#no one not even Moomin can stop us now

[witch-craft-works]

Ok so can I rant a bit? You know that pretty cure reviewer AzenZone right? he's been around since 2011 and has done reviews for Kamen rider, Ojamajo Doremi, Symphogear and other shows but he's most known for his reviews on Pretty Cure.

Anyways I used to watch him for a while, I got into his reviews during KiraKira's run as there was no way for me to legally watch the seasons so he was the main channel I turned to for my Pretty Cure content and was a fan for a while. I think I stopped watching his stuff during Tropical Rouge's run as I wasn't a big fan of that season so I stopped watching him and picked up again the following year for Delicious Party and holy shit...that guy is REALLY negative.

Look there's nothing wrong with not liking a particular season my least favorites are Tropical Rouge and Happiness charge, we all have our own options but the more I watched his DP reviews it felt like I was watching a smear campaign for the season especially towards Yui. The guy's hate for her is on the same level as a fruits baskets fans' hate towards Akito and mind you Akito is a literal abuser. The guy legality acts like Yui destroyed his prized Kamen Rider collection.

I kind of realized that this wasn't the first he's acted like this towards a season he gave Kira Kira and Star Twinkle the same treatment during their run time. He treated them like they were the worst seasons to come out of the series and half the time it seems like he doesn't even like pretty cure. He even dropped Wonderful (which is a blessing ngl) only doing shorts because there was no physical combat against the animals and because he doesn't like Iroha and Komugi.

Now there's nothing wrong preferring the Cat-duo over the Dog-duo but he disregards the two and said that "the fact that Yuki was the one that suggested they do a four person role call rather then either one of the dog pair really highlights how much these two have become an after thought" the whole point of Yuki suggesting they do the role call is showing her growth from not wanting to work with the Dog-Duo to her learning how to work with others that aren't Mayu. He just complete dismisses them because he doesn't like them and prefers Yuki and Mayu.

Also I think he's made a few sex jokes about Sora and Mashiro which is gross they're canonically 14 years old. Called Tubasa gay for the way he reacted to a fan letter...the letter was written by a preschooler. And was just weird when it came to Ageha.

But that aside I think his main issue when it comes to Pretty Cure is that if a season doesn't go in the direction he wants it to he calls it a "bad season" and writes it off. At the end of the day Pretty Cure is a show catered to little kids. I'm not saying that just because it's a kids show it has to be dumbed down for them as you can have really great story telling look at Sophia the first, Heartcatch, the Moomins, Craig of the Creek, Gravity Falls and the Curious George movies.

Anyways please don't send hate to the guy, like I said we're all entitled to our own opinions. I just don't agree with his and that's fine

Anyways thanks for coming to my rant. I hope he doesn't cover Princess Orchestra but knowing him he probably will

[flowerbloom-arts]

(this is a reupload of a an ask post that is """mysteriously""" not showing up on my or other people's dashes. The following post exposes the truth about Moominpappa, and after many attempts at reuploading this with screenshots of the post and with the images I used I found that it's the screenshots that are causing problems. The people must know the truth of Moominpappa's lies, and I shall stop at no end to try and educate people on the web of lies that Moominpappa from Tanoshii Muumin Ikka 1991 is created for himself. Tumblr and its agenda to keep 90s Moominpappa's dignity in tact shall not dissuade me any more! Book Moominpappa would be APPALLED BY SUCH SHAMELESSNESS!)

-

@helshdy asked:

Sorry if this is obvious but how did they retcon the moominpappa backstory? Do Hodgkins, Joxter, Muddler, and Fuzzy just straight up not exist?

-

Okay so like... let's start with the stuff the episodes actually tell us.

There's one episode where the Moomin family (Sniff, My and Snorkmaiden included) get invited to Aunt Jane's mansion, which is pretty cool to see tbh, we finally get to see what her living situation is (she doesn't even have a housekeeping staff, she's so goddamn lonely)

And in one scene the kids are cleaning a room and they happen upon a photo album, and the album features... a younger Moominpappa living with Aunt Jane at what appears to be a summer house....

[INSERT SCREENSHOTS OF AUNT JANE'S PHOTO ALBUM]

Now, this is an odd discrepancy that goes unquestioned by the kids but it's not unreconcilable with Adventures of Moominpappa, maybe this is just one childhood summer Moominpappa deliberately left out of his story because it didn't contribute to his story and he doesn't like Jane. That's a minor enough piece of lore to make it make sense.

But then there's Return To Childhood, the episode with Wimsy.

After a mishap with the kids except Moomintroll mistaking Wimsy for an intruder, Wimsy and Moominpappa explain the history of their friendship to everyone, and what they say is uhhhh... (checks notes)

Moominpappa would constantly change schools in his childhood and then he and Wimsy were dormmates at the last school he went to.

...

Now that completely throws AoMP out the window.

We also have real tangible proof of this in the episode, Moominpappa and Wimsy try going on a little adventure together and they come across their old school, it even has the initials they carved on a tree and the same principal is still running the school (AND DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE FILLYJONK PRINCIPAL).

[INSERT SCREENSHOTS OF MOOMINPAPPA AND WIMSY'S INITIALS ON A TREE AND THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL]

And based on the kids that currently attend the school it seems that this is a an elementary/middle school?

[INSERT SCREENSHOTS OF THE PRINCIPAL SURROUNDED BY A GROUP OF COSTUMED STUDENTS]

(they're wearing costumes for a festival here)

And that's like. Woah. Holy crap??? Moominpappa like...... actually lied to us. ATLEAST about the majority of his life. And of course the kids don't question this because of Bad Writing BUT WE KNOW NOW.

Though, with all of this I'd have to backpedal and say that Edward the Booble as he was does in fact exist, there's an episode where the characters get Edward so they can use his tears to heal a mermaid tail, although he doesn't seem... quite as big as he was in AoMP (it could just be the animator's horrendous inability to be on model but this is beside the point)

The Ghost, is also real, we all saw him in the Dame Elaine episode didn't we. It's undeniably him, it has all the references we need without a shadow of a doubt despite the very different appearance between that episode and AoMP.

Allegedly he still lived on the island the Oshun Oxtra were on (but we could also argue that it wasn't necessarily that particular island, or it could mean that Moominpappa did in fact go to That island but the events didn't transpire the way MP said they did)

The fact Moominpappa is lying about his backstory could also explain his utter lack of familiarity with Mymblemamma despite his claims of having been friends with her in his youth (allegedly in the Japanese dub MP didn't actually say she was Little My's mother and that she was just another lookalike like the rest of the parents, but also allegedly in the Finnish dub he did say she was her mom, so which is it??) and we can't chalk it up to the show's lack of continuity because based on the Dame Elaine episode the show was perfectly capable of having continuity that adheres to MP's Memoirs even before they actually adapted it. (Both Dame Elaine and Moomin Builds a House were episodes before AoMP part 1)

And the most damning thing about this whole thing is that if you actually watch the AoMP episodes, Moominmamma explicitly had no way to call Moominpappa out on this, she explicitly doesn't know what his backstory was pre-meeting him. "But surely she'd point something out if she didn't know who the Oshun Oxtra was" WE DON'T KNOW IF SHE'D KNOW, SHE WAS LITERALLY OUT OF THE ROOM WHILE MOOMINPAPPA DESCRIBED THEIR MEETING, AND SHE OBVIOUSLY WASN'T HEARING WHAT MOOMINPAPPA WAS SAYING OR WHAT THE KIDS WERE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE SHE WAS CONFUSED ABOUT THE KIDS STARING AT HER IN DISBELIEF.

IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW

MOOMINPAPPA IS JUST A BAD STORYTELLER AND I DON'T HAVE TO ACCEPT THE UTTER LACK OF CHARACTERIZATION AS REAL

IT'S ALL A LIE

JOXTER AND MUDDLER WERE PROBABLY OLD SCHOOLMATES FROM ONE OF HIS SCHOOLS AND THE REASON WHY THEY WERE LOOKALIKES AND PARENTS WERE BECAUSE HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY KNOW THAT THEY HAD KIDS

WOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

[fizzingwizard]

Played the Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley demo

teehee will the real Snufkin please stand up??

First of all the art and music are so gorgeous. The watercolor effect and paper texture are enchanting. I felt soothed just watching the intro. It's very moomin-y and made me remember how I felt when I first discovered the books. When you walk through puddles, there's the sound of splashing water, and when you cross a log bridge, it sounds like hollow wood. Ideal vibe.

I did try *cough* to jump off the cliffs and stuff... but no, you can't kill yourself in this game, bahahaha. Unsurprising but Idk I've played Sims too long and "how can I kill everyone" has become my modus operandi. Not even Moomins are safe.

You pretty much just use space bar, S, and A, so playing was easy. I encountered some trouble when jumping at times, but Idk if that was jumps being glitchy or just me still getting the hang of it.

Snufkin in this is freakishly strong. Able to carry rocks while jumping across a rushing river and push a giant boulder around. Superstrength!! But it is a lot of fun, really, running and jumping everywhere, climbing things... I got stuck at one point where you have to climb behind a waterfall, because I didn't think you could climb horizontally!

Now this game stars Snufkin, but don't be fooled, it's really a Snufkin roast. You watch Teety-woo (who is leading the tutorial basically) follow Snufkin around getting ignored for ages x'D and he's so complimentary the whole time that it morphs into an insult. The rest of the time, in the name of helping, he does a lot of nothing and you stop feeling bad about ignoring him bahahahaha.

Your "mighty" harmonica x'D has the ability to calm and charm other creatures and make them fall in love with you. I don't care what anyone says, I love this whole music therapy angle. I also like finding inspiration in random bushes. It WAS a bit weird to use the harmonica on this Creep only so he could give me a boost up the cliff lol what was wrong with stacking rocks?

But the harmonica's best use is DEFINITELY hypnotizing birds and then launching them at a target. Who need guns when you have birds?? Seriously this was way too much fun, who knew Looney Tunes humor would be this amusing to me as a full grown adult :P

You get quests, like "rescue all the baby birds." But whenever you feel like it you can fuck off and go fishing for a while. Sorry mama! I didn't notice any game-related effect from it, like catching actual fish. So idk if that's the way it's meant to be, for relaxing, or if I'm just stupid.

I was a little confused when I got like three quests and didn't see how I'd made any progress on any of them. Then all of a sudden the mama bird, who says "woo" when she's sad and "teety" when she's happy, led to the completion of the "Find a name" quest. And I love Teety-woo praising the existential beauty of his own name, and then fucking off to pay some bills. The great Snufkin who?? I've got responsibilities!

