#instead of just for like. informational how-tos

[lightlyblooming]

What if it wasn't a joke?

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: What if Natasha’s teasing wasn’t a joke? 

Words: 2.1k

I tapped my fingers on the glossy wooden table in front of me, following the tempo of the conversation around me. The cacophony of voices flitted through my mind, going in one ear and out the other. 

What was supposed to be a swift debriefing with the rest of the Avengers had stretched into its third hour. I’d lost my patience two and a half hours ago when Tony Stark started talking about possible technological improvements he could add to the Avenger’s headquarters. It had only gone down from there.

I stared down at my leather folder opened on the table, letting out a slightly too-loud sigh when I saw the two sentences of notes I’d managed to put down. Only two sentences of actually useful information. Three hours, two sentences. Three hours for two sentences. 

My fingers curled into a fist. I picked up my pen, if only so that my frustration wouldn’t show. I hovered the pen over the clean piece of paper, but that only caused my anger to grow because there wasn’t anything to write.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I dropped the pen, grateful for the distraction.

I leaned back in my chair and pulled out my phone, ignoring the sidelong glance I got from Steve Rogers. Phones technically weren’t allowed during meetings, but confidential information had stopped being shared hours ago. I doubted it’d matter if I leaked a conversation over what type of flavoured water they wanted in the lounge this month.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I read the notification that lit up the screen. 

Natasha: Busy daydreaming about me?

I raised my eyes to Natasha, my smile growing further when I noticed she had already been watching me. Her blue eyes twinkled with humour, but her features betrayed nothing. Her expression was just as blank, severe, and stoic as it had been for the last few hours.

Natasha only held my eyes for a handful of moments before she turned away, returning her steady attention to the conversation.

I texted back: I’m just thinking about how this meeting could’ve been an email.

Natasha picked up her phone a few moments later. Her expression didn’t change, and I was too far away to notice any other minor changes. I looked back to the nearly blank paper in front of me. 

Every second I spent waiting for her response felt like an eternity. I started to tap my fingers again.

After what felt like forever, my phone buzzed.

Natasha: I wouldn’t have seen you if it was an email.

A second later, she added: And I do enjoy watching you when you’re frustrated.

My eyes shot to her. She merely stared back at me, watching, waiting. I blinked at her, hoping she’d offer any kind of reaction for me to read. Instead, she picked her phone up, her fingers moving across the screen.

I lowered my eyes to the paper and put my phone on the empty sheet. I placed my elbow on the table and rested my head in my hand. My leg, the traitorous thing, started to bounce. My body tensed with every moment that passed. My breaths grew shallow as I waited for that screen to light up.

What was taking her so long? She had to be writing an essay if it was taking her this long to finish. I couldn’t help but wonder if she liked leaving me waiting.

My heart skipped when the screen lit up, only for it to drop deep into my gut when I read the text.

Natasha: It’s even better when you get flustered and start blushing.

I shut off my phone and shoved it into my pocket.

My head thundered in my chest as heat prickled on my cheeks. I silently cursed myself for playing right into her hand. 

It wasn’t like it was a surprise. She’d joke far too often about how easy it was to throw me off and the enjoyment she got from it wasn’t a secret. She always pushed it and tested it, seeing what measure of responses she could get. One glance. One smile. One whispered word. One step too close. A touch that lingered too long. For fuck’s sake, one sentence that toed the line between friendly banter and flirtatious teasing would leave me dumbed down and unable to speak for hours.

I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair, hating the way I shook. I focused on my breaths, reread those two stupid sentences written on the paper. I willed the heat to fall from my face. I counted through my breathing. I picked up my pen and clicked it over and over again.

I was a fool for being affected by her. It was nothing. It meant nothing. It was a game to her, just a way to fill time and push away excruciating boredom.

I reminded myself of all those moments Natasha had toyed with me, only to pull away a moment later. 

I remembered the hours we had spent crouched in some dark hole, waiting out a mission, her faint touches oh-so-clear in the pitch black. I recalled the way she had looked at me days later when I had brought it up, her face flush with confusion and eyes so cold it was like looking at a stranger. 

I remembered the first time we’d exchanged personal numbers after becoming part of the Avengers. It had only been a handful of years since we’d worked together in the Red Room, yet she treated me like she’d never seen me before.

I remembered the hours of texting we’d do in those fluid hours of the night when time lost all meaning. Then the absence of contact in the morning, followed by stilted small talk that’d build a chasm between us. 

I glanced over at Natasha. My heart stung when I saw her stoic expression fixed on Wanda Maximoff.

I closed the folder and got to my feet. The rest of the Avengers at the table glared at me, but I ignored them. There was no reason for me to stay. The important parts of the meeting were done. I hadn’t needed to chime in for well over an hour. And I didn’t feel like torturing myself with Natasha’s cold distance for any longer.

⧗

I stirred my half-melted cocktail with the metal straw. The metal clicked against the glass. A chill wind brushed over my skin and rustled my hair, causing goosebumps to prickle along my arms. 

The Avengers compound had long since settled into its peaceful night operations. All the lights had been dimmed, the large mass of day staff had been sent home or to their rooms, the headache-inducing sound of jets coming and going had finally stopped. These small hours of the night were the only time I got any solitude. 

I watched the tarmac from the balcony, taking in the quinjets that had been left out and the skeleton crew that maintained them.

They always had to be ready, waiting, should the sky fall open and the Avengers had to be on the other side of the world in an hour. I always had to be ready to answer the call, be prepared for anything at any moment. I hadn’t even left the compound for a non-Avengers related reason for… months. It was too risky.

I looked down at the cocktail in my hand and braced my arm against the balcony railing. I sighed and pursed my lips at it.

Despite the small amount of alcohol I’d had, I could feel the warmth of drunkenness spreading through my limbs and a delightful buzz that clouded my mind. I was already too far gone to fly, or fight, or do any amount of strategic thinking. Drinking more would only multiply that and make my recovery take longer. If there was an emergency and I got called out--

The door to the balcony softly clicked open and I whipped my head around, muscles going taught. 

The moment I laid my eyes on Natasha, who stood silently in the doorway, I let out a breath and allowed my shoulders to slump. The warm glow of the Avenger’s lounge silhouetted her form and took the sharp edges out of her appearance. 

She almost seemed vulnerable there, in her sweatpants and loose t-shirt. Her hair had been pulled back into a braid. The light caught the loose strands of her hair, making it look like strings of spun gold. My eyes couldn’t help but wander to the smooth plane of her neck. I couldn’t stop the prying thoughts that wondered how it would feel, how it would taste, if she’d just let me get close enough.

I pressed my lips closed and squeezed my eyes. I gave myself a moment to breathe and settle my system before I turned around and fixed my eyes on the cocktail cradled in my hands.

The stupid drink, wiping away every ounce of self-preservation I had.

The door clicked shut and Natasha walked up beside me, bracing her arms on the railing, mirroring my position. A beer bottle hung from her fingers, dangling precariously over the distant ground. Natasha took a swig and from the sound of it, she was quite far into her drink as well. At least I wasn’t the only intoxicated one.

I sipped at my now fully melted cocktail. I winced at the overwhelmingly sweet liquid. Without the ice to break up the taste, it had turned into a cloying mixture of syrup and rum.

“Too hard for you?” Natasha’s voice was low and heavy. 

Her voice tugged at something deep in the pit of my gut. My heart fluttered in my chest and my breaths shuddered. Heat prickled at my cheeks, and I prayed that Natasha thought it was because of the alcohol. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eyes and knew my prayers had fallen upon deaf ears when I saw the teasing tilt to her lips.

I don’t know if it was the alcohol or the illusion of sanctity the darkness granted, but the truth came out before I could even consider filtering my words, “A bit.”

Natasha’s ghost of a smile grew into a full-on grin. Her voice dipped into a sultry drawl that raked along my bones, “You should let me buy you a drink some time. I can show you what hard feels like.”

My hand tightened around the glass. I opened my mouth, prepared to spit out one of the million scripted rejections I had tucked in the back of my mind, but stopped short.

I schooled my features and turned towards Natasha. I took in her stance: her relaxed shoulders, fingers that fidgeted with the rim of the beer bottle, her ram-rod straight back, her attentive eyes, her welcoming smile, the way her head tilted just-so. She was expectant, waiting, and… nervous? A furrow ghosted in the space between her brows. Tiny fragments of uncertainty flashed across her face.

I swallowed and stared into her eyes. I tapped my thigh with my free hand. Silence stretched between us. My muscles tensed with every second that crept by.

I was such an idiot. A fool. My hesitation revealed more than I ever wanted Natasha to know. My growing silence stripped me bare and made me more naked than I would’ve been if I had merely removed my clothes. 

“Or--” Natasha’s words were slow, hesitant, searching, “--you can buy me one of those cocktails you always get, we can get drunk, and I can stop calling you a lightweight.”

I pressed my lips together and searched Natasha’s expression. All I found was a gentle vulnerability. There was teasing, yes, but behind all that was an openness I’d never seen in her before. 

What if, this time, it was a genuine offer? What if I said yes? Would she take me to a bar, let me order her a drink, and end the night with more than a painfully professional handshake? Or would she laugh and back off, making me look like a fool for even considering the offer?

My mind was too clouded to make a clear choice. I couldn’t discern anything more from her expression. I couldn’t calculate all the possible responses. 

I let out a shuddering breath and, with the type of courage I could only get from the alcohol coursing through my system, said, “Only if you promise to show me the best places.”

Natasha let out a breath and straightened. All signs of tension smoothed from her face. A light seemed to spark in her eyes, bringing a glowing warmth to her features. 

“Promise,” Natasha said, her voice strung with the softness and truth in her oath. 

[kaviiinsky]

today my boss thought I was saying spotify rapt?? short for rapture?? he thought I was talking about the spotify rapture??????

[oceantornadoo]

can be read as part of the duckie universe?? standalone tho. here

“‘ello, duckie.” john’s voice was smooth gravel in your ear, honeyed and sweet. “hey john. date was ok. won’t be a second one though, it felt like i was talking to a colleague, not a potential lover.” john was silent on the other end, just gruff breathing. you bit the tip of your tongue, cursing yourself for giving so much information. he was supposed to be your best friend, your confidant, but somehow this felt like crossing a line. but you weren’t anything, he never tried anything, so really this wasn’t even your fault.

“where are you?” what if you didn’t tell him? what if you ignored the fact that he has your location and was probably already on his way? what about the sound of an engine turning on in the background? “that one thai place off base. john i-“ “took him to our spot?” shit. you were in for it.

john pulled up ten minutes later in his worn truck, the transport he took when he was undercover or off duty. when he was wearing those jeans that hugged his ass way too well and that black henley you bought for him two christmases ago, his biceps practically bursting out of it. “john, it’s not a big deal.” he refused to meet your eyes, taking your bag and guiding you to his truck door, ever the gentleman. “get in, duckie.” instead of complying, you turned and placed a hand on his chest, an attempt to make him meet your eyes. instead, he gazed at your hand, your left hand, with its bare fingers. “don’t make me say it again.” to postpone a fight in the parking lot and to quicken the time it would take you to get home and out of these extremely uncomfortable shoes, you rolled your eyes and made your way to the passenger door. you ignored how he opened it for you, how he placed a hand on your ass to help you up into the truck, even thought it was just a few inches off the ground.

the ride back to base was silent, your fingers itching to press the radio button just to break the tension. the minutes passed quickly, john pulling up to his base quarters with practiced ease. he backed into a parking spot, a hand on your headrest that you tried valiantly to ignore. the smell of his cologne reached you anyways, a pavlovian reaction relaxing your body on instinct. he helped you out of the car despite his anger, rough hands guiding you towards the familiar path leading to his room. never mind that you desperately wanted to go to your own room, change into sweats, wipe off your makeup, decompress with a glass of wine or two. instead, you were walking to john’s room like a prisoner, heavy steps echoing your own as he opened doors and tugged you through them.

finally you were at his room, watching his nimble hands open the door with the slightest shake. that couldn’t be right. he only shook when he was angry and - you did a quick catalogue of his bunched shoulders muscling through the entrance, the sharp way he toed off his boots - maybe you were wrong. he knelt down before you before your brain could even register, grasping at your ankle and tugging off your shoes. he did it with too much force, causing you to stumble into him, stomach squishing against his face. “i’m sorry.” he grunted in reply, still not meeting your eyes. “sit.” you gulped at the sight of his bed, tucked in with military precision.

