#i don't want to sound like I'm complaining about numbers but most followers i have on social media is 26 on Twitter

[mangos-draws]

I want to start selling stuff like stickers, charms etc. unfortunately Germany is the land of bureaucracy so there's a fuckton to read and to find out so that the Finanzamt (Tax office) doesn't show up at my door one day to demand money because I sold three stickers last year.

[lifeless-discodancer]

You know how sometimes in DE fics when Kim transfers to precint 41 he and Harry don't get partnered together but instead Kim gets parnered with Judit and Harry stays with Jean?

Something i've never seen before is Judit becoming Harry's partner and Jean becoming Kim's wich like i get it, it sounds like the worst possible outcome but i think it would be so funny to read because on one hand we have Judit who has been working at C wing for only two months and who, based purely on the small amount of knowledge we have about her personality, is probably the epitome of the boring cop archetype, getting paired with Harry who will not leave her rest or leave her alone and will probably drag her into a bunch of weird shit and stereo investigations; and on the other, funnier hand we have Kim who above all appreciates a professional work relationship and who is also the number one champion of the holding grudges contest, and Jean who is honestly a huge asshole, incapable of forming any relationship that isn't codependent and who already left a weird (bad) impression on Kim by not doing his job for days and subjecting him and two other people to watch his public break up with Harry (also he came second in the holding grudges contest).

So this leaves us with:

Judit in the same position as the little girl who gets sat next to the loudest boy in class with the hope that she will be a good influence on him, except that she's not a little girl she's an adult cop with kids of her own that keeps getting asked to babysit other adult cops probably because she's the only woman in the unit. And i'm not saying this in a "Judit is the team mom" sense but in a "her workplace is so fucking misogynist" one. [Actually, now that i think about it this could be a good opportunity to explore the sexual harasment she experienced at the hands of her last partner, as well as her experience and the expectations her superiors and coworkers have of her, and the ones she has of herself, because she's the only woman in a male dominated workplace and (and a female cop on top of it (notice the emphasis on cop)) that she can't really fulfill because of the kind of person she is (a very normal, passive and tired kind of person). Also i think Harry would work nicely as parallel to her last partner. Where's the fic about it?]

Kim and Jean who already started on the wrong foot back in Martinaise even if none of them knew it at the moment. For them i can only imagine the most passive agresive partnership to ever exist but probably at the start of it they were doing their best to keep things civil. Jean was trying because, even if he thinks Kim is "bewitched by the shitkid", he's working with a decorated police lieutenant and, at least in his own mind, he's a very professional officer and he has to leave a good impression of himself and the C wing (he's definitely not doing that); Kim was trying because at first he didn't have much of an opinion on Jean (he swears) and, since he was complaining so much about Harry's work he thought Jean would at least have a good work ethic and be professional, also he too wanted to leave a good impression on his new coworkers. Of course the niceties went to shit the second one of them opened their mouth to say something that wasn't completely work related (it was like a game of chicken for days, weeks maybe, who will be the first to set fire to this perfectly normal, totally no filled with masked mutual annoyance, work partnership (it was Jean)). After that they argue like a couple of old ladies, and sometimes Kim thinks "maybe Jean is not that bad" but then Jean says something rude, or ableist, or homophobic or just something about Harry that Kim can't agree with, and then he dislikes him again, other times Jean thinks "maybe the lieutenant and i are finally understanding eachother" but then Kim will start lecturing him about something with the most condescending tone, or he'll drive his car like he's being followed by a missile, or give him a nasty side eye when he sees him taking drugs or even worst, he'll defend the shitkid when he's "rightfully" mad with him, and then he dislikes him again. This keeps for the entire duration of their partnership.

Harry is probably just a bit bummed out because he and Kim won't be partners anymore but he will try his best to not say that to Judit (he's a feminist after all), still he has to recover quickly from the disappointment since he has some real shit to worry about now (Shit like: I have to pay rent to my landlord?!!? How do i get into my bank account? Do i even have a bank account? Wait, who's my landlord? And other questions you would probably have too if you ever got amnesia that severe). He complains to Judit about not having Kim as a partner and Judit is rightfully offended but doesn't say anything (poor woman give her a break). He spends the entire duration of that partnership dragging Judit around Jamrock in side quests while she tries, unsuccessfully, to get him back on their current cases (he does not listen to her because he's a shit feminist), still he comes around to finish the original cases eventually (Harry apologizes a lot for not listening to her, Judit tells him it's fine because she's honestly so tired and it's so awkward(if she goes home to find even more work she's going to implode)). I think that with some time they would figure out how to work together, more or less, and they would have a pretty stable partnership.

Idk how to end this. I just thought it would be a fun idea and suddenly i blacked out and woke up with a small esay in front of me. I hope you enjoyed this.

[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

not to be dramatic but what if did just like leave this blog as an archive and then just not post anymore? tbh it was always my dream to get to 1k followers and now that i'm here, i feel like i have like a handful of nice people i've met, but i don't really feel like this blog helps me meet new friends, have good chats, or feel a real sense of joy most of the time. like, i feel zero sense of community. i think i've felt happy about being on here twice - when i posted daddy all along and when i posted never penelope, always calypso. daddy all along was super duper personal and wasn't going to be posted initially and then to have such a good response from people made me so happy, and i felt like never penelope, always calypso had like a cult following (and it is my favorite thing i've ever written/one of my favorites). as it turns out, the number of followers and the number of notes don't count. i find myself jealous of other people who have good, long-lasting, consistent friendships. i feel like everything fades or never exists at all. i notice people who create fun challenges and collaborate with others, post multi-chapter fics that people get excited about, have anons who send them fun thoughts about our faves and i just feel more left out than i ever have. and even though i'm snarky towards hater anons, it does affect me (i'm fragile).

i also notice that i complain a lot, which is kind of characteristic of me to be honest (a therapist once compared me to holden caulfield, so take that how you will).

there are a handful of people who are really great, so i don't want to sound ungrateful. those people are wonderful and it does brighten my day whenever i talk to them. (you guys probably know who you are - if you'd consider me a friend, i probably feel the same towards you).

even if it's not the primary motivation for writing, i hate thinking about if a fic will get notes when i'm writing it. and i hate feeling bad about things i thought were good when no one seems to enjoy them.

i've thought about how i'd celebrate this milestone for a long time, and i considered doing some sort of fic writing event or fic recommending event, but what's the point if no one cares?

i suppose the point is: liztober will go on (while there's a part of me that just wants to cancel it, the fics are already written and in my queue and i also promised something and i don't like to break promises) but after that, i make no promises.

[foone]

My current problem with mastodon is that it's full of nerds. Well, let me rephrase that, because everywhere is full of nerds: it's full of the most annoying kind of nerds. I'll explain under the readmore, because it got long.

Every time I've posted something on mastodon, I've gotten a bunch of replies that seem to be trying to explain things to me. And it's not like I'm posting "hey how do I install Ubuntu on a Samsung tablet?", I'm mainly going "here's some electronics I'm tearing down" or "I'm hacking this game and wow it does the font in a weird way!"

Neither of these is really an invitation to explain at me. And sure, when I did this on Twitter, I'd get these occasionally. There's always one person who thinks they know more than you and is like "I have to explain at this person!"

But on mastodon it's CONSTANT. I post a quick note about how someday I want to find ask the game developers why they encoded the font like this, and in like 12 hours I've gotten like 14 replies all trying to fontsplain at me.

And it would only be half as annoying if they were right! Cause that's the thing, too: THEY'RE NOT. Tons of people are assuming I am hacking a Pokémon game because I mentioned Game Freak, but nope! It's Drill Dozer. And others are explaining how the GameBoy hardware works when this is a GBA game... Jesus.

It's just... Some weird social thing. Maybe because mastodon co-existed with Twitter for so long as the open source Libre-Twitter, it attracted the kind of nerds who only use open source software, and they built networks of similar people. The kind of people that think they are and have to be the smartest guy in the room. And even now with a massive migration from Twitter to Mastodon, their early-adoption of this platform is influencing the culture of it. Maybe mastodon is just the kind of place where you explain tech at people.

Or maybe it's a cultural thing where it's more like 4chan's anonymous culture, where you don't assume or know things about people. There are no reputations, just interchangeable anonymous/pseudoanonymous people. Reddit often has that sort of thing going too, where if you are a Known Person, it's never a good thing. (just ask The Cylinder Guy).

Or maybe... It's just me. I wasn't the most well known weirdo on Twitter but I had a good number of followers. Maybe on Twitter it was more likely that people knew that I was "Foone, hacker of fonts and tearer downer of electronics!", but on mastodon I'm getting a lot of followers that haven't gotten to know me yet, and... Just assume I blundered into hacking a GBA game without knowing anything about how the GBA hardware and font encodings work?

Cause like, I've got about 20k followers on mastodon and I kinda assume those are just a subset of my Twitter followers who migrated over but maybe I have a bunch of new followers who were mastodon-only until now, and they're like "oh I've heard of that foone punk. Nothing specific but supposedly they're a big deal on Twitter, so now that they've joined mastodon I should follow them!"

