dont hate her either, i just don't have an opinion)

ok, this one might get me some hate, but, although grayson had the right to be mad in tig bc avery inherited the money, i do think he did go too far sometimes. there's this one time, where he was just unnecessarily rude to avery, telling her she didn't know what it was like to suffer (midway through to book, don't remember the chapter but its there and it makes no sense bc she grew up with no money while this dude is a privileged white man, like all of his brothers (except for xander cause he isn't white)). like i said, he had the right to be mad, but avery did nothing to him, and, so, he had no right to say some of the things he said to her. he does get better, and he does apologize (i think, but even if he doesn't idc cause hes nice to her now). like i said, he had the right to be mad cause i mean he did grow up thinking he'd inherit and he didn't, but he shouldn't have taken out all of his anger on her. he had the right to doubt her and think she had ulterior motives, but he had no right to accuse her of being a gold digger when she had done NOTHING to gray for him think that (dont take this as me not liking gray, he's one of my fav characters ever (but no one beats jamie (and nash)))

idk if this one will make sense and ik some people will agree with me if this does, but the way avery is treated in this fandom is really shitty. she's pretty much only mentioned when people are talking about the love triangle. she's bashed bc she didn't choose grayson (which she had the right to bc jamie was made for her and gray wasn't), her trauma is super overlooked. i wish people would pay more attention to her. also, i mentioned this earlier, but some people (not many but some) let other people (like gray and thea) get away will at the mean things they said to avery bc they're their favorite characters. (obviously, they can be your fav characters. my best friend's fav character is gray, and, when i first read the books, i liked gray over jamie for a small period of time, but its wrong to let them get away things just bc you like them.

people will agree with me, but jameson and grayson's trauma should NOT be compared. trauma is trauma no matter how "bad" it is (note the quotation marks around bad). ive mostly seen people compare jamie to gray saying that gray's trauma is worse which is so fucking mean. they both have trauma. they both have it bad. no one should be comparing. i will make a longer post about this bc this is smth i'm very passionate about and it pisses me off. (ive lost count of the amount of times ive compared my trauma to others thinking i had no right to complain bc others had it worse, so don't do it to fictional characters plsss)

the tiktok/insta fandom sucks. the amount of averygrayson shippers ive seen bash avery on those platforms is too much. the only healthy part of the fandom is on tumblr.

not controversial but thea is not a girl boss, she's just a mean girl. she's not iconic.

people should not bash people for their favorite characters. i've seen this mostly on older posts (like before tfg was released) but some people will go 'xander's my fav' or 'avery's my fav' and people in the comments would go 'but grayson exists' or 'but jameson exists'. let people like who they want to like. all characters are great (mostly, i hate thea and all of the bad guys).

i couldn't care less about eve's redemption arc. she ruined toby's life, and as someone who loves toby and avery's father-daughter dynamic, i will never forgive her. she also treated grayson horribly, basically got alisa kidnapped (cause alisa wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if eve hadn't gotten toby kidnapped), and more so if she ever does get a redemption arc, i will be throwing hands.

if i see people complaining about lyra's character when tgg comes out bc 'they were expecting someone different' i will be pissed. im sure lyra will be great (hopefully). it doesn't matter if she's a girl boss or more like rebecca.

grayson is not 'the most misunderstood character in the fandom'. he's literally the most popular character. people are constantly gushing about him and his trauma. other characters like avery, jameson, and xander (and others) are so much more misunderstood. no ones takes the time to understand them like they do with grayson. people are constantly talking about his trauma, and how people shouldn't hate him bc he's 'misunderstood'. people have the right to hate him, and his trauma isn't overlooked as the fandom's most popular character. he is a complex character, and i will be making in depth posts about him bc i find him interesting and i really like his character, but he's the most understood character in the fandom. i've noticed that people tend to say he's misunderstood right after coming up with the most nonsensical take defending all of his actions saying that he has trauma (trauma is not an excuse its an explanation)

even if grayson would've gotten up to help avery after the bombing 1. he would've never gotten there on time and 2. he might have gotten more hurt.

i said this earlier while talking about gray but trauma is not an excuse its an explanation. do with that what you will. i just have to repeat it.

people who claim jameson was not affected by emily are the bane of my existence (yes, they exist, i've seen them)

ik i mentioned gray a lot in this and it might seem like i don't like him, but i swear i LOVE him. i find his character very interesting and complex and i really wanna analyze his character once i'm done rereading. i just hate toxic grayson stans (most of yall aren't, but they exist)

[olderthannetfic]

All I ever hear about is people complaining about the spaces online that used to exist but don’t anymore but for some reason no one is making an effort to recreate those spaces? Why?

--

Offhand?