“explain.” john was looking down at you, arms crossed against his chest. instead of answering, you tugged him down to sit next to you. the fact that he let you? he wasn’t that mad. “we were supposed to eat at the pub but it was closed so that’s why we went to the thai place. and he suggested it, ok? it wasn’t on purpose.” he shook his head, shoulder brushing your own. “he’s a bloody idiot for not checking beforehand.” you giggled, laying your head against his shoulder. “right? i would never betray our restaurant like that, john.” john was silent, lost to his thoughts. the anger was still there, a simmer instead of a boil. he wasn’t hearing you, so you decided to take matters into your own hands.

“john, you’re not listening.” you stood up, walking in between his open legs, your hand on his shoulders. his eyes were still glazed, brows furrowed. deciding on drastic measures, you dragged yourself into his lap, straddling him into the mattress. finally, his eyes met yours, all blue and wanting. his hands on your hip, your pelvises kissing. “duckie.” you shook your head, biting your lip. “there a reason why you’re so mad at me, captain?” john’s hands tightened against your body, holding you in place. “don’t play that, sweetheart.” you dragged your hands into his beard, tugging lightly on the strands. “then why did you pick me up all stoic?” he brought his face closer to yours, noses touching. eyes flickering to yours, searching for something. you were tired of this caveman act. “kiss me, john.”

his eyes widened. "stop playin', duck. not the time." you shook your head, giving him a roll of your hips. denim brushed on denim, stirring his cock to life. "don't you want to kiss your future wife?" his eyes widened at the mention of the marriage pact that usually only he brought up. "you told me to wait, so i'm waitin’, sweetheart." he wasn't getting it. you finally saw past it, past the wall of anger he portrayed. "well, if you won't, then maybe i'll call my date and-"

john's lips smashed against your own, his hands tugging you closer into his laps. he was searching, for what you didn't know, chasing you with a kiss. his cock was hard against you, the brush of denim against your clit sending shock waves to your system. "not gonna fuck you, duckie. not yet." you frowned, breaking the kiss. "why not?" he moved to your neck, kissing it frantically.

"'cause you're not as deep as i am. 's okay, i can wait a few more years." you started bucking in his lap, chasing the feeling in your stomach. "john, you're so hot when you're mad. please please please fuck me." he chuckled at your tone, one hand moving from your hip to grip your jaw in place. "y'r so whiny when you're horny, baby. can't wait to fuck you one day." his beard was scratching your neck, the sensation setting you on fire. you kept grinding, his hands pulling you in and own, helping you chase your orgasm. "gonna come like this for your husband?" you didn't even try to correct him, too lost in the waves of pleasure. just a bit more and - he bit your neck, sending you over the edge into blissful orgasm. you worked out the waves in his lap, slowing down as the exhaustion hit you. "john, i-' you ended with a yawn, sinking into his embrace. "'s okay, duckie. all the time you need. i can wait."

[solarpunkani]

"Oh no, someone's attracted to the aesthetics of my -punk movement but doesn't know the praxis and history behind it like I do--"

OK. Tell them. Make it a teaching moment. Everyone who's in your movement learned the background from somewhere at some point, maybe this is that point for that person. Give them a jumping off point that they can dive into later.

"Oh but I shouldn't be responsible for teaching baby -punks about the history and the how-tos and--"

OK. Then don't tell them. You don't have to be responsible for teaching people with a budding interest in your group the ins and outs and how-tos. That's fair and valid! It can be a lot of work. Someone else will handle it

"But I'm annoyed that they would try to claim to be part of/be interested in my community without knowing all the details that I know after being in it for months/years/decades, they're dumb, they're posers, they're--"

OK. Then don't engage with them, if it's that bad. Maybe someone else will come around and tell them the history, maybe they'll pick it up on their own, maybe they'll just enjoy the fashion elements for awhile.

"But they shouldn't claim to be part of the -punk community if they don't know the--"

I feel like we have a few options here. People can either talk to them, share the history, share the values, share the praxis. Or they can just chase off anyone who even thinks about dipping a toe in their community, and then wonder why it's dying off later down the line.

I dunno, maybe I'm too naive and patient or whatever. But if people are entering your -punk spaces without knowing The Rundown of what you feel they need to know, maybe being nice about it and informing people instead of immediately assuming stupidity and malicious intent could help you make a new friend. Even the loudest voices in a space had to learn from somewhere, and not everyone has the luxury of being in the space as the History was Happening--whether it's an age thing or a not being aware of the space thing. Or maybe I just don't see what the big deal is behind people hating people who like the aesthetic of something and don't know the behind the scenes history about it yet.

Because I believe in the word 'yet.' No one comes into this world knowing everything about everything, and we're all constantly learning new things. I'm not gonna degrade someone and call them a poser for not knowing what I know. Because if it were me, interested in a scene but getting chased out and called a poser? I wouldn't hit the books and study up, I'd go 'that fuckin sucks, those people sucked' and then avoid anyone and anything having to do with it.

So chase people off and call them posers if you want. But if your community starts dwindling, don't be fucking shocked.

[yanderederee]

TummyAche

a/n: tummy ache girlies unite; Hiragi is here to save the day lol. Please love him with me♡

ct: reader is straightforward and dorky♡

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯✦

The day began as it would any other for Hiragi Toma. As always, he went about his morning, paroling the attentively. Aa uneventful as it was, the cool morning air and lull of pedestrian idle commotion served to tire the delinquent more than usual. So, en route back to school, he decided to stop by the vending machine for a quick black coffee.

However, hidden just beyond the vending machines broad stature, he noticed a human figure huddled over. He easily could have missed it had he not been so close. Cautiously, Hiragi toed in closer.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked, folding down to one knee to reach your current height. You gasped, not expecting for another person’s presence. “Sorry.” He quickly apologized.

You shook your head, groaning quietly. “You’re fine… my stomach just… really hurts…”

Hiragi nodded understandably. “Well, luckily for you,” he hummed, pulling out his tried and true Gas-kun 10. “I happen to have stomach medicine on me. Here, it’s chewable.” He offered you one of the small pills.

Awkarddky, you felt embarrassed having to admit, “I don’t like the powdery taste a chewable pill leaves behind…” Hiragi chuckled, and stood to his full height.

“Can’t blame ya there. Hang tight,” He examined the contents of the vending machine, quickly spotting a green tea option. That would probably be best for a stomach ache, right? After purchasing both of your drinks, he squatted back beside you, handing you the tea and medicine.

Quickly, you took both ingestibles’. After taking one, two, three, four large gulps of the offered tea, you released the can with a quiet ‘haaaaah’.

Though it may not have been your preferred drink of choice, it was rather good. “Do you just… always carry stomach medicine?” You asked, finally taking a good look at the kind bystander.

Hiragi laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, well… I get stomach aches pretty often, so it’s pretty much essential.” You giggled at his reply. “That’s unexpected.”

Together, you shared a few more words, a few more giggles. Until eventually, you could tell his attention was beginning to drift, as though he needed to be elsewhere soon.

“Say, what’s your name?” You asked, finally feeling well enough to stand.

“Hiragi Toma, 3rd year at Furin high school. Nice to meet you.”

You smiled at his introduction. He was kind, and easy to talk to. By the looks of him, in his tight leather pants and the dangerous aura radiating off of him, you were pleasantly surprised. Tall, respectful and thoughtful— and by your standards, very hot… just your type.

“Say… I hope this doesn’t come off strong but… can I… have your contact information?” You asked nervously.

Hiragi became baffled, eyes wide in disbelief. No one’s ever asked for his contact information so quickly upon meeting him. Sure, he thought you were cute; the way you laughed made his heart skip a little, and the way he felt so calm with your presence had made him let his guard down.

…But it wouldn’t be a bad thing to become closer to you…

“S…sure… is my number fine?”

⎯⎯⎯⎯✦

Days after your aforementioned meeting of one another, Hiragi found himself becoming more and more infatuated with you. For some reason, any free thought that wasn’t taken up by Bofurin, Umemiya, or his unpunctual juniors— had become filled with little thoughts about you.

Wondering if you got stomach aches often as well. Were you eating well? Hopefully. Maybe he’d ought to ask you himself, given how frequently you would text him. Perhaps he should find the frequency of your initiated chats bothersome, but it was quite the opposite; he instead felt giddy with every time his phone would vibrate, eager for a chance to duck out to check your message away from prying eyes umemiya.

Like now, he realized from a familiar buzzing. Peeking over to make sure his underclassmen were all distracted with other things, he quickly stepped off behind a corner, pulling out his phone to read your name.

Y/n: class is so boring… I can’t keep my eyes open (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾ what are u doing ???

Hiragi♡: that’s not good. how about you try paying attention.

Y/n: so rude!!’ and u didn’t ansr my ??? !

Hiragi♡: im helping my friend out with gardening

Y/n: GARDENING‽?‽?!(๑･̑◡･̑๑) lol what a surprise!! i didn’t know u had a green thumb!!!!

Hiragi♡: i dont. i just water them whenever hes too busy

Y/n: interstng

Hiragi♡: you should probably put your phone away in class

Y/n: just got busted!!_:(´ཀ`」 ∠): ttyl

What the hell did ttyl stand for? Hiragi chucked audibly, rereading over the conversation a few times, heart feeling full. You were much more of a dork than you first let on, but in an endearing way…

Soon, he began feeling the oncoming presence of his curious juniors approaching. Quickly, he pocketed the devise, and joined back up with them.

⎯⎯⎯✦

A few days after that, your texts became less frequent. Hiragi was becoming increasingly irritable as the pattern spanned for the fifth day. You texted him maybe once a day, if only to say good morning, but hadn’t continued with your usual banters and chatter.

Had he done something wrong? He tried reasoning what it could be. Were you bored of him? It was possible… damnit! What should he do… Let it go? You weren’t inclined to message him after all…

But still, something was eating at him… he didn’t want you to stop. Hiragi looked forward to your daily rants and gripes. Just reading your messages was enough to make him break out in a smile. He was even becoming less careful in hiding your existence— Umemiya almost caught him once…

After toiling on it for too long, he decided the best thing to do would be to own up to it… soon. Maybe he would start with messaging you first.

Hiragi♡？: morning. are you at still in school?

Y/n: yahh..

Hiragi♡？: sounds rough. what time do you get out?

Y/n: two hours(@_@)

Hiragi♡？: do you want to grab a bite to eat after? i have a free meal coupon for ashitaba that i need to use.

Even while in class, you were notorious for answering his messages with lightning speed. Yet, after his latest text, all messages from you halted for an entire hour.

