#if you liked 1 of these you should check out the other 2

[lazy-baby-jaiden]

A friend of mine had a really fun idea yesterday. 🤪😆

We would send each other different diaper pictures📷 to try and replicate. Then we'd give each other points 💯 for how well we'd replicated the pictures. The person with less points would then get punished😣.

These are my replication attempts:

Go and check out their original creators 👀 @mommyandbabybruce and @sophiaalynnxo ! I hope you don't mind me using your pictures😅

If you do please send me a DM and I'll take them down😇

What should the punishment for the loser be🤔?

My friend hasn't had his turn yet and we both have no idea what a good punishment could be😑. So if you have any good ideas send me an Ask or DM or just comment on this post😊

-------------------------------------------------------

After I was done with the challenge I begged 🥺 my friend to let me make cummies and he told me I did such a good job that I could😋!

I immediately started humping away like the good little diaper girl I am😖!

That alone wasn't enough though😧. I was still locked🔒 in my wittle cage after all, but I was allowed to use my magic wand🤭.

So I did and it made me squirt real quick 😳🙈.

[kinzhae]

"Can We Not Do This?"

Reader gets home after a long day, unfortunately for her she has a light argument with her partner making her more frustrated and tired like she was not enough.

Part 1; Reader x Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Nanami Kento Part 2; Choso, Ryomen Sukuna, Toji Fushiguro.

Angst(?) to comfort, Tired Reader, Fainting, arguing.

I felt like I should write this since working is weighing on me so much these days that I have to go home with a temper and argue with my sister over little things LMAO

Gojo Satoru

Gojo was sprawled on the couch, tossing popcorn into his mouth as you trudged into the room. You had just returned from a draining mission, your head pounding from the stress and exhaustion. All you wanted was a moment of silence, but of course, Gojo had other plans.

“Welcome back, sunshine!” he said, grinning. “You look like you got hit by a truck. Need me to fix that?”

“Not now, Satoru,” you muttered, heading for the kitchen to grab a drink.

“Aw, don’t be like that. You’re always so serious. Smile a little,” he teased, following you.

You clenched your fists, the pressure in your temples intensifying. “Can you not for once? I’m tired!”

His grin faltered for a moment, but he didn’t stop. “Oh, someone’s cranky. Did I say something wrong, sweetheart?”

“Stop calling me that!” you snapped, turning to face him, only for the room to spin. Your grip faltered, and the glass you were holding slipped from your fingers, shattering on the floor as your knees buckled.

Gojo’s carefree demeanor vanished in an instant. He was at your side, catching you before you hit the ground. “Y/N! Hey, hey, talk to me!” His voice, usually light and playful, was now trembling with worry. He cradled you carefully, his blindfold pushed up to reveal his panicked gaze as he checked your face and pulse.

When you stirred slightly, he exhaled in relief, brushing stray strands of hair away from your face. “I’m such an idiot,” he muttered under his breath, his confident tone replaced by guilt. “I should’ve noticed you weren’t okay. I didn’t mean to push you like that.”

As your eyes fluttered open, his voice softened. “Don’t move yet, okay? Just rest. I’ll clean this up, and I’m getting Shoko to check on you. No arguments.”

For once, there was no teasing, no jokes, just his presence as he stayed close, whispering reassurances. “I’ve got you. I’m sorry, Y/N. Let me take care of you this time.”

Geto Suguru

You were already weary as you entered the apartment, your shoulders slumping with exhaustion. Suguru stood by the window, arms crossed, a frown etched onto his face. He hadn’t said much lately, and tonight, his frustration bubbled to the surface.

“You’re late again,” he said, his voice calm but tinged with disappointment. “You could’ve at least called.”

You sighed, rubbing your temples. “Suguru, I’ve had a long day. I don’t have the energy for this right now.”

“That’s always your excuse,” he replied, his gaze steady. “You’re shutting me out again, aren’t you?”

“Can we not do this?” you snapped, your patience worn thin. “I’m doing my best, okay? I don’t need this right now!”

His expression hardened. “I’m just asking for a little consideration—”

Before he could finish, your vision blurred. The pounding in your head grew unbearable, and your knees buckled. You barely registered the sound of something clattering to the floor as Suguru rushed to your side.

“Y/N!” His calm demeanor cracked, replaced by alarm as he caught you. He gently laid you on the couch, his hand cradling the back of your head as he checked for signs of injury.

When you stirred, his voice was low, almost trembling. “I didn’t realize how much you were dealing with. I should’ve seen it.” He pressed a cool cloth to your forehead, his usually composed face etched with guilt. “I’m sorry. I should’ve listened instead of pushing.”

His hand lingered in yours as he whispered, “Rest now. I’ll handle everything else. You’re my priority.”

Nanami Kento

Nanami had always been a man of order and routine, but today, his usual composed demeanor felt more critical than supportive. You had barely walked in the door when he commented, “You’re late again. You’re overworking yourself.”

“I know,” you muttered, kicking off your shoes.

“Knowing isn’t enough,” he continued, his tone even but firm. “You need to manage your time better. This isn’t sustainable.”

“I’m trying, Kento!” you snapped, the throbbing in your head making it hard to think straight. “Do you think I like feeling like this?”

He froze at your sharp tone but didn’t back down. “I’m only saying this because I care. You can’t keep running yourself into the ground.”

Your vision blurred as the pressure in your temples reached a breaking point. The last thing you saw was Nanami’s shocked expression before the world tilted and you crumpled to the floor.

“Y/N!” His usually calm voice was filled with panic as he rushed to your side. He knelt beside you, his hands trembling slightly as he checked your pulse and gently lifted you into his arms.

When you regained consciousness, he was sitting beside you, holding your hand tightly. “You scared me,” he admitted, his voice quieter than usual. “I didn’t mean to push you. I just... I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

He pressed a kiss to your forehead, his eyes soft with concern. “Rest. I’ll be here to take care of everything.”

[fading-event-608]

headline from CBC - many similar can be seen across western liberal media

As there is another glimmer of hope for a potential ceasefire in Gaza, we should not trust it until we see the iof actively withdrawing from the region (and even more so when the "ceasefire" in Lebanon has not stopped israel from bombing as usual). So let's continue to put our efforts in helping Gazan families. Many of them are either (or all of) ill, injured, or starving, and we should help out in any way we can - especially because a ceasefire will not end the occupation. Israel will still control what (and who) goes into Palestinian territories, will still control the land and water supply and many other things. Among them is, by the way, paypal: it has partnered with adl, a zionist organization that overlooks all transactions and take measures to harm Palestinians.