Oh no... signs! Oh no... a park! Being asked to look after it is pretty funny! But the ensuing complete and total property destruction is even funnier!

Not even kidding, Snufkin demolishes this park. It was really fun! This game isn't hard, but for someone who doesn't play games, it wasn't too mindlessly simple for me either. I enjoyed dodging the park keepers, launching birds at their heads, and yeeting signs into oblivion.

And we end with the discovery that Moominvalley has dried up and Moomintroll is nowhere to be found! An excellent prologue. I'm definitely looking forward to this game. I like the idea of a game that has both relaxing elements and more energetic ones without being too terribly kiddie (of course it's perfect for kids, I'm just saying, as an adult, I wasn't bored), as well as one that is whimsical and silly without losing emotional depth, with manageable, personal stakes. The demo definitely didn't take me very long to get through and I have no idea how long the full game will be. But long or short, the story seems promising.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Hey, you posted a swedubbed Sailor Moon clip a while ago. I was wondering, did they ever dub Sailor Moon S (third season)? Cause I can only find clips from the first two.

Yes, they only dubbed and aired the first 2 seasons of Sailor Moon.

Now, this was not at all due to the third season having the lesbians, and if they aired it they would not have done weird censorships like making them cousins, nor that they thought the show was "too violent". The first two seasons were not censored at all and were translated correctly, so I am certain it would be the same if they dubbed more. Rather, they simply had some troubles buying the rights to the rest of the anime.

This is at least what the one who was responsible for buying the rights said. But many people think that the ones who did the dub simply didn't like the show personally and just didn't want to dub more. The show WAS very popular, I have read that when it originally aired, practically every child knew about it. But the channel didn't care because they personally didn't like the anime that much and thought it was weird.

So, we could trust the one actually responsible for buying the rights to dub, or we can trust the fans who speculate another reason. Maybe the ones who watched it when it originally aired just felt more betrayed that there weren't more seasons they could see, when other countries got more seasons.

And like... it could be that they simply had trouble with the licensing to dub more seasons, but considering the history of anime releases in Sweden... back in the 80s, another person tried to get television to air some animes, and their immediate reactions were "uuuhhh no thanks we don't really understand that japanese animated stuff it looks weird", which caused them to have to release all the animes on vhs, with a much smaller budget, around 5 people doing all the voices. And those animes released on vhs in the 80s, also got very popular among the kids that got their hands on them, and have gotten a cult following. It wasn't until the 90s that they started airing animes on tv, and the biggest one was the Moomins. And then, it wasn't because it was an anime, but because it was the moomins, so it was not even treated as an "anime" but simply just "this new animated show about the Moomins!!"

I do however know that, the reason they decided to air Sailor Moon is because they thought it was a lack of kids shows about powerful girls at the time. But, I have also heard of an interview with one of the swedish voice actresses in Sailor Moon (I think the woman dubbing Sailor Mercury), and she was like "I have heard a lot of people loving my work in that show, but tbh, most of us didn't understand anything that was happening, we thought it was really weird. So we met in the corridor in-between takes and were like "'what even is this'" (now, this voice actress was still very happy that people loved her dubbing work, she simply talked about how she felt about it at the time of dubbing Sailor Moon). I have also heard that, a lot of parents at the time did think the show was "odd" and were a bit judgmental about it simply because it was from Japan...

So what I've felt like is that, especially before the 2000s (by the 00s they started airing some more animes than before), the animes that came out in Sweden were very popular by the kids, while many adults were more judgmental and weirded out by it. And this is why many people can believe that the channel stopped buying the rights to dub more because they themselves didn't like it. But, we can also believe the one who actually was responsible who said that "we just had trouble getting the rights".

Maybe both of these are true at the same time! I don't know!

It should also be said that I was born in the 00s, and thus missed the original airing of Sailor Moon, and was way too young to remember it airing as re-runs in the 00s (my parents actually said my sister used to watch Sailor Moon on TV when she was like 1 though??? lmao) - and thus, someone who was born in a year to remember when it aired in Sweden may have some better info than me (I simply am a kids show guru who researches everything and anything people are nostalgic about, even when I didn't grow up with it myself)

The closest we got to a swedish dub of the later Sailor Moon seasons, is a parody dub series on youtube. There is a guy that has parody dubbed EVERY SINGLE SAILOR MOON EPISODE, and he's about to finish Super S right now. It's a TREAT, let me tell you. It's called "Sailor Muu", he does all the voices himself and he's renamed all the characters in funny ways. Usagi is named "Usacow" and thus Chibiusa is names "Usakalv" ("kalv" is calf in swedish). Rei is called "Rave" and everyone mistakes her for talking about an actual rave party. Etc etc. I think he's done english subtitles for some episodes, but not all. If you know swedish, definitely check it out, it's so goddamn funny.

[amethyst-marie368]

Chapter 5: Midnight Violin - "When Spring Comes, We'll Meet Again" (1 Drawing!)

[Le Cygne (The Swan) By Saint-Saëns]

⧫ ⧫ ⧫ Snufkin POV ⧫ ⧫ ⧫

I quickly reached my destination, and I could spot a blurry figure between the trees. They stood in the shining rays of the moon. The secluded performance outweighed any public one. 

I placed a hand over my cloak pocket where my harmonica lay. Running the tips of my fingers over the opening, I finally reached in. Its cold metallic top sent shivers up my spine.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

⧫ ⧫ ⧫ Rauna POV: A couple minutes prior ⧫ ⧫ ⧫

Playing my violin, I snapped back into my surroundings. There was a rustle of a bush nearby. 

Who is it? An animal? Whatever it was, it came closer. It didn’t feel like an animal. Who would be awake right now? It couldn’t be Snufkin, could it? I mean…he didn’t return to the campsite and did hear that he likes taking night walks. 

The presence stopped, not coming any closer. Hidden in the shadows of the trees. I was confident from the feeling the silent figure gave that it was Snufkin. A quiet, self-assured presence. I continued to play, curious about what he’d do. Will he leave? Or stay? Would we talk? Or will he listen to me play and pretend he never saw me here?

Notes of a harmonica slowly joined me, traveling through the gentle breeze through the trees. It filled me with encouragement, and a warmth grew in me. I smiled. We played together till the end, something that I didn’t do.

Lowering my violin from my shoulder, I looked in his direction. Still smiling from our secluded duo performance, I called out.

“Are you going to leave like I did that day? Wouldn’t you like to join me here? The moonlight is stunning.” Other than the sound of the forest, there was nothing. Snufkin silently appeared from the cover of the trees. Satisfied, I turned, packing away my instrument. Even without looking, I could feel and hear Snufkin draw near.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

“You didn’t tell me you could play an instrument.” He spoke softly. We sat on the large rock together.

“And you,” I replied, “didn’t tell me you like moonlit walks.” Why can’t I stop smiling? It’s strange how comfortable I am with him. It’s nice talking with him. I like this feeling. I met his eyes, and he smiled.

“I’m curious, Rauna. Why didn’t you tell me you were the one who played the duet with me that morning?” He looked up at the moon. “You knew it was me, and Moomin didn’t really keep my harmonica playing a secret.” He joked.

I laughed, “true. I think it’s one of the first things I heard from Moomin when I got here. And constantly after… He always praises your harmonica playing. You can tell he admires you.” I leaned back, ignoring his gaze, slightly evading the real question.

We sat in silence, feeling the cool breeze on our skin. The moonlight shone down on us. He waited for me.

[Moonlit Scene (My Pinterest Link)]

“I don’t know why.” I confessed. “I felt like…that I didn’t need to say anything. And,” I looked at Snufkin. “I hope this doesn’t sound terrible, but- I was a little curious too. Of when you’d realize it was me.” A nervous chuckle escaped my lips. “Didn’t take too long, I hope?” 

Snufkin hummed, taking in my rambling while I discreetly twisted my fingers. I was starting to feel guilty.

I tilted into him, forcing his gaze on me. “...I’m sorry.” I apologized. Maybe I should’ve told him sooner. I don’t want to lose this friendship with Snufkin.

“What for?” Snufkin asked, bewildered. I frowned.

“You’re not upset with me? I should’ve told you sooner.” I answered honestly.

“Rauna, I’m not upset. I asked because I was curious. The mystery was killing me. Don’t worry. I don’t hold grudges against my friends.” 

I smiled. “Sorry, waiting to find out was hard, right?” 

Snufkin chuckled. “Yeah. But I’m happy it was you. The one who owns that violin.” He said, glancing down at my case. 

I looked down at it. “You know…you’re the first person at Moominvalley to hear and know that I play.”

“Really?” He observed the case closely. “Ah, I see. It doesn’t look like your typical instrument case.”

“That’s right. But it does its job great,” I gently patted the old case. After so many years, it had countless scratches and even a few dents. A bit longer, and it might be qualified to be called ugly… It’s cherished and will be, even at that point. It holds my dearest possession, after all. 

I began talking again, an indescribable ache rolling as small waves crashed over my brain noisily. 

“...When I was younger, an elderly villager I knew gifted the violin and case to me." I stared at the moon shining above us. It felt a little difficult to swallow. "I would go to his house as often as I could. When seeing me, he'd work up an appetite," I laughed. "We'd eat together most days, and at night, I'd listen as he played the violin. We both enjoyed the company." 

I swung my foot, kicking my heel into the dirt. "He taught me how to love music. I was curious, and he was kind enough to teach me. He taught me most of what I know today.” I paused.

“After a while, he told me he needed someone to continue his passion once...once he could no longer.” Snufkin just listened. "Without him, I wouldn't have this violin." I ended. 

I left out so many details. He didn’t press for them, but I could tell he wasn’t uninterested per se. The way he listened to my every word, eyes filled with the desire to understand. Even though I knew he was curious to know more, I spoke no longer. 

Unconsciously, I tapped my fingers on my thigh, entranced in the sound of the forest and my mind. We sat in silence.  I've never spoken to others about how I got my violin, especially from whom. Maybe I said too much. I released my held breath shakingly. I couldn’t meet his eyes anymore.

Under his eyes, I was vulnerable now. It felt like a layer had been peeled back from me. That once we met eyes, he’d know. He’d know and understand everything.

“...I should go. We need sleep. The sun will be up soon.” My consciousness consumed me.

