#last time i read these we didn't have a platform like this to talk about them in this way

[radioactive-earthshine]

Astro Boy: The Hot Dog Corps

I love it when Atom just says these things out of no where.

[emberwhite]

I spent the last 11 months working with my illustrator, Marta, to make the children's book of my dreams. We were able to get every detail just the way I wanted, and I'm very happy with the final result. She is the best person I have ever worked with, and I mean, just look at those colors!

I wanted to tell that story of anyone's who ever felt that they didn't belong anywhere. Whether you are a nerd, autistic, queer, trans, a furry, or some combination of the above, it makes for a sad and difficult life. This isn't just my story. This is our story.

I also want to say the month following the book's launch has been very stressful. I have never done this kind of book before, and I didn't know how to get the word out about it. I do have a small publishing business and a full-time job, so I figured let's put my some money into advertising this time. Indie writers will tell you great success stories they've had using Facebook ads, so I started a page and boosting my posts.

Within a first few days, I got a lot of likes and shares and even a few people who requested the book and left great reviews for me. There were also people memeing on how the boy turns into a delicious venison steak at the end of the book. It was all in good fun, though. It honestly made made laugh. Things were great, so I made more posts and increased spending.

But somehow, someway these new posts ended up on the wrong side of the platform. Soon, we saw claims of how the book was perpetuating mental illness, of how this book goes against all of basic biology and logic, and how the lgbtq agenda was corrupting our kids.

This brought out even more people to support the book, so I just let them at it and enjoyed my time reading comments after work. A few days later, then conversation moved from politics to encouraging bullying, accusing others of abusing children, and a competition to who could post the most cruel image. They were just comments, however, and after all, people were still supporting the book.

But then the trolls started organizing. Over night, I got hit with 3 one-star reviews on Amazon. My heart stopped. If your book ever falls below a certain rating, it can be removed, and blocked, and you can receive a strike on your publishing account. All that hard work was about to be deleted, and it was all my fault for posting it in the wrong place.

I panicked, pulled all my posts, and went into hiding, hoping things would die down. I reported the reviews and so did many others, but here's the thing you might have noticed across platforms like Google and Amazon. There are community guidelines that I referenced in my email, but unless people are doing something highly illegal, things are rarely ever taken down on these massive platforms. So those reviews are still there to this day. Once again, it's my fault, and I should have seen it coming.

Luckily, the harassment stopped, and the book is doing better now, at least in the US. The overall rating is still rickety in Europe, Canada, and Australia, so any reviews there help me out quite a lot. I'm currently looking for a new home to post about the book and talk about everything that went into it. I also love to talk about all things books if you ever want to chat. Maybe I'll post a selfie one day, too. Otherwise, the book is still on Amazon, and the full story and illustrations are on YouTube as well if you want to read it for free.

[kanmom51]

Hi! I love reading your posts so much so I would like to know your thoughts on this:

https://x.com/smol_kia/status/1550222383075586048?t=1QUT02cleCrXVULBEegSjw&s=19

I saw some of us on X thanking this person for manifesting the toothbrushing scene which was funny but at the same time i am super confused on how jikook really did exactly the same as the fan art (the plaid pyjamas especially)! Do you think this was purely coincidence or one of them saw it and went 'let's make this to reality'?

English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if my ask is all over the place :) love ya!

Let's start with the end here why don't we?

JM and JK are the real thing. They have a real actual relationship unlike the dreamt up needing to lean on made up fanart relationship that Tkks delude themselves JK and Tae have.

That is the starting point.

Jikook are the real deal. A real life long term loving couple. TKK are not. Not a couple. Friends yes. At times closer at times not so much, but always and only friends.

So, let's talk about that fanart. It's from 2022. 22 July 22 to be accurate. I am literally feeling sick to my stomach at the moment, but I will share the photo, cause I'm going to be making a point here.

*At least they kept the JM in place (although they probably are deluded as to it's meaning...).

So, why is the date so important, you may ask.

Because that is the day ITS Friendcation came out.

And guess what we got in that first episode of the show.

Only the four friendliest of friends in their matchy plaid pj's.

Basically what we had was TKK's in their hazed daydreams wishing that instead of Tae sleeping together with his squad, to which a one Jeon Jungkook does not belong no matter how much they want to twist it (same crew that left JK at the ski resort by himself while leaving together), instead of Tae waking up with Wooga and their match plaid pj's and brushing teeth together, it would be JK there with him.

Like I say, dream on.

That fanart of theirs, is a dream not a reality, and they can scream until they are blue in the face, it won't change the fact that the one brushing his teeth with JK at the moment is JM, not Tae, by choice. JK choice. JM's choice. They both wanted it. They both planned it. They both worked towards it. And they are both living it right now.

I find it kind of funny how TKKs keep on screaming that JM and JK's travels are for the camera, not genuine, all for the buck. If that was true, if Jikook were indeed the 'fanservice' couple for BH, if Jikook were a money maker as a unit for the company, how is it that this cash machine has never been properly utilized. It always amuses me to hear this from them all while most of Jikook's interactions are off camera, not for us to intentionally see. This one unit that has never come to fruition officially (until now, and there is a reason for that and a reason why we are getting more now, none of which are them being 'faked' for the camera in order to make money).

I love how they twist everything to fit a constant changing narrative. I actually don't know how they keep up with themselves. It would be so exhausting.

I saw Mina's tweets. Will not share them here. I will not give that hateful ***** a platform here. All I will say is that it must be so very hard for her right now. Reality is hitting and it's hitting hard. I guess it's a last hurrah, an attempt to cling to their fantasy. Basically acting like a belligerent child having a tantrum.

If I didn't loath her and her kind I would actually pity them. They are going to be so very miserable in the upcoming months. Not to mention after they are all back from the military.

I guess these weirdos need to be reminded that JM and JK's Tokyo trip back in 2017 was not for the cameras. A trip eternalized with JK's GCFT, a trip they could not stop talking about, a trip they continued to talk about in their book under the title Real love.

I won't remind them of just how fondly JK was talking about their trip and the show, nor will I bring up that shining sun of a smile he had when JM says he'll hug him later, cause you know, these are basically fans that have no interest in what the idol they supposedly love (yeah, no love there) says or feels. It's about what they, as fans, want to feel dreaming about buff JK the fuckboy, bad boy, man handler and his dainty weak boyfriend Tae (with their love hate toxic jealousy drama filled relationship).

Excuse me for a sec...

I also guess they need to be reminded that not all of JM and JK's time together was filmed, not all of it was for the cameras, as they love to put it. Not in NY, and definitley not in Tokyo 2023. Funny how two people that were working on enlisting together and got to fulfill their wishes and make sure that the 18 months of their military service they are inseparable, even if that means a tougher placement than if they enlisted separately, still wanted to go on these trips together. I think that by now any claim that this was forced on them - the trips, the show, the enlistment - have been long disproved.

And for a couple that the company are 'trying to push on us' it's really funny how silent they have been since their enlistment. But yeah, these people will continue to say what they want because otherwise their dreams are dead. Kind of like Larry's that still think those two are a thing.

You know what else that fanart comes after, btw?

Not only the ITS friendcation, but also after this:

JK directing LGO MV choosing the couples pj's, choosing to have JM walk out of the bathroom brushing his teeth JK waiting for him in the bedroom.

Fanart is art (not that some of the fanart out there would be considered art by myself, but you know, that's a personal taste, or distaste, and that btw includes some Jikook fanart as well). It can replicate or express reality but it can also be an outright fantasy.

In this case it's TKKs seeing the reality (Wooga and Jikook) and expressing fantasy (their ideas or wishes applied onto TKK), lol.

And now we have JM and JK on their trip wearing these couples pj's.

What a blow that must have been for TKKs. And this whole scrambling thing they are doing, that this is "the company" copying their fanart. Absolutely hilarious.

Jikook have shown us over the years that they love plaid. Not gonna add pics here cause there is no end to them. JK, JM alone, together, plaid is something they have been doing. Specifically? Not necessarily. But it's something they wear.

Jikook themselves have worn plaid pj's in the past for LGO MV (and the live as well - do I remind you guys of JK's joke about why he decided to have JM brushing his teeth?). Director JK. Their choice.

The fanart TKKs are squealing about was not an original piece of art that a TKKer came up with. They literally copied the pajamas worn by the Woogas in ITS Friendcation inserting JK into their fantasy.

If people would watch original content they would know that Jikook, both of them, tend not to wear pj's at home. Not around the house and not in bed. We saw JM in ITS 2. We saw JK in his bed live (in which I would love to remind TKKs how flirty and naughty he was with JM all while being half naked in bed, nagging JM to do a live with him, all his choice, all knowing that the company will not be happy with him, lol - still waiting for that Jikook live, you know from the company's "for the cameras" couple). Oh, and we also have the LV live. Yeah, that was an interesting one. Seeing that not only did we hear from JM and Hobi that JM walks around in his undies at home but that JK is in charge of the soundtrack... I guess while he's in his undies as well...(JM's reaction to Hobi's slip up was priceless). Point being that those two don't do clothes for sleep. But clearly they couldn't go 'au natural' for the show, so they chose to wear pj's.

And just like the other clothes that they chose to wear throughout their travels, that we will get to see in the show, they chose to wear these pj's.

Couple pj's.

This is not a photo shoot. This is them coming from home with their own clothes wearing what they want to wear, what they feel comfortable in. And they chose to wear those pj's knowing EXACTLY how it will be perceived.

And just like Wooga chose to wear the plaid pj's, which btw were all identical, like the rings they wear, probably as a symbol of their friendship, all while NO ONE ever dared to claim that they were dressed by stylists or forced into wearing them or that the creators of the show even suggested the idea to them, JM and JK chose to wear these pj's that are not identical but seem to be perceived as couple's pj's.