Or maybe it is mostly a subset but only the most annoying explainy 20k of Twitter followers followed me over to mastodon? I don't know.

And it's the kind of thing where this happening occasionally would be fine. You get used to annoying replies when you have enough followers, no matter what social network you're on.

And God forbid you have something go viral! Fun fact: even if only one person in a thousand is a massive dick, if you have a post get seen by a million people, that's a lot of dicks.

I don't want to sound like "foone complains because they/their shit is popular", that's not really the problem. I've got a bunch of followers on here as well, but ya'll aren't coming into every post I make and trying to explain them at me.

Which is honestly odder? I would have thought it would be the other way around. Like, all my mastodon posts are like "I am hacking this video game: I am a reverse engineer" or "I am taking apart this electronic device: I'm a reverse engineer" or "I'm building this electronic device/software: I'm a forward engineer". So you'd think people would assume Mastodon!foone is the kind of person who Knows Things, as they're clearly highly technical in what they're doing.

But over here on Tumblr, while I may mention those kinds of things from time to time, I'm mostly doing shitposts, writing, fandom stuff, making jokes, being queer. You'd think it'd be much easier to assume Tumblr!foone doesn't know a huge amount about technical subjects and is therefore a great target for explaining at.

But it is a cultural thing, I guess. Mastodon is full of people who assume you don't really understand what you're talking about, and will explain at you. And Tumblr isn't.

Well, at least for technical stuff. You will get plenty of argumentative replies and reblogs, but less on a post about how GBA games encoding Latin text, and more on things like fandom and politics and queer identities. Although even then I would argue they're doing it on a different way, most of the time: they're not assuming you don't understand and explaining at you, they're more going "(I assume you understand), but I disagree" or "I explicitly think you don't understand: here is where you are wrong", vs the mastodon reply of "I'm assuming you don't understand, so let me explain at you what you're talking about".

I dunno. I don't really have a good solution here and this isn't going to be the reason I leave mastodon or anything, but it's odd, and annoying.

I'm not posting on mastodon as much as I posted on Twitter, and while part of that is that I split my online presence between Tumblr and mastodon instead of keeping it all mixed together on my Twitter, a big chunk of it is that mastodon is simply not as fun to post on as Twitter was, even accounting for my smaller follower count.

Because I'm not just getting a proportionally smaller number of interactions (which makes sense given how I have fewer mastodon followers than I had Twitter followers), I'm getting a larger proportion of really annoying interactions.

And I think what annoys me most is the assumption that I don't know what I'm talking about. Like, tearing stuff down and hacking games for their fonts? I am a professional! This is my job (mainly because I'm unemployed at the moment and my Patreon is my only source of cash), and it's not one I picked up recently. I have been hacking the fonts out of games for FIVE YEARS and as for tearing down electronics? I've been documenting that shit on Twitter/mastodon/etc for like eight years but I've been doing it since i was old enough to hold a screwdriver.

And yes, sure, explain things to me if I don't understand: those things will be clearly signposted. I'll be like "I'm not sure what this chip is, these silkscreens don't match anything on Google" and it's always useful if someone can pop in and go "oh that's a SMX8363 Network Biciever!" because they have some knowledge I don't, and I made it clear I don't know what it is.

But it's a whole different thing for me to post a picture of a PCB and day "okay here's the inside of the case", because I'm about to follow it up with closeups and details, and 5 people reply "chip U1 is a SMX8363, that transformates the network bananadines" because HEY I'M ABOUT TO POST THAT.

or worse, I already have, you just didn't scroll down enough to see it.

Anyway the reason I'm ranting about this here in Tumblr is because I'm not exactly trying to call these people out and get them to change their ways. At least one of the people on the most recent post is someone I've known for years and respect, and she has a lot of Pokémon knowledge, and was applying her specific technical background to help explain it. She's cool... But she just happened to reply along with a mob of random people I don't know, and she applied her highly specific Pokémon Knowledge onto a post that was never about Pokémon.

I'm just saying this here, because I'm musing about the differences I've experienced in different social networks. I can't really tell if it's about the networks themselves or just my particular bubble of followers and followed peoples. It could be either. Especially since Tumblr has some hugely different sub-communities (which is why Blaze can be so hilariously odd: it doesn't pay attention to those communities, and just randomly hits people across the site), and mastodon isn't even a single social network, it's a metanetwork of social networks which many (intentionally) broken links between subsets. (I had to move servers a few times because the first couple I picked had problems, like getting shut down, blocked by most of the western world, or getting put on a "probably bad to interact with" greylist)

I dunno. I'm slowly starting to lean towards posting more technical stuff here instead of mastodon, simply because I can post a neat old TV here and only get replies that are positive, whereas the same sort of thing on mastodon would get many more replies but most of them are trying to explain a TV at me.

Look, all I'm asking is that people don't assume my wonder at the complexities and weirdness of the world as ignorance and a request for education.

Because that's a big part of my social media persona! I don't know how "fake" it is (I'm autistic. I've been wearing masks so long I'm not sure there's anything under them), but it's a good way to interact with the world in my experience: the world is full of hidden wonders and it makes me happy to share them, and apparently people like learning about them when I'm talking about them in that way. It's like I'm putting on a Bill Nye mask so I can be amazed at everything, to some degree. It keeps me from getting bored and taking things for granted, it lets me discover hidden beauty, and people seem to enjoy that kind of attitude, especially on social networks increasingly full of negativity. I can be excited about this weird old computer, and hopefully I can talk about it in such a way that helps you share in some of that excited, and the world is a little brighter.

And it's just disheartening when you try to share in your excitement about the weird and the complex and unusual and get people going "um actually this is just a common design for systems that use the 430TX chipset, as it's a budget model that didn't implement AGP fully and instead used a PCI bridge chip to implement..." and it's like LET ME HAVE FUN AND SHARE THAT FUN EVEN IF YOU CAN'T.

It's not even that I'm getting less "wow that's cool!" replies, it's that I'm getting mostly "that's just some boring thing that makes sense if you've done five years of electrical engineering like I have" and I'm so tired of that kind of attitude. It just goes double when they're wrong and assumed something was boring because they understand it and I don't, when in reality I do understand it, and they missed the interesting bit because they came into the conversation already looking to rain on my parade and/or educate the fool that they assumed I was.

And don't get me wrong: I am very a fool. But I'm not every kind of fool. I know some things. And I'm not a fan of getting explained at as if I don't understand those things.

Terrible thought, that's probably not true: I got most of my Twitter followers before I was out as trans. I've been trans on mastodon since day one. Are these fuckers assuming I'm a woman and mansplaining at me? Like, they're not transphobic, they respect my identity (even if they have it wrong), but they're still sexist and by assuming I'm a woman, they also assume I don't know what I'm talking about?

God. I hope not.

Anyway. Tumblr and mastodon, won't you?

[crowblincray]

So I have at least 20 years of experience in the janitorial profession. (Work at a grocery store now) The number of stories I have from said time are kinda crazy.

I've cleaned for so many various businesses and have cleaned homes and apartments.

Most people don't think of the cleaning staff. It's a mostly thankless job, you're basically invisible until someone has something to complain about.

The pay usually sucks, at least with the companies I worked for. No benefits, no days off, no breaks.

You get to see a side of the world that most don't even think about.

I have a lot of ghost stories in particular. A lot of places I worked at had weird occurrences and paranormal things. Something about night time in various locations really changes things.

I grew up with an awareness of unexplainable things. My mom never told me ghosts didn't exist or anything like that. If anything, she had her own stories from her childhood.

I don't expect other people to believe my stories or beliefs about things. If you read my stories and want to think of it as just spooky stories, so be it. I'm not here to convince anyone.

That being said.

The most haunted place I ever cleaned for was a private school.

To my knowledge, it's no longer there and was torn down some years ago but I haven't bothered to confirm. I never want to go back to that place.

Now ghosts and weird stuff don't easily scare me. I cleaned for other buildings that had resident ghosts that I became familiar with and even kind of befriended, maybe?

Anyway this place in particular was bad. I don't know what it was about it.

During the day it was beautiful. Birds singing, squirrels running around. 8 acres, 10 buildings. Quiet area.

At night, the place changed. I once had a moment there that felt straight out of silent hill. I worked there with only one other person and sometimes completely alone.

One afternoon as the sun was going down we were outside of the performance building they had for plays and the science fair they did, etc. There was an airforce base within close proximity. The storm sirens at the base started up just as the last bit of light fell behind the horizon. Sounding just like the silent hill sirens. The area instantly felt different, malevolent. The woman I worked with felt it too. A large southern black lady who didn't scare easily. She shuddered at the same time I felt a chill and loudly declared, "Whelp, time to get in the building!" And left to go back inside. Me following right behind her.

The bugs that would infest that place were Massive. I usually don't mind most bugs but I'm talking centipedes that looked like living ostrich feathers that had no fear of humans. Various other bugs I'd never seen or heard of at the time.