I didn’t want to sleep, and I doubted that I would. On the other hand, if I stayed, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. That I’d become someone, something, else. I could feel my blood pulsing in my ears, my fingertips tingling with electricity. I was scared. Scared that I said too much, my mind raced. I need to go. Before something happens. Something? Like what? I didn’t know. But I wasn’t going to stay and find out. Standing, I grabbed my case. I could feel Snufkin’s eyes on the back of my head. I’m sorry, will you understand me? But how can he? When I don’t communicate these inner thoughts to him? No one can read minds.

“Goodnight, Snufkin. Let’s play a duet together again sometime.” I said lightly, throwing a smile over my shoulder. I wonder how fake my smile looked just then. Was it crooked? Was it not even a smile? Maybe a grimace? I should go before I mess this up even more.

“Goodnight. We should let’s do that.” Snufkin, still sitting on the rock, called out his reply to my departing figure.

I swallowed down the emotions in my throat. The slight breeze now irritated my eyes. Images that have seared themselves into my brain reappeared again. I knew I wouldn't sleep tonight.

______________________________________________________________

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[snufkinsnogger]

Sharing with other IRL People is fine, it's great. Let's gush like a couple of teenagers on our see-through house phones. But the Snufmin ship makes me queasy and exhausted and frustrated. Even if it's not the Snuf I selfship with. IDK. It's like... Imagine you're dating a person and everywhere you turn there are people talking about your partner and that time they were with an EX that everybody liked. That's the best way I can think of to explain it. Even though every Snuf is a different Snuf from like, a different universe. Even every canon Snuf isn' even the same Snuf. I hate that this is making it hard to be in the fandom and enjoy it to its full potential. I just hate going into any Moomin space and being bombarded with Snufmin. It's impossible not to be. You simply cannot ask people not to post it. You can't block it because not every place supports blocking keywords (I'm looking at you, Pinterest) I know how the Sasuke and Edward or Jacob and the Harry selfshippers feel. You can't escape it and you can't even use the tools at your disposal to protect yourself. And the most popular artists in the fandom love it and draw it and it adds kindling to the fire. Moominvalley also is throwing some kindling into the fire too. I can't just stop selfshipping though. I can't just turn off this part of me. I can't just not be in the fandom either. I have a small group of friends and even still that feels a bit lonely so cutting myself off entirely just is a bad idea. I'm always trying to get past it. I try a form of Exposure Therapy so that maybe I get desensitized to it. But now and again a super great piece of art comes my way and I just fall back into that hopeless feeling. There are fans who are simps for some of the characters, but I feel sure that I'm the only fan (aside from a friend of mine, also a Snuf selfshipper) who feels this way about it. Everyone I talk to just has fun with it. They're Big Fans but like, casual big fans, you know, Normal Regular People who like a thing. I'm the weird one :T So I can't even really talk about it. I can't make them change how they experience fandom just to suit my sensitive ass. But I'm spending less and less time with them because even in my friend group, I can't escape it. There really isn't a group of people in the fandom who don't care about Snufmin. There's not really a group of people who think that, hey, maybe two guys can be really close and not want to fuck. If there are, IDK who or where they are but I ant to find them. Not because I'm against Snufmin, because I'm not. I'm just...more into the other potentials. It's like I don't hate vanilla, I just like chocolate more.. I don't want people to stop enjoying Vanilla. I just want somewhere I can go where I can talk about Chocolate, or Sherbert, or Mint Chocolate Chip etc. There's just nowhere I can go where Vanilla isn't constantly brought up. Where if I say "Chocolate tastes so good on a waffle cone" somebody won't say "Actually, Vanilla" Like I said, I don't want people to stop enjoying Vanilla, I just want to be able to talk about chocolate and not be talked over or 'corrected', or ignored.

[grass-hunter]

Sharing

Snufkin gets Moomin to share by politely stealing.

Rating: G (fluff)

Relationships: Gen

Word count: 500

AO3 Link

A/N: I have terrible writer's block and it's been so long since I've written. My self-imposed challenge was to write a 500-word fic with the prompt: "That was my favourite cup." I didn't get to wax nearly as poetic as I usually do, but I like how it came out.

“That was my favourite cup.” Moomin manoeuvred his soft snout from the kitchen cabinet and looked at Snufkin from over his shoulder, eyeing the mumrik perched at the table with a mug of tea. His voice was laced not with anger or hurt, but mild surprise, albeit not the happy surprise that the spontaneous Snufkin tended to elicit.

Snufkin eyed him from under his broad hat brim, the smallest upturn of his mouth betraying his gentle amusement. “Indeed, it is.” His hands did not move from their position around Moomintroll’s mug: two hands, fingers interlaced, like a kiwi’s nest around a single porcelain egg.

Ever polite, Moomin said, “May I get you the blue mug, your favourite, so I may have my tea in that mug?”

That seemed quite silly to Snufkin and, though he did not outwardly react, the small beat of silence before Snufkin responded said it all. “Come have tea with me. The blue one is certainly available.”

“But the white is my favourite.”

Snufkin tilted his head inquisitively. “Can it not be a favourite of two people?”

“That goes against the point of a favourite.” Snufkin had a habit of answering questions with questions.

“Ah. But to share a favourite is to share joy.”

Moomin hesitated, about to argue. He knew Snufkin would relent if he pushed – but pulled down the blue mug and busied himself with tea, more sugar, and even more cream.

“Why is it your favourite?” Snufkin asked as Moomin plopped beside him.

Moomin leaned into Snufkin to run a plush finger around the rim of the mug, stopping where a small chip interrupted the smooth edge. “Mama gave me this for my third birthday. The handle is big enough for clumsy paws but it’s sized for a full-grown troll. When you’re that age, you’re so interested in being grown – not old, but grown, you know?”

Snufkin could not relate, having been grown and independent since he knew his father was the Joxter, catlike and wandering and so felicitously self-serving, but could sympathize. He nodded warmly, letting Moomin continue.

“The first time I used it, I was so excited it slipped from my paws and hit the counter. It took a chip right out of it. I was so upset I nearly cried – then Mama said it was unique now. There is only one mug with this exact sort of chip on the rim. It feels special to me, even with the little imperfection.”

Snufkin hummed and imagined the scene playing out. He quite liked the ending of Moomin’s story. “I greatly enjoy imperfect things. In the imperfections are nooks and valleys where stories like those are hidden.”

“I quite enjoyed sharing the story.”

Snufkin canted his head to his friend, making eye contact again. “So you see the joy of sharing a favourite. You shared a piece of yourself.” He paused. “This may be my new favourite mug as well.”

Moomin nodded, feeling warm. “Perhaps I could have two favourites as well.”

[smooth-goat]

🛒✨ ⛔🧐 (I know the answer is YES but I'd love some insight) 🧠 (SNUFKIN)😬

from this post

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics?

Already answered ! 

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

Already answered ! 

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Already answered ! But I will say there was an idea in “acacia & asphodel” that I wrote, decided to scrap, and then after some conversations with Lance, decided to put back in. It’ll come up in a few chapters, and is something I’m Quite Nervous about posting, but I think is another grounded and realistic progression for the story to take that adds more dimension to it

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories? (I know the answer is YES but I'd love some insight) 

DO I? I literally spent like three hours tonight poring over 2018 Illinois legal codes. I have a whole folder dedicated for every one of my fics just for research. I look for All Sorts Of Things. For a&a, I’ve spent a good deal of time learning about immigration and abortion legality and state benefit programs such as EBT (food stamps). 

A lot of the disability stuff I write, I don’t have to specifically research; it’s almost entirely personal experience and research done for personal reasons, except in the case of my Infinity Train fics, where I did quite a bit of research on ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, PCD, and Kartegener Syndrome. 

For various Moomins stories, I’ve also researched Finnish-Swedish political relations, local fish and plants (and their seasonalities), and herbal medicine (which is an online hellscape as a chronically ill person). 

For "Black Cohosh", not only did I research period accurate train routes, but I did so using a Polish-langugae bicycle tournament map. I also studied the proper regional dress in that specific region of Switzerland—big fan of the hats there!—and even the local timber so I could properly describe what would be cheap furniture. It can be a lot sometimes but I really do enjoy it a lot. 

I’m very good at Jeopardy fjxkldsa 

A big thing I always research for the stories set in real places is the local geography! Google Maps is my best friend there, and I’m Constantly looking up local businesses and travel times. For a&a, I can also rely on my memory, but I’ve never been to Flagstaff, AZ or North Branch, MN, so Google Maps was really invaluable for me. Travel time is one of those things I Always think about when watching or reading something, but is so rarely accounted for, so I take a (perhaps disproportionate) amount of pride in always fitting it in. 

I like to start with just a quick google search and some articles, but I very frequently fall down rabbit holes and read academic papers, medical studies, and sometimes whole books. For firsthand experiences, I also like to lurk in social media spaces such as different tumblr tags, or watching youtube videos, and reading old forums and blogs—that’s how you can see a variety of unfiltered Individual experiences. 

Every once in a while, though, I get way too far into something that not only doesn’t matter that much but Also doesn’t interest me (hello, US-Finland tax treaties) and have to force myself to Stop.  

🧠 Pick a character, and I’ll tell you my favorite headcanon for them

I always have a hard time with favorite, so I’ll just discuss a few I like. 

Obviously, Snufkin Cripple King. His disabled vibes are off the charts. And we Know he is trans. That’s not even a headcanon to me; trans snufkin is just Canon in my head and my heart. 

 Big one for me is casual sex? Stopping in different towns for supplies he can’t get himself (medicines, tobacco, sewing supplies, etc), meeting someone, and spending a little time with them. It’s part adventure, part danger, and part a genuine seeking for human connection. He’s not good at talking to people. He’s not good at opening up. But he also craves connection, and this is a way that has a pretty set social script, is low stakes in his mind (will never see these people again), and doesn’t require him to converse much. He’s not comfortable with vulnerability, but he’s very comfortable with persona. And that’s key. There’s a certain Expectation from others when you’re seen as someone who is sexually available, as a mymble is seen. And anything you do is interpreted through this framework. And it’s very easy, especially for someone like Snufkin—a very reactive, fairly passive character—to go along with this. Is it good sex? Emphatically not. That actually requires communication. You don’t need love for good sex, but you Do need some basic conversation happening. And that conversation is not happening with Snufkin in a tryst. He is just like this the whole time: 

[alt text: the tbh creature, cropped just to show the eyes. Image is tinted red, referencing the obama "then perish" meme]

No you haven’t found the clit. No, he’s not going to tell you that. Also no, he’s not going to fake anything. He’s just going to send psychic messages and hope you notice or at least get bored and give up/move on. 

