#idk if i should add extra tags or content warnings to this one but if uve been following the rp thread u know what to expect in this

[raitrolling]

A House Divided

[Easy reading version on Toyhou.se]

Eichio’s lusus heard everything.

It knew it could not say anything while Gerrel was still present in the hive, so it stayed quiet. It waited until he was gone and there was no way he could possibly be within earshot of the hive before it finally confronted its charge.

How dare Eichio bring such a conniving, insolent, liar into this hive. Is this the kind of company he truly wants to keep? That redblood had the nerve to slander his poor lusus, and he did nothing to defend it? No, he stood there and cried like a child. How pathetic, trying to manipulate someone into sympathising with him over some imaginary enemy by shedding tears, instead of admitting he’s too sensitive to handle proper criticism. Is this really the kind of troll his lusus raised? Is this how he repays his father, after how hard it has worked to raise him to be a perfect lowblood? He should be ashamed of himself.

Gerrel was no longer allowed to visit anymore. In fact, the hybrid lusus could no longer trust Eichio to allow any company. Perhaps if he had been better at choosing good connections, he would not have to be punished like this. 

Eichio kept his head down in shame as his lusus continued to verbally tear into him, and apologised for his misbehaviour. 

He knew now that he should not have to accept this treatment, and his lusus only has as much power as he will let it. But it did a damn good job at making him feel powerless. 

He was not as powerless as he thought, though. The seeds of doubt had taken root in his mind, and began to sprout. But as they flourished, the environment in his hive grew more toxic.

He couldn’t tell if his lusus was more present or if he had just never noticed how oppressive it’s presence was. It was always there, always watching from the moment he woke up to the moment he left for work, and then from the moment he returned to the moment he went to bed. He couldn’t do anything but work, either, as it would question why he needed to leave the hive so badly and what was taking him so long to get home. Was he afraid of his lusus? Or does he know he’s acting out and deliberately trying to avoid taking responsibility for his actions? 

Eichio just wanted to buy groceries. 

As time went on, the atmosphere became more and more stifling. His lusus became more critical than ever, finding even the tiniest ways to berate Eichio just for the sake of maintaining control - or had the yellowblood’s eyes just been opened to how poorly he was treated? It sickened him, constantly finding himself second-guessing and over-analysing every single interaction he had with the hybrid animal. Hypervigilant to the point where his own anxiety was making him physically ill, which would leave him vulnerable to more tongue-lashings from being anxious.

He resented Gerrel for making him aware of this, for causing his relationship with his lusus to become more strained and his mental health to spiral. But he also longed for the fresh air of the balcony, to be able to weep openly in front of him without being reprimanded. To grab onto his wrist for comfort, and hear his reassuring words again. 

Work, then, became Eichio’s only solace. He was away from the suffocating atmosphere of his hive, and could knuckle down and focus solely on his job as a distraction. Mister Espino’s hive has never been so clean. He was practically feverish in his work ethic, scrubbing the ballroom tiles as if his helplessness would also be washed away with the industrial cleaner. Trimming hedges to cut away the shame and guilt of being suspicious of his lusus. Rearranging the bookshelves in the library to put his frazzled nerves back in order.

As hard as he worked, he couldn’t hide how the stress of his home life was taking its toll. He was sleeping even less than usual, if his lusus wasn’t waking him up early to get him to redo the previous night’s chores he was awake all day fearing the sound of the hybrid’s claws scratching at his bedroom door. He was so, so careful to not make mistakes and clue anyone into his situation that his work pace suffered. His hands trembled if he couldn’t keep them occupied, his conversations more stilted and relied on basic formalities that didn’t require a lot of effort to focus on. His smile was a special kind of hollow.

He was back in the library tonight. The books had been reorganised in a way that Mister Espino had approved of, arranged by genre, then time period, and then by author’s surname. This mixed in his boss’ prized first editions with the newer copies of books, producing an aesthetically appealing mishmash of classic and modern while also letting the indigoblood know of what original editions he was still missing. His boss loved his collection, but was also more than happy to throw things out if they had a more valuable replacement. Eichio, on the other hand, wasn’t very good at letting things go.

He was so focused on eliminating every speck of dust off the shelves with the cleaning cloth that he didn’t hear the familiar sound of expensive Oxford shoes against the marble-tiled floor, stopping at the borderline between the entryway and the plush carpet of the library.

“Eichio? What are you still doing here? I believe it is well past the time your shift is over, no?”

The yellowblood turned away from the bookcase he was dusting and saw his boss in the doorway, leaning casually against the doorframe. His tone was as neutral as he usually spoke to his employee, but the look in his eyes suggested something deeper. Calculating.

Undoubtedly he had been noticing Eichio’s odd behavior these last few nights. He hadn’t been underperforming or making any silly mistakes that would have caused his boss to pull him aside, but his emotions were at a state that even the most emotionally detached troll could not help but inquire about. Eichio could not determine any sense of genuine concern coming from Viltau, but neither could he feel any malice. 

‘You aren’t alone. You at least have Mister Espino.’

Eichio hesitated for a moment, fidgeting and trying to calm his nerves. Ordinarily he would be quick to answer and inform his boss that he was simply finishing up his last task, which would also be the case here if not for something else. There was an opportunity here: A temporary way out of his current plight. He just needed to ask, say the words he wants to say out loud, ignore the fear that arises when he knows he needs to ask for help. To be selfish, just this once.

He clasps his hands together, wringing them a little from anxiety, takes a breath, and looks the indigoblood in the eye.  

“Um, actually… Mister Espino, is it okay if I stay here a little longer? I… Don’t want to go home anymore.”

[sundrop-writes]

I am considering making a taglist (or making taglists)?

For a long time now, I have been against taglists for several reasons:

For one: I find them ugly. I do like my fics to be formatted in a way that I find visually beautiful.

Two: some people who ask to be tagged don't have the ability to be tagged turned on in their settings (and I'm not putting a bunch of dead urls in a tag list). And I don't want to have to keep reminding people to turn this on (but I do understand that especially now, a lot of people are new to Tumblr and might not understand how it works).

Three: (the biggest reason I was against it) - this is a problem I noticed when I used to have a taglist back in 2016/2017 and it's a problem I have seen some other people complain about - a writer may have a taglist of like 200 people, and then only get 5 or 10 comments on a fic.

But I want to find ways to combat these things because I know that a lot of people like the taglist format.

I don't know if people realize that taglists are extra work for writers on top of writing an entire fic (which is a lot of work), editing that fic, and then doing other formatting for the fic - like the things that I do in order to make my fics more enjoyable and presentable - like making a cover, and making a detailed warnings list. Those things alone probably add on an extra hour or two of work on top of the 30 hours it takes to write a 10k fic and the 10 hours of work it would take to edit that length of a fic. Increase those numbers for more words.

But a lot of people have asked me for taglists in the past, so I am considering it. But with rules.

So combat the ugliness, I would probably tag people in a reblog or tag them in the replies so that way there's not an ugly block of tagged urls on the actual post. Or I would do something I used to do and sent the fic to people in DMs, which is similar to a taglist. I'm not sure.

To combat the second part - I would give people one or two reminders about not having their mentions turned on, and after that, just drop them from the list if they are a dead url.

And for the third thing - the post important - I would likely make a rule that if people want to stay on my taglist, they have to leave a comment or reblog within a reasonable amount of time of the fic being posted (like - a week maybe?).

I say comment or reblog because I know that people have busy lives, and people might only have time to read fics about once a month or even less. so if you don't have time to read the fic and leave a meaningful comment, but you still want to be on the taglist, then you can reblog it (even if the reblog says 'tbr' or something like that) - because reblogging fics is supportive of authors and someone might see the reblog and want to read my fic. and it's a good exchange for the extra amount of work that it takes to maintain a taglist

so - what do you guys think? does this sound reasonable?

I would likely make a seperate taglists - one for if you want to be tagged in every single fic I post, and then one for each fandom. but I don't think that I would make taglists for each character because that's a little excessive to me (especially if it's a character that I don't write for often) - but idk. does all this sound reasonable? or should I just stick to no taglists? should I do a taglist for Titans as an experiment to see how it goes? idk.

I feel like part of the reason I also dropped the taglist thing is because I don't write for one fandom consistently. I used to have a taglist when I wrote for only kpop - because the people who enjoyed my content kept coming back to read fics about the same characters/people. and I feel like it might be too much trouble to keep track of who wants to be tagged in posts for which fandom

and I do get annoyed by comments asking to be added to a taglist (because those are like 'part 2' comments - usually it's the only thing someone has to say in the comments of a fic) - but also, I know I'm gonna get those comments either way. so I kind of want it to be a productive exercise, where I can add that person to a taglist and then get them to start commenting on my fics and reblogging them?

idk. I am trying to adjust to the new fanfic culture. I am just an old lady

[yamagucji]

some tips for writing blogs, especially those who are just starting out. these are some things that works for me and may or may not work for others.

how to add a read more link on mobile

type :readmore: on a free space, then hit the enter or return button

personally i think they’re very helpful because it lessens the space you take up in your dash, and might encourage more people to rb

+ you can also add this on a spot where it gives a sort of cliffhanger, essentially making people want to ‘read more’

headers, banners, and dividers

though not necessary, it’s good to have a title for your work. make sure it’s bold and doesn’t blend in with your notes (aka pairing, warnings, etc.). this also helps when someone wants to look up one of your works in your search bar

i don’t really make banners or covers for my works. but some good apps that i know of would be picsart and canva. if you’re looking for ideas, i definitely recommend going into canva

wondering how to make those really small, thin dividers? you can make them using picsart! to make a divider hit tools > free crop > brush > size (adjust it to your preference > then draw a line along the edge of your photo > save

using the divider you just saved, go back to picsart and edit it again > draw option > hit rainbow square at the bottom left corner > hit suction/droplet symbol right below the check mark > color in the white spots bc for some reason picsart glitches and makes dividers look white-ish

new blog? just opened an account?

this is gonna sound really frustrating. but... tumblr needs to check if you’re a bot or not. what does this mean? it’s likely that your first few posts won’t show up on the search bar. you may not even get to edit your header/pfp yet ://

this happened to me and there was no visibility on my account at ALL. what helped me get ‘verified’ is that i followed a LOT of accounts, liked a bunch of posts, made some posts here and there. now that lets tumblr know you’re not a bot

visibility

the tumblr tagging system usually only allows the first 5 tags in your post to show up. so, what can do you about this? only use FIVE or less tags in your post. wait about 15 minutes or more until you can add some more tags in your post, and they usually all show up like that

another important thing about using tags is not to generalize! especially if you’re using a popular tag. but also don’t specify it too much where barely anyone looks it up. for example, if you’re writing a gn piece about oikawa, i recommend you use the tags such as: oikawa x reader, haikyuu x reader, oikawa x gn!reader, haikyuu headcanons, etc

a good rule of thumb is to use character x reader tags first, then leave the full name or fandom tag last