Pajamas sold out of course, the company's caption at the bottom being: "How about watching the show together in couple pajamas?"

Their choice.

Their decision.

Filming themselves brushing their teeth - their decision.

I want to make something clear here. They have said it and I will repeat it. This is not a scripted show. This is them travelling, experiencing, enjoying themselves (you cannot fake those smiles and giggles), filming themselves. That angle, the camera in the bathroom, that is a camera they placed there, they wanted us to see this just like JK wanted to show us JM brushing his teeth and coming out to him in the bedroom.

Do I remind you what happened when a camera was placed in a room when they didn't want us to see what they were up to?

This is not 2018 anymore. This is 2024 (well, filmed end of 2023, and may I just note that after the new contracts were signed, and I do think this is highly relevant as to what we are going to be getting in this show, what we will be allowed to see, the level of candor). No more hidden cameras in rooms (I think the company had realized that was a dangerous game they were playing at), and their artists control over what will be filmed and what not.

Their choices, their decisions, not some company executive. Them. The two of them.

I will end this by saying that I doubt that Jikook are even aware of this TKK fanart.

But if they were, then this wouldn't be them copying the fanart trying to create the illusion they are a couple.

No need for an illusion when you ARE the real deal.

If, by any chance, they were aware of the fanart then I would say that any connection to it would be them saying a big FUCK YOU to TKKs and their delusions.

But yeah, I do doubt they were even aware of this pic.

JK's search logarithm is Jimin based. Not TKK. So keep dreaming TKKs, cause not only are TKK not the thing you so very much want them to be, the thought of that thing, them as a couple, you as a fan group, your art and fantasies, all those aren't even a blip on JM and JK's radars.

[jhkfan123]

because i liked a boy | tom blyth

pairing: tom blyth x actress!reader

in which: tom rushes to your house after you get threats and insults online due to speculations of a relationship between the two of you

warnings: mentions and readings of death threats, mentions of slut shaming

wc: 1.1k (sorry it's a little short!)

a/n: IT'S MY POOKIE WOOKIE DOOKIE COOKIE SHMOOPIE TOM'S BIRTHDAY! no but seriously happy birthday tom! bros birthday is approximately ONE week from mine. bro's a little aquarius like me. thank you so much for being the best tom! the age gap grows more everyday 🥰...anyway here is a little cute fic for you guys just for his bday!

in less than 24 hours they were everywhere. in your dm's, in tagged posts, on every platform.

it was only yesterday that you and tom decided to go out in public together. for the first time. and now you realized maybe it should be your last, for a while anyway.

the two of you kept a quiet relationship for about a month, up until yesterday, when you decided going out for coffee might be nice. and sure enough, there were cameras.

first fan accounts found it. then smaller celebrity news accounts found it. then e! news found it. soon variety found it. this had all happened while you were asleep. and when you woke up, it wasn't just the posts that you found. you had dm's. lots of them. each one a little worse than the one before it.

you weren't sure what to do. so you picked up your phone and dialed tom.

the phone rung for what felt like ages. then you finally heard the comforting voice you had been longing for.

"hello?" you heard. you felt a little lighter already.

"hi tom. look, i know you're not really on social media but, i just really need you to come over because i need to talk to you." you breathed heavily getting the sentence out as you now began to panic.

"i'll be there in ten minutes. love you." you heard. he hung up the phone. you sat down on the couch in your apartment. you had an urge to go on your phone, but you knew what awaited you. so you resisted.

about ten minutes later, you heard a knock on the door. right on time.

he only knocked out of politeness, he had a key to your unit. "oh, good you're here." you said. he looked at you with a warm smile.

"i came as fast as possible." he came over to the couch and pressed a kiss to your forehead. he sat down next to you and you embraced his warmth. "now, what's wrong." he said. you leaned into his lap.

"so, remember how we went out for coffee yesterday?" you asked. he nodded quickly. "so obviously there were photos which is fine and we expected that but, once people really started noticing, i started getting...threats." you handed him your phone which was now open to your instagram dm's.

"oh, no." he sighed with sadness. "i'm so sorry. do you mind if i look?" he asked. you nodded again. he took your phone from your hand and began to scroll. you saw the screen and began to read along.

user: who tf are you back tf off you slut

_user_: didn't you just break up with your other boyfriend you whore chill share him with us

user123: if you don't back off i'm going to jump you. mwah

tomblythlover: if you hurt him you die

each one got progressively worse. you saw tom's face shift with each one. he pulled you closer to him as he handed your phone back to you. you felt a single tear stream down your face, which tom immediately noticed.

"hey, hey hey." he wiped your tear with his thumb. "you didn't do anything wrong, ok? ignore every single one. you are not a slut, not a whore, not anything they claim you are. and, there is nothing you can do to stop these people. you just have to ignore it." he pulled you closer and tighter to him. "turn your dm's off. or limit them at least." he suggested. "get off social media. take a walk." he kept listing out ideas.

"you're right. i didn't even think of that, turning my dm's off." you said. you went into your settings and turned it off.

"what would you do without me." he joked, sarcastically. you hit him in his leg, the only place you could reach. you smiled up at him.

"i can't believe people would do this." you spoke. it was unbelievable. how could you say something like that to someone you don't even know?

"i can. people are crazy online. they stay stuff that they wouldn't ever say to your face. that's why i stay off of it." he responded.

"should i like, put a statement out?" you questioned. you often looked up to tom for advice about these things. he was only a year older than you, well, almost two, but he seemed much wiser. you loved the way you could look to him for anything.

"only if you want to, love." he assured you. "but if you think it will help you, then do it. do it for yourself, not for others." he continued.

"maybe i should. i will." you opened your story camera and began to type. you thought about what you wanted to say. then your mind drew a blank. "what should i say?" you asked, staring blankly at your screen.

"just say that no one is allowed to insult you just because we're dating, and that you need time to figure out what you are going to do next." he said. he thought of solutions with such ease, taking no time to think. ideas flowed like water out of his mouth. when you finished, you showed it to him, and with his approval, you added it to your story.

even though your dm's were turned off, you still hoped that people would stop attacking you in tagged posts, something that you couldn't stop no matter what.

"thank you, tom, for being here. i'd probably be lying in bed crying right now if it wasn't for you." he smiled down at you.

"i'll always put you first. i don't care what i'm doing. never be afraid to call me, even if i'm busy ok? i promise i'll help, any way i can. and please don't take anything they said to heart. you aren't any of those things, the only thing they got right is that you are my girlfriend." that made you laugh. "now, let's go do something to lift your mood." he pulled himself off the couch and soon helped you up as well. "where do you want to go?" he asked. you thought for a moment. you wanted to be somewhere quiet. with tom.

"i think just a walk around the neighborhood would be nice. no photos, no phones, just us?" you suggested.

"that's the best idea i've ever heard." he hugged you close. then he pressed his lips to yours in a soft kiss. he grabbed his keys from the entryway table, grabbed your hand, and walked out the door.

[karereiko]

Hello, everyone from Yuumori fandom.

Guess what, because of Concert that will be held in July all parts of Moriarty the Patriot Musical (op1-op5) are available to rent and watch online. With my Morimu fanarts or other talks about it I often get asked where you can watch it, often my answer is that you have to buy DVD or Bluray to watch this wonderful adaptation of Moriarty the Patriot manga. I know it's a big cost and hard to get for some so Streaming like this is a great opportunity to watch Morimu.

Official twitter posted few days ago about this possibility and here is the post with all information about it:

1600 yen is great amount to check if you will like it and wach it because I think it's worth any money, director who made morimu clearly loves manga, he treats source material with care and even makes it batter at some times, there is also a lot less cuts than in anime, like a lot. May be little spoiler or not, but Baskerville arc is there and Durham date too, as well as many Sherlock and John stuff that was cut in anime, some things from Moran arc etc. this is already big selling factor, right?

Actors are amazing and they love and care for characters they play. I wasn't into any actor adaptations before Morimu, I was ok with musicals but not caring too much about them and Morimu sold me since first part and it only got better and better each part even if you think that's not possible. Songs are there to make emotions and moments deeper or to have real fun with plot they show, they are not there just for song to be there. So yes high recommendation for you all to check Morimu if you didn't saw it yet. The most amazing thing is that you don't need VPN to buy those streams.

I was going to write about this few days ago and was busy, good I didn't because I talked with friends in Yuumori fandom who knows morimu and we were troubled to recommend this stream to people who doesn't understand Japanese. Morimu is faithful adaptation so almost like 70% lines comes from manga and you should understand what's going on if you read manga. Still, with subs it's a lot easier.

Kana did amazing job in creating English translation for Morimu Op1-Op4 at this point, all who bought DVD/Bluray versions of Morimu are using those subs and if you decide to buy own copy after seeing stream then those subs works great with DVD/Bluray versions.

So we talked over the stream matter and from what we checked with this plugin to Chrome it's possible to play subs with Morimu stream after you rent it (It works only with Chrome but if you know other program like this you can try it on different browsers, we only checked Chrome and this plugin) :

The only matter is that Kana saved subtitles in .ass file format, but you can easily format them to .srt file format that this plugin plays with this site:

You just open subtitle file and save it as srt, and open it with plugin to your Morimu stream. If you will have any more problems with subs them write me a message and I will try to help as soon as work let's me.

I think this is the easiest option that creators gave us now to watch Morimu, it was never so easy to buy or rent it until now, you had to use crazy VPN programs and other stuff to just check on it. So this is best option since for sure it won't last forever. Such promotional streamings are only around when new part is coming up, currently Concert I mentioned.