😬Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon? 

Probably “acacia & asphodel” ! Jfadsl; idk I think making the modern AU (which I put in a setting—time and place—pretty clearly drawing on personal experiences), and also the subject matter, of teen pregnancy, the relations between sex and disability, about uncertain Jewish identity, and also some stuff that I’m going to put in later…. It’s a piece that I’m really proud of, but Also one that I think would just be a Little Too Revealing for people who knew me irl. 

[moominpapasfanficblog]

Titania Moves In

On being a welcoming community

On the first day of Spring, Moomin, Tayberry, Little My and their friends quickly gathered together as soon as possible after the extremely hearty breakfast that everyone in Moominvalley indulged in immediately after awakening from hibernation and headed for the castle of the Moomin King looking to hold the first game of tag of the year. As they gathered together in the open field that surrounded the castle, their enthusiasm was somewhat dampened by the news of Boyle’s decision to stay permanently in Tornio. Bristol and Auguste could not disguise their sadness as they read the letter from Boyle describing his Winter adventures in Tornio that they had found in their mailbox upon waking up. They were torn between sharing their brother’s happiness in his decision and missing him deeply. But, they were determined to enjoy their first Spring game as much as possible. Everyone commiserated with Bristol and Auguste and agreed that the first game of Spring would be the perfect antidote to their sadness.

As they approached the castle they immediately saw that it had changed radically. It was no longer a ghost castle. They smelled the water in moat for the first time. It was real. The wall surrounding the central keep was no longer slightly translucent. It was clearly solid stone. They tentatively walked towards the drawbridge across the moat, their eyes wide with surprise. Little My’s eyes turned steely with determination. She jumped boldly onto the drawbridge and stamped on it. The massive beams of the drawbridge reverberated slightly. Like the rest of the castle, it was now entirely real. She turned to the others, a very familiar wide, mischievous grin on her face.

“Come on all you chickens! Let’s find out what’s going on! This is going to be seriously fun!”, she said.

Everyone else immediately rose to Little My’s dare and ran across the drawbridge and into the courtyard. They were greeted by several of the Moomin Knights, who looked more solemn and serious than usual. They were still ghosts, which was comforting. Sir George was the first to speak.

“Welcome dear Squires! We are under orders to await your arrival. You are to be brought before the new sovereign of our keep and our order, Queen Titania, immediately.”, he said.

“QUEEN TITANIA?!”, Little My and all the others said as one, in intense surprise. Their minds went back to their first meeting with King Oberon and his court after he cast a spell of laziness over all of Moominvalley and Alicia sent them to try to stop him.

“Well, apart from the castle becoming real, nothing else weird has happened….yet. Maybe this is a good thing? After all, Titania did seem to be on our side the last time.”, said Moomin, trying to sound as optimistic as possible.

They made their way down the hallways leading to the throne room slowly, taking in all the suddenly solid and fully real sights as they walked.

“You realize that we can use the staircases and get to the upper floors now! Hide and seek and tag are going to be a lot more fun in here now!”, Said Auguste.

“If Queen Titania lets us.”, said Tayberry.

They entered the throne room and the first thing they saw was Queen Titania and King Oberon on the thrones that had belonged to King and Queen Moomin. All the rest of the royal court were in attendance, including the former monarchs of the castle, who were looking extremely uncomfortable. As soon as Little My and the youngsters entered everyone in the room turned to the new King and Queen and bowed deeply. Even Little My instinctively followed suit.

“Welcome honorable guests!”, said Titania, “We are most pleased to see thee again! We appreciate the service thou didst render unto us the first time we met and we look forward to thou serving us in protecting the peace of thy idyllic community from now on!”

“So that’s what she’s here for!”, Little My whispered in Moomin’s ear, “How do we get her to go away?”

“We don’t. Everyone is welcome in Moominvalley! They’re no different from any other visitors.”, whispered Moomin firmly, “As Snufkin would say, we’ll corrupt her to the Moomin way of life. We’ll show her and Oberon the best of Moominvalley’s hospitality, invite them to our most relaxing activities, teach them all of our games. We’ll start with a big welcoming tea party here in the castle.”

“A tea party?!”, said Little My, “Will she really go along with it?”

“Your Majesty, we all look forward to serving you! May we hold a grand tea party in your honor here in the castle to welcome you to Moominvalley? It will give you a chance to meet all of your new subjects!”, Moomin asked Titania in their most clear voice.

“We are most pleased by thy suggestion! Please proceed. Take all the time thou dost need! Feel free to enlist the help of the castle servants! We look forward to thy welcoming party!”, said Titania.

Little My and the others bowed deeply and respectfully and gradually left the throne room. Little My still looked doubtful.

“This is a really boring plan. A tea party won’t be nearly as fun as a rebellion!”, she said.

“Titania may be much more powerful than us, but she doesn’t realize that she’s outnumbered and that we plan to overcome her with kindness, not violence. The most important ally we can get as we prepare for the party is King Oberon. You may not have noticed, but he doesn’t look at all thrilled to be here. He’s already inclined towards the Moomin way of life. He’ll be a big help in bringing Titania around. You enjoy being sneaky, don’t you?! You can be the one to bring Oberon in on our plan. You’ll have to be extremely careful, so that Titania doesn’t notice what you’re doing.”, said Moomin.

“Now you’re talking! I’m in!”, said Little My.

To Be Continued

[engbergeurovacay23]

On Friday, we decided to take advantage of having the rental car until 3:00 p.m., which is when we believed the rental car location in the city center closed. We decided we were going to drive about 35 minutes east of Helsinki to a town of 50,000 people: Porvoo. Our drive was relatively uneventful, though I meant to mention before that our Skoda is a standard transmission and even though that is all Eric drove until a few years ago, it did take him a little bit of time to get used to it again. I can tell you, now that we returned the car, he did not stall once 👍

Once we arrived to Porvoo, we noticed that there appeared to be a small ski area at the edge of the town, which was a seaside town with very cute old-style homes. From reading a little bit about Porvoo, it does have a significant Swedish-speaking population. Some towns in Finland still do, and some don't hit all. Tove Jansson (the author of the Moomin books), for example, was a Swedish-speaking Finn. Anyway, as our first stop we checked out the ski area--Kokonniemi. As I mentioned, it was quite small and had one main run down the face of the hill. To the left of that hill was a staircase up, and there were people doing all kinds of fitness-related things, like running up and down the stairs multiple times. Of course my kids and Eric wanted to do just that. I did walk up the 350 steps once and that was plenty for me 😆

We noticed to the left of the stairs that there was mountain biking, a ropes course, and a zipline. Once we went back down to the base, we inquired about the zipline. The people were super nice, and we apologized for our exceedingly enthusiastic and loud American children, and I said, "do you see many American children here?" And they said that they see some. I said, "Are any of them as loud as these children?" And they said that they've seen louder. That made me somewhat relieved.

To do the full, large zipline course, you would need about 3 hours and that was about 2 hours more than we had. So we did the children's ropes course and zipline and the kids got all helmeted, harnessed, and geared up for that and spent over an hour, part of it in rain that was absolutely pouring; they climbed on the ropes course and Cece got one bad rope burn in the process. They both loved the zipline, sometimes goinf side-by-side (there were two lines), together, holding hands. They had so much fun. Eric noticed that there were tons of mosquitoes, so that wasn't ideal, and the kids have both been itching away the after-effects of that since, though it isn't too bad. Those mosquitoes just can't compete with Michigan mosquitoes 😆

The kids were contented to finish up after their hour and then we drove and parked in the city center of the small town and walked to the historic 18th century church, through the cobblestone streets. We went to a K Supermarket, and this one was massive and potentially could compete with Tokmanni, because the whole second floor was all home goods and paper goods and it seemed amazing, if I'd had more time to shop! But, we got some lunch-time snacks and then we realized we really had to rush in order to get back by the three o'clock Budget rental car deadline! Actually, when we got into the car we realized that we weren't going to make that deadline. So I looked up the phone number, and in doing so, I realized that they actually closed at 5:00. Whew.

We drove back to Helsinki in a little bit of rain. We returned the car and then walked back to our apartment and stopped at a playground that the kids loved from last year; it features this crazy teeter-totter-ing, bouncing, spinning structure. I wanted to go on a few stops myself, one of them to the Postie, their post office, because I discovered I could ship a box for about 40 euros that contained all of the fabric and kids clothes that we purchased. That way we could still return home with just carry-on luggage in case we could do a standby for an earlier flight to Albuquerque on Sunday. That is what we're hoping to do! So, I went to the Posti and got a box and all the information about setting up the shipment online. Once we got back to the Airbnb, I did indeed set up the shipment online and it was pretty straightforward.

Then, I'd wanted it all of us to go to a restaurant I'd read about, basically on our block, called The Seahorse. It's apparently something of a Helsinki institution (since 1934!), famous with --as the website says --the man on the street as well as local politicians and celebrities. Diverse international celebrities have also paid it a visit over the last almost 90 years, including Jean-Paul Sartre, and I've always been a big fan of that guy's, so after learning that, we just had to go.

No, Eric isn't a huge fan of "fancy" restaurants, and this one was not necessarily super "fancy," but going there did push him a bit out of his comfort zone. I did book a reservation online, but when we showed up they didn't have it, but we got the last table they had, in the front dining room, rather than in the back, more-busy one. If we'd known what any Finnish politicians looked like, that would have been the place to spot them. Entering into that dining room, there was a "no photographs" sign (just like Honest John's in Detroit used to have!). Anywhere there are "no photographs" signs, you know some real camera-shy people might be in attendance ;)

Dinner was a fun treat for sure. I got something called a "Vegetarian Wallenberg," which is basically a vegetable patty, and it was sitting on top of a mound of mashed potatoes, edged with lingonberries. It was very delicious! Eric got perch, Rowan got meatballs, and Cece got Salmon. Rowan's meal came with a desert, which was frozen cranberries in toffee sauce, and we all shared that--and it was amazing.

After dinner, everyone was tired. Eric conked out right away and once I got the kids to bed, I thought they also conked out, but Cece came into the kitchen about 45 minutes after I'd put her to bed, and then, the next morning, Rowan told me he was up at 4:30 a.m. and did not sleep well all night! Now, it does appear that he is the one with some kind of ailment, when a few days ago, it seemed that Cece had something!