The people complaining weren't the ones who made the spaces in the first place. The people who did make the spaces are off building something new.

--

But it really depends how we define our parameters. Some of the complaints are that it's infinitely harder to create the social vibe someone wants on the platforms available now due to algorithms and modern internet bullshit. Solving that requires technical skills. Some people are still trying, but it's going to be a smaller number, and they're going to have to tackle it in groups. Bobaboard is one such attempt. There have been plenty.

--

The most common scenario I see, however, is people who think they are trying but who, to me, are often more trying in the other sense.

Most of us have no idea how we make friends. I don't mean we don't know what to do consciously right now (though that too) but that we don't actually understand the steps that led to our past friendships.

Often, we perceive things as "just happening" where a savvier outsider could point to a lot of specific behaviors or circumstances that directly contributed. If someone else approached us, we may be aware of that, dimly, but not really of all of the effort they may have put into making a social group happen.

Over and over, I see people asking how to make friends. I tell them what worked for me in recent years on Tumblr... and they snap at me that they don't want to do those things or that those things could not possibly work. Often, their tone is extremely negative and offputting, and they're totally unaware of it.

--

I used to miss LJ. I don't anymore. Why would I when we have long, text-based discussions here all the time?

But I'm also not mourning my lost youth or specific LJ friends I don't see around anymore. I'm not even mourning my old fandoms. Onmyouji is a thing again. Who would have thought?

People say "spaces", but what they often mean is "how I felt back then".

[9w1ft]

I'm a gaylor myself so this isn't coming from a place of hate but I really don't think karlie and taylor are still together, I think taylor still references her in her art and probably will for quite some time because that relationship -- whatever the nature of it was -- left such a deep impact on her. but I really can't see them still being together, I think she's forced herself to move on from karlie and has since dated a lot of other women. that doesn't mean her feelings for karlie have faded, just that they will probably always be there but they broke up for sure before 2019, I think. folklore and evermore, midnights even, are all breakup albums, I just can't see how they could still be together. especially all her anger and sadness in those songs that are thought of to be for karlie (like my tears ricochet or exile or mad woman) also the cover art being shoot in bedfords, new york, the exact same place where karlie got married feels more like taylor revisiting this place to really say goodbye and mourn her for one last final time so she can move on

sorry, this got a bit long, I just don't understand the appeal or the reasoning for lsk's because taylor has indicated so many times that they are over, she's been mourning her relationship with karlie quite publicly since 2019 (wearing all black during the lover era) so yeah

hi! i don’t usually respond to these but i’m not sensing any ill will so i’ve decided to give a reply a go.

first off, for me, i kinda just interpret her wearing black in the back end of lover era because her masters had gotten bought by scooter. and maybe the fact that she decided to not come out. there can be other reasons, but i really do not think that her breaking up with karlie has to be one of them.

another thing i can’t shake is the fact that it was a very notorious troll/manipulative person on tumblr who spread the first rumor that they broke up in 2019, a fact that is well understood by a lot of OG’s, and this troll got in the head of a few popular kaylor and gaylor swift accounts at the time and in doing so she got a lot of people to fold. she then went on to write all this progressively unhinged fanfiction about taylor and karlie trying to make one another jealous and sleeping with all these women, presented with the same level of seriousness with which she pushed the breakup agenda. even to this day, i see present day gaylors talk about stuff that stems from narratives this account and a few other power hungry accounts spread around many years ago and it honestly just goes to show how a lot of well known gaylors may be platformmed up but that don’t really know what they’re talking about.. i only write this because the troll deactivated about a year ago (maybe they’re lurking on platforms with more malleable minds—once a troll always a troll—but at least they’ve left here), they were a really dangerous person.. and several have wild receipts to prove it.

anyways sorry i recognize that’s a tangent, i guess what i mean to say by it is, a lot of the sentiment surrounding the idea of a 2019 breakup and the reinforcement of the narrative by a gaylor community none the wiser stems from the work of someone with disingenuous intentions. a lot of “masterposts” or “realistic timelines” draw from what this person made up and it’s gone through enough filters for it to seem like credible sentiment but like, if you were there and you read all of what she wrote you know how silly it all sounded and how incoherently it was all written.

okay so to circle back to more of a content-centric angle, in my interpretation of the events that gave us folklore, evermore, and midnights, taylor had so much to be sad about. her mom had been very sick, the pandemic arrived and she had to cancel lover fest, she had to come to terms with scott b having sold her work to her sworn enemy… songs on midnights and folklore, and on her lover era apple music playlist allude to certain other things that may have had her in a mournful mood. things were bad! and i don’t doubt that her and karlie have been through a lot. but for me, when you’ve got a ride or die love, you don’t just break up. this has been something frustrating for me and others, i think, to see so many people treat a relationship as either being all systems go or broken up, as if long term partners can’t experience sadness together, difficulty together, even heartbreak together.