They have also announced on 7th of October this year that paypal has shutdown fundraising services, and those with an existing one have to complete raising their goal by 12th of January, 2025.

Iyad Sobhe (@iyadsgaza) and Ruba Abushahan (@rubashsblog) are raising funds with paypal ever since gfm has either terminated their fundraiser or made them lose access. Iyad has lost 11K USD while Ruba can no longer withdraw the 27K USD donated to her through gfm.

They cannot afford to start all over when paypal is their last resort. So we have less than 2 MONTHS to raise the entire amount of 60K. You have probably seen posts for (or from) them already but it doesn't mean if there are posts with 1-5k notes going around they get a lot of donations (just like with Falastin). So please share and match/up the donation of 10 USD from my friend here (but please consider giving even 1 USD). Donations have slowed down significantly, resulting in 1 or 2 donations per day, when they should be getting 600$ per day to meet the goal until shutdown.

You can also participate in an art raffle hosted by @/transformers4palestine. The final round of winners will be declared on December 4th (in 5 days at the time of posting), so please check it out too.

Vetting info: #90 for Ruba and #173 for Iyad in El-Shab-Hussein and Nabulsi's spreadsheet [here] (keep in mind that the document has not been updated and does not reflect the current fundraiser; you can learn about it here)

[canichangemyblogname]

Mmmm. Yeah, many queer fans have been upset enough to stop watching the show altogether.

Buck's boyfriend broke up with him because he--Tommy, the boyfriend--wouldn't be Buck's--this bisexual character-- "last," whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean, but it came with the implication that Buck should date or sleep around to figure out that he wants what he "really wants." Specifically, it came with the implication he should "experiment" with other men because he's only been with women in the past, and I guess-- according to the show-- that means he's not actually experienced enough to be sure of what he wants.

In the context of the rest of the episode, this scene came across either as a way to remind the viewer the bisexual character is still into women or as a "test" of Buck's commitment to or seriousness with being with a man and this being knowable to the public. And with the end message that his boyfriend could never be "Buck's last," the whole episode seemed to carry the narrative that Buck 1.) isn't actually sure of his sexuality (ugh-oh! Is he or het or homo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I dunno, Janet, maybe it's a secret third option: bisexuality. Maybe it isn't a choice of men or women, maybe it's men AND women. ¿Por qué no los dos?); 2.) he's just "trying things out," experimenting, if you will, and isn't actually sure of his attraction to men; and 3.) unless he gets with other men, this one man is just an "experiment" or "fluke," and Buck's sexuality-- his gut instinct attraction--is ultimately for women (and women alone).

(And we know this "ugh-oh, what does he want: men or women" was an intention of the writing given the next episode Buck tells his sister, "I don't know what pond to jump back into" when discussing dating again after his breakup)

But, to make matters worse, not only did this woman flirt with Buck and ask him for his number while he was on his 6-month anniversary date, Buck's boyfriend, Tommy, essentially said, "Nah, it's not weird she flirted with you at our anniversary dinner, and you awkwardly had to refuse her advances in front of me, all while you kept looking to me for assistance getting out of this situation and I just sat here. You're hot, she's hot. It's okay to look." The implication of his "It's okay to look" being that Buck spent his 6-month anniversary dinner with his boyfriend checking out hot chicks (he actually had not). AND THEN Buck said to his boyfriend, "I noticed you didn't look?" (In a way confirming that he was actively checking out women while on a date with his boyfriend, which… is sure a choice. Are they going go full “bisexual cheater��� trope next? Oh, wait. They have. The queer characters on this show have disproportionately been characterized as unfaithful.) He mentioned this like he was taken aback that a man wouldn't notice or be interested in the fact that a group of hot women was flirting and sitting diagonally from them (because homosexuality doesn’t exist—oh, his boyfriend, slightly affronted, tells Buck “I’m a Kinsey 6”). Diagonally, but still across the room from them. She had to bypass several (het) couples having dinner to ask Buck for his number. Because two men having dinner-- just them-- are obviously available, unlike the other m/f pairings, who are clearly on dates.

Because yeah, yeah. Two men at their 6-mo anniversary dinner go to gawk at hot women, I guess. That's totally what queer men do on dates with each other. M/F pairings are on dates while the two men are just "hanging out with their boy(s)."

Okay. Poll time. And you can only vote if you have NEVER EVER watched ABC’s 911.

You and the girls are having a girl’s night at a nice Italian restaurant in LA in the year 2024. Diagonal from you are two men at a table for two looking at each other like this:

…as they have a quiet conversation and finish up their dinner.

[doginprogress]

Seeing some frequent comments about The Zit that I wanna address but like….. too much going on for me to do it on the original post lol

1. “What a horrible name” / “Who named her that’s awful” / “I feel so bad for her with that name”

Her breeder/owner/handler, who you saw in the ring with her in the fabulous bright pink outfit, named her as a joke bc she was the only white-headed puppy in a litter full of red heads and it stuck. Sarah loves her immensely, her and The Zit are both obsessed with each other. The Zit has no clue the connotations her name has with people, she just knows it makes people chuckle and she gets a lot of attention for it, which honestly is all an Ibizan can ask for.

2. Nipple jokes

Yes yes yes we can all see them. Female dogs, and especially sighthounds, who normally have such lithe figures, can have pretty prominent nipples after a few heat cycles and/or a litter. The Zit had a litter about a year ago (it was Barbie movie themed). She’s 6, so she’s also been through many cycles. There’s nothing we can do about it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3. “I thought that was a goat”

They certainly like to jump and climb like goats!

4. “I thought that was a deer”

Thank you!! Ibizans are referred to as “deer-like” in their breed standard several times and should be reminiscent of a deer. This is a huge compliment.

5. So much love and support for The Zit

Honestly thank you so much 🩷 The Zit is not my dog, but I know her breeder/owner/handler appreciates all the love and adoration her dog is getting. The Zit fully (rightfully) believes that everything should be about her and everyone should love her. She is one of the sweetest, nicest Ibizans I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and is hugely accomplished. She truly deserves all the praise as an example of a dog who can do it all. Ethically bred and excelling at conformation and lure coursing, an excellent pet, a mother who produced some really beautiful puppies. She would appreciate and love all of y’all too if she had the chance to meet you!