FOR NSFW: tumblr doesn’t let any tags with nsfw show up. so, give your nsfw works another tag. maybe #namegetspicy idk, you figure it out

FOR WARNINGS: especially if you’re a dark content creator, i highly encourage you to add tw:xyz tags. if you already have a warning note at the top then that’s great. but even better for readers who prefer to actually block these tags that way they never get to see it

another important thing to note is that people have different timezones. it helps if you rb your work at a different time of the day, in case people missed it! (icymi) i’ve noticed that reblogging helps to make your post show up in the tags

interaction + feedback

first and foremost, you are not obligated to write for your followers, and neither are your followers obligated to interact with you. remember that everyone has their own individual lives, and they have their own things to do— so do you, too.

make friends! become mutuals with other writers, visit their ask box. i know it can be daunting having to initiate these things, but you might just turn out to have fun! you can’t expect people to interact with you if you’re not interacting (back). it’s... kind of a two way thing yk? no need to be afraid to interact with other writers. oh, and rb other writers works!

pspsps join tag games or do ask games. it’s fun and very interactive

it never hurts to ask for feedback. i usually do this in a more subtle way because i don’t really expect a full on analysis on my works. maybe a little, is this okay? or feedback appreciated. sometimes it takes a little bit of coaxing for the silent readers

formatting your posts and blog

i generally put in the title at the top in big, bold letters

then comes the header/divider. helps to make the post more... visually appealing ig?

it’s important to add warnings (if any) and the pairing. the audience is not all female, and it might be a little frustrating for male readers having to find out its an x fem reader piece like halfway through your fic

if you have multiple works posted, it’s really really helpful to have a navigation page!

you can organize the posts you make with tags! for example, if you’re shitposting, you can use a specific tag for that. if you have a nsfw related post (ESPECIALLY when your blog is open to the general audience) please make a tag for it

themes + colors

if you have a color in mind but don’t know which direction to go from there, i recommend looking up color + aesthetic

looking to use the same color? download a name color app that’ll give you a hex code for any color you want to use. then, you can type in that hex code for when you’re choosing a color for your tumblr bio

wondering how to make your header image small like mine? just choose a photo for your header and turn off the stretch image option

want to use a different text color that tumblr doesn’t offer? it’s not as complicated as you think. you’ll have to go on a desktop to do this and do some html (but trust me, it’s not very difficult). look up “HTML noob but trying my best - how to use colored text on desktop”

^^ i don’t have the link for the color text tutorial so you can try looking it up

how to make an aesthetic navi and masterlist

step 1: decide a theme! if you’re stuck, think about a character + color/season/mood or look up “[insert] aesthetic” to find some inspiration. or you can try looking at other blogs too

step 2: find a color scheme! it’s easier if you choose fewer colors. if you want to use the same color for both divider and text, download a color name app in order to get the hex code of that color.

step 3: add categories to your navi! most navigation pages include a link to masterlist, about/byi, and rules. your navi should have a title that indicates that it’s... a navigation page. you can add thin colored dividers with the same color to make it easier for followers to navigate

step 4: you can choose to create a ‘cover’ or a picture for your navigation and masterlist! again, i recommend you use the canva app as a starting point

extra: search up emoticon symbols to spice up your titles!

reminder for you as a writer

you’re not obligated to do any of these things. i’ve noticed that we tend to build pressure on ourselves when it comes to content and interaction. remember, this !! is !! for !! fun !! when you realize that it’s no longer fun, then know that it’s time to take a break. and there’s nothing wrong with a bit of self care.

^^ c/p from this post lol

at the end of the day, follower count and interaction doesn’t define you. again for the love of beings, you’re here on your own accord.

will be adding more if needed/asked.

[daydream-believin]

Flowers Have Feelings

summary: it's valentines and you're making some gifts for your good pal douxie,,, also confessing

warnings: swearing probably, no proofread cause tired

word count: 2659

a/n: i've been struggling with writers block. i guess. i've returned to this only to write like, a paragraph so many times. which is bad cause like cheese designed the bouqeut and this should have been done ages ago. idk idk bon appetit

tags: @yagirlcheesely, is for you

image below: sketch of the bouquet

You jumped out of bed and slammed your alarm. Today was the day. You had to get everything ready today. Tonight would be the presentation. The night you finally do it. The night you confessed to your closest friend and crush, Douxie. Also happened to be Valentine’s day.

Your friends may have told you: “Just be patient. Drop hints. If he likes you, he’ll let you know.” But you weren’t about that passive love life. You liked to grab that strawberry cow by the horns. Subtly was boring and took far too long. You were in love with your friend and you were gonna let him know frankly if it killed you. It probably would, to be honest.

As confident as this makes you sound, you were aware of the possibility of him not liking you back, and that was okay. Sure, your heart would be shattered and you might not be very peachy for, say, a month or six, but you accepted that. At first, you had resigned yourself to just adoring him secretly. But you quickly grew impatient with that. What were you afraid of, really? Him letting you down gently, and ushering you two into an era of awkwardness? Okay so maybe that was worth considering. But not really. You wouldn’t let it come to that. Even if he did turn you down, you weren’t about to let that fact taint your friendship like that. You two were very close, and Douxie wasn’t the kind of guy to suddenly treat you differently after such a thing. Just a few weeks of awkwardness at most before all was forgotten (on his end at least). Only a problem for you. But, boy, it would be really, really nice, and not awkward, if he reciprocated.

You and Douxie were thick as thieves. There wasn’t a thing you hadn’t told each other. Not a secret between a pair of buddies as close as you. Oh, one thing, you know. The fact that you had caught feelings, that was definitely something you had kept secret from him. As eager as you were to do so, you couldn’t just drop a bombshell like that at any old time. That’s why you chose today of all days to confess; a little extra luck from St. Valentine. A little magic to give you a boost, placebo or not. This was going to happen. This was going to work.

You strapped on your helmet, safety first, before heading out on your bike. You cleared your schedule for the day cause you weren’t really sure if everything would work out or not. You could have everything done and ended wrapped up neatly in a few hours, or you could have a complete disaster on your hands, which could take up all your time. Time you would happily give, since you were determined for everything to be perfect. It was also nice to know you didn’t have to come in to work later,, lest you spend the whole night, crying your eyes out. You shuddered at the possibility. You were gonna stop thinking about that now. Yeah, only confidence now.

You may be a teensy bit sleep deprived. Only a teensy bit. You chugged a monster this morning, you’ll be fine. It wasn’t your fault you were up all night researching flower language. There were so many flowers, and those flowers had so many feelings. Eventually though, you managed to settle on a bouquet of roses, daisies, and dandelions. Fern leaves for greenery too. Greenery was important for flower arrangements. It tied the whole thing together. While it wouldn’t be the most on theme color scheme, the yellows, whites, reds, and greens, would mix together prettily. You definitely didn’t have to go as far as this, and you were banking on the fact that Douxie even knew flower language, but it was sweet, it was romantic. And you were going to be romantic about this, dammit.

Daisies, for friendship. It was really important that you communicate just how much you valued Douxie’s friendship and how nothing would change between you two if he were to not return your feelings. Red, red roses, classic romance. There was a reason the blooms were so strongly associated with the valentines holiday itself; no one sees a red rose and thinks of anything other than love and romance. A clear message to your beloved. And well, the dandelions? Cheery, beautiful, resilient, common weeds, never to be approved of, finding the strength to bloom despite assholes like Merlin’s best efforts. Dandelions were Douxie’s favorite flower.

Too bad the florist didn’t even consider them to be anything but said common weed. You had included them in your order when you called it in and you could hear the florist laugh, but muffled as if he put his hand over the receiver, before returning to the phone to inform you that you would have to add them yourself. Pretty rude, if you say so. No matter, hand-picked dandelions would be romantic, anyways. Even if no one else knew about it but you.

You placed the bouquet neatly into the basket of your bike. You’d pick the dandelions to complete it later, right before the big confession, in order to keep them fresh. But as of now, the bouquet peaked out of your basket, the floral fragrance wafting up to your face as you made your way to the next store.

Last week, you had seen such an adorable little box of chocolates. It had chocolates shaped like little skulls, flowers, and ghost cats, and the box had a silly pun about death. Goth chocolate, def. It would have been perfect for the edgy wizard in your life, but alas, it was way too fucking expensive. Like obscenely expensive. But no matter, you’d just steal the idea. How hard could making chocolate be anyway?

You left the grocery store with your haul safe in your skull-patterned reusable shopping bag. Wizard-chic and eco-friendly, it was your favorite bag. The contents of the much-loved bag? Melting chocolates, a jar of marmalade, a jar of raspberry jam, a jar of strawberry jam, and a new roll of wax paper, since you were out. Now you weren’t as ambitious as to make your own jam here. This was a failsafe. There are only so many ways to ruin chocolates if you did not make the chocolate nor the filling yourself. Now just a quick run in the stationary shop on your way home for a cute box, and you were all ready to start your chocolatier career.

 * * *

Douxie was getting antsy. Not many patrons had paid a visit to his bookstore this afternoon. Which was strange for valentine’s. and it left him with nothing but his thoughts to entertain his anxious mind. Doux had a lot to worry about. His band had a gig in a new town, so he wasn’t sure how they would be received. He was waiting on a shipment of books that was supposed to show up days ago. It may have gotten lost. That Lake kid was getting himself into more and more trouble these days and it was starting to become hard to help out without overstepping his vaguely imposed bounds. But most of all, at the very moment, he was worried about you.

You had asked him to meet up for dinner tonight. Okay, pretty normal for a Sunday night. Not that the weekend meant anything to either of you, but you normally set aside Sunday for dinner hangout. So nothing to abnormal. But then. Then, you said, something… Douxie actually can’t recall what you said, per se, just that it was along the lines of “we need to talk.” And that your tone sounded nervous. He did not like that one bit, nope nope. He had spent a great part of the day just revisiting every interaction the two of you had had in the last month or so, desperate to figure out if he did something wrong. But he was coming up blank, for all his efforts. Across the room, the clock ticked on. It would be closing time soon enough, and then he’d no longer have to wonder just what he did wrong, as you would be there to tell him directly. Fuzzbuckets, he couldn’t wait.

* * *

You wiped the goopy chocolate off of your cheek with the back of your hand. So far this wasn’t a total disaster. You had at least seven chocolate skulls filled and drying in the molds. The white chocolate seemed to have melted smoother than the regular chocolate? The regular chocolate ones looked kind of lumpy. You hoped they came out of the molds okay. Not to mention the ones you already messed up. A little mountain of chocolate pieces and jam had started rising from your table top corner.