So for other things I wanna to say. If you get your copy of Morimu then please don't share it, don't post it to any social sites. Company that makes Morimu is quite strict with that matter and they do search who uploads those musicals and strikes them down/ deletes files even on places like google drive. Even without it, it's a matter of love for Moriarty the patriot. As much as fandom wants more people to watch those musicals, any piracy might destroy our chances to get Op6, possibilities for future streams and other stuff. Currently with Op5 we reached end of Final Problem arc and there is hope that maybe one day New York arc will be done in op6. Any piracy, sharing and messy stuff might destroy such chance, so please if you hold dear MTP then respect those rules. Watching streams with your friends in closed groups after you buy it isn't bad but please hold from any public sharing (they would be taken down anyway, but it would still put us fans in very bad light).

I know end of this post was not nice but it had to be told. I hope this possibility will help you see Morimu and fall in love with it like I did. I would recommend at least seeing OP1 and OP2, it should hook you and OP3 is where everything hits even more than op1-2, more hits from songs, more hits from sherliam stuff.

Hope to see you in Morimu cult :D... ehem... fandom. May you have "wind" (for some Great Detective) in your heart like William....

[pearlfeline]

sore loser

pairing: draco malfoy x reader

word count: 1,450

summary: reader gets jealous and draco falls harder during a practice duel. reader can be interpreted as any house but uses she pronouns.

a/n: i haven't written in years like before the pandemic. i deleted my old blog and had no inspiration until months ago lol i started this blog just to read but i started writing this a while back and i finished it last night. not proofread. if the beginning is horrid i apologize i didn't want to delete it and start over because i know i'll never start up again. enjoy the little fluff i threw together.

Dueling was an essential part of the Hogwarts curriculum. Every other week, there was a practice session down in the dungeons. Mats laid out on the floor and splayed on the walls. You hated it. Especially when it was in teams. Seriously, in what circumstances did students need to fight in pairs?

You weren’t known for your dueling skills and when your duels prolonged the average amount of time, you panicked and tapped out immediately.

Today was especially nerve wracking. Dueling in pairs, against Draco, and he’s partnered with the obnoxious girl who has it out for you.

She was clearly eating this up.

Draco was not. He did not like how obvious her intentions were. The shoving him every time she laughed, the raised pitch in her voice only when speaking to him, the way she says his name differently, all of it made him grimace internally. She was like a fly in his ear. Insufferable.

“An easy win.” She looks you up and down, smirking.

She looks over to Draco, attempting to exchange eye contact, but he was looking at you, with anguish. He didn’t hold his gaze for long as he adjusted his sleeves before getting in position.

Neville was your duel partner today. You could tell by his face he was utterly terrified. You kind of felt bad for befriending Draco, seeing what he did to the students around you and how he talked about them. But the side of him you’re not sure anyone else got to see, they don’t know about, the one you stumbled on accidentally while trying to use the washrooms and ended up staying on the cold floor for an hour after curfew just listening.

“Remember what we learned Neville.” You nod at him curtly. He sends you a look of appreciation under his worried gaze. Where would you two be without the extra training?

During the duel, you mostly try taking your anger out on the girl who targets you constantly for no reason. You didn’t even remember her stupid name. There are lots of girls like her. She was just the one who decided to be bold for the semester. Defending yourself makes you a target around the school for certain, but you didn't care enough to stop.

Dueling admittedly can be therapeutic when you have the right attitude. She was knocked down on the mat, clearly taken aback. You had shot spell after spell at her, almost to see how quickly you were able to possibly and properly get spells out of your wand.

Draco had to assist his dueling partner by default, but it made you unexpectedly feel sick seeing him trying to heal her.

“…Get up.” He holds her up by her arm. His gaze is anywhere else but around you.

You were searching for answers inside his eyes, growing more irritated the further he avoided you.

Neville gets his shot at revenge as well, continuously shooting at Draco while he tries to assist his dueling partner.

It was one of those matches that were long and painful. Both sides were equally as good, even if you hated to admit it.

It wasn't long until you’ve seen enough.

“Confringo!” You counter with a spell that bounced off the two of them back and forth until they’re both on the ground.

When the smoke cleared, your eyes flickered to the other end of the platform. Draco didn’t even look upset that he lost. Just surprised you would even use such a spell.

“I was getting sort of tired of using expelliarmus so frequently…” Neville blinked a few times, finally drawing his wand down.

“Freak!” The girl lays for a little too long expecting Draco to pick her up from the floor. He doesn’t.

“Is that even allowed?” She haggardly gets up on her own, dusting off her robes.

“It is.” Draco mutters before sauntering back to the group of students.

It was honestly one of the first duels you had won in a while, there was a newfound confidence in your stride.

It was free period. You decided to take the scenic route. To just relax outside,

“Came out to frolic in the grass did you?” Draco’s hair was completely restyled back to normal, despite the duel having just ended. He replaced his tethered robes with fresh ones and had enough time to wipe his complexion clean.

There was a playful smile on his face, one he didn’t show to most.

“After you lost, shouldn’t I be saying all these snobbish remarks now?” You look up at the sky to avoid his glance. Because if you did, you knew your smile would grow bigger than you would’ve liked.

He scoffs, setting his bag down on the ground.

“Don’t get all excited about this now,”

You watched as he sat down to reach your eye level.

“next time I won’t let you win.” Draco confidently sighed.

“Your pride would never let you purposefully lose.” You remark.

“Maybe it would for certain people.” He argues.

If this is what you thought it was, what an awful attempt at flirting.

“Either way, I won fair Malfoy.” You brush off his last statement.

Draco liked how you said his name. It sounded so familiar and genuine. It wasn't used in a hostile way.

It was hard to hide his growing smile.

“Why are you smiling…” You turn away.

“Is it so fun being a loser?” You say, back completely turned around to face him.

“I only lost because you flung me and that girl across the room!”

“She’s stupid! Of course I’m going to fling her away! You’re stupid too! Stop picking on people.”

Draco looks down while grinning at his feet.

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t just say it. Really do it.” You kick a rock in his direction.

“I get enough criticism for talking to you. Even though it’s all from you not being able to just leave me be.”

“Obviously you don’t care for what others are saying about me.” Draco shuffles the rock in between his feet, passing it back to you.

“Because I’ve seen otherwise to disprove the rumors.” You remarked.

“Before I start telling people you’re actually nice, you should start giving people a reason to believe me!” You toss the rock, watching it bounce off Draco's shoulder.

"Ow! You're the violent one!"

“I’m not going around claiming something that nobody will believe me for. I will not make a fool of myself Malfoy, not in that way. I'm already being prejudiced around here, no thanks to you.”

Draco was not known for his emotional intelligence. In fact, he might be the least comforting person you had ever talked to, but he had a feeling in between the insults, you were telling him how he really was capable of being a good person.

Draco let out a little smile, trying his best not to laugh at you.

Which was difficult because he had a habit of laughing at whatever or whoever he wanted to laugh at.

"This school is tolerable with you around." He said while swallowing whatever dry chuckles were left in his system.

"I'm only around because you follow me everywhere."

Draco slumped over, pushing his weight on your bag. Were his advances, seen as bullying? Of course it was. He was rude to everyone. How were you supposed to figure out he didn't mean it as much when it came to you? He didn't even really know he liked you not that long ago. Though, ever since that epiphany, he can't get you out of his head. There's the urge for more. To see you more. Sneak in more of you throughout the day.

"Keep bothering her, it makes you happier than when you bother others."

"I can't wait to see how she reacts to what I say next."

"I need her to see my new quidditch uniform."

All were stupid thoughts, yes, but they all worked. You were never mean enough to be hostile towards him, and honestly seeing him slip up and forget to keep his tough exterior up every once in a while was rewarding. You would never say it out loud but it made you feel special.

Draco lazily picks off blades of grass peaking through the cords attached to your bag. He had finally run out of things to say to bother you.

"...You aren't going to defend yourself?"

He glances up at you for a moment before shaking his head.

He thought, one day he'll be able to just confess and maybe pull you into a swift kiss right after. Of course, you'll say yes and kiss back and all of that stuff. He'll worry about it later.

[mrsjoeythehurler]

When I Met You

(OC FMC x Liam Mairi)

I’ve decided to write a fic about an OC and Liam Mairi from Fourth Wing. It’s going to follow the events of the first book and I’m so excited to share it with you. This is my first fic I’ve ever written so keep that in mind while reading :)

I hope you enjoy it!

All characters except for Aurora Sallow who is my OC and the FMC of this fic belong to Rebecca Yarros. The plot of Fourth Wing also belongs to Rebecca Yarros.

Content Warnings: most of the warnings that are for Fourth Wing are also going to be for this fic. That includes: Blood, death, injury, violence and war. The only content warning I am adding is panic attacks (2).

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ Aurora Sallow ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

It's Conscription Day—a day I'm not particularly happy to take part in, but I don't have a choice.

I was always meant to become a Scribe. I was always meant to look at books all day and spend my time transcribing them. It's what I've been studying for since I could remember.

That all changed when my parents sat me down two days ago to tell me I was required to become a Rider. My whole world was flipped upside down, my entire future ripped away from me in one 20-minute conversation.

The Riders' Quadrant is apparently in need of more Riders. I heard it's because most dragons are uninterested in bonding with humans, and I'm one of the unlucky ones who's been chosen to try and change that.

Looking around me, I see guards mounted on either side of the entrance and walking about. I see people hugging and conversing with their loved ones and the occasional person silently praying, most likely to any gods who will listen to ensure their safety. They're probably going towards the same destination as me.

Sighing, I look down and make sure my outfit is in order before fixing my hair. I tried to dress appropriately for the Riders' Quadrant—well, as appropriately as my closet back home had to offer. I'm wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and corset, black pants that are a bit too tight for my liking, and my favorite pair of black platform boots. I'm just about to look through my bag to double-check that I have everything when I hear a familiar voice.

