#i have not personally vetted each of my followers on here so i don't wanna post bulge lol

[jazzums]

find the full geezer in lingerie on my priv twitter smokecaught

[cetrouz]

Okay, I remember that I didn't share the little thing I wrote of Jun's letter to Grey, two years after his departure. Because there are some new PTSD fans, it would be fun to share it.

Jun's Letter to Grey

Hello Grey. How are you doing from up above?

It's been two years now, I know. A long time, but I can't help but remember you sometimes. It's like I can still feel your presence some days, like you're watching over me. Whether you are or not, I wanted to let you know how things have been going here.

I've been taking good care of Red. He is still as daring and gentle as ever despite his age. He is good company, not just for me, but anyone. He also misses you dearly, he gives me company whenever I come to visit you. I've also been visiting your old place to check on your animals… although most of them left after your disappearance. Anyways, I did my best to take care of them for you. I thought you would enjoy knowing that.

Oh, I've improved and now I'm working as a medic, traveling around the city and treating other vets and others in need… I should have realized sooner that fighting and isolating myself for survival wouldn't bring me anywhere. But I found my humanity by treating and taking care of people. They were the ones who brought me hope. And I wanted to redeem myself by offering them the help that the drug dealers weren't offering before. Things aren't perfect, of course, but… it's largely an improvement. I feel much better than before, and without Sam's help, another kind veteran that helped me get out of the hole I was digging, it would probably be more difficult. I opened a clinic, right by Leona's shop, where I settled in.

Oh, and Leona… I wish you had met her… She was the kindest soul that still held onto me even when I was at my lowest. She was eager to help me and anyone she found that were struggling. I tell her about you, and she wishes she had met you as well. She would have tried to help you if she knew you before. Without her kindness and help, I wouldn't be the same as I am now. I owe her a lot… Really, I… I wish you could have met her. Sometimes I wish I could take you to her restaurant so you can have a taste of her unique cuisine… Her stews are the best.

Everyday… I feel more satisfied with this life. But as always, the memories of the war still haunt me. The nightmares are constant, and I'm reminded of the scar that marks it all. But… I'm not alone. I guess all of us veterans are left with this haunting scar of our past. I… still have a lot to do, to redeem my own person. I don't think I can grow out of this scar, it's just part of me. But, it's growing on me the fact I'm not alone in this. That's why I want to retribute the kindness others gave me, and to give them hope. It's the only way we can grow out of this constant pain we live in… Even if the government gave up on us, there's others willing to take us in and help us. And I wanna be there and do the same too. It's only fair… to let them know we are stronger as a community.

I still wish to live long years achieving to do what I'm doing. It's saddening that not many live long enough to meet the kindness of strangers and fellow vets willing to help each other… I wish you were here to see it. I miss you alot, Grey. The world wasn't fair to us, but you kicked the bucket too early. I also wanted to show you the hope I saw, and that was given to me. We could have gone back and lived normal lives to the most possible extent. You would be happy like this. Sometimes I feel lost and I think about you… A fellow vet who understands the pain of war. We could have held up each other together and followed on with a more satisfying life. But… I understand now you're finally at rest, away from all the pain, all of the scars. I guess you deserved a rest after all of this. I still have things to do while I'm still standing.

Anyways, the future seems brighter and more lively than before. I thought you'd be happy to know that. I've figured out what I want to do and what I need. And now… I'll help others to figure it out too. Like you, Red, Sam, and Leona helped me. And many others too. I'm doing what I can. I've been out of meds for two years, and there's no more bloodshed and fear on my path anymore. A strength I did not harvest alone. So, thank you Grey, thank you so much for everything.

We will meet again some day.

[davidmariottecomics]

The Perfect (Editorial or Agent) Match

Hey there, Yogi Bear! 

To start out today's blog, I wanna talk about a kinda fun recent thing. Steve Lieber, who I've mentioned before for having his 12 point portfolio review critique without even looking, asked about the writing review equivalent. Jim Zub took a stab at it and his list is pretty good. And Chip Zdarsky's were also recommendations! And all of these are from Bluesky, so hope you can read 'em all! But, while I liked the other lists, I also had some thoughts. So my 12 critiques are here, which I consider pretty supplemental to Jim's! 

And now that you've taken all this advice and are feeling really comfortable with your script, writer-type, what're you gonna do with it?! 

What Does an Agent do? 

Before I get too far, let me make explicitly clear--I do not have an agent. I've worked with a number of agents. I know lots of creators who have them. But I don't have one myself, so I can only provide so much guidance. Okay, that disclaimer out of the way, what is a literary agent and what do they do? 

It's a lot like other forms of agents you might've heard of. Your agent is a person who supports you and represents your interests in business. They are an advocate on your behalf. This means everything from reading your manuscripts to help refine/sell them to reviewing paperwork for you to making sure you're getting paid what you're worth and more. In the book market, there are certain publishers that will almost exclusively review agented submissions--you need to have someone who has been trained to know what the publisher might want and who has access to contacts there to advocate for your work. The reason for this is often to cut down on submissions that otherwise just have to go unanswered and to preserve some level of privacy for editors. Having an agent might not work for everyone, but if you can find someone who you like working with and can afford, they're going to be a lot of help. Agents can get your work to more potential buyers, help identify where your work will best fit in the marketplace, and, again, generally advocate for you.

But just like publishers and editors, not every agent is looking for every type of story. Specific agents, and even whole agencies, can have niches that they are interested in working in and representing. This is really important when we're talking comics. There are some agents that don't really represent cartoonists because they don't do art representation. There are some agents who only do art representation and might not be the right fit if you also wanna write. There are agents who primarily focus on books for middle grade or young adult readers. There are agents who just plain don't do comics. So how do you find an agent who might be a good fit?

Manuscript Wishlist

Manuscript Wishlist (or MS Wishlist) is *an* option for finding your agent, but it's one that I think can be really helpful. The basic idea of MSWL is that the website version has vetted agents and editors who have submitted profiles explaining what they are looking for in submissions. It's built off of a Twitter system where agents and editors tag posts #MSWL to flag the sort of work they're looking for from writers. One of the things I really like about the site is that in addition to details on what the agents and editors are looking for, and how to go about querying them, a lot of folks also take advantage of the sidebars that include things like lists of "what I like" so you can get an even clearer idea of if your work will mesh well with their interests and if your personalities will mesh well while looking to work together. 

There are a ton of other resources out there for how to write good queries and each agency/agent/publisher/editor is going to have their own submission guidelines that you'll have to look up and follow--so I won't get into those--but this is a way to start seeing who might be interested in building a relationship with you. 

Also, keep an eye on Publishers Marketplace. This is a primary source for what publishing deals are happening. Maybe you want to submit a query to an agent about a talking dog. Might be good to check publishers marketplace to make sure that agent didn't just sell a book about a talking dog. 

MSWL Editors

MSWL also includes editors and for similar reasons. Editors have things they're interested in working on and it helps clarify to agents and to unagented folks what sort of titles they might be interested in acquiring. I *do not* currently have a MSWL set up on my own because I am not currently seeking submissions (sorry), but next time I think I might be, I'm going to be looking into it because I know what sort of stories I like to tell and what I would like to see from other folks. 

Obviously, if you don't have an agent, double-check that the editor you're submitting to accepts unagented submissions. That's hugely important. But especially in comics, only taking agented submissions is uncommon. And if an editor is making clear what they'd like to acquire, you wanna get it in front of them because that is the most direct pipeline to traditional comics publishing. But it's also worthwhile to remember that because of how agents and editors work together, there's a lot of outreach between the two where editors are searching for talent, but only want to reach out, not be reached out to--especially if you're looking to do work on an existing property, rather than an original. 

Now I'm gonna go batten down the hatches and prepare to ride out the rest of the coming storm! 

See ya next time! 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), Honkai Star Rail (Video game), My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon), The Broken Room by Peter Clines (Book), Crime Scene Kitchen (TV show), Dumbing of Age (Webcomic), Shortpacked (Webcomic--though some of these pop culture strips sure are dated and/or in poor taste!), Solve This Murder (Podcast), Praise Petey (Cartoon), the acoustic Sonic Symphony performance at the Speed Cafe (see below), at time of posting having power and not a lot of rain/hurricane weather, owning (but not having watched yet) the Venture Bros finale movie, getting 3 5-star (the best possible) character pulls in a row in Honkai (but not the character I really wanted, who I only have like 9 days to get now if I can...). 

New Releases this week (8/16/2023): Brynmore #2 (Editor) Godzilla: The War for Humanity #1 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog #63 (Editor)

Final Order Cut-Off next week (8/21/2023--last day to get your preorders in): Brynmore #3 (Editor) Godzilla: The War for Humanity #2 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog: Amy's 30th Anniversary Special (Editor)

New Releases next week (8/23/2023): Godzilla Monsters & Protectors: All Hail the King TPB (Editor--on the latter half)

Announcements: Becca is at Cartoon-a Palooza in Temecula on 9/15 & 9/16. It's a cool free all-ages little con, so come on out and see them! 

Wanna support me? Consider joining my Patreon! This week, in addition to this blog (but without the Patreon plugs!) and one of my legacy blogs, I shared for the $10 and up members the script (and some extras) for my Beast Wars 2022 Annual story, "Rhinox's A-Maze-ing Adventure". You can only see it there! And I'll have more scripts, pitches, comics, etc going up in the weeks and months to come! Also coming soon, just coordinating with Becca, we'll be releasing a tease of a new comic we're working on together. It'll be on both our Patreons, but if you like art and adult art in particular, definitely don't miss Becca's either! 

Or, you can buy something from my webstore! A lot of what is there is no longer in print and won't be going back to print anytime soon to my knowledge. The stock I have up is pretty much the stock I have. And you can get it signed and personalized and sent to you for a pretty reasonable price which includes shipping.  Alternatively, I still have a few things up on eBay and I'm going to be adding a few more! 