It had been lots of fun at the start. melting the chocolates with a double boil, planning out which molds would be which flavors. But actually filling those molds? A messy, messy ordeal. You had chocolate and jam all over your kitchen, up to your exposed elbows, and even a little in your hair. But that was okay. You’d clean the kitchen later. With the molds in the freezer to set, your priority now was cleaning yourself up rather than the kitchen.

And you cleaned up nice, if you did say so yourself. You got the chocolate out of your hair, and had on a fresh outfit, taking a little time to put effort into your style. You looked snazzy, but not too fancy. You needed to stay casual. Something that you hoped would make Douxie be like ‘wow they look pretty okay’ but not freak him out with formality. Yeah. This was good.

Your watch beeped. Okay, you needed to get out of here, no more dilly dallying. You pulled the candies you made out of the freezer. Moment of truth. Thank the stars, all of the chocolates came out of the molds smoothly without breaking. You arranged them in the cute circular box you set up earlier and folded the tissue paper over them. They all fit in perfectly. The cheesy valentine card, the most important part, didn’t quite fit on top of the candies, you’d have to put it with the bouquet. You slid the lid onto the box and fastened a bow around it with a blue ribbon. Maybe this was a bit overkill, but Douxie knew how to appreciate the dramatic. He’d love it, you were sure.

Last but not least, you headed to the greenspace across the street from your apartment for the final ingredient in your Douxie wooing, dandelions. You were lucky that the empty lot had recently bloomed an entire garden’s worth of the yellow things. The chilly breeze mussed up your newly-fixed hair as you danced about gathering the tiny flowers, adding to the bouquet until you felt like it was enough. Which took longer than you had hoped. You definitely could have kept adding in more dandelions but your watch beeped once again and you had no choice but to make peace with the level of yellow and book it to the bookstore where you and Douxie were supposed to meet before heading out for the night.

* * *

Hearing the ding of the door chime, Douxie turned around to kindly inform the customer who came in that he wasn’t open, but the words caught in his throat when he was met with your smile. There you were, standing in the shop with a box in one hand and flowers in the other. You looked cute. Really cute. But Douxie chased that thought away. He fumbled with the book he had been re-shelving. It fell out of his hand unceremoniously, landing with a thud.

“Hey,” Doux managed to get out. “What’s all-”

“These are for you!” you shoved the presents into his now empty hands. That courage you had earlier? Gone. Your resolve? Dissolving as we speak. You had to get this over with before you chickened out. He was just so good, okay. And why did you think this was a good idea. Douxie looked down at the gifts in his hands confused, before blushing. If he could have reached a hand behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck he would have.

“I didn’t know we were doing Valentine’s, uh. I feel bad I didn’t get you anything.”

“Oh! Don’t be. I just,, felt like doing something nice for you and uh, special,” Douxie tilted his head. You took the box, freeing up his hand. “These are chocolates I made, like, like you’re supposed to do.” You waltzed over to the counter to place them out of the way. “The bouquet is the real star here, uh, I picked them out very carefully.” You tucked your arms behind your back. “I, uh- I brushed up on flower language, and I hope I got it right.”

Now Douxie may have been a Victorian once upon a time but he had barely any surviving memory of the frilly flower language people socialized through in those days. But thankfully, the blooms in the bouquet in front of him were straight forward enough that he did in fact get the message without taking too much gear turning in that noggin of his. Although, the friendly daisies with the red roses were kind of sending him some mixed signals. He knew what he wanted them to mean, but he could just be misinterpreting. You seemed to notice his hesitation.

“Um, there’s a card too. In the flowers somewhere. That. Probably explains what I’m trying to say a little clearer.” You carded your fingers through your hair. You had anticipated not being able to really speak with your voice, as you barely could now, so you’d written it all out on the card as backup. But damn, that card had everything on it. You maybe got a little carried away. There wasn’t going to be any going back from this.

Douxie dug out the card from amidst the blooms. It was handmade, with a cheesy little drawing on the front complete with a pun. And then he opened it. It was almost solid black with ink. Yeah, you had written that much in there. Both sides. And a little on the back. Wow. Doux tried his best to keep up a poker face while reading it but failed quickly as the first few lines alone left him flushed. It was true, everything was on it. From how much you adored Douxie as a person, to how much you valued his friendship, to how pretty you thought he was, to how you longed for something more, with him? Douxie felt like his hands were getting the card all sweaty.

It was nerve wracking watching him read that card. It seemed like he was finished, since his eyes stopped raking through it, but now he was staring intensely at the words written on the pages, in a trance. He broke focus, looking to the bouquet, back to the card, and then finally settled on you.

“Wow.”

“… is that a good wow?”

Douxie caught you by surprise. He pulled into a hug. “Yeah, a good wow.”

You and Douxie’s first non-platonic hug? Yes please. You didn’t even mind the flowers pressing into your back. Okay so a few rose thorns were poking you but that was fine. Douxie smelled like something you couldn’t name, but it was spicy, and cozy. He let you go sooner than you were ready to, but he grinned at you as he left to rummage through his things in the back for a vase. He turned to you as he proudly displayed them on the store’s counter, right where he could look at them all workday,

“So, where are we going tonight? For our first date?” Doux chuckled, “and, technically, our first Valentine’s day too.”

[tonyglowheart]

I’m torn on modding. On one hand yes it’s a slippery slope and I don’t want to give that a chance. But on the other I’ve stumbled across hetalia fanfics depicting the holocaust in detail as a positive thing and as a Jew it made me physically nauseous and only a few comments politely asking them to take it down... idk if they’re still up in 2020 but the idea of being able to report nazis is appealing. But again it’s a slippery slope

Hi anon. I hear you and I think I can see what you mean, however my impulse is still not along the lines of what you're suggesting, as far as content moderation goes.

In general, I think it's a tough subject and a tough issue to determine or adjudicate if there should be disallowed content for AO3, and if so, what. And.. even though we get some more "obvious" cases, if we ARE disallowing certain content as objectionable, then that's where get into having to start debating brightlines, and I don't think AO3 has the resources to pour into that, necessarily, not and keep the everyday running of the Archive up. (as well as you have the issue then of... well who gets to determine that?)

But beyond considerations of resources and volunteer teams, I do think, though, that this falls into one of those "even though AO3's status is somewhat blurred being as they are a 'living' system with more active engagement, they are still an *Archive* and not a social media platform, and thus fall more into library guidelines/functionality, vs a forum where we might encourage moderation." But this is also where I hesitate to speak more definitively bc I'm not familiar with library discourse esp within like library science fields. My general impression, though, is that most librarians are very much AGAINST bookbanning/bookburning, even for "objectionable" content, but I couldn't speak as to what the prevailing discourse on the topic is bc it's not familiar to me.

I'm thinking what COULD be done, and AO3's answer is generally to tag and warn (one of the main points of AO3 over other fic platforms), but like.. as with discussions on racism & AO3 that have been floating around recently, I don't think that's a good solution either, bc again pointing back to the potential for that feature to be abused by bad-faith players, as well as how it creates extra ToS work which again impacts potentially impacted demographics who would perhaps have to moderate that. ...so again, that's not really a solution either..

It's.. a tough thing to figure, and like.. I feel you on wanting to be able to better control how you can safely engage esp if not everyone WILL add on tags or warnings even if requested (which.. like is, again, their right to decline :') even if I will personally feel like they're potentially being asshole-y and could do better to try to be a good community member). Idk if I have any further thoughts to add that other people haven't really said, but like.. at the very least, I do feel you on the frustration and pain sometimes :') Maybe some interesting things will come out of the further explorations of AO3 tools as far as the racism discussions go. Or maybe this is one of those things where I just have to be able to vent, but then tighten my sphere and move on, about. *that one post I rbed about what you can control vs what you can't* Which... I know, personally, can be tough lol, and I still haven't worked through all my resentment and frustration to always be only or primarily constructive and instructive myself :')

[pressedinthepages]

Hollow Things

Chapter 7: Inevitability

Summary: A journey begins, and someone waltzes in to meet the Witchers.

Series Masterlist

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24382063/chapters/60697753

Words: 2524

Tags: @whitewolfandthefox @havenoffandoms​ @MishaFaye @queenxxxsupreme (Add yourself to my taglist  here!)  

Warnings: nothing specific, maybe a bit of hallucinating? Mind control? Something???

A/N: I will admit, this one got a little weird. HOWEVER, I love what I ended up with for this character! ALSO I know that this is like my third time posting this, but for some reason tumblr is not actually showing it in anyone’s feeds/tags...so...maybe this will work??? idk, we’ll find out.

The days move quickly now with Eskel at your side. You’ve begun moving north towards the Blue Mountains, the air growing cooler the further you get. The bright leaves no longer grace the edges of trees, but now blanket the ground in the colors of fire and the sun.

They remind me of Eskel’s eyes, you think, glancing over at the Witcher atop his horse. Every time I see them, I feel like I’m being pulled down, falling into some abyss behind his gaze. But I just can’t stop looking away…

You shake your head, blinking away your thoughts. It does no good to dwell on things that can only end poorly, just because you can’t get over this silly mushy feeling that blossoms in your chest every time that you look at Eskel.

“Shhh, Lady,” you croon at the mare, gently patting her neck as she bristles under your hand. Lil’ Bleater is as hyper as ever, darting and weaving through the horses’ legs as you walk. Scorpion is accustomed to it, plodding along unwaveringly. Lady, however, is still working on it. She walks more warily, afraid of stepping on the little goat or tripping over her. Lady even snapped at her once for the incessant headbutting against her knees. Since then, Lil’ Bleater has calmed that habit a bit, reserving it for Eskel and Scorpion. You know that Lady cares for the goat though, having caught them both resting one evening, Lil’ Bleater curled up into the crook of Lady’s neck.

You hop down from your saddle as you approach a fencepost pointing to a village in the distance. “Should we go by here, see if there’s any last-minute work we can do?” You look back to Eskel, still sitting atop Scorpion.

“Sure,” he says as he glances towards the town, “we still have a couple of days before we need to head to the keep, so we can see if they need anything.”

You swing yourself back into the saddle, settling in before rubbing the leather of the reins between your fingers. It’s well worn and soft, something familiar to hold onto in the face of waves of change.

Eskel’s voice brings you back to reality, but you hadn’t heard a word he said. “Sorry, what?” You tilt your head in confusion, neither of you yet moving towards the village.

“I asked if you wanted a little race. First one to the town wins, loser buys the first ale.” He smiles, cocky and sure of himself as he extends the offer.

You turn back to the road, gripping the reins tighter in your hands. “Oh, you’re on. Hope you’ve got your coin ready.”