It's Violet Sorrengail. We've been classmates for a really long time. She's always been really kind and someone I consider a friend. Like me, Violet always wanted to become a Scribe; we would always talk about our hopes for the future and look forward to reading books all day.

What is she doing in this line?

She's talking to her sister Mira, so I don't want to interrupt, but I want to know why she's not with the Scribes anymore. She was always among the most intelligent people in our class, if not the smartest. She was going to be the best Scribe the Quadrant ever had. I don't see her wanting to give that up, especially considering it was her dream.

The line continues to move slowly, and when there's only one person ahead of me, I start to really feel the anxiety. I don't know how I'm going to do this. I didn't know two days ago, and I sure as hell don't know now. Who knows if I'll even pass the Parapet? I could be slowly walking towards my death right now. Maybe I should have talked to my parents more and tried to convince them that I can't do this and that anyone else out there is a better fit for this than I am. But I hate disappointing people. My parents don't even know that my panic attacks are back. They were so happy and relieved that I was doing better over the last year, but it all fell apart.

"Next!" Someone calls from ahead of the line.

It's a rider, a marked rider. Along with Captain Fitzgibbons, who’s a Scribe. "Aurora Sallow? First Violet Sorrengail, and now you?"

I give him a small smile. "I'm sorry, sir."

He nods. "It will be sad to see you go. Your future as a Scribe looked so bright."

I want to cry. Instead, I keep my small smile in place and try my best to keep my voice level. "Thank you."

As I go through the entrance, I climb the hundreds of stairs.

After what feels like 100 hours, I'm at the top of the turret, and it's raining. The turret is all stone, formed in a circular platform. The river below shines, with the sun glinting off the surface. Darkness runs through it that rivals the deep sea. I shouldn't have looked down.

Straight ahead lies the Parapet. It's a very slim bridge made of stone with nothing on either side to hold onto. It's a test to see how well you would manage while riding a dragon.

I'm screwed.

There are three riders at the entrance, but only one catches my eye—a mountain of a man with black hair and warm, tawny skin. He turns my way, and I can see the scar running through his left eyebrow, and that's when I know who it is. Xaden Riorson.

Xaden is the son of the Great Betrayer, Fen Riorson, who led the Rebellion. All of the children of the rebels were forced to join the Riders' Quadrant in response to their parents' decisions. I bet they hoped Xaden would get killed, but they were wrong. He's a third-year Wingleader now.

And he's also kind of scary.

Once he sees me staring at him, he narrows his eyes. I'm not sure if it's with recognition or disgust.

Then, I decide to wave at him like an idiot.

He turns back to talk to the Rider beside him, pretending I don't exist.

Yeah, I'm so screwed.

"Next!" Another Rider calls, and I step forward.

[loycspotting]

Leaving Tumblr

Last night, my account was terminated. I don't know why. I was in the middle of using the site when suddenly I was locked out. No warnings. No announcements. Nothing. I was an absolute wreck. I couldn't eat or sleep. There was no word from Tumblr's management team. I could only explain what happened and sit on my hands. I felt utterly helpless waiting and hoping for a miracle. I had a home here. I had friends who became family. People that I love. Fandom that was my absolute joy and honor to participate in. It was all ripped away for no reason at the drop of a hat. My work. My mutuals. My home. Gone. Just like that. I couldn't say goodbye. I didn't know if or how I'd be able to find my moots again. I was able to create a second account called @loycspotting-thee2 and wracked my brain trying to remember my friends' usernames while terrified that that account would disappear too. I couldn't focus on anything. I was completely distraught. Thankfully, a miracle did happen and my account was magically reactivated. Again, no warning. No one reached out and explained what happened. One moment it was here, gone the next, then here again. In all my years of being on social media, I've never feared that a platform would kick me off like that until last night. I stayed up reading story after story of people who have used Tumblr, some of them holding accounts for YEARS with thousands of followers, logging on just to find it wiped from existence on any random day. This is a serious and repetitive issue, but not apparently to Tumblr. I may not have been a Tumblr user for long, but this incident has irrevocably broken my trust. No amount of saving and cataloging and backing up my account will protect me from being a victim of this website's carelessness. I would always have to worry if I'd be the unlucky user of the day that got their account deleted with no guarantee that it would be reactivated. I cannot and will not live in fear that everything I've created and the home I've found will be taken from me again against my will. Therefore, I have decided that the best option for me is to deactivate my account and say goodbye on my own terms. I am absolutely heartbroken to come to this decision. This has been the most unreal online space. I loved it here! It was everything I've been looking for and I only regret not signing up the first time I heard about it all those years ago. I love being in the Ewan McGregor fandom! Where it's not just a fandom. It's a fanhome 😁. I found my voice here, as well as people who heard me. People who understood me. This was my absolute favorite place to be, bar NONE. I felt fulfilled writing and reviewing. There were so many more things I wanted to do and experience with you guys. It was you who encouraged me. You listened, reblogged, commented, and messaged. You accepted me. From the bottom of my heart I love my mutuals. Even if we don't follow each other, if we've talked or interacted with each other's posts I love you too. I love the passion and creativity flowing through this site. I don't know what will happen with the Ewan McGregor Screentime Percentage project. I'm not ready to quit just yet. Maybe I'll start a Reddit or letterboxd account. Of course, for the writing, I can consider joining Ao3. If you want to keep in touch, then I implore you to message me so we can work something out. The friendships I made here are paramount to everything else. I'm going to leave this up for 9 days (or until I'm terminated again 🙄) to give myself time to get things in order. On September 1st, I will say goodbye.

[gwojo]

Gojo Satoru as your bf

FEATURING: Gojo Satoru (五条悟)

gojo satoru x gn!reader, fluff, slight angst if u squint, basically just the things he'd do for you bc of how much he luvs u! wordcount: 622

We all know THEEEEE gojo satoru is so whipped when it comes to being in-love?! Some probably think he'll be clueless but when it comes to you, he's so knowledgeable with everything related to you

It started off as a lil crush on you and obviously we all know gojo is shameless when it comes to his feelings (except for dark and deep ones) so he kept on reminding u everyday that he had a interest on you

You both end up with each other while his students were also cheering you both on (it was so cute bc yuji was the happiest)

We all know gojo satoru is a very busy man, despite that he still makes time just to see you everyday, even making the higher ups angry due to him leaving his students in a abandoned hospital and he'd leave just to travel to you and see you.

Messages between you both weren't frequent, he will always find a way to see you irl but whenever he has to go overseas as his punishment for leaving his students without any supervision, that's where your notifications are FLOODING. LIKE NONSTOP.

Although he's at work at most times, he still somehow messages you??? like a lot?? so you ask him about it and he tells you that he messages u even when he's on a battle with cursed spirits

Honestly there would be more voice messages or calls in both of your dms because I reckon he's more of a call guy rather than a text guy

He'd always rant to you about how annoying the higher ups are and stuff, he's SUPER talkative but he always lets you speak first or after so you don't feel left out bc he rlly loves hearing ur voice

He's much of a "if he wanted to, he would" typa guy and honestly even if he didn't want to do it he would still do it for you, like even HIS FAVORITE Kikufuku he would still give it to you because of how much he loves you, he acts stingy most of the time but he'll always end up giving it to you

Whenever you have panic attacks or just anything general with having a bad day which results you into getting breakdowns, he'd always be there for you no matter what. Kisses and hugs, food, everything you ever loved, and him ofc

He never hated anything about you honestly, he just loved who you are and whenever you get insecure about the girls who chases him–he always end up flexing his wallet and his phone in front of their faces, why? because your face was plastered everywhere in it. LIKE EVEN HIS PHONE CASE IS YOU TAKING A MIRROR SELFIE, polaroid pictures were frequent with u (he keeps a pic of u in his wallet and also his students, even tho he doesn't use wallets.)

He'd call you "love, baby, sugarboo" most of the time, he's just so silly. He's a unserious guy tbh but he knows when to stop and where to stop whenever you actually get upset

Whenever he's upset because he got jealous when you were catching up with your bestfriend, he would stop talking to you or ignore you once you got home (trust me. he won't last after 20 minutes max.) so he gets all pouty but partially its a joke because he really trusts you with all his heart and he knows you won't replace him but he also gets upset and just a little kiss from you, he'll be back to normal (basically just bragging about how hot he is).. He'll always crave your presence no matter what, and nothing and no one will change that.

reblogs are appreciated! thank you for reading.

— © gwojo 2023. pls i advise u not to share on tiktok, plagiarize, repost on other platforms, copy, or translate.

[thescarletnargacuga]

TOY BOX

A BUTTONBLOSSOM/RAGAPOM/JESTERDOLL ONESHOT

A/N: I don't know which ship name is the most common, so I'm using all of them lol I may or may not have been drinking while writing this...