i don’t like getting in to touchy subjects so much but there’s just been too much pointing towards what i consider to be a rather simple narrative that is a natural progression for people committed and in love. how did the lover music video begin and end? whats a randomly specific word in a song she performed at the grammys minutes after someone was announced to the world? what about taylor’s envisioned future stands out about the anti hero music video? i think i’ll stop here but idk man 😆 poke around my archive if you feel like wasting a few days of your life… there’s just been a consistent flow of the same kind of hijinks that we’ve seen from them for years, and i’d say that there are many songs that back up everything i’d want in order to stay invested in seeing if what i believe is true.

now, i know i just wrote what reads like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to people not following kaylor. but im okay with that. i’ve accepted that. and i know that the whole patterns and koincidences and twinning and symbolism beat isn’t for everyone and so i respect people’s decisions to believe they aren’t together, but in closing i’ll just say im sometimes at a loss to see time and time again people suggest that kaylors believe in kaylor because they find it appealing or because they want to ship it. when it’s literally not that— it just makes the most sense to a lot of us!

also, does this look like the face of someone mourning?

[cyle]

hello!! i hope you don’t mind me asking, but i’ve seen a lot of very rude and hateful posts about how users should reblog things instead of liking, with a lot of debate surrounding whether or not reblogs are “better” for the tumblr algorithm and sharing content than likes or whether or not likes also help push posts in the algorithm. is there a definitive answer for this?? or is there at least an answer to how exactly likes function, if they do anything for a post and it’s circulation or if it’s just a fun little button to let someone know you liked a post??

there is a definitive answer to this, i feel like i've answered it a dozen times or reblogged posts with commentary to help dispel this myth.

likes absolutely help, even more than reblogs in some cases. the argument that "reblogs are better than likes" rests on a few assumptions, but one of them is that every one of your followers will see your reblog. that's simply untrue: most people using tumblr do not catch up with every post on their dashboard. they look at some of them, and maybe come back the next day to a whole new set of posts in their feed.

this is why "Best Stuff First" / "the algorithm" was created: to optimize what those first-seen posts are. the way we "rank" those posts via the algorithm (not just for the dashboard, but for "For You", for recommendations, etc) uses a number of signals. the loudest ones are reblogs and likes! i don't have the exact weights, but i'm fairly certain a like is more or equal weight as a reblog.

i think a lot of this misconception stems from the fact that we've never made "what do likes do" clear in the tumblr interface until recently. the only way you'd ever see "what a like does" is via the notes view or via your own Likes list -- so it makes sense people won't know that their likes were used for so much more.

but now we have "Based on your likes" and "Liked by..." recommendations on tumblr, so you can directly see the result of people using likes. but it's actually always worked that way! we just didn't make it clear.

so please, spread the word that liking a post is valid, it's a perfectly fine function of tumblr, and it does help surface content across the platform. reblogs are still super important -- but they're not "the right and only way to use tumblr" or the only way content spreads around the platform.

[discord-lurking]

Dungeons and Daddies Wiki Drama: A Greek Tragedy Told through the Medium of Forum Posts (Part 1)

Prologue

Greek tragedies are typically formatted in three or more acts interspersed with choral interludes, beginning with a prologue, and ending with an exodus. In these, protagonists often meet their downfall due to their fatal flaw, or hamartia: the ways in which the protagonists are their own undoing. Our own human failings are the things that bring us the most pain.

When considering a three-act Greek tragedy structure for this, my first thought was to use the Oresteia as a framing device, a trilogy of plays written by Aeschylus about Agamemnon's family in the aftermath of the Trojan War. Upon reflection, though, the themes of the Oresteia (revenge vs. justice, perpetuating a cycle of violence, honor and punishment) didn't quite fit the story I was trying to tell.

No, this is a classic tale of hubris: excessive pride and its ultimate downfall.

After all, what position could come with more power than that of wiki moderator for a Dungeons and Dragons podcast series?

Act One: The Beginning of the End

The D&Dads wiki has historically been... unhelpful, at best. (Source: Myself.) Trouble had been brewing for a long time.

Forum posts from spring 2022 began noting issues cropping up around the wiki. First, it was a complaint about anonymous users "disrupting" the wiki (specifically on Jodie-related pages) while also fixing mistakes in articles.

I'm unsure what specific "disruptions" were meant, but the proposal to ban anonymous users didn't garner much traction.

March 21st, 2022:

After little activity for months (only one forum post, related to infoboxes), wiki user TwoRatner had a radical proposition: wiki migration.