You hear him chuckle as he rights himself in the saddle before calling, “Ready, set...GO!”

You snap the reins and dig your heels into the side of your horse, Lady taking off beneath you. The wind chills you to the bone and your hair flies across the air behind you. You can hear the hearts around you, the quick fluttering of the two horses’ and the slower thrum of Eskel’s. You feel yours more than hear it though, pounding through your veins as strongly as the hooves on the ground as you race to the town. You wish that you could fly if it felt like this, exhilarating and freeing.

You pull Lady to a stop just past the archway into the village, Eskel just behind you. You jump down, boots kicking up leaves underfoot as you spin. You laugh heartily, the adrenaline coursing through your blood and rising to your cheeks.

You reach into your saddlebags and grab an apple, gently presenting it to Lady for a job well done. “Well,” you start, breath heavy in the chill of autumn, “I suppose you owe me an ale, slowpoke.” You see Lil’ Bleater trot through the gate as well, unhurried as she finds a patch of grass to munch on.

“Yeah, yeah,” Eskel hops down as well, leading Scorpion towards the inn at the center of town. “You know, I don’t think it’s very fair if you use your beauty to charm the wind into letting you win.”

You feel yourself flush, swiftly avoiding the compliment and huffing out “I never was good at charming things, you remember when you tried to show me what you had learned when you returned from Ban Ard?”

He hums, content to relive the memory in silence. You both hand the horses to the stablehand, Eskel handing over an extra bit of coin with explicit instructions to keep an eye on Lil’ Bleater as well.

You stroll into the inn, expecting stares and a cool disposition from the people already there. Instead, you see only smiles and warmth, the innkeeper rushing to Eskel’s side.

“Oh, well met, dear Witcher!” he says, clapping Eskel loudly on the shoulder, clearly having met him before. Eskel returns the gesture, shaking hands and leaving you a very confused mess. You drift over to a corner of the room, settling into a chair as Eskel secures a room and some supper for you both.

You sit in silence for a moment, eyes on your companion as someone slides into the chair across from you. Your gaze snaps to him, threatening in its intensity.

The man does not wilt, only flashes a bright smile in your direction. “Well, never thought I’d meet a Lady Witcher in this little town.” His voice is charming, smooth and lilting in your ears.

You’re growing tired of this little nickname people have dubbed you with, opening your mouth to once again correct his title of you.

“Ah, ah, don’t fret, I know you’re not actually nobility or anything, let me buy you an ale?” He oozes confidence as he waves towards the barmaid, and you soon have a drink in your hand.

You hum as you sip, the alcohol warming you as you take in the man sitting across from you. He is tall, not quite as tall as Eskel but still more so than you. He is dressed in almost offensively bright colors, his doublet open and chemise untied at the top. His hair hangs gently, framing his face in chestnut waves, and his face is soft, kind, the kind of face that could smile his way into your bedroom and then right back out of your life. But his eyes, they speak of a knowledge so profound, so infinite, that it takes your breath. They are the color of cornflowers shining with morning dew, something deep and powerful flickering behind them.

Your medallion sits still on your skin, and as you glance back to Eskel you see that he is still engaged in conversation with the innkeeper, not having noticed your new guest. You choose your words carefully, not sure exactly what you’re getting into. “And what may I call you, to thank you for the refreshment?”

He smiles, cheeks dimpling as he lifts his own drink. He takes a long draw from the cup, bringing it back to the table as he smirks across the table. “I am known by many names, but you, my dear? You may call me Jaskier.”

At the mention of his name, you feel an unnatural calmness settle over you, as if someone cracked an egg over your head and let it drip down your body. You stare into his eyes, clear as the winter sky overhead, and you feel fear for the first time in a very long time.

“Now, don’t worry that stubborn little head of yours, I won’t hurt you. I’m only here to relay a message.” You find yourself unable to move, your hand still gripping the handle of the half-empty tankard of ale on the table. Jaskier leans back in his chair with effortless grace, lithe legs coming up to rest on the table.

But, with no warning, he suddenly slams the chair down, leans back over the table, and lets his gaze bore into your eyes. Something has shifted over them, and you fight the overwhelming urge to slip into sleep. The fight does not last long though, a void of darkness shrouding your senses.

…

You are on the top of a mountain, much like the one from your nightmare. However, instead of seeing Eskel, dead on his side, you see several people at the edge of the cliff. A somewhat plain-looking man, and a raven-haired woman, her cloak drifting in the wind as she stalks away from the group. You watch as she goes, but are quickly pulled back to the group by yelling.

“If life could give me one blessing, it would be to take you off my hands!” You can feel the anger radiating from the man who said it, and the hurt rolling off of the target of his rage, whose back is to you. You’d know that yelling anywhere, especially considering the ashen hair swirling around his face. Geralt had always been a head case, emotions exploding in hurtful words that sting with their venom.

As the other man turns, metaphorical tail tucked between his legs walking towards the forest, your mouth falls open in disbelief. “Jaskier?” you breathe, watching as he hurries past you and disappears into the trees. He hadn’t looked like the smooth-talking man that had cornered you in the tavern, he looked like he was going through hell. Physically, it was as if he hadn’t aged a day. But he looked emotionally exhausted, clearly going through some sort of inner turmoil that has turned him into a husk of his former spirit.

A hand settles on your shoulder, squeezing lightly. You turn and see the Jaskier from the tavern, but he is solemn, none of the previous youthful exuberance in his expression.

“You’re not the only one with a destiny…” he murmurs, his eyes leaving yours to rest on Geralt, who is now sitting on a log with his head in his hands.

Your eyebrows scrunch in confusion as Jaskier turns back to you, his hand squeezing hard on your shoulder. You wince, blinking your eyes shut.

...

Suddenly, you are standing in a field of poppies and buttercups, the bright reds and yellow petals drifting in the breeze and tickling your ankles. The sun is setting, painting the sky in broad strokes of warmth, glorious in its embrace of the earth underneath.

Silhouetted against the setting sun stand two people holding each other close, their foreheads touching. He holds her face gently, stroking her cheeks with his thumb as his chest rises and falls under her hands.

You move closer, the flowers parting like waves through your legs. As you approach, you see the scars on the man’s face, the hair flowing in the breeze behind the woman. You can hear your heartbeat ring in your ears as you get close enough to touch, but you can’t bring yourself to interrupt this moment. Eskel’s eyes are closed, as are yours, and the serenity of you both is palpable in the air.

You feel eyes on you and you spin, facing Jaskier once more.

“What is all of this? Who...what are you?” you whisper, glancing back at the image of peace behind you, worried that it will be snatched from you before you can commit it to memory.

“I trust that you received my dream,” your eyes widen at Jaskier’s words, flashing back to the vivid pain and terror of cradling Eskel’s motionless body.

You steel yourself before meeting his eyes once more, this time finding only sorrow that comes with infinite wisdom. “That was your doing?”

He nods, moving to stand beside you as he watches the open display of affection just behind you. “There are two outcomes to your life, one in that dream, and one here. It’ll take work, but it’s your choice.”

You suck in a breath, the taste of poppies and love filling your senses. “How do you know?”

Jaskier only shrugs, the gesture noncommittal in its silence. You both stay like this for gods know how long, staring in opposite directions, the sun never fully setting in this paradise.

When he murmurs your name your jaw clenches, your eyes welling up with unshed tears. Leaving this place, this perfection, feels like shoving a fire poker straight into your gut. You glance back one last time, tracing every slope and edge of the two people’s features, the bliss almost smothering in its temptation.

“Before we leave,” your voice low and soft at the edges, “tell me, what are you?”

You can hear the smile in his voice, something sweetly sinister lacing the words. “Me? I am but a humble storyteller, my dear.”

“But these stories, they haven’t happened yet.”

You feel his breath on your ear as he leans in and whispers, “I know.”

When you finally meet Jaskier’s gaze, it is blinding in its intensity, knocking you back as you blink the light away.

…

You’re back in the tavern, seemingly not a moment having passed during your conversation (?) with Jaskier. Your hand is still almost painfully clenched around the cup and you drop it, the metal clanging to the ground.

Your eyes dart around the room, searching for any familiar face. Jaskier is nowhere to be seen, and when you stand, the world spins around you. You throw out a hand to catch yourself on the table, but a pair of strong arms wraps around you before you can fall.

“What’s going on, are you alright?” Eskel’s voice is rough with concern, his eyes searching yours in an effort to discern the problem. There’s no way you can tell him what you just experienced, not without crying or sounding crazy or vomiting or some combination of the three.

You shake your head, regaining your balance. “I...I think I just need some rest.” Eskel nods, still looking worried as he pulls you against him, resting your weight on him as he leads you to the room.

…

The next morning, as you leave the little town to begin the trek up the mountain towards Kaer Morhen, Eskel looks to you hesitantly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asks, and you almost cry right there from his words. You very much do not want to talk about it, but just the fact that he knows something is still wrong, and he knows that you probably don’t want to talk about it but you know that he is there to listen when you are ready, gods it makes your heart swell with feelings that have not been spoken about in decades.

You shake your head, not fully trusting your voice as your little group leaves the village. As you reach the turn in the road towards your destination, the gentle lilting of a lute pricks your ears. You glance back towards the source of the sound, halting your steps.

Jaskier is perched atop the trunk of a tree, strumming lightly at the edge of the village. He sees you looking and smirks, and you can feel his eyes watching your back as you turn to follow Eskel down the road.

[itsclydebitches]

Lovely Good Omens fandom! Many of you have asked for/mentioned having a text version of the Yelp reviews, which if I were a better person I would have remembered to include in the first place. Better late than never? So here’s a version below and I also threw this up on AO3 so there are options. For the record, I’m not at all trained in transcribing visual media, so if anyone wants to add to/edit/do whatever to this post, especially to make it more accessible, you have carte blanche to do so 👍

Also I typed this up in a hurry so, as always, apologies for any typos. 

Tagging: @lethargicdolphin, @marithlizard, @pearwaldorf

A.Z. Fell and Co. Antiquarian and Unusual Books 

Recommended Reviews 

Lindsay F. 

London, United Kingdom 

71 friends

3000 reviews

9874 photos

So I slipped into this place because I spotted my ex across the street and would have rather chugged a cocktail of bleach, lighter fluid, and a condensed solution of all my middle school years then talk to that asshole. Owner was on me the second I walked through the door and I thought he was gonna be one of those ‘Either buy something or get out’ types. Nah. I spilled the story, said I really wasn’t looking to purchase anything, and he LIT UP like nobody’s business. He gave me tea and promised I’d never run into my ex again. Which is a super sketchy promise on its own and also should have been hilarious coming from a guy a century behind in style.