It felt like it would rain every night there. Sometimes only on that property. One time I got so mad about it since I had to go outside and walk to each building carrying all my cleaning supplies and would get drenched in the process. One night I screamed at the sky in frustration, "Stop Fucking Raining!" At the top of my lungs at the sky. Oddly enough it did a few minutes later.

The place felt like it had a mind of its own. Like it was alive. I know it sounds crazy. Yes there were ghosts there but there was something about it that scared me more than the ghosts.

You know how at night big glass windows kind of turn into black mirrors and you can't see outside? Just a reflection of the inside?

I'd see kids in the windows all the time following me around. In one building there was a tall black figure I could see following behind me all the time.

The performance building I mentioned earlier had an old man I'd see there sometimes. Now to turn the lights off in that building you had to go All the way behind where the stage was and flip them off and walk back to the front door in pitch black. I didn't have a flashlight either. Now I'm not afraid of the dark, never really have been. I usually find it comforting. As soon as I would flip that light off I'd feel like I had to run out of there. Like I was being chased out by the old man. I don't think he liked people being around after dark.

I'd constantly hear my name being called or people talking though no one was there. I'd ask the other lady if she had called for me or anything. She never did. She was encountering the same kind of things that I was.

It got so bad and I started getting so paranoid and distracted that I started bringing music with me to drown it out. To try and ignore all the creepy crap just so I could get my work done. My coworker began to do the same.

Time would seem to warp some nights. Things that should have only been 20 or 30 minutes long would in actuality be over an hour.

Other times, nights that seemed to go on forever were relatively short. I usually have really good time management with that job so it was really weird.

There is one funny story about that place I'll never forget though.

The place had two huge gates that leads into the campus that were kept locked at night. One being right in front of the very first building.

It was around 2/3am, pouring rain outside. I had just finished bagging the trash in that building and was dragging it out the front door. We would leave the bags of garbage at the front of the buildings to collect at the end of our shift.

I was there alone that night. The road in front of the school was usually completely dead that time of night. I hadn't seen any cars go by at this point.

One lone car is going down the road and comes to a stop right by the gate as I'm putting the bags down. They roll their window down and turn their radio up.

It's blasting Set fire to the rain by Adele.

I stare at the car.

They drive off.

I shake my head and walked back into the building.

When we were given the news that we had been fired from that place I felt no panic or anxiety that I would usually feel at such news.

I was relieved.

I might try and post some other stories here sometime, but that place will always stick in my mind.

P.S. little funny fact. It was the exact same private school my mom had sent me for kindergarten/1st grade. Lol.

[capybaraonabicycle]

For the first kiss prompts - 12?

Thank you so much, hon! This was really fun!

Not a first kiss because I really felt like writing some wholesome, established relationship kiss. So they're already married here.

Ah, yes, btw, this is Osgate. I started with them because I gathered you would enjoy it more. But I will probably come back to Jace/Natalie tomorrow or smth. Let me know if you want me to tag you if I post it!

Until then, enjoy number 12:

12. A kiss to distract the other

[ID: gif of Osgood using her inhaler. end ID]

For the past three weeks, Kate had advised Osgood to use her inhaler on the daily. Most days more than once. The reason was obvious: It had started when it had been announced that Dr. Martha Jones would soon be joining them on a mission. They would be dealing with a bunch of escaped Carrionites wreaking havoc in New Orleans.

Dr Jones had met the Carrionites before; in Shakespeare's England, right after getting to know the bard himself. Furthermore, she was an incredibly skilled former UNIT operative - so Kate had been told by no other than Osgood - three times in a row that first afternoon and a few more times since - and hence was the perfect woman for the job. Since then, every mention of Dr Jones' name had had Osgood on the verge of a panic attack.

At first it had delighted Kate, like it usually did whenever Osgood was passionate about something or someone. But during their flight to the US the attacks had grown closer and closer together and slowly but surely she was getting worried. It couldn't be healthy to have Osgood's pulse be this high all the time, plus Kate was rather sure there was a maximum dose of the inhaler that was safe per day - and by her own judgement, Osgood was scraping close to that limit.

While the others ran ahead to get their luggage from the conveyor belt, she placed a firm hand on Osgood's arm, holding her back.

"Will you be okay?" she asked earnestly. "It's not too late to sit this one out."

"Yeah, no, sure, it's fine." The hand grasping the inhaler was trembling. "I promise I won't make any problems. Please don't bench me, Ma'am."

"I'm not talking to you as your boss" Kate lowered her voice. "I am not worried about the job, I am worried about you."

Osgood did a double take, looking down at her arm and finally registering the physical contact. A small smile grew on her face and she covered Kate's hand with her own.

"Thanks, Love" she said just as softly. "But really, I am fine. Or well, I should be."

She was sounding annoyed at herself and Kate pressed her arm reassuringly.

"I never had issues around Clara" Osgood complained. "And I even managed working with the Doctor for a full day. Why am I losing it now?"

"Because the Doctor is brilliant but has nothing on the Dr. Martha Jones?" Kate repeated her own words back at her. "Because she was the first UNIT operative to inspire you to follow in her footsteps? And maybe because contrarily to the Doctor, who you've only met when male-presenting, she is a very beautiful woman?"

"Hush your mouth" Osgood pulled a face. "You know it's not about the last point."

Kate shrugged and smirked. "It would be for me."

"Fine around Clara, remember?" Osgood sighed and shook her trembling fingers in frustration. "Oh god, I will so not manage to stay cool."

"Yes, you will" Kate pushed a strand, that had become lose during the flight, behind Osgood's ear. "You're always 'cool'. - wow, it still feels absolutely wrong to use that word - but you are. And you won't lose it now, okay?"

Osgood nodded weakly.

"Good" Kate said. "Because this is an order. By your superior officer. Keep your calm, use your inhaler if necessary, quit when it gets too much and enjoy this! You'll get to meet another one of your heroes!"

"Yeah" Osgood agreed softly. Her breath was still coming a bit short but her eyes looked steadily into Kate's.

"Feeling better?"

Osgood managed to take one long, deeper breath. "A bit."

"Fancy a distraction?" Kate offered, unable to keep the cheek out of her voice and her gaze from dropping down to Osgood's lips for any longer.

Who could blame her? They'd been standing close for well over a minute now and emotions were running high. She was only human and very much fancying her wife.

Osgood's eyes grew wide and Kate thought now she would be having a panic attack for entirely different reasons. "We're on the job!"

Kate shrugged and offered: "Desperate times?"

Now Osgood laughed weakly.

"You're merely using my situation for an excuse to snog!" she understood correctly.

Kate grinned and let her finger trail from Osgood's ear down her cheek, tipping up her chin.

"I'll call it medical treatment" she whispered. "I am sure Dr Jones will understand."

"You are so corny" Osgood said but it sounded rather breathy and she was already leaning towards Kate.

And when their lips finally met, oh so gently, Kate remarked that for the first time in three weeks, the mention of Dr Jones' name seemed to have no noticeable influence on Osgood's nerves whatsoever.

Never let it be said that her distractions weren't effective.

Hope you like it! Some consensual distraction here because Jace/Natalie will be angsty enough :)

[thatwildnya]

Centaur AU centaur AU (Number 1 fav AU hehehe)

I'm kinda curious about Riddle, Trey, and Cater - what kinda centaurs are those three? ALso are any of the guys particularly cuddly - regardless of their cuddlability (so, like, even if they might have rough scales or spikes of some kind or something like that, they're still a cuddler lol)

chitters and nickers:

Wild: our first request! I’m really happy to get one so quick! I started writing it as soon as I saw it, sat on it for over half a day, was unable to continue due to wifi issues, then spent another 2 hours editing before Nya convinced me it was good. I hope you enjoy anon!

Nya: it’s going to be an uphill battle convincing this man to stop editing and adding more for every request wish me luck lovelies-

TW: Rook

RIDDLE HAS BEEN UPDATED

Riddle

Griffins are known to be very independent centaurs and it isn't uncommon for them to be hotheaded and somewhat controlling, especially towards strangers or those they see as lesser. So don't expect him to be all friendly at first, let alone cuddly. But once he's comfortable and trusts you he won't ever shy away from your touch.

Trey

I knew right away I wanted him to be a draft horse. These horses are known for their even temperament and being affectionate gentle giants. If you asked me to picture a baker or anthro draft horse I would imagine a buff man with a sweet smile. Trey has the same physique as I picture plus the same vibes so it fits perfectly.

Cater

He’s a bunny boy. A floppy ear bunny boy. That’s it.

When it comes to who’s the most cuddly in general it’s hands down Kalim, strangers or not. If Nya and I hadn’t decided to make the light magic users all foxes as a little easter egg he would have been a golden retriever. If you let him Kalim will cuddle with you every time you sit down. If he’s full animal he will try to snuggle under your shirt, in your sweatshirt pouch, or if there’s room right next to your face squished in your hoodie.