Sorry to be hyping ways to send me money so much recently, but between rising rent and utility and gas costs, not so rising work hours/pay for Becca and I, and us also trying to plan a wedding for a year from now, money's been tight a lot! I know that's the case all around, and if you have been supporting me in any way, it has not gone unnoticed at all! This week, Becca and I checked out a venue that we really like for the ceremony and reception. So, hoping we can make that happen! 

Pic of the Week: I referenced it earlier, but the Sonic Speed Cafe pop-up here in San Diego did a special mini acoustic performance of the Sonic Symphony that's about to be touring the whole world! So we had three musicians in the restaurant playing some Sonic hits! It was a lot of fun! 

[mangocheesecakes]

If someone sends me a gfm link and asks me to help them boost awareness of it but has no posts on their tumblr whatsover. What should I do?

I mean I cannot dismiss them as scammer on the go. Because they seem to be following someone, a Palestinian, whose gfm link I helped boost. The tumblr blogger is following very few people otherwise. I am very confused as there is no way for me to check anything. This was the link they gave me.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/t3j6s-seeking-hope?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

tbh anon, I am as much at a loss as you are, and have been in similar predicaments these past few days.

Just a while ago someone also asked me to share their gofundme but when I looked up their url on the search tab, I didn't see any Palestinian users vetting them yet, so I asked if they would be willing to share their other social media accounts, and while they sent me a couple of links, one was privated, and on the others I could not find any post of the gofundme.

I have no way of telling if the accounts they shared were who they say they were and if they are indeed connected to each other. I could try asking for more info or maybe sending a message directly to their accounts, but I also don't wanna be intrusive and impose on their privacy especially during this time.

Some things are just beyond my capabilities, sadly. I did recommend to the person to get in touch with Palestinian users like @/nabulsi and @/fallahifag and hopefully they'll be able to get their blog/gfm vetted.

This gofundme you linked here is very new, with very few details, the text looks like it was quoted from somewhere else because of the quotation marks, and the goal is just €5,000. These are what's making it hard for me to determine whether they are genuine or not.

Perhaps the person who messaged you could also try contacting Palestinian users here who would be willing to look through their campaign and vet it. I'm sorry that this is the only solution I could come up with and recommend to you.

[silvygonzalez]

Council Meeting

The Council of Redwood is called to the Community Centre to discuss the report from Silvana González about Ares Melaina's alleged violent past.

@aresmelaina / @davxdalexander / @ermanodelgcdo / @ijemmaokafor / @isaacapatow / @salemcampbell

Ike

-standing, arms folded, keeping a weather eye on Ares- We're gonna listen to Silvy's side of things first. Don't interrupt her, Melaina.

Ares Melaina

-glances at Isaac, before standing up straight- Wouldn't think about it, sir.

Silvy González

-takes a deep breath- Thank you. Over a year ago, I was travelling with a group of fellow survivors. One night, my group was attacked by raiders. Ares was one of those raiders. I was the only one of my group to escape and survive. -takes a shaky breath- If Ares is going to be a part of our community, the Council should be aware of the brutality he's capable of.

Ermano.

-moves his gaze to Ares, watching his body language.- Please inform us Silvana.

Silvy González

-glances at Ermano when he uses her full name and she nods-

That night, the attackers surrounded our camp, effectively trapping us in. They took out the look-out first before starting with the rest of us. Before this night, we had heard stories of raiders attacking other groups for supplies but these guys did not care about our supplies. Before I escaped, I remember seeing Ares. He stood there, covered in the blood of my friends. 

-her voice breaks and she looks down as she composes herself- He was grinning, like he was having the time of his fucking life. 

-she looks up at each of the Council members- Even if I wanted to, and believe me I do, I can't forget that image.

Ares Melaina

-as he listens to her, he closes his eyes, body rigid; when her story ends, he takes a deep breath and opens his eyes again- Is it my turn now?

Ike

Not even close. And if I have to remind you again, you won't like the consequences.

-to Silvy- They didn't try to steal anything? Their goal was to murder your group?

Silvy González

If they did steal anything, they waited until everyone else was dead. I didn't hang around to find out.

David Alexander

-standing with his arms crossed and looking between Silvy and Ares and Isaac- Did he tell you this when he was being vetted, Isaac?

Ike

-takes a breath, clears his throat- No, he didn't. But I know him too, from back before the world fell. Twenty years ago, in New York.

Salem Campbell

You knew him? What happened?

Ike

He sold drugs to the guys at my halfway house. The ones who were in rehab and recovery.

Ares Melaina

-for a moment looks like he wants to say something, but stops himself and bites his lip-

David Alexander

Real winner, here, huh?

Ijemma Okafor

Forgive me my newness here, but those are the kinds of things y'all specifically ask newcomers to divulge when they're being vetted, right?

Ike

-sighs, rubs his eyebrows briefly- It's a sliding scale. There's the standard questions and then there's the things that each of us might wanna chase down specifically, if that's our specific area. Or if we got a hunch of something hinky. I didn't follow this one down because it was twenty years ago and I was willing to think he'd changed.

I figured he'd be a raider and I could keep an eye on him.

Ermano.

Still that’s something we need to know.

Ijemma Okafor

Oh, I don't even mean past past stuff, I mean...this wasn't just a matter of him failing to mention the murderous raid. Y'all specifically ask what kind of atrocities a person has had to commit since the outbreak, right?

Ike

If you're asking if he lied to us outright? Yeah. He did.

David Alexander

-sigh- So what options do we have here?

Ike

Well, you might notice signs of the absolute shit having been beat out of him, which was me. But this is a new thing to take into account. -lifts his chin in Ares' direction- Go on, then. Explain yourself. If you're tempted to leave anything out, don't. 

Ares Melaina

-takes a deep breath to steady himself- What she's saying is true. I was with that raiding group at the time, and I was there during the attack. -stops for a few moments, letting his eyes wander over the council, before coming to rest on Silvy for just a moment- Only thing I can say in my defence is that I didn't kill anyone. Not there. I don't know if any of you are gonna believe that, but that's the truth.

Ike

Pretty hard to get that image of you -- what was it, Silvy? -- grinning like he was having the time of his fucking life? Yeah. Hard to strike that from the imagination, Ares.

Silvy González

-she just nods in response to Isaac but doesn't say anything-

David Alexander

-senses Silvy is extremely bothered and walks up to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly.-

Silvy González

-lets out a shaky breath as David squeezes her shoulder. She is trying her best to not cry.-

Ares Melaina

It was a damn massacre. -his voice becomes raspy for a moment and he clears his throat- We hadn't done anything like this before. We attacked other raiding groups, for the most part. We didn't just... slaughter random survivor groups for the sake of it. I just... something broke. By the end of it. Seeing all those people dead. -looks down at the floor for a moment, to collect himself- Ain't here to throw a pity party for myself. In that moment I just laughed. I couldn't control it.

Ijemma Okafor

-shaken, baffled- You didn't kill anyone there, you specified. -turning to the other council members- Did he admit to killing someone else? -turning back to Ares- Did you kill with that raiding party somewhere else?

Ares Melaina

-nods- I did. In that area it was almost like gang wars, practically. Raiding parties killing each other for territory 'n shit. I... I killed people there.

Silvy González

-opens her mouth, determined to state she was certain Ares had killed some of her old survivor group but she doubts herself. She remembers seeing him there that night but can't remember seeing him actually killing someone. Instead she closes her mouth again and shakes her head-

David Alexander

-squeezes Silvy's shoulder again- Hey, you okay?

Ermano.

-lets out a breath and shakes his head- Silvana, I'm going to ask you a bit of a personal question, apologies if it makes you uncomfortable. Did anything happen to you during the attack? Were you assaulted?

Ijemma Okafor

-nudging Isaac did he tell y’all about the other killing?-

Silvy González

-to David- No but yes.

-to Ermano- I fought back. I have scars but no one tried to sexually assault me if that's what you're asking. They didn't seem interested in that kind of attack, only the slaughter.

Ike

-leaning down to Jemma, quietly, still keeping an eye on Ares- Nope, nada. This is the first I'm hearing of it.

David Alexander

-to Ares- So then why didn't you come clean about this when you got here?

Ares Melaina

-seems genuinely shocked at Silvy's statement, but shakes it off to answer David- 'Cause I thought you wouldn't let me in if I did.

Ike

I've asked Ares all I wanna know. We can send him out when the rest of you are satisfied.

Salem Campbell

I've heard everything I need to know.

Ermano.

I have a question. -looks to ares- Are you working with them now? Were you tasked to infiltrate our community to eventually break them in and take over?

Ares Melaina

No. No, they're dead. The raiders. Killed by another group. I don't think any of them survived.

David Alexander

And we should believe you now because....?

Ike

-unfolding his arms- Because all he's got is his words and what he does from now on. And me. I vouch for him.

Ares Melaina

-turns to answer David but is stopped by Ike's answer; eyes widen in surprise as he blinks at Ike, before turning to the rest of the council- As Isaac said. I got nothing but my words. If you believe me is up to you.

David Alexander

-glances at the rest of the council - alright, I've heard enough.

Ermano.

I don’t feel comfortable putting you out. Who’s to say you don’t round up others and seek revenge. -he sighs, hating this process, finally understanding why jason left. his heart breaks as he gives Silvana a once over.- Council vote. Ares stays or goes. I vote stay.

Ike

I think we should toss Ares out of the room for this, boss.

David Alexander

I'm with Isaac on that

Ermano.

-he sees no point but nods in agreement-

Ike

-nods at Ares- Outside, you. Silvy, if you wouldn't mind staying?