Once or two more vacay posts to go! I will report on our last day in Helsinki, Saturday, and perhaps our flights home on Sunday! The day after we arrive home, we will be getting our Bedlington Terrier puppy, Alex Sándor Engberg. How we arrived at this name is a huge, long story, but if I told it to you and you saw how thrilled the kids were with it after many names that Eric and I loved but they didn't, you'd love Alex Sándor, too.

[laptoparmageddon]

Understood.

Out of Context quotes from my dream notes! (By that I mean dialog from dreams) They're separated by the dreams they're from and most context is removed.

"Tag yourself! I'm the crowd dicending into madness."

!

"Where's the brush?" 🤨 O_ O "…." "Well?" 🤨 "It's being borrowed.." "And when can I use the brush?" 🤨 "I'm sorry I'm sorry you can have it back once their done. I owed someone like fiiiiiiive favors and this is like half if em."

!

The friend says "I hope you don't have anything planned later." I reply with "Only my therapy appointments tomorrow."

!

"No one is gonna wanna protag you with a name like that. :/" "Bitch, my name is LOUIS."

!

MC: "Why do you keep trapping people here?"

Labryth: "Because it's fun. And we die. See." Spawns an enemy and it dies in the spikes. "Then we mutate and evolve. You can evolve too."

!

"Why are there so many knives here?"

!

"That wasn't half bad. You know what this needs? Mint!"

!

"After realizing what we've done I... I don't think I can keep doing this anymore."

!

"OK, so you know the hero Red Demon? Well she's kinda evil actually."

!

"WE WORK TOGETHER. TOGETHER TOGETHER TOGETHER YEEEEEAH WOOO WE WIRK EORK TOGETHER YAAAAAAHHH AS A TEEEEAAAM."

!

"If you join my team doc, I can make you soooo powerful! You'll be able to cure ANYTHING!"

!

"I use to watch alot of scary things when I was young. There were some things that scared me enough not to eat or even sleep. But it's not the kind of fear I'm looking for. It was too... primal? Fear without any other emotions behind it. Just within the moment."

!

"It's weird being a mascot. One time, we had to have some lady escorted out of the Moomin lunchin because she kept coming up to me and asking for moon pies. She did this about 50 times asking for 2 or 3 each time."

!

"Sorry, I can't stop him. You should just run. :/"

!

"My brain is getting better at simulating my family."

!

"you know, one of the offices in the cafeteria is compatible with infinitum! We should go there!"

!

"How did you get so good at art?" "My dad left"

!

"Akexa, call the police."

!

"We've made it so far together... we've lost everything together... it's a shame I'll only get to say this one last time... I love you..."

"I love you... I love you I love you I love you!"

"It's a beautiful day today, is it not?"

"indeed it is."

"Don't worry don't worry..." I rub my eyes. "I've just never been this happy before..."

!

"Are you OK? You haven't said a big word in 2 years!"

!

"Xe/her. If you listen to Watermelon, DNI! He fucking sucks!!!!"

!

"You won't get much out if him. He only really communicate through stovetop..."

!

"I'm not really good at mutch except bitting people really hard..." :(

!

"Have you never had to run away like this before?! Do you know how much it hurts? To leave everything you once loved behind? Do you know what you've done? You couldn't assure me I was safe and now... I'll never be safe again..."

!

"If you keep staring at the sun like that, you're gonna burn the retinas out of your eyes"

!

"It's sad, is it not? That no matter how hard we try, life will simply continue. If humanity never evolved think as we do today, something else would have. And it would drive them to madness just as it dose to us today...."

!

Turquoise: "I uh... wasn't paying attention to the teacher. What are we doing again?"

Rune: "Oh, so we gotta take a walk around the block then make something about how it made us feel! We can walk together, or alone but I prefer we walk together."

Turquoise: "Oh! That's where my house use to be! It burnt down unfortunately. Wich is weird because my FIRST house burnt down too. Ah, uh- not that I had anything to do with that. The first one burnt down when I was 3 and this one burnt down after we moved out." Turquoise awkwardly laughs(edited)

!

"How's it going? I'm going to the library because the library here is actually cool! Unlike the new one wich is now apart of infinite Walmart."

"new Finland2 cart! rest of the cargo on a potty break"

"It must take forever to make all these cars huh? I hope they get payed well."

"God fucking damn it. Are we lost? Am I Gonna make it home alive? Is he here?"

!

"I missed being able to walk..."

!

There was a song. "I'm a gay man. (Yeaaah) and I have a husband (woooo!!!) I wouldn't trade him for the worrrld. And I love him so much."

!

"It wAs eeeee officer. I killed All the bAbies...and I found a person wHo-" gets killed

!

"We're so little into this game and I've already messed up."

!

"I find it funny that bye bye! Would have been my last words."

!

"Smolder smolder can't you hold er"

!

"GO AWAY YOU STUPID FREAKS. I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ANYTHING ELSE FROM ME!"

!

"Look, those two are making me really flustered and I don't know what's going on."

!

"Its my houses! Aka the body dumping spot."

"It seems only one character has a full move set."

!

"That went from fake crime to real crime real fucking quick."

!

"Do you remember it? The convention center attop the hill?" Proceeds to get punched "You know what, I deserved that. I'm not even mad! That's like, the 3rd time today!"

!

"OH BOY! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE WONDERS OF THE -4TH FLOOR!"

"SIGNATURE OF DESSE WILL NOT BE PROVIDED. PLEASE DO NOT ASK AGAIN."

!

"Ah...the wonderful library! Hey hey. Its gonna be ok!"

"Breathe in...breathe out....breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...breathe out..."

"Breathe in....breathe out....breathe in......breathe out....."

"See you're gonna be ok! Hey hey. I'll be right back. Just breathe...ok Buttercup?"

!

"Look, I NEED your help. I can't get very far without someone else."

"Man, I feel like a Little big planet character!"

"Guys. GUYS WE GOTTA GO. WE GOTTA GO RIGHT FUCKING NOW GUYS PLEASE"

"HI BOSS!!!!" Before being like "Ah, uh, sorry. I was uhhh out of character there for a moment. Just pretend that didn't happen..."

"You're not important, fuck off!!! >:(" but I'm like "Oh, but I am! I'm the nephew of the great Salvador! Influencer, artist, a wonderful man." And the guy is like "Oh shit really?! :0" and I'm like "Yeah! He taught me how to draw!!! See."

!

"HE ERASED MY FILE"

!

"See, this kid is far more helpful than you!"

!

"We need to find your siblings, they have enough determination in their souls to undo what happened in the lab. Well, uh. Enough determination in MY soul. Im...not allowed to come into contact with those things any more. Last time there were D̷̾̔ĩ̴͠ř̸̒e̸̟̾ ̶̄͠c̵̔̇o̷͗̿ņ̵̏s̷̉̈́ȅ̵̀q̷́̃ů̴̈́ě̷̜n̵̐̃c̸̛̓e̶̋̋s̴̍̇"

"Oh ■̷̄̾ you look so beautiful! You've finally become the woman you've always wanted to be! I'm so proud!"

"My children...I am sorry but I must go. I must control the chaos and bring order. We will soon meet again but for now, I need you to calm both beast and those native to this world. Please, won't you do this for me?"

!

"I went to this school to get away from my parents...not that they cared. I decided to try being an idol for a social media stunt and well, it worked! A bit too well actually... I'm starting to get bored of it but I like the attention. I just wish I could have the hairstyles I want again..."

!

"Yes yes calm down everyone! We've agreed, your souls will be mine."

"I didn't agree to this."

"They agreed by a vote!"

"Hey! Hey, snowy. Snowy I need you to- I need you to take care of something."

"Attack please."

"No, sorry, my bones are fragile. If I jumped down, I'd surely die. Unless a few of you are willing to break my fall."

"You can jump down!"

"My rabbit! My little rabbit, I left them upstairs! I need someone to go with me to get them."

!

"Mwan, Quan, and Mifty Carrots! On ther way to find their parents, the adventure never ends with you and you and you and me!"

"8 times right, 3 times left."

"Sorry I gotta go fight the bad guy myself. Sorry for getting you kicked out of Bubble Town. :("

!

"Yes, it was me all along!"

!

"Wait wait! Wait wait!"

!

"everyone has a fair chance."

"one leg. Isn't easer with just one?" And I'm like "uh, no?"

!

Evil boss: "I rather die a hotdog'? What Is that Supposed to mean?!"

!

"Do not hurt the man. He wishes no harm appin you. Just play."

!

"■■■ Had forgotten he was created for a 3D space and thus couldn't properly exist in the space of 4D. He began to suffocate. Is this where it all ends? ... no... because we still had one thing. ANIME. By shifting into a 2D form, he became compatible with the 4D world and soon could do things no others could."

"hey! This has sensitive work stuff on it."

"Oh, I can't read :)"

!

"no. I wanted to die." And they were like "you just might get that." And I was like "nah. I'm actually immortal. Goodbye." Before clapping my hands twice and 'waking up'

!

"I know you're there. I may not be able to see you but I can sense you. 4th dimensional being, if you can understand me, your days are numbered."

!

"I know stuff about you that even you don't know yet. I know things that'll shatter you. Anyway, we gotta find Bismuth and JJ- wait, dose he go here yet? We gotta find Clara... oh gezze that one might be awkward."

Anyone want some quotes from my dream notes?

[renchinworld]

Okay but imagine husband Renjun hugging u from behind and planting kisses on the side of ur neck while ur making coffee in the morning,

listening intently to your stories and offering u the best eye-opening advices like the 700 year old sage he is,

ruffling ur hair while brushing y'all teeth together at night,

feeding u then teasingly taking it back before u eat it "say aaah--sike",

u pouting and him laughing & making it up to u by buying u flowers and singing ur favorite song,

being strict & domineering in public but clingy & gentle asf in private (unless u piss him off),

making the wittiest jokes & giving up halfway because he thinks it's unfunny but u think it's fcking hilarious,

dropping all the events in his schedule for you because his family is now the biggest priority in his life,

recommending you everything that reminded him of u because he's sentimental like that,

having u at the back of his mind 24/7 that no other pussy can compare even if it was offered to him on a Balenciaga platter oops this was supposed to be a fluffy post,

letting u do his nails and makeup & styling because he's comfortable in his masculinity & believes everyone should be free to express themselves however they want,

validating yours and your children's (if u decide to have babies) emotions like a boss,

decorating the kids room with moomin plushies and his artworks,

making your home smell like heaven in every corner even Jo Malone is proud,

singing you to sleep when you've had a rough day even though he's also tired because seeing you at peace is enough to bring him rest,

loving you and only you for the rest of your lives because Renjun only goes for the best of the best and to him you are even way beyond that 💖

[hungry-tum-stuff]

My Long-Overdue Introductory Post!