In his humanoid forms he likes to stretch across your lap or midriff. You can have him curl around you and use him as a giant pillow but neither of us would recommend it. He will wiggle a lot and you’ll most likely get a face full of tail wagging at the speed of sound.

Never go to the bathroom without locking the door. He does not knock half the time and won’t leave unless you yell at him. Personal space does not exist in Kalim world. Has so much love to give but not enough places to give it too.

If we’re talking about who’s the most cuddly with mc in story then it would be Silver (yes even more than Kalim). I touched upon this in another ask, Silver absolutely adores mc and would follow them to the end of time. He’s always near them if he can help it. Mc will sit at the table to do something and he’ll be doing a snooze at their feet. Then they decide not to do the thing there and move to the living room, Silver following behind groggily. He rarely even sleeps in his room (which is the attic) because of his desire to be close to them all the time. Nobody complains because he won’t sleep in the bed unless it’s his turn.

The big cuddle bugs to their masters (excluding the two above and Floyd cuz y’know it’s Floyd) are Ruggie, Rook, Malleus, Leona, Cheka, Che'nya, Jamil, and Azul.

Ruggie’s first few years of life were rough. He comes from the equivalent of a puppy mill in this scenario and he didn’t have anyone to rely on. The first time he felt unconditional love was when you rescued him from that awful place. He was barely alive and wouldn’t have lasted much longer if he’d been there longer. He gives back to you through acts of service and physical touch. He likes being able to curl up next to you for some scritches and the occasional rough housing in full animal form. Absolutely loves taking baths with you or getting a full pet spa treatment bath delivered specially by you. When he was little he would curl up under your shirt for a nap so please let him use your belly as a pillow while he takes a snooze under the blanket occasionally.

Azul and Jamil have similar back stories. Both were neglected in favor of other pets for being less appealing. They are both teenagers by the time you adopt them and to say your relationship started out rocky would be an understatement.

Jamil (black mamba) assumed you chose him to be your servant, as that is what he was trained and advertised as. The last thing he expected was to get his own room, the newest phone model, and a trip to the store so he could pick out his collar himself. He still keeps his distance and it takes awhile for him to let you past his walls. But I swear it’s worth it in the end. He only gets super cuddly when it’s cold out. You are a warm blooded mammal and he is a cold blooded reptile give him your body heat immediately. If allowed he will wrap as much of himself around you as possible for maximum warmth.

Puberty hit Azul like a truck. With that and him putting in the extra work to stay fit he went from being completely overlooked by anyone who walked by to being the one to make the most passersby stop for a look in the shop. And yet despite that, none decided to take him home. He tried everything, from showing off his superior intelligence to having the best voice. Nothing worked. Then in came you. You took one look, smushed your face against the glass, fogged it up whispering ‘I must have him’ when he looked at you, and ran off to find the nearest employee. It was very startling to him, especially because he was busy studying when you slammed your face into the glass right next to him. But he isn’t complaining. Now he gets to spend his days scamming making deals with customers to contribute to the household expenses. As a reward he expects all the hugs, all the snuggles, praise, kisses, etc. If you deprive him of his rightfully earned wages the crocodile tears will start so be ready.

Cheka is baby.

Leona is a lazy manticore that has decided you’re his favorite pillow. Be careful not to overheat.

Che’nya wants your attention 24/7 and will get it one way or another.

Rook’s love language is yes. You will not escape. Accept your fate.

You are Malleus’ first friend and the only one he considers worthy of being his master. He is touched starved and you are his meal. Bone apple teeth.

[purplesurveys]

1924

survey by robotyque

RULES: For the following questions, you must answer a number in a scale from 1-10. You may add a comment/description following it. Here we go.

ON A SCALE FROM 1-10..

How exciting was your day? 10. It was actually a productive Sunday! After church we had lunch at Yabu, bought a microwave to replace our broken one, went window shopping for a new laptop and a PS5, I bought a bunchhhhhh of Me Stuff in one go (BB cream, blush, reed diffusers...you get the gist), went for a quick grocery run to get milk and also managed to take Max to the vet clinic before they closed. It was so much stuff done that I can't believe it only totaled a little over than 4,000 steps LOL

How happy do you feel right now? I want to say a 7.5. Today was well-spent and I like that my family and I got along today (we always clash after a few consecutive hours together...), but that high's coming down now because it's already 5:40 PM and the weekend will soon be over.

How clean do you feel? A healthy 9. I took a shower today and my room now smells like ocean because I have two reed diffusers going at the same time, but I just feel 'dirty' because I've still got acne on my face and I don't like that.

How full in the stomach? 7. I had a big lunch that's long settled in my stomach now, but while it doesn't feel heavy I'm also not hungry. And I doubt I'd be feeling hungry anymore for the rest of the day.

How thirsty? 1. I have a chocolate Oatside with me now that I'm sipping from every few minutes.

How bored? 1. I did so much stuff today that I have no problem just filling this out and being friends with the silence and overstimulating myself like what I'd usually look for on weekends.

How tired/sleepy? 3. I feel like I could fall into a nap if I made myself lie down, but I'm alert and awake for the most part.

How satisfied with life atm are you? 4. My job makes me MISERABLE and question my abilities and worth every single day. It's a thankless 9-5 where you can do your best and put in 150% effort but still only ever get seen and called out when you make a mistake/don't meet expectations. I know I will be happier if I set out to look for greener pastures; but I just can't help but stay for now knowing the team is suffocatingly incomplete as it is and me leaving would just make everyone else suffer so much more.

How satisfied are you with your relationship status? 10. Nothing to complain about, ever.

How satisfied are you with your friends? 8. I love all of them, but I wish some of them (i.e. my college friends) would put in more effort in keeping up our friendships. I don't take it personally, though; I've also accepted the fact that our friend group may just not rank high on their priorities at this point anymore, and that's fine.

Now what about family? 6. We are very dysfunctional but we make it work.

How entertained are you atm? 7. I have a Good Mythical More running in the background and I've gotten sidetracked from this survey a few times, so I'd say that's entertainment in effect haha.

How bright is the room you’re in? 2. All the lights are off so it's actually super dark here, but my laptop is set to the highest brightness level and that more than balances out the darkness.

How loud is your music/sound you hear? 2.5. Out of the 16 volume bars on my laptop, it's just until the fourth bar so that's literally a 2.5 if my math is correct.

How confident are you about your looks right now? 4. There's a nasty acne scar near my nose that just won't go away. It's affected my confidence a little bit so that's why I headed to the store today to grab a bunch of face care and makeup stuff.

How clean is your room? 9.5. There are just a few things lying around but otherwise the place is spotless.

How much do you love dolls/stuffed animals? 5. Stuffed animals are very cute :)

How satisfied are you with your room? 9. I really really love the loft bed we've built in here since it gave my room so much more space. The one lacking point is just on me, because I haven't been buying any furniture or even just any sort of accent, really, to give my room more of a personality.

How much do you love dogs/cats (pick one)? 11. No-brainer. I like animals more than people.

How well do you do in school? 7. I did well if I really liked the class, but barely put in effort for classes I just felt 'forced' to have, like chemistry and philosophy. In other words I lacked focus and discipline; I feel like I would have had much higher scores across the board if I just powered it through and did a better job pretending to give a fuck about the classes I hated.

How well can you read out loud? 10. Never had a problem with it.

How good are your eyes? 3. I need my glasses, otherwise everything would be hazardous for me.

IF… (REMEMBER, IT’S STILL ON A SCALE OF 1-10)

If your significant other cheated on you, how mad would you be? 10. I'd be so mad I'd turn quiet and simply cut off ties.

What if it was with your best friend? 20. 10 for the SO cheating, 10 for my best friend betraying me and cheating on her fiancé.

You found a toonie on a ground, how happy would you be? 0. I'd be confused and would be asking what a toonie is.

You lied to a friend about something semi-big, how guilty would you feel? 5. Depends on the lie.

You accidentally took something from a store, how guilty would you feel? 10. I did this once when I walked out of a bookstore with a box of crayons I forgot to pay for. I felt really bad and turned to make my way back immediately.

You were given some illegal substance, what would you feel/how much of it? This question doesn't make sense but I would say 0 which stands for, "I'd stay away from it even if it were the last thing on earth."

You spent $300 for yourself, how satisfied would you feel? 5. Satisfied, yes; but also equally guilty/feeling bad because that is so much money to spend on myself.

What about for others? 7. It's a lot of money, but I'd feel better if I made someone else happy with that money.

How angry would you feel if your parents forgot your birthday? 10. How do you forget your kid's birthday?

Lastly. On a scale of 1-10, how entertaining was this survey? 10! I've taken this before but it was still fun to take the second time around!

[too-much-tma-stuff]

For the fanfic requests—this isn't a ship, but if you don't mind kidfics, could you do Michael (pre-distorition) babysitting Jon as a kid? I got that scenario rooted in my brain because I apparently want sadness. The realization that someone else, someone Jon cared about got eaten by another DOOR would have probably wrecked him...and me. Feel free to ignore of this isn't your thing tho.