Did he come off too strong? Shit. He wasn’t used to this type of thing, maybe he should take it back before you decided to stop talking to him altogether.

An hour and a half passes, before hes sprung back into life with a new text.

Y/n: I’ve never eaten as ashitaba before. Id like to try it though

Was that a yes? Should he take it as a yes? Unsure, he scanned the message a few times.

“Oooohhh~ does our ‘ragi have a daaate?~” a sudden teasing voice cooed into his ear. “GODDAMNIT!” Hiragi screamed unexpectedly, instinctively throwing a punch into the white haired boy’s face.

Undeterred, Umemiya laughed. “Hohoho~ so it’s true! Hiragi’s got giiiiirlfriend~” Annoyed, Hiragi clicked his tongue. “We aren’t dating!” He snapped back. Umemiya audibly ‘oop’ed, covering his mouth in mild surprise. “An ex..?” “NEITHER!”

…

“So, you weren’t sure about her feelings, so you asked her out to eat to find out?” Umemiya asked, after Hiragi begrudgingly responded to his pestering to tell him everything there was to know about you.

Hiragi shrugged. “I… guess. It just felt like they were putting distance between us and i guess i just… didn’t want that to happen.”

Umemiya nodded along. “So you like them, right?” This question earned a grunt to leave Hiragi’s chest. “Who knows.” He huffed, standing up to leave the conversation.

“Good luuuck! Charm the pants off ‘er, so i can meet her next time!!”

…

Just by your school gate, Hiragi waited, scrolling on his phone.

Hiragi♡？: im outside ur school. spot me by the gate.

Y/n: YOURE HERE????????? (=ↀΩↀ=)

Seeing no reason to reply further, since you’d be seeing him in person before long, he smiled at the cute emoji you sent, and looked around.

Everyone. Was staring at him.

“I-is that a Furin uniform? Scary!!”

“Let’s walk the other way…”

“What’s he here for? Is he looking for a fight?”

“Should i call the police?”

Shit. It wasn’t exactly common knowledge for neighboring schools to know how the image of Furin has changed over the years. To the outside eye, Furin was still a good for nothing delinquent school who fought anyone and everyone. Maybe meeting you at school was a bad idea.

“Hii~ra~giii~” chimed a cheerful voice, breaking out against the harsh whispers around him. A particular group of girls stared the two of you down with wide, shocked eyes. Based on where you were skipping from and their placement, they looked to be your friends. “Ready?”

Hiragi looked a little uneasy, glancing between you and your very suspicious friends, all gathered and whispering with one another. “Uh… yeah.” He mumbled, looking away.

Side by side, the two of you walked to the restaurant he’d mentioned, all while your chipper chatter filled the silence. Talking about anything, asking him questions, leaving room for breathing space as to not overwhelm the conversation too badly.

You had just a weird way of making him feel… at ease. He thought he didn’t much care for carefree individuals who couldn’t mind their business. That’s how it was with Umemiya at least; but your comforting presence did something to ease any aggression lurking inside him.

Coming up on the restaurant, he pulled open the door expectedly for you. You gave a quiet thanks before entering. “Welcome i—“ the older man called in greeting, only to cut himself off when he was met with an unfamiliar face accompanying one of his most regular customers.

Baffled, the older man starred at you in gaping awe. There was no way in hell Hiragi was bringing someone as fine as you on a date here of all places.

“Quit it with the crazy eyes old man, table for two, please.” Hiragi spoke up after closing the door. While the old man was still taken by shock, he did his best to welcome the two of you in with open arms. Quickly, the two of you were seated, and met with hardy conversation with the cook.

“Well you’ve got to forgive me, but this is just about the most unexpected thing! The Bofurin boys come in here all the time, but it’s unusual for them to bring guests like this! Here, try this to start off! I got a few other things frying up right now, it’ll be ready in just’a sec.”

“That’s so kind of you..! I can’t wait to try it! But before that… Bofurin boys? Like, Furin high school, right?” You seemed to be puzzling little things together. You’ve been in town before, of course, but the only thing readily known about Furin was its notorious reputation; and how it had only in recent years began to change.

“You dont know Bofurin? Oh boy! They’re just about the most helpful bunch o’guys around! Can’t tell ya the number of times Toma here has unloaded a full truck for me on delivery day!” The old man hollered with laughter, slapping Hiragi on the back hard.

After putting in your respective orders, Hiragi sighed in embarrassment. “Sorry if he’s over the top. He means well.“

“No way!” You waved off his apology with a happy grin. “I’m even more interested now. Tell me about Bofurin! The locals seem to know you as a hero or something. Only had four random people call out to you asking if you needed anything. What’s that about?”

And so, Hiragi began unwinding the ever telling story of Furin’s history, how it came to be, and who they were now. The story took you by storm; your eyes glued to him as you watched the dangerous looking boy go on about how it’s important to help the people in his community, subconsciously smiling to himself.

Hiragi was compassionate. Perhaps a little harsh spoken and rough looking, but soft in the ways it counted.

“So cool,” you whispered to yourself, thinking only of the boy in front of you in that moment. “Huh? Yeah, i guess we try acting cool for everyone’s sake.” He chuckled back, earning a hot wave of embarrassment to flow over you. You weren’t about to correct him.

The food was great, full of flavor and home cooked goodness. “This is amazing sir!!” You yelled from your table, comfortable in doing so thanks to being the only three people in the eatery. “Don’t tell him that, it’ll go straight to his head.” Hiragi chuckled again. “My head is a respectable size thank you very much. Here, try these too Y/n!”

Finally after having been stuffed full of food, and sent out with more leftovers than you could carry alone, you were elated.

“Thanks for taking me out today, Hiragi! It was awful kind of Mr Ashitaba to tab our meals!”

Hiragi smiled, proud of his community for showing you such hospitality. “This is pretty normal honestly. I’ll make sure to pay him back next time though.”

Sharing amongst yourself a few more lines of conversation, Hiragi’s thoughts began drifting back to your lukewarm messages lately. Should he bring it up, or just leave it be? Would it be overstepping to insinuate any necessity to your conversations?

“Hiiragi? You there?” You asked, waving a hand in front of his face inquisitively. “Huh? Oh, yeah.” He cleared his throat.

You looked at him for a moment, as if reading his mind. “You can ask whatever it is you’re thinking. I have an answer.” You smiled knowingly.

Maybe you were sharper than he took you for. Finally, he exhaled. “It’s fine, honestly. I’m not upset or anything. I was… just curious. How do i even say it…” he grumbled, unable to find the words he meant. “Why my messages have been so dry recently?” You asked.

Slowly, he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know it’s not really my place to ask that. We only just met, so it’s not like there’s any obligation or anything.” He cleared the gnawing feeling setting into the conversation, hopeful you remained understanding.

“Honestly… I was worried about bothering you, at first.” You answered. “I didn’t want to annoy you, so I tried holding back just texting you every little thing that crossed my mind… but then, after a day or two, I began feeling like, maybe you weren’t really that interested in me.” You looked away bashful.

“So I asked my school friends what I should do, and they said I shouldn’t message you at all… that if-if you were I-interested in me.. than you would show it… So… ”

Hiragi stopped walking, frozen in place. ‘Interested’, like in a relationship, right? Was he? He probably was, almost positively was. But with the way you were talking… is that something you wanted too?

“Sorry, I guess that kinda sounds like I was testing you… that was wrong of me, wasn’t it?” You looked down.

Hiragi’s heart was beating out of his chest.

“That’s fine,” he spoke calmly, slowly walking to close the distance separating you. He stood close, squeezing the bag straps of leftovers in his opposite hand. “Because of that, I realized how much I really like talking to you. I missed talking to you. And I know now that I want to keep that.” Hiragi slowly raised his free hand, careful in the way he gently brushed a loose strand of hair from your face.

“It’s new, but I think I like you.” He admitted boldly, locking eyes with you. Your face immediately ran hot, surely flush with embarrassment. Hiragi smiled at your cute reaction, and rested his palm on your warm cheek.

You wanted to reply, speak what was on your mind as you usually would… but you felt stunned, having Hiragi so close. You could smell the notes of musk from his cologne, feel the leather material of his jacket, and hear the soft exhales he released in nervous tension.

He made no movements, simply shifting his gaze from looking you in the eyes, to your lips, to examine your face, all to catch you off guard again with such intense eye contact.

He never did really get a good look at you the first time you met. Most of your interactions since then have been over the phone. Now that he could really pay attention to you, and put details to the face he kept imagining for the last few weeks.

Hiragi thought you were beautiful.

“Hiragi…” you would only manage a whisper, hearts racing in mutual tandem.

You gulped, and finally smiled, laying a hand on the back of his own. It was rough, his knuckles were dry and cracked, yet the texture felt comforting as you circled your finger tips over them. “I think I really like you too.”

It was so simple, so little words, that meant so much. He broke out in an uncontrollable smile, shark teeth on full display as his eyes squinted shut. Hiragi surely wasn’t looking for anything like this, a relationship. But he would be damned if he gave you up because of some half assed reason like that.

“I want to take you out again sometime. Soon. How does that sound?”

“Tomorrow?!”

“Well… I might have some free time. Have anywhere in mind?”

“Oh yeah! There’s this movie I’ve been really looking forward to,”

As you went on about planning your next date, Hiragi felt elated basking in your radiance; listening to you talk on about your movie interests, and answering when you asked him about his own opinions. All while helplessly reciprocating the hold on each others hand.

Even when you made it home, your energy felt palpable. Yet, you looked sad. “How will I know you made it home safe?”

He chuckled, patting your head. “I’ll text you when I get home.”

“Can I call you instead?” You asked.

“Sure,” his heart swelled at your borderline clingy nature. With these feelings being so new, he welcomed it. “See you tomorrow.”

Hiragi began to turn, but instinctively, you reached a hand out to grab his shirt. He paused, eyeing you curiously. It was too soon to admit you wanted to kiss him, right? But he seemed to like your straightforwardness, especially when it was tinged in shyness. And with how nervous you were, that’s exactly what you were.

“Can… I call you Toma?” You asked.

He smiled again. “Only if I can return the favor-“

“Absolutely! Please do.” You grinned so wide, grip tightening around his shirt. “Okay then,” you lifted yourself on your tip toes, pulling slightly on the materiel of his shirt, instinctively causing him to bend his knees ever so slightly at your will.

And quickly, you lay a firmly affectionate kiss on the side of his lips, not sure if it was more of his cheek. It was rushed, after all. Embarrassed but satisfied, you pulled back, practically fuming hot air from your ears. “W-well! G-good night Toma! Make it home safe!!” You yelled, quickly rushing for the door and slamming it shut.

Dumbstruck, Hiragi Toma remained on your doorstep, mouth gaping wide open, red as a damn apple. How the hell were you just going to run away from him like that? How was he supposed to react to that? WHAT THE HELL??

With no other way to release this sudden influx of deep emotions, he released a loud closed mouth scream into the palms of his hands. Quick to not make more of a fool of himself, he ran from the scene of the almost murder(his own murder); beet red and heart pounding unbelievably hard.

[atarathegreat]

My 'Pup' König

KorTac, who was better known for its swifter breeds, did have some war types sprinkled in. Mostly German Shepards, but the one that stood out was the Colonel. Colonel König was a Tibetan Mastiff born in an unknown area to a German mother and an unknown, foreign father. Bushy tail and fluffy ears aside. the Colonel was an absolute unit and killing machine. König had the sharpest canines on base, sharpest senses and even the sharpest tongue when he chose to speak.