General Info

Hi! Welcome to hungry-tum-stuff, y’all can call me Bee! I’m 20 years old, and a cisgender woman, so I use she/her pronouns. I’m a biromantic asexual, so if you’re looking for an nsfw tummy blog, you’re looking in the wrong place!

Regardless of this being a sfw blog, it’s still strictly 18+. I discuss and write about mature themes on this blog. If you’re younger than 18 I obviously can’t stop you, but please tread carefully here.

In a similar vein, all characters I reference here will either be fictional or my own original characters. I won’t be writing or making headcanons about real people, nor will I make mentions of ways that I engage in this fetish in real life. My one exception is my Fanvue, which you can find linked below:

Fanvue Link: https://www.fanvue.com/hungry_tumbee

Writing Masterpost: https://www.tumblr.com/hungry-tum-stuff/685093020143648768/the-hungry-tum-stuff-writing-masterpost

Status

My Commissions are: Open!

Commission terms can be found in this post: https://hungry-tum-stuff.tumblr.com/post/688512812256051200/i-am-officially-opening-commissions

My DMs are: Open!

My roleplay requests are: Open!

My Inbox is: Open!

What you can (and absolutely should) send to my inbox:

Writing prompts

Character headcanons (fandom or OC related)

Questions about my characters (I will love you until the end of time if you ask about my characters)

Literally anything else that crosses your mind

My current fixation(s): Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!

My Current WIP: A TOTK Fic!

Stuff You’ll See on this Blog

Hunger kink stuff, first and foremost.

Hurt/Comfort

Whump in general, but mainly relating to what’s in the tummy area.

Starved to Stuffed content

A lil bit of stuffing

Fictional character and OC content

Sickfics

Perhaps some g/t (giant/tiny) content

Fandoms I’m Involved In

Main Squeeze ATM: Malevolent 💛

The Legend of Zelda

The Moomins

Stardew Valley

Fullmetal Alchemist

Gravity Falls

The Magnus Archives

Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart

Trigun (Stampede and ‘98)

And more! (Those are the big ones tho)

Stuff I Do

Writing, both fandom related and not

OC Roleplay, literate, multi-paragraph, and usually centered around hunger or whump

Character and OC headcanons

What Ain’t Here

Pregnancy

Vore

Feederism

Emetophilia

Anything pertaining to real life people, including myself

Any Writing or headcanons about underaged characters

[amethyst-marie368]

Chapter 3: Meeting Snufkin - "When Spring Comes, We'll Meet Again"

I slowly separated from the group and walked closer to the forest, trying to find where I was when I heard the harmonica playing. After a minute, I found it. Looking in the direction of the waterfall, I could almost hear the melody again, phantom notes that tickled my ears and ebbed away playfully. I did what I didn’t do this morning. I walked in the direction of the notes. 

Exiting the forest, I found myself a bit of a distance away from where Little My, Moomin, and Snorkmaiden were. Looking at the ground, you could tell that someone had been fishing, a hole had been made in the ground for the pole to rest in. Aside from that, if one didn’t know a person had been here, they’d disregard the simple hole in the ground. Sitting, the ground wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t more comfortable, warmer, or unique in any way.

Yet… a fluttering sensation caught itself in my throat. I quickly bit the inside of my cheek to stop the growing smile. Ah. This was kinda ridiculous. Resting my head into my arms, I could still hear the others having a good time. What a nice place this is… Before I could get too into my daydreams, a startled shriek and a splash snapped me back into real life.

“Little My! Little My! Hold on!” Snorkmaiden desperately called out. I quickly stood up, noticing a figure in the water. Even if Little My was great at anything physical, this wasn't good.

Little My had entered the water and had slipped on the smooth rocks. Falling into the wide plunge pool of the waterfall Little My was swept away by the rapids. 

“Little My!” Moomin called out, running along the bank of the waterfall channel, looking for anything for Little My to grab onto. 

All of the melting snow had run off the valley’s mountains, and the pull of the water was fierce. I need to do something. 

Moomin ran to my side, Little My still trying to keep her head above the water. He had found a stick. It was too short to reach her.

“Moomin,” I said, taking off my cloak, throwing it to the side, and then quickly grabbing the end of the stick. “I can get closer to Little My. Quickly.” Nervous, Moomin could only do what I asked. 

Giving me a nod, I entered the slightly chilled water. The chill came from the snow run-off. Little My was approaching fast, and the water had already reached my waist. 

I grabbed at Little My, and the pull of the water forced me to fall completely into the water. Water entered my ears and nose, and Little My slipped out of my grasp. Blindly, I reached out, cloth brushed my fingertips, and I tightly held on. Moomin quickly tugged the two of us out of the water.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

I lay on the ground I had previously sat, gazing at the sky and the clouds as they passed. 

…That one looks like a heart. Hmm, that looks like a cat with cheese. The sound of Snorkmaiden scolding Little My and questioning if she ‘had multiple lives’ went through one ear and out the other like ambient noise.

“Um… are you alright, Rauna…?” Moomin asked cautiously.

“Hm? Oh yeah. I’m alright. Just resting.” I replied. A small face peered over mine.

“...thank you for rescuing me.” Little My said, her eyes looking anywhere but my own. 

How am I supposed to reply? For some reason, ‘you’re welcome’ seems strange in this circumstance. It’s not like I would ignore someone in need… But I can’t ignore her thanks. 

I sat up, and Little My quickly moved out of the way to avoid hitting heads together. I turned, silently looking at her,

“...”

“...” Little My stared back.

“...you’re welcome. Next time you want to go for a swim, you can invite me another way, you know?” I joked, cracking a smile. Little My grinned, her eyes turned to crescents.

“Okay. Next time, I’ll invite you the right way.” 

But really... It really isn’t Little My’s luckiest day today. First, Stinky, and now this.

“We should go home, Moomin. We don’t want Rauna or Little My to catch a cold.” Snorkmaiden said with a frown. “I’ll go back first so Moominmamma can get some towels and something warm to drink.”

 I gathered my cloak off the ground and got ready to walk back to Moominhouse. Moomin, Little My, and I took our time silently walking back, tired from wrestling with nature…

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

We returned to Moominhouse. My first day here, and it’s already this eventful… I thought with a tired smile. Little My and I had mostly dried from the walk, but we were still a sight. The second we entered the door, Moominmamma instantly handed us warm towels to dry off.

“Come sit on the couch, the both of you. There’s still a chill in the air. We wouldn’t want either of you to catch a cold.” Moominmamma exclaimed. Fussing around us, she wrapped a blanket around us and handed us a cup of hot chocolate. 

“Thank you, Moominmamma.” It was nice to have something warm after the chill of the water. 

“Moomin? Come help me prepare to set the table, will you?”

“Yes, Mama.” Moomin obediently followed Moominmamma out of the living room and, from how their voices became distant, farther than the dining room. Kitchen? I guessed.

“Whatever happened, Moomin?…our guest is all wet…hasn’t even been here a full day…” Moomin’s and Moominmamma’s conversation drifted into the living room till it disappeared. 

With Moominmamma’s fuss, I hadn’t noticed that a person had walked in and was now sitting at the smaller, round tea table. We quietly looked at each other, curiosity glinting in our eyes. 

Who is this? Could he be the Snufkin Moomin was talking about? Little My darted her gaze between us, hot chocolate decorating her top lip.

“Snufkin! It’s about time! Spring already started, and you weren’t here!” She loudly exclaimed. “Where were you? You haven’t been late in ages.”

“Hello to you too, Little My.” He responded in an amused tone. Oh. His voice is pleasant. I nearly gave him a thumbs-up. I would be lying if I wasn’t attracted to his voice. But it's not my fault that I like nice-sounding voices.

“Oh, you know, around as usual. Nothing too special. I just took more scenic routes this time around.” Snufkin added, taking a look at me.

“Hello, I’m Rauna,” I say, smiling.

“Pleasure to meet you, I’m Snufkin.” He replies, giving a smile back. Little My, done with her drink, jumped off the couch.

“This isn’t fun. I’m gonna go find Snorkmaiden.” She exclaimed. Seems like she gets restless a bit easily. Probably because of all that energy.

“She’s probably in the kitchen helping Moomin and Moominmamma, Little My. I’d check there first.” Snufkin said.

“Alright, thanks, Snufkin.” Little My then turned to me, ” And thanks again, Rauna.” I barely managed to reply before she ran out of the living room. 

Well then. This is going to be a bit strange now. I can socialize well enough, but I think I’m kinda awkward... Am I supposed to say something? I don’t know… After some time, I filled my mouth with my drink instead of talking.

“Did you…” Snufkin started and paused.

“Hm?” I looked up, swallowing the large amount of hot chocolate I filled my mouth with.

“Did you decide to go swimming? In this weather?”

“...” Was he genuinely asking… or was he making a joke? “What do you mean, this is the best day for swimming I’ve seen yet. You should try it sometime.” I said with a laugh. I sat cross-legged on the couch, cradling the warm cup.

“I know of a better place to get a relaxing soak.” 

I perked up at his comment, leaning towards him for the answer.

“Really? Where?” It’d be nice to explore Moominvalley before heading to the next spot.

“Past the waterfall is a natural hot spring, you know. When Moominpappa broke a bone one time, it healed him up quite nicely, I’d say.” 

Hmm, hot springs. Sounds wonderful! Definitely going to check that out.

“Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely take a look sometime.” I said, then glanced at the dining room entrance. It’s been a while… Should I go help them? As I completed the thought, Moomin popped his head through the door.

“Dinner is ready! I call dibs next to Snufkin!” He yelled quickly.

“Hey! I was gonna sit there!” Little My complained.

“You can sit next to him next time, Little My. I’m going to get Papa, don’t steal my seat!” Moomin ran upstairs as quickly as he could. With a smile, I got up.

“Well then. Let’s go eat.” I said, turning to look at Snufkin before walking into the dining room.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

We all settled at the table, and everyone had a seat. Moominpappa sat at the head of the table with Moominmamma on his right and Moomin on his left. Little My got her wish and sat with Snufkin between her and Moomin. Snorkmaiden and I sat on the other side of the table. 

I feel like I’ve been drinking a lot…first the fruit juice this morning, then the water from the waterfall, then hot chocolate, and now more water. I thought, taking a sip from my cup as Snorkmaiden chatted with Moominmamma about some recipes. I sat and ate there quietly. 