Michael liked kids, they were chaotic and unpredictable and normally he hated that! He himself was a bit timid and quiet, but he liked the chaos, they pushed him out of his comfort zone. They were funny about it too, and he could usually assume they meant no harm so the chaos could be a refreshing change from his usually rather ordered life. Not always, some kids could be cruel, but he could choose not to go back to those families when they weren't his own.

Baby-sitting had made the obvious choice as a job during university then. It wasn't the highest paying but it could be easily fit in around lectures and studying and it was really the brake he needed to keep him from going mad. He rather thought he found the release his peers found through partying through minding the good natured and frankly adorable chaos of children.

Of course his most common clients were parents looking for a date night away from the kids so he was rather surprised when he got a call from a frazzled sounding older woman. He had barely gotten out a greeting when she started to unload on him talking about her dead son and daughter-in-law and the son they had left behind. She took pains to clarify that he really was a good child, bright as anything! Before she exploded with how much trouble he was!

"He's curious about everything! He never listens about anything! Just the other day I told him not to touch the electrical outlet that broke and I way trying to keep an eye on him, but I only have two and there are other things in the world! I swear I only turned my back for a moment but when I turn back around he's standing there with a burned hand and that boy, he looked and me and said, he said "You're right. That did hurt.

"At least he didn't have the cheek to complain about it when he'd done it to himself! I just need another pair of eyes so I can close mine for a second! It feels like I haven't slept at all since he got here and I'm to old to be raising a child on my own!"

"Alright, that's no trouble at all ma'am. When would you like me to come in? We'll do a few trial nights and if we get along I wouldn't mind having a consistent schedule of nights I watch him so you can have some time off," Michael assured quickly while she was taking a breath.

"Oh thank goodness," She sighed, and Michael found himself helping the boy. This was clearly hard on the woman, but no doubt it was very hard on the child as well, he could use a friend. "Could you come tomorrow?"

"Yes, but lets talk about other things as well first. Does Jon have any allergies? What rate would you find acceptable?"

It took a little haggling to get to a hourly rate they could both agree on but it helped that she could admit Jon wasn't the easiest child. Some parents who thought too highly of their children seemed to think he should be paying them for the privilege of spending time with their children.

So on Wednesday he went to the address the woman provided where he was greeted by a well dressed woman. Some hair had come loose from her bun and there was a stain on her shirt which he got the feeling was as messy as she was willing to let anyone see her. Certainly more then she would have if it weren't for the grave-faced dark haired boy hovering behind her and staring at Michael.

"Hello. I'll give you a tour of the house and show you were everything is and then leave you to it. My number is on the fridge but do try not to call me unless something goes very wrong." She said seriously as she beckoned him in. The tour was brisk, and he just had to follow when he would have at least like to introduced himself to Jon first. He followed behind them, watching and not blinking as often as most children did, slightly unnerving but not unexpected.

"Alright, that's all you need to know I think. Jon try not to scare the nice young man away," She said with a thin smile to indicate it was supposed to be a joke. Inside Michael had to wince because he was rather sure Jon was too young to understand such subtleties of expression.

He watched her leave and then Jon looked back at him, solemn and wary, his eyes to old for his age. The poor kid had been through a lot. "Hello Jon, I'm Michael," he said, extending his hand with a friendly smile. Jon examined him again before reaching out and taking Michael's slim hand giving it a formal shake. Michael hoped that with time he would get to the point of being able to hug the boy and have him acting like a normal child. But not yet.

"Why don't you show me your favourite books?" Michael asked and watched as Jon's face light up even as he tried to suppress it. Michael didn't try to repress his answering smile.

When Mrs. Sims returned Michael was sitting on Jon's floor, long legs folded under him, surrounded by little piles of books as Jon babbled about the next book on the shelf. Michael couldn't possibly remember all of them, but what was important was the unrestrained joy on Jon's face. It hurt to see it shutter again when his grandmother made a comment about it being irritating.

"I don't mind," He promised immediately and firmly reviving a ghost of Jon's previous smile and making the grandmother look slightly chagrined. "I'll be happy to come back."

The grandmother being a non-nonsense sort of woman nodded, said they'd see him again same time next week, and shoved the money they'd agreed on into his hand. He saw himself out, and didn't notice that Jon was following him until he felt a small hand tug on his jacket, turning around obligingly to find a book being shoved into his stomach.

"I want to know what you think," Jon said before skittering back upstairs to get ready for bed. Michael promised himself that no matter how busy his course schedule was he would find time to read the book before he came back to see Jon again.

Part 2: here

[eulchu]

im gonna get the record straight and be completely transparent.

i have never lurked critblr or leaktwt. i barely know who any of these people are. if you're critblr and i have you blocked it's because you interacted with dtblr and your url sounded weird, and people fact checked what kind of people were under your likes. or in your following list. you guys don't really know how to be subtle

many of us have been here for long enough to know urls of the people who post the most fucked up posts, because once in a while you'll pop up on the based on your likes tab.

implying im in critblr is fucking insane. i can genuinely tell all of you the exact number of leaked info i know. the truth is if you're in dtblr and you recieve more than 3 asks a day you ARE gonna get freak anons bomb dropping leaks in your askbox. there's unfortunately very little way of modding that. we try our best by blocking but every single day we get harassed with information we don't fucking want.

i am not in charge of the fandom and i will never be. tumblr is the least fucking relevant site in the fandom hierarchy. i'm no god of the fandom i don't make the rules of the fandom and i am under any impression than im more important than any other blog in dtblr. my blog would be NOTHING without all the members of dtblr. i am not special i am not famous. it's not my fault people who don't like being active blogs come into my inbox to express themselves. i don't pretend to be any authority figure. i say shit and if you agree with me cool and if you don't, that's cool too.

i am so fucking sorry that some of you have a complex over blogs that get attention, but that's not my fault. i have been here for Years of course i'm gonna have a big number of followers. especially since october all dtblr has tried so hard to not become what it used to be, and if you have a complex that's on you. there's tens of blogs with very little followers who are amazing. because a following count means NOTHING.

it's crazy to tell me im only finding reasons to shittalk dizzy and alison. i didn't know dizzy prior to their gross behavior regarding the shit they write about and the people they're friends with. if you know me well enough you'd know i have 0 problems with saying i hate x person for whatever personal grudge. i have done that plenty of times. i don't have to hide behind any excuse to shittalk someone.

calling me petty is ridiculous. petty over what girl? i'm just here to vibe idgaf what other people are up to if it's harmless shit.

yet another clinically fucking insane statement to make. i very politely to invite you to scroll my blog and tell me where i have confirmed anything. the only things i have talked about are dream's ex and those "body issues". i have never verified any kind of leak and you're insane for thinking i have. i genuinely invite you to send me one of those instances you talk about.

in regards of "a bunch of blogs complaining" i'd love to know what kind of blogs you're talking about because as far as i know the only conversation that's happened before regarding this topic, was something extremely similar to what i'm saying right now and not at all close to verifying any kind of leak. if you get those blogs on your dash that's a you problem and you should curate your experience better, but don't drag me into it.

yes. all of this. yes.

i do apologize for the confusion. dizzy didn't write that fic but they did defend it and they've co-written together before.

i'm not a lurker and i don't know them, don't think i know all this information because i'm a stalker. i don't even know alison's tumblr. some of these people used to be friends. friends of a lot of people in the fandom. but you can only cover your behavior for so fucking long, and then people talk, and shit gets brought up.

both alison and dizzy have done more than morally incorrect things in the past for other fandoms. other than the choice of the kind of fics they write and bookmark, they both are 100% friends with people who discuss doxxes like it's top of the morning news. dizzy particularly was part of the phandom in the side of phannies who harassed and were weirdly invasive of their lives to the point where it affected their mental health.

again, read what you want like what you like but be aware that these are the people you're reading fics of. hey if you're one of them, kudos to you. but genuinely. don't even try to say they're not the kind of people im describing right now. people across different fandoms who have had the displeasure of knowing them will tell you the same thing.

[aonoexpat]

10-08-2023

Yesterday, I spent the morning in Kaikōura, and joined a fellow Dutchie on a boat tour to spot albatross! These majestic birds hold the record for the largest wingspan of any flying bird on earth, even beating the condor. The ones we saw maxed out at about 3 meters, and they were a spectacular sight to see. They make a lot more sounds than I had expected, and boy are they fun :) The skipper had a batch of food that she could toss into the water to attract the birds, and they were clearly familiar with the process, because they were following us from the moment we left the harbour. This also meant they were not afraid of us at all, and were happy to get up close and personal!

My favourite one was the wandering albatross, which we saw the most individuals of. They are elegant flyers, slightly less elegant during landing and takeoff, and have the friendliest little faces...