WARNING: none

~~~

"Today's adventure is THE TERRIFIC TREASURE TAKEAWAY!" Caine introduced his adventure of the day with the usual display of flare, completely oblivious to the reactions of the unimpressed six in front of him. "You're going on a scavenger hunt! It'll be three teams of two searching the grand Museum for TREASURES! Avoid security! Or they lock you up and your teammate has to get you out! If both of you are caught, you're out of the game! The last team standing, or the team with the most treasures at the end of the time limit, wins!"

Pomni spoke to Ragatha out of the side of her mouth. "Do the adventure titles always have to be illiterate?"

"No." Ragatha covered her mouth and whispered back. "I think that's just a Caine thing."

"Three teams? We ALL have to participate?" Zooble groaned.

"The game is more fun than way! Come on, Zooble! Don't you want to play a game with your friends?" Caine was practically begging. He could not force them to play if they absolutely did not want to, but he REALLY needed an even number of people for the game to work properly.

Zooble rolled their eyes and turned to leave, but then overheard Jax.

"Looks like Zooble is going to be as boring as always. Come on Gangle, you're my partner."

Zooble stopped and turned on their heels. They marched to Jax and shoved him away from Gangle. They crossed their arms and didn't move when Jax got back up and glared.

"Fine. I didn't really want to be stuck dealing with her whining anyway." Jax huffed and stretched his arm out to grab Kinger by the scruff of his robe. "Kinger and I got this."

"Hey, Pomni. Would you like to be my partner? ...for the game! The game." Ragatha awkwardly felt like she needed to clarify.

"Oh! Uhhh, yeah, sure." Pomni was glad Ragatha asked first.

"EXCELLENT!! I do love full party participation!" Caine snapped and a colorful portal opened. "Good luck everyone!"

The group walked through and found themselves in the grand main hall of an enormous museum. Around them the main hall separated into three wings and had three floors. Above them hung a banner that read WELCOME TO ESCHER'S MUSEUM OF ODDITIES. A full T-Rex fossil was having tea with a wax figure of Abraham Lincoln on a display in the center of the room. Various random items were in display cases, many of them only vaguely resembling artifacts and art pieces.

Pomni nervously looks around. "Uh, any ideas as to what these TREASURES look like?"

"No clue. I'm more worried about this SECURITY Caine was talking about. His ideas of enforcement came be a bit...scary. BUT we won't know until we try taking something." Ragatha tapped the glass around a weird mask looking object.

"...it just occurred to me that Caine has literally sent us to rob a museum." Pomni thought out loud as she backed up against a wall, feeling exposed in the large liminal space.

"This is supposed to be a competition right? Outta my way!" Jax pushed Ragatha aside, into Pomni.

Ragatha braced herself against the wall, arm on either side of Pomni.

Pomni flushed, seeing Ragatha up close and personal always made her heart flutter but they've never been this close. She stared up into Ragatha's smiling, apologetic face. Her one eye soft on her.

"Hey..." Ragatha giggled.

"...hey." Pomni delayed in answering, but managed a smile.

Neither of them moved. They just stood their. Awkwardly. Neither wanting to tell the other to move, because what if that was rude?

Jax yeeted the glass case Ragatha had tapped and grabbed the mask. It turned into a cloud of sparkles and a +1 popped up before disappearing. "Ha! I knew it! The WHOLE museum is up for grabs!" He jumped on the platform with the dino and president tea display and tried removing Abe's head.

The whole room went red. INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!

"Oh noooo..." Gangle whimpered.

Massive drones came out of the walls and flew towards Jax. "Oop, time to go." He bugs bunny-ed his ass out the room as fast as he could, three drones on his heels. One drone shot a laser at Kinger and he disappeared. The girls screamed.

"Come on!" Pomni took Ragatha by the hand and ran. The maze like layout of the museum discombobulated those who could get away. Lefts was right, down was up. Every door hit a stairwell and every stairwell looped in on itself. At one point, they were on the ceiling. "What kind of place IS this!?"

Ragatha tried to keep up but Pomni was practically dragging her. "Pomni! The stai-" She tripped, fell over apomni and they both rolled and bounced down a countless flight of stairs. Ragatha wrapped her body around Pomni in an attempt to protect her from the fall, even though it felt like rolling down a bouncy castle.

They eventually stopped when they slammed through a closed door.

Ragatha still had a hold of Pomni, they laid side by side. "Are you alright?"

"Uhhhhh....I think so." Pomni had dizzy swirls in her eyes.

Ragatha couldn't help but snicker. It was a funny look on Pomni. "Good. Because that was actually kind of fun."

Pomni shook the swirls away. "Seriously? Falling down the stairs is your idea of fun?"

"Oh, well, no, not real stairs but it was...uh...never mind. I'm just glad you're okay." Ragatha let go and they both got up.

They saw no way out other than the door they knocked off its hinges. Colorful tiles covered the floor, small tables sat in neat little rows, and there was a large play area.

"Where are we?" Pomni asked, looking around.

"I don't know. A classroom?"

"This place doesn't make any sense."

"It wouldn't be one of Caine's creations if it did." Ragatha said with an irey lilt in her voice. "In fact, this actually isn't the weirdest place I've ever seen. I wouldn't even put it in the top five."

Pomni gaped. "Say what?"

"Yeah, you weren't here for the time he tried to make us all fly like him and Jax ended up on the underside of the sun."

Pomni smiled. "He did?"

"Oh yeah, he had to tap dance the heat off his feet until Caine figured out how to turn gravity back on. Took like an hour."

Pomni started to laugh. "It took him THAT long?"

Ragatha laughed with her. "Yeah! If you ask me, I think he did it on purpose." She loved hearing Pomni laugh, it was so rare.

"Wait, so is that the weirdest?"

"Oh, no. The absolute weirdest had to be Derby Day." Ragatha leaned against an oversized toy box. "Derby Day was when Gangle had to-"

The toy box opened, swallowed Ragatha whole, then slammed shut.

"Ah! Ragatha!" Pomni went to open the box and she too was magically pulled inside. She fell and fell and fell into an endless pit of vibrate color. Ragatha was just below her. "Ragatha!!"

"Pomni!!" She cried out as she tumbled through the air.

Pomni streamlined herself to fall faster and caught up with Ragatha. She tried to get Ragatha's hand but the ragdoll was living up to her namesake and accidentally kicked Pomni in the face. They both spun and free fell into a pile of pillows. They laid there for moment to collect themselves.

"What. The actual. [%$!#]." Pomni mumbled into a plush pillow.

"I take it back. This IS really weird." Ragatha moaned.

"...top five?"

"Top three."

Pomni sat up and didn't bother checking her new surroundings. It didn't matter where they were, they'd probably end up somewhere else in a minute anyway. Ragatha rolled over and stared at the new sky. She couldn't see the top, it was an abyss of kaleidoscopic color. "You know...for all the weirdness...I am grateful for one thing."

"What's that?"

"You."

Pomni jerked her head up. "What?"

"Yeah... I'm probably saying this because it doesn't matter if I do... But I enjoy your company."

"Oh...I...I didn't think anyone would. I'm not exactly...fun. And don't say you don't matter. If there's one thing in this digital scape, that actually does matter, it's our feelings. It's what makes us human." Pomni rolled over to join Ragatha looking at the weird sky. "A-and you've been wonderful to be around, too. I'm sorry I don't really say it. I tend to get lost in my own head."

"I understand. This place will do that to you." Ragatha paused, considering if she should say what she wanted to say next. "I'm... Grateful for one other thing today."

"What's that?"

"I got to hug you."

Pomni turned her head to Ragatha. They smiled at each other.

Ragatha continued. "I- I know you're not the biggest fan of touch so...the fact that you didn't freak out after we fell down the stairs-"

"Ragatha, I wouldn't freak out on you. Not for that. Sure, touch isn't really my thing but...I make a small exception for you."

"Would it be okay...if we hugged again?" Ragatha asked with a deep blush across her cheeks.

Pomni scooted closer. "Yeah."

They locked into a warm embrace. It was the most human thing either one of them had felt in a long time. Pomni felt anchored, her mind focused on only the here and now. No what ifs and maybes. It was bliss.

Ragatha felt a sense of comfort and connection that she thought she'd never get to feel again. In this place...it was getting hard to feel anything but melancholy.

As they hugged the pillows shifted. They tried to get up but they both slipped in the surface vertically against one another. It was like falling into quicksand.

"Great....were are we going now?" Pomni held on around Ragatha's neck.

"I don't know, but we're going together. That's all that matters to me." Ragatha held tight as they sunk further and further into the unknown.

[whysperingwoods]

Ethics in Witchcraft: Empowerment vs Cheap Tricks

Witchcraft is mainstream-- a reality I never would have imagined ten years ago. With that rise comes a surge of offerings on various platforms, from spellwork to tarot readings, along with it the need for deeper questions: What's real? What's empowering? What crosses ethical lines? I want to explore the ethics of witchcraft, and how we can empower ourselves without resorting to cheap tricks.

The Etsy Dilemma: Quantity Over Quality?

What inspired me to write this article was setting up my Etsy shop. A few years ago, when this blog as last active, I sold tarot and fire readings on Etsy, and I was curious to see how things had changed since then. So, I decided to do a little research and see what other people were offering.

I was surprised to see how much the popularity of not only tarot readings, but spell work has skyrocketed in the last few years. Initially, I thought "Great! People are more open to witchcraft and divination!" But a closer look at the listings-- the quality, the prices, the speed of turnaround-- my excitement faded.

Let's take a look at some of the top listings that come up when you search for "tarot reading" on Etsy:

Most of the top results use stock images, some are obviously AI generated. The turnaround times are incredibly fast, and the prices are strikingly low. It's hard to imagine the quality of a 12-month tarot reading done in under an hour for a fraction of the usual cost. Now, let's look at the highest-selling listing:

The listing has racked up around 51 thousand sales in only 1200 days. That's 41 readings per day, just for this one listing (and this shop has several). Can you imagine providing 41 readings per day? It raises important questions: How much personal energy and focus can truly go into each reading when it's churned out at such a high volume?

When I adjusted the price range to being between $25 and $100, the listings were much more realistic. Photos of real people, with reasonable turnaround times and expectations. Phew!

What if we look at spellwork? This is where things get even more complex.

We see the same trend we saw with the tarot readings: Quick fixes, AI-generated images, extremely low prices.