They didn’t pry to hear about the places I’ve visited before or the things I’ve seen, like the other past hosts. Instead, I was told stories. I met Moominpappa for the first time, who had been busy writing his memoir the whole day. He recited some of his tales of glory, fables, and legends. Of sea pirates and damsels. His stories and the laughter of everyone at the table filled the warm corners of the house.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

After dinner, Snorkmaiden and Little My headed back home before it got too dark. No one else wanted to leave, so Moominpappa suggested playing a card game. 

I looked at my cards. Not lucky, and not horrible either. Oh well. Story of my life. 

The night dragged on and on…later and later into the night. Moomin had already gone to bed, and Moominpappa couldn’t contain his contagious yawns. Moominmamma looked at the time.

“Rauna, will you be staying the night with us? We have a quite comfortable guest room upstairs if you’d like.” Moominmamma asked me.

“Oh, no thank you, Moominmamma. I’ll be staying in my tent as I usually do. Maybe you know of a good spot where I can set up camp?” I asked in return.

 I never was comfortable enough to take up the offer of staying the night at the places I visited. I did try once. Couldn’t sleep the whole night and felt out of my element sleeping under someone else’s roof…

Moominmamma shifted her gaze to Snufkin. Curious, I looked at him too. He took the last sip of tea from his cup, then turned his gaze to mine. 

“I set up my tent a bit away from here, past the bridge. You can pitch your tent near mine. I have a fire pit already set up.” He said. 

I thought about it. I hope he wasn’t pressured by Moominmamma to invite me into his space… Let’s test out his reaction and decide on that. I opened my mouth and spoke cautiously. 

“...if you’re alright with it, that’d be nice. Thank you, Snufkin.” His expression didn’t change from how it was. No furrow of the brow to show that he was displeased that I had agreed, and no micro-twitch of the lip that would hide a frown. Relieved, I looked at where we were in the game.

Moominpappa seemed to be in the lead, with Snufkin as a close second placer. But…if Snufkin was giving it his all, I think he’d be in the lead. With me close behind him, I thought with a smile.

“Alright then, Rauna, I’ll go bring down your bag from my room,” Moominmamma said, getting up from the table.

“Thank you, Moominmamma.” I said, revealing my cards as I folded. It was time to get going. I looked at the antique clock, nearly one in the morning.

Snufkin waited at the door as I took my bag from Moominmamma. With a good night, we left Moominhouse.

It was a pretty silent walk to the campsite. The sound of our feet as we walked and the night creatures stirring in the distance felt terribly loud on this quiet night. But I felt the need to say something. The silence made me feel awkward. I hoped my voice wouldn’t crack.

“Moomin said you can play an instrument?” I asked. Snufkin glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

“That’s right. I mainly play the harmonica.” 

“That’s cool,” I said, smiling. And interesting. That means it’s highly likely that Snufkin was the one I played along to this morning. “Would you mind if I asked to hear you sometime?”

“Not at all,” he replied. “I play often. You’re bound to hear me, like it or not.” He continued with a smile. I let out a laugh.

“True. I’m looking forward to it.”

Crossing the bridge, I saw where Snufkin had pitched his tent, and he pointed out some even ground where I could set up my own.

“Do you want some help? It’s getting late, and I bet you’d want just go to sleep right now.” Snufkin asked. I paused from unpacking my tent.

“Actually…that would be much appreciated,” I said sheepishly. “I’m honestly pretty tired.” Snufkin silently walked over and helped pitch my tent.

“Thank you,” I whispered. The night was catching up to me. Snufkin nodded in response to my thanks. 

“No problem,” he added, sitting down to tend to the fire. 

Pausing in front of my tent, I looked back to his sitting form. “Going to sleep?” I asked.

“No, not yet.” The fire cast a pleasant glow onto his face. The flames reflected in his eyes as the sparks popped and cracked. I couldn’t help yawning at the strangely calm and comforting scene.

“Okay. Goodnight, Snufkin.” I said, entering my tent, ready to tuck into my blankets.

“Goodnight, Rauna.”

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

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[sor-vette]

Hello Darja! First and more important, I hope you're doing great, hope you're feeling content and nice <3

NOW, is there a limit to the prompts we can use? If not, I'd love one with Jae and the reader, (because miss him and need more interactions with her) using these: “You always make that face when you’ve done something wrong, so what did you do? / “I can’t be mad at you.” / “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

You haven't even written it yet, but I already know I'm going to love it because I enjoy everything you do hahaha

Hello, hello! Good to hear from you! I've got a couple of days free so I am happy rn :) I originally had planned, one prompt per request but eh, let's do multiple :) hope you don't mind that I used your ask as the base format for the drabble :? I'm not quite sure how many people will enjoy this, because it's mostly two OC's....and therefore extremely specified but Jae deserves some love so here it goes :)) hope it's to your liking ♡

Racoons in the Office

• type: Jae x reader (+Jin x reader) • w/c: 1.5k

• part of: "Life of 27" drabble series set in "The Curious Move-In to Apartment 27"

• set: right after "On Middle Grounds"

• tagging: @pinkcherrybombs; @introlxv (sorry, babes, I'm going to annoy you forever)

a/n: when you see a bunch of text written without spaces it means Jae is nagging really, really fast

You sip the fermented drink with a long and cautious face, puke a little bit in your mouth and then melt into the desk. There's not a place that doesn't hurt.

"I said have a good evening not get a liver failure," Jae grumbles, running all over the office. It's empty and quiet on Saturday afternoon. A space for you both to work in peace or vomit in peace as was the case today.

"It was a drinking game..." you try to explain lamely but once Jae has launched into mother hen mode which is scarily reminiscent of Jin though more softly spoken, there's no stopping him.

"How old are you? Two years senior and you bow to peer pressure! Why did you keep drinking? Stop drinking! There's water, should have drunk that!"

"Many people-"

"There's water!" Jae insists, fetching a pillow (?) and tucking it underneath your throbbing temples. You only left the safety of the apartment because once the guys got the wind of Mark, who was he and what happened, the worry had exploded, nearly lopping your head with it. Who would have guessed the same tirade would continue here.

"Yes but-"

"alcoholisnotgoodforyourhealth-"

"Okay."

"andyoushouldbemoremindfulofyourhealthyou'vegotsomanypeoplewhocareforyou-"

"Okay."

"Are you even listening to me?"

You raise your head and for the first time and squint in his general direction. Jae was standing in the light of the torturous sun, one hand on his hip and worried expression etched deep into his otherwise youthful face. Your eyes drift downward, to the truly horrendous Moomin sweater he had adorned.

"Don't be mad at me," is all you ask.

Jae sighs.

"I can't be mad at you," he pouts. "It is a scientific impossibility. But really is it that hard to drink in moderation?"

"You snort in a coffee with eight shots of espresso," you remind him sagely, tucking your head away back into the shadows and Jae becomes but an omnipresent, nagging voice drifting endlessly like a horde of mosquitos.

That puts a halter in his mouth if but for a second.

"Yes, but that's me! Who cares about me?"

"I do," you narrow him down. "I care. Besides which what are you even doing here?"

He blushes.

"Nothing."

He's not even red. More like...purple. Eyes shifting left and right, while his legs bounce around with anxiety he appears very much like a puppy caught in front of a chewed slipper, hoping that if he won't make eye contact, it will all disappear.

"You're making the face."

"What face?" he gives you the widest, most scandalized eyes in the universe.

"The face," you clarify with emphasis. It helps exactly no one. "You always make that face when you’ve done something wrong, so what did you do?"

"It's not that it's wrong...." he laughs nervously wringing his hands and then slumps forward. "I wanted to tell HR that it was me who got Erik mad so they wouldn't write a note in your ledger."

You snort.

"A note. What do you think it is - a school?" Laughing was a no-go. It made you only sicker. "Also you're doing no such thing."

He splutters with indignance.

"I will," when you flinch he lowers his tone to a whisper once again. "Yes, I will do it. Don't even try to stop me."

"You have already been stopped," you whine. "You're under my protection, that's one. I have beef with everyone here, that's two. I've given up on my career, that's three. So all in all, they pencil this incident into already my known reputation of being an outcast and we're done. Besides, if not for Eric's little outburst we wouldn't have our own office."

Jae tugs your head upwards, pressing a bottle of water to your lips. Though it feels slightly insulting as though you're a frail Victorian patient dying of tuberculosis, the water is cool and fresh and soothes the horrible scratching in your throat.

"What office?" he asks, once you're done.

"Our own office," you slump into the chair, shivering slightly. Never mind never drinking again, you won't even look at alcohol ever again. You'll promise pretty please on any deities shrine to be forever obedient if this nausea would cease. "Others are making you uncomfortable, so I fired up a bunch of e-mails and they allowed us to use the folder room."

You avoid telling the slight detail that 99% of that success lied in the fact that no one wanted to be even in a five-meter radius of Jae launching into one of his long rants, hence granting the proposal of isolation a rather widespread approval. He didn't need to know that.

"...it's a cupboard," Jae faintly remarks and you would shrug if not for the fear of projectile vomiting all over this carpet. It'd be a bitch to clean.

"Tomato, tomato," you reply casually but then the sound of crying forces you to focus. Jae was standing, water bottle in hand with what was clearly light tears running down his cheeks.

"No...please, don't cry," you try to comfort him lamely but you're also rooted to the spot. And extremely awkward.

"People always have wanted something from me," he wiped at his face. "So this has been the first case of someone...picking on me. I've never been forced to hear someone say shit about my ADHD."

He was probably upset that you did this - treat him as a kid in need of saving. You messed up again.

"Jae, I-"

"Thank you!"

Thank you?

He runs to your chair and practically tries to meld his body into yours, enveloping you in a jittery hug. You clamp your jaw shut to avoid any incidents.

"Thank you so much. I can't believe you did this for me," he chokes.

"Did what?" Jin's voice suddenly asks. He looks just as green as you, swaying from left to right. It was even a surprise he was able to stand up. Jae immediately unwraps himself.

"We're going to get our own space," you explain warily. You hope they won't find but it's a loser's expectancy at this point. At least it wasn't Namjoon. You were only half confident to say that he wouldn't just chuck Jae out of the window should he run his mouth too much. And run he did.