...as opposed to the black-browed albatross, who looked perpetually pissed off for being beaten to the food by its larger cousins:

Other species we saw included the great northern petrel, a whole bunch of cape petrels (the smaller black and white birds in the photos above) who were masters at soaring along with the boat, Salvin's albatross, white-capped albatross, a couple of shags and plenty of seagulls. I did get seasick unfortunately as the sea conditions were labeled 'moderate', but luckily I had had maybe two bites of bread for breakfast so I didn't make a mess, and I had come prepared with ginger candy. The skipper gave me some nice warm ginger tea as well. Both she and the other passenger took good care of me ❤

After the tour I decided to give up my plans of hiking for the rest of the day, because a warning was issued for heavy snow in the evening. The skipper told me they might even close the state highway if it got really bad, so I didn't want to take my chances with that. As Kaikōura didn't make me feel very welcome in the first place due to their strict rules about self-contained camping, I packed up my things and left, heading down the East coast to Ōtautahi. It was another long drive, and I was really tired by the time I arrived. I was happy to find a parking spot for the night close to some takeaway junk food, and got settled for the bad weather to hit here as well.

And just as was forecast, today has been a hell of a rainy day in Ōtautahi, and, in all honesty, in my mind too. I know with a blog like this it can seem like everything on my trip is sunshine and rainbows, as you, as the readers, see the highlights. The highlights are what I take photos of, what I can passionately recount to you. But I won't omit the downsides. Sure, going on hikes and seeing spectacular sights is fun. But you know what's not fun? Waking up at 3 A.M. to a noise when you know you're all alone in a parking lot off an unsealed road in the middle of the woods. Getting told off by a town council member for not having the right type of toilet. Always being on the lookout for public facilities, all of which usually feel unsafe. Not knowing when or where you'll next be able to have a shower. A leaking faucet in the back of your van and constant worries about its status, hoping the cold weather isn't causing a mould infestation in places I can't see. Wearing gloves inside because it's literally freezing outside.

And the annoying thing is, I don't feel like I have a right to complain. I've got an extremely comfortable van with soft blankets, free electricity with my solar panel, drinking water, and enough resources to live from. But I'm all alone. All the time. The moments where the highs seem worth the struggle in between are starting to dwindle in numbers. The rest of the trip feels like a challenge I've set myself that I'll be happy to have overcome. I currently don't feel very excited about it at all. I know that will change, I know in a little while I'll look back on this and it'll seem silly that I ever thought about it, but today I really just want to go home.

I've spent some time today writing to Workaway hosts in the Ōtautahi area, hoping to maybe meet up and hang out with locals. I feel like I need to find some inspiration again, and making a more long-term plan will help. I would like to have a clearer picture of where I'm going, and when I'll get there. Maybe after this week I'll be able to form that picture. Because I don't want to give up just yet. There is still so much left to see and do. But I know in order to enjoy those things, I need to be in a better head space. How I'll get there, I'm not sure yet. But I am determined to.

(^ credit to pastel-hazy-dreams)

[pherryt]

For the fic ask: carry, joy or glow?

Okay, i have SO many WIPS but i first narrowed it down to about 8 - ones I'm currently making progress on or are almost out. A good number of those didn't have ANY of the words. A lot had extended versions of Joy (enjoy/enjoyment) but I went hard mode and went looking for only exact words. Since I couldn't do all 3 words, without having one fic have more rep than the other, I did 2 from each :D

Wound up with one Witcher Fic and one One Piece fic - read behind the cut:

WITCHER FIC:

Incubus!Jaskier (Jaskier/nearly everyone. Finished and waiting Beta - title still pending vote from beta but I think I'm leaning towards "Matter of Convenience")

Joy:

Vesemir shrugged, tapping at his medallion. “I’m a Witcher, lad. I can smell it on you, and feel your magic. Most incubi live among humans quite peacefully. I followed you out here simply to make sure you weren’t a danger. And you aren’t, at least not to anyone other than yourself.” The other man sighed. “Blessed Melitele, if I were, then you could have put me out of my misery.” Vesemir felt his eyebrows climb. “Are you that ready to give up?” He hadn’t gotten that impression from the way the man had comported himself inside the tavern. Even as unwell - hungry - as he’d been, he’d brought a little something special to that room, brightness and joy. “Only in my worst moments,” the bard admitted. “Some days weigh heavier than others.” Now that was a sentiment Vesemir knew all too well.

Glow:

Vesemir - feeling more off balance than he had in decades - cast widely around for a change of subject and his eyes settled on the two Cat Witchers who had not yet spoken. They were both of a height, and dark haired, like Aiden. The one on the left was leaner and his hair was the darkest - a true black that went past his shoulders. The other had a deep brown that was lighter than Aiden’s, and looked like it wanted to glow when the light hit. Aiden almost looked like he could be their son. Vesemir pointed at the trio. “What about them? Why should I let them in?” The leaner one snorted, making a sound of disgust. “You think we’d be welcome after we stood up for our Aiden?” he snapped out. Huh. Maybe Vesemir’s thought of ‘son’ wasn’t too far off the mark.

ONE PIECE FIC

I Don't Care (Sanji/Zoro - full title is that Fall Out Boy Song "I Don't Care what you think as long as it's about me"

carry:

Which Sanji really liked, actually. It was… fun. A challenge. Only Zeff could challenge him at the Baratie and Sanji's own guilt used to make him back off, and so he never was sure if he could best the old man or not. It had been a little stagnating, if truth were told. But here, he didn't have to carry that guilt anymore. And he could admit, that without their near daily fights, Sanji might have neglected his training, caught too much in the day to day of being a Strawhat cook. Zoro was a little right. Sanji never really took a break, but at the same time, he was doing what he loved so, how could he really complain?

joy:

It turned out to be another quiet day – no weird weather, no marines or other pirates anyway. The Sunny was never truly quiet with this bunch on board, but honestly, Sanji wouldn't have it any other way. Each day was a reminder of how different the crew was from his family. Their joys and dreams that had room for others, for kindness, for fun. Even Zoro, green haired and obsessed as he was with getting stronger, was nothing like Sanji's brothers. It may have initially thrown Sanji for a loop, but he'd realized pretty quickly that there was more to Zoro than first appeared.

[laxyaklovesloz]

The Legend of Zelda: Real Courage | Chapter Fifteen: In the Secret Corridor

The path to Castle Town was pretty much straight through Hyrule Field, and therefore uninteresting. The town was split into six sections. An outer wall hugged an inner wall about ten feet across. Guards stood in various spots within the gap and upon the walls, but they looked bored and lazy. There hadn't been any conflict in Hyrule for decades; most of the soldiers probably haven't been in real combat.

Inside the inner wall, the town was divided into four quadrants and the center of the city. Each area buzzed with people, but it wasn't as crowded as Kakariko Village, for which Lila was grateful. Castle Town was small enough, it didn't need a bunch of people pressed together.

As far as she could tell, all of the soldiers who should have been patrolling inside the town chose to congregate in the taverns. The sheer number of bars surprised Lila the most. While Kakariko had maybe two, Castle Town boasted two taverns in each quadrant. The town was not protected in the least. That was something Lady Ganondra would like to know.

Then again, she had sent Lila to Castle Town to orient herself, not give him details of its weaknesses. With that in mind, she began seeking out various pathways from each gate to the castle, which she had not yet seen. She wanted to discover other ways to the castle other than the main gates. The main entrance to the castle was foreboding with guards and openness. It was maybe the only well-defended location in all of Castle Town.

Mori was the one who found the sewers.

"Really? Sewers?" Lila complained. They stood – or flew – outside the entrance.

"Really. Secret tunnels," Mori replied with snark. "Your mission."

"Alright, alright. Sheesh."

Once underground, Lila was immediately accosted by a miniblin, its tiny spear jabbed into her kneecap.

"Ow!" she shouted and kicked at the offender. Several others swarmed to take its place. "Get away, fiends!"

"Meenp meenp!" they shouted back.

She pulled out her sword and swiped at the miniblins, but they stepped back from her blade as easily as though she was moving through a thick liquid. Frustrated, she growled, "Go away! Mori!"

"What can I do?"

"I don't know! Something!"

Mori flew down in front of the miniblins and flapped his wings hard. That was enough to scatter the miniblins, hopefully for good.

"Thanks. I don't know why that worked, but thanks."

"You're welcome, I guess."

The two continued through the sewers. Most of the muck flowed along the bottom, and ledges allowed for clean travel. ("Thank the Goddesses.") The miniblins poked around but didn't approach again. ("Annoying little demons.")

When Lila and Mori exited the sewers, they were in a prison.

"Is this the castle prison?"

"Must be. I don't know of any others in or near Castle Town."

"Nice. Now we know how to get in."

"But how do we get into the actual castle?"

"Um..." Lila pointed down the one way they could go. "That way, of course."

"It's probably guarded."

"Probably not. Why would they defend empty cells?"

"They probably know about the entrance to the sewers."

"Oh. Good point." Lila stopped walking. "Wait, what's this?"

Where she had stopped, there was a small opening that was hardly visible. Mori flew into the space, and his wingspan fit perfectly. Then he disappeared.

"Where'd you go?"

"Come in and find out."