Any experienced practitioner knows how much time and energy can go into a spell. Everyone has their own personal style-- sometimes I favour small workings that can be done in the span of a breath, and other times I like to prepare something elaborate that will take weeks to prepare and execute. But it raises a critical question: Can real intention be poured into something that’s mass-produced and requires only the click of a button?

At the heart of witchcraft is intention. Without it, what are we really practicing?

Love Spells and the Ethics of Consent

I would be remiss if I didn't talk about love spells here. This topic easily warrants its own post, but let's touch on some key points. Love magic is one of the most popular types of spells on Etsy, and I wouldn't be surprised if it holds true on other platforms. A quick glance through old grimoires and folk traditions reveals countless examples of love magic. In a world where connection feels more elusive than ever, it makes sense that these workings are in such high demand. But where do we draw the line?

Navigating consent in magic is tricky-- where do we distinguish between influencing the world in our favour and infringing on someone else’s free will? It’s a deeply personal question, one that each practitioner must answer for themselves. It's easy to tack on an "and it harm none" at the end of a spell and hope for the best. But that sidesteps some important questions: What is harm? How far do we take that? Sometimes, giving one person favour inevitably affects someone else. For example, casting a career spell to improve your chances of a promotion may unintentionally take an opportunity from another person. Can that not also be seen as harm?

This is why it's important for practitioners to reflect on what level of harm they are comfortable with. It's not an easy question, and the answers may shift over time and with experience. Ideally, none of us want to harm others, but that's something we have little control over. Maybe a better framework to consider is reducing suffering, rather than trying to avoid harm altogether. For example, while aiming for that promotion, you could also wish for your competitor’s contributions to be recognized in other ways. Instead of trying to avoid all harm, perhaps the goal can be to soften its impact and ensure that success isn’t gained at the expense of someone else's misery.

Rather than an “and it harm none” approach that could render a spell ineffective, asking ourselves how to minimize harm while still achieving our goals can lead to more balanced, thoughtful outcome-- ones that benefit everyone involved.

When it comes to love spells, another way to navigate this ethical grey area is by focusing on influencing your own circumstances rather than someone else's free will. I see this as putting something in the person's path, and allowing them to approach it themselves. Rather than casting a spell to make someone fall in love with you, how about casting a spell to increase your confidence, making yourself more noticeable, or drawing more positive attention your way? These types of spells empower you without infringing on someone else’s autonomy or agency.

Final Thoughts

At its core, ethical witchcraft is about empowerment—honouring the free will of others, practicing with intention, and ensuring that our magic comes from a place of authenticity. As practitioners, we have the power to shape our craft in a way that’s meaningful and respectful. Let’s choose paths that uplift and empower us, and the people around us.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. How do you approach ethics in your own craft? What ethical issues have you had to navigate, and how did you handle them?

[orchidshow]

Credit| @im4yeons tysm for the divider its sososo pretty!!!  A/N | cheese strings also why does it take so long to get an ao3 account what da fwick also if u read this at like 2am ish I’m editing my fucks ups shhhh it stays between us Wordcount: around 1.3k last time i checked

TW| dr*g use, slut shaming, misogyny 

Chapter 1!

Frat boy! Hasan x Trad goth! reader

Chapter two: Wannabe Sherlock

He was losing himself. Hasan had totalled up two hours trying to remove her smudged lipstick from his lips. 

He tried everything, ranging from scrubbing his face red with a washcloth to his mind spiralling at the memory of her, her platforms glinting in the light, her winged eyes meeting his, long, almost talon-like nails scratching against his neck as she leaned in. As a last resort, an embarrassed and hooded Hasan entered a CVS in the middle of the night.

Hasan gripped the iridescent bottle of makeup remover, standing shyly at the checkout counter as the woman behind the counter stifled a giggle at the sheer embarrassment displayed.

“I would've never expected this is how my night would end,” he huffs, his head tilted towards the woman as she began swiping away at the stain.

“So how'd you end up looking like this?” she asks, pouring more remover onto the cotton pad. “Did you lose a bet or something?”

“No, more like a goth girl kissed me and then fled my car like it was on fire—I mean, one minute we are just talking in my car, and the next she's slammed the door in my face, running into her apartment—not walking, running.” Hasan rambles, shaking his head in confusion. 

She pulls away from him, eyes squinting while checking for any remnants before standing straight. “I think we’re done here—I mean, I can't help you with your yearning thing right now, but the makeup is gone at least,” she explains, handing him a mirror.

Sitting on the hood of his car, Hasan makes a choice—the choice that any lovesick junior would resort to; he starts investigating.

He had become a modern Sherlock, if that Sherlock had an innate skill for beer pong and tailgates. Over the course of two weeks, he found himself asking questions about her—who was she? Where could she be? Why does his throat hitch at the memory of her? 

That's when he saw her—well, not her but one of her friends. Teased red hair, toned inked arms, and handed out flyers. The flyers were varied in colour and shape but there was one thing.

One thing had stayed consistent. Her face. She looked enigmatic. Shouting into a megaphone as her body as bolts of electricity surrounded her body. 

"Can I help you?” She deadpans, her hand already stretching out to Hasan, eager to shove a flyer into him. His finger taps against her printed face as he he stammers, almost feverish over his discovery.

“Her—yes, do you know her?” He asks, his voice sounding almost desperate. 

Her friend smirks, almost knowingly, “Y/N? She's in our band. We will play tonight. If you want to see her, you should come." She explains, politely jabbing the flyer into Hasan’s hand.

That night Hasan spent his time before the show swallowed in a pile of his own clothes. Button ups? Too formal. Sneakers? Too casual. His anxiety is made worse by the alarm he set, giving him an hour before the show started. He needed to find something—something that made him look cool, something that made him look like he didn't order chicken nuggets at a restaurant, something unique.

"Bro, you look like you deal ayahuasca; what the fuck have you got on?“ a voice said from the doorway. Hasan turned to see his friend Zach, smirking at his situation. “Are you trying out a new look before your little gig thing you're doing?”

Hasan huffed, “I'm not doing it, okay? I'm just going to support a friend.” By the time Hasan had found a somewhat respectable outfit, a gaggle of his fraternity brothers had gathered around his room. Most were relaxed, sprawled against the floor or the bed, fingers tracing the cotton sheets. 

Derek stood against the door frame upright.

“Is this the other bitch you've been talking about?” He asks, presenting a shit-eating grin. "Dude, trust me, girls like that need a rabies shot or something—seriously, I've been there before; what's best is to treat her like a fuck and chuck,” he explains casually, staring at Hasan before being met with a book thrown against his face.

“Don't talk about her like that. At least I'm going somewhere tonight, and I'm not sitting here with my dick in my hand, unlike you,” he sighs, pushing past Derrick as he had to the door, leaving to a cacophony of poorly sung panic at the disco songs in his direction.

When he found himself at the bar, he was mesmerised. The energy erupted around him, and the feedback from the mic felt so raw—so real. She stood there in the middle of it all, the crowd's eyes bore into her with amazement as she sang. Her voice was hoarse and jagged in a way that was beautiful and its own. How her body swayed against the beat of the drums, thick velvet skirt following her hips at every move. Hasan found himself so immersed he hadn't raised the set; the crowd had burst into cheers as her bandmates began coming off stage and dispersing while she took a seat at the bar.

“You're here,” Hasan states, words caught in his throat as she turned around. She was divine. Her hair was high, covered in a thin glaze of sweat; the violet lights overhead made her outfit shine; silver buttons twinkled in the low light. 

“You're the last person I expected to see here." She laughs, a drawl of amusement in her voice. Her eyes fixed on how closed in he looked—for such a broad man, he almost halved in size the way he shrunk into himself talking to her.

“You didn't tell me you were in a band.”

“You never asked.” She replies, a wide smile growing across her face.

They spent the next hours talking. Time drifted so freely that the hours faded into minutes, which faded into seconds. Hasan had hastily given her his number, poorly written and barely legible across the stained bar napkin he bought her a drink off of. By the end of the night, Hasan had driven her home again; only she had accepted warmer than the weeks before.

Somehow it felt as if time hadn't moved. Here they were, stuck in the same car, outside her apartment building, but something felt different; the air felt less cold, as if something had opened between the pair. Maybe it was the weed.

They sat in the backseat of his car, whispering to each other as if they weren’t alone, giggling quietly. Hasan’s features were hard to discern through the smoke-filled car. His tousled hair looked almost grey through the smoke, and his tanned arm looked almost pale as it rested against the back of her shoulder.

Her eyes hooded, blinking slowly as she grabs his arm and whispers, “I want to try something. Is that okay?” And before he could stop nodding, she leans in gently, closing the gap between the pair as she blows the smoke into his mouth, her eyes now alight with mischief. Her fingers trail against his chest, fingers feeling the rapid pounding of his heart as she pulls away from his lips. 

As they leave, the autumn chill sobers the pair as they make their way to her apartment. It's painfully quiet as she reaches her apartment. The only sound that erupts is the shifting of clothes as they walk, the gentle clink of her jewellery against her skin, and the jingle of her keys as she opens the door. As the door opens widely, Hasan gawks in silence.

It's pink. Like nauseatingly pink. Pepto-bismol walls surrounded a heart-shaped loveseat, adorned with silky throw pillows and stuffed animals. Hasan’s eyes darted between the woman and the room before snorting loudly.

"Har-dee-Har, laugh it up; my roommate is an interior designer; I had no say in this,” she defends lightheartedly. She takes a tentative step towards Hasan. “I’m sorry about that night—I was—I don't know what I was doing—I should have stayed,” she muses, her eyes staring into Hasans intimately. “I mean, if you want, we could maybe have a nightcap? Watch a movie?” she offers gently, pushing the door wider, exposing more of her pastel kingdom.

He gulps heavily, brushing his clammy palms against his jeans discreetly. “I-I cant midterms, y’know,” he blurts out apologetically, slightly stepping back from the door.