Silvy González

-is now feeling sick to her stomach but craving something hard to drink. She numbly nods in response to Isaac- Sure.

Ares Melaina

Yes, sir. -turns and leaves the meeting room-

David Alexander

-starts to rub between her shoulder blades as he senses how uncomfortable she is-

Ike

I know this is rough on you, Silvy. Thanks for staying. I just ... kinda want you to know the reasoning behind our votes. You deserve that.

Silvy González

-appreciates how David's reassuring touch is stopping her from spiralling completely. Again, she nods at Isaac- Thank you.

Ike

-takes a breath, looks around at them- I think he should stay. He's one of my guys now and I've got him on a leash. And not for nothing but ... I was in the same shape when I got in here. There's shit I did with the Reavers that's as bad as or worse than anything that shitbird did.

Ermano.

As much as I hate it when we agree, I'd be lying if I said my ledger was clean. We've all done things before getting here.

David Alexander

True, but none of us have lied about it. If he's lied to get in, who's to say he's not just telling us what we want to hear now so he doesn't get kicked out?

Ike

I didn't lie, but that's because I couldn't. You all knew I was with the Reavers. There's lies and then there's omission.

Ermano.

Salem, you've been quiet. What are your thoughts?

Salem Campbell

-seems to think about his decision before taking a deep breath- I vote leave. I don't think he'd do it again, but... -glances at Silvy- I'm not sure if he'd be good for the community. We can't exactly trust him.

Ermano.

I agree with you on the trust. But if he's here, we can keep an eye on him. If it's out there, who's to say he won't come back. He's been in long enough to snuff out any weaknesses we have.

Ijemma Okafor

If y’all permit it, I’d like to know what Silvy thinks of the prospect of him staying.

Ike

Of course. That's why I wanted her to stay behind.

David Alexander

-nods and looks to Silvy -

Silvy González

-as much as she detests the idea of Ares staying, she can see the logic in allowing him to stay. She gives each of the Council a grim look-

I don't trust him. I'll never trust him. For the rest of my days, I get to live with the image of what his gang did to my friends. If he stays, all I ask is that I never have to deal with him unless necessary and if he goes rogue, I get the right to tell you all 'I told you so'.

David Alexander

-sighs as he looks at the group- If he stays, someone needs to keep an eye on him. I don't like the idea of him roaming around all on his own when he's not out raiding with Isaac.

Salem Campbell

I'd suggest Isaac is responsible for him, since he vouched for him.

Ermano.

Agreed

Ijemma Okafor

Especially since Silvy herself is half our inside security.

Ike

-looks profoundly uncomfortable- We, um. Nicki and me hit a bail bond office a while back. We snagged a couple ankle monitors, I just ... didn't think we'd need 'em.

Ermano.

-looks at isaac- Did you bring them back or keep them there? How far away is it?

Ike

They're in the overflow storage. I was thinking to use them as trackers for other purposes, but I suppose we could use one for what it's intended for.

And -- yeah. I'll make him my responsibility.

Ermano.

What other purpose? -he thinks for a second- Nevermind, that's a conversation for another time. Right. Are you okay with that Sil?

Silvy González

As ok as I'll ever be with any of this, yeah

Ike

Thanks for bringing this to us, Silvy. I've got some business I gotta talk to the Council about, now.

Silvy González

-nods- If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bar. -walks out-

Ermano.

-crosses his arms and faces isaac- What's on your mind?

Ike

Well. I had some time to think on it, and -- no offence, Davey, you've got your ... qualities -- but I want Renee on the Council. To take Tristan's spot.

Ermano.

-looks to salem then to david- I know you weren't exactly thrilled for the spot. I personally see Renee qualified. -looks back to salem- You on board?

Salem Campbell

If Renee can handle it, besides her work as a doctor.

Ermano.

I'm assuming you talked to her about this already, Isaac?

Ike

Yeah. She's game.

David Alexander

Oh thank God

Ermano.

Fine. Renee it is. David you're relieved, and relieved. -ermano smirks more at himself for the joke-

David Alexander

-Two finger salute and walks out after Silvy 

Ike

Great, done and dusted. One of you guys can go tell her -- she doesn't associate me with good news. And besides, I got an ankle monitor to attend to. -lopes out, collecting Ares by the collar of his shirt and marching him out of the community centre-

David Alexander

I'm gonna check on Silvy -leaves after Ike-

Ermano.

I'll tell Renee the good news. -he looks at Salem- Or bad news. Whichever way she views it.

Salem Campbell

Well if she's on board, hopefully good news. Jesus. rubs a hand over his face- I gotta go. I just hope we're not kicking ourselves in the ass with this.

[observer-of-the-world]

Okay i haven't read everything bc it's a lot but i have to talk about this

I worked on a huge YouTube channel here in brazil for a few months and although i don't think they're as deranged as MrBeast, it was still weird as fuck

First of all, the e-mail advertising the positions they were looking for was extremely unprofessional, to the point that if it hadn’t been vetted by my uni I'd think it was a scam or something. They're a children's channel so they used very informal language, and I kid you not, one of the questions on the application form was "what’s your favorite movie?"

I mean, it doesn’t fucking matter??? I'm gonna do my job regardless of the project being similar to my favorite movie/genre or not. This shouldn’t be a deciding factor.

And then pay vs job. The position was advertised as an internship, and i thought I would be mentored by someone, which ended up not being true. Someone would give me the assignments but I'd have to figure out on my own how to do them. I was okay with that because of the pay, which was a bit more than most internships, but it also made me raise an eyebrow.

Well, in the end my concern became reality: it wasn't an internship. They just advertised it as such so they could hire students. They ended up firing a friend and I because we couldn’t work 8 hours a day (because of uni) and they hired someone to do my job but 8 hours a day FOR THE SAME PAYMENT.

This was their plan all along, keep us there until they found a sucker that would work more than us for the same payment.

Also in the first meeting they said they were looking for people who "would give their everything until they became a part of the family" which just irked me sooo bad, and they did end up requiring some whacky shit from us.

And then the job itself.

We were supposed to get all the scripts for the following week on friday, so we could get there on monday already aware of what we had to do/buy, cause monday was the day we went shopping for supplies (let’s ignore us having to do the reading during our off time). Except this never happened in the 5 months i worked there. Not a single time were they delivered on time, sometimes they would get there on WEDNESDAY of the following week (so 5 days late) and we had to scramble to get shit done on time.

Also, they were sooo averse to the organization used in movies, they were against any kind of organization, we asked for a certain document in our first week and they gave us a document, we said that wasn't it, the one we were asking for was supposed to be a lot more detailed, so the person got mad and told us that was all they had and we had to make it work.

Whenever we tried to show them a document and be like "this is really helpful! It would make everyo one's lives easier!" they would immediately shut us down with "we don't do that here".

OH ANOTHER THING I JUST REMEBERED!!

They hired us as if each of us was a "company" instead of a person (which is fine and legal here), EXCEPT that means we shouldn’t have fixed working hours. This model of hiring you get paid for doing the job (for example: 5 props for a video) so it doesn’t matter if i took 30 minutes or 3 weeks to do the job yk, it’s like, instead of perks like paid health insurance and everything as an employee you get flexible working hours and home office.

BUT THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN!!! I HAD FIXED HOURS!!! IN PERSON!!! WHICH WAS ILLEGAL!!!

IF YOU DON'T WANNA GIVE ME EMPLOYEE PERKS YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO REQUIRE I WORK ON AN EMPLOYEE SCHEDULE!!!

And one day i had to paint a wooden box. Easy enough right, just paint it plain red? Well, it would be if we had any kind of paint. We had ran out of spray paint and acrylic paint a few weeks before and even though i had requested more to be bought, they hadn't. So i went to my boss, who just told me to "figure a way to do it and get it done" and not to bother the Boss (aka the YouTuber and owner of everything).

I found some red cardboard and decided to line the box with it, and it actually turned out quite nicely. Well, the next day i discovered my boss didn’t agree with me and yelled at me to hell and back about ir, saying it looked disgusting and asking why i hadn’t talked to her about the paints. When i told her i had and she had dismissed me, she just said "well it doesn’t matter, you shouldn’t have done this garbage."

One day they sent my friend to buy some peppers, he asked how much and they just told him "however much he thought was needed" and then yelled a lot at him when the amount he brought wasn't enough.

Another day he was tasked to send the costumes they used to be dry cleaned. When he told them he couldn’t because he had a court hearing that day they flipped out. He was literally about to face his abuser in court and these people were more worried about shitty costumes.

Anyways, i just wanted y'all to know this isn’t just a MrBeast thing, it’s a big youtubers' thing. People whose earnings come from YouTube are a fucking nightmare to work with and I hope i never work with any of them ever again

Hi I'm that person who made the original post about "no doesn mean no" when a small bit of the mr beast company document was leaked, well, now we have the full document (thanks rosanna) so I'm going to go over it. Please note I am not a lawyer or a business man, I'm in college for psychology, so I might misunderstand some things or make the wrong conclusion. However, if this is a document made for the average mr. beast employee, if I cannot understand it properly, then im sure some employees also struggled

First of all, the opening paragraph. Like I get it's supposed to be like, to put people at ease, but

This is so strange? Like, first of all, this is your EMPLOYEE MANUAL, you should have run it through like, a spell check? Or had someone edit it? This is already incredibly unprofessional. Also the promising of a thousand dollars if you pass a quiz on it? It's bizarre and I'd love to see if it's an actual quiz.

Jimmy, hun, please god get an editor for this you're already trying my patience.