Lila stepped into the opening. She couldn't see a thing and placed her hand on the wall. With her fingers trailing, she followed the sound of Mori's wings. Her foot hit something.

"It goes up," Mori supplied.

Lila took the stairs. They went up about two stories and then there was an arrow hall, still pitch black. At the end of it, she bumped into the wall. She would have panicked if she didn't hear Mori on her left.

"Hurry up!" he muttered.

"We've been over this," Lila replied, going up even more stairs, "I don't have lechonotation like you."

"Echolocation."

"Whatever! I'm blind here."

"Poor humans."

"Poor armless keese."

"Hey!"

Lila chuckled. This stair wound in a spiral and seemed to go on over twice as long as the first one. When they finally reached the top, Lila's foot fell hard on the floor. "Ooh, that was a jolt."

"Shh, I can hear voices."

"Really?"

Lila walked forward slowly, trying to calm her breathing. She kept one hand on the wall and the other outstretched. Slowly she began hearing what Mori was talking about. She gasped.

"Zale..."

"Shh!"

The talking stopped. Lila's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe Zale was within hearing distance. Her heart pounded, making her ears ring. She wanted so badly to see him again, but she didn't know why.

A girl's voice said, "I didn't hear anything. Zale, keep telling me the story! How did the Hero save the Zora?"

"Well, Zelda, he had to get eaten by a giant fish."

The girl gasped and squealed. She giggled, and Lila could imagine her rocking back and forth in laughter. "You're teasing me!"

"Nope, it actually happened. The Hero was swallowed by Jabun."

"Lila, let's go."

Lila knew this story. She didn't care to hear it. She just couldn't stop listening to Zale. She closed her eyes and felt tears. Maybe if she made a loud noise, she would at least have an excuse to talk to Zale, to see him.

She shook her head slowly. Such thoughts were foreign to her. She didn't know why she was thinking this way.

"Okay."

She turned around and left.

[the-enigmatic-universe-theory]

Chapter 3

Lorelai

I look around, following the sound of baby voices. Me and the kids decided to play hide and seek for the last hour of daycare, but I don't know if it'll last that long. The kids are quickly getting bored. They complain that I find them too easily, and it's true since they can only hide in certain spots. I have to know where they are at all times, so this is the only way we can play. I try to act like I can't find them most of the time, to make it last longer, still, the kids all agree that playtime was much funner without the restrictions. There's nothing we can do about it though, with the kidnappings happening more frequently we have to take every precaution to keep the kids safe. The thought of one of these beautiful little toddlers being taken sends knots into my stomach. The 10-minute bell goes off, telling me play times are up. 

“Alright Littles, it's time to come out now. Pickup is about to begin.” The children clamber out of their hiding places, yelling and shouting, excited to go home. 1 or two of the children boo, wanting to stay here. We go through this most days, and though it warms my heart the love being here with me, they still have to go home to their parents. “Let's grab our things from the cubbies and pack up!” They all crowd around the small cubby area and I have to remind them to take turns. Most of the kids in my care are 4-5 years old, just shy of starting kindergarten, and can do a lot on their own. 

Once pack up is complete they all return to their cushion seats, waiting for their parents to come pick them up. Even before the kidnappings, we've always had the adults come in to sign out their kids. It's a security precaution, and this way we can keep records of who takes the kids, in case of an emergency. 

Soon the parents start trickling in and getting their kids. As usual, one little boy is still sitting on his cushion when all the others have left. His mother is almost always running behind. I don't mind staying with but I can tell he doesn't like always being the last one to be picked up. 

After the first 10 minutes with his mom still being a no-show, I bring out the building cubes and let him play with those.

I sit at my makeshift desk and finish up some of my schoolwork for the day. Since I have to work a job most weekdays to support myself I take my classes online. I prefer it this way, fewer distractions, and I can watch movies while doing my work. 

After 30 minutes, and still no mom, I get up from my desk and go kneel beside the little boy. 

“Daniel, do you have any idea why your mom is so late?” I ask him gently. I know this must be uncomfortable for him, waiting for a mom that refuses to show. He shakes his head, and I can see tears in his big brown eyes. 

I pull him into a hug, telling him it's okay, trying to comfort this precious boy. “It's Okay, I'm sure she'll be here soon.” 20 minutes later, and his mom is nowhere to be seen. 

I gently let go of him, walking over to my desk. I pick up the desk phone and dial my boss's number. It rings a few times. “Hello?” comes a woman's voice from the other side of the phone. 

“Hi, this is Lorelei.” I answer. 

“Lorelei, how can I help you?”

‘Well, I’m still at the daycare, and I-”

“Why are you still at the daycare, it is well past your hours?” 

“Yes ma’am, I know,” I say respectfully, even though I hate to be interrupted. “It's just that I have a little boy here, still waiting for his mom to pick him up. It's not exactly uncommon for her to be late, but it's usually only 10-15 minutes or so. I'm unsure what to do.”

I hear some shuffling on the other end. “Do you have her name?”

“Yes, it should be in the previous sign-in sheets. Give me a second.” I set the phone down on the desk and picked up the sign-up sheets. I have to flip a page or two back and search for his name. I pick the phone back up. “Her name is Danielle Roberts.” 

“Ok,” clacking, like someone typing on a really thick keyboard, “We have all parent numbers on file in case of emergency. I’m going to pull hers up and you can give her a call.” More typing. 

“Ok, that should work.” I say. The doorbell rings, startling me for a second. I hear a surprised shout and turn in time to see the little boy jumping into his mom's arms. She looks frazzled. Her dirty blonde hair is falling out of her bun, her makeup is smudged and there's a mysterious stain on the front of her shirt. And I thought I was having a rough day. 

“Hello Lorelei, I’m so sorry I’m late. My boss needed me to finish up some paperwork before I left, and then I had car troubles. It's been a tough evening.” I can tell, she does look like she’s been through hell and back.

“It’s no problem. “ I say even though it kind of was. I was always a people pleaser. “Can you sign him out please?” 

“Yes, yes, I’ll do that now.” She comes closer to get the chart and sign him out, giving me a good whiff of her. Tuna, the mysterious stain on her shirt is unmistakingly tuna. I wrinkle my nose but don’t say anything. There’s no point in pointing it out. 

I pick up the phone, suddenly remembering my boss is still on the line. 

“Lorelei, are you there?’ she says.

“Yes, sorry. I don’t need the number, she just showed up.” I respond.

“OK, good. Be careful getting home then.” There’s a little shuffling on her end.

“I will, goodnight.” 

“Goodnight Lorelei.” she says, then hangs up.

I turn around and face Danielle and her son. “Are we all good here, have everything you need?”

“Yes. Thank you again. Come on Daniel, it’s time to go home. Tell Ms. Lorelei goodbye.” She takes his hand and leads him to the door.

He waves, “Goodbye Ms. Lorelei.” The door rings shut, and I take a deep breath. I love working with kids, it might even be what I want to do when I graduate, but it can be tiring from time to time. 

I push my hair out of my face and begin collecting my things. I’m putting the last item into my bag when the door rings again. It’s probably the Roberts, Daniel must have left something. “Hello-” I stop short when I see the person standing in the doorway. He’s tall, around six foot, and dressed in all black. A hood covers most of his face, and gloves cover his hands. “Excuse me, can I help you.” I ask, my voice calm, even though he is, by all means, the scariest person I have ever seen. 

“You’re coming with me.” His voice is a low rumble, quiet. Not a question, a demand. I look around for something I could use to get away. But everything’s been neatly put up and baby-proofed. I can only talk my way out of this.

“Why would I do that?” My fingers are starting to slightly shake, and I hope he can’t see how scared I am. 

“If you’re refusing,” a pause, “I’ll force you.” I let the threat sink in. There was a slight lift at the end of his words like he might have been smiling. He is trying to take me. 

   “Why do you want me?” I ask, stalling for time. I need a plan.

“I don’t want you, they do.” They, as in, multiple. I take a step back. He takes a step forward; his boot hits the table. He didn’t fall, or tip, it was only a small tap. 

“Why?” I ask again. 

“You’re asking too many questions. Come with me.” He takes another step forward, this time having to step over a table, which isn’t too easy. I have my plan. 

I take a step back, goading him closer. My room in the daycare isn’t small, not really, but it sure would feel that way to a 6-foot man with a big build, especially with so many tables and chairs scattered around. My only hope is to get him to trip, or get him into a position where I can run and he wouldn’t have an easy time catching me. 

“I don’t want to.” 

“You’re stalling,” he growls. He takes another step forward. “Come with me, or I force you.” Another step. Just one more, he needs to take one more. 

I shuffle backward until my back is up against the wall. Come on, come on, come on. “Please.” My voice is shaky, and none of it is fake. I flatten myself as hard as I can against the wall, getting ready to spring forward. Finally, he takes the last step. I bolt.