"You, guys," he points at Jin accusingly. "You care for her right? What kind of men are you to allow her to drink herself to this state?! No, gentlemen, thissimplywillnotdo.doyoualsoallowhertosleepwithanopenwindow?shecomesinsnifflingeverytwodaysandthisisnotthetimetocatchacold,isaidno,notooverdrinkingnotosleepingwithanopenwindownotohavingacold!healthispreciousyouknow-"

Jin's eyes are hidden behind hefty sunglasses but despite it, the scowl is quite visible.

"Child -"

"CHILD?!"

"- me...I'm too sick to listen...to listen you. Honey?"

In your weak state, you don't even bat an eyelash at the term.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go home."

Home. That does sound wonderful. But if the saying was right then home was not a place, it was people. And home meant both the arrangement of clownery that was BTS and very much a strange coloured Moomin that was Jae. Quite the dwelling that was.

"You know I care for you," you glance at Jin and he nods, briefly touching his stomach as if barely not hurling. "And I also care for Jae. So, please, if you could just tolerate each other, that would make me happy."

Though they don't admit this to you, your happiness was their main and common priority and as such when the taxi arrives to take you home, guided by Jin's embrace, Jae is also there. You'll have to come clean about Mark. Not later, in a distant, unreachable future, but right now and to everyone. But somehow it feels less scary. Despite still throwing daggers at each other, Jae and Jin remain passive, one belting off the taxi driver's ear about safe and steady driving and one, pressing chaste, comforting kisses to your forehead. Jin's fingers trace small circles on the small of your back and you fall prey to their trance, nuzzling boneless into his neck.

"You're going to be okay," he mutters and you can't differentiate whether he means it physically as in you're going to survive this car ride, or emotionally - that you could tell them the truth and won't be judged for it. "Everything's going... okay."

"Just don't bully Jae, okay," you plead, soft and pathetic and Jin's heart bleeds. "He's my friend."

Jin side-glances at the blue-haired weirdo. He may not like the kid but he did care for you and, to Jin, that was an agreeable quality.

"We won't bully him" he promises, biting away the ending of "too much".

When Jae, Jin and you slide out of the taxi, all green-tinted and wobbly, you turn to look back at him. Namjoon stands in the window like some sort of ominous giant. Jae's lips press into a thin line at the sight but he quickly wipes it away.

"You know, I can't believe you're doing this for me," you echo his words with a faint smile as Jimin rushes out to help you up the stairs. Now you definitely feel like a frail Victorian patient dying of tuberculosis.

"The things I do for my best friend," he grumbles miserably.

[fatehbaz]

ughhhhhhhhh noooo stop it! aha! don’t release non-native earthworms in random plots of soil for enhancing gardens or free bait, don’t do it anywhere in North America lmaoooo! stop, it’s so dangerous and extremely harmful, with devastating and surprisingly dramatic and visible biome-wide effects! haha popular tumblr blogs should stop repeatedly and widely sharing advice recommending the release of non-native earthworms and calling it “anti-imperialist praxis” and “bioregional autonomy” and “vegan self-suffiency” lol! dooooon’t! it straight up destroys soil and outright kills forests :/ it directly causes death of understory plants; death of iconic species like goblin fern and serviceberry; elimination of vital fungal networks providing both soil structure and tree-to-tree nutrient-sharing; loss of native invertebrates and amphibians; savannification of the boundary between woodland and tallgrass prairie; death of red maple, sugar maple, and red oak stands; and especially harms hardwoods forests of the Great Lakes and Midwest lmao seriously stooooop it >:(

Anyway for real, I sure hope no one is deliberately releasing non-native and invasive earthworms, or bait worms, anywhere on Turtle Island/North American land, especially west of the Mississippi River or north of the Wisconsin glaciation. Earthworms and bait worms sold in stores are, by and large, not species native to the continent. They severely harm forests and soil ecology, leading directly to disruption of fungal networks; death of saplings and seedlings; death of forest understory plants; replacement of typical understory species with grasses; mortality in adult trees, as well; changes in pH; and other harm, especially devastating in northern hardwoods forests of the Great Lakes region.

Not gonna name names, but several times this year, popular blogs from the [forest-lover, anarchist/leftist/solarpunk, Moomin-fan, environmentalist-ish] realms of Tumblr have widely shared advice recommending the release of non-native earthworms or bait worms into the wild, as a form of “praxis”. I’ve got these posts screenshotted, but since I generally respect people in these circles - and in the interest of avoiding discourse and drama - I’m not going to share them. (A popular post was widely shared in February 2019; another “release store-bought earthworms” post was shared in December 2019.) I appreciate where their hearts are at. But:

Source: [x].

Some things:

From a Phys dot org summary of Great Lakes Worm Watch:

"The western Great Lakes region, which is the area we're focused on, has no native earthworms," says ecologist Cindy Hale, a research associate with the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. Native earthworms in the region were all wiped out after the last Ice Age. The current population was brought by Europeans hundreds of years ago, (soil was often used as ballast in ships) and they’re now changing the face of local forests. Anglers are adding to the problem by dumping worms that don't end up on the end of a hook.

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Hale's team created the Great Lakes Worm Watch website and outreach programs to stop the spread of non-native earthworms and to clear up the common misconception that they're harmless. [...] Earthworms may be small but when they take over a forest, the impact is dramatic. They cause the rapid incorporation of organic material into the soil, changing its structure, chemistry and nutrient dynamics. What's known as the duff layer is suddenly removed, and this duff, or decaying organic material on the forest floor, is habitat for several species of insects, spiders, small vertebrates, bacteria and fungi. It is also the primary rooting zone for most plants."What's really the biggest negative effect on the plants directly is the removal of their rooting zone. It can cause mortality of adult plants but, furthermore, it can cause a loss of reproductive potential. A lot of these native plants have seeds that have very complex seed dormancy and germination strategies," says Hale.

--

Caption by Shireen Gonzaga for EarthSky: “A forest understory with a high diversity of native plants, the result when there are no earthworms in the soil. Image courtesy of Paul Ojanen.”

Caption by Shireen Gonzaga for EarthSky: “Forest soil with an abundance of non-native earthworms can result in a bare understory. Image courtesy of Scott L Loss.”

Non-native worms disrupt fungi networks, alter soil pH, damage seedlings, and allow grasses to gain stronger footholds to replace native/natural forest understory plants (from an EarthSky review of 2016 research by German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research):

Bottom line: European earthworms, introduced by early settlers, are changing the physical and chemical characteristics of soil in northern North American forests, creating a decreased diversity in native plants. [...] At the top soil layer, earthworms convert fallen leaves to humus. That’s a good thing if you’re growing a garden, but, in a natural forest, it causes a fast-tracking of the release of nutrients instead of allowing the leaf litter to break down more slowly, as it would without the earthworms.

Also, as they burrow through the ground, earthworms disrupt the mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship between fungi and plants. Some deep-burrowing worm species change the pH of upper soil layers by mixing in alkaline soil from deeper in the ground. [...]

All of these changes adversely affect native plants that did not evolve in such conditions. For instance, the goblin fern is rarely found in areas with high earthworm density. Other native plants facing threats include largeflower bellwort, trillium and Solomon’s seal. Earthworms also consume the seeds and seedlings of some plant species, influencing what grows in the forest understory.

In some locations, grasses, with their fine root systems that quickly absorb nutrients, dominate the forest floor. Non-native invasive plants that evolved in soils containing earthworms gain an even stronger foothold in these forests.

--

Cindy Hale, the prominent University of Minnesota-based researcher of non-native earthworms in the Great Lakes region, has published this book through Kollath-Stensaas Publishing:

--

Non-native worms harm birch trees specifically and hardwood forests generally (excerpt from University of Toronto research, 2016):

The worms can cause dramatic changes to ecosystems by altering soils, reducing leaf litter and disrupting microbial interactions, which reduces biodiversity. Now it seems they are also eating plant seeds in the wild, potentially altering the make-up of forest communities. (…)

“They eat a lot more seeds than we think,” says Cassin [ecologist at University of Toronto in Mississauga], now at the Ontario Invasive Plant Council in Canada.

The study shows another way that earthworms can alter forest ecosystems, particularly for small-seeded species such as birch, says Lee Frelich, an ecologist at the University of Minnesota in St Paul. (…)

Once earthworms have invaded a habitat, they are almost impossible to eradicate, says Erin Bayne, of the University of Alberta in Canada. Conservationists must instead work to keep worms out of pristine habitats, he says, for example by restricting the use of worms as fishing bait and by controlling accidental transport of contaminated soil.

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Non-native worms lead to wildflower, fern, and sapling death. In hardwood forests, this loss is probably due partially to how worms degrade the duff layer; the loss of this layer also provokes soil erosion and directly eliminates the forest floor shelter of larger invertebrates and amphibians. When saplings cannot establish themselves, there is tree loss. (From Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)

Studies conducted by the University of Minnesota and forest managers show that at least seven species are invading our hardwood forests and causing the loss of tree seedlings, wildflowers, and ferns.

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Sugar maples, important both for forests and human food production, are devastated by the worms (from several years of research by Michigan Technological University across multiple national and state forests in the Upper Great Lakes):

A new study suggests that non-native worms are eating up the forest floor, causing sugar maples to die back and perhaps harming other forest dwellers.

Sugar maples are prized as much for their valuable lumber as for their sugary sap and dazzling fall colors. In Michigan alone, they are the basis of a multi-million-dollar industry. But several years ago, foresters began noticing that the crowns of the big trees appeared unhealthy, with bare limbs and little new growth. “They were losing trees before they could harvest them.” (…)

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Great Lakes Worm Watch has some fun links and resources:

You can download a comprehensive key that helps identify earthworm species. Available for free, via Great Lakes Worm Watch:

Text from Great Lakes Worm Watch: “Different plant species respond to earthworm invasions differently. Some native plants appear to be very sensitive, so much so, that they can rapidly disappear when earthworms invade a forest. Some examples of these plants include…” 

Worm Watch: “If earthworm invasion leads to changes in the mycorrhizal community of fungi, the diversity of plants that make up the understory would be dramatically changed. Fungi are a preferred food of many earthworm species and they graze it heavily, which could dramatically impact the abundance and composition of fungi in the soil.  By grazing fungi on or near plant roots, the earthworms not only can damage the roots, but they prevent the plant and fungi from forming the symbiotic relationship where mycorrhizal fungi exchange nutrients and water for carbohydrates with green plants.  If the fungi can't get enough food, they will die back even further.  For some of the native plants that need mycorrhizal fungi, especially when the plant is young and small, survival will be difficult if earthworms prevent this relationship from being formed.”

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