...Kinda believed him though. 

Marina G. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

33 reviews

48 photos

Pretty sure this guy wants a library, not a bookshop. I mean, he’s nice and all when you first come in, but trying to actually buy a book? Good fucking luck. He’s too busy to see you right now (for the record he’s super bad at pretending to be busy). Or claims that this book has already been put on reserve (then why wasn’t it in the reserve pile...?). Or the price suddenly jumped an obscene amount. Or he just straight up hems and haws until you get fed up and leave. I watched him pull a novel straight out of a woman’s hands once when she claimed that price was no object and she wouldn’t be leaving the store until she’d purchased it. You’d think she was trying to kidnap one of the guy’s kids!

So yeah. Feel like popping in to browse, maybe take pictures for your research, all while making quiet conversation with someone who quite frankly knows his stuff? This is the place for you. Want to actually buy something? Go elsewhere. Pretty sure Fell doesn’t even own a cash register. At least I’ve never seen one. 

He wants a library and I’d honestly tell him as much if he didn’t scare me just a little bit...

Aaron S. 

New York, NY

68 friends

212 reviews 

337 photos

I stayed here for three days once. Found a bathroom off the romance section and a chair hidden away in the back. Way comfier than my mattress at home. Mostly played iPhone games and kept real quiet at night. Experiment ended when I popped out for breakfast and didn’t make it back before a random 10:00am closing. Don’t think the owner ever realized what was up. 

Hana S. 

London, United Kingdom 

112 friends

115 reviews

208 photos

I really love this place. I’ve been coming here since I moved to London, about twelve years ago, and it’s one of the most soothing bookstores I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Yeah, you hear talk of weird things going on at Fell’s, but really? We could all do with a bit more quirky in our lives. And Fell provides that in spades: Annual plants that never seem to wither, let alone die. The smell of incense mixing with cocoa. Strange books tucked horizontally into the shelves, feeling like they have a touch of magic to them. Nonsensical conversations taking place in dark corners (I’m talking candid chats about the apocalypse and whether angels could actually bless all the rains down in Africa. I swear Fell and his boyfriend are the religion Mythbusters or something.) I’m going to sound like a total nerd here for a moment, but it feels like some sort of liminal space. You know when you were a kid and you were just desperate to receive your Hogwarts letter? Or find your own wardrobe to Narnia? That’s what walking into Fell’s feels like. Like you’ve finally found that portal and can stay as long as you like, provided you don’t try to take anything back with you into the ‘real’ world. Hell, maybe that’s why he won’t let anyone buy his books. 

Robert T. 

Union City, CA

4 friends

26 reviews

3 photos

There’s a snake?? In this shop?? A reALLY MASSIVE SNAKE????? What are y’all doing talkin’ about your meet cutes and shit someone call pest control!

Malini D. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

48 reviews

99 photos

I’m not gonna pretend I have anything to say about whether this is a good bookstore or not, but if you ever want knitting help you should definitely stop by. Mr. Fell knows an absurd amount about crafts for a guy who looks like my grandpa and he’s now replaced Youtube as my go-to for alleviating “Omg please fix this how the hell did I manage to reverse the pattern??” panic. For the record, I didn’t just wander up to a random bookseller one day and demand that he help me salvage the ruins of my first sweater. I’d taken a seat inside to wait out a storm, had my messy sleeve stuffed into my purse, and he’d offered the help. Bit of a bastard about things like gauge and color--not everyone wants to wear tartan, dude--but you get used to that. He means well. Said I should come back to show him the finished piece, which I did. Things just kind of spiraled from there. He’s an absolute treasure trove of knowledge once you get him talking and a muffin to boot. If he were twenty years younger and in any way straight I would have asked him out in a heartbeat. As it is I’m considering setting him up with Grandpa. 

Tiffany L. 

London, United Kingdom 

132 friends

312 reviews

34 photos

I’m not really a book person myself but I followed my wife in with our seventh-month old and was kinda embarrassed when he started making a fuss. Normally I’m full Badass Mom mode while in public--I’ve got a kid to feed, change, sooth, and you all can damn well deal with it--but this place was so quiet Liam seemed extra loud in comparison. I was about to take him back out when a man appeared out of nowhere. The owner I guess, based on how some of these other reviews describe him. Older gentleman with clothes out of some period piece. Anyway, he scoops Liam into his arms like he was born for it and started bouncing. Our fussy, temperamental, drama queen Liam settled in an instant and my wife got to browse to her heart’s content. I don’t know how he did it, but that man is an absolute angel. Full stars for that moment alone. 

Gillian L. 

The Hague, The Netherlands

283 friends

256 reviews

60 photos

Anyone know if the old Bentley parked out front is for sale? 

Update: It’s really, really, really not 

Billy H. 

Austen, TX

40 friends

2073 reviews

774 photos

QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS SO MANY QUEER BOOKS!!!

Gabriela G. 

London, United Kingdom

3 friends

22 reviews

1 photos

Run by this delightfully frumpy guy who sometimes hands out biscuits from a sewing tin like my gran used to. He asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and I told him my name was Jared, I was 19, but sadly I’d never learned how to read. I have NEVER seen a man more confused in my life. 10/10 would meme him again. 

Colie A.

Enola, PA

201 friends

2778 reviews

10382 photos

I’m setting the record straight here since there are a bunch of reviews claiming it’s just London folklore: there is a snake at A.Z. Fell’s. Must be an exotic pet he usually keeps upstairs because I’ve only ever seen it twice. Is it big? Yes. Scary? Fuck yes, but I’ve never seen it do anything more than give a warning hiss at this drunk who wandered in and started yelling. (Are snakes good guard dogs? This one is.) The other time he was just chilling on top of one of the shelves. Snoozing, I guess. I asked Mr. Fell if I could pet him and he said maybe after he woke up, but then I had to get to class and all. 

Afraid of snakes? Steer clear. Otherwise I’d really recommend popping in and seeing if he’s around. Idk, maybe I’m just a snake fan but he looks super sweet and chill. Life is short. Boop the snake snoot. 

Jeremy W. 

London, United Kingdom 

86 friends

409 reviews

12 photos

I live down the street from A.Z. Fell’s and let me tell you, this place is spooky as fuck. All sorts of weird lights and noises coming from it. At all times of the day and night too. Either this bowtie wearing bookworm has one crazy sex life or the place is haunted. Jury’s out on which. 

Heather Ki. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

3852 reviews

1 photos

This shop smells. Not that old book smell either, oh no, but like something is molding. I took my little Johnny in here to try and get him interested in something other than those damned video games and I walk into what smells like a whole cloud of toxic mold! My boy has a weak constitution as it is and if he comes down with anything I will be pressing charges, you mark my words. 

Jo. W. 

London, United Kingdom 

32 friends

410 reviews

61 photos

Hey, does anyone want to talk about the fact that this place burned down last month? As in, completely up in flames, I saw it happen, nothing but a smoking husk afterwards? Does no one else remember this??

Tiggi N. 

London, United Kingdom 

32 friends

33 reviews

24 photos

Has anyone read this guy’s opening hours? I included a photo above: “I open the shop on most days about 9:30AM perhaps 10:AM. While occasionally I have opened the shop as early as 8, I have been known not to open until 1.” Absolutely insane. This guy’s a madman and I love him. If anyone actually manages to get into this place please let me know because I need to shake Fell’s hand. 

Mackenzie J. 

City Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom 

807 friends

2592 reviews

13218 photos

I told my girlfriend this shop’s got a snake named Anthony and she didn’t believe me. Going back for proof next week. 

Update: got the snake selfie!!!!!!!!

Penny O. 

Chicago, IL

87 friends

557 reviews

16 photos

Caught the owner snogging some hot twink behind the cookbooks. Well done, my dude. 

[jazzy-art-time]

Sorry if this is a bother but I’m really trying to get into the ask blog community but I don’t really know how to start off or do anything? You have a lot of blogs and seem popular so I was wondering if you could give a newbie some advice if it’s not too much trouble? o^o”

Oh it’s no trouble at all reallyalthough I would HARDLY consider myself as “””popular””” hhhhiknowlike8peopleI did something like this once before on one of my ask blogs but I’m just gonna trim it up and rewrite it.+*~ Below The Cut For Shitty Jazzy Advice ~*+Be warned it is long and wordy.This is my own personal blog process/blog beliefs.Don’t take all of these to heart fully because there are many ways to do/interpret things. I am simply sharing how i personally do things.If anyone feels the need to add more onto this, feel free to.