Speaking with other members was never an issue, the man gave the clearest orders of anyone, but he avoided women. Women were to be respected and treated fairly in his squads...but avoided because he was nervous. First impressions meant everything, and if he didn't go full Colonel mode, he would fumble his words and make a mess of himself.

"She's a Tibetan, like you, so you'll be training her." König was given his order swiftly and without him having time to protest. Everyone could see that something was bothering him, his tail down instead of curled as it usually was. No one dared to ask, seeing how agitated the man was. So, no one raised a finger when a female Tibetan started to follow him around.

"You're the Colonel?" Your voice startled him. König had been too wrapped up in his thoughts to even notice your scent behind him. Steel toed boot, meet steel toed boot. You blocked his kick with one of your own, wagging your tail happily as he growled at you.

Great, I've already made a fool of myself... König grumbled to himself as he lowered his foot to the ground. "Apologies, I failed to notice your approach." König held a hand out to you. It was strange that you wagged your tail at a man who had bared his teeth (something you couldn't see because of his sniper's hood) at you and growled with every ounce of dog in his genes. "All good, Sir. I was informed to find you for my first day of training." The way you smiled at him showed your little canines. He wondered if they were as sharp as they looked.

"Today I want you to show me what you know -"

"Nothing, Sir." The interjection was...annoying, sure, but König could handle it, "I am fresh from camp, Sir. Not an ounce of knowledge in my brain." König sighed and pinned his ears back, "Alright, then spend the day learning the base and I'll figure out what we'll do tomorrow."

König watched your fluffy tail bounce away to make friends and learn the base, just as he'd ordered. He liked that. An obedient little thing, weren't you? For the next week you showcased your obedience and willingness to learn everything you needed to. Getting attached to you wasn't something that König planned on; it was just that you were perfect for him. Little, obedient, strong, and he couldn't help but notice the way you retained his scent from all the time you spent near him. It made him mess up when you were near, fumble his words, and trip over his moves while fighting.

"You smell sweet, pup, what's your name?" A large German Shepard was looming over you and smiling so his canines stuck out. As if she'd be swayed by your pathetic teeth. König glared at the display of what was supposed to be elitism but only came off as desperate. The fur of your tail bounced as you wagged, "I'm Y/n. You are?"

"My name doesn't matter, pup." The soldier was carefully holding some papers, so his nametag was hidden. "But I tell you what pup," He leaned over her and whispered, grinning as he glanced up at the colonel. When your tail stopped, König moved. It didn't matter what happened, you always wagged your tail and angled your ears to whoever was talking. No tail wags, ears flattened. König didn't like it.

"-and I'm sure you'd take my knot perfectly. Wouldn't you?"

König snatched you up by the back of your neck and tossed you over his shoulder, growling deep in his chest. The German Shepard, as they both abandoned rank to take part in the dominance battle, got chest-to-chest with König and growled back. There was a heavy decline in striking fear in the other male due to König's hood hiding his teeth. You were aware of how scary the Colonel could be from training, so you carefully reached around and raised the mask enough to flash his shiny canines.

"She ain't got your scent strapped to her." The German Shepard snarled; his tail lowered to show aggression. It was a move König didn't take kindly to. "Then you must be nose blind, she reeks of me." König growled, leaning to get in the man's face, "Might wanna go to the vet and get that fixed."

"König..." Gods, the way your sweet little voice calling him anything but 'Colonel' made his tail perk, "I'm gonna bite him if he doesn't leave you alone..."

"Then how about we get away and I'll show them all whose pup you are."

[anewstartrekfan]

Why I like Kirk so much and why I think he didn’t resonate as much with general audiences as Spock did

I think what Gene Roddenberry and the rest of the tos crew underestimated is how powerful knowledge of a character can be when they thought Kirk would be popular over Spock. As season 1 progresses while you do get information about both Kirk and Spock peppered through out, how much and how it’s conveyed is important.

Spock is Stoic yes, but surprisingly he talks about his past and what it means to be Vulcan a lot. And other characters comment on Vulcans too like McCoy describing where a Vulcan heart is. Even moving onto season 2, when Spock truly, desperately, does not want to explain what Pon Farr is or that Sarek is his father, he admits these things under pressure. And all of this information is what’s gives the audience an idea of what informs his actions.

Jim Kirk however, despite being very outgoing and charismatic, very rarely talks about himself. With few exceptions, every time you do learn something about his past it’s because someone else explains it or points it out. You’ve got where no man has gone before where Gary talked about their academy days, The naked time while Spock talked about his regrets, Kirk vents that he wants a personal connection and then is literally the only person who is able to will the virus to stop effecting him (on his own I mean) just long enough for McCoy to give him the cure.

The Android copy of Kirk tells us about Kirk’s brother Sam, in Conscience of the king literally everyone except Kirk explains his tragic tarsus iv backstory, we never find out who the Ruth girl is in shore leave, and it’s Bones that brings up Sam lives on Deneva. Even in season 2 in the worst episode ever, the deadly years, when Kirk is in a room alone with his ex fiancé, she explains their history. Not Kirk.

This man is allergic to talking about himself I love it.

Edit: Whenever Jim does even sorta talk about his past, it’s always in the context of what the other people he’s talking to know about it. Take Tarsus IV. Spock tells Jim that he checked the same library records. So when Jim finally opens up at the end of the conversation, it’s information Spock and Bones already know. “I saw him [Kodos] once, 20 years ago.” Then about 10 minutes later when he’s talking with Kodos and trying to get proof, he gives Kodos a copy of the speech Jim heard him read 20 years ago. Saying that he memorized the words. Again, these are things only the two of them would know about. It’s not something Jim exclusively went through.

Then later in Obsession when Jim is talking about his prior experience with the fog, everything he references was in the report he made after the Farragut disaster that he knows Spock and Bones read. There is no new information he reveals about what happened to him or even how he felt about it. Bones has to be the one to say Jim was wrecked with guilt because at the end of the day, Jim will never willingly talk about his past without knowing or thinking the other person he’s talking to has the same information. He will not reveal anything new 95% of the time.

Anyway back to the old blog.

While I’d argue conscience of the king does most of the work you would ever need to explain why Kirk is the way he is, the fact is we don’t learn much about his past through him. Instead it’s Kirk’s actions that inform our understanding of him. Which on some level I like a lot. It’s rare that a tv series doesn’t lean heavily into some tragic backstory explaining why a character acts the way they do. But it isn’t just he doesn’t have multiple tragic backstories. It’s what we know nothing about his past in general. Ffs we didn’t learn he grew up in Iowa until Star Trek IV. It might not even be Riverside! That town just claimed it for themselves and everyone rolled with it.

Edit: SNW did confirm after almost 40 years that riverside is Kirk’s birthplace.

The audience never truly closes the gap with Kirk because he never willingly opens up (at least where I am in the show idk maybe the movies change this) So comparatively Spock just had more going on.

[anghraine]

The household Star Trek watch just hit The Wrath of Khan! I've seen it multiple times before, but it was really different to watch it so shortly after watching TOS and TMP.

My feelings are ... more complex now. Where Spock's character growth was randomly rewound in TMP for unexplained reasons, Wrath of Khan!Spock feels so much more the Spock he was becoming in TOS. He's older, steadier, and far less repressed while still retaining the composure and dignity that are so personally and culturally important to him. His sense of humor is still dry but less buried and harsh, he's reserved and unflinching in a very Spock way but it feels healthier and more integrated than anything he was capable of in TOS. I don't get the impression that he's at all ashamed of what he feels for Kirk at this point, nor ashamed of the strain of human qualities in himself.

I feel like we see how far Spock has come from his early shame and denial, for instance, when Kirk, McCoy, and Saavik go to beam to the research base. There's this less-repressed-than-formerly-but-still-powerful intensity between Kirk and Spock that, as ever, gives the distinct sense that everyone else just ceased to exist for them. Spock says outright, "Be careful, Jim" and it's very adorable and relatively open by Spock standards. And then professional hater McCoy is like ... oh, so am I chopped liver? while Saavik is just ????? and it's hilarious and just feels very recognizable.

I do think this film is kinder to McCoy than TMP and I appreciate seeing him quietly do his work as a doctor instead of haunting the bridge and needling Kirk and Spock, but he's a fairly muted presence in the film and still finds time to be a bigot. Not going to lie, it's incredibly cathartic when Spock uses his own prejudices against him and then tricks him into... uh, well, everything that's going to happen.

After all these years, Wrath of Khan!Saavik remains an absolute delight. She's trying so hard and Alley gives this great sense of a million thoughts going through her head at all times. It's really fun to see a very young Vulcan who isn't even pretending to have it all figured out, despite her rattling off rules and regulations. One of my favorite Saavik moments is when she's like "*gasp* You lied" in the most classic gifted-student-discovering-the-world way and Spock serenely replies, "I exaggerated."

(Spock is truly living his best life. I do not think this Spock has the slightest desire to be anywhere but where he is or anything but what he is, and it makes me very happy until aghghghhhhhaghhghgh.)

But anyway, Spock and Saavik have this really charming and understated mentor-protégée relationship that I like best in this iteration. (I don't care for the direction it goes in later for uhhh related reasons, but Alley's Saavik plays off of Nimoy—especially—and Shatner very enjoyably.)

Kirk is difficult for me, because the Kirk of the films in general just feels so far removed from TOS Kirk to me when he's not interacting with Spock. Yes, there's a familiarity evoked by Shatner's performances, and Kirk is compelling in this film, but ... it's a better film for Shatner than Kirk, if that makes sense? Shatner is genuinely quite good in it!

For one, I always forget that the hammy KHAN!!!!! is part of a cunning scheme in which Kirk is much more subtly slipping information to Spock and the frustrated rage is a performance for Khan, hammiest man in the universe. In reality, Kirk has a bunch of dialed-down emotional moments—the way he's quietly frustrated with Carol excising him from their son's life but still maintaining an amicable-exes relationship with her, for instance. But of course, the big one is Spock's death scene, especially that dreadful moment after Spock dies when Kirk just slumps against the radiation chamber looking almost confused in the way that grief really can just daze someone into that "puppet with the strings cut" quality. It's genuinely a heartrending moment.

For my ultra-Trekkie best friend J, Kirk's eulogy for Spock is the part that affects him most of all. And I get it! People tend to point to the twitchy "the most... human" part of it, but the most effective part for me is when Kirk is quoting Spock in the eulogy and saying he won't disrespect Spock's profound greatness by disputing his argument now, and he's clearly trying to be dignified and professional in a way Spock merits despite his own devastation, and then there's this shudder in his voice that is fantastic (and just, agggh). And I think "the most human" is pretty clearly not meant as a denial of Spock's Vulcanness, but an absolute rejection of virtually everyone's incessant treatment of Spock as subhuman for the crime of being biracial. Lots of good Shatner moments all around, though.

But.

So much of what's going on with Kirk's character arc seems grounded in what's established internally in the films and just overwriting major aspects of his TOS characterization and history. I dislike David Marcus for a ... lot of the film, and like, I appreciate him taking the initiative to set things right and acknowledge his misjudgment of his unexpectedly cool and newly bereaved father. But the approach being "I guess you never have really faced death before and having to process it is new for you" is extremely WTF when Kirk at this point has survived a genocide, lost much of his family including a brother and sister-in-law he seemed to be quite close to, has lost various good friends, there was the whole Edith Keeler thing among other losses he just had to keep powering through, and then at this point the person he has acknowledged as the closest person to him in the universe (one who had a significantly longer natural lifespan than him!) is also now dead.