As a thank you for reading all that, check out The Zit relaxing and hanging out while waiting for the other hounds to be judged!

[detailtilted]

Third Version of Orlando 2024 Main J2 Panel (Published by PhoenixFire_RN)

I haven't seen this version posted yet, it looks like it went up a couple hours ago, so I thought I'd add it to the Tumblr collection. Apologies if I'm duplicating someone. I've only watched a tiny bit, but it looks like the video quality may be a little better than the others. This video is in two parts.

Part 1 - Direct Link

Part 2 - Direct Link

I still haven't seen any news of anyone filming Gold. I'm preparing to travel for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, so I'm going to stop checking so frequently.

I saw a post from this vidder saying they also got the JDM panel, Misha's panel, and the Matt & Adam panel, so if you've been waiting for any of those they should show up on their channel eventually. (There are a couple other versions of Misha's panel out there already if you missed it.)

[nelle-y]

Revived flames pt. 2

Synopsis: Time for a date with Wriothesley! But paparazzi and journalists have been making it difficult to enjoy

C/W: Wriothesley x gn!reader, angst-fluff-angst-no comfort, fiance!Wriothesley, not proofread, irl book mentions (The Song of Achilles), soft smut (making out)

Note: Wriothesley was assigned Duke of the Fortress of Meropide like two years before this time

Part 1 here

—

What is to come of Wriothesley’s visit?

You expected late nights and early mornings, his cold touch against the warm sun, laughter and inside jokes to be shared.

But what actually happened?

You tolerated a roaring silence when you got home from the aquabus ride, watching the leaves dance from your window as the tea sat in front of you grew cold. Has the drink foretold your future with this man? Somehow you could almost cry from disappointment. So much for making up for lost time. You and your fiancé spent an hour like that, aimlessly seaching for conversation that could lead to the late nights you yearned.

You asked, “For how long will you be staying?”

He leaned back on his seat. “Just until tomorrow. You know the fortress always has trouble going on.”

For the first time in your lives you felt a wall between you, an awkwardness. You’re unsure if it’s the sudden change of environment he was uncomfortable with.

“Who is in charge there while you’re away?”

“Chief of the Marechaussee Hunter along with Clorinde. She knows how things go around the fortress, so I trust it’s in good hands. Have you been up to anything lately?” He takes a long sip of his tea, noticing how your eyes lit up when he asked you.

“I picked up a few books from the library recently. One is called ‘The Song of Achilles’, and archons, it is devastating!”

You ramble on about the plot of your recent read, your fiancé listening intently. Wriothesley sat there, cheeks reaching his ears. The way you explained it was messy, a lot of ‘and thens’ and unclear details, but he didn’t dare to interrupt that charming face.

“Oh, but I don’t want to spoil you,” you paused.

“No, continue. I’m sure I won’t have time to read once I get back to the fortress.” Both your teas have been finished at this point. “So what happens after they save Briseis?”

All Wriothesley could focus on was the light blush on your cheeks, how you graze your tongue on your lips, how you bite them when you discuss some spicy scenes. Archons, you are so breathtaking. Urges make him want to take you to the bedroom. But it’s too soon for that, he fears.

You couldn’t be happier with him right now. At last, it felt like how it should be, easy and fun, warm and comfortable. Hours pass and you’ve talked about books you plan to read, and gifts to buy Sigewinne. “Hey,” you started. “What about that dinner you promised me?”

“Oh shoot!” Wriothesley checked the time on your grandfather clock—6:30 p.m., “We should start getting ready, shouldn’t we?”

After you got ready, he was sitting in the living room wearing a gray tuxedo shirt, a deep red vest that shaped his torso well (yummy), and trousers that gave out that gyatt. His hair was parted to the side, a few strands flowing down his face. He looked at you like you were divine, a beauty no one could believe was possible. “Gorgeous, you are,” he muttered as he pulled you close, lips connecting with a spark.

Revived flames led you astray, feeling his breath on your neck, the bed as he pinned you down. He kissed your lips, the corners of your mouth, your cheeks, the edges of your jaw, and back to your lips. He made sure to give attention to the special place on your collarbone that made you groan under him.

“Wriothesley,” you breathed, to which he groaned back. “Wriothesley!” Your hands held his face—his soft, awe-struck face—in place. You were both panting against each other. “We can continue this when we get back from dinner. I’m getting a bit hungry.” Right on cue, your stomach lightly grumbled.

You laughed together, warmth embracing the cold air of your room. “Let us go, then, my love,” he said. You stood up and fixed your loose clothes, unable to recall when they were taken off. Wriothesley buckled his vest on and led you to the door.

Contrary to your last ride, this one was sweet. Hands were intertwined between you, like two children exploring new love. No one was there with you, only Elphane, and she stayed quiet as she observed you from time to time. The sea grew dark with the velvet sky, lending it to the stars to shine. Constellations slowly made their way into view, and you marveled at them. Wriothesley admired them as well, in your eyes, a soft smile creeping its way to his face. The warmth you longed for had returned to grace your shoulders in the form of the Duke, spreading to your back and arms as he covered you with his coat.

The aquabus had docked with a gentle sway, and Wriothesley helped you step onto the pier, his hand firm yet soft against yours. The restaurant he had chosen was tucked into the side of a hill, its warm lights spilling out onto the cobblestone path. Inside, candles flickered on every table, casting golden glows against the polished wood and silver accents. The two other guests in there suggested that this place wasn’t that popular—or too fancy to be affordable.

The maître d’ greeted Wriothesley by title, “Allow me to escort you to your seats, Your Grace,” bowing slightly before leading you to a secluded corner table by the window. Outside, the ocean sparkled under the moonlight, and for a moment, it felt as if the world had shrunk to just the two of you.

As the waiter poured your wine, Wriothesley leaned in, his blue-gray eyes softening as they met yours. “I hope this serves well as your birthday gift,” he said, his voice low.

“Just you and me?” You teased, hand brushing against his. “I’ll drink to that.”

He smiled, lifting his glass. “To us.”

“Oh, and the other couple there.” You shared a laugh as you drank from your glasses.