“Next time then?”

“Next time”

[sgiandubh]

Pretzel logic

I never liked funerals - who does? - and I have always tried to avoid them, under different pretexts. This is one of the moments we meet the Great Beyond and we are at our most vulnerable. It's only fair and it is not something to be taken lightly, ever.

August 10, 2022 happened a few days before I decided to give OL a try and by the time I landed in here, that YouTube live had already been taken offline, perhaps with good reason.

That people watched it should come as no surprise to anybody: it happens in all cultures and societies - Death fascinates us and makes us curious, even if it's a questionable, voyeuristic kind of curiosity. It was posted for everyone to see, on the biggest content streaming platform on planet Earth. It was posted in consideration of the ending peak moment of the COVID pandemic, to allow for more people to attend, with the family's prior consent. It was most probably shot from the organ balcony, at a respectful distance and I am being told the streaming was blurry: a good thing, if you ask me. People screeching for "more clarity" of those screenshots should, in my humble opinion, think twice: context and taboo and all that.

That people saw something bizarre in the front pew was unavoidable. That the said detail (Occam's Razor would help us conclude that ambiguous things are usually anything but...) was screenshot, edited and made its way in here and elsewhere - impossible to control. However, I have not read any disrespectful comments about the event. Nobody snarked. Nobody grinned. A hole in the plot was pointed out, adding to the whole array of inconsistencies and if I remember well, it was almost missed out entirely (a taboo is a taboo, after all) and started its career online only days after.

Was it shared ad nauseam? Maybe - but who the hell am I to judge? Again, not something you can control, unless you set yourself up as the Torquemadas of this fandom and slap everybody on the wrist with your twisted righteousness. When your people discuss the Data Lounge findings in great, lewd detail, that is called having fun and (I love that one, don't you?) gossiping, as if you were just talking about Miss Scarlett's new petticoat, not a man's reputation. When our people dare to post pictures from a public event, or published for public consumption, that is immediately taxed as being insane or snooping.

A neutral person venturing in here would call out the bias immediately. I call out your hypocrisy and have no problem doing it in writing. And I never peddled neutrality, in here: I simply peddled decency and I remind everyone I have probably never posted any pictures from August 10, 2022 (I will triple check later, but I am pretty sure I didn't). It is a personal choice and, as you know very well, I am not alone in the Shipper community. Far from it.

That you chose August 10 to post the largest, most consistent amount of content I have read on your blogs during the last six months, shows me once more what I already knew: you simply can't help yourself, can you? It's all about slap-a-shipper day, even if this community remained remarkably silent and collected, yesterday. Extremes exist, they are a fact of life: silencing them is useless and unproductive, at least as far as I am concerned.

You have once again showed me your true colors, Mordor. At the end of the day, you do not really have a problem with the pictures floating out there. What you do have a BIG problem with, is the person sitting in the front pew and you would go to great lengths - to any lengths, for that matter - to disguise it under a thick sanctimonious cloak of civic disgust. Your shrieks backfire: if anything, they confirm, not deny. And for the sake of politics, anything goes. It is, therefore, ironic, that in order to post your reasoning, you did look, in great detail and for a consistent amount of time, at the same exact screenshots and pictures you send to hell so gleefully.

Spare me the dramatics.

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

prompt list 2023 1 w stiles!!!

‘’I don’t care we broke up, I still love you.’’

I miss Stiles so much 😢 I’m so sad he won’t be in the Teen Wolf movie. I probably won’t be watching it - unfortunately - because I don’t have Paramount+ and won’t be paying for a streaming platform I can only watch on a small screen with shitty earphones

my taglists are here  + you can requests here at any time

—

It’s been two years since your and Stiles’ breakup, but he still looked at you the same way every morning since you were eight years old. You were too busy faking laughs at Mr. Popular’s bad jokes to notice though. He was nowhere near as funny as Stiles, but you were scared he would dump you if you didn’t laugh. A woman had two things to stroke to keep a man in her life, their dick and their even bigger ego. That included laughing at their terrible jokes.

Very soon, you won’t have to fake a laugh at Mr. Popular’s bad jokes — or to stroke anything of his. Very soon, you’ll be graduating and leaving Beacon Hills for the opposing coast.

At the beginning of graduation week, the yearbooks got distributed to the seniors. Everyone spent the day writing sweet messages to their friends and fellow classmates, knowing that soon they will part ways and — for some — never see each other again.

After the last bell, you were about to get to your car and go home when you spotted a familiar face at the end of the hallway. Stiles Stilinski.

Although you didn’t remain friends after breaking up, Stiles was part of your high school life. He was your first date and you were his first kiss. You even went to homecoming together in sophomore year…with his dad as the driver. Not getting his signature in your yearbook, the physical closing chapter of high school, would feel like erasing him from your past and you didn’t want that. You wanted to remember him.

‘’Can you sign my yearbook?’’

Stiles closed his locker, looking at you with a dumbfounded look, very surprised to see you standing there holding your yearbook and a pen. ‘’Yes!’’ he replied a little aggressively. He cleared his throat and rubbed his neck, realizing how he had sounded. ‘’I mean…of course.’’

A soft laugh left your lips. ‘’I didn't want to leave without your signature. It wouldn't have felt right,’’ you said as Stiles opened your yearbook to find a blank space to write his message. His expression was a mix of nostalgia and a hint of sadness as he wrote a few words. You could tell he was reminiscing about the past, just like you were.

You couldn't help but steal glances at him. Time had changed both of you, but the familiar features were still there — the way he furrowed his brow when concentrating, the constellation of light freckles on his face and his perfectly-crafted nose he loved to push in your neck when cuddling. It was bittersweet, knowing that you were about to go your separate ways.

Stiles finished writing and handed the yearbook back to you. ‘’Here.’’ You eagerly opened it to see what he had written, but he stopped you. ‘’No. Read it later.’’

You looked at Stiles curiously, his request piquing your interest. ‘’Okay. Eh, thanks for signing my yearbook.’’ You smiled and Stiles walked away, probably to join Scott.

Freshly showered, you sat on your bed and opened your yearbook to flick through and read the messages from your fellow graduates. You smiled through your friends’ paragraph-long messages, then fell on Stiles’s.

You’ll probably forget about me, but I’ll never forget about you. You're etched in me. We have shared so many firsts together, so many laughs too. I wish you nothing but the best in the future, following those big dreams we used to talk about.

love, Stiles

Yes, love, because I don’t care we broke up, I still love you. I always will.

You read his message again, making sure you read correctly, and called him. 

—

All and more taglist: @spiokybirdstarfish @kenqki @liidiaaag @hawkegfs  @gillybear17  @areaderinlove @acornacreacure @black-rose-29 @fudge13 @cece05 @rosie-cameron @Caxddce @laylasbunbunny @gemofthenight @beautyb1ade  @hi-bored-as-fcuk-rn  @lovelyy-moonlight @mellabella101 @vxnity713  @marzipaanz  @bisexualgirlsblog @queenofslytherin889 @thatbxtchesblog @softb-tterfly @ethanlandrycanbreakmyheart  @xyzstar  @graceberman3  @Heartsforneteyamsully

[carolmunson]

feelin' mighty fine

rockstar!eddie x actress!reader

inspired by: merry christmas, baby part of carol's christmas song blitz a/n: this is a heavily reworked version of the opening for chrismtas '97 in the rockstar!eddie au. it just wasn't working in the story so i'm making it it's own standalone! you don't have to know much about my rockstar!eddie au to enjoy it -- but just know, you're a famous actress married to rockstar eddie munson and have twins - van and violet, they're about three here. would recommend listening to the song before or during reading to catch the vibe.

cw: 18+, brief smut mention/description, dad!eddie, parenthood, some swearing?, brief alcohol mention. minors dni 4eva. fluff, fluff, fluff.

December 23rd, 1997 - Chicago Stadium

It was the last night of tour before the four of you, exhausted, would travel back to Indiana. It's a short flight, but getting the kids on a jet at midnight didn't sound like the Christmas Eve Eve plans you wanted to make. The twins were fussy backstage, the nanny long sent home earlier that morning since they'd have Wayne and everyone else to help you in Hawkins.

It was half way through the set and the kids should've been sleeping but they wanted to watch from the wings with you, Vi in your arms and Van by your feet -- both safe in headphones made to fit them perfectly to block out the sound. As the song ends and the crowd screams, you can see Eddie running toward you backstage, pulling his guitar from over him with a tech rushing by you to retrieve it. He only has a minute or two while Jeff works the crowd but he never wastes it. His skin shines with sweat, tattoos glimmering over his arms and chest.

"Hey, you havin' fun?" he doesn't wait for an answer, pulling you in from the back of then neck to kiss you. His mouth is cold from the water he's been drinking, he tastes like the faint twang of tequila from the flask in his back pocket. A hint of his mid-show cigarette lingers on his lips.

"Are you having fun, sleepy girl?" he asks Violet, she giggles and hides in the curls that match her dad's, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

He looks down, seeing Van nearly jumping out of his little leather jacket to have his dad pick him up, "Shouldn't you be in bed, too?"

Eddie scoops him up, smattering his face in kisses -- Van shrieks in laughter so Violet laughs, too. Never one to miss out on kisses, she reaches for her dad desperately before Eddie pops her onto his free hip. He double fists the twins like he used to double fist bottles of Don Julio.

"Honey, you gotta go," you urge, you notice the tech waiting with Ed's other guitar by the wings.

"Okay, okay, sorry -- one more kiss, okay?" he nods to the twins, pressing a kiss to each cheek before placing them back down on the fold out chairs next to you.

"And one more for mommy," he swoons, slinging the new guitar over his shoulder. You roll your eyes and let him smooch you all sloppy, he grins like you just met when he's done. Ed tosses you a wink before rushing out to the stage where he starts to talk into the mic about what's coming up. The tech rushes by you again with Santa hats in his hands -- running onto the stage to pass them out to Eddie, Jeff, Gareth, and the rest of the band.

"Now normally we don't do this shit, we like to keep it a lil' scary here -- but it is Christmas time so, I wanted to play a little somethin' special. Y'all know Otis Redding?" Eddie asks. You beam, you know exactly what he's about to get the band to play. The crowd screams, barricades straining against them while they bounce and jump.