And movie Kirk is like—yeah, I always came up with some trick to avoid ever facing death directly and I'm like WHAT. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. THIS IS OBJECTIVELY FALSE. But the movie absolutely does not treat it that way! I do like David nervously turning back and acknowledging that he's proud of Kirk and the hug after such a monumental loss, but ... at what price.

This feels especially glaring because of the moments where we do get a pragmatic, reasonable Kirk whose priorities make perfect sense for his previous backstory, like:

DAVID: We appear to have plenty of time. KIRK: Is there anything to eat? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starved. MCCOY: How can you think of food at a time like this? KIRK: First order of business, survival.

But it's important to his arc in the film that he's constitutionally unwilling to endure the weight of unwinnable scenarios, and is almost defined by being all about winning against any odds, and that's very weird to me. Kirk has always been determined and resourceful and cunning, yes—and we do get some of that here; he plays Khan like a fucking fiddle almost the whole time—but the possibility of loss never struck me as something he was refusing to contemplate.

Carol's dry line about how Kirk has never been a Boy Scout feels pretty specific to movie Kirk and pop culture Kirk, too. TOS Kirk is repeatedly described as having been solemn and bookish in early adulthood. Even in his thirties, he's not generally a maverick IMO; he won't subordinate all critical thinking and judgment to regulations, but he prefers to find some way to reconcile them if he can. His overriding driving motive is most often his sense of responsibility—to his crew, their ship, their mission, and the principles of the Federation and his brand of philosophical humanism. If he's got to break regulations to fulfill his deeper responsibilities, he will, but he'd much rather not!

You know who in TOS very much does have it in him to jeopardize everything out of loose cannon determination to blast through every obstacle unlucky enough to get in the way of his absolute refusal to accept loss? Spock. Spock risks the lives of hundreds of people in desperate and improbable attempts to get Kirk back, multiple times! In the context of his culture and even of Starfleet, he is far more of a maverick than Kirk ever was in TOS.

I know this sounds more negative than I want to be, because I'm very fond of this movie in its own right, and Kirk does have some fantastic Kirk-ly moments. We do get a strong sense of Kirk's intelligence and resourcefulness without TMP's device of everyone ganging up on him for reasons presented as sort of justifiable despite his completely accurate judgment of the urgency of the situation. But I'm reminded of the "Kirk drift" article about how post-TOS representations of Kirk seem to become increasingly representations of the idea of who Kirk was in TOS rather than having much to do with any particular details of Kirk's actual characterization in TOS.

[phoenixyfriend]

A lot has been happening today that rep calls could affect. UN vetoes, KOSA, Julian Assange, UNRWA's funding crisis and Israel's demands that it be completely dismantled, the large number of bills we just learned are on the docket for the coming week, and even the good news that is recent successes by the BDS movement.

And like... I care about this stuff. I want to talk about it. But it takes an emotional and mental toll to do it, and it takes time, and... there are two reasons to write up reference, update, information posts:

Compensation. I'm not a journalist, but if I were, I would in theory be getting paid for the information I collect and share to my audience. However, I am not, and am doing this for free. I have gotten maybe $5 in donations since I started this project, and while I recognize that this is probably because people are (quite rightly) donating instead to Palestinian charities or local campaigns or something, it's a basic fact that I am not actually being compensated for this work.

Promoting change and activism. This is in fact my main goal: to have a positive impact on current events by giving people a guide on the news and politics because there's so much happening that's hard to keep track of, and if I'm already doom-listening to half a dozen political podcasts, I might as well save other people the trouble, right?

The thing is, like... most of the reblogs on my guidelines and helpful posts are from me, to me. I am the one reblogging. I am desperately trying to get these things to circulate so I can make a difference, but... no dice. Some of the posts are admittedly pretty long (my 'how to call your reps, here's some verbiage' post is 3.4k words), and I can imagine some people are saving it for later, and then maybe forget, or they don't want to share something controversial, and like... I do get that. I do.

But it does mean the posts aren't circulating, and thus they're having less of an impact, and I can't help but feel like there are other things I could be doing to help that would be more effective. More bang for my buck, except it's my time and effort instead of my money. Like, maybe it would have more an effect if I hunted down a wider variety of elected officials I could bother instead of instructing other people on how to bother theirs? Maybe going to protests (which would be a huge commitment due to distance) would be more effective than trying to help ensure that the effectiveness of "I actually have a vote and you are losing it" of calls has the weight of numbers behind it.

Especially since I did try to blaze it, and tumblr mods rejected the post. I don't know why. It's not against ToS, since none of it was disinformation or election interference, which is the only reason given on the FAQ for why things might not be approved for blazing, but who knows.

Maybe tumblr just decided the possible blowback on them for blazing a pro-ceasefire post would be too much.

I don't know. I just... it's just really disheartening to try to help and it gets stymied because, as much effort as it might be, it doesn't reach more than a (comparatively) tiny audience, especially when my relatively low-effort polls and shitposts get easily ten times as many notes with way less energy put in.

EDIT: This is not a post that I need to have reblogged. this is just me bitching. This a vent post. What I am asking people to reblog is my activism posts that I spend hours on to try and help nudge things in a better direction. Please reblog THOSE. This one doesn't need reblogging unless you have an actual comment. Reblogging this post just to reblog, with neither useful comment nor encouragement, is not helping me with my issue of 'not paid, not making an impact' or helping with any important causes.

[trekmupf]

Shakespeare & Eugenics in Space

Pro

Kirk backstory, and Kirks way of dealing with his trauma (immediate denial in front of others and putting up a wall, then researching and dealing in private – and later on with Spock and McCoy). Opposed to how both Riley and Leighton react

Kirk seducing a woman not for pleasure but for a secret cause / using his charm and sexuality to manipulate someone.

Unlike in the other cases of this happening he's the one being played by Lenore who is pretending to fall for him to murder him, which is a twist great

Spock immediately noticing something is up with Kirk

Spock then going to McCoy for help and support, twice! Great further development of all sides of the trio in this episode

McCoy's beautiful eyeliner is giving me happy chemicals

So many Spock and McCoy interactions

“And Please, Mr. Spock, if you won't join me, don't disapprove of me”is a line straight from fanficition

Spock correctly predicting how Riley will feel about being demoted for no reason - trying to look out for the crew and always questioning Kirk

Uhura playing for Riley who is lonely → further crew dynamics

The entire confrontation scene between Kirk, Spock and McCoy is great – it starts on a professional basis, Kirk being angry and defensive, and even though McCoy doesn't share Spock's suspicions to that degree he backs him up. Spock then turning the conversation on a personal level – it's not just about ships business, it's about Kirk possibly dying. Kirk then relenting and talking with his two friends about his feelings and the situation. Spock being Kirk's logic and information and McCoy ethics and morals

Great character work for Kirk who is aware of his responsibility, the small line separating vengeance and justice and his own morals

Kirk trying to wait to confirm his suspicions but then throwing caution to the wind and approaching Kodos when he realizes it's not just his life on the line after the murder attempt that would've cost many lives

Lenore rightly calling out Kirk at the end for using people as tools

The Kirk / Kodos confrontation is one of the best character scenes in TOS. The acting is perfect, the dialogue and emotion heavy and direct. The conflicting emotions of a mass murderer and Kirk having to deal with the emotions of confronting the man who directly traumatized him.

Kirk being able to talk down Riley with words instead of force

Kodos realizing what is daughter did making his character even better

set and costume design , fitting music

the whole play within the show thing with its stage & acting

the way the audience gets Kirk's backstory over the course of the episode along with Spock and can gather further understanding of Kirks reactions

the plot mirroring a classic Shakespeare play itself

differs from the other episodes in a nice way- very human and story driven; also murder mystery vibes and film techniques

the tension still holds up despite no real action scenes – first though the mystery of how this man is connected to Kirks past, then the ongoing mystery as well as the threat to Kirks life

Con

McCoy being careless about Riley overhearing him

Although I did like her acting, I think they should've commited to making her insane persona come out gradually / less extreme before the death of her father or play it straight and have her go insane after the death; this felt a bit rushed / sudden

Counter: Kirk fake womanizer

Quote

"Captain Kirk, who are you to say no harm was done?" - Lenore "Who do i have to be?" - Kirk

"What if you decide that he is Kodos? What then? Do you play God, carry his head through the corridors in triumph? That won't bring back the dead, Jim" - McCoy "No. But they may rest easier" - Kirk

Moment: Confrontation Kirk and Kodos - tense, well written and played

Summary: Underrated episode that even though it lacks classical sci-fi elements and action scenes introduces important backstory information for Kirk and gives further insight into his character and morals as well as his relationships with Spock and McCoy while also giving further development between those two. The acting is brilliant, especially Shatner and Arnold Moss, and the tension of the story holds up from the beginning until the end. Previous Episode - Next Episode - All TOS Reviews

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

heyo! i was wondering, do you have any general guidelines or tips on how to make goatfolk/goat-like humanoids? like, things that based on your judgement should be essential to their physiology and/or society. your opinion is highly appreciated and valued! ^^

sure! I'm going with a really standard domestic goat as reference here, but there are many breeds of goat with their own distinct features, so don't take this as the only way to design goat people. some goat breeds don't really have horns or the little beard, or they have floppy ears instead of tall ones, etc. sheep and goats are also very closely related and have a lot of features in common! sometimes what you think is a photo of a goat is actually a breed of sheep! So you kind of have to decide which specific goats you want to use as a reference point.

image description: faded photos of a goat and some close ups on a goat's face and hoof, all outlined in red. notes on the photos point out specific features. horns, short body, horizontal pupils, cleft lip, and even toed hooves. end description.)

I think the facial features here are probably the most important to keep in mind, as they'll be the same for any goat breed. they all have eyes with horizontal pupils and they all have that upper lip with the cleft. I tried to look up another word for that, because cleft lip also refers to a congenital condition in humans and animals where there's a split in the upper lip and possible the palate of the mouth. a lot of animals like goats and rabbits and cats have this sort of line dividing their upper lip into two parts. it's also called a philitrum, but we use that word for the dip between a human lip and nose as well. unfortunately an internet search for "what do you call it when animals have that separated lip thing going on" mostly turned up information on the congenital condition and how to treat it in livestock and pets. so i don't know if there's a better term for it other than a cleft lip. either way, it is a very recognizable feature on goats and I think it helps make a goat humanoid look more goat-like.

(image description: sketches of an anthropomorphic goat, with a close up on their face. They are short and chubby. end description.)

This is a design that leans heavier on the goat features, but you can go for something more humanoid, like a satyr. depends on what your end goal is for the design!

as for their social and cultural aspects, here's a couple of articles on goat behaviors:

article 1

article 2

important details to keep in mind:

goats are foragers, they wander around to find food and they're well known to have very broad diets, including the ability to eat some things other animals avoid, like tough thorny vines.

goats tend to have a lead female, also known as a doe, guiding the herd. a lead male, known as a buck, will usually bring up the rear. the lead female makes decisions about where the herd will go, the lead male guards the back and is very defensive.

a herd of goats usually has a hierarchy going on and they will defend their own places in that hierarchy. age, sex, and horn size are common determining factors.

goats are climbers, and they'll climb anything including each other. baby goats are especially active about this.

goats headbutt each other for various reasons. this includes establishment of hierarchy, defense, and play.

so goat people might have a matriarchal system, with males as guards while females are guides. they may have a culture centered on fighting as a form of social communication and entertainment. they could be nomadic as well. their dance style is probably very acrobatic, jumpy, and reflective of their fighting style.

those are just a handful of ideas off the top of my head! i hope it's helpful and i wish you luck and fun as you design your goat folk!