YOU SHOULD, you genuinely should, while interconnected these are all COMPLETELY different jobs, if you think you could write a separate manual for each branch you SHOULD

I'm sure I'm about to get an answer but what the fuck is the best YOUTUBE video then? If it's not comedy, its not production, its not quality, its not look, then what the hell is left? (monetization, it's monetization)

First of all, Jimmy, why are you using internet lingo in this, it's not a text message, this is not a place for, idc, and lol, and not capitalizing your headers correctly??? Also like I said, he's chasing trends for monetization, and also he's just wrong, there are plenty of hollywood level shows and the like on youtube. You fully admit you do not care about trends and actively rush things?

This is just fucked??? Like of COURSE IT MATTERS??? Results based company is bullshit, your employees that worked for five weeks and failed aren't "lesser" then James, it's a structural failure! They still worked for HOURS to try and succeed?? That shows merit and loyalty??? What the fuck???

Rosanna covers this one in her video but it's worth restating that this is FUCKED??? It's clear overwork "your job is your family" culture. Especially the use of the word obsessive? If you do not OBSESS over your work, you are considered poisonous. NO WONDER we have so many reports of employees doing things they feel is dangerous or unsafe, if they don't they're considered POISON to the company.

The formatting in this doc continues to fucking kill me, what are you DOING man GET AN EDITOR

This feels like such an easy fix of just...make the thumbnail after the fact? Or only make a rough draft of one first? Like if production makes a red bouncy castle instead of a yellow one, that feels like an easy fix to the thumbnail OR a communication error, and again, that's on management

A lot of the next stuff is like analytics stuff that for the most part I can't really speak on as someone who does not do any of this stuff. There are a few things though

Which like???? what??? a lull??? what do you mean "watching a video without even realizing they are watching a video??" That doesn't scream good or even mediocre content to me. If I'm actively tuning out as I watch a video, that's bad. Especially because there have been plenty of times I've been like half way through a video i go "hey this sucks actually" and click off. They actively want their audience to not be paying attention to the video so it runs all the way through, that's kinda pathetic.

I don't actually know if this is common or not in this industry, but as an outsider this seems INCREDIBLY micromanaging to me, to an immense degree.

Jimmy why are you putting swears in your employee manual?? sir??? and also something about this whole thing icks me out, I don't quite have the words but the whole emphasis on "im different im special no one else can be me" just reeks of something kind of manipulative

Why is production changing so much Jimmy??? Infinite growth is the mindset of a cancer cell Jimmy! This is incredibly unstable working conditions! Also again with the word obsession, if you take time out of your own day on your own time to watch hulu, that's seen as not being obsessed enough for the company. This is nonsensical!

Again, this is INSANELY micromanaging, and also so fucking unhinged??? "God himself couldn't stop you from making this video on time" is NOT a healthy work mindset, things HAPPEN!!!

In this segment he's actually talking normal things but I did just want to highlight his use of "freaken" who the hell puts that in an EMPLOYEE MANUEL

Again with the micromanaging, and the immense pressure on employees for problems OTHER people do. While he's not fully wrong that you should be in more contact with the contractor then the example, this is too much in the other direction. How much time in the day does he think people have?!

My kingdom for a fucking paragraph break dude, my fucking eyes. Also this is a lot of "im so great and do everything and you should do more for me and if i dont know something that's your fault" for something titled "I am not always right"

I'm getting lazy with my highlighting, but again, the micromanaging? If you're SOOO busy, the first question should be the ideal? it's quick and makes a quick decision, while the second one meanders and meanders

Again, Jimmy is pushing blame for HIS mistakes on OTHER PEOPLE. For again, a section called "i am not always right" hes taking NO accountability for that and just making the SAME excuses he's berating in other places.

I can't even tell what he means here AN EDITOR JIMMY

Autism Hell tm, PLEASE email me so I can DOUBLE CHECK IT, things in writing are SO useful

Again the language towards "C-Players" which as mr beast has said, are the people who y'know, are NORMAL employees who DON'T live and breathe this company

Okay first of all, a Lamborghini is like 300k so that's already A REALLY hard task, and i sure hope don't usually put typos in the tasks. SECOND of all the fact he thinks its okay to go "hey if the studio is literally on fire around you and you stop working to get the Lamborghini, you're not doing good enough" even if he claims it as a joke is NOT OKAY what the FUCK

We've covered this before, but to reiterate this segment is named after a sexual assault reference when it could have been named ANYTHING ELSE and harasses employees and pressures them to break rules, don't do that.

I'm not an editor, so maybe this is normal, but as someone from the outside it seems strange to put this much emphasis on dividing focus between so many videos at once.

Jimmy, hun, are you paying extra for this? Because if I'm an editor and you want me FILMING stuff then i want to be paid more for doing TWO jobs and I probably still wont be as skilled a TRAINED CAMERA MAN

First of all now THAT'S a type, consteatants. Also the fact they are aware that leaving contestants out in the sun is bad, why are you not doing MORE TO STOP IT BEYOND "hey maybe giving them three hours of heatstroke is bad, try only two next time"

Don't we love favoritism, more shitty unprofessional writings, and a completely unstable work environment?

If your people have to pull all nighters period something is wrong, and if something happens to an employees car that could have seriously hurt someone, i sure hope you care more then just "LOL FUNNY" Who's picking up the broken glass? Who's reimbursing the car owner? That one meme of "your first care should be commitment to the bit" is a MEME jimmy, it's not ACTUAL ADVICE

Ah shit I hit image limit, well, you've seen enough screenshots to know these are screenshots, we're almost done I'll put them in as quotes

"Let’s say you are tasked with finding us a castle to live in for 50 hours and while doing research you find a castle and a number to call for the owner. So you do call, and he answers. Only problem is he says he quit the castle renting business to pursue his dream of building a 100 foot tall lego catapult. You can obviously tell where i’m going with this. Ideally you’d recognize that’s badass as fuck and try to convince him to let us use it when we do find a castle. This is a bad example because it’s so obvious but if you’re doing your job right you will be doing an absurd amounts of calls and data collecting. While trying to complete your prios and prepare for the video you should always be on the lookout for new things you can bring to your creative team to inspire them. Because just like me, they don’t know what they don’t know and you can’t just say “i’m in production and i’m not very creative” because that’s literally the equivalent of saying I suck at what I do. You also need to apply this same mindset when problem solving because many people lose sight of this stuff when in the weeds. If a problem appears, always always always ask yourself if your new plan is whats best for creative, not just the easiest bandaid."

First of all it's really funny seeing all the red lines pop up, second of all this insistent blurring of everyone's job seems so strange? Again maybe this is normal, but it really feels like Jimmy wants everyone working every job, instead on focusing on what they are actually hired to do.

"What is the goal of our content?

To excite me. The goal of our content is to excite me. That may sound weird to some of you, especially if you’re new but to me it’s what’s most important. If I'm not excited to get in front of that camera and film the video, it’s just simply not going to happen."

That's fucking weirddddd, like I get that he's trying to be like "im authentic" but it always feels like a bad sign when the goal of a company is literally just "What amuses the boss" like...bad sign

"this is youtube and there are constraints. You know the video can’t be a minute so you’re obviously going to need a story to hold the viewers and there are rules to storytelling. Our audience is massive and because of that you have to be simple, for 50 million people to understand something it must be simple. Content can be anything but there is structure and rules that we must mold it into that I want to teach you about, because virality doesn’t just happen. Every frame of our videos will be seen by 10s of millions of people"

Gross

"I'd say the average MrBeast viewer is a teenage memer that likes video games."

Mr Beast is completely aware of his demographic and puts screen shots of it, he is very aware his stuff is aimed at kids, even when its about gambling or hiring people not around near minors

"I feel silly for having to write this but all the time I talk to 32 new people that have at most seen like 5 or 6 of our videos and it’s mind blowing that they don’t see a problem with that lol."

It's almost like your audience is teenage memer and that people who working here are not in fact, teenage memers.

"What you consume on social media, when you watch youtube, tv, the games you play, etc. are what I like to call your information diet.

How do you stay up to date on the latest memes? How do you know what’s going on with celebrities? What’s trending on youtube? What other creators are doing? What’s popping on tik tok? Your information diet. Consume things on a daily basis that help you write better content."

If my job as a creative writer had my boss tell me to have to see whats "popping on tik tok" as part of my job i'd quit also again, the micromanaging of someone's life as well pops up again, it's weirddd

"It’s okay for the boys to be childish

If talent wants to draw a dick on the white board in the video or do something stupid, let them. (assuming they know all the risks and arn’t missing context on why it’s not safe) People like when we are in our natural element of stupidity. Really do everything you can to empower the boys when filming and help them make content. Help them be idiots"

More favoritism

"If you’ve made it this far you are probably at least semi interested in this being your career. So I wanted to chat about it. Because if you're ambitious and want to dedicate your life to work, you picked the best company in America to do it at. I really don’t care to hoard a bunch of money and I deeply believe in rewarding the people that help this business get where it needs to be. But before I get into that, let’s talk about the future. As I write this we have 2 teams, that will grow to 4 in the next year. (and possibly 8 in the next 2 years but I can’t talk about that cause james will kill me haha). We need more leaders in the company. Weneed hard working, obsessive, coachable, intelligent, grinders that can step up and take some of these leadership spots over the next 2 years. Every single department has an opportunity for you to grow in and you’re in luck because we don’t do yearly reviews. We do whenever the fuck you want reviewes"

Lack of communication from management, and more emphasis on grinding and crunch culture, goodie, all while riddled with typos! God.

"I see a world where this company is worth billions and one day 10s of billions. And those of you that help build this will be rewarded. I want nothing more then for you to go all in, obsessive all day everyday, and become so god dam valuable this company can’t operate without you. And in return for becoming so valuable I hope to give you incredible experiences, a fun place to work, and of course, more money then you could ever dream of making at any other company."