"I wanted to introduce some fellas on brass who are comin' to join us for this number," Eddie puts his hand back to reference a small brass band stepping onto the platform next to Gareth's drum set, "Give 'em a 'round of applause for me."

The applause is rauccus and the brass players wave sheepishly from their platform. You guess it's not often that they're playing with a band that used to be in the news for 'promoting Satan's music'. Especially not with someone with a reputation as sordid as Eddie's.

As the horns begin to play, Eddie puts on his Santa hat and gets close to the mic, "This song's called 'Merry Christmas, Baby', I'm sure most of ya know it. But it was my mama's favorite -- she used to wear that record out so much that my daddy had to buy it for her twice. So this is for my mama, and all the mama's that are out there tonight."

He winks towards the camera that fed out to the screens for the back seats, sending the women in the crowd to their knees. Their screeches nearly drowned out the opening chords.

Eddie's voice has a gruffness that meets the songs needs, Jeff's joining his in a playful duet. As the intro finishes, they both trade their shrill riffs for a funky bass lines and twangs to match the energy from the brass.

"Well I'm feelin' mighty fine y'all, got my music on the raay-di-oooo..." Eddie sings with a smile, his eyes closed against the bright lights. There's a lightness about him that his fans rarely see, something soft, something you get to see at home. Like when the babies would fall asleep on his chest.

"Feel like I wanna kiss ya, babe, standin' underneath that mistletoe..." he drawls, and you can see his head turn to try and peer at you behind the curtain. A silent dedication. He'd kiss you all the time if he could.

The crowd claps in time with the beat. You can see the gleams of painted nails and rings, silver bracelets, and leather arm cuffs glinting in the light of the first three rows. There was an air of genuine surprise that the crowd was singing the lyrics with them, but the holidays infect everyone. Even 'god damn delinquents', as put so delicately by the venues owner.

"Sure did treat me nice, said you bought me all those presents, and I feel like I'm in paradise..."

And overwhelming wave of nostalgia hits you as they reach the music breakdown, remembering what it was like before the kids were born. How things felt before you got married. You'd wait in his dressing room, watching the feedback on the TV in the corner, eating the snacks and drinking the champagne he'd get for you on his rider. He'd come back at the end of the show, dripping in sweat, vibrating from all the coke, chugging a bottle of Jack Daniels.

The grizziliness of him was so fucking hot at the time he didn't even have to ask you to bend over the couch. He'd rail into you so hard you could barely breathe, hand entwined in your hair, dampening your shirt when he pressed you against his slick chest.

"Been thinkin' about you all night. This tight fucking pussy," he'd grunt, whiskey might as well have been seeping out of his pores. But he was so different now. So straightened up. So present.

He was clean long before the twins were born, but something changed in him when they came. He was so alive again. Just so fucking happy to be there.

"Please give another round of applause for our brass band over here!" Eddie's announcement sends you right back to reality. The crowds cheers scream through the venue again and you instinctively cover your ears. You watch the brass band wave and bow, stepping down off the platform off the stage while the rest of the band hypes them up.

"That was fun, wasn't it folks?" Eddie asks, "So I guess we'll get back to--"

You're confused at the sudden shrill of shrieks from the crowd.

"Oh, you guys know Van? He's our new guitarist -- this is actually Jeff's last show," you hear Eddie's laugh boom over the speakers. You look down to the horror of only seeing one child next to you, who is now off her chair and inching towards the stage.

"You wanna play a chord, buddy?" you hear Jeff's voice say, the crowd cheers again. You look up at one of the screens, Van perched in his uncle Jeff's arms while he leans down to strum the strings. The crowd whoops and giggles while Jeff puts his hand over Van's tiny one and helps him play a real chord. Eddie claps, eyes shining with pride, the crowd goes absolutely insane- Van! Van! Van! Van! Your son hides, embarrassed at the attention -- always one to be shy, burying himself in the crook of Jeff's neck.

"Violet baby, come here," you coo over to her, taking a step. But that step makes her book it -- and god are they fast at 3, "Shit, fuck."

"Oh-ho-ho, wow, my little lady of the hour," Eddie laughs while she runs right into his legs, knocking herself to the ground softly, "You've all met Violet, right?"

You watch him pick her up, her soft and excited, "Daddy -- Santa!" echos through the stadium.

"Hi, baby! That's right, daddy looks like Santa!" he parentese's excitedly, placing her on his hip. He looks over his shoulder to see you crouched down, tip toe-ing quickly across the stage mouthing a guilt 'sorry' his way. He grins expectantly, his perfect show girl in her stretch pants and sweatshirt. Her clean white sneakers. "There she is -- I'm sure you folks know the wife."

You wince at first and then wave while the crowd thunders at the sight of you hurrying over to Jeff to scoop up Van. Your eyes squint against the lights, the only thing you can see in the crowd are the little flames from lighters being waved by fans. The venue shakes at their applause and you're almost embarrassed by the attention -- but not too much. What's this but another red carpet? The only difference is that you never go on stage -- the last time being just after you got married so Eddie could gush about his 'for real this time' wife.

"Mama," Van whined, hands outstretched and grabby over Jeff's shoulder while he climbs into your chest. You hoist him up to make room for Violet who at first, doesn't want to go, making Ed so close to cancelling the rest of the show to cuddle her before you're finally able to wrench her out of his arms. Their heads bobble with their headphones on, snuggling up against you.

You turn to leave, but he taps you on the shoulder, still speaking into the mic, "You forgetting something?"

You look at him confused, you have both babies with you, "What?"

"You gotta pay the toll, baby," he shrugs, his smug grin making you blush. The crowd roars, they love when he's a little bit of a bastard. He looks you over, tongue running over the inside of his cheek, "Can't let you go without paying the toll."

You let out an audible sigh, facial expression playing to the cheap seats so everyone knows just how fake exasperated you are with him. You lean in and his kiss is lewd and wet over the twin's heads, the clicks of spit sounding over the speakers. He scrunches his nose at you when he breaks away, a boyish blush blooms on his cheeks.

"Thank you," he smiles, "You're free to go."

"Okay babies, you gotta wave bye to daddy's friends!" you say softly to Van and Vi as they look at the crowd.

"Say bye-bye," Eddie says gently, mimicking a wave so they'll copy. They wave over your shoulder while you walk back stage, sitting down on the fold up chairs with them both on your lap.

"Alright folks, sorry for the cutest interruption you'll ever see in your life," he says to the crowd, "And I know outside of friends and family, Christmas is about y'know -- the Lord. So in honor of the birth of Christ I'd like to introduce this next song..."

Two incredibly face melting riffs play simultaneously.

"We call it, 'Your Mother Sucks Cocks in Hell'."

You roll your eyes as the music starts, but on the bright side the twins are finally starting to nod off to sleep.

[90percentstudios]

an update on bringing ckc to google play

this is partially a rant and partially an update on how porting ckc has been, ((it's probably very boring so feel free to read the tldr)). after having gotten the entire pa series on the platform i thought this'd go smoother, but i guess i was wrong. every time we submitted the game for review we were notified of an issue (which is fair, google's got policies and standards and whatnot, that's okay, and these were very fixable, albeit, required a lot of guessing and checking given how vague the issue notifications were, i'm just frustrated with the last issue):

issue 1: inaccurate target audience. google play presumed the game was for kids for two reasons: "animated characters in the app icon" and "multiple references to keywords related to children" in the app description. which means can't have cody in the icon (i tried a few different versions of the icon where i tried to make him look less toony, but had to resort to using the ckc logo because it seemed google just wasn't having it, though it's hard to tell with how vague their emails were). i also removed as many instances of the word "kid" as possible (so yup, can't talk about cool kids in the app description). thankfully they didn't make me change the game's name too. after a few resubmissions they've notified us of a new issue.

issue 2: violation of misleading claims policy. okay this was my bad, the changed icon was reflected in the google play store but not the app itself. fixed this real quick, and then they hit me with another warning.

issue 3: violation of broken functionality policy, "app installs but doesn't load". the game does load on every testing environment we use, on our own phones, we can make in-app purchases and everything. we kinda saw this coming though since we were issued this warning with all the purrfect apawcalypse games. a lot of other devs who use renpy have also complained about this. andy and i are pretty convinced this is an issue on google's end, but no matter how much pestering the renpy community does it seems like google's not interested in trying to work with us to fix this. purrfect apawcalypse seemed to be approved randomly after spamming submissions, so we kind of assume something about google's testing environment depends on... what tester you got? the time of day you submit? the freakin' weather? we planned to submit ckc for review again until:

issue 4: violation of enforcement process policy. app status: "suspended". yup, hours after getting an email about issue #3, cool kid cody got suspended because of "repeated app rejections". surprising, given we submitted ckc a total of 7 times, which i just didn't think was a lot given the dozens of times we submitted purrfect apawcalypse.

there was no heads up from google, no "you've got 1 submission left", no real back and forth with a human, which i guess is to be expected from the giant machine that is google but man, i would've loved if someone emailed us saying "HEY DUMBASS, you keep submitting this game but we have an issue with THIS part specifically, this word here, this part of the image here", instead of the same "app installs, but doesn't load" vague bs. give us something to help us fix the issue. i'm happy to fix it, just give me a logcat or something damn.

anyway, all this is to say i'm pretty disappointed with this whole process. i've submitted an appeal and if that doesn't work then at least google told us "you can submit an updated, policy compliant app using a new package name and a new app name". (so i guess we might have to change the app's name anyway? who knows). what's sad is this game was so ready, and why was this an issue with ckc but not pa? maaaaaaaaan.

tldr: we're having trouble getting cool kid cody on google play, we put in an appeal but there's just no knowing when ckc will be approved if ever.