First lets get The Blog Theme down.Believe it or not this is actually important and can affect you and your blog a lot more than you think.-> THIS ACCOUNT IS WHERE I GET ALL OF MY THEMES -Please note there are other blogs like this one, I just use that one specifically.You can also use the default theme that tumblr gives you, there are ways to edit it but I do not know how to edit it you would have to ask someone else.Simple Theme Color rules that I use:- Do not add bright neon colors with black. I love black n neon as much as the next guy but it makes your theme eye burning.- Blog colors can determine a blogs theme as well. A bright colored theme suggests a happy upbeat blog. But this only applies if you care for that sort of thing.- Make the text easy to read. Please even your links in the sidebar make them a color that is different enough from the other colors on your blog so you can actually read them. Use a easy to read font as well.What I always make sure to add in a theme:- Ask Box. Obvious thing to add, never feel ashamed or hesitant to close your ask box if needed. Whether it be due to plot reasons or you have asks piling up. Feel free to close it for the time you need and open it up again when desired.- Submissions Box. Not REALLY needed, I just always add it for ease of access. You can get to someone’s submit box just by adding /submit to the end of their url but I prefer to have a tab for it.- Character page or reference tag. Seriously add a reference page or a reference tag that is easy to find. It’s kind of a turnoff if you don’t have a easy to access reference. Don’t be upset if you feel your reference isn’t good enough. As long as you have a color palette to it you will be golden. Never shade a reference without a normal color palette we are all begging you. If you draw art traditionally, you can always add a color palette in with MSpaint nobody will judge you for that.- Rules Page. Now this isn’t 100% needed. I just add them to avoid getting spammed with questions or like… nsfw questions or something. If you don’t care about that then don’t worry ‘bout it.These are the main things I add to a blog. I also add these things because I’m extra:- Lore/Plot page. This usually contains links n tags to follow all of my plot posts or specific lore posts.- Ask Hints page. This is a HUGE help to people who are shy like me!! I usually can’t think of good asks to send so Ask Hint pages are such a help. I always try to add them whenever I can! Also they can help people ask more plot relevant questions when needed.Other Important things to add to a theme of a blog:- Add warnings. If your blog isn’t going to be happy go lucky, please consider adding a warning somewhere. Whether it be in the blogs description or your rules page. You don’t HAVE to add a warning, but its best if you do. - Add a tagging system if needed. No again, don’t have to do this. Some don’t tag things at all which is fine! I prefer to have tags and tag everything so I don’t accidentally trigger someone or just have peeps upset at me in general. I always have trigger tags, sensitive content tags and OOC tags. I go overboard with my tagging, I am aware of this, but I would rather be safe than sorry.Lets talk about Blog Playlists:- It is perfectly fine to have a blog playlist. Most complain about blog playlists but that is generally only if AutoPlay is on. I’m neutral on blog playlists just as long as the autoplay is off I am good lol. AutoPlay tends to give me a spook. It’s a highly debated thing in the community, but from what i’ve seen people just don’t like AutoPlay lol-> IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE A STOCK PHOTO FOR YOUR BACKGROUND, TRY USING THIS METHOD FOR FAIR USE I know most don’t honestly care about fair use of stock photos like this, but try to be fair +*~ Onto the character’s themselves ~*+What do you choose as your main pokecharacter?Literally whatever you want. I know some try to challenge themselves by choosing a pokemon they dislike/is hard to draw as their main character, but please note there is a difference between challenging yourself and doing something that you dislike to impress others.Choose whatever you want. Whether it be a popular pokemon or not, as long as you enjoy it, go for it.Need Help designing the character themselves or their personality?Enjoy some links that I’ve used in the past when i was in a bind.- Master Post of Character Design/Story- Character Flaw List- Color Scheme website  - A big thing containing stuff for character design  - Here is a Palette Blog that I follow that I use for color palettes when I come up blank!- Need help portraying better speech bubbles for characters? here is some examples of some fun things you can do with them!- Are you a mainly text based blog or just want to word some of your things better? Enjoy this.I could link you so many more things, I also have a bunch of Art Tutorials saved/tagged!But I’m going to move on to avoid spamming~In the end. Have fun with your character design. If you aren’t enjoying what you are designing/drawing then maybe you should try something different! Again, there is a difference between challenging yourself and just forcing yourself to do something you dislike.+*~ ONTO BLOG THEMES ~*+What kind of plot should your blog have? Should it have a plot? What is better?Literally whatever you want!! Do what you want!! You want a big plot blog?? DO IT!! You want a silly nonsense blog?? DO IT!!  Want a mix of both?? DO IT!!Now. Lets discuss blogs that contain sensitive subjects:- Do research on sensitive subjects. I know you are doing blogs for fun! Why would you want to research something that sounds boring right? Yeah it can be boring. But DON’T TRY TO PORTRAY SOMETHING YOU LITERALLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. Because then that’s just being ignorant or offensive. If you want a blog starring a depressed character? Please at least just do some research on depression so you aren’t just doing one big stereotype splattered everywhere.- I know doing research sounds boring but there is a line that you have to do research on before portraying it unless you just straight up want to be offensive or ignorant. In which case if you would want to be offensive… why? just why? idk shoo bEGONE.- Doing research on the subjects you are portraying can actually teach you things and help you better your characters and plot. Believe it or not… studying something you don’t know that much about will…. help you LEARN??? wow shocking I know. I know I sound sarcastic and rather salty with this, but it happens more than you think.- Portraying a subject you know nothing about just requires some research. It’s honestly not that hard. You don’t always have to portray sensitive subjects 100% by the book. You can add your own twists or portray them differently if you wish! But there is a line between adding a twist and just being ignorant and offensive.+*~ Ask Time ~*+Alright, you got your blog all set up! You are ready to go! Now you need to get out there, get known! Get ASKS.How to go about it?- Get your blog signal boosted. The PokeAsk community loves signal boosting one another! A signal boost can go a long way to someone who is just starting out. If you don’t have a friend already in the community that can signal boost you, try asking a mod for a signal boost! Most mod’s love to signal boost others, go to one of them and ask for one POLITELY.- Make a Ask Call. One of the big ways to get asks is to simply make a ask call. Just make a post saying “Hey I need asks” or something.- Go onto other’s ask calls asking for one. Lots of Mod’s do Ask Calls in which they SEND OUT asks to others, go onto one of those! Ask for a ask! There is absolutely no shame in doing that.- Interact with others in the community. You can’t expect to get asks if literally no one knows who you are. Send asks to others! Get yourself out there! Make yourself known! If you are like me and have social anxiety or have issues sending asks, look for people’s ask hint pages! Send them a ask from the ask hint page!- Make a Ask Hints page of your own. Sometimes people just don’t know what to send you or are too shy to come up with something themselves. A Ask Hint page can help others send you asks.- There is no shame in asking a friend for a ask. There is literally no shame in asking your friends for asks if you really need them. Even if your friends just send them on anon. There is no shame in it.- Make sure your blog is clean. If your blog is filled with randomness that has nothing to do with your blog or is just random content from you, it will be hard for others to figure out what to ask about. If your askblog looks more like a personal blog, you probably wont get that many asks, its a harsh truth. Also again, having a easy to navigate blog can do wonders.- Make your content appealing. This sounds horribly harsh I know but you can’t expect to have others be instantly filling your inbox if you don’t have some sort of appeal. You can’t have around 4 posts of your character doing nothing interesting and expect others to go “oh I wonder this characters backstory is” or something. Spice it up! Make things interesting! You have to have a hook, make others want to question about your characters or your plot. Make them want to know more! Feel like you don’t know how to make things more appealing? Literally just ask others for advice. Even if the advice is criticism, USE THAT to become better. There is no shame in asking others for advice.- Don’t rely. On. Asks. Only. I understand it is a PokeASK community, but don’t rely on asks fully. Not getting any asks? Time to draw some character shenanigans! Do some plot to lure people in! Make us see your characters outside of asks! It can do wonders for character development and will also help lure others into wanting to learn more about the blog!You do not need a constant stream of asks to run a ask blog.If you just sit and do nothing because you have no asks, then guess what? You still aren’t gonna get asks. Sitting around doing nothing will get you nothing.Getting asks can be hard. For literally all of us it can be hard sometimes.Even that blog you think “omg they are so popular they must get so many asks” struggles because I bet you their inbox is full of nonsense that they can’t actually use.Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t getting any asks, just keep moving forward with your blog and make the community get hooked on your stuff.+*~ Tips on things you should NOT do~*+- Do not force ships onto others. Most of us in the community love shipping characters, but don’t force it. If the other Mod expresses discomfort with the ship or doesn’t want to ship with you, don’t force it.- Don’t god mod others. Don’t waltz into someone elses inbox going “my character totally PUNCHES YOURS IN THE FACE AHAHA YOUR CHARACTER IS WEAK COMPARED TO MINE.”. Unless you and the mod planned that out beforehand, it is mostly unwanted. Don’t try to randomly attack or take over someone else’s plot. Discuss things like that with the mod, if they don’t want to do that sort of thing? Don’t send it. It’s extremely annoying. Also if you aren’t involved in someone’s plot or ask?? Don’t try to reply or force yourself in it. I’ve had people respond to my plot posts that had literally nothing to do with them. Its annoying and disrespectful. Always discuss things of that nature with the mod beforehand-.If you don’t like someone in the community, block them or ignore them. Do not make a huge deal out of it. It takes zero effort to block someone you dislike and move on. I know some go “Oh I don’t block others UwU” but then they go and constantly start crap with others? Just… If you dislike someone move the hell on with your life and leave them be.- Don’t do call out posts unless there is a clear threat to the community. Oh honey I’m so sorry you dislike someone in the community, but please spare me the time of scrolling past your huge call out post for a person who hurt your feelings a bit. Don’t cause the community unnecessary drama with call out posts for things that aren’t really community issues, this includes vague-ing about others publicly on your blog. Call out posts should only be for community threats or something. Is the person you are going to make a call out post on a pedophile/art scammer/submits porn or body horror to blogs/blatenly sends out hate to others openly/sends fetish asks or something of that nature? Then yes that is a community issue that needs to be addressed. Is the person you are going to make a call out post on someone who just hurt your feelings/you had a fight with about something that is only directed at the two of you or your friend group? Then don’t.A community issue is a issue that addresses the entire community, not just you and your issues with someone else. Move on don’t throw a temper tantrum like a child because someone blocked you or something. Nobody cares if you and someone else don’t get along, its private business so let it remain private.CALL OUT POSTS NEED TO REMAIN RARE AND WITHIN GOOD REASON.- Don’t reply to anon hate. Seriously don’t. Even if you have a witty comeback do you think everyone really needs to see anon hate spamming their dash? no. Ignore anon hate and move on. I know sometimes anon hate can hurt you, it can cut you to the core. But please try to ignore it and move on. Always remember that you can turn off anon or block anons. Granted sometimes anon hate can just be a misunderstanding in which case feel free to reply. I’ve had some “anon hate” which was actually just a misunderstanding. There is a difference between clearing up a misunderstanding and fueling anon hate.- Mind your business. If a drama is happening and it has literally nothing to do with you? Mind your business. Too many people try to get involved in drama that doesn’t even involve them and all that does is fuel more crap. Mind. ya. Business. It can save ya from unnecessary drama trust me. You can support others who are victims of drama or something, but don’t just try to insert yourself and make things worse. There is a difference between a supportive friend and a white knight. A white knight attacks without reason, they don’t know the full story nor care to know. Just…. seriously mind ya business.- Did I mention that if you dislike someone you should just block and or ignore them? Seriously. - Criticism is not automatically hate. Too many people take any negative criticism as hate. You can’t honestly expect everyone to only ever have GOOD things to say about your stuff? You aren’t perfect, nobody is perfect. If someone gives you criticism on your art or your writing or character development, listen. Listen to it. Take it in! Become a better artist/writer/blogger. I know sometimes criticism can be hard to take, especially if its something you worked hard on or something you care about deeply. But please know that criticism isn’t always hate. You never even have to accept criticism, granted its better if you try to learn from criticism, but you don’t have to accept all of it. It’s really up to you on whether or not you accept and listen to the criticism or ignore it. Just don’t automatically take any sort of criticism as “hate”. There is a clear difference.Criticism is to help you improve, hate is just to hurt.- Your mistakes do not define you,how you choose to act after the mistakes is what defines you. Have you done any of these things above? Are you worried about accidentally doing these things? I’m sure all of us in the community have accidentally or even purposefully done one of these things once or twice before. But the difference is, we realized what we were doing was wrong. We changed for the better. If you make a mistake, change for the better! Changing for the better can be hard sometimes, especially if you didn’t realize you were doing something wrong. But what it is important that you can get better, you can redeem your mistakes. A apology wont just fix a mistake, the best apology is changed behavior.  You can’t just apologize for sending someone hate and then continue to send hate. That is not how it works.Granted yes, sometimes mod will hold grudges, some mods wont want to forgive you for your mistakes. But don’t let that stop you from getting better.If you make a mistake, choose to become better and redeem the mistake. Do not become your mistake. It can be hard, but you can become a better person, a better mod, even a better storyteller.+*~ The Moral of the Story ~*+Have fun with your blog. Choose a pokemon you enjoy. Design a design that you enjoy. Choose a theme that you enjoy. Have fun and don’t be a dick.Most of us in the community are generally kind and welcoming, we would be happy to have a new person join the ranks of PokeBlogging.Have fun, don’t be afraid to ask for help if needed.This was really rather long, but I hope maybe it helped you.I’m not that great at giving advice or explaining my though process clearly.But I hope maybe you got something from this other than “Damn Jazzy talks too much” lol

[lilbeanblr]

Its So Cute ! Can We Keep Him ?