I feel like I'm reading a fucking pyramid scheme document here, "youre so so valuable spend literally every minute of every day on this company haha" good GOD man

[savannahsdrabbles]

Hey this might be weird so if it is I’m so sorry but I really need some kind of opinion on this (someone who is Christian) and my family are not but anyway a quick one about dating ??

Idk if you or any of your followers could add anything / help. Someone I’ve known as a friend asked for a date and he recently seemed like he was interesting in taking the next step into Christianity and I thought idk if I wanna even open that door w someone who’s not been a full believer but he seems genuine enough… however I sometimes think he’s just saying stuff because he knows I am a Christian idk. Like we agree on general stuff from what we want but it seems like he’s v over bearing. Examples are - if I haven’t messaged him back yet that day, he will almost certainly send something else and by the time I reply there’s like 3-5 messages sometimes he ALWAYS sends selfies of himself like in bed or old photos of him in suits but the caption is always like ‘my eyes are so weird tonight isn’t it sexy’ or ‘look at this sexy guy’ but it’s in like a joke format but it’s so often it’s like ???? Why are you sending me this lol

Also (this is pretty long I’m sorry haha) I’m a vegetarian (have been for a while and I don’t care who eats what if it’s not me!) but he told me if I personally want him to go vegetarian then he will… or like so eating is easier?? Like he thinks I can’t just order my usual vegetarian foods that I’ve always done idk it’s bizarre to me but he’s always eaten meat and it’s like he’s specifically saying ‘if YOU want me to’ it’s just so weird hahah anyway please, any advice is like truly appreciated 😂😂

Hey! :D No worries about asking!

I totally get the idea of trying to vet and determine how dedicated someone ACTUALLY is as a Christian when it comes to dating. I've been experimenting with dating apps for a few months now, and there are SOOOO many people who will call themselves Christians, but the second I ask a question or try to dig deeper, they'll end up saying that they really just go to church every once or consider themselves 'spiritual'. XP It's frustrating. I think that it's important for both partners to not just claim the concept of Christianity, but to have the same level of seriousness around it.

In my opinion, dating is a process of getting to know someone and testing to see if they would be compatible as a spouse. All that to say that I'd really want to sit down and speak directly with this person. Ask him what exactly he believes, how solid he is in that, and then what he's looking for in a relationship. If you're already getting an icky feeling now, I'd take that as a sign that you should probably call it off. Let both people grow, and then if it's meant to be, God will guide you guys back to each other. If not, maybe your words will help nudge this guy more in the direction of trying to take his faith seriously.

Based on the random pictures and stuff he is sending you (and to be fair, I don't know this person) but it sounds like he might be a bit immature? I don't know how old you guys are, but that sounds like something a 15-16 year old guy would send, lol

I think he's honestly trying to be nice though about the vegetarianism. Like if he thinks that eating meat makes you uncomfortable, he's offering to avoid doing that in front of you. Personally I think that's kind of him, even if it's a bit unnecessary. :)

I hope that helps any - feel free to send me another ask or DM if you want to keep talking! <3 It's always nice to find other Christian ladies on here!

[fairy-writes]

Hi im here for the 600 follower event. (Congrats btw, you deserve it!) ❤❤❤ can i get matched with bakugo, hawks, and aizawa from mha. I think i got everything, sorry if i missed something.

I have red hair with blueish grayish eyes. I am chubby and have freckles all over my body except my face. I tend to wear dark clothes (kinda emo style), however if im not i wear hoodies and sweats.

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bisexual (tho leans towards males)

Kids: i dont really want them, for multiple reason some personal (stuff to do with trauma).

Dream career: i wanna be a vet and take care of animals helping them.

Side info: i have a low thyroid, that makes it really hard for me to loss weight no matter how i eat or exercise, tho i am going to different doctors for that.

Personality: I don't talk to people I don't know usually and can seem shy but once I get to know them a can be talkative and a little bit loud. I don't really hate people unless they give me a reason too. I don't get annoyed or mad easily. I make dark jokes most of the time they're directed to myself. I try to be supportive of my friends but if I know what they're doing is stupid than I will call them out on it. I'm really into the emo style. I do suffer from anxiety and depression, I also am touch starved (tho I will never ask for physical attention, the other person will have to do it first for me to return it probably it depends on how close i am to them). I have anger issues but they usually only get bad if I don't get enough sleep. I'm usually the most responsible one out of my siblings and like to keep my grades up most of the time.

Hobbies: reading, drawing, watching anime/tv shows, writing, painting, going on late night drives, witch craft stuff and going on walks.

Likes: anime, art, music, nightmare before Christmas, harry potter, the colors black and purple also green alot, scented things, candles, Halloween, fall weather, animals, and fuzzy blankets.

Dislikes: spiders, liar's, blend food, and people who can't clean up after themselves.

Hello lovely! Thank you for the congratulations! I hope you like your request!  

Bakugo Katsuki Request: 

Compatibility: 46%

How Did You Meet?: At UA! You meet in your third year, and you are in the support department and work on his hero costume. 

How the Relationship Will Work From Day to Day: Usually, Bakugo needs you to fix something, so he’ll come bug you when he has free time during school. He’s nice enough to walk you home though it is usually filled with bickering or you chastising him for being too reckless at that day’s training exercise. 

Marriage?: He’d need serious therapy before he’s stable and well enough to consider marriage. That being said, I think you two would need some serious marriage counseling if you want to be happy. Bakugo is just such a volatile and angry guy (yes, I know he’s getting better, but he’s not perfect and still has a way to go, in my opinion)

Kids?: I feel like Bakugo would need serious therapy, as I stated above, before kids are even a thought in his head. But, that being said, I don’t think he’d want kids.

What Does the Future Hold?: Most likely a breakup or a divorce if you two end up getting married. 

Takami Keigo Request: 

Compatibility: 60%

How Did You Meet?: You are a doctor/veterinarian specializing in Pro Heroes! So you look after heroes like Hawks, Gang Orca, Nezu, and people like that. He comes to your care one day, and after you are no longer his doctor and he is no longer your patient, the two of you start dating. 

How the Relationship Will Work From Day to Day: Likely, you two don’t see each other until the evening seeing as you two are very busy people. But he does send you random texts throughout the day to check up on you. Mostly this relationship compatibility is 60% because you two are so busy and don’t have a lot of time for each other. It’s not that you don’t get along. 

Marriage?: Maybe, but tread carefully with that. Hawks is practically married to his career and his goals of making the world a better place. So he likely won’t think about marriage until that’s done. 

Kids?: He’d respect your decision not to want kids. But, of course, he also is a busy man, so kids aren’t really something he’s ever thought about. 

What Does the Future Hold?: You two are likely to get super stressed out with juggling a job and a relationship, but it is possible! It’ll just take a lot of work and perseverance. 

Aizawa Shouta Request: 

Compatibility: 90%!

How Did You Meet?: Again, you are a vet taking care of animal-based heroes. This time you are called to UA to help care for Nezu, and you ask Aizawa for directions. He notices you have cat hair on your scrubs and inquires about your cat(s), and the two of you hit it off!

How the Relationship Will Work From Day to Day: It’s a bit awkward at first and busy like with Hawks. But I feel Aizawa has better time management skills than Hawks. He’s also not as popular, so the two of you have a bit more time together. Not much, though. He does check in on you throughout the day, and when the two of you have a day off together, you always go on dates. Dates usually include going on late-night drives or reading dates!

Marriage?: Aizawa proposes after a few years of dating, and the two of you have a beautiful but small ceremony! Present Mic cries.

Kids?: Nope! But you two do adopt a couple of cats :)What Does the Future Hold?: The two of you remain happily married, and after Aizawa retires as a hero, he helps out when he can at your vet/pro hero clinic!

[hoxooster]

do you rb/boost fics?

Yes, I do! But it comes with a major caveat.

Let's talk about me for a moment, so I can give y'all some context. I am an English Major, a Literacy Specialist, and a massive nerd, and I am CONSTANTLY reading. No lie, I always have about 20 fanfics open on my phone at any given time, 'cause I have a lot of downtime in my day-to-day, and reading is my go-to for personal entertainment. So, I know what kinds of writing styles, genres, and tropes I enjoy and which ones I avoid. I also haven't cared about Payday lore since 2014, and I have never been interested in going out of my way to read any fics that are based in its setting. Even back when I first started out in this fandom, I never read Payday fanfics by searching them up myself 'cause I didn't care, and this sentiment has not changed for me. Also, I treat my blog almost like an advertising platform for other people, and all of this depends on my integrity and due diligence in ensuring that, no matter what I reblog, I can proudly say that I like and stand behind it.

I'll briefly (Ha!) explain how each of these sentiments work.

I always approach any and all written works with the question of, "Is this worth my time to read?" The answer that I usually come up with to satisfy this question comes down to the technical side of how people choose to write out their stories, over whatever a given work happens to be about or decides to discuss with its themes. If a work has poor punctuation or a lot of mistakes, I might still read it if the concept is interesting. I'll complain the whole time, but I'll stick with it. If it has choppy writing, it's always not worth my attention and gets an automatic skip following my reading of the first few opening sentences. 'Cause, quite honestly, I'm not gonna waste my time on a work where the author struggles to communicate their thoughts to their audience properly. And if it has tropes I don't care for? Then I'm most definitely not reading it. (These are things like major character death, sad/bittersweet endings, certain fetishes, and bodystealing/bodyswapping, to name a few. I just physically can't with these.) So, there have been some works posted in this fandom over the years that I've just straight-up avoided because of their tags, or because I started to read them and hated them on a technical level.