You talked endlessly through the first course, laughing over shared memories and exchanging stories about your lives apart. Wriothesley told you about the chaos in the fortress—the endless paperwork, the training sessions, and Sigewinne’s insistence on enforcing his tea breaks. You recounted your days in the city, the new hobbies you picked up, and the little adventures you had in his absence. For the first time in weeks, everything felt light, easy, and perfect.

But as dessert arrived, a flicker of movement outside the window caught your eye. Then another. You glaced toward the glass and saw shadows—figures moving closer, the unmistakable glint of cameras catching the candlelight.

“Wrio…” you whispered, nodding toward the window.

He followed your gaze, his expression hardening. His posture shifted subtly, one hand curling protectively around yours. “Stay calm” he murmured. “They’ll get bored if we don’t react.”

But the paparazzi didn’t seem interested in waiting. A flash of light filled the room, followed by another. The restaurant’s peaceful ambiance shattered as the first photographer stepped inside, camera poised. Then another. And another.

“Duke Wriothesley! Over here!”

“Who’s the lucky one tonight?”

“Are there wedding bells in the future?”

“Smile for us, darling!”

The questions came fast and relentless, their voices sharp and invasive. You felt exposed, vulnerable, like a circus animal on display. The other guests began whispering, stealing glances at your table. You could feel their curiosity prickling your skin like needles. You shrank back in your seat, instinctively gripping Wriothesley’s hand tighter. He flagged down the maître d’, who called for security, but the damage was already done. The ambiance of the evening was shattered. You could barely taste your meal anymore, your appetite replaced with a knot of unease.

He squeezed your hand gently. “Let’s get out of here.”

—

The ride home was quiet, the earlier warmth replaced by a heavier, unspoken weight compared to when he arrived. You stared out at the darkened sea, the stars blurred by the movement of the aquabus.

“I’m sorry all of that happened. It wasn’t my intention to make you go through that.” he said, voice filled with guilt.

“It’s not your fault,” you replied. He couldn’t tune out the sadness in your voice. Wriothesley held your hand, but it didn’t feel the same.

Your thoughts spiraled. Was this what life with him would always be like? Every moment under scrutiny, every outing a spectacle? The idea of always being on guard, of never enjoying something as simple as a dinner together without the world watching, was suffocating.

You glanced at Wriothesley. He looked weary, brows furrowed in thought. This wasn’t easy for him either, you knew that. But could love alone be enough to withstand this constant pressure?

—

The conversation happened the next morning. He was getting ready to return to the fortress, pulling on his coat as you stood in the doorway of your bedroom, clutching a blanket around your shoulders.

“Wriothesley,” you started, his name trembling with your voice. He turned to you, expression softening when he saw tears welling in your eyes.

“Hey,” he said gently. “What’s wrong?”

You hesitated, searching for the right words. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“What do you mean?” His voice was measured, but you could hear the faint tremor beneath it—a crack in the foundation of his composure.

“I mean…” you trailed off after a shaky breath, pulling your blanket closer to sheild you from the weight of the conversation. “The constant pressure, the cameras, the questions—it’s… suffocating.”

His face fell, the weight of your words sinking in. “You’re serious,” he said quietly, and he was met with silence. For a long moment, neither of you spoke. Then he reached out, cupping your face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away your tears. “I love you,” he said. “Don’t ever doubt that.”

“I love you too,” you replied, your voice trembling.

He kissed your forehead, lingering there as if trying to memorize the feel of you. Then he stepped back, his eyes red but dry. “Take care of yourself,” he said, his voice hoarse.

And then he was gone.

—

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. It’s been 1 year and 3 months since you’ve seen Wriothesley. And though the ache in your chest remained, you found solace in the quiet life you had reclaimed. Wriothesley had thrown himself into his work, the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide once again untouchable and alone. You hoped he was okay. You hoped you both would be.

But sometimes, late at night, you’d think of the stars reflected in the sea and wonder if he ever thought of you too.

-the end.-

Taglist: @lunabarks123

[eelclaw]

i read a light in the mist, so here are my chapter summaries. i included what-the-fuck moments, denoted (?), as well as irritating moments from the text. my final thoughts are at the bottom.

part 1: the chapter summaries

prologue: while he watches snowtuft and rootspring fight, ashfur reflects on how we got here.

chapter 1: rootspring tries to defend himself from snowtuft without hurting him. ashfur gets frustrated and sets his army on rootspring. bristlefrost jumps in, giving rootspring hope.

chapter 2: shadowsight watches bristlefrost run away to help rootspring. he sees ashfur, then shouts hurtful things at him to break his concentration over the spirit cats. the spirit cats run away, but the dark forest cats chase after them and bring them back. bristlefrost and rootspring run away, and shadowsight is attacked by ashfur.

chapter 3: while rootspring saves shadowsight from ashfur, bristlefrost saves stemleaf from mapleshade. ashfur appears and takes control of the spirit cats, but snowtuft attacks ashfur, breaking his concentration, and the spirit cats run away. bristlefrost, rootspring, and shadowsight also run away. they are joined by stemleaf and spiresight, and then by willowshine, who leads them to the barrier to starclan, where they speak to leafpool. it seems like hope can break the barrier down, but they need more cats (?). the spirit cats sense ashfur coming, so they run away. shadowsight heads for the moonpool, while bristlefrost and rootspring split up to lose ashfur.

chapter 4: rootspring is chased a little bit, then decides to find and watch ashfur (?). he finds ashfur, dark forest cats, and spirit cats at the lake. then he decides to go to the moonpool, but mapleshade intercepts him.

chapter 5: shadowsight makes it to and through the moonpool. the leaders are there, arguing over whether bramblestar is still under ashfur's influence. shadowsight lets them exposit for a while before letting them know he's standing there. he tells them what's happened, then tries persuading them to send a patrol to the dark forest.

irritating moments:

squirrelflight whirled on the skyclan leader. "you should be glad to have [bramblestar] back!" (comment: i'm not)

shadowsight blinked in surprise. how could the skyclan leader believe that bramblestar could be anything but brave and honorable?