I decided to write a thing, I don’t normally do these things but like cute monsters with children idk that stuff is just things i like to write about.  story will be below the cut cause I’m not normally a fic writer and I know not all of my followers would appreciate a large fic just taking up space on there dash so yeah. 

Words :  1505 Warnings: None that I can think of, let me know if I need to add any. 

The crisp late afternoon summer air swirled around the trio of five year olds. Who were out walking about the park closest to their homes, exploring as they caught the last rays of sunlight before they would have to pack it in and go home. Patton was excitedly running around the park while Roman and Logan hung back talking to one another, however a short rustling the the bushes drew Patton's attention. Approaching the bush carefully as to not immediately give away himself to whatever animal might be hiding in there. “Hey guys I think I found something !” Patton called out to the other boys who turned to his voice and started walking over. “What did you find Patton?” Roman asked once he was close enough.

“I don’t know, I think it might be a puppy !” Patton excitedly returned. He moved some of the branches to the side to reveal a . . . well he wasn't too sure what it was all he knew was it was fluffy and cute ! therefore, “Its so cute ! can we keep him ?” he asked as he turned to Logan. The thing in the bushes had long soft dark purple almost black fur, a long fluffy tail and two giant big round golden eyes, it looked like an oversized house cat. With big fluffy paws and a small face. Its body was just smaller than Patton. As it turned its head towards the five year olds it hissed, its cover being blown. Patton awed and then picked the cat like creature up under its front arms and hugged it to himself “come on Lo can we keep him pretty please?” he held it out to Logan looked offended at the thing “it might have rabies! Patton please put it down before it hurts you” he shielded away from the offending animal. The cat like creature hissed and growled at Logan but calmed down once Patton pulled it back to his chest and started rubbing his face against the animal. “Aww come on Logan ! how could you say no to that face, look at it, it’s positively adorable !” Roman chimed in and approached Patton reaching out and petting the cats head softly. Once it started purring everyone was awwing at it. The three boys spent some time petting and cuddling the animal until it’s belly rumbled. At that point Patton had made up his mind and was bringing the animal home with him no matter what. 

“Patton please think about what you are doing ! what will father think ?” Logan pleaded with Patton as he dragged this animal in his tiny arms. The animal's front paws and head being the only thing held up by Patton the rest of its body was left to dangle and drag and the child walked. It made no move to escape and seemed content just to sit in the boy's arms and wait out the ride. After a short ten minute walk the boys arrived home the cat like creature dubbed ‘kitty’ by Patton still in the boy’s arms, purring softly. Once the boys got inside the house things were a different story.

 “Is that you Boys ?” their father called out to them from the kitchen. “We’re home !” the trio yelled startling the animal in Patton’s arms which mewled loudly in protest. Their home wasn't a big fancy house it was modest with a kitchen to the side of the front door a large dining and living area and bedrooms upstairs for the family. At the sound of the mewl there father peeked around the corner at the three “where on earth did you find that thing ?” their father exclaimed while raising a brow at Patton. The boy in question smiled sheepishly “Pa i found this kitty in the park, he’s hungry can we keep him ? I promise I'll feed him and look after him and I’ll love him forever and ever ! please Pa can we ?” Patton begged while holding the cat like creature up to his father hoping that once his father saw the animals big round eyes he would give in. “well …” his father sighed after a while he could see Patton’s extreme enthusiasm about keeping the cat, he turned to the others “what do you two think, should we keep him ?” Patton turned to his two brothers and gave them his biggest best puppy eyed look he could. Roman was already on board for keeping the cat it was just so cute. “I think we should keep him !” Roman excitedly remarked. Logan sighed “I suppose having a pet wouldn't be a bad thing ..” Roman and Patton jumped for joy and their father shrugged “alright how about you three think up a name for him while I go finish making dinner” the three boys nodding and walked into the living room, Sitting on the couch Patton continuing to drag the cat around he didn’t let it go until it was placed between him and Roman on the couch the two of them continued to pet it while they thought up names.

“How about Max?” Patton suggested, Roman frowned “that not creative enough ! it needs to suit him better, besides that’s a dog name and this one is not a dog!” Roman huffed as he thought up names “how about Sir Willams Snugglefluff !” he said excitedly. Logan and Patton looked at Roman as if he had grown a third head “umm that’s way too long Ro” Patton sad softly. Logan nodded his head “yes I agree that is fair to long of a name for him, or her I mean we never really checked …” he trailed off “anyway how about Ashes ? it suites the color of there fur.” Both Patton and Roman frowned slightly, it just didn’t feel right. “Boys dinners ready !” there father called from the kitchen and the trio stood up and headed towards the table, there new pet following behind. 

There father smiled at them softly “did you come up with a name for them ?” he asked his boys gently. They shook their heads “no not yet” Patton sighed. “Well I am sure you will find one just right for this little one” he smiled encouragingly. “Oh I almost forgot” he picked a bowl up of milk and placed it on the floor in front of the fluffy family member “can’t forget your dinner now can we” he smiled. 

The boys and their new family member ate there food without a fuss softly talking about the day’s activities and soon enough it was time for bed, the boys getting ready in their pajamas and brushing their teeth. Within no time all three were in there beds drifting off to sleep. And the fluffy cat like creature following close behind. Curling up in the middle of the floor, not quite wanting to sleep on a bed with one of the boys, but also not wanting to be alone. During the night strange things happened, strange things that awaited the trio in the morning.

The Patton awoke earlier than the others, excited to start a new day he got out of bed and then proceeded to trip over a body on the ground, which grunted to being tripped on. The loud crash of Patton falling had awoken the other two boys who looked down to see Patton and was that a boy with cat ears and a tail ? “I must be dreaming” Roman spoke, “either that or our water supply is poisoned” Logan commented, grumpy from the early rising but also extremely confused about what he was seeing. The three stared until the strange cat boy ? that was asleep in the middle of their bedroom floor open his eyes to reveal the biggest brightest golden eyes any of them had ever seen. His hair was dark almost purple black but had almost a purple glow to it, he wore a light purple shirt and a pair of black and purple boxers. The three stared at the boy until he looked down and saw his hands, to which he gasped “I’m human again ?” he spoke softly.

 “Well more or less, you do posses cat like ears and a fluffy tail not of which us three have” Logan spoke calmly. Roman turned towards his brother and gave him a look. “Really specs ?” his voice was still groggy but his tone spoke wonders. “I’m just stating the facts Roman!” Logan shot back. The boy on the floor next to Patton turned to the most cheerful one “are they always like this?” he asked softly, Patton nodded sadly. “Are you the kitty we found yesterday ?” he finally asked. Patton was normally the first one to bounce back from shock but today was extra special. The cat eared boy nodded slowly his ears drooping slightly. “Yeah I am” his voice was still a tad raspy from not being used for so long. “Do you have a name ?” Patton asked. The boy nodded “Yeah my name is Virgil but you can call me Verge” he said with a small smile. 

tag list : @shygirl4991

[cvptaingiordano]

350+ FOLLOW FOREVER

how the fuck did we get to this number , i honestly do not know but i am not complaining at all. you guys have sticked with me through the good and the bad , and i couldn’t be more thankful for all of you still being around even after the weird activity these past few weeks with exams and all. i’m truly thankful though as always i’d like to mention a few people that truly mean the WORLD to me.     p.s this is possibly the first follow forever where i’m not taking the piss in the smol appreciation posts tbh !!

TRIGGER WARNING ; ME BEING UGLY AND EMOTIONAL BELOW THE CUT AS WELL AS SEVERAL LONG POSTS !!

K I N D AND L O V I N G HUMANS

@neonwondress​​ - i swear i’m so thankful for coming across you in the tags , i’m not even kidding here. literally i don’t know h o w the hell you do it but whenever we talk you somehow make me crack the hell up and i gotta say i’m super thankful for that. you’ve got my back when shit got bad , and thanks to you i’ve been able to turn uncomfortable situations into ones that are fucking hilarious (  we both know what i’m talking about here ; gucci  ) , literaly i don’t know how many times i’ve laughed out loud with the pepe thing but what can one do. thank you for sticking around friend. hopefully this great ass banter lasts for a long time and well . . . let’s just say that my aim is to overwhelm us with threads and everything else really. hopefully this lil friendship does last for a bunch of time because i genuinely like having you around and i truly do enjoy talking to you as well as writing && everything else. you’re one of a kind ali , and i just hope you won’t get tired of my ass. i love you a lot friend !! i got chu ma friend , always - ya know you can count on me w everything yes yes ily.

@theenchantedbeauties - thank you thank you thank you thank you for everything chloe , idk how and w h y i’m worthy of being your friend but let me just tell you that you’re one of the best people i’ve come across on this website. you’ve literally got my back through everything and i possibly stressed the fuck outta you a few times with all the weird shit i say but i gotta say i’m just glad you haven’t told me to fuck off yet. literally chloe you mean the world to me and i hope we’ll be able to write more and more as time passes. you mean the world to me woman and i tell you all the time but i do love you a lot. one day you’ll get on a call with me and you’ll see how hilarious i actually am (  bc shit it’s impossible to not laugh about my weird shit  ) - lorena stop - i do want you to know though that i do love you a lot and that i’m blessed to have you around. i’m just so glad you’re here really , i probs would’ve lost my mind a few times already or done stupid shit if it werent for you XD , i love you a lot yeah c:

@warriorcried​ - naeva i totally know that i’m a butt most of the time and even though i feel like i annoy you 99% of the time , you’re still one of my favorite people around here. you’re a great human being and i just hope that you’re not only aware of this , but also aware of how much i love and care about you a ton my friend. i know i say this in every follow forever but i mean it every time. you’re in them for a reason after all. i shall also apologize in advance for all the stupid shit i may keep on saying that probably isn’t even funny and possibly even a tad bit annoying , even though i probably think it’s funny most of the time , i sort of think i’m the queen of humor even though i totally am not. either way i’ll admit it once more. i’m blessed to know you , and i am very glad that we’re chatting and all. i wouldn’t be saying this if it weren’t the truth. thank you for everything , thank you for sticking by my side and all. i do appreciate it a lot. idk what i did to deserve this friendship rlly , but whatever it is that brought us together i’m thankful ay. hands down one of the best humans on this planet. i’ve got your back fam.