From the Payday-lore side of things, I just haven't cared in so long about our game of choice's story. It lost me so many years ago, and I've never been interested in reading what people were posting for it on AO3, or any other website for that matter. Have I read Payday-centric fics? Of course I have. I've been in this fandom for over 8 years, so you can imagine that I've read quite a few. (Some are even on my blog, if you wanna attempt to dig through it to look for them.) As a rule, I don't reblog fics that have OCs in them--the latest one that I did put up on my blog is an exception, because it didn't focus on the OC beyond having them and their situation going on in the background. I'm not here for anybody's OC. I'm here for the official characters, and I imagine that most other people in this fandom feel the same. So, that's another barrier stopping fics from going on my blog.

But, my main thing is whether or not I feel like a fic should be spread to my followers. If I view something as not being worth my time or insulting to me in some manner, then it's not going on my blog. Things that I put on my blog essentially get my 'seal of approval' and with every reblog I'm basically saying, "I have vetted this and deemed that everything here is kosher for general consumption. If you want to interact with it, go right ahead!" (Like, you wouldn't believe how many fucked up things have been posted to the tags over the years which I've had to either block or report. Jeezum Crow.) At the end of the day, this blog is curated to showcase things that I think are good enough to share with all of my followers. While this is a Payday-centric blog, it's not an 'Everything ever posted for Payday' blog, it's an 'Everything I like and agree with in the Payday tags' blog. This blog is biased, and I've openly admitted that for years. If I don't like it for one reason or another, then I'm not gonna spread it around.

So, yes, I reblog Payday fics that people post in the tags. Just so long as they pass through the sieve of my biased, arbitrary rules and if I feel like reading it that day, because 'apathy towards Payday' is a thing for me.

I'm human and fallible in my own biases and tastes. However, I don't use my Tumblr as a platform to mock anyone or put them on blast, so I've never reblogged anything with petty or outright cruel intentions to ridicule anyone's projects or ideas. But, I do use it to share what I like with others and give the OPs more attention on their work, if and when I choose to view it. Overall, I figure, if anything's posted in the tags that I don't reblog, but that my followers wanna see, then they'll make sure that they see it, just as I have done for my own Tumblr experience.

Cheers!

[fanficsandmoregalore]

Dog Days - Chapter 2

Summary: You take the stray dogs home and clean them up. Then you search around, hoping to find the rightful owners. But what happens the next day changes EVERYTHING.

You opened the door to your apartment. Ben walked in, tail wagging happily, as if he owned the place, Matt was more anxious and cautiously walked in. You looked down and Kylo was staring into your apartment, he didnt go in though. You kneeled down beside him and he looked at you.

"What's wrong, Kylo?"

He looked at you from the corner of his eye and huffed. Then he turned around and sat in front of your doorway. You assumed he meant he was going to stay and guard your apartment, the thought of it made you giggle so you pat his head and stood up.

"You can guard the fortress from inside, goofball." You joked. Kylo growled a little bit and got up, walked into your apartment and sat by the doorway. You followed him in and closed the door behind you, making sure he saw you lock it. You walked pass Ben who sat on the couch while Matt was walking around your apartment, trying to make a mental map.

"You boys stay out here for a sec. I'll be right back." You said as you walked into your bedroom. After the door closed, Ben rolled onto his back on your couch, getting snug.

"I could get used to this."

Matt stood by the couch, looking around once more.

"Don't. We wont be dogs forever. Someday, somehow, we will figure out how to change back."

"I hope it's soon."

Matt and Ben looked over to Kylo, who had been quiet up until now.

"Oh really? Because the way i see it, you're her favorite so far."

Ben was trying to make Kylo blush but being a dog, he couldn't tell if it worked. But kylo did feel a bit embarrassed by it.

You came out of your room in some comfy pajamas and smiled at the dogs as you walked into the kitchen.

"How about some dinner? You guys look like you're starving." Ben and Matt walked into the kitchen excitedly, kylo of course staying by the door. Ben and Matt pulled chairs out from your dining table and jumped up and sat in them. You didn't think much of it, assuming it was a trick their previous owner had taught them, either way you thought it was both cute and amazing. You made a big dinner, you didn't eat much but made sure you had plenty for the dogs to eat. Kylo eventually got hungry and came over to eat, luckily you thought ahead and made him a plate. After eating, you gave each dog a bath. Ben tried pulling you into the water with him but other than that they were all well-behaved. Matt seemed to appreciate it the most and surprisingly, Kylo didn't fight it.

You were drying off Kylo when you had a sudden realization.

"Oh, you guys probably have an owner, or owners. Tomorrow I'll take you guys into work and see if you have chips or if anyone has reported missing dogs. But until we find your owners, you can stay with me." Kylo listened attentively and seemed to nod in agreement with your plan.

It wasn't too late at night so you and the 3 dogs congregated in your living room to watch movies. Halfway through one, there was a knock at your door. Kylo stood quickly and rushed over to the door but didnt bark, the other 2 couldn't care less.

"Wonder who that could be. Nobody ever visits me this late...or ever." You got up and walked over to the door, patting Kylo's head when you reached him. You unlocked it and opened it slowly, peering out into the hall.

"Did you fill out the proper paperwork to have dogs?"

It was your neighbor, Armitage Hux. He was a ginger haired, obnoxious, by the book kind of guy but seemed like decent enough person that you didn't see him as any sort of threat. You rolled your eyes and chuckled as you opened the door more.

"Well hello to you too, Armitage."

"(Y/n), you know I'm deathly allergic to dogs, right?"

You laughed a bit and Hux blushed as he folded his arms. You looked at him and shook your head.

"No you're not, you just don't like them."

"Same thing. And three of them? Are you that lonely?"

You stopped laughing and kind of glared at his comment which he of course noticed, he tensed under your gaze.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why have 3 dogs when you can have 1 boyfriend? Come on, (Y/n). It's one date. Some dinner, a movie, you name it."

He kind of whined when he said it and you huffed.

"Hux, i told you, I'm not the type to have a boyfriend. Anyway, i gotta head to bed soon. Goodnight."

You closed the door and heard Hux sigh as he walked away. You looked at the three dogs who were all staring at you, looking as if they were waiting for an explanation.

"That's my neighbor. He's been trying to get me to go out with him since the day i moved in."

You walked over and sat on the couch. Kylo stayed by the door just in case, Ben was quick to jump to your side and Matt sat in the recliner that you had. You smiled at all the dogs.

"Who needs human boys when i have the cutest doggy boys?" You gently grabbed Ben's cheeks and mushed them and rubbed noses with him.

Ben got into your lap and licked your face, making you laugh. Eventually, you had to go to bed. And of course, Ben came to sleep in bed with you. Matt was hesitant but followed as well and laid at the foot of your bed. However, Kylo stayed awake, patrolling around your living room but eventually fell asleep on the couch.

The next morning came and you put all 3 of the dogs on the leashes you kept at home for situations like this. You walked all 3 down the sidewalk and they were calm and made walking to the clinic a breeze . You reached the vet clinic and you walked in. The boys looked around the lobby and you felt comfortable letting them off their leashes. Matt stayed with you while Ben sniffed around and Kylo followed behind you.

"Hello? Anybody home?" You joked.

"(Y/n)? Is that you?!"

Poe poked his head out from the back and saw you. He rushed out to greet you and but halted when he saw the dogs.

"Um...(Y/n), what's going on?"

You blushed and awkwardly scratched your hand, still in bandages.

"You remember the dogs i was telling you about?"

Poe became tense and looked at the 3 dogs before his eyes landed on Kylo.

"And i'm gonna guess that's the one that bit you."

You kneeled down by Kylo, who didn't care for Poe's unapproving look.

"Yes, but he also protected me from some guy who was gonna rob me .... and possibly rape me. So you really should be thanking him."

Poe rolled his eyes and pulled you away a bit.

"(Y/n), what are they doing here? And what are YOU doing here. You know the boss said you aren't supposed to come back until you for sure dont have rabies!"

You chuckled and Poe gave you a confused look.

"I'm actually here as a client."

"Uuuhhhh, what?"

"Can you check them for chips and see if anyone has reported 3 missing dogs?"

Poe rolled his eyes and took your hand in his gently.

"I'll do it for you, sweetheart. No charge. But promise me you will take care of yourself and this hand."

You nodded and looked to the 3 dogs, who had all grouped in front of you and Poe.

"Okay, boys. Go with Poe and he'll take good care of you."

"You talk to them like they're people? Geez, (Y/n), you are something else." Poe teased. You laughed and sat down. The boys followed Poe obediently and after about and hour and a half, they all came out with treats in their mouths. You looked at Poe, hoping he'd have addresses to their homes.

"Nothing. No owners, no shot records, nothing. These dogs only have names on their tags, (Y/n). That's a little strange, don't you think?"

You did find it strange but you questioned Poe further.

"What about missing dog reports?"

Poe shook his head. You found that really strange.

"Maybe someone was trying to get rid of them."

"Why would anyone want to get rid of these sweet boys."

Poe looked at Kylo who glared in response.

"I can think of a few reasons."

You stood, a bit peeved by Poe's comment.

"I'm taking them home. Thanks for everything, Poe."

You sincerely meant thanks but were a bit mad that Poe only seemed to recall Kylo biting you.

Poe told you to be careful and you leashed up the dogs and walked out of the clinic.

You looked around and it was a pretty decent day and you decided to take the boys out for some fun on the town. You smiled at the dogs and they all looked at you with confused looks.

"Let's go to the park."

You had arrived at the nearest dog park and let the 3 off of their leashes, but to your surprise, they didn't seem interested at all. You kneeled down by them.

"What's wrong, guys? It's a dog park. Don't you wanna go play with the other doggies?"

The 3 dogs all looked at each other and then you before they split up and walked around the park. You chuckled and got up to go sit on a bench. Kylo saw you go sit down and went over to join you, jumping onto the bench to sit next to you. You pet him and watched as Matt was frightened by everything around him and Ben was playing tug of war with some boxer dog. You looked at Kylo, he had also been looking out at the other dogs.