[jamietwat]

Your favorite moment between roy and jamie in the show?

Okay, this is way too hard to pick just one. And while for comedic and Roy is clearly not heterosexual purposes the scene with Jamie's bare ass and Roy blatantly staring at it and casting a spotlight on it is an honourable mention, it's not one of my top ones

My favourite moments are the ones when they drop the mask and have a vulnerable moment and how they accidentally became each other's go tos to talk to about feelings and unmask around. Love how they manage to be each other's biggest haters and supporters simultaneously

I ate up all the moments when Roy dropped the tough guy with no feelings act to be vulnerable and unprompted hand out information he hadn't talked to anyone else about to Jamie of all people against his better judgment, knowing that it's likely to be used against him. And how Jamie would drop the dickbag act to try to fix it, then be a prick again to break the tension

And I also ate up all the times when Jamie (who info drops about himself unprompted all the time) woud be vulnerable in a different way and let Roy get a glimpse behind the over the top cockiness

But I think if I have to choose one favourite it would be Roy hugging Jamie after his dad blew up on him in front of the whole team. Like it's such a turning point for them, but also said a whole lot about both of their characters as individuals that while everyone else was standing awkwardly not knowing what to do, Roy didn't even hesitate to go comfort him and that Jamie let him and clung to him instead of trying to shrug the situation off

[t0ast-ghost]

Watching Star Trek TOS for the first time, and here are my thoughts on episode three (Charlie “X”)! (I didn’t do episode two cause I just wanted to watch it but I love Bones)

- so far I really like the kid

- Kirk shut up, let Charlie talk

- oh no he’s frightened by the door :(((

- girls do not look THAT different, getting some bad vibes from you Charlie

- BONES!!! (Why does he stand like that, it’s so curved)

- “I want people to like me” oh god they gave this boy anxiety

- He’s learning about the patriarchy, like Ken

- Kirk making Bones tell Charlie about puberty, he looked so defeated

- SPOCKS EYESHADOW!!!

- Charlie gets a Kirk assigned father, it’s not Kirk himself but he did assign Bones to do it, can’t you see the man is tired Jim?!?

- why is she being mean to Spock in verses? Nvm this is fun and he’s enjoying her singing

- HE SLAPPED KIRKS BUTT WHAT

- “there’s no right way to hit a woman.. you know man to man.. uhh… you understand, Charlie?” That was the worst way to try and explain anything, Kirk

- “I put meatloaf in the ovens, now there’s turkeys, real turkeys” then Charlie’s little laugh

- aww they’re playing chess together, normal husband activities

- “you smell like a girl” “I feel hungry… all over” back the fuck up Charlie

- stop trying to get Bones to explain stuff to him, Kirk

- this episode is just so icky, one issue is that they can’t just have an adult conversation and they can’t explain anything properly to him, they’re just telling him no and that he’s wrong. It’s a good example of how concealing information doesn’t allow people to find their own morals but instead creates a bunch of rules which can be easily broken if the person doesn’t believe in them because they don’t understand the logic behind them. (Not saying that the boundaries they’re setting for him are wrong, he just can’t understand them because they’re not explaining shit)

- SHUT UP SAM HE’S TRYING- oops Sam’s gone

- damn that German expressionist lighting tho, like something out of metropolis

- I FUCKIN DARE YOU KIRK, PICK HIM UP SEE WHAT HAPPENS

- okay Kirk saying it’s his choice is good cause at least he’s teaching him that these things he does are his own actions

- “short tempered, because he doesn’t understand” cause you won’t explain shit without mind games and metaphors

- Spock and Bones DO NOT want to get involved

- when Charlie’s explaining what he did to the Antares Bones looks absolutely terrified (Bones sitting like that on the table is… I have many thoughts)

- OH NO UHURA!

- Don’t you dare call Spock Mr. Ears

- “Teenager with supernatural abilities realizes his full potential and decides to use it for evil NOT CLICKBAIT”

- Why would you do that, why would you turn her into an iguana

- GET HIM!!! Wait no! Janice!

- “I love you” “you don’t know what that means” good for her, fuck you Charlie

- He gave Kirk period pain

- “cause you need me to run the ship, and I need him” Spirk? It’s more likely than you think

- this slide from Bones

- “I don’t think you can handle anymore, you’ve reached your limit” Spock and Bones start fucking shit up immediately for Kirk

- Kirk was so ready to punch a bitch

- nice fucking try Charlie- oh Kirk is defending him- nvm he still gets yoinked

- imagine if Charlie becomes Q lol (is that a thing? Are they related?)

- well that’s done now… where’s Scotty, Sulu, and Checkov? (Sulu appeared shirtless in the credits as I wrote that)

Thanks for sticking around again :)

Here’s a link to the first ramble

And all the other rambles

Below the cut is some thoughts I had on the second episode

Some thoughts on episode 2 (The Man Trap):

- it was kinda funny seeing Jim be like “she’s old as fuck, just like Bones”

- I didn’t realize that was where “he’s dead, Jim” came from and my dad quotes it all the time

- it was interesting that even the creature referred to themselves as an animal

- McCoy in the ending where he really didn’t want to kill somebody he loved even if they were just the image

- would not want to be the person to explain what happened to her to Bones

[th3-c0ll3ct3r]

I used TOS so if their some error blame the software and not me.

And then if you have a pair of eyes you can see how the others conflicts are not his fault and I have other post going through how it's not his fault. But this is the main one so I will gladly explain it all.

But this will be the biggest benefit of the doubt I will ever give regarding someone allegedly messaging though in which afterwards the alleged account allegedly blocks them and then they delete their account. I did all the research I looks all the possible Solutions and personally I don't believe that it was real and the person was trying to fake it for attention because of the reasons that are going to be listed below, but I know that it can be argued that it was a scam account like many, to which I did this on my college breaks because the trend of hating on Scott and the Life series has come back and I swear he treats you all with maturity and some of you guys are just downright rude. And listen I did all this research so that you guys could come to your own conclusion because I'm not gonna force conclusion onto you, but I so highly recommend that you do your own research if you would like to instead of taking things at face value because that's how people wrongfully lose their careers over something that they had no control over.

And something that I didn't mention is why he didn't say anything and that's the easiest one to answer out of all of them bringing more attention to it is better for the scammer. I'm bringing more attention to it does not protect his community and it makes him seem more at fault than he is.

And to the people who are saying/claiming something happened to them like this more than 10 years ago I will tell you from now discord when public in 2015 so that's not possible and you should stop making up things.

Listen guys I'm pulling out all the research for this because I want to give you something insightful and informative so I'm not just wasting your time.

So, as you know there have been a lot of uprises in alleged content creators messaging minors on apps such as discord which will be the primary example of this whole thing.

It's one thing to have one instance of this but as you and me both now there a lot more than just one instance of this.

And I want to say this as respectfully as possible, I initially and admittedly thought that a lot of these people were faking it for attention and then I looked a bit deeper into it because I don't want to be that guy who takes things at face value and I can assure you I've done the research for you so you don't have to.

This will be your tldr from now, they are getting messages from grown adults with those accounts but it's not the same person/ the person that they think is. And this has come around through a unique feature that most social medias do not have and because Discord are a it sloppy when it comes to clean up.

In 2015, discord was made/publicly released and it was had some flaws admittedly. One of the flaws at the time was that someone could have the same username as another person a long with the same unique ID. And admittedly they patched this very quickly like within the year/ added a feature to combat this.

Since 2015, every Discord username has been cAsE sEnSitIvE and had a number attached to it calleda Discord tag or sometimes known asa discriminator (e.g., #0001). This lets you have the same username as someone else as long as you have different discriminators or different case letters. However, this also means you have to remember a set of 4-digit numbers and account for case sensitivity to connect with your friends. - source https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/12620128861463-New-Usernames-Display-Names

If you do not know a content creators ID number then you can't accurately identify whether it's them or not. Which is definitely a problem I would say.

But this is something that I'm not going to go into detail about because I'm going to raise a different point regarding the section of the article that I took it out off; "This lets you have the same username as someone else as long as you have different discriminators or different case letters." ( this does not include display name)

Meaning that someone can't have the same name as someone else right? I want to go test this in myself with an alternate account of mine on Discord, any actually let me input the same name despite using different emails different logins and different devices. ( and I used the old name that people may know me from, H1.C0M).

I don't know how they allow that. Sooooooooooooooooooooo-

And the person in reference to this in the very original video of them going on to that account the o's in Scott Smajor's name had slashes in them which was the discerning Factor between the two names.

Well that's not the point where going to make, discord has a unique feature that allows someone to display a different name from their actual username. Hence, anyone can change their display name to anything else, and there does not have to be a difference in the display name to someone else. And yes I also tested this and there does not need to be different I can have my display name at anyone else. "Display names are not unique to each user and can be set to whatever you want, whenever you want (within Discord's Community Guidelines)." - source https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/12620128861463-New-Usernames-Display-Names#:~:text=Display%20names%20are%20not%20unique,(within%20Discord's%20Community%20Guidelines)

And obviously you can choose your profile picture. Meaning that someone could message you with a different display name and someone else's profile picture ( and even the same unique username which I think is an error) and you wouldn't have no idea.

One of the first instances I saw of this happening was Grianmc, accounts asking people for money, which yes is a stupid scam that happened many years ago but I think it's set the leeway of this being a possibility.

And a more famous example of this happening was to Dream regarding his second allegation in which it was someone who was faking it and they promptly were reported and banned.

This is nothing new and it's honestly quiet upsetting. And I'm sadly not the only person dealing with such an error because if you Google right can someone have the same discord username as you, it will come up of results of people showing instances where people have the exact same account or duplicates of accounts trying to friend request them.

An even discord themselves have been putting in an effort to try and these accounts, and I don't even know how that doing it.

And for research purposes EXCLUSIVELY, yes I was able to make a fake smajor account. It's not that hard.

Discord is trying to cracks down on this stuff and that's fair, and as of recent they're replaced a large amount of unidentified usernames, so it's not like they aren't going anything.

And the original poster has since deleted their accounts after someone else, who is not me, called them out for faking it with proof (allegedly proof), inwhich they deleted their account.

This is to say, their are fake accounts of content creator DMing people, so block, report, abort.

And there would be genuinely no reason for him to put slashes in the o's because it's his name and if you see this account block it please

(the username looked something like: Sco̸tt Smajo̸r

And also the secondly, if you use an Internet to message minors, your Internet provider and the app your using will both be LEGALLY OBLIGED to tell the police. The Internet Provider he uses that has been stated on stream multiple times (apart from the TOS but) is Virgin Media. And as a well established FAMILY BRANDED company, they take the inappropriate Hensley have a lot of safety of their internet very seriously and therefore have a lot of safety guides which is also an Informant to tell you they can report you to the police if you engage in inappropriate content with anyone. https://www.virginmedia.com/blog/online-safety/inappropriate-content

They do this through a series of filters that whittles down your content and if they get flagged like you're doing something inappropriate they will look at because they have access to your IP address and therefore can look your personal personal data

https://www.olliers.com/news/can-the-police-track-you-via-your-ip-address/#:~:text=Yes%2C%20police%20can%20track%20IP,individuals%20through%20their%20IP%20addresses.

This therefore meaning that if someone was to commit a crime the internet provider will legally be obligated to inform the correct authorities tath the decision resolved.