@defiantiisms​ - oh hello hanny , or should i say . . . my soon to be counselor buddy ;) !! i am here writing you a smol thing to express how much i appreciate you !! i know i always send the same stupid voldemort meme (  which i s t i l l , for some reason , find funny  ) and it probably has grown to be annoying by now , but lemme tell you , you’re the only one i spam that shit to and we both know that must definitely mean something !! we’ve been writing for a hell of a long time and we somehow still manage to keep up with all the threads we have even if either of us takes a century to reply to them. btw i gotta say that our banter is one of the best ones around. hopefully you’re able to get F13 and we spend hours playing the shit out of us together ;) either way know that i love chu a lot and that i’m glad to have you around !!

@humantovch​ - these past two months have been HELL without you , so you can’t imagine how g l a d i am to know that you’re back again and to be able to talk to you once more as well as plot and soon write with you again. you’ve always been there through the good and the bad and you never left me even when i was being a total cunt (  lorena smh language  ) - as always you’re one of my favorite people around and you can’t imagine how happy i am to have you back again. the spam of messages while you were away was probably me being extra , but it does speak for itself (  even if it isn’t enough to explain how happy i am and all  ) i can assure you that. thank you for being here bebe.

@anxiousborn​ - mariesa i truly mean it every time , i wouldn’t know what to do without you. you’ve always been here , no matter what the fuck happened , whether it was me complaining about something , me basically crying my eyes out , me laughing the shit out of myself or just me being a general cunt , you’ve never left. i trust you with all my being , you’re one of my favorite people in this world seeing as you’re not only the most welcoming person i’ve met but you’ve also one with the kindest of hearts. you mean the world to me , and i love writing as well as talking to you a lot. know that i love you very much my friend and that i hope you’ll always be surrounded by happiness.

@meddlingheels​ - annie literally idk how the hell we suddenly began talking because i genuinely can’t remember , but anyways i’m BLESSED truly. i’ve been admiring you from afar for so long and now that we’re finally not only writing and plotting together but also chatting i’ve got to say you’re one of the b e s t people i’ve come across. you’re passionate with what you do , you’re kind , you’re funny too and super talented if i may add. idk how it happened but i am SUPER thankful. then of course there’s our writing , plotting chemistry which may i add is sweet as hell ;) i love you a BUNCH and i truly hope you know this. because i do mean it a lot. hopefully you’re having a lovely day !!

@98chu , @agonygiven && @makeswar​ - ( i’m squishing this into one paragraph please don’t hate me ) the three you truly do mean the fucking world to me. i love the great ooc banter we all have , how comfortable i am talking to each and every one of you as well as everything else. as individuals you guys truly are not only fun to be around with but also little humans with a truly kind heart. hopefully our friendships will last a long time , bc let’s be real , you guys rock yeah. i love all of you and the content you put out there. i truly do. I LOVE YOU AY.

MORE KIND HUMANS THAT I LOVE AND/OR ADMIRE FROM AFAR

@imscandalized @watchashea @warstopper @starsxmemoriesinthesky @dreamfated @facetiious @fearhermind @thefineartofbitchcraft @stuartwcmbly @rougetous @moonartcmis @unstcppcble @unfadiism @endedlives @eternallydreamingstar @illvgal @ofherage @pcrfectdaughter @seesgood @covrtney @vixenwidowed @guiltedblossom @lawtied @lovesnothing @obstinategrimes @ofcorruptiion @ofcherrywine @elenasdiariesx @originlc @disapprcve @ofgrief @guardianiism @brckenones @skylinesentinel @wcrofhearts @sheriis @casskaiser @thekaisers @bittenrage @brokenskiin @94chrry @tearedrops @hiraethc

A FEW WORDS

I possibly was extra as fuck with making this as long as it is but , i felt like it was needed. note that i LOVE EVERYONE ON THIS SITE , and that i will always adore and appreciate every single mutual , follower and partner that i have. you guys mean the world to me , and i truly hope that this wasn’t too much (  even though it totally was  ) - thank you for being around. It’s almost a year since i created mason and well . . . i’ll be making a giveaway once that comes c: i love you all , and i hope everyone’s having a great day.

I LOVE YOU GUYS.

p.s i will be remaking my old oc from back in the day on tuesday afternoon . . .

[yezielmoore]

Book design project

Shot out to all tumblr writers!!! Hi! I have a project I would (really) like your help with, so if you're curious and can spare me a moment, please keep reading.

Couple days ago my teacher of "Producción Editorial" (editorial production in English) set us a task: we have to design a publication, either a magazine or a book of some sort. It has to be original in format if not content. Now, there are a lot of ways I could go about this assignment on my own and get a good mark regardless, but the truth is I don't want that. Truth is, the world is a terrifying and deadly place to be nowadays for a lot of people. It makes me wanna grab my kendo equipment and bash some heads until it starts making sense again. I can't do that unfortunately, because my weapon of choice is not the sword but, cliché as it seems, the pen. I tell stories. Or in this case, I help people tell their stories. That's what I want to accomplish with this project.

Another thing before I go any further: I know how creators are with their creations (being one myself). They are our beautiful/ugly/weird babies and we're fiercely protective of them. So I want to reassure you guys that this is a legit assignment (I can probably get my prof to write something to that effect). I'm not going to steal your intellectual property. Each story will be preceded by the name/pseudonym/internet handle you give me. My job here is to compile everything, edit the stories for grammar mistakes and design the book aesthetically (unless I write a story myself, then I'll be included in the list of authors, like all of you).

And at the end of this road I hope to have a pdf or eBook or both versions of this book, that as collaborators you'll receive, and that can be shared around freely and for free.

That said, let's do a Q&A of some of the questions I'd ask if I wanted to join this:

So what, exactly, are you going to do?

As I said, I'm going to design a book as if it were to be printed. Which is the reason I have to use original stories and not, you know, fanfiction (much as I'd like that). I will also have to design the cover, any Notes or Warnings, Table of Contents, edit and organize the stories according to the rules and regulations of formatting we've been learning in class, etc.

Will it be printed? Will you make money out of it?

No and No.

I wouldn't know where even to start with that mess. But more important, this idea began with a class assignment (and still is about that, I want to pass that class) and grew from there. I'm doing this because it's a challenge and because I want to. I want to spread these stories. And I want them to be assessible to everyone. I want variety and diversity because I want so that everyone who opens this book can find at least a kernel of representation in them.

So yeah, this project is non profit.

What kind of stories will you include?

I have decided that the theme of this book will be Diversity. Understanding by diversity this: "the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc"

Equally important: I want positive (nice or not is optional) and respectful (not optional) snippets or stories about this amazing, huge and diverse thing that is humanity. I won't accept blatant bashing or phobias here. There is a difference between creating a well-rounded interesting villain (grey/sympathetic/evil doesn't matter) and the more common moustache-twirling cackling caricature of a person we normally see as the enemy, that are usually there to demean a character and elevate another. That's lazy writing.

Genre i'll leave up to you. Could be realism, fantasy, sci-fy, humor, anything. Write about pirates, space explorers, elves and dragons, stay-at-home moms, superheroines, uni students, blue collar workers, thieves, assassins, superpowers, whatever, your choice.  

Is there a character limit? Other limits?

Yes! Each story should be in between 500-5000 words. Why so short? Because I want to include as much variety as possible and there is a lot to cover. An example list of the characters I'd like to include off the top of my head:

a gay character

a lesbian character

a bisexual character

a pansexual character

an asexual character

a straight character

a transgender character,

a genderfluid character

a nonbinary character.

a black character,

a Muslim character,

an Asian, Latino, African, etc, character.

also a blind character,

a deaf/hard-of-hearing character,

a paralyzed character,

a mute character,

an autistic character,

a character with depression

a character with anxiety

etc

I want to include one (max two) stories about each of the bolded categories in the example list, or any other topic I didn't think of. Of course, you can write more than one character, but the focus should be on one of them or on a topic, idk, a protest in behalf of transgender people as a whole would go under the transgender character list.

The category I want to write about is not there.

Send me an ask and I'll add it (if it’s relevant to the topic at hand: diversity). The examples are not absolutes, I probably missed a few, some maybe didn't even occur to me. I don't have everything planned out, I'm still sorting out a lot of details in my head, so if I missed something, tell me. This will work only if we collaborate.

Will you include mature themes?

As long as it's not explicit I don't see why not. By explicit I mean, for example, a really detailed sex scene, a torture scene with all the gritty details, a blow by blow account of an abuse scene. You can reference these things and make it tasteful (for a meaning of the word) without getting into it too much. Also, there is a word limit, not really enough space for that kind of thing.

How will you chose which story to include?

First come, first served. Yes, really. I'll make a list of whoever signs up and when.

IMPORTANT: there will be a time limit though. Because I'm not pressed for time just yet, I'll give each person up to a week (7 days) to send me a draft of the story. Once that time is past, and unless you give me a really good reason, I'll liberate that spot and the person in question won't participate anymore.  

How do I sign up?

Send me an ask telling me which category/focus you want and I'll add you to the list.

Can I sign up Anon?

Sorry, but no. If this works I'll probably have to share my email with those that participate in the project, which I accept; that, however, is not the same as sharing my info with the entirety of the Tumblr jungle.

Extra:

Why did you write "Producción Editorial" in Spanish?

Because physically I live in a Spanish speaking country (Hola!). Most of the time I live on the internet though. Also, the English language is a filthy thief that (after a decade of study, now 15yrs) managed to steal into my brain and rewrote it so now my internal monologue is always in English. Lucky for me my professor says he doesn't mind the language so that's another reason I decided to branch out with this.

I think I covered the basics at least. I'll anwer any questions and edit this as necessary. I hope some of you will want to help me on this. Even if you don't want to or can't maybe you can share this with someone who will. So Thanks!!

 And now, Tag time!

@blackkatmagic, @redhothollyberries, @hiruma-musouka, @araceil, @esamastation, @helly-watermelonsmellinfellon, @roachpatrol, @definitelynotaminion, @tratserenoyreve, @loverofpiggies, @inukagome15

I tagged all of you because you're some of the writers/creators I follow and know best out of everyone around here. I'm not asking you to participate (although I'd be delighted if you wanted to, not gonna lie x3), but I thought that maybe you could share this or spread the word a bit if it's not too much of a bother.

Thanks everyone who reached this far! :D