"Kylo, don't you wanna go make some friends?"

He only huffed and you laughed at him. He did a sort of bark grumble and it made you think, what was he saying? You looked back to the other 2 dogs.

"I wish i understood you, Kylo."

Kylo's ears perked up and he looked at you. You noticed and smiled at him, petting his head just behind ear.

"You guys always seem to know what I'm saying. It's so cute. I just want to be able to understand what all of you are saying, too."

You laughed at the thought of the dogs talking when suddenly Matt rushed up, whimpering, which brought you from your thoughts and you saw him being followed by a few other dogs. When Matt reached you and hid behind your legs under the bench, and Kylo jumped off the bench in front of you. The dogs following Matt stopped dead in their tracks when they made eye contact with Kylo, and ran off with their legs between their tails. You sat on the grass in front of the bench and coaxed Matt out of hiding. He lunged into your arms and you hugged him tightly. You looked over to Kylo and smiled, reaching out to pet him.

"Youre such a good boy, Kylo."

Kylo leaned into your touch more, wanting more affection, which you happily gave. You decided it was time to take the boys home.

When you reached your apartment, you heard some meowing from the other side of the hall. You looked over your shoulder to see Hux's cat, Millicent. You smiled and unlocked the door to your apartment, opening it to let the dogs in, Millicent took the opportunity to follow them in. This was a common occurrence when Hux was in a rush to get to work, and is actually how you met your neighbor in the first place.

---

"Millicent? Millicent?"

You put down the box that you were unpacking, and went to your door. It was open and you peered out into the hall. A sharp dressed, red-haired man was frantically searching the halls. You watched for a moment but suddenly felt something brush against your leg, you looked down to see an orange cat looking up at you as it leaned against your leg.

"Millicent. Milli-"

"Is this who you're looking for?"

The man turned around and when he made eye contact with you, he felt his face become heated as his breath was being taken away. He swears he had just seen an angel, and in this angel's arms was his beloved cat. He calmly rushed over to you and you handed Millicent over.

"Thank you so much. I was in such a rush to leave for work, she must've snuck out while i wasnt looking. Um, i take it you're the new tennant."

You nodded and pet Millicent as your new neighbor held her.

"Yup, as of today. I work at the clinic and this was the closest place with available apartments."

The man offered you a hand while holding his furbaby with the other.

"My name is Armitage Hux. I live across the hall."

"I'm (Y/n). Nice to meet you."

---

You picked Millicent up in your arms and pulled out your phone. It went to voicemail.

"Hey Armitage, it's (Y/n). Millicent got out again so I'm gonna hold onto her until you get back. Bye."

You put your phone back in your pocket and shut the door with your foot after entering, kissing and petting the purring cat.

You set her down and walked into the kitchen. Millicent followed you and the 3 dogs all watched and inspected the cat.

You smiled at them and pet Millicent again, showing them that she was friendly. You glanced at the dogs again, they still didn't know how to react to the cat. Maybe their previous owners didn't have cats. You thought more about the dogs' previous owners and how cruel it was that someone might want to get rid of these 3 sweethearts, but you also thought that maybe there was someone out there who was worried about them. You took a few pictures of each dog and made a post on your social media pages, showing the dogs and stating that you had found them and would hold onto them until the rightful owners came to get them. You hoped they would be able to return home soon and be with their families.

You spent the rest of the day at home, cleaning up and waiting for someone to call and ask about the dogs but nobody did. The afternoon seemed to sneak up on you and Hux came to retrieve his pet. You locked up for the night and went to bed, the dogs doing just as they did the night before.

It was 3 A.M. and the phone rang. You jolted awake, waking and scaring the dogs. You grabbed your phone and checked it, but the number was unfamiliar, and you answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"The brothers must learn their lessons before they can return to their true forms."

The voice was that of an old woman. You looked at the dogs, confused, and they returned the looks.

"I think you have the wrong number, m'am."

Just as you were about to hang up, the voice spoke again.

"(Y/n)! You must listen. You are the only one who can help them!"

This made you more anxious but you listened.

"The brothers are beast, in the mind and in appearance. You must help them fix the mistakes they have made."

"Lady, i don't know the brothers you are talking about." You tried to explain.

"They will know. They will tell you."

Then then phone hung up.

"What the hell? I must be dreaming."

You pet the dogs and told them it was nothing and you all went back to bed. But that night, you had a strange dream.

3 tall boys were laughing and talking with you but you had never seen them before. 2 of them had long, shaggy, black hair and one had blonde hair and glasses, but they all had similar faces. You felt so safe being with these boys you didn't recognize. It was sunny and warm where you all were. You smiled, enjoying the company of such sweet boys.

You woke up suddenly. You felt your eyes flutter open and slowly all your senses woke up too.

"I'm just saying, if we lived in a town like this, we'd all be getting laid. There are so many hot women in more populated areas."

"You're so gross, Ben!"

You sat up quickly, panic already setting in. You looked around your room. The dogs were missing and there were strangers in your home. You quietly got out of bed and snuck to the door, peering out into the living room.

"I wonder when she's gonna be up. I'm getting kinda hungry."

You looked out but didn't see anyone, this was starting to really freak you out. Where were the dogs? Suddenly you saw Matt jump onto the recliner.

"Be patient. She was nice enough to let us stay here and cook for us out of the kindness of her heart, she's not our nanny."

Your jaw dropped. It WAS the dogs.

"Holy shit."

You covered your mouth immediately. The dogs looked at you and you quickly backed into your room, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"HOLY SHIT!!!"

[oneletterwrites]

Uhh hi?? Yeah can I request some 2p caname(2p America x 2p Canada)? It's my literal OTP and I will love it to the day I die, so please? You don't have to, like I said just a request and I really love your writing!! ✨❤️⭐️

A bad idea?

He can admit it, and be very loud and proud about it, but Allen had a type. Looking back at past flings and old relationships there’s a defining characteristic between everyone he’s been with. Allen likes people who could kick his ass.

There’s just something about the idea that has Allen weak in the knees with that dopey smile on his face. Strong and tough and able to pick him up. Not that it’s too hard being small as he is, but it’s an added bonus to anyone if they can.

So when Lutz invited him to go see some wrestling, Allen couldn’t refuse. Any chance he could get to see muscles in action he would take.

He cackles and follows Lutz through the large crowd. It’s an outside venue surrounded by trees with food shops and t-shirt souvenirs for sale. They end up at the edge of an arena leaning on the wood banisters. The stage is just a hole in the ground deeper than what everyone else stands on with a few feet of space before the banister. Lutz takes a large swig of his beer.

“You’re gunna love this.” Is all warning he gets as two burly men run from two holed out steps on the sides and straight into each other. Allen cheers with the rest of them as the bodies slap to the ground. His eyes are wide with entertainment as they pummel each other as best they can.

He’s actually surprised to see a referee, but they jump into the stage pit once one of them seems to be passed out. He pushes the other bloody man away and then calls a winner. Some of the crowd boos while the other cheers but Allen just smiles, enjoying everything he’s seeing.

He and Lutz watch many more matches. Some end quick and others take so long they actually get to take a mid fight break. They always come away bloody and it makes Allen wonder what he would have to do in order to get put on their shoulders.

“Go Lulu!” Lutz shouts just before one of the matches starts. Allen learned how to tell when a match would start by the rustle of pushing right by the steps. He spies a short angry looking person glare up at Lutz before they vault over the person holding them back to attack their opponent with a speed Allen hadn’t seen before.

“He may be tiny but shit is he ruthless.” Allen snickers at the dreamy way Lutz talks about the other fighter. He cheers along to show support and the small one wins by choke out when they managed to get on their opponent’s back.

The sky is getting darker and more people are crowding them. Allen gives skeptical looks to the wild life crew that appears as well as the guns with what looks to be tranquilizer. Lutz elbows him with a wild smile.

“Main event,” He says like a giddy child. Allen can feel the energy of the people around him and it’s contagious. By the time a large stage light turns on he’s jumping up and down antsy to see what will happen next.

And what happens next makes Allen swoon. Maybe they’re not the biggest of the wrestlers but they are massive in height and build. Long blonde hair that’s covered in dirt is swept into a low pony tail. They are shirtless which on its own would make Allen smirk but the long scratch like scars littering their body has him itching to touch the man.

“I wanna suck your dick!” He shouts out before his mind can tell him it’s a bad idea. A few people laugh while others cheer for the possibility. The wrestler themselves just kind of looks his direction with a deadpan expression and an icy look in their eyes. Allen winks and they turn away from him.

He’s not even upset about the slight rejection. Not when he gets a perfect view of the wrestler rolling back their shoulders and crouching getting ready, something none of the other fighters got to do. It doesn’t take long for Allen to figure out why.

Suddenly as well, the animal control makes sense as a bear is unleashed into the pit. Allen is screaming now. The wrestler dances around the bear as it growls every so often going up on two legs and towering over everything. The scars have a story now.

The wrestler is the first to make a move, charging and getting the animal by the belly. The animal howls and does it’s best to get a grip on them and bite. The wrestler remains persistent as they can with their feet dragging back in the dirt from the force of the animal pushing back against them.

Lutz has to physically pry him off the banister when the wrestler tosses the animal down. Allen is screaming too much to care. He’s never seen anything like this or more attractive.

A squeal breaks free when the wrestler stumbles back from the bear with three long, now bleeding, wounds across their side torso. The bear growls at him, tilting their head almost curiously, and the wrestler ignores the pain to rush in again. Allen might faint for him.

The match ends when the bear whimpers with the wrestler sitting on their back. Applause erupts as both the bear and wrestler are taken out of the pit with care. Allen is shaking at what he just witnessed with no where to put his energy. So he grabs Lutz by the shoulders and almost climbs up him to properly yell in his face.