He’s lunging after me, but I was right. I can hear the bangs as he trips over chairs and tables trying to get to me. I swiftly move through the room. It’s almost completely dark, but I know my way home. This could work for me. Once into the open air, I’ll have to run as fast as possible, hopefully, this would have slowed him down enough for me to slip into the cover of the darkness, past the street lights. 

I step past the final table, and the bookshelves, putting my hands on the door and pushing. It opens and I break into a run, I still hear him. A sharp pain shoots into my leg, and I think I must've twisted my ankle, but I look down and instead see a dart sticking out of my leg. My vision goes blurry, and my breath is ragged and uneven. I stop running, I can barely hold myself up straight. I’m not. I’m swaying, bracing myself for the impact that's sure to come when I can no longer support myself. And then I drop, blacking out on my fall down.

[the-firebird69]

There's a giant giant number of things happening here In punta Gorda Florida they decided to get John remillard the hell out of there that one's complaining back had a terrible day. They're running around singing the song and it's horrible so we see that Garth is figuring stuff out he didn't want to play that I'm still standing and he heard what it sounds like coming from them so start playing it at these Trump rallies and they're horrified is him huge numbers of people go there and let me hear the music and it's piped in a little it goes off and then start singing it and they're horrible but right here in punta Gorda

-we have 50 million people lined up 10 miles outside Charlotte county and their enemy combatants and they announced it and they are dead and yeah we are announcing the death of higher ups or dying from the neighborhood it was like five houses total how about 20 houses have suffered glasses today there's probably five more houses involved but out of those 20 houses 10 of them are now defunct so that means 15 different houses and it's true they're actually going and my husband would know them by name from westborough and St John's Wentworth different names but he was running into them occasionally and it's only a few thousand of these people and they're 200 houses so really there's 185 houses left and they're being replaced by other warlock no their plans are disappearing and it's even if they see it before no. There's several more ways and rings and they're emptying themselves out I suspect an additional five houses might be leaving today and she's not to move out until their dead for the most part. Is a huge number of people wanted to move in. Including us and everyone's fighting over this houses and the remaining warlock from those clans getting whiped out.

-7 million idiots are trying to get into Charlotte county and they're getting wiped out and they come from all over the place mostly Florida these days it's saying half Florida and that's a lot

-200 million are getting hit to the west of where the wall will be in a big ring and 300 million in a second ring and on the other side of it about eight octillion are going to hit right now after that he's going to go home to eat something these people a bunch of rude f*** okay these people are f*****

-we see them riding around later cuz he's saying stuff and then get drunk and they really just are ready to check out I guess but there's other things happening in punta Gorda Florida they're at their 10% and they're reaching 50% and they woke up this morning and said I can't stand hearing me I can't stand listening to them I can't stand what they're saying I can't stand who they are and I definitely can't stand them bothering him or me and they decide to take out more they're up to 60% roughly or approaching it really and they will take out more and they're taking them out and following them around and grabbing them stopping them on the roadways call them all out it's quite a lot of people but that's what they're doing we're doing it too and foreigners and it's the law no terrorists Losers. I heard figures of expectations or even planned development of 85% today. We're moving forwards but that's a lot of people and if it's 85% the government they'll be firing Private industry too and probably even more and we'll see this afternoon that's a big chunk they're tired of trump and they don't want them flying around sticking in their face and December 7th is ridiculous and they're under the gun they don't have much time for these idiots

-15% of the population is evacuating today and maybe 5% more I hear two to three percent already because of what's going on with the government and these are people who are mostly additional to those getting laid off jobs a lot of private industries summer government but they want to leave people getting executed for doing stupid things and they went out 15% of the population but of the morlock that are here it's still a large number if you add that to the government employees and Private industry that are probably get killed today and people running around attacking walls I'm probably going to like 30% so only 70% will be left and they're not getting people in allegiant Air was stopped JetBlue was stopped Swiss Air was stopped and versions of Southwest Air and American airlines that they painted was stopped and they want to pretend they're Mexicans my husband says and misspelled American airlines. So naturally they get caught anyways but okay. I keep trying to get here and if they get on The airliner they're pointed out the whole time when they get off their pointed out and security grabs them and the max are questioned and then they're released every time.

-don't have a ton of time for these people and they're gross and they wanted to get bit by bugs so they get nailed with bugs lots of them a huge numbers go after them and they get really they get really sick quick and it's gross but we are attacking them and stuff because of what they're doing here two more minutes this area it's going to be quieter and people are coming in and pulling them out elsewhere switch over that's good it works

-there's a certain number of people that think we should get rid of assholes that are abusing him because it's not a good example to keep them around and we're actually trying to do that and we need assistance if you're of that opinion we would like you to join up forces with us and as soon as you can

-there's another thing happening they are trying to grab other people's belongings because they're finding it hard to get stuff even at Walmart they can't buy things because people won't let them they won't let the cards run so their eyeballing each other's stuff you keep going up to his bike and saying and that's what they're doing trying to threaten him to get stuff and we're pulling their card for it and a lot of people are for the threat and for trying to steal and people tell him to get out and every night people leave tonight the anticipate on top of today because they're leaving daytime they're leaving at 10 to 15% another 10 to 15% of the molar will exit making it about 40% of left today one way or the other and it might be more depending on private industries layoffs and people who quit

That's all I got he always ask me do you have anything more and their bother him and his stomaching it but he needs to get home and clean up and stuff it's itchy some bugs on him small ones. Couple bites so we're going to start up when I get there we have we're acquiring more companies today in pretty large industries hospitals and pharmaceuticals huge huge companies one of them when he said we acquired and would just be the about but we will acquire today

God bless all and thank you for listening

Hera

Olympus

[cometconmain]

My parents and a number of otherwise trying-to-be-respectful-of-trans-people people in my life would have had an easier time grasping my existence if I'd been binary trans, including my ex who is a trans woman and was constantly trying to push me toward being a trans man for some reason when I'm not.

I've met and seen a fair few people who can wrap their head around people changing between the accepted existing two genders, but identifying as anything else is a step too far and now this "whole gender thing is getting out of control."

I've seen someone arguing/'joking' that nonbinary is "just making a new binary because now you're either binary or nonbinary and doesn't that seem contradictory to you?"

There's a whole thing around creating a new slur for us called 'theyfab' that some other trans people made and do use to both complain about us not 'picking a lane' and insinuate that every one of us is definitely afab (of course amab nobinary people do not exist, fuck them apparently) because they see nonbinary people as solely cis girls thinking trans is a trend but are too cowardly to 'do it properly' because heaven forbid people have a process changing after a lifetime of trying to force yourself into one box because even when you learned trans people existed, the opposite gender wasn't how you identified so then the idea you might still not be cis took longer to sink in and even longer to build up the courage to implement if you could even figure out in detail what it meant to you at all because you didn't have existing societal 'templates' to try on and adjust to suit you, you just had to leap into the void.

We have to constantly justify to other trans people that we're not just "cis people who are gnc" and dealing with other trans people saying "can you please get your hands off the trans community because you don't belong here and are co-opting the movement from 'real trans people."

Hell, sometimes people try to point out enbiphobia is a thing and we'd like to be seen and recognized, only to have the person told basically doing point number three in responding but instead of 'making a new binary' it's now "you see this is just gender trinary? You see how you're now making non-binary a third gender, right?"

You see how you're joining in on shutting down conversation nonbinary people start trying to reach out and be heard about a different type of experience being not-cis in ways even other trans people shit on us for...

...right?

Not gonna lie, I'm kind of disappointed to see the cool trans masc person I followed for educational content on complex trans experiences I wanted to learn about (who literally has a post talking about how 'appropriation trans' is bullshit) seemingly outright falling for transmedicalist and terf rhetoric meant to split us apart. You literally had a trans woman coming in missing the point to scream about the fact she's still the most oppressed out of all of us when that wasn't the point people were trying to make as far as I could tell.

Just tentatively trying to point out enbiphobia is a thing has everyone up in arms against us. This is what we get all the time when we try to talk about this. You look the same as her you're just going at it from a different angle because (I think?) you at least managed to understand those messages probably weren't meant to come across as "and therefore Nonbinary people are the most oppressed actually. Stand aside trans women." Props to you for that I guess.

EDIT:

Ok I'm happy to recognize I may have misunderstood your intent as much as I think people have misunderstood anon's intent (I personally do think they're not barking up the right tree but I think I can see what's causing their frustration and the not-right wording). However I would like you to recognize 'gender trinary' language doesn't sound great either in the face of people existing who do intend to erase us trying to tell us we've 'reinvented the binary lol' just by identifying as nonbinary.

I'm ok to try to learn more about trying to help us all come together and figure out all the new language we have to invent to express our unique experiences of the world and how I might also need to adjust my understanding of binary trans label experiences being more complex than society's understanding of the chosen label. Just got a nerve pressed with your own wording in reply initially. Sorry.

Exept binary trans women and trans men have binary privilege over NBs. There's a massive privilege with being in the Gender Binarity.

okay but you see how you're just creating a gender trinary right. like you see how you're just recreating "nonbinary is a third gender" rhetoric. right. tell me you understand