"but i am myself now, not ashfur!" [bramblestar] exclaimed. "i've never been anything like him!"

chapter 6: bristlefrost stumbles across redwillow, maggottail, and sparrowfeather. she eavesdrops on them, but they realize she's there, chase her down, and catch her. she tries persuading them to fight ashfur.

irritating moments:

[bristlefrost] had to persuade [redwillow, maggottail, and sparrowfeather]. puffing out her fur, she tried to imagine what bramblestar would say.

chapter 7: rootspring is imprisoned by mapleshade and houndleap, and ashfur checks on him. the voice in rootspring's head tells him to say something spooky (?). ashfur is freaked out, and he leaves to check the barrier.

chapter 8: shadowsight is still arguing with the leaders. they finally agree to send a patrol, and to meet at the moonpool before dawn. the shadowclan cats go home, and lightleap is picked for the patrol.

irritating moments:

[tree] paused, his eyes traveling over the group. "what i'm asking you now is, if you don't have starclan, what are you?"

shadowsight's paws tingled. this great warrior was volunteering to risk his life for his clan. he felt a new rush of affection for [graystripe]. thunderclan was lucky to have him.

"cloverfoot can't go," [lightleap] mewed earnestly. "she's our deputy. we can't manage without her. snowbird is a great warrior, but she's nearly an elder." (comment: but graystripe is an elder)

chapter 9: bristlefrost goes to the barrier with maggottail, redwillow, and sparrowfeather. needletail is on the other side and tells them that starclan is collapsing. they make an opening big enough for needletail to get through. bristlefrost suddenly feels dizzy, and rootspring's face appears to her, telling her that ashfur is coming (?). ashfur comes to them, with the spirit cats, including stemleaf, willowshine, and spiresight, under his control.

chapter 10: rootspring is still imprisoned. the voice in rootspring's head tells him to say more spooky shit, which freaks out darkstripe. the voice reveals itself to be firestar and asks to take over rootspring's body (?). rootspring lets him, and firestar kills darkstripe, scaring off all of rootspring's guards, except silverhawk. rootspring comes back to hismelf, and he and silverhawk go to find bristlefrost.

chapter 11: ashfur makes the spirit cats attack needletail. bristlefrost attacks ashfur to break his concentration. maggottail, sparrowfeather, and redwillow join bristlefrost, but ashfur takes control of the spirit cats, so they have to run away. redwillow falls in some water and dies, then needletail calls them up into a tree. they capture berrynose, stemleaf, and willowshine, holding them in place until ashfur is out of range, freeing them. they climb out of the tree, and rootspring and silverhawk join them.

irritating moments:

"firestar's with us?" needletail was pawing the ground. "i think so," rootspring told her. needletail whisked her tail happiily. "then we've got nothing to worry about."

chapter 12: shadowsight escorts lightleap to the moonpool, but she can't let the sisters' singing into her thoughts, so shadowsight takes her place in the patrol, and they go to the dark forest.

irritating moments:

"every one of us is risking our lives," [mistystar] told them. "and our future in starclan. but if we fail, our clans will lose more. that's why they are sending us on this mission. why else would thunderclan even think of risking an elder as loved and valued as graystripe?" she dipped her head respectfully to the gray tom, and he dipped his in return. then she turned her gaze to crowfeather. "as deputy of windclan, you've proved your worth over and over again."

"you're the youngest volunteer," [mistystar] mewed. lightleap glanced at her paws self-consciously. "which means you're risking more than any of us. you have many moons as a warrior ahead of you. you may yet decide to take a mate and have kits. it isn't just your future in starclan that you are risking, but your future beside the lake."

squirrelflight lifted her muzzle. "i'll go." "no." tree lifted his muzzle. "bramblestar will never forgive us if we let you go." (comment: i do actually agree with keeping squirrelflight safe once she's escaped ashfur, but this sentence made me cringe)

chapter 13: bristlefrost, rootspring, needletail, maggottail, sparrowfeather, silverhawk, berrynose, stemleaf, and willowshine go to the starclan barrier. many starclan cats as well as juniperclaw join them. the spirit cats sense ashfur coming, but they decide to stay and just resist ashfur's control (?). someone approaches, and firestar attacks them.

chapter 14: graystripe is attacked by firestar, but each realizes who the other is, and the two patrols merge. shadowsight tries to use his connection to reach out to ashfur, but sees himself, and something in his vision attacks him.

chapter 15: bristlefrost sees shadowsight cry out and fall unconscious, but he wakes up, so the patrol keeps going. they come across a river, and bristlefrost pulls down a tree so they can cross. they stumble across ashfur talking to himself in a clearing, and darktail emerges with a horde of rogues, who attack the patrol (?).

irritating moments:

[firestar] seemed so certain and unafraid. how could [bristlefrost] give up hope when firestar was with them?

chapter 16: rootspring tells shadowsight to climb a tree and focues on the fight. he throws a rogue into the water, which is eating up the battlefield. eventually needletail and violetshine kill darktail, and the rogues flee.

chapter 17: shadowsight feels useless up in a tree, but at least the rogues are gone! the rogues are herded back into the fight by mapleshade and thistleclaw. shadowsight falls out of the tree, and a rogue attacks him, but bristlefrost saves him and tells him to run. he passes out. ashfur comes to him in his mind and tells him he's dying, and asks him to join him. shadowsight refuses, so ashfur tells him he's pathetic and nobody likes him.

chapter 18: bristlefrost sees that ashfur is about to throw shadowsight in the water. she knocks ashfur into the water and falls in with him. in her last moments, she imagines a future with rootspring.

chapter 19: with ashfur dead, the battle breaks up and the water recedes. rootspring mourns bristlefrost.

chapter 20: shadowsight wakes up from his ashfur-vision and realizes bristlefrost is missing. as the patrol heads to starclan, shadowsight spirals, but juniperclaw grounds him. leafpool tells shadowsight that his connection with starclan is gone.

irritating moments:

"do you think i'm disloyal after i've fought so hard to save the clans?" [rootspring] asked. violetshine bristled. "of course not! no one does!" murmurs of agreement spread among the others. "and yet i loved bristlefrost. rootspring's through tightened, his voice growing husky as he went on. "i tried not to love her. i knew i'd be betraying my clan. i tried reasoning with myself, but it was impossible. when we got home, i was going to join thunderclan to be with her." …mistystar looked at rootspring, her eyes glistening. "i know how much it hurts to lose a cat you love," she mewed softly. "and i would never accuse you of disloyalty. but if we allow cats from different clans to become mates and have kits, it'll undermine every clan."

chapter 21: the patrol enters starclan, and rootspring watches the patrol reunite with lost loved ones. there is an argument over who deserves to be let into starclan, and whether someone deserves a second chance if they break the warrior code, and whether the code should be changed. graystripe reveals that he was mortally wounded in the battle.

chapter 22: the patrol goes through the moonpool, reentering the living world, and tell the others what happened. graystripe finally dies.

chapter 23: the next day, shadowsight and the healers meet at the moonpool. shadowsight tells the others that he can't share with starclan, and everyone apologizes to him, even though there was no buildup to it at all.