Additionally Discord, also reserves the right to inform the authorities of any illegal or explicit activity that you do using that app as it is stated in that terms of service.

Meaning that for most people it would literally be less than two weeks before they get called especially if the messenger is from the UK.

[teecupangel]

Hello! You know what? I love your blog. And you know what assassin mentors as ymbryns. (I know they're female but anyway...) And they are desmond protectors and friends.

What if Altair pecked(is it right?😐) out one of William's eye after he hurted desmond during training.

What kind of eagles do you think they whould become? And what do you think abstergo whould do after finding out their secret?

And I have another question for you. Idk if you remeber the fic which Altair and Ezio were behaving like animals due to their isu DNA but do they purr? Like Ezio purring when he is cuddling Caterina? Idk. I'm just imagening this.

Maybe in their world, ymbryns can be either gender. Or, they’re special in the sense that the Isus ensured that they would become ymbryns regardless of their gender.

Maybe it would be more accurate to call them anomalies.

They can shift their form into humans or eagles any time they want but they lack the ability to create loops. They can manipulate memories but it seems to be limited in terms of how ‘much’ memory they can change or remove at a given time before they need to rest for a week or so.

They don’t necessarily take care of any peculiars because of their inability to form loops so they usually roam the world.

They first met in South Dakota on March 13.

At first, there were three.

Then four.

Then eight.

Desmond grew up seeing them watch over him and they befriend him, taking their human forms but deaged to match Desmond’s young age.

He grows up thinking of as his only friends.

And it always makes him sad knowing that he cannot shapeshift himself.

Some things changed. Maybe Desmond never ran away from the Farm, as his friends helped him to be an Assassin. Maybe he gets to save Clay because he ignored Bill’s orders. Maybe he doesn’t kill Lucy because she’s taken into custody when he learns of her betrayal.

But Desmond Miles still activates the device on December 21, 2012.

That must happen for the world to survive.

And so Desmond places his hand on the device.

He screams.

And his friends all wish for the same thing.

To save him.

And that’s how they create a loop.

A permaloop that keeps Desmond alive as long as he stays inside the loop.

What kind of eagle would they be:

Altaïr: Lesser Spotted Eagle

Ezio: Bonelli’s Eagle

Ratonhnhaké:ton: White-tailed Eagle

Edward: I kinda want to make him a jackdaw instead of an eagle XD If you really want him to be an eagle, Spotted Eagle.

Arno: Booted Eagle

Evie: Short-toed Eagle

Jacob: I kinda want to make him a rook XD If not, Short-toed Eagle like Evie and you can’t distinguish the two. If you want him to be a different eagle, Golden Eagle

Well, Abstergo would definitely want to capture them and experiment on them, try and figure out how they are able to shapeshift then use that information to create their own shapeshifters and also… find a way to profit from it XD

(I can’t say I remember any fic like that. It’s certainly not one I wrote, sorry. But if they behave like animals due to their Isu DNA then purring is not out of the question. Maybe even some kneading XD)

[lacefuneral]

Guide for New Tumblr users from TikTok

hi. my name is jay lacefuneral. i've been using tumblr as my primary social media since 2011 so i know pretty much everything there is to know about this site if you have any questions. i've written a few guides previously, for reddit users and twitter users that have come here. i'm going to write another one! i will put information under the cut.

quick disclaimer. i have never used tiktok. i only know of it through general pop-culture osmosis and through using rednote (I joined it recently out of curiosity.) but i will try my best!

TAGS: (yes. this is section #1)

how do you tag? at the bottom of a post (whether it is an original post or a post you're reblogging) there is an area that says "add tags." you do not need to type the # symbol. just start typing. you can hit "enter" or type a comma (,) to end a tag/start a new one. each individual tag has a character limit, and i believe there is a limit of 30 tags per-post. you can use spaces! and many different symbols and emojis

tumblr tags are not used the way tags are used on any other website. when you reblog someone else's post, it is common to share your thoughts in the tags rather than commenting directly on the post. think of it like "whispering" or an "indoor voice" - it's more polite, and the commentary is usually intended for your followers. be aware that anyone (including the original poster) can read your tags on a post. so please do not be rude or traumadump in them.

because tumblr users communicate in tags so often, we've developed our own typing style. it's common to type in all lowercase and to use periods and dashes as punctuation instead of commas. or to. add periods. for random emphasis. you cannot use commas in tags (that's how you tell the website you're done typing the tag) unless you use "The Tumblr Comma" - a unicode character that resembles a comma but isn't one? I guess? tumblr commas are actually used very rarely because you have to copy and paste them. but here you go: ‚

you also cannot use quotation marks - so the trick is two apostrophes, like this: ''

aside from commenting, tags are also, naturally, used to organize content. if you reblog a post and want to find it later, you might want to assign it a tag or two. such as #star trek or #spock. now... tumblr's "search" function on blogs is kind of shitty and broken. but if you click on a tag on your blog, it will show you every post that you assigned that tag to - this method is foolproof and works every time. another way is to use your archive. i will explain the archive in a later section.

very important: posts that you reblog do not appear in the public tag search. which is to say, it's not like dueting on tiktok. for example, lets say someone posts a drawing. they tag this drawing as #art. you reblog it and comment "cool! here is a picture i drew too!" you tag your addition as #art. but if you look in the public tag for #art ... your addition will not be there. so if you want to reach more eyes, your best bet is to make your own original post and tag that as #art.

i bring this up because a lot of new users make this mistake. they find someone else's post on tumblr, reblog it, and add 500 tags for reach (whether they want their addition to get views or they want the original post to get views and they're trying to help the OP). but... it's like playing with a game controller that's unplugged. i hope that makes sense.

now... in terms of using tags for reach. please. do not spam-tag. tumblr users do not like it. it is against TOS. and you will get blocked (maybe even reported) if you're overdoing it. only tag what is relevant to your post, and don't go overboard.

NEVER tag posts asking for... assistance of a monetary nature. whether you are reblogging or making them. posts can get "shadowbanned" from tags. (something i'm trying to avoid with my verbiage in this post.) this will make it harder for users who are struggling to get the help they need. just reblog silently.

NEVER tag posts as... the acronym that spells November September Forember Worember. find your own, creative acronym for this. you can get people's art removed, their account shadowbanned, or even fully banned. i'll talk more about censorship later.

tags are also used to hide content for those who don't want to see it. you may tag a post with #bug for example, to help those with insectphobias. you can filter an infinite number of tags, blocking whatever content you need, in your settings. (settings > account > content you see)

NEVER tag posts as #epilepsy warning - only #flashing or #flashing lights. This allows our photosensitive friends to be safer in the tag talking about their disorder

SITE ETIQUETTE:

refresher of previous points: no spam tagging, no tagging things that will get other users in trouble. good? good. moving on.

if you don't reblog/make posts, your blog has no title, and you have a default icon, you will likely be blocked by other users because we have historically always had a bad bot problem. so fix these things pronto.

do not repost other people's artwork without permission. REBLOG is okay! please reblog, reblog, reblog! it's how our website works. "repost" here means "i saw someone's art, downloaded it, and reuploaded it in a new post, pretending it's mine." this is what to avoid.

some tumblr users also classify their gifs as art (as they take many hours to create and edit to look beautiful). tumblr has a built in "add a gif" option - and this is always okay, because it automatically credits the artist and links to the original art. if you want to use a gif not from there, please ask the original artist or at the very least credit them. but like i said, every gifmaker's opinion is different. in my case? my gifs can be used by anyone, credit or not. i do not care.

"LIKE" is the bookmark function. if a post with artwork is only "liked" - it doesn't go anywhere. other users do not see it. if you appreciate a post, and want others to see the post too, please REBLOG it instead. again, this is the preferred method of interaction on our website. we do NOT have an "algorithm" - more on that in a later section.

that said, please use common sense. if someone says something like "I'm having a bad day, i fought with my boyfriend" - that isn't something to reblog. a lot of tumblr users also treat the website as a diary, as it is a MicroBlogging platform. a "like" is a better way to show support in this situation. you can always "unlike" a post later to clear up your bookmarks if you wish.

do not send anon hate. regardless if you are in the "right" or not, it's viewed as cowardly and the userbase will not be on your side. it's middle school behavior, cringe. be willing to confront directly or block + move on.

you can comment on a post (in the comment area) if you have insightful commentary you want to add. or a joke you think is really good. the second is a gamble, though. maybe lurk a little bit first to get a feel for the sense of humor here

screenshotting other people's tags and adding them to a post is welcome, provided you feel that they are Funny or Insightful (as with the previous point.) you do not need to credit tags (although you can), and announcing them is viewed as... outdated. ("you can't just leave this in the tags!!" "this passes peer review!!" etc.) - it is better to not caption the tags, and let them speak for themselves.

"replies" on a post you can sort of do whatever? because they don't appear in the main body of the post. they're a bit like tags in that way. just sort of treat them like tags (be kind, be funny, don't traumadump). same etiquette with screenshotting + posting them.

most tumblr users are cool with people following them and reblogging a ton of posts in a row. like 90% of us. but some blogs don't like "reblog spam" so they may block you? idk man. i don't understand those people.

some tumblr users have a DNI (do not interact), which is a list of criteria of people they do not want to reblog their posts. this info isn't necessary to have (and is sometimes made fun of/controversial), but it does exist, so i mention it. for some people, "violating a DNI" is viewed as very disrespectful. so that's another reason why someone may block you.

two people following each other is called "mutuals." unfollowing a mutual is called "breaking mutuals" and it happens all the time. it really isn't a big deal unless you make it one. there's also "soft blocking" (blocking someone to knock them off of your follower list, then unblocking them) which occurs sometimes.

there is a lot of terminally online brainrot discourse on here. so tiktokers will feel at home! jokes aside, curate your online experience (by blocking, filtering content) and try to be kind to one another. and be aware that you will see some really, really bad takes sometimes. it's always good to take a break from tumblr if you're feeling frustrated.

seriously. tumblr users unfollow and block each other constantly and this is normalized. no drama comes from this. we love the block button.

most tumblr users have their pronouns in bio. please check bio before gendering someone. do not default to "they/them" for every user. it's bad manners.

don't blaze other people's posts, and probably don't blaze your own. if you must blaze a post it should be an image of a cute animal. it should not be your fanfiction.

if you post fanfiction, please do so under a readmore.