“That was the coolest thing ever!” The words come out sharper than he means to but he doesn’t care. Lutz pushes him off but laughs. They hang around the arena waiting for people to disperse when a familiar fighter comes up to them.

“Who’s this asshole?” The tiny fighter asks, Lulu is what Lutz called them. Allen smirks at the nickname.

“He’s an old friend, likes seeing people get beat up,” Lutz explains. Lulu gives him an odd expression then sighs in annoyance.

“Follow me you fucks,” Lutz does so gladly, musing and flirting with the fighter, even after they sweep their leg low and knock him down to his back. Allen laughs at him. They follow this Lulu behind some trees where medical tents stand with people working hard on fighter’s health. They patch up open gashes and check eyesight for concussions.

They walk past them all to a tent farther off. Some of the animal control people stand outside. They give Allen skeptical looks as he steps inside.

“Hey Matt,” Lulu says when he enters. Allen however jerks back seeing a bear chilling in the tent, just sitting there like it belongs, tilting its head at Allen like he’s intruding.

“Here’s the dumbass who said he’d suck your dick,” Lulu introduces him. He manages to take in the rest of his surroundings. Vets and control are looking at the bear, checking vitals. People doctors are doing their best to work on the wrestler as he sits plainly on the ground with his head pressed to the bears in a comforting way. He hisses when a doctor presses something to his open injury. The bear whimpers and nudges him.

“I’m fine Kuma,” The wrestler says and ruffles the animal’s face. Finally he looks over. Lutz is already busy bugging Lulu as a doctor looks over his possible injuries though the tiny fighter doesn’t look interested in anything Lutz has to offer. It leaves Allen to smirk happily at the wrestler.

“I could have sworn you and that bear just tried to kill each other,” He approaches carefully. The doctors smile at his statement and he knows he’s wrong about something. The wrestler, Matt, just pushes the bear over and it flops like a giant puppy.

“Kuma would never,” Comes the gruff answer. Allen stands near him watching as the wrestler casually plays with the bear, getting chided to sit still by the doctor wrapping his torso to help the bleeding. Allen scans what exposed skin he can see, that want to touch them growing stronger with every jagged detail.

“Matt! Great show man!” Lutz claps him on the back and Matt groans in pain. He sends a cold glare to Lutz and Allen has to snicker when he backs up in fear. The dude did just wrestle a bear, fighting a person would be no trouble.

The doctors skip out once they know Lulu and Matt are okay and the animal crew has to pull Kuma away from Matt, whining all the way. Lutz is able to pry Lulu away and then its just the two of them. Matt on a low portable cot that’s angled so he can sit up and Allen debating the pros and cons of straddling him while he still can.

In the end he goes closer and kneels with his arms resting on the cot and his head on his arms. Matt gives him a weird look but doesn’t say anything. Allen doesn’t say anything either, just sighs dreamily.

“What is wrong with you?” Matt asks him then. Allen cackles at the question, not sure if he has a good answer. So he doesn’t answer.

“So how’d you and the bear get into this gig?” He sits up a little straighter, inching closer. Matt rolls his eyes.

“I’ve had Kuma since he was a cub,” Is all Matt says by way of explanation. It’s enough for Allen. He stands and casually leans over Matt, undeterred by the odd look he receives in return. 

“You look great while fighting,” His tone is flirtatious as anything. Matt narrows his eyes.

“You’re annoying,” He says and a sly smirk crosses Allen’s face.

“Not annoying enough,” Is his counter. He takes the risk and lifts a leg up and over to sit on Matt’s lap. He’s careful of the injuries, placing his hands on safe spots on Matt’s upper chest. He has to repress a shudder at how good the wrestler feels.

“Otherwise you wouldn’t have let me done that,” He raises his eyebrows quick in a ‘gotcha’ fashion. Matt clenches his jaw and Allen could swear the wrestler is fighting off a blush. That or debating throwing Allen off him. Either would be good in his book.

Matt is warm under him, solid with muscles, and Allen feels the indents in his skin where his scars are. He settles in with a mischievous glint in his eyes as Matt brings his hands to Allen’s legs to hold him steady.

“I was serious you know,” He coos. Matt glares without answer though his hands twitch. Allen wonders if he can push the right buttons to get Matt to really grip him. He wiggles just to get a small bit of friction between them.

“I want to suck your dick.” At the crass bold sentence Matt digs his fingers into Allen’s hips with a frustrated blush forming on his cheeks. Allen couldn’t stop the delighted expression that comes over him even if he wanted to. Matt grits his teeth then sighs.

“I’ve got a better idea,” He says huskily and Allen would agree to anything if it meant Matt’s hands would stay on him. And really, Matt’s idea is truly much better.

[wrangletangle]

Sorry in advance if this question is bothersome, but I really have trouble distinguishing this type of thing. On your cultural appropriation post, it was all framed around being personally invited to participate in the culture. Does that mean it doesn't include things like recipes posted online, or videos of dances on YouTube? Is it okay only if the person vets the source? Sorry again for bothering you. This kinda thing has always confused me (might be the autism but I don't wanna make excuses).

Hi anon! Sorry, I wasn’t really on tumblr last week.

No worries, your question isn’t a bother. I’m not 100% sure I understand it, so if I address the wrong thing, please send a clarification.

Caveats Caveats Caveats

First, a note: I am not the final authority on group culture appropriation. I am trying to encourage a more nuanced perspective, particularly for young people, because I’ve personally witnessed some very hurtful things said/done by people in more powerful groups toward people in less powerful groups in the name of avoiding cultural appropriation. I’ve also witnessed some cases where it’s not clear which group is more powerful, but hurtful things were still done in the name of not participating in something out of fear of being seen to be performing culture wrong. That kind of absolutism is mentally easy and feels comfortable to xenophobes, but it still denies real agency to the people it pretends to protect. The goal here is to center the people in the culture that is not your (or my) own and follow their lead, their decisions, and their needs, as articulated by them.

Second, a reality: This is my system for sorting things out. It might not work for your brain. It also might not work for your context.

Implied Invitation

There is an implied invitation of sorts when people share their own activities publicly. For example, a public performance that sells tickets is generally fine to attend. Videos posted to youtube that are of public performances or are private but are done with the knowledge of the participants are fine to watch. The key would be to understand that you may lack context the activity, and thus any opinions you form may be somewhat clueless or even disrespectful. For that reason, it’s a good idea to keep most of those opinions to yourself and consider them extremely provisional, pending further information.

(There are some exploitative performances, but you won’t know what those really are unless you ask members of the community themselves. And even then, the situation may be complicated.)

For example, if I cooked a kimchi recipe off the internet, I wouldn’t then say “I hate kimchi.” I’d probably say “welp I’m not very good at cooking kimchi yet. Maybe I should watch some youtube videos instead of just going from a recipe.” I would never hold myself up as an expert at cooking kimchi, nor would I tell other people that kimchi is gross because I can’t manage to make it well. If I did finally manage to make it well, I wouldn’t act like I was the new messiah of kimchi - I’d send anyone who was curious about learning to cook with it to the same resources I used.

For a reverse example, put yourself in my shoes for a moment. My grandmother was an amazing cook who worked very much in the local style. She tried to teach me from a very young age. I can burn water most days, but I do have many of her recipes, and I cook them to remember her.

One time, a friend of mine came over while I was still baking a pie. I showed him the steps and how I did it. He asked some questions. It was great. (He liked the pie, too.)

If I were a better cook, I might feel inspired to record myself cooking one of my grandmother’s recipes and put it up on youtube, as a way of honoring her and keeping her work from being forgotten. If I did that, I would actively want people to copy what I was doing and cook this for themselves. I wouldn’t choose a recipe that I didn’t want to share.

Checking Sources

It’s also important to do what I personally think of as the source sniff test. Does the source smell like an outsider pretending to know something about the group? If so, they’re very likely to be giving misinformation. This is where exploitative works like “Memoirs of a Geisha” come in - using a culture and abusing/twisting it to prop up the outsider’s career. Don’t support that sort of thing if you notice it happening. We need to make that less profitable than it currently is.

However, be wary of saying things like “X person looks white, so they must not be from Y culture” or “X person doesn’t have a family name from that culture.” Mixed race and mixed culture kids deserve better than to be erased. If in doubt, look less for an individual person to tell you their own personal history and look more for 1) how other people in that culture receive the work/talk about it, and 2) whether the information reflects other sources you’re more confident of.

Asking Questions

From one ND person to another, how you ask follow-up questions is really important. I personally prefer to do most of my follow-up research online or in books, from trustworthy sources within the community. Often in person I’ll just ask for a recommendation of such a source, or nod and smile for as long as the other person is willing to talk but not pepper them with more than a couple of questions.

This is because I know my curiosity level far exceeds most people’s desire to keep talking about a topic, even one they enjoy. Also, the added element of them talking about something personal to which I’m an outsider can make that kind of conversation really uncomfortable for some people. I make sure to begin any follow-up conversation by expressing my enthusiastic appreciation for some element of the thing, so they know what kind of conversation it’s likely to be and can either stick around or bail as they please.

Cultural Diffusion

Then there’s also cultural diffusion. This is a complicated topic, but it’s realistic to recognize that cultures influence each other and borrow from each other. Just don’t imagine that the resulting borrowings are anything like the original - they generally transform a great deal in the borrowing process.

The relative power of the cultures and their history together informs some of how we should deal with these cases individually, as does the history of the specific cultural element. (For example, yoga was deliberately introduced to the west in a modified form.) So there’s a lot of nuance to be considered. Absolutes tend to be too simplified to be of much use.

I hope that helps? If I missed what your question was really about, please send another ask.