[shadowsight] blinked at her. "but you were so angry with me for bringing ashfur back." mothwing sniffed. "i had to be angry with some cat," she mewed. "i'm sorry i was so hard on you. i was grieving for my place in riverclan and needed some cat to blame. and i suppose, in some way, you represented my worst fear- that living cats would go against their own instincts to follow the dangerous instructions of some long-dead cat."

"mothwing gets along fine without sharing with starclan." [jayfeather] turned his blind gaze on mothwing, with just a touch of apology in his expression. i suppose he's sorry for revealing her secret to a whole gathering, shadowsight mused as the thunderclan cat went on. (comment: jayfeather's relationship with mothwing changes as the plot requires, but i choose to believe that they settled their differences in oots)

chapter 24: the clans have a gathering, and bramblestar summarizes the events of the arc. there is an argument about cats from different clans becoming mates, but rootspring speaks out. many cats stay after the gathering for a vigil. spotfur, ivypool, and fernsong ask rootspring to make their lost loved ones appear. he can't, but he realizes that bristlefrost will always be with him.

had [the clans] forgotten how easily they'd turned on each other and how far they'd gone in driving out codebreakers under ashfur's command? not to mention the warriors who'd insisted that the real bramblestar was gone and that they should kill ashfur even though it risked leaving bramblestar's spirit with no body to return to. bramblestar must know this. he'd watched the clans as a ghost. rootspring felt a new rush of respect for the thunderclan leader. he was being generous with his speech.

[rootspring] forced himself to go on. "would any of you question my loyalty?" kitescratch blinked at him. "of course not." "you're one of the lights in the mist," shimmerpelt called. "and yet i was willing to leave my clan for a cat i'd fallen deeply in love with," he mewed. kitescratch stiffened, surprise rippling through his fur. around the clearing, rootspring heard gasps. "leave his clan?" "who was he in love with?" (comment: who the fuck do they think he was in a half-clan relationship with? surely not that thunderclan girl who all of the clans have teased him about liking since he was a new apprentice)

part 2: my thoughts

verdict: i hate this book

to nobody's surprise, the theme of redemption was handled poorly

most of the book consists of characters telling each other to run and running away and splitting up and being recaptured and jumping in to distract ashfur and running away again

there's the way starclan and the dark forest and the spirit world work, and how none of it is explained, but at the same time all of it is overexplained, if that make sense. the worldbuilding is just incredibly unsatisfying, like the authors pulled it out of their ass

small pet peeve, but the dark forest intensifies the cats' feelings of fear and anger, and every time they realize it and they think, "oh no... the dark forest is getting to me... but i won't let it change who i am!" and it's kind of annoying

i hate that the barrier can be broken down by thinking positively, and i hate that a patrol is sent to the dark forest, and i hate the cats that were chosen for the patrol

what does the patrol actually accomplish? i just read the book and i can't remember

lightleap's rejection is a very transparent attempt to add tension and still get our third pov character in the dark forest, but this adds nothing to lightleap's character since her plot gets dropped in asc, so this scene is stupid

speaking of putting shadowsight in the dark forest, why is he there? when ivypool, tigerheartstar, et al talked about the dark forest, shadowsight argues that the dark forest has changed since they trained there, and he should join the patrol because he is the most familiar with the dark forest in its present state

but everything he knows about the dark forest, the others can quickly figure out

instead, shadowsight spends his time in the dark forest feeling useless, since he's injured and lacks battle training, and the worst part is he's right, because he's just constantly in danger and the others keep having to protect or rescue him

also, shadowsight and ashfur have a mental connection, but it's never used in an interesting or meaningful way

and i can't take the connection seriously, because the explanation for it is basically "we're not so different, you and i", except ashfur is cartoonishly evil, and little has been done to establish their similarities

but it's not just shadowsight! none of the characters do anything! if bristlefrost had drowned herself and ashfur at the end of the last book, we wouldn't be missing out on anything. in fact, she would've saved me from 200 pages of this nonsense

tldr: sure, this book was built on shaky foundations (the abysmal pacing of the previous four books), but it didn't even try.

part 2.5: my ending

i have an alternative end in mind, but i need to establish some things first:

antagonists: ashfur doesn't have some grand scheme, he's much more of an opportunist. bramblestar is controlling and manipulative in his own right.

the connection: shadowkit has a strong connection to starclan, as shown by his prophetic dreams (which are implied to have been ashfur? we're getting rid of that). when shadowpaw is an apprenticed, ashfur co-opts this connection for his own use.

rootspring's powers: keep his ability to see ghosts, since him seeing bramblestar's ghost is pretty important to the plot. but we're getting rid of his ability to feel things through the land, since he uses it like three times, and it's not worth the bullshittery.

bristlefrost: she starts off similar to ashfur. self-absorbed, broody, obsessed with someone who doesn't return her feelings. like shadowsight, she was manipulated by ashfur, but i want her to be messy. perhaps, unlike shadowsight, she enacted ashfur's will voluntarily. enthusiastically. she was loyal to the imposter because she believed what he preached, and she didn't care who it hurt... until it hurt her family. her arc could be about learning to care about issues that don't affect her, because they affect other people.

shadowsight's warrior training: there's a few scenes where shadowsight, feeling lonely and ostracized, joins his sisters on warrior patrols. this subplot doesn't go anywhere, but i'm making full use of it. shadowsight actually learns from these excursions, and develops stronger fighting skills, which he'll use to defend himself in the dark forest.

bramblestar and squirrelflight: it feels like squirrelflight is robbed of a climactic ending. again, i agree that sending squirrelflight back into the dark forest after she escapes is a stupid risk, but since bramblestar and squirrelflight escape in book 5, we lose those stakes in book 6. so i would keep them in the dark forest for longer, they don't get to escape until the final battle.

okay! we have the ingredients, so here's how i would end tbc:

i think the final battle in the dark forest should have been shadowsight, bristlefrost, and rootspring. just the three of them, no stupid patrol. they swear to end this.

shadowsight wants to save bramblestar, since he feels guilty for killing him. what kind of healer kills? bristlefrost wants to take ashfur down for encouraging her flaws and leading her down the wrong path. i think rootspring would compliment them nicely as a neutral force. it would be nice to rescue that ghost that pestered him for a few months, but it's more important to save themselves.

so they travel through the dark forest, searching for ashfur, and i would give all three of them get moments to shine, moments to show off their skills and growth. i'm running out of steam again so i'm not going to come up with specific examples. maybe shadowsight uses his connection to track ashfur and his new training to protect his friends. rootspring's power could actually be relevant, maybe he can do something with the spirit cats in the dark forest. maybe he can free them from ashfur's control. idk. bristlefrost is shown in the books to be impulsive but quick-witted under pressure. the point is, there's potential here.

the three find ashfur and his prisoners. after a long battle, they free squirrelflight and bramblestar, and to not deviate too far from canon, bristlefrost dies killing ashfur. he tries the "we're not so different" spiel first, appealing to the character she starts off as, but she's learned and grown and she won't let him get to her. in his last moment, ashfur severs his connection, shadowsight's connection, with starclan.

rootspring and shadowsight converse with starclan before they return to the living world, and i want this to be the first hint of discontent. after everything, the starclan cats are more concerned with their precious code than with pardoning the dark forest cats who helped save them. rootspring and shadowsight argue with them, and manage to convince them that the code should be changed, and they return to the living world feeling faintly disappointed. after all, these three young adults had their lives fundamentally changed after being caught up in grudges far older than and completely unrelated to themselves.

i want an epilogue where rootspring and shadowsight sit together during a gathering, quietly watching bramblestar. they were kids the last time they saw the thunderclan leader in this place, but they're adults now. old enough to know that leaders make mistakes, like all other cats. experienced enough to recognize bramblestar's controlling tactics, to notice when he subtly demeans squirrelflight.

rootspring remembers how bramblestar's ghost followed him, demanding his help. how he couldn't sleep, eat, or train without bramblestar's voice snarling in his ear. shadowsight wonders how it took so long for thunderclan to realize there was something wrong with their leader.

now that it's over, they doubt if it was worth the price. would bristlefrost have sacrificed herself if she knew who it was for?

part 4: extra

bonus thing that pissed me off! here's every time someone mentioned being a "true warrior":

a true warrior accepted defeat and moved on. protecting their clan was more important. but ashfur had let his bitterness grow until it tainted his whole life.

how could a warrior like squirrelflight ever love a warrior like you? no wonder she chose bramblestar. he's everything you're not. he's brave and loyal. he's a true warrior in a way you could never be."

"if [snowtuft] is dead, he died a true warrior's death," [bristlefrost] murmured.

"i was with them," [shadowsight] called out as he limped from the edge of the moonpool. "i know what happened there. bramblestar and squirrelflight were true warriors! they couldn't change even if they wanted to. they would die for their clan and for each other and you know it."

"you have a chance to do something you never did in the living forest," bristlefrost pressed. "you have a chance to fight on the side of goodness and courage and loyalty. you have a last chance to be true warriors."

"if we betray starclan, we give up what it means to be true warriors." bramblestar swished his tail.

there was only one way to end this fight. the thought of it made [firestar] shudder. but he would do what he had to do. a true warrior always did- and he had never stopped being a warrior.

"don't rely on us," willowshine warned. "why not?" needletail blinked at her. "have you forgotten ashfur can control us?" willowshine mewed. berrynose's pelt ruffled self-consciously. "we'll try to fight it, but ashfur's power is strong here." "but you're true warriors," needletail insisted. "that's not enough." berrynose told her darkly.

maggottail narrowed his eyes. "why risk your place in starclan?" he mewed sourly. "i'd risk anything to save my clan," stemleaf retorted. as berrynose whisked his tail in agreement, firestar looked at maggottail. "for true warriors, the clans' future is more important than our own," he mewed.

"if you're looking for a way out of the dark forest, forget it," needletail snapped. "you won't be forgiven for what you did." "i'm not!" juniperclaw mewed quickly. "and i know. i just want to prove that i'm a true warrior despite everything. to myself and to my clan."

"i've made nothing but bad decisions. but now-" he glanced at rootspring and then bristlefrost- "i've seen what it is to be a true warrior and risk everything for others."

rootspring remembered snowtuft. the dark forest warrior had given up any future he could have in order to save living cats. didn't any cat who finally became a true warrior, no matter how long it took, deserve to be accepted?

needletail's eyes widened. "did you name her after me?" "of course after you." violetshine nudged her old friend with her nose. "my kit deserves a true warrior's name."

"we discussed with firestar and leafpool how to make the warrior code more relevant to our lives beside the lake. you will know now that starclan agreed to reorder the rules so that we know which parts of the code they value most. loyalty is at the heart of every true warrior, and a willingness to protect those weaker than themselves."

"i thought starclan believed loyalty is at the heart of a true warrior," [shimmerpelt] grunted. "what's loyal about choosing a mate from another clan?"

dovewing's tail quivered angrily. "no true warrior would even think about switching clans for a crush!"

[deathsmallcaps]

Okay, so it did not occur to me to check the Extras section. Thank you for pointing it out! We also have the Reo Māori AND the Tahitian version in the Extras section. But as you said, no Ōlelo Hawai’i version. How bizarre! Not that it should matter, but they literally have the main voice actress on that version!

The Lion King has both its Zulu (I was mistaken, lots of Swahili names in TLK but it was only dubbed in Zulu), and Reo Māori (didn’t know!) in the extras section. Weird choice? I’m wondering if those languages were dubbed/subbed via a different program and they were too lazy to integrate it into the regular options.

Frozen II has its Sámi version in the extras section.

And Bambi has its Arapaho version in the Extras! Though it seems to have been cut down to 1 hour, 9 minutes, as opposed to the original movie’s 1 hour, 14 minutes. I have a feeling they just did not want to update the credits? I’ll try to investigate later, I should be writing a paper now lol.

In any case, thank you for helping me find this more accurate information! My original point still stands for the Ōlelo Hawai’i version, and I still think it’s unfair and deceptive to hide these versions amongst the extra sections; hopefully the thought to check there occurs among more people! And hopefully by the time Moana 2 releases to Disney+, they’ll have rectified this mistake in time for the Samoan dub!

I hope you enjoy Moana 2!!! I won’t spoil it (so don’t go looking on my blog, I do NOT tag for spoilers) but I thought it was a great movie. If you write up a review for the Reo Māori version, please tag me, I’d love to read it! I’m curious how things like pacing and other aspects may change due to the dubbing :)

I was curious so I checked - Disney+’s Moana (2016) version does NOT have any of the Pacific Islander options for the audio or subtitles. That feels unfair. That means one can only watch it in Te Reo Māori, Hawaiian, or Tahitian if one bought the dvd. I feel like that is kind of predatory and uninclusive. If the stock runs out, what are people who want to watch Moana in those languages supposed to do? And what if they’re already paying for Disney+? That seems unfair. Additionally, Frozen II has a Sámi dub, The Lion King has a Swahili dub and apparently Bambi has an Arapaho dub (random???* Would love to know more. This clip is adorable). None of which are available on Disney+.

I will acknowledge that my family subscribes in the USA, and that this might be different in different areas. But also, Moana got dubbed in Hawaiian (by the original English language actress, Auli’i Cravalho!) and Hawaii is in the USA … so where the hell is it???

*okay looks like it was an Arapaho-led effort meant to help raise money and encourage young learners, due to the short and simple dialogue. Not like when Disney just decided to assign Swahili as the Lion King’s language because both are African ig

[anxiously-sidequesting]

Not to keep beating dead horses like I so much love to do but I am still completely Flabbergasted and Astonished at how you (Merle Ambrose) could discover the most terrifying fact that a child that is essentially under your care has been indoctrinated into a cult (which, by the way, a process that has taken over the course of years) ((by an agent that has been stationed in a direct position to make it easier to access and manipulate children, that has easily escaped your notice for such a long time)) that worships a nihilistic entity whose ultimate goal is the absolute and total destruction of Everything and Everyone around you, and your one, single, simple-sentenced response to that is to say "Oh, that's a shame. He (Duncan) always was pretty terrible. Hope he gets better someday." And then to move on from those extremely worrying and dangerous bundle of issues permanently without taking any sort of action to protect the vulnerable and make sure nothing like this ever happens again

[dallonwrites]

actually making my tags from my last post into their own post. writers who struggle with grammar, spelling, typos, errors etc i love you. writers who struggle with rereading their stuff thoroughly no matter how much they try, who don't always have access to other people to help them read i love you. whilst reading through and checking for these things is good practice i really believe that the weight of it should not be put wholly on the writer's shoulders. especially writers who are neurodivergent, disabled, have any condition that can impede their reading + comprehension, are overworked and overtired, are not writing in their native language, list goes on....because grammar mistakes/language mistakes/typos have nothing to do with your abilities as a creative. this is where editors should be uplifting writers, helping them, not scrutinising them for something they cannot always control

[eddiemunsonsmum]

Just saw this comment on a story posted a month ago.

*cries in Eddie Munson Solo Series no one wanted to read, interact with or request for*

No shade to the person that commented this on their own fic if you recognize it. It's not their fault. I'm not mad at them. More crying in the tags.

[scorndotexe]

gave up on dnd. one day i'll get to dm.......

btw this WHOLE thing was about 3 sessions at the most. this is not fucking curse of strahd

[keelanrosa]

terfs when a study shows literally anything positive about trans people/transitioning: 'hm i think this requires some fact-checking. Were those researchers REALLY unbiased? Because if they were biased this doesn't count and if they weren't knowingly biased they probably were unconsciously biased, woke media affects so much these days. Have there been any other studies on this? Because if there haven't been this could be an outlier and if there have been and they all agree that's a bit odd, why aren't there any outliers, and if there have been and any disagree we really won't know the truth until we very thoroughly analyze them all, will we? Were there enough subjects for a good sample size? Did every single subject involved stay involved through the whole study because if they didn't we should be sure nothing shady was going on resulting in people dropping out. Are we 110% sure all the subjects were fully honest and at no point were embarrassed or afraid to admit they didn't love transitioning to the people in charge of their transition? Are we 110% sure none of the subjects were manipulated into thinking they were happy with their transition? In fact we should double-check what they think with their parents, because if the subjects and their parents disagree it's probably because they've been manipulated but their cis parents have not and are very unbiased. How many autistic subjects were there because if there weren't enough then this doesn't really study the overlap between autistic and trans and if there were too many then we just don't know enough about what causes that overlap to be sure this study really explains being trans and isn't just about being autistic. How many AFAB subjects were there because if there weren't enough this is just another example of prioritizing AMAB people and ignoring the different struggles of girls and women and if there were too many how do we know sexism didn't affect the results. Was the study double-blinded? We all know double-blinded is the most reliable so if this one wasn't that's a point against it even if the thesis literally physically could not be double-blinded. Look i'm not being transphobic, i want what's best for trans people! Really! But as a person who is not trans and therefore objective in a way they cannot possibly be, i just think we should only take into account Good Science here. You want to be following science and not being manipulated or experimented upon by something unscientific, right?'

terfs when they see a study of 45 subjects so old it predates modern criteria for gender dysphoria and basically uses 'idk her parents think she's too butch', run by a guy who practiced conversion therapy, 'confirmed' by a guy who treated the significant portion of subjects who didn't follow up as all desisting, definitely in the category of 'physically cannot double-blind this', completely contradicted by multiple other studies done on actual transgender subjects, but can be kinda cited as evidence against transitioning if you ignore everything else about it: 'oOOH SEE THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKIN BOUT. SCIENCE. Just good ol' unbiased thorough analysis. I see absolutely no reason to dig any deeper on this and if you think it's wrong you're the one being unscientific. It's really a shame you've been so thoroughly brainwashed by the trans agenda and can't even accept science when you see it. Maybe now that someone has finally uncovered this long-lost study from 1985, we can make some actual progress on the whole trans problem.'

[deus-ex-mona]

winter 2k24, huh~~~~~~ _(:3 」∠)_

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

There always seems to be one kid who just screams like a tornado siren, all day long, at any given opportunity. Like, kid, I love you, you are precious and deserve all the happiness in the world; but please for the love of god shut up. There are people trying to learn here and you’re not helping them or yourself.