CENSORSHIP:

tumblr is not like other websites. you have significantly more freedom of speech here. but! there are caveats. this section will break down some website history and how it affects posting in the modern day.

tumblr once had NO censorship at all. this was a website you could go on and see d*cks. like everywhere. but then something happened. and apple threatened to remove tumblr from its app store. as a result, p*rnography was banned. but this implementation was sloppy. many entirely innocuous posts got falsely flagged by automated systems. and at one point, entire tags were banned (like #girl and #blue and all kinds of weird shit). many artists and s*xworkers fled from the website.

recently, tumblr has implemented a labeling system under the guise of reimplementing risqué content. but the reality is that this is a self-report system. by tagging your own posts using the content labels, you increase your likelihood of getting banned by staff. and if you report other people's posts as missing labels, it's like snitching on them. the labeling system is not your friend. instead, use creative tags. block tags you don't want to see. tread lightly. and look the other way.

now. you may be wondering. "jay, if you can type any word on this website, why are you writing in this way?" well. sometimes tumblr will decide to prevent your post from appearing in public tags, in a shadow-ban-like process. my creative wording and asterisks is to avoid this, and for this post to gain the reach it needs to help people. but know that the average tumblr user strings together paragraphs solely consisting of words you will not find in the bible. you will likely be mocked for censoring words/using "tiktok speak" unless you are doing it for a specific reason, as i am doing here.

also. be careful when discussing tumblr staff. lets just say the userbase isn't the biggest fan of our landlords. i will not be getting into that topic here. but be aware that participating in paid features is deeply controversial. things like blazing posts, buying merchandise, purchasing badges... other users may treat you unkindly as a result.

the TOS is not consistently enforced, but be aware that if you post risqué content it may be removed or you may get banned. you also may not. it's mostly down to luck of the draw and knowing how to post discreetly. again, i won't get into this topic further on this post.

but yeah otherwise say whatever you want here. just like, don't be a bigot. and be careful when discussing the website owners.

i highly recommend, if you are above the age of eighteen, to go in your settings and enable m*ture content. because a lot of innocuous content (especially about trans experiences) gets falsely labeled, thereby censoring it and hiding it. when you set to view this content, these posts will not be hidden from you. (settings > account > content labels)

HOW TUMBLR WORKS:

tumblr is a website that began as a platform that encouraged young professionals to write about their experiences and post photographs. like instagram i guess? but much more writing focused. a user's account was less of an Account and more of its own Discrete Website, with its own url and its own webpage that could be customized with HTML, CSS, and javascript. in this way, it was similar to geocities. it was a really weird, innovative platform that combined a lot of ideas.

when you create an account on tumblr now-a-days, you have to manually go into your settings and enable a desktop version of blog. (settings > blogs > (blogname) > "enable custom theme") then, when on a desktop computer, you can actually edit your blog with HTML and CSS. although, due to security updates, javascript is no longer permitted, and no links that have "http" - only "https" - are allowed in your code. here's mine:

it was extremely common all the way through the mid-to-late 2010s to regularly update your blog theme, and for users to look at each other's blogs. but between the censorship debacle and the rise of mobile users, blog editing is sort of a dead art, and many newer users don't know that you can make these pages. i hope this practice comes back, if only to encourage tech literacy and creativity in the youth. learn to code today!

anyway, this history is why our usernames are called URLs. because they are literally web addresses. the more you know!

you know how i mentioned "archives" way up in another section, btw? because the tumblr blog search function sucks, another way to find posts is to go to yourblogname.tumblr.com/archive and search by date, post type, tag, etc. - it's genuinely awesome. you can also use it to look at other people's blogs. lets see what i was posting in June of 2013... yeah that seems about right for the era.

tumblr differs from other social media in that it is, for the most part, entirely hand-curated. which is to say, for most of the website's history, no algorithm existed, and we actively reject implementation of it. yes, technically tumblr now has a "for you" tab. most of the userbase does not look at it.

the way you "make it big" on tumblr dot com isn't through hashtags. it isn't through trends. you make it big on tumblr dot com because you were half asleep one night and accidentally made a funny typo, and then your friend from Arizona saw it and laughed and reblogged it. and then five of their followers reblogged it. and before you know it 20 thousand strangers are now arguing with each other on your post.

...which brings me to my second point. "going viral" on tumblr is kind of a curse. your notifications get flooded, people bring bad takes to your posts, and overall it tends to be stressful for the OP (original poster). you don't join tumblr to Go Viral. you join tumblr to talk about fuck-all and maybe post art, and have a good time with friends. it's more like a bunch of people sitting on a porch chatting. and when too many people shows up it can get a bit weird.

you have two options should a post get out-of-hand: disabling reblogs (the post exists, but can no longer be shared), or deleting the post (the original post does not exist, but copies of the post can continue to circulate). or... you do both. disable reblogs, then the delete the post. the post cannot be shared, the root is gone... but it will remain permanently on the blogs who have already shared it. consider what option is most appropriate for your situation. and also consider adding an explanation in the replies. ("i turned off reblogs for now because my notifications are a mess. i'll turn them back on later" vs "i deleted the original post and turned off the reblogs because i accidentally shared misinformation" vs "i'm not in this fandom anymore and i don't like my old artwork, but i know other people do so i just deleted the original post while leaving the reblogs on so the work can still be shared by people who like it." - this will prevent people from pestering you asking you why you took the actions you did.

we have "communities" now but again, most of the userbase doesn't use them or even know how to use them. so i don't really have insight on those. i imagine they're like facebook groups but much more toxic. tumblr also tried a "group chat" feature a couple years back which was such a disaster that it got pulled.

...as well as Tumblr Live. we do not talk about Tumblr Live. or Tips.

anyway the authentic tumblr experience is shouting into the void (with proper tag use), following other users, reblogging their posts, and chatting kindly to them in tags/replies. don't try to "game the system" or whatever, just have fun.

VIDEOS:

while you can post videos on tumblr, it isn't the primary function of this platform and never has been, historically, so there's some things to keep in mind.

our video player is dogshit. it's very hard to use on mobile especially and videos will randomly mute all the time. we still post video, just know that it's not going to be the same as other platforms

tumblr's exact Video Limits are a mystery. any time you look at the FAQ it's outdated information. generally in my own findings, vids can be about 10 minutes long provided they aren't giant files. i recommend uploading in a compressed format like .mp4 with a low bitrate

tumblr will compress your videos after uploading so if they're already low quality they will look even worse. just be aware of that

tumblr has a video upload limit of i think 5 videos per day. there's also a limit of how much footage, timewise. i don't think it will let you upload 5 videos all 10 minutes long for example

when uploading a video, i recommend doing that on a computer if possible because mobile always gives me a difficult time.

regardless of computer or phone, save your video as a draft, don't just immediately post it. your video will need to upload and process and stuff and drafts are the best way to keep track of them. once a video appears in your drafts (or your blog, if you posted immediately), you will be allowed to upload another. but you can't upload a video while the first is still processing.

COMMUNICATION:

i've already touched on tags, commenting, and replies. but you can also communicate with a user in three other ways (RIP Fanmail). This includes Asks (you send a message, a user responds to it publically, usually), Submit (you send a message/image/link, a user posts it as a submission. so like, sending a jpeg of an orange to a blog dedicated to posting jpegs of oranges. you are contributing to the blog's content.), and Messaging/Direct Message/DM - same as any other platform.

You can have public DMs or have DMs only set to users you follow. With Asks, you can toggle whether or not to allow anon. My personal recommendation is to leave anon on UNLESS you get bullied/harassed/etc - then turn it off and leave it off for several weeks (long enough for the harassers to get bored) before turning it back on, if you want. Submit isn't really necessary unless you run a gimmick blog. Especially since you can now send images via ask for some reason. It used to be Ask was for text and Submit was for anything else. Now Submit is sort of an obsolete format for the average tumblr user.

SIDEBLOGS:

Another way tumblr differs from other social media? The sideblog. The first blog that you create here on tumblr will always be your "main" blog, and that cannot be switched. If you "like" a post, it will always list the username of your main blog. If you follow a blog, it will only display the URL of your main. However...

You can reblog, post, reply, and send DMs under a separate username. Externally, a sideblog is indistinguishable from a main blog (aside from the like/follow thing). It's common for users to create blogs for various interests. Maybe one is for posting original artwork, another is to post about movies, and another is to post highly detailed jpegs of men's thighs.

While some users prefer to not state their main URL on their sideblog for partial anonymity, a sideblog is generally used in good faith. It's frowned upon/viewed as cowardly to use a sideblog to deceive or harass other users.

If your sideblog gets banned/violates TOS, this will likely affect your main blog. If you're posting risky things on tumblr, you're better off using an entire new account, so as to not affect your main account should something go wrong.

Sideblogs can have multiple moderators, if you add another user and they accept. Just make sure you add mods you can trust.

IMPORTANT: Never delete a sideblog. There is a glitch that sometimes occurs that, when deleting a sideblog (even when selecting the correct option) you can delete your entire account. Instead rename, repurpose, and/or "password lock" the account to prevent others from accessing it. You can also remove yourself as a "member" (mod) of the blog, and with no mods the blog will cease to exist. Or you can orphan the blog by creating a secondary account (NOT A SIDEBLOG. AN ENTIRE NEW ACCOUNT), making that account a mod, and then removing your main as a mod. Basically... just don't delete. Do anything but. iirc this issue still has not been fixed in 2025. it isn't a case of "misclicking" as some people insist. you can do everything right and your account can still get nuked because it's a bug in the actual code

blocking and sideblogs is... a headache. if someone sends a rude message to your sideblog and you want to block them? you'll need to go into your sideblog settings and manually type in their URL. because if you just block them like normal, you'd only be blocking them from your main blog. which means they could be reblogging and saying all kinds of heinous shit on your sideblog's posts, and you'd never know. it's easiest to do this blocking process from a computer.

likewise, if you block someone's sideblog... you only block their sideblog. their main can still access you. so if you block someone, see if they list other blogs in their bio/pinned post. you may need to block two blogs.

blocking a main blog, however, blogs full access. so if Rude Guy bothers you on his main, and you block his main, he can't then bother you on Rude Guy 2, Rude Guy 3, or Rude Guy 4.

users are sometimes upfront about when they're using a sideblog but others aren't. so it can be tricky.

MANDATORY ACCOUNT/BLOG SETTINGS:

this is four screenshots; taken on a computer, not mobile, but most of the settings should be the same. what this covers: hiding your likes/follows, disabling algorithmic posts, enabling timestamps (VERY important especially for posts about world news), disabling AI scraping, enabling users to message you, shit like that.

mandatory extensions for desktop users (well. not palettes. i use it because i like a pastel pink viewing experience. lol.):

MEMES AND REFERENCES:

the life cycle of memes and slang is rapid on tumblr, so it's a little pointless for me to try and talk about them because any information i write will be out of date. by the time a meme leaves tumblr and gets posted on twitter/tiktok/bluesky/reddit/youtube/instagram/pinterest/ifunny/facebook it's already long dead

that said, there are some mainstays:

"i'm bald" is often placed as the last option in a poll and it means "not applicable to me/choose not to answer/my answer is nuanced". it's in reference to a specific poll about hair (obv) where this was listed as the last option and people thought it was funny so we use in other polls now.

we love polls btw we use them to make characters fight to the death or do "design a horse"/"make a cake" type games. polls get very serious and people also sometimes do voter fraud and get in arguments about it. it's sports to us

"destiel news" is the phenomenon of announcing a major news story (like the death of the queen) by using screenshots of the homophobic love confession in supernatural. the idea is to piss people off by having them say "THIS is how i found out???" tumblr users make shitposts about major events in general in hopes of evoking this response. but destiel news is ubiquitous

"i think i hauve covid" is reference to a tweet on twitter and means "i'm ar*used"

"not to be a lesbian but" is a common reaction image/copypasta and it's self explanatory

spelling words wrong on purpose, incorrect/creative grammar, etc. is very funny to tumblr users. things like "ingredience" and "those feratu" linger in our lexicon

there's a lot of random old textposts tumblr users reference and it would be too hard to list them all, especially because they rise and fall in popularity. just know if someone's said something especially strange it may be a reference to an earlier post. not to self-promo but i run a blog called @goodposts where i archive posts i personally find funny (or Important) and some Tumblr Classics are in there. but also some of the posts are my own shitty posts so ur milage may vary.

we all know the president shoelace post but none of us actually use the code irl and it's a very dead joke at this point. there's a lot of dead jokes i could cover like vanilla extract, all or nothing, do you love the color of the sky, children's hospital, etc. - but i'd defer to Know Your Meme instead.

ummmm i think thats it. smiles

if u have questions feel free 2 ask