December 17th, 2022:

TwoRatner suggested an alternate platform that would have different editing options, then made a potentially-prophetic statement: the wiki might be cursed.

This warning went unheeded.

December 27th, 2022:

Ten days after the migration suggestion, TwoRatner came back to ask if there were any recent changes. This went unanswered for months until new user Penguinwithafancytophat reported adding art to character pages (including Glenn, a main season 1 character since the start of the podcast in 2019, who incredibly might not have had any official art on his wiki page before March of 2023).

Spring of 2023 seemed to bring along a revival of the wiki, with new editors coming in, engaging with the forum, and attempting to make suggestions on how to improve wiki organization.

March 31st, 2023:

May 27th, 2023:

July 17th, 2023:

October 2nd, 2023:

Interestingly, the only administrator seen to be interacting with these enthusiastic new editors? Gaycowboyrats. Let's put a pin in that.

Enter: the drama.

It started out simple enough- a forum posts for administrators to discuss changes that needed to be made.

November 3rd, 2023:

76 replies.

Seventy. Six. Replies. Each deeply interesting in its own way.

However, this is a Tumblr post, not an Hbomberguy video essay, so I'll keep it brief.

The discussion started out as one might expect a wiki admin discussion to start:

Mods discussed blocks, deleting stub pages, spam, etc. Standard wiki business.

The first reply to ping my interest:

Removing cast pages from a wiki about their work seemed like an odd decision, in my non-wiki-editor opinion, but the last line is what really stuck out: "Besides, I hate the idea of someone vandalizing the pages to defame them."

Several questions arose for me:

Was this a known problem? Were people constantly vandalizing cast pages?

Would a vandalized fandom wiki page really defame somebody?

Isn't the point of wiki editing to remove vandalization on articles?

The administrators began to stand out to me as deeply invested in a very specific sense of wiki justice.

Users TwoRatner, Brazil86, and TheOneTrueGod41 agreed with Honic's take.

Another thing to ping my interest: these users seemed to share a similar odd, slightly stilted, writing style. Almost Tommy Wiseau-esque.

Brazil86 expressed optimism about users engaging with wiki pages, something that would begin to set them apart from other administrators.

As I read, themes began to emerge: wiki justice, and incongruous one-liners.

Quoth Honic Washington: "I just found a wave of nonsense fish. My backyard is full of them. Hey, TOTG41, do you like jazz? I like jazz."

Truly, modern poetry.

Administrator Marth8204 suggested giving people more time. More time for what? Unclear. It seems a plan was afoot.

TwoRatner came in with a hot take: "I feel like we need a community more right now, than adding links that people can search for in the search bar."

Brazil86 agreed: Changing the navigation was less important than getting people editing and making friends.

Another theme began to emerge: wiki community as more important than wiki functionality.

Gaycowboyrats had some (incredibly reasonable) objections to this, pointing out that the wiki was a resource for many visitors who might not participate- something that is generally true of wikis as a form of content.

Honic Washington responded to this, the signs of wiki-related stress beginning to show.

Honic posts a long rant about the thankless task of moderating a wiki, which goes largely unacknowledged.

Notable TwoRatner quotes:

"You can't crack open a few omelets without punching a few egg-rolls."

"Now Freddie will get more money. What do you all say? I think I helped quite a bit."

Another theme emerges: discontent in the wiki moderator ranks.

Honic reaches full Joker mode. Again, this goes largely unacknowledged.

Honic: "I am leader. I am a painter! Keep your rules. Keep your status. Keep your friends."

"Keep your status"- words that will reverberate throughout the rest of this tale.

The final theme? Wiki moderator status, and the maintenance of it.

After Honic's bomb drop, conversation about regular wiki moderation continued, with mods considering the addition of a bot to make edits.

Admin Discussion Zone, first started by Honic Washington, ends not with a bang but with a whimper.

Over nearly a year of forum posts, patterns emerged.

Firstly- users attempting to engage in the wiki, wiki administrators not engaging with these new users, then wiki administrators bemoaning the lack of user engagement.

The notable exception was Gaycowboyrats, the only wiki administrator to engage with new users in the forums. Gaycowboyrats, the administrator whose (incredibly reasonable) suggestions ended with Honic Washington's villain-esque monologues and denouement as a moderator.

Secondly- administrators putting forth large-scale, drastic solutions to real or perceived wiki problems. This includes Cheesoid4 wanting to ban anonymous users, TwoRatner suggesting site migration, Honic deleting cast pages to prevent vandalism, and more to come.

Thirdly- wiki administrators seeming to share similar styles of speech and occasional non-sequiturs. Interestingly, this mainly seems to include the wiki administrators who agree with each other.

Funny how that happens.

Chorus

Stay tuned for Part 2, where the forum drama really